Inquire and enquire

INQUIRY VS. ENQUIRY: I was about to use the word inquiry earlier today in an email, and, for a moment, couldn't remember the correct spelling.

It turns out that inquiry is correct in the U.S., but the British use both inquiry and enquiry. In England, it's always enquiry, except for official investigations. So a Briton would enquire about the availability of plane tickets, but the police would inquire into a murder.

What worries me is that the British way makes sense.

WORD OF THE DAY: I like to check out the Word of the Day online, but I'm often dismayed that they choose words I'd never use. On the other hand, there's a word like umbrage, which means offense or resentment. Taking umbrage often leads to a fight or duel, and I might actually use umbrage.

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• What I do when I'm editing

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• What I do when I'm editing

ANECDOTES BY TOM GILLISPIE

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