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These Words Are NOT Interchangeable!

Posted by Editormum on Thursday, 22 November 2007 in Usage and Diction |

The Grammar Guru has become painfully aware of a more and more common mistake in word usage. She has seen this on blogs, on news sites, and in various other written venues. And the mistake is creeping into people’s speech. So The Grammar Guru tells everyone, right now, to stop it! The words adieu and ado are different, and must NOT be used in place of one another!

Adieu (/ah DYOO/ or /ah DOO/) is a French word meaning “good-bye.” The actual literal translation is “(I commend you) to God,” like the archaic English farewell, “Go with God.”

Ado (/uh Doo/) is an English word meaning “fuss, bother, excitement, or confusion.” It usually implies a great deal of talking.

So if someone says “without further adieu,” they are saying “without further good-bye.” What they really mean is “without further ado” — “without further talk and bother.”

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