Bee shore two use the write word!

Bee shore two use the write word!

Today's lesson was prompted by a tweet by Ian Stewart, a third baseman in the Chicago Cubs organization who currently plays for the Cubs' AAA team. I realize someone sending a tweet usually isn't concerned about perfect grammar, spelling and all that, but there should be a limit on just how ignorant you're willing to sound. To paraphrase famed British comedian Benny Hill,  "Everyone's got a right to be wrong/dumb ... but you ABUSE the privilege!"

Stewart surely abuses the privilege with this part of his recent tweet, which by the way not only earned him an F from the Writing Police but a whopping 10-game suspension from the team:

He had told a fan "never" in reply to a question about when he would be called up by the Cubs and then added this:

 "I said that be because the cubs are done With me....there going to let me Rott in AAA all season and then non tender me af ..."

There are many mistakes there, but I hope you spot the offending word in question.

It's "there," which in this case he is confusing with "they're" (as in "they are").

And that brings us to today's lesson: homonyms, or words that sound alike but are spelled differently and have a different meaning.

Before I go any further, I want to point out that I'm not offering you anything completely original. Dozens of sites on the Internet provide similar instruction on homonyms. Someone who read my blog criticized me for not reinventing the wheel,   or in other words repeating what many others already have posted. My reply is that millions of teachers and coaches around the world would be out of work if every last lesson they taught had to be completely original, never-taught-before material. How would anyone learn anything? How would you learn a foreign language, for example, if each lesson had to contain unique information?

So I quickly concede that you very likely can find similar blogs or websites with advice on dealing with homonyms. But the writing and ideas are mine alone and not lifted from anyone else, though I did search the Internet for a few lists of common homonyms so I could include them in the list at the bottom. I hope that in the end you appreciate the instruction here simply for what it is: a sincere effort to provide guidance to anyone hoping to become a better writer or editor. I submit that you don't have to "reinvent the wheel" to do that.

Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think. Thanks! 

Now back to our lesson.

Why is this worth mentioning? Because, as Ian Stewart demonstrates, people get words confused all the time. It is my hope that you will take the time to look up the word if you have even the slightest doubt, and then be sure you have the correct meaning in mind when you choose the word you want. Perhaps a glance at some of the most common offenders below will help you in this objective.

There are far too many homonyms to provide examples for each one, but I would like to put a few of the most egregious in the spotlight. For the rest, see the list below and make 

sure you look each word up!   

This is a good time to remind you of what I have dubbed PARROT'S DISEASE:   Be skeptical and look things up to be sure! Do not trust myths and rumors or repeat things you have seen or heard, no matter how common. This is how such atrocious writing as the examples cited becomes so common. Be uncommon and be sure something you write is correct. Don't just parrot what you read and hear!

Here, then, are some of the homonyms botched most often:

1) It's vs. its: A person with a master's degree came up to me and said she couldn't figure out the difference, so I think this is definitely worth going over.

Here is the simple formula I use and that I encourage you to follow: Say the sentence out loud, and if it is does not make sense, then it's is the wrong one to use. Remember, in this case the apostrophe simply stands for the missing letter i, meaning it's is a contraction of two words, it and is. Its, by contrast, is a possessive, as in the possessive form of the pronoun it.

Example: The dog wagged its/it's tail.

Read it aloud, trying it is in the appropriate spot. "The dog wagged it is tail."

 

Judges?

  GONG!

It's the wrong one! In this case, we want the possessive its (as in possession, meaning the dog possesses the tail). So it should be "The dog wagged its tail."

Example: Its/It's a lovely day outside. 

Read it aloud, trying it is in the appropriate spot. "It is a lovely day outside."

Judges?

It's the correct one! 

2) Your vs. You're: It's amazing how often I see these two words misused, even in stories written by professional journalists! And certainly in the comments section on stories posted online, you'll see the wrong one all the time.

The solution is the same simple formula: Read the sentence aloud, and if you are (which is what the contraction you're stands for) doesn't make sense, you're is the wrong one to use. 

