Revenge Of The Words

Self-described word nerd Mark Broatch is on a mission to untangle the English language.

- Clare De Lore

Despite a career as an editor and writer, Mark Broatch concedes that even he sometimes stumbles in his daily dealings with the written word. Whether it’s in spelling “tort”, “taught” or “torte”, or meaning “procrastinate” or “prevaricate”, Broatch has spent two years assembling words and phrases that are commonly misused, misspelled or misunderstood. His new book Word to the Wise aims to inform and educate, and while it offers some rules, it concedes to the inevitability that common usage is establishing a new word order

Broatch’s English parents, Ann and Graham, came to New Zealand 50 years ago when he was a toddler. He and his five siblings grew up in Auckland; Broatch, armed with an MA in English literature and linguistics, went on to a career as a journalist, critic and author. Until the arrival of two-year-old daughter Gala, he was the arts and books editor of the Listener and is still a regular contributor. His career includes the roles of deputy editor of the Listener, assistant editor at the Sunday Star-Times, and in 2011, he received a Sargeson fellowship. In October, he takes up a short fellowship at the Michael King Writers Centre in Auckland to work on a novel. Until then, Broatch is an at-home parent and writer, immersed in a world of words that ranges from popular science to toddler favourites.

Do you and Gala spend a lot of time reading?

I read to her all the time. We have about 200 kids’ books so she hasn’t been left with much choice other than to be a reader. She loves it.

Was that your experience as a child – was your bookishness encouraged?