Q. What is the difference between the suffixes "-or" and "-er"? That is, if one paints, he is a "painter," but, if one acts, he is an "actor." — Harry R. Wess, Sr., McKeesport, Pa.

A. The choice of "-or" or "-er" has bedeviled many painters and actors, not to mention ALL writers. Standards of spelling, like those of painting and acting, are sometimes a matter of taste.

At the school where I teach, for instance, we ...

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