We love getting educational lectures from The Great Courses--and the linguistics lectures from Dr. Anne Curzan are among our favorites.
Did you know that "Rage Quit" was a word? Click here to read what it is--and who does it.
Here's a neat TED Talk by Dr. Curzan on what makes for a "real" word. Fascinating!
It's time for another edition of Commonly Confused Words!
Prophecy vs. Prophesy
I see these two confused in New Age and Christian books, as well as paranormal fiction.
Prophecy: Pronounced proffa-SEE, prophecy is a noun. It's the message a prophet declares.
Nancy heard the prophecy about the apocalypse from the oracle in the woods.
Prophesy: Pronounced proffa-SYE, prophesy is a verb. It's the act of giving a prophecy.
In the middle of the woods, Nancy heard the oracle prophesy at the top of her lungs.
Callus vs. Callous
Callus: Noun. Hardened or thickened area on the skin.
The farmer had a callus on his thumb.
Callous: Adjective. Indifferent, hardened, unsympathetic.
The teacher's treatment of the grieving student was callous.
Advise vs. Advice
Advise: Verb. To offer counsel. (ad-VIZE)
"I advise you to stay silent", said the lawyer.
Advice: Noun. Opinion or recommendation. (ad-VICE)
You want my advice? Walk away.
Feel vs. Fill
Feel: Verb. Awareness of touch. To have a sensation.
I feel ill.
Fill: Verb. To make full.
Allow me to fill your glass with water.
Site vs. Sight
Site: Noun. Position or location. Or, short for website.
The construction site is on the north end of the campus.
Sight: Noun. Vision. Act of seeing.
Boy, are you a sight for sore eyes!
Horde vs. Hoard
Horde: Noun. A group or swarm.
Stella was chased by a horde of bees.
Hoard: Verb. To stockpile.
What a packrat! She hoards every piece of junk she can find.
Hoard: Noun. A guarded supply.
The dragon guarded her hoard of jewels.
Secrete vs. Secret
Secrete: Verb. To discharge by secretion. (sa-KREET)
The pimple secreted yellow pus.
Secrete: Verb. To conceal. (sa-KREET)
The dog secreted dozens of bones in the back yard.
Secret: Noun. A mystery. Something hidden. (SEE-krit)
Tom has a secret and he's not telling.
Secret: Adjective. Secluded, sheltered, withdrawn. Done without the knowledge of others. (SEE-krit)
The superhero lived in a secret location.
i.e. vs. e.g.
i.e. Latin id est. That is. (Interchangeable with in other words).
The lead singer of Iron Maiden is a gorgeous renaissance man (i.e., Bruce Dickinson).
e.g. Latin exempli gratia. For example.
I love 80s metal bands (e.g. Iron Maiden, Scorpions, Judas Priest).
-- Janet
Hello fearless writers! It’s time for another episode of Commonly Confused Words. Believe it or not, I come up with each episode’s words based on reading incorrect usage on the web or in print. Especially egregious when the fallacious swap out occurs in print, in my opinion, but it happens.
Without further ado, let’s dive into nine sets of words that are commonly confused:
Chord vs. Cord
The most common misuse of this set occurs with the phrase “struck a chord”, when the correct “chord” is swapped out for the incorrect “cord”.
Chord: Two or more musical notes struck or sung together producing a pleasing harmony. Thus, when something “strikes a chord”, it resonates.
Since my kitty just died, the author’s memoir on pet loss struck a deep chord.
Cord: A thick string, thin rope or cable.
If I set the lamp on this table, the electrical cord won’t reach the outlet.
College vs. Collage
Unless you’re pursuing higher education in scrapbooking or found art, you’re not going to collage (pronounced cole-LAHJ)…you’re going to college (COL-lehj).
College: Institute for higher learning.
After High School, Jen is going to college.
Collage: Sticking a hodgepodge of photos, paper, found art and other items together to form a picture.
I’m collecting old newspapers and vintage photos to make a collage piece.
Moot vs. Mute
Unless your plea is falling upon deaf ears, your point is moot—not mute.
Moot: Doubtful, debatable, unresolved or unlikely.
Arguing whether reptilian creatures are guised as political leaders seems a moot point in reasonable debate.
Mute: Unwilling or unable to make a sound or speak.
Helen Keller was born both blind and mute.
Roll vs. Role
If you’re listing your favorite sites on your blog, it’s a Blog Roll—not a Blog Role. Unless, of course, your favorite sites are vying for some kind of acting award…
Roll: An official list (in this case)
Excellent grades secured her place on the Honor Roll.
Role: A specific function or acting part.
It’s probably easy for Meryl Streep to get choice movie roles.
Alley vs. Ally
If you’re walking down a dark alley (owl-LEE), you had better hope you run into an ally (owl-LYE). But don’t walk through an ally, lest you lose the friendship.
Alley: A narrow passageway.
Don took a shortcut down the alley on his way home.
Ally: A mutually supportive person or group.
In WWII, England, France and America were allies against Germany.
Perk vs. Perq
I’ve seen this confusion a lot. In fact, I’ve seen it in a both book about writing and a novel! In short, I’ve seen this confusion from writers who should know better. Writers don’t get “perks” unless they’re females walking out into frigid temperatures or males running into bodacious babes.
Perk: To stick up or become lively. Or, short for percolate (to drip or filter).
When she heard the name of her favorite band mentioned, her ears perked up.
