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RE: Insure vs Ensure, was Re: Should we hire this guy?
Subject:RE: Insure vs Ensure, was Re: Should we hire this guy? From:"Lisa Wright" <liwright -at- uswest -dot- net> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 5 Jun 2000 15:01:25 -0700
I'm confused. Tom Murrell said:
<snip>Flesch says _ensure_ means only 'make certain', and _insure_ only
'guarantee against loss', but this is an imaginary distinction recognized
nowhere else (NB: he didn't know about MS Manual of Style), including the
major dictionaries. </snip>
Is _Flesch_ saying that the distinction between insure and ensure is an
imaginary one, recognized nowhere else? If so (and no, I am not going to
qualify this) then he's wrong. In any case, since insure is the only word
that means "guarantee against loss," I'd say that's a further argument for
_not_ using it interchangeably with ensure.
Nope, I don't know MOST technical writers. However, considering that I have
never, until today, had any technical writer (including incredibly
anal-retentive instructors) tell me that I should be using "insure" to mean
"to make certain," I think I'm going to hold my ground.
Lots of people mis-use relative pronouns, too. Doesn't make 'em right!
Thank goodness the sun will still come up tomorrow, irregardless <g> of
which word we choose to use!
