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Word choice invites criticism

By Robert Basler
February 24, 2011
feedback | language

Ride the royal bus tour of Kate Middleton’s life

BRITAIN-ROYAL/WEDDINGNews that Britain’s royal wedding invites are in the post has touched off lively press speculation, with former England soccer captain David Beckham and the King of Bahrain tipped to be attending but not U.S. President Barack Obama or William’s aunt, Sarah Ferguson.

Will you please tell your journalists that “invite” is never used as a noun!  The word is invitation. They sound like hillbillies.

William M.

Actually, dictionaries on both sides of the Atlantic recognize invite as a noun, but they call it “informal.”

I do agree “invitation” was the word we wanted, especially for a royal wedding: GBU Editor

Britain’s Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton (L) pose for a photograph in St. James’s Palace, central London in a November 16, 2010 file photo. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/files

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