Purposely vs. Purposefully—Learn How To Use Both Correctly

Purposely and purposefully are two English words that are often confused. Because they both have the same root, purpose, are both adverbs, and are only a shade apart in meaning, it is no wonder that they are used incorrectly with such frequency.

Here’s how to use them.

The Difference between “Purposely” and “Purposefully”

When you use purposely in a sentence, it should be synonymous with intentionally and on purpose. The opposite of purposely is accidentally.

Theresa purposely placed her note on the table where her mother would find it.

Theresa intentionally placed her note on the table where her mother would find it.

Theresa placed her note on the table on purpose so her mother would find it.

When you use purposefully in a sentence, it should mean “in a way that shows determination and resolve” or, put more simply, “full of purpose.” The opposite of purposefully would be close to negligently or carelessly. A good example of a character who does things purposefully is Mary Poppins; there is a sensible methodology to everything she does.

Mary purposefully measured out a spoonful of sugar into each child’s medicine.

That is not to say that one needs to be as “practically perfect in every way” as Mary Poppins to do something purposefully. As long as an action is done with determination, it is purposeful.

His supervisor purposefully showed him how every file needed to be organized in order to avoid further errors.

Tip:

Here’s a tip: Purposely means on purpose. Purposefully means full of purpose.

“Purposely” and “Purposefully” Are Close in Meaning

People who are predisposed toward grammatical hypercorrection often nitpick about the correctness of purposely, presumably because purposefully just sounds more “grammatical.” Yet, purposely can be the unequivocally correct choice when it means “on purpose”. Here are some further examples of just how fine a distinction needs to be made when you decide whether to write purposely or purposefully.

The princess surreptitiously, but purposely, dropped her handkerchief so the knight would be tempted to pick it up.

Why does this sentence require purposely and not purposefully? The fact that the princess dropped the handkerchief surreptitiously (i.e., she wanted it to appear accidental) precludes the use of purposefully. If the princess had dropped her handkerchief purposefully, her determination would have been overt.

In some cases, sentences can be almost—but not quite—identical in meaning when purposely and purposefully are interchanged.

Our software has been purposely designed to be efficient and user friendly.

This sentence suggests that whoever designed the software made it efficient and user friendly on purpose; its efficiency and user-friendliness is not an accidental by-product of its design. Let’s swap purposely with purposefully and see how the sentence changes.

Our software has been purposefully designed to be efficient and user friendly.

The meaning of this sentence is virtually the same as that of the first, but it highlights something subtly different. As it now reads, there is more of an emphasis on the fastidiousness of the creators rather than the product itself; we are impressed with images of a team of software designers working diligently to ensure that their customers have the best possible product.

Which word you choose in a situation like this should depend on what angle you wish to take and the point you want to be underscored.

Whether you choose purposely or purposefully, the involvement of purpose in both words suggests the intentional act of a human. (At the outside, it might also be applied to a well-programmed computer or a very smart dog.)

If you feel like a star after learning how to use purposely and purposefully, check out these other commonly confused words.

Grammar Skills Test: Intermediate

Should Web Writing Be Formal or Informal?

By Anne Wayman

Recently a reader of my writing blog asked the following (edited for clarity):

What’s your opinion about using you instead of one when you’re writing for the web or for magazines? Some experts, including Grammarly, say it should beone. I think using you is more engaging.

Thanks, Irene.

Here’s how I expect to answer her:

Irene, I agree, generally informal writing is more engaging than formal writing. Let me set up an example to make this clear.

A sentence like this is formal:

When addressing the public one ought to speak more slowly than one ordinarily talks.

You and I would probably write that sentence like this:

When you talk to the public you ought to speak more slowly than you usually speak.

And indeed Grammarly does flag the use of you in this example as “personal” and advises that formal writing requires a more impersonal approach. It suggests either rephrasing to avoid the pronoun or to substitute one for you.

But notice, that suggestion is only if the writing is to be formal.

So what is formal writing?

Richard Nordquist, About.com’s guide to grammar and usage defines formal writing this way:

“A broad term for speech or writing marked by an impersonal, objective, and precise use of language. A formal prose style is typically used in scholarly books and articles, technical reports, research papers, and legal documents. . .”

So, if you’re writing scholarly books and articles, or technical papers, maybe the impersonal, formal approach is better. But I wonder. Objective and precise use of language is often necessary even in informal writing—I aim for that when I’m talking about freelance writing in my blogs.

I poked around to see if I could find a blog that used formal language. It turns out The Atlantic magazine is incorporating academic blogs onto its site—not for their use of language, but as a better approach to understanding science. It seemed like a place to start looking at the language bloggers use.

Senior Editor Alexis Madrigal said there: “I’m looking for researchers, scholars, and academics who don’t post more than once per day.” He gives eight examples of blogs he thinks are, to use his term, exemplary. I glanced at all eight (I realized if I did more than that I’d be reading those blogs all day, as it is a fascinating group).

