Perspective vs. Prospective (Grammar Rules)

For this edition of Grammar Rules, let's look at two words that sound similar, but that have different meanings. One describes things in the future, while the other is focused on how things are seen relative to each other.

Perspective can be used as a noun or adjective. As a noun, perspective refers to ability to see clearly, the directional vantage point of a person's line of vision, and/or how things appear based off their relative distance, positions, and size. As an adjective, it's used mostly to describe how things relate or are seen based off perspective.

(The Interplay of Point of View and Perspective in Fiction.)

Prospective, on the other hand, is only used an adjective relating to future events. Often, it's used to refer to something that could be and/or is likely to happen in the future. For instance, I often employ the term "prospective authors" when referring to writers looking to land a literary agent or get published by a book publisher.

Make sense?

Correct: He couldn't make out the face from his perspective.
Incorrect: He couldn't make out the face from his prospective.

Correct: The doctor let the prospective mother know her vitals were good.
Incorrect: The doctor let the perspective mother know her vitals were good.

Correct: Most prospective authors with a little perspective find some level of publishing success if they persevere and work hard at their craft.

There may be a better trick, but here's one way to keep these terms straight: Since perspective deals with vision, I think about how the "per" in "perspective" is very close to the word "peer." Likewise, "prospective" is very close to the word "prospector," who is always looking for a "future" treasure.

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No matter what type of writing you do, mastering the fundamentals of grammar and mechanics is an important first step to having a successful writing career.

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