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. If you found this post on “Formally versus Formerly” interesting, consider tweeting it to your friends. Subscribe to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates. Return to top Formally Formerly 379th Assumption of Command by Tech. Sgt. Jeff Fitzmorris is in the public […]