The Basics of Back-Formation

The Basics of Back-Formation The Basics of Back-Formation The Basics of Back-Formation By Mark Nichol A back-formation is a new word produced by excising an affix, such as producing the verb secrete from the noun secretion. Many back-formations, like that one, acquire respectability, but others, especially more recent coinages, are considered nonstandard, so use them with caution. Back-formation can be seen as a form of clipping, though the distinction between one category and the other is that clipped forms (ad in place of advertisement, for example) are the same part of speech as the original form, whereas most back-formations are verbs formed from nouns. (Many back-formations are formed from words ending in -tion, such as automate and deconstruct.) Most back-formations eventually take their place among other standard terms, though they are often initially met with skepticism. For example, curate and donate, now accepted without question (and associated with the high pursuits of art and philanthropy, respectively), were once considered abominations. Newer back-formations that careful writers are wise to avoid include attrit, conversate, enthuse, incent, liaise, spectate, and surveil. These buzzwords are convenient hence their creation but they are widely considered inelegant, and in the case of at least a couple of them, concise synonyms are already available. (To spectate is to watch, and to surveil is to observe.) Sometimes, a back-formation is derived from a noun describing an action, as with attendee from attendance, or from a noun describing an actor, as with mentee from mentor. Many people consider such terms aberrant, and they are also ill advised in formal writing. Other back-formations derive from confusion about a base word. Cherry and pea both developed from the assumption that the original terms cherise and pease are plurals. More recently, biceps (and triceps) and kudos have been misunderstood as plurals, resulting in bicep, tricep, and kudo. Although cherry and pea were accepted without reservations into English long ago, bicep, tricep, and kudo are still considered nonstandard. Another class of back-formations are those shorn of their prefixes for humorous effect, such as gruntled from disgruntled and kempt from unkempt; rarely do such truncations enter the general lexicon. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:75 Synonyms for â€Å"Angry†How to Punctuate Descriptions of ColorsWords That Begin with Q

Report to a potential investor, comparing and analyzing two companies' Essay

Report to a potential investor, comparing and analyzing two companies' current and previous years group figures in the annual report for the year ended 2012 - Essay Example It is the parent company of Sainsbury Supermarkets Ltd involved in the retailing business in UK and other parts of the world. With a market share of over 16.5%, it is one of the leading chains in the market catering to the various needs of the customers. Tesco Ltd is the market leader in the retailing industry in UK with major share in the market. It is also the third largest retailer in the world in terms of revenue and has its operations outside United Kingdom also. Over the period of time, Tesco has served the diversified needs of its customers in UK as well as other global markets. As compared to 2011, there has been a positive growth in the revenue of Sainsbury of 5.3%. Revenue for the year 2011 was  £21,102(M) whereas for 2012, it was  £22,294(M). As compared to Sainsbury, Tesco’s revenue however grew by 6.8% indicating that Tesco has been better at improving its turnover for the year. There could be different factors resulting into this higher growth of Tesco because it is a global firm with presence in more international markets as compared to Sainsbury. Tesco is present in countries like India and China thus offering it much needed leverage against the difficult economic situations prevailing in UK and other developed world. In order to effectively shield itself against market movements, Sainsbury therefore needs to diversify its market presence to generate more value for its shareholders. Gross Profit margin for Sainsbury has declined from 5.5% to 5.4% however this reduction may not be large. Tesco’s gross profit margin has declined too from 8.5% to 8.2% showing a relatively larger reduction in the gross profit margin as compared to Sainsbury. It may therefore be a result of higher level of inflation prevailing in United Kingdom and other global markets. Profit margin of Sainsbury has declined from 3.0% to 2.7% whereas the