Thinking like that I won't make any friends

[venta]

I was just re-reading a comment I'd made on someone else's LJ (proof read before hitting the post button, y'say? crazy) and noticed something distressing.

I cold-bloodedly used the word "improval". As in "you should see signs of improval in a short time".

Worse, I only thought it looked kind of odd, and I spent some time wondering how I should have spelled it before I finally realised that it's not a word.

Three smacks on the nose with the complete OED for me when I get home this evening, to be repeated daily until there is some improvement in the situation.

Comments

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

until there is some improvement

Shouldn't take long, your use of the word seems immeasurably improvised already!

[secondhand-rick.livejournal.com]

I'd have said it was measurably improvated.

[venta.livejournal.com]

I dunno, I think it sounded like I was improvising in the first place!

[ulfilias.livejournal.com]

New words rock, but only usualy when there isn't a word there already. I have been know to auto-crash two words together, even when speaking and have found it can work remarkably well !

[venta.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm all for new words but (a) only where needed and (b) I like to be aware that I'm making them up!

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

It's a great word, although perhaps not strictly necessary. This is a good opportunity to test out meme spreading... if each of your readers uses it (in a natural way, rather than a observation on its wrongness) in their own LJ today, let's see how far it goes by the end of the month.