Example:  Go get your/you're coat.

Read it aloud, trying you are in the appropriate spot. "Go get you are coat."

 

Judges?

  GONG!

It's the wrong one! In this case, we want the possessive your (as in possession, meaning you possess the coat, so go get it). So it should be "Go get your coat."

Example: Your/You're not a nice person.

Read it aloud, trying you are in the appropriate spot. "You are not a nice person."

Judges?

 

It's the correct one! 

3) Principle vs. principal: A great wordplay goes like this: "It's not the school I hate ... it's the principal of the thing!"

In general, remember it like this: A principle is part of a core set of beliefs or values. Principal indicates several things, among them the leader of a school, the most important or consequential component and (in financial matters)
a capital sum earning interest, due as a debt, or used as a fund.

Examples: Mr. Weatherbee is Archie's principal at Riverdale High. The principal reason for the decision was an attempt to save the park from overdevelopment. He decided it was against his religious principles to work on Sunday. 

4) Insure vs. ensure: A lot of people are not even aware there IS a word spelled ensure and figure insure is the right word in all cases. Even the best journalists get this wrong with alarming frequency.

The best tip I can offer is think in stands for insurance in insure and the e stands for extra (as in being extra sure) in ensure. When you want to guarantee something takes place, you do everything to ensure it happens. When you take out a policy for your car, you have decided to insure the auto.

5) Affect vs. effect: It doesn't always work, but in 90% of the cases, this formula will prove a correct guide -- if you intend to use a verb, affect is what you want; if it's a noun you want, effect is the right one. In both cases, you basically are talking about the consequences or results of some action and how it will impact something/someone.

There are some occasions in which writers use effect as a verb, but I'd avoid it to minimize the confusion. 

 

6) lead vs. led: The main problem is not so much confusing the meanings but using the past tense of lead incorrectly. It's an unbelievably common error that I spot all the time when editing. Not helping, of course, is the fact that lead can take on multiple meanings depending on how you pronounce it.

Lead can mean the common metal or a person who guides or presides (or the verb indicating such action). The thing to remember is that the past tense of the verb lead is NOT lead but led ... one more time, led!

Wrong: George Washington lead the nation to victory.
Right: George Washington led the nation to victory.

As much as I'd love to go over each one listed below, time and space dictate     otherwise. Here are some of the more common homonyms and their meanings to help you figure out which is the correct one to use:

accept -- to give approval, to endorse

except -- with the exclusion of, other than

affect -- to have an impact on (verb)

effect -- the actual results, meaning, intent

aide -- a person serving as a helper or assistant
aid -- relief or help given

alter -- to change
altar -- raised structure for ceremonies

ball -- round object used in games; festive party

bawl -- to cry

band -- group that plays music
banned ... prohibited

(I once edited a story that said "a group banned together!")

base -- headquarters, center of operations

bass -- a fish, a low-pitched voice or a type of guitar

bear -- big animal in the forest, or to produce or support
bare -- lacking clothing or covering; exposed
Complicating it further are the past tenses of these irregular verbs. He bears the burden, he bore the burden, he will have borne a heavy burden (not to be confused with born).

berth  -- a distance, or a position or place on something,     such as a berth on a team
birth -- moment something or someone is born

boar -- wild member of pig species

bore -- to make you uninterested by being dull; to drill a hole

breach -- to break or violate
breech -- the lower or rear of something (human body, gun, machinery)

bread -- food used for sandwiches

bred -- raised and grown

(A great wordplay used by Moe of The  Three Stooges: "She was bred in ole Kentucky but she's just a crumb up here!")

