Revised as of 22 Jan 2022
Formerly she was a dental hygienist, now Katrina is a writer, formally, a technical writer.
Of course, we could reverse this as well: “Formally, Katrina was a dental hygienist; she had formerly been a technical writer”.
One trick you can use to remind yourself which is which is to take off the -ly. Formal. Former.
Formal manners. Needing a formal for the prom. Formal invitations. All things done in the proper, traditional way.
Former is prior, before, previously. And former simply doesn’t care about manners.
Word Confusions…
…started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noir for you from either end.
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| Formally | Formerly |
|---|---|
379th Assumption of Command by Tech. Sgt. Jeff Fitzmorris is in the public domain, via 310th Space Wing. — 310th Operations Group commander formally hands the guidon to Lt. Col. Shariful M. Khan. |
Classroom by Sabine Nuffer is under the CC0 license, via Pexels. — Formerly, students were provided a personal-sized slate on which to do their homework. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Adverb | Adverb |
| Conventionally, with ceremony
Following accepted forms, customs, or conventions
[Grammar, sentence adverb] In outward form or appearance
|
Before
In the past
[Obsolete] In time just past
|
| Examples: | |
| He was formally attired.
The store was formally opened on Tuesday. The mayor will formally open the new railroad station. The theorems in question are formally true. Lawyers really love that formally complex text. It may be formally correct, but it is substantively wrong. He will be formally divorced in mid-October. |
The building formerly housed their accounting offices.
Mumbai, formerly Bombay, is both India’s largest city and its financial center. It was a custom formerly observed by Christians. Formerly with the Chicago police, the retired detective could now devote time to his hobby. Muhammed Ali, formerly known as Cassius Clay, was one of boxing’s greats. Say it ain’t so! The formerly reticent Janey Brown has really burst out. This is Mary Alice Carver, formerly known as Jane Doe. The European Union was formerly called the European Community. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: formal, formalistic Noun: formal, formalism, formalist, formality, formalization Verb, transitive: formalize |
Adjective: former Noun: former |
| History of the Word: | |
| Middle English, 1350–1400. | First recorded in 1580–90. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Formally versus Formerly
Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: formerly
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Apartheid Sign in English and Afrikaans was photographed by El C and was corrected for perspective and lighting somewhat by Dewet, and is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
