Verbs wake up And awaken both mean “wake up from sleep.” The most common deformation of wake up is the past wake up (‘she woke up suddenly’) and past participle awaken (‘she was woken up suddenly’). The most common deformation of awaken is the past awaken (‘he woke up in the night’) and past participle …
Many people are confused penultimate with supreme. ” Alas, although it would be nice if there was a word or prefix that we could carry with us to make the colors brighter, the food tastes better and gives the word a heavy feel. rather, it is not the role of pen– IN penultimate; it is …
Imagine this: you’ve just finished preparing dinner when you realize that the roast pork you’ve been in the oven for nearly three hours has run out. baking at 325˚, no grill at 325˚. Ack, that’s pork grilled meatyou mumble under your breath, not pork grill. However, you sit down for a meal and the pork …
Are you afraid that your love of grammar makes you a square? Don’t worry, but choose one: A. Your love of grammar has nothing to do with your being a square. B. Your love of grammar has nothing to do with being square. Which do you choose, “you are square” or “you are square”? Or …
Past tense of climb meaning “slowly moving” could be sneak or creepywith creepy is a less common word. However, in the context come out (referring to the feeling of scary things), past tense always crawl out. Oh, colorful past (tense) climb had! had creepy, crunch, season, Crops, glassand even, um, crap. Although the past tense …
Money usually a common noun, which means it is used with some and not with One, and lacks the plural form. However, in some cases, particularly when referring to discrete funds obtained from a particular source or allocated to a particular cause, money can be as plural as money or moneywith the latter being the …
Are you slightly disturbed by this word small? If so, you’re not alone. In a completely unscientific Twitter poll conducted by one of our lexicographers, only 14% of respondents said they thought it was a very good word; 32% confirmed it wasn’t really a word, while 40% admitted it was a word but not a …
Every year, September brings the return of school and some difficult questions to answer. Among these were ‘should I wear a backpack with one or two straps?’ ‘Will this be my last year out of the soul-broken social position I’ve been assigned to?’ And perhaps the most annoying thing is ‘can I use school as …
Surprise little quiz! What part of speech is the word belong to? (Pause a moment while we wait for the reader to click on the link provided in the previous sentence, or sit there, complacent with the certainty that he already knows the answer.) Pictured: a typical response to the phrase “”Maybe” backed up by …
other is a word that actually has the same function as other And otherand its use dates back to the early 14th century. By the end of the 19th century, the word was seen becoming more common. other combined with fullphrase construction the whole other. The reason this is often considered a mistake today is …
Straight can mean “no bend”, “heterosexual” and “fair”, while strait means “narrow, strict, or limited.” This is why “strait” is the original spelling of “straitjacket” and “straitlaced.” Given that the images of a tight coat and a person tied up reflect standing upright or following a narrow path, they are often referred to collectively as …
Couple is used to refer to two things, but is also commonly used for a small number greater than two. Some used in the same way as couple and also for a number slightly larger than a couple. Some commonly used for a number greater than a few and a few. It is sometimes used …
The prefixes are treacherous little beasts. Just when you think you got it, prefixes like IN– will appear and take on meanings like “not,” “in, within,” “into,” “toward,” or “put into or onto.” And to make things worse, some word beginnings that appear to be prefixes are not prefixes at all, even if they seem …
Free means “free, exempt” or “protected from” in normal use and “resistant” in normal medical use. In most cases, if you are immune something, it usually doesn’t affect you—for example, you may be immune to disease or criticism. And if you are immunity from something, it can’t get to you—for example, a person may be …
Planning things with everyone can be complicated. Not only must everyone be present on the same day and at the same time, but everyone must understand the language used for actual planning. Let’s have a meeting on the 11th at noon. Hmm, it worked for me last month but it’s not working for me this …
diffusive can be used as a verb to mean “to spread out” or an adjective to mean “not to concentrate.” It is often confused with appease, which can only be a verb. The original meaning of appease is “to defuse a bomb”, but the word now generally means “to make less dangerous or stressful”. Sometimes …
Phrase down pike originally used to mean “in the course of events” and more recently “in the future”. point This is an abbreviation for revolving car and in this case a metaphor for something encountered on the way one is traveling. Sometimes down the pipe used with the same meaning, can show a combination of …
Although not fully adopted by some, and used significantly less than overview, whole actually not wrong. (If you are here to ask us to affirm your claim againstwhole bias, we’re sorry.) It’s even close in age to its sister word, appearing as a variant shortly after overview has become standard in the English language. ‘Totalism’: …
Are you saying that something “passes the set,” or does it “pass the mustard”? And if something smells bad, would you say it “cuts mustard” or does it “cuts mustard”? Or do you avoid both expressions because, after all, you’re more of a ketchup person? If someone gives you mustard, remember to say “Thank you.” …
Someone will use this word from time to time little while in the sense of “in a moment; soon.” Incidentally, sometimes that same person will also have a friend or colleague who wants to throw a copy of Body & White with them while shouting. Coincident? Are not. Justifiable? Hey… Photo: Peterspiro Either way, the …
