Certain sets of words in the English language tend to confuse people. I have found the following to be among them:
PREVENTATIVE / PREVENTIVE
These two words, most often used as an adjective but sometimes as a noun, have the same meaning: precautionary; concerned with or designed for prevention as an adjective or something that prevents, especially as concerns disease, as a noun. While either word is acceptable by today’s standards, preventive is generally preferred.
CORRECT: Hillside farmers learned long ago to use terracing as a preventative measure against soil erosion.
BETTER: Hillside farmers learned long ago to use terracing as a preventive measure against soil erosion.
ALSO CORRECT: A vaccine was invented as a preventative against diphtheria in 1923.
BETTER: A vaccine was invented as a preventive against diphtheria in 1923.
NOTE: In this case, as in so many others, the shorter, simpler word is considered the better choice.
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