Howto Books The A-Z Of Correct English_M

M
machinery (not -ary)
madam or madame? Use MADAM:
"
as a polite term of respect:
Can I help you, madam?
"
in letter writing:
Dear Madam (note capital letter)
"
as a formal title of respect:
Thank you, Madam Speaker (note
capital letter)
Use MADAME as the French equivalent:
"
We are going to Madame Tussaud’s.
"
The famous French physicist, Madame
Curie, was born in Poland.
magic -e Also known as silent -e and mute -e.
See
ADDING ENDINGS (ii)
.
mahogany
maintain
maintenance (not maintainance)
manageable See
SOFT C AND SOFT G
.
manager (not manger, as is so often written!)
mango (singular) mangoes or mangos (plural)

See
PLURALS (iv)
.
manoeuvre
mantelpiece (not mantle-)
mantelshelf (not mantle-)
margarine (not margerine)
114
­
marihuana/marijuana Both spellings are correct.
marriage
marvel marvelled, marvelling
marvellous
masterful or masterly? MASTERFUL = dominating
MASTERLY = very skilful
mathematics (not mathmatics)
mating or matting? mate + ing = mating
mat + ing = matting
See
ADDING ENDINGS (i) + (ii)
.
matrix (singular) matrices or matrixes (plural)
See
FOREIGN PLURALS
.
may See
CAN OR MAY?
.
may or might? (i) Use may/might in a present context
and might in a past context:

If I receive a written invitation, I
MAY/MIGHT accept. (still possible)
If I had received a written invitation,
I MIGHT HAVE accepted. (possibility
over now)
If I don’t hurry, I MAY/MIGHT miss
the bus. (possibility exists)
If I hadn’t hurried, I MIGHT HAVE
missed the bus. (risk now over)
(ii) Convert ‘may’ to ‘might’ when
changing direct speech to indirect or
reported speech:
‘MAY I come in?’ she asked.
She asked if she MIGHT come in.
‘You MAY be lucky,’ she said.
She said that I MIGHT be lucky.
(iii) There is a slight difference between
the meaning of ‘may’ and ‘might’ in
the present tense when they are used
in the sense of ‘asking permission’:
MAY OR MIGHT?
115
MAY I suggest that we adjourn the
meeting? (agreement assured)
MIGHT I suggest that we adjourn the
meeting? (suggestion more tentative)
me See
I/ME/MYSELF
.
meant (not ment, not mean’t)

medal or meddle? MEDAL = a small metal disc given as an
honour
to MEDDLE =tointerfere
mediaeval/medieval Both spellings are correct.
medicine (not medecine) medicinal
mediocre
Mediterranean
medium (singular) media or mediums (plural)
Note, however, that the two plurals differ
in meaning.
The MEDIA hounded him to his death.
(= radio, television, newspaper journalists)
She consulted a dozen MEDIUMS in the
hope of making contact with her dead
husband. (= people through whom the
spirits of the dead are said to
communicate)
mediums See
MEDIUM
.
meet, meet up, meet British English distinguishes between the
up with, or meet with? first and last of these:
You MEET aperson.
You MEET WITH an accident.
Avoid using ‘meet up’ and ‘meet up with’.
They are clumsy expressions.
 When shall we MEET UP?
 When shall we MEET?
 We MET UP with friends in town.
 We MET friends in town.

116
ME
memento (singular) mementoes or mementos (plural)
See
PLURALS (iv)
.
memorandum (singular) memoranda or memorandums (plural)
See
FOREIGN PLURALS
.
memory (singular) memories (plural)
See
PLURALS (iii)
.
ment Wrong spelling. See
MEANT.
mention mentioned, mentioning.
Mesdames (i) Plural of French Madame.
(ii) Used as a plural title before a number
of ladies’ names:
Mesdames Smith, Green, Brown and
Kelly won prizes.
Always used with an initial capital
letter.
message
messenger (not messanger)
metaphor (not metaphore)
A metaphor is a compressed comparison:
He wolfed his food. (note the apparent
identification with a wolf’s eating habits)

Compare
SIMILE
.
meteorology (six syllables)
meter or metre? Use these exemplar sentences as a guide:
Put these coins in the parking METER.
You’ll need a METRE of material to make
a skirt.
Sonnets are always written in iambic
METRE.
might See
MAY OR MIGHT?
.
might of This is an incorrect construction.
See
COULD OF
.
MIGHT OF
117
milage/mileage Both spellings are correct.
milieu (singular) milieus or milieux (plural)
See
FOREIGN PLURALS
.
militate or mitigate? To MILITATE (against) comes from the
Latin verb meaning ‘to serve as a soldier’
and it has the combative sense of having a
powerful influence on something.
Despite his excellent qualifications, his
youthful criminal record MILITATED

against his appointment as school bursar.
To MITIGATE comes from the Latin
adjective meaning ‘mild’ and it means to
moderate, to make less severe.
Don’t condemn the young man too
harshly. There are MITIGATING
circumstances.
millennium (singular) millennia or millenniums (plural)
(not -n-)
See
FOREIGN PLURALS
.
millepede/millipede Both spellings are correct.
mimic mimicked, mimicking
See
SOFT C AND SOFT G
.
miniature
minuscule (not miniscule)
minute (not minuit)
miracle
miscellaneous miscellany
mischief See
EI/IE SPELLING RULE
.
mischievous (not mischievious, as it is often
mispronounced)
misplace See
DISPLACE OR MISPLACE?
.

misrelated participles See
PARTICIPLES
.
118
MILAGE/MILEAGE
misspell mis + spell
misspelled/misspelt Both spellings are correct.
mistletoe
moccasin
modern (not modren)
moment (not momment)
momentary or MOMENTARY =lastingforonlya
momentous? very short time
MOMENTOUS = of great significance
monastery (singular) monasteries (plural)
(not monastry/monastries)
See
PLURALS (iii)
.
mongoose (singular) mongooses (plural)
(not mongeese)
monotonous
moping or mopping? mope + ing = moping
mop + ing = mopping
See
ADDING ENDINGS (i) + (ii)
.
moral or morale? Use these exemplar sentences as a guide:
Denise is guided by strong MORAL
principles.

My MORALE suffered badly when I failed
my exams and I lost all faith in myself for
years.
Morocco
mortgage (not morgage as it is pronounced)
mosquito (singular) mosquitoes (plural)
See
PLURALS (iv)
.
motto (singular) mottoes or mottos (plural)
See
PLURALS (iv)
.
mould
mouldy
MOULDY
119