Writing for Business - A Whatis.com Blog » preventive / preventative http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/writing-for-business Is your grammar as good as your code? Tue, 21 May 2013 19:44:17 +0000 en-US hourly 1 “Preventive” or “preventative?” http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/writing-for-business/preventive-or-preventative/ http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/writing-for-business/preventive-or-preventative/#comments Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:08:21 +0000 Ivy Wigmore http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/writing-for-business/?p=798 Which is correct?
The Red Flags Rule legislation was created as a __________ measure against identity theft.
a. preventative
b. preventive

Answer: Either one.

Explanation:
Although “preventive” is more popular than “preventative,” both words are acceptable.

On World Wide Words, Michael Quinion explains the history of “preventative” and “preventive.”

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