NewsBlues mrsbgrammar Page 132
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Mrs. Bluezette's Grammar Guide
desert/dessert, deserts/desserts
Mrs. B knows when you're reading a script about the place Bedouins
live in Saudi Arabia, you're going to SAY "desert."
But when it comes to spelling the word, make sure you do it with one
"s" only.
The two "s" word, "dessert," is what you top off your lunch or your
dinner with.
But wait a minute.
We have a problem here.
There's a second "d-e-s-e-r-t" that's related to "deserve" and is
pronounced like "dessert."
It's usually used in its plural form in the phrase "just deserts."
A headline on one of the feature pages of Jacksonville's The Florida
Times-Union read:
"Two Mothers Get Their Just Deserts"
Readers and Times-Union staffers went bonkers.
Didn't the headline writer mean "desserts"?
Nope.
One "s" is correct.
The two mothers got what they deserved, and it's pronounced the
same way as the after-dinner sweet.
Mrs. B thanks her mother for providing that anecdote.
And Mrs. B hopes you'll think of something to thank your mother
for today.