Perq: Short for perquisite. A bonus, extra, freebie or advantage.
One of the perqs of being a baker is sampling raw cookie dough.
Two vs. To vs. Too
Most people use “two” correctly. It’s to vs. too that gets confused the most. To remember which is which, consider the extra “o” in too as a hint to the word’s meaning: “in addition to”.
Two: The number 2
Joe thought he danced as if he had two left feet.
To: A preposition indicating direction, destination or position.
Mary needed to walk to the market to get some milk.
Too: As well. Extremely.
Tina, if you’d like, Katy can come, too.
You’re vs. Your
This is a sneaky pair. More than once, I’ve caught myself typing the wrong word, especially posting on Facebook when I’m in a hurry—even though I know better. So keep an eye out for this easy-to-do switcheroo! If you’re not sure which is correct, see if you can substitute “you are” for the word. If you can, and it still makes sense, you’re is the correct word. If not, use your. NB: Do not trust MS Word grammar check to catch mistakes when it comes to “you’re” vs. “your”! There have been times when Word suggested the wrong word for this pair.
You’re: Contraction of “you” and “are”.
You’re such a kidder, Jack!
Your: Belonging or relating to someone.
Don’t forget your coat, Linda!
Pseudo Name vs. Pseudonym
OK, this is a crazy one…but I saw it on a blog recently and thought I’d set the record straight. Since “pseudo” means false or fake, calling a pseudonym and Pseudo Name is, I guess, technically correct (even if it’s not really a word). But if the blogger meant to use the word pseudonym, another word for nom de plume or penname, then it’s a faux pas.
Pseudonym comes from the Greek pseudōnumon ("false name") and the French pseudonyme.
Alrighty, kiddos, I hope you enjoyed Commonly Confused Words Part 2. If you have any questions about proper usage or notice some confused words in the wild, by all means take a moment to comment here or email me at synerjay (at) atlanticcbb (dot) net.
-- JanetIt drives me crazy when I see the wrong use of "s".
Look at the poster on the right.
Now, we know that "thems" isn't a word. But if it were, as the creator of this poster intended, then it would be written just like I did: THEMS.
Why? Because it's intended as a plural. More than one "them" equals "thems".
Now, if "them" owned something, or had an attribute, it would be "them's".
Here are some examples:
1. There were three cats on the fence.
2. Hey, look at that middle cat's white tail!
Number one is an example of a plural "s"--more than one cat. Number two is an example of a possessive "s" that shows ownership.
When you're confused, ask yourself "Is there more than one thing I'm talking about here?" If yes, then add an "s" without an apostrophe because it's a plural usage.
Here's another example:
1. I found two coins in the couch.
2. The coin's date was completely rubbed off.
Another way to tell the difference is to ask yourself if the sentence can be reworded using "of the". The date of the coin was completely rubbed off. (Tips you off that it's possessive). And, "Hey, look at the white tail of the middle cat!"
-- Janet
Just in the last week, I've come across these seven word groups used incorrectly.
It drives me nuts!
Four of them were used by Tarot "professionals".
C'mon, guys. The world already thinks we're nuts. Let's not have them think us illiterate and stupid, too, m'kay?
Here are some commonly confused words, all cleared up for you.
Pouring vs. Poring
Unless you plan on pouring coffee or some other drink over your client's "business plan" (which I don't recommend), you will, instead, be poring over their business plan.
Pouring - To send liquid or loose particles falling or flowing. The waitress poured me another glass of sweet tea.
Poring - To read or study with earnest attention. I'm poring over my checkbook, looking for mistakes.
Peek vs. Peak vs. Pique
This week, I received a Tarot magazine from Down Under that promised a "sneak peak". Well, unless you're going to unveil a secret mountain top, you mean "sneak peek".
Peek: To sneak a look. Imagine the two "e"s are eyes looking at you. The boy peeked in the closet, looking for his Christmas presents.
Peak: Top of the mountain or the highest point. My energy peaks around 10 PM.
Pique: To excite, arouse or sharply irritate. When her husband promised a surprise, Linda's curiosity was piqued.
A lovely friend of mine referred to our Snowland Deck's Life Themes Edition as "Life Themes Addition". No, no, no, no, no.
Edition vs. Addition
Edition: A version of something. You can purchase our Snowland Deck Life Themes Edition here.
Addition: The process or act of adding. 2 + 2 isn't 5. You need to check your addition.
Raise vs. Raze
Raised: To lift up or elevate. The partygoers raised their glass in a toast.
Razed: To tear down or demolish. Because of the fire, I'm not sure if the entire home will need to be razed.
Threw vs. Through
Threw: Past tense of "throw". The quarterback threw the football.
Through: To go in one end and out the other. Robert Frost famously said "The only way out is through."
Roll vs. Role
Roll: To turn over and over (verb). Or, a piece of baked dough (noun). You gotta roll with the punches.
Role: A part that is played. Joan of Arc was her role model.
This last example is courtesy my adorable husband. Yeah, he rocks. Seriously. Even when he mixes up big words.
Permutation vs. Permeation
Permutation: To alter, transform, change or rearrange. Mash-ups are permutations.
Permeation: To penetrate or saturate. Grammar faux pas and rife misspellings permeate Tarot blogs and publications.
Don't mix these words up again. You are without excuse.
-- Janet
Author of 5 Tarot Books. Co-Creator Coffee Tarot and Snowland Deck. AMZN Hall of Fame Reviewer. Jewelry Designer.
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