Mekita Rivas, SNR communications associate, publishes a biweekly feature called "Grammar Guru."
Every other week, the Grammar Guru will share writing tips to help make your work as polished as possible. Some of these tips may address common spelling errors, while others will examine the many nuances of the English language.
Grammar Guru Tip #43
"Assure," "ensure" and "insure" are all associated with "making an outcome sure," which might explain why they're often misused. Despite sounding alike, the words are not interchangeable.
• "To assure" means to promise or say with confidence.
• "To ensure" means to make certain.
• "To insure" means to protect against risk by regularly paying an insurance company.
Example:
I assure you that she is a skilled technician. To ensure that the job is done, I will follow up tomorrow. You must insure your car because the law requires it.
Need some grammar guidance? The UNL Style Guide (http://unlcms.unl.edu/ucomm/styleguide/) is a great resource for all university employees. If you have writing questions that the style guide doesn't answer, feel free to email the Grammar Guru at mrivas@unl.edu.