Tuesday, November 28, 2006

"Allusion," "Illusion," or "Reference"?

The three words are often confused. An allusion is an indirect reference to something without actually saying what it is, without naming it. An illusion is a perception of something that actually exists in a misleading way. A reference is a direct naming of something. Therefore, all of the following sentences are correct:

She alluded to her daughter's father in a way that aroused everyone's curiosity about his real identity.

She had no illusions, however, about who would raise the child.

Fifty years later, a reference to the child was discovered in the will of a lifelong millionnaire—and his daughter eventually inherited.

"Comprise" or "Constitute"?

To comprise is to contain or to include; the whole comprises the parts, not the reverse. Thus, a rich vocabulary comprises many words or is made up of many words, but many words do not comprise a rich vocabulary; rather, many words make up a rich vocabulary or constitute a rich vocabulary.