None of the blogs used what I would consider stiff, formal language. The web version of JAMA, the peer reviewed Journal of the American Medical Association, is using a more formal language than I do on my blog. But it’s eminently readable. Even the opinions rendered by our Supreme Court are pretty readable once you get past the Latin and the way they cite other law.

I’ve started finding examples of academic, legal, and other kinds of writing that might be considered formal – and then defining them as readable or not. I suspect that’s actually a more important question and goal for a writer than becoming too concerned about formal and informal language or personal and impersonal pronouns.

My hunch, too, is that over the last decade or so all writing, including formal writing, has become more informal. While some might lament the lack of rules and structure in much of today’s writing I like it – as long as it communicates clearly, accurately, and completely.

How do you distinguish between formal and informal language? When do you use formal writing? When do you use informal writing?

Anne Wayman has been writing for well over 30 years now, and blogging about freelance writing for more than a decade. With a partner she recently launched AboutWritingSquared.com, home of the 5 Buck Forum, the supportive forum for writers.

Funny Phrases: Nip It in the Bud

The phrase nip it in the bud means to stop something before it gets going. You’ve probably heard it used in this way: Nip that bad habit in the bud before it gets out of control!

What does this phrase actually mean? Nip means to remove by pinching, biting, or cutting with two meeting edges of anything; to clip. A bud is a newly formed leaf or flower that has not yet bloomed. To nip something in the bud means to pinch off a newly formed leaf or flower before it has a chance to grow. When this literal meaning is translated to a figurative sense, it means stopping something before it has a chance to progress further.

People have been saying nip it in the bud as far back as the 1600s, and the phrase is still a popular idiom today. If you want to learn more about idioms and odd phrases, read this post about the hair of the dog.

Occurred, Occured, or Ocurred—Which Spelling Is Right?

Spelling words isn’t always easy, especially when they contain double letters. In this case, the correct spelling is occurred. How can you remember it when you need it?

The best way to remember how to spell occurred is to remember its double set of double consonants. In English, the final letter is doubled when a word of two or more syllables has stress on the final syllable. Occur fits the rule, so there are two Cs and two Rs in occurred. Would you like to see some examples?

Examples

Anticipation! It occurred to him that his anticipation was more pleasant to him than the experiencing.

Patricia Highsmith, The Talented Mr. Ripley

The best thing about the bedroom was the bed. I liked to stay in bed for hours, even during the day with covers pulled up to my chin. It was good in there, nothing ever occurred in there, no people, nothing.

Charles Bukowski, Ham on Rye

It’s never occurred to me that the stars are still up there shining even in the daytime when we can’t see them.

Jandy Nelson, I'll Give You the Sun

“Dad,” I said, grasping his hands and looking directly into his eyes. “I’m in the deepest love that has ever occurred in the history of the world.”

The Harvard Lampoon

The Basics on Subject and Object Pronouns: Answers

Answers:

1) Martha and Jim are in the office. Correct. 2) She is telling him a joke. Correct. 3) Jim made a copy of the report for Lucy and I. Incorrect. Jim made a copy of the report for Lucy and me. 4) I have to go. Mark is calling for Lucy and me. Correct. 5) Our co-workers love Martha’s cookies. Correct. 6) Jim and me are planning a surprise for Sue’s birthday. Incorrect. Jim and I are planning a surprise for Sue’s birthday. 7) We will give them extra cookies next week.Correct. 8) Who did you give the money to? Incorrect. Whom did you give the money to?

Center or Centre–Which Is Right?

Do you speak British or American English? Depending on your answer, you may differ on which spellings you favor.

Center and centre have the same meaning. Center is the correct spelling in American English, but British English writers usually prefer centre. Notice that center (and centre) can be a noun, adjective, or a verb. Seeing the two words in real-life examples may help you to visualize how to use them.

First, here are some sentences with centre and center.

Examples

The young athlete played center position on the ball team.

The discussion at the educational conference will center on childhood obesity.

The new doctor was very proud the first day he worked at the medical center.

Center in American Publications

Here are some quotes from the Internet.

The man at the center of the corruption case that led to the arrest of a former Suffolk police chief is expected to be released from prison and have his conviction tossed out on Tuesday.

Long Island News 12

Serbia on Wednesday introduced a lockdown for migrants in their refugee center outside Belgrade after an alleged attack against a woman walking with her children.

US News & World Report

Centre in British Publications

If the Countess of Wessex had been asked to hit a ball for a royal photo opportunity, rain would have stopped play. Fortunately, Sophie wasn’t required to participate, . . . merely to admire the facilities at the National Sports Centre in Bisham Abbey, Buckinghamshire.

Daily Mail

The Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths centre (STEM) at Airbus in Stevenage is based around the company’s Mars rover exploration programme.

BBC News

Center and centre are both correct spellings of the same world. However, where you live influences which spelling is most acceptable. If you like to learn about the differences between American and British English, you will enjoy researching the spelling of realize and dreamed.