Insights and commentary on language and creative writing.

Saturday, March 31, 2007

Disorientated

I haven't read the Harry Potter series yet (I know, and I call myself a nerd) but I heard that J. K. Rowling uses the word "disorientated" in her writings. I've heard a lot of people using that word and I have to bite my tongue to refrain from correcting them. So the next time you use "disorientated", consider the following, explained by basic English grammar rules:

Original word: orient
Prefix signifying opposite meaning: dis
Suffix for past tense: ed
New word: disoriented