D
daily (not dayly)
This is an exception to the -y rule.
See
ADDING ENDINGS (iii)
.
dairy or diary? We buy our cream at a local DAIRY.
Kate writes in her DIARY every day.
dangling participles See
PARTICIPLES.
dashes Dashes are used widely in informal notes
and letters.
(i) A dash can be used to attach an
afterthought:
Ishouldlovetocome–that’sifIcan
get the time off.
(ii) A dash can replace a colon before a
list in informal writing:
The thieves took everything – video,
television, cassettes, computer,
camera, the lot.
(iii) A dash can precede a summary:
Video, television, cassettes, computer,
camera – the thieves took the lot.
(iv) A pair of dashes can be used like a
pair of commas or a pair of brackets
around a parenthesis:
Geraldine is – as you know – very
shy with strangers.
(v) A dash can mark a pause before the
climax is reached:

DISEASED means affected by illness or
infection.
deceit (not -ie)
See
EI/IE SPELLING RULE
.
deceive
decent or descent? DECENT means fair, upright, reasonable.
DESCENT means act of coming down,
ancestry.
decide decided, deciding (not decied-)
deciet Wrong spelling. See
DECEIT
.
DECIET
55
decieve Wrong spelling. See
DECEIVE
.
decision
de
´
colletage (not de-)
decrepit (not -id)
defective or deficient? DEFECTIVE means not working properly
(a DEFECTIVE machine).
DEFICIENT means lacking something vital
(a diet DEFICIENT in vitamin C).
defer deferred, deferring, deference
See

IamabsolutelyDEPENDENT on a
pension.
The noun (meaning someone who is
dependent) has traditionally been spelt
-ant. However, the American practice of
writing either -ant or -ent for the noun
has now spread here. Either spelling is
now considered correct for the noun but
DECIEVE
56
­
be aware that some conservative readers
would consider this slipshod.
She has five DEPENDANTS/
DEPENDENTS.
descent See
DECENT OR DESCENT?
.
describe (not dis-)
description (not -scrib-)
desease Wrong spelling. See
DISEASE
.
desert or dessert? A DESERT is sandy.
A DESSERT is a pudding.
desiccated (not dess-)
desirable (not desireable)
See
ADDING ENDINGS (ii)
.

See
FOREIGN PLURALS
.
diagnosis or DIAGNOSIS is the identification of an
prognosis? illness or a difficulty.
PROGNOSIS is the forecast of its likely
development and effects.
diarrhoea
diary (singular) diaries (plural)
See
PLURALS (iii)
.
See
DAIRY OR DIARY?
.
dictionary (singular) dictionaries (plural) (not -nn-)
See
PLURALS (iii)
.
didn’t (not did’nt)
See
CONTRACTIONS.
diesel (not deisel)
See
EI/IE SPELLING RULE
.
dietician/dietitian Both spellings are correct.
differcult Wrong spelling. See
DIFFICULT
.

.
diphtheria (not diptheria as it is often mispronounced)
diphthong (not dipthong as it is often mispronounced)
direct speech See
INVERTED COMMAS
.
disagreeable dis + agree + able
disappear dis + appear
disappearance (not -ence)
disappoint dis + appoint
disapprove dis + approve
disassociate or Both are correct, but the second is more
dissociate? widely used and approved.
disaster
disastrous (not disasterous, as it is often
mispronounced)
disc or disk? Use ‘disc’ except when referring to
computer disks.
disciple (not disiple)
discipline
discover or invent? You DISCOVER something that has been
there all the time unknown to you (e.g. a
star).
­
DISCOVER OR INVENT?
59
You INVENT something if you create it
for the first time (e.g. a time machine).
discreet or discrete? You are DISCREET if you can keep
secrets and behave diplomatically.

participate and is clearly UNINTERESTED
in any activities the school has to offer.
Originally, DISINTERESTED was used in
this sense (= having no interest in,
apathetic), and it is interesting that this
meaning is being revived in popular
speech.
DISCREET OR DISCRETE?
60
Avoid this use in formal contexts,
however, for it is widely perceived as
being incorrect.
disiple Wrong spelling. See
DISCIPLE
.
disk See
DISC OR DISK?
.
displace or misplace? To displace is to move someone or
something from its usual place:
A DISPLACED hip; a DISPLACED
person.
To misplace something is to put it in the
wrong place (and possibly forget where it
is):
A MISPLACED apostrophe; MISPLACED
kindness.
dissappear Wrong spelling. See
DISAPPEAR
.