I can't keep this one bottled up inside anymore. Please pay attention and ensure that you are using the words you use correctly. I work for a major corporation (more than 100,000 employees - big). Regularly, the leaders of my company send blast-o-gram emails out to the rank and file. I am, more often than not, bewildered by the poor grammar and style of which these men are capable. Since complaining to them directly would be suicidal, I decided that my blog might be a good place to vent a little bit.
So here it is:
Ensure vs. Insure
This is my A#1 English Annoyance. Here's the rule of thumb - unless you are talking about the insurance industry, you should probably use "ensure", not "insure". Let me rephrase that so we all get it. If you are talking about taking out a policy against theft, damage, or loss of personal property, use "insure". ANY OTHER TIME, use "ensure". Here are two examples:
"I would like to insure my car for $50,000 worth of property damage."
"Let's leave early to ensure that we arrive on time."
Now, hopefully none of us are unsure about ensure and insure.
How about you? Are there any common English mistakes that people make that really bug you? Here's your forum.
