Sunday, December 28, 2008

Counsel vs. Council: A Guide for Latter-Day Saints

My latest journey around the Bloggernacle has convinced me that my fellow Saints need some more counsel from the Vocabulary Police. Please, for your own edification, study the following terms.

Counsel: advice; opinion or instruction given in directing the judgment or conduct of another.

Council: an assembly of persons summoned or convened for consultation, deliberation, or advice.


Notice that the Bishop or Church leader gives you COUNSEL, but you attend a COUNCIL meeting. On Wednesday nights you might need to go do some COUNSELING at your COUNCIL meeting. Many of us formed part of the COUNCIL in heaven. Our Apostles form the COUNCIL of the Twelve. They give COUNSEL to the members of the Church. Most of the acronyms use COUNCIL.

PEC=Priesthood Executive Council
BYC=Bishop/Youth Council
HC=High Council

Now it gets a little bit tricky. Please pay close attention.

High councilors--spelled this way because they are members of a COUNCIL.

First and Second counselors in presidencies--spelled this way because they give COUNSEL to the president or bishop.

Finally, both counsel and council may take an extra "l" before the suffix, especially if you are British (as in counselled, counselling, councillors). Believe me, if you are going to blog about these subjects, you will appear much more knowledgeable if you can spell and use the terms correctly.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this wonderful council!

I just had to use these two words in my latest post:

http://faithpromotingrumor.wordpress.com/2008/12/17/the-divine-council/

Tim Malone said...

Amen. Well done. Much needed counsel.

Anonymous said...

Ewe ere sew rite, BiV.

Now if you can just get 'nacclers to handle site/cite/sight correctly ...

M said...

You're making me a wee bit nervous. Oh that I could click a single magical button and have my whole blog checked. *sigh* I'll just have to find joy in knowing that maybe, just maybe, I've annoyed you today. ;)

Anonymous said...

For other words you may having trouble with see:
http://homepage.smc.edu/reading_lab/words_commonly_confused.htm

Bookslinger said...

Hallelujah, Amen!

Preach it, sistah!

Kalola said...

One word folks seem to have a difficult time spelling correctly is "r-e-c-e-i-v-e." They seem convinced the word is spelled
"r-e-c-i-e-v-e." %$#!!!@^%$

Okay ... now that I've gotten that out of my system, I can get on with my day.

Eric Nielson said...

I mess this up all the time. Thanks for this.

Anonymous said...

It's worth noting (just for the sake of confusing things a little bit) that "counsel" also refers to an advocate (as an attorney, if I were to work for you, I just might be your counsel).

John Gustav-Wrathall said...

Tee hee!

Anonymous said...

Why didn't you go one step further and comment about 'councilors' such 'Hich Councilors,' as opposed to our constant use of 'Hich Councilmen?'

Dead Seriously said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Dead Seriously said...

Believe me, if you are going to blog about these subjects, you will appear much more knowledgeable if you can spell and use the terms correctly.

This is not necessarily true if the problem you're describing is as pervasive as you say; If no one else knows how to spell/use these terms correctly, and consequently can't recognize the proper use/spelling, then why would I appear relatively more knowledgeable?

I'm not being difficult, but just desperate for any justification to continue in my uneducated ways without feeling bad.

jeans said...

This post is so, so needed. THANKS! Now if everyone would just read it!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your post and your interesting site. I believe "Latter-Day Saints" in your headline would be more correctly written as "Latter-day Saint" -- no?

Bored in Vernal said...

Rick:
there is help for you.

mmdurham said...

Wow. 17 comments on this topic. We are all a little tightly-wound, are we not?

I think I was doing the "high councilor vs. 2nd counselor" thing correctly by instinct, but your explanation was very satisfying.

Anonymous said...

BiV--

Where did you go? We miss you.

-Concerned in Mormonland