A site is, as someone has already noted, a location. It is somewhere to be, not something to see. <BR>A sight is something you can look at. <BR>So one goes sightseeing, but one might stop at a historical (or if you're British, an historical) site. A site won't be interesting, however, unless you already know something about it or unless it is also a sight. <BR>"On this site in 2000, Marna Bennett and her posse set off an international incident by refusing to take their geese away. The women claimed that they had come to see the sights, not wrangle fowl."

Paule, you have it exactly backwards. The only reason you'd ever write "tourist site" might be, perhaps, if someone had collected some tourists in one location and had them bronzed in honor of all lost tourists! <BR> <BR>And a URL is a site (as in website -- I have yet to see "websight" although I'm sure I will eventually) -- L='Location' and location=site. <BR> <BR>My students get it mixed up, too, and they are journalism students who lose 10 pts. for each misspelling. Unfortunately, journalism is prone to taking shortcuts, esp. in headlines, so I've had some students with a little bit of experience working on a paper argue with me that "nite" "thru" "altho" and "til" are now absolutely correct. <BR> <BR>I like AL Godon's example of how to keep these straight. I'd like to cite another: that one might set up a camera on a site near the Grand Canyon to take a picture of the incredible sight.

Webstersdottir, you need to re-read Paule's post--you're saying the same thing!

All right, enough with this silly stuff. This enquiring mind NEEDS to know: <BR>Advice/advise: I was taught that "advice" was the noun, and "advise" was the verb. On this Forum, and other places, I see "advise" used as a noun. Is this now an accepted alternative spelling for the noun? <BR> <BR>And what is with "impact"? When did that officially become a verb?

I think the "need advise" people are related to the "site-seeing" people. In a way, I like them, because it means someone is a worse speller than I am. Also, are the women who talk about their "fiancee"s all getting married in Vermont? <BR>Just when I thought "impact" as a verb was as bad as things could get, I heard someone say "impactful." <BR>There was a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon about verbing nouns; the final panel declares "Verbing weirds language."

Elvira, You have it right on Advice and Advise. <BR> <BR>I can advise you on how to deal with crazy geece, but you don't have to follow the advice I give you. <BR> <BR>Re Impact. <BR> <BR>I would tend to say it the old fashioned way: "This news has had an adverse impact on my plans." <BR> <BR>I don't personally like the other use: "This news has impacted my plans adversely." <BR> <BR>But then the thing I love about English is that it is a living language and evolves. <BR> <BR>I am all for evolution of language where a new meaning or use of a word achieves something but not where it is just a case of people being too lazy to learn the language proplerly.

I can spell geese but I have been typing about greece a lot recently so my fingers went into auto!!! <BR>

Ah the peculiarities of the English language, where we have bite but not bight and kite but not kight, and then, on the other hand, we have light but not lite and tight but not tite. And then, to confuse matters even more, we have homonyms like sight/site/cite and might/mite.

Oh let's not start with THAT: <BR>goose/geese <BR>mongoose/mongooses <BR>moose/moose <BR>caboose/cabooses <BR> <BR>mouse/mice <BR>louse/lice <BR>house/houses <BR>die/dice <BR> <BR>foot/feet <BR>boot/boots <BR>loot/loot <BR> <BR> <BR>

Webstirdottir, you said that I had the whole site/sight thing backwards, and then go on to say: <BR> "The only reason you'd ever write "tourist site" might be, perhaps, if someone had collected some tourists in one location and had them bronzed in honor of all lost tourists!" <BR> <BR>But I said that I thought "tourist site" was wrong, and that we visit "tourist sights" (ie, a historical site may be a tourist sight). Is this right or wrong?

A "tourist site" is absolutely right! It's a place (site) of interest to tourists. A "tourist sight," on the other hand . . . well, just think pink warmup suit, fanny pack, and sneakers.

Thanks, editor, I guess I need one! I do like your image of the tourist sight, though. <BR> <BR>

Kavey, I thought maybe it was spelled "geece" in the UK <BR> <BR>The one that sets my teeth on edge is "your" when it should be "you're." Aaak! <BR> <BR>

Their you go again.