The phrase “forced” should not be confused with “stressed”. Emphasize is much more common; it’s about stress or pressure. Rebellious is a more technical term that refers to wrongful or illegal coercion. For example, if you were forced to sign a contract under threat, you signed the contract “under duress”. Not many people are “forced”, …
We’re not entirely sure who decided that first countless should not be used as a noun. Somewhere along the way, someone has ruled that it is best an adjective, but we’re here to tell you that simply isn’t true. countless is a noun, and if someone tells you otherwise, please print this article and throw …
Latin verb regere means “to rule” and gives us a wide range of words, from government of the state to self-management, among them regent, KingAnd Royalas rigid, RightAnd Exactly. Two words derived from regere which is probably the most commonly confused regimen And Regiment. Photo: accessories for a regimental exercise regimen. regime may make you …
A reporter wrote to ask us how to spell the abbreviation for frequent pronounced like the first syllable of a word—as in “I’ll have the us(ual).” Let’s see what we can do. Normally. Such as coffee and cherry pie. We define questions like these when we define everything else: evidence-based. But proof of a shortened …
Input is a nasty word. It looks so simple, starting with its original definition (our first meaning of input is “something put in”), but once you start digging it gets pretty messy. Is there a plural? inputand if so, it is input? To be entered a word? Why don’t we define input? (Okay, fine. No …
Optimal And Optimal both mean “best or most effective”, as in “plant grows tall under optimal conditions” and “for optimal results, let paint dry overnight.” You can consider the adjective optimal or optimal for your purposes depending on your preference or liking. Optimal can also be used as a noun to mean “the amount or …
We all know how bad double negatives can be. Along with ending sentences with a preposition, double negation can be near the top of the list of English grammar mistakes. However, we always find them, usually in colloquial speech, sometimes in prose. We find them a lot in the lyrics, where more ARE NOT can …
Substituting a letter (or two) in a word, especially if it’s a long word, can turn your carefully written prose into a joke in your writing workshop (for example, when you use use Square (“Women’s drawstring bag is used specifically as a handbag”) when you mean ridiculeor the classic mistake that causes confusion lots of …
ONE carat is a unit of weight used to measure the size of gems such as diamonds. ONE karat is a measurement that says the ratio of gold in the alloy is 24 parts, so 18K gold is 18/24 parts gold. However, the use of carat (instead karat) to indicate the fineness of gold is …
Everyone has been using how? means “why?” since at least the mid-19th century. And why shouldn’t they? In fact, we don’t think they should. It’s useful. There’s no reason to avoid it when you want an informal tone. How that? is seen in the headlines, where it conveys a relaxed tone, where simply Why? can …
Do you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night, overwhelmed by the crippling fear you may have experienced? ensure, insuranceor assure when one of the others is called in, when writing to a very important person? We hope not, because it really isn’t worth the loss of sleep (but good for you …
the difference between dependence And dependence just a matter of fancy spelling. “Depends” is the dominant form in American English for both nouns and adjectives, while in British English, “depends” is more common for nouns. “Depends” is still used to denote the adjective form in British English but its use in this form is uncommon. …
In modern manuals, Drink is the past tense of drinkas in “I drank a lot last night” and drunk is the past participle (following “have”), as in “Yes, I have drink wine before.” However, throughout history, these words have been confused and used in contradictory contexts, perhaps due to the association between the word drunk …
Similar spellings of Hold tight And clinch can make you pause to think about which words to use in certain contexts. Is it correct to say that a person Hold tight their fists or a deal has been Hold tight? And for you carpenters out there, it’s true: tighten or clinch a nail? Historically, the …
accidental And random both can mean “something happens by chance”, but usage suggests that “accidentally” also implies an element of carelessness or inattention while “random” implies the incident will happen with or without attention or concern. From accident And problem often confused, and for good reason. They have intersecting histories, both stemming from the same …
Most English speakers know the basic rule of subject-verb unity: a singular noun follows a singular verb, and a plural noun follows the corresponding plural of It. Students are in the cafeteria. The students are in the cafeteria. This is frankly: To be is the third person singular conjugation of the verb Okay that agree …
For all intents and purposes is a phrase that means “basically” or “in effect.” It is often confused as for all intensive purposes because when spoken out loud these two phrases sound very similar. These errors, in which incorrect words and phrases are replaced but the meaning remains the same, are called egg corn. In …
We talk about someone as reckless when they are not cautious about doing something: A man charged with endangering a helicopter pilot who was flying over Long Island was arrested Saturday night, police said. The 32-year-old Bayville man aimed a green laser pointer at the plane that was flying over Jericho around 11 p.m. to …
Say your piece And keep your peace are separate idioms. “Say your piece” refers to stating your point of view, or your “part” or “part” of a conversation. This is often confused with “hold your peace,” which is often related to opposition to marriage and refers to keeping silence and peace. Often, even in professional …
