Versus

“Validate” vs. “Verify”

Verbs, Versus

I sometimes hear these two words used interchangeably.

Problem:
The verbs “validate” and “verify” are not synonyms.

Explanation:
The verb “validate” means to confirm.

The verb “verify” means to prove the truth of.

So one validates a computer program to confirm that it works as designed.

In contrast, one verifies a person’s identity to prove that the person is who he says that he is.

Solution:
Use the verb “validate” when confirming that something behaves as designed. Use the verb “verify” when focusing on the truth.

“Link” vs. “Linkage”

Common English Blunders, Nouns, Verbs, Versus

I heard a landscape designer on an HGTV program refer to “creating a linkage” between a home and a potting shed.

Problem:
These two nouns are not synonyms.

Explanation:
The landscape designer was referring simply to installing a paved path between the home and the shed. In other words, the path would connect the shed with the home.

When I heard the designer call the path itself a “linkage”, I wondered whether this was the appropriate noun and looked up “linkage” and “link” in a dictionary.

The noun “link” essentially means anything that connects two people, places, or things.

The noun “linkage” essentially means one of the following:

  • the act of linking — as in “The CIA’s linkage of the two spies took three years.”;
  • a system of links — as in “There is a complex linkage between the fertilizer that one puts on a lawn and the chemicals in the water that can be extracted from an underground aquifer.”

I believe that some people use “linkage” when the noun “link” is appropriate because they want to sound more educated — and perhaps charge more for their services!

Solution:
Use “link” when referring to a connection between two people, places, or things. Use “linkage” when referring to the act of creating links or when referring to a system of links.

“Entitled” vs. “Titled”

Common English Blunders, Verbs, Versus

I often hear people use one of these words as a substitute for the other word.

Problem:
The words “entitled” and “titled” are not synonyms.

Explanation:
One definition of the transitive verb “title” is to call by a name.

An example of proper use of this verb is “He titled his autobiography ‘Jim’.”

One definition of the verb “entitle” is to give (a thing or person) a claim to something.

An example of proper use of this first definition of “entitle” is “American children are entitled to a tax-funded education.”

Another definition of the verb “entitle” is to confer an honorary title on (someone).

An example of proper use of this second definition of “entitle” is “The king entitled him Sir Muckety-Muck at the polo match.”

A third definition of the verb “entitle” is to give a title to something, but it does not refer to the title itself.

So it is incorrect to say or write “He entitled the book ‘Babe Ruth’.”, but it is correct to say or write “He entitled the book before he wrote it. It is titled ‘Babe Ruth’.”

In other words, one should not use “entitled” before the name of a movie, rock concert, book, athletic competition, painting, etc., but one may use “titled” before the name of any of these.

Solution:
Use “titled” but never “entitled” before the name of an event or creation.