break -- to separate into parts, to fracture or ruin
brake -- part that enables your vehicle to stop

bus -- big vehicle that takes kids to school or you to work

buss -- a kiss
Note: The plural of bus is buses, NOT busses

capital -- city that serves as seat of government
capitol -- the actual building where politicians often meet

cache -- hidden stash

cash -- money

cereal -- food you eat for breakfast

serial -- appearing or occurring in succession, or in a series

chili -- hot pepper or spicy meal with meat and beans

Chile -- South American nation ONLY (not a pepper)

chilly -- cold

cite -- to mention or list

site -- location of a place or structure

sight -- vision

compliment -- to praise

complement -- goes together with something well

cord -- rope or string that binds; wire that plugs into wall

chord -- musical note

council -- group of politicians

counsel -- advice

cue - indication of when to act or speak

queue - a line

click -- a sound
clique -- snobby, exclusionary group

desert -- dry region with lots of sand

dessert -- snack you have after a meal

Note: You get your just deserts, not desserts, because we're talking about you getting your just deservings (1 s). It has nothing to do with getting a lousy dessert!

disc

disk

It depends on the source, but the Associated Press says use disk for computer-related references (floppy disk, diskette) and medical references, such as a slipped disk, and disc spelling for phonograph records and related terms (disc jockey), optical and laser-based devices (a Blu-ray disc, CD, DVD) and for disc brake.  

disburse -- to distribute, as in funds

disperse -- to spread, break up or evaporate/vanish

discrete - distinct

discreet - tactful

 

dual -- serving two purposes

duel -- a battle between two parties, such as a gunfight

eminent (distinguished)

imminent (happening soon)

faint - lose consciousness

feint - weak or minimal

faze - impact
phase - stage 

forgo - to abstain or do without

forego - to go before or precede

(writers usually want forgo but misspell it forego)

foreword -- introductory portion of a book
forward -- to move ahead
 

gorilla - big ape 

guerrilla - warrior/soldier ... and often misspelled with 1 r, the writer getting the words confused


hair – head covering
hare – rabbit-like animal  ... hare-brained comes from having the brains of a hare, not anything to do with hair on your head


hansom -- type of carriage

handsome -- good-looking

holey – full of holes

holy - divine
wholly - entirely


insure -- to take out policy of coverage

ensure -- to make certain, guarantee

its -- belonging to it 

it's -- it is

lead --
led -- 
see example above

loan - lend
lone - solitary 

lose - to misplace something or to fail to win

loose  -- not tight

(A rather ignorant fan trying to insult a rival team's player once held up a sign, as the player walked off the field, that said, "Looser" -- the REAL loser meant "loser")

marshal -- high official or leader in ceremonial activity

marshall -- a proper name, such as a surname, island, etc.

(Writers almost always mean marshal when they write marshall. A very common error is "a parade marshall.") 

meet -- to get together

meat -- food from animal parts

mete -- to give out or carry out by measure


pain - hurt
pane – window glass 

past - happened in earlier times

passed ... went ahead of, or got an acceptable grade

peak – highest point
peek - glance

pique - to heighten someone's curiosity or interest
 

plain - ordinary
plane – flight machine or flat surface 


pole - post
poll - survey 


poor – not rich
pour – make flow
pore -- to examine thoroughly


pray – speak to God
prey - quarry 

principal – most important, or leader of school
principle - belief



raise -- lift higher, or increase in salary
rays -- beams, such as sunlight 

raze -- to tear down


rein -- to harness or control
reign -- the period of rule by a leader
rain -- wet stuff from clouds


sent -- delivered somewhere
scent -- smell


sew – connect with thread
so – as a result
sow -- plant 


sheer -- thin or transparent
shear -- to cut, as in with scissors


sole -- single, the only
soul -- essence, inner spiritual self 


stationary -- not moving, idle
stationery -- paper you write on

than -- function word used for comparison or contrast

then -- at a particular point in time

their -- belongs to those people
there -- location or indication
they're -- they are


to -- function word indicating direction/position/location
too -- also
two -- a number, more than 1 and less than 3



vain -- egotistical, concerned with what others think
vein -- tubular vessels that carry blood
vane -- movable device attached to an elevated object


your -- belonging to you

you're -- you are



There are many other examples worth pointing out, but it's time to wrap it up.
 

My next post will be about a few pet peeves I feel are worth discussing. Stay tuned ...