A few weeks ago, I attended a beauty pageant hosted by student organizations. The contestants were asked to name three things they would bring if they were stranded on a desert island. Simple, right?

The responses were witty and entertaining. More importantly, I was pleasantly surprised that the contestants understood the difference between a desert island and a deserted one. I had too often heard people confuse the two.

An island covered entirely by a desert would be called a desert island. If I had to choose three things to bring with me to a desert island, water would probably be one. One contestant answered she would bring her future husband along — I suppose it would be an interesting once-in-a-lifetime experience to share with a loved one.

An uninhabited island, regardless of its geographic or climatic conditions, would be called a deserted island. This means a desert island without anyone inhabiting it would be considered a deserted desert island.

Personally, I wouldn’t want to be marooned anywhere. However, I wouldn’t mind being stranded on a dessert island — only if it were made of delicious desserts, that is.

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