Monday, April 9, 2018

PSA: Stationary vs. Stationery

PSA: Stationary vs. Stationery
In today's PSA post, I will be talking about the difference between "stationery" and "stationary" and when each one should be used. These two words are not only confused within the bullet journal/planner/calligraphy communities, but it is also a grammatical error that I see with people in general.

Stationary

Stationary with an A is an adjective used to describe something that's not moving. For example, "The toy car remains stationary when it runs out of battery."

Stationery

Stationery with an E is the thing we love so much--a category of objects often associated with office or school supplies that includes notebooks, notepads, pens, pencils, etc. For example, "I need to get new stationery before the school year starts."

How to Remember Which is Which

I think the difference in meaning between the two is fairly clear, so it's more of a matter of remembering which spelling indicates which definition. Here's one way to remember:
  • Stationary with an A is an adjective
  • Stationery with an E is something we get excited about (even though it can be expensive)
That's it; I hope this short little guide was helpful for distinguishing between "stationary" and "stationery!"
~Mae-Mae Han

Are there any other things you want clarified in regards to stationery/bullet journaling/calligraphy? Make sure to leave a comment if you do!

2 comments:

  1. Okay but in your explanation for stationary you actually wrote stationery ��

    ReplyDelete