Raining Death and Destruction

Raining Death and Destruction Raining Death and Destruction Raining Death and Destruction By Maeve Maddox This week I received an email that contained the phrase â€Å"reigning death and destruction on innocent people.† Naturally, I was moved to do a web search to see if other writers were misspelling the phrase â€Å"raining death and destruction.† Here is some evidence that some are: INCORRECT: Civil liberties are suppressed for our own good, and patriotism means going along with lawless governments, reigning death and destruction on defenseless nations for imperial, not noble, reasons.- Political commentary blog. CORRECT : Civil liberties are suppressed for our own good, and patriotism means going along with lawless governments, raining death and destruction on defenseless nations for imperial, not noble, reasons. INCORRECT: The FSA, however, have developed a different role for their Gunship, the Princeton class is an artillery emplacement on the water, its large turret reigning death and destruction from afar along with a healthy dose of rockets to boot.- UK gaming site. CORRECT : The FSA, however, have developed a different role for their Gunship, the Princeton class is an artillery emplacement on the water, its large turret raining death and destruction from afar along with a healthy dose of rockets to boot. INCORRECT: The name refers to the Lords passing over the Jewish children while reigning death and destruction on the Egyptians for Pharaohs refusal to free the Jews.- Feature article in The Washington Post. CORRECT : The name refers to the Lords passing over the Jewish children while raining death and destruction on the Egyptians for Pharaohs refusal to free the Jews The misspelling occurs with the similar idioms â€Å"raining blows† and â€Å"raining punches†: INCORRECT: A man has been told he is lucky not to be going to prison after reigning blows on his mother’s partner in their own home.- The Plymouth Herald (UK). CORRECT : A man has been told he is lucky not to be going to prison after raining blows on his mother’s partner in their own home. INCORRECT: A.J. Ferrer lived up to his nick name â€Å"The Pitbull† when he stormed out of his corner at the bell and began  reigning punches  from every angle.- Mixed martial arts site. CORRECT: A.J. Ferrer lived up to his nick name â€Å"The Pitbull† when he stormed out of his corner at the bell and began  raining punches  from every angle. In these idioms, the metaphor is that of a heavy rain pelting down on someone or something beneath. Reigning, on the other hand, is from the verb reign: â€Å"to exercise authority or hold sway in the manner of a monarch.† The participle form is used with the meaning ruling or predominant. Here are examples of reigning used correctly: The reigning dynasty  of Uaxactun was not always housed in the same location. The  reigning philosophy of the Enlightenment, we are told, was that of Locke and his disciples in England and on the Continent. We have never had a World Championship where  the reigning champion could defend the title. In conclusion, death, destruction, blows, punches, insults, volcanic ash, and other such unpleasantries rain on their recipients. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Passed vs Past20 Rules About Subject-Verb Agreement5 Tips to Understand Hyphenated Words