Tuesday, May 27, 2008

"Eminent" and "Imminent"

Levels of Distractibility: Who cares? = *. Some people will be distracted from your meaning: = **. Many people will be distracted from your meaning: = ***.

Question: I know that someone who is "eminent" is a person who is held in honor, known for great achievements, as an "eminent" actor. And I also know that "imminent" means something that is about to occur as "the explosion was 'imminent.' " My problem is that I never can remember how to spell "imminent."

Answer: Break it down into syllables: IM'MIN ent. Association: MINute and imMINent. "If something is imMINent, it will happen in a MINute."

Rating of Distractibility: ***. I think everyone knows the distinction between "eminent" and "imminent." Confuse the two and almost 100% if your readers will be distracted from following your meaning.

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