Editor on call: using then/than and lose/loose

Today I'm addressing two pairs of "spelling challenge" words a reader asked me to discuss. These pairs perplexed me a bit, because they aren't actually homophones. But because they are "kissing cousins" so to speak, pronunciation-wise, you might have gotten mixed up somewhere along the line about which word is which.

Then 

Pronounced then (voiced th, short e like in elephant); rhymes with pen, when, den, wren.

adv. - at that time; soon after, following; in addition, besides. In that case; according to that, as may be inferred; as it appears; as a consequence.

Examples
Just then, an ambulance hurtled past.

First Bill arrived, then Frank did.

You're not going to pay me, are you, then?

Mnemonic
THEN is WHEN it HAPPENS.

For more guidance on using THEN in "and then" constructions, see my post "And then...derailment at Conjunction Junction."

Than

Pronounced than (voiced th, short a like in apple); rhymes with man, pan, ran.

conj. - connector used to compare an inequality between subjects; function word used to express difference in kind, manner or identity. Often used in a pair with rather (rather...than) to indicate preference.

Examples

This project is more trouble than it is worth.

Liesl is older than Louisa.

I would rather go swimming than sit on the hot beach

Mnemonics
STAN is more of a MAN THAN you are.

Use THAN to COMPARE APPLES to APPLES.

For more guidance on constructing comparisons using THAN, see my post "Compare with Flair."

Lose

Pronounced lUz (long U sound like used, voiced s / zuh like in laser); rhymes with use, ruse, booze, snooze,  choose.

This one is tricky, because its spelling is a bit counter-intuitive. 

v., trans. - to misplace; to suffer deprivation or loss; fail to keep control or allegiance of; bring to destruction or ruin; to wander or go astray; fail to keep in sight or mind; to free oneself of

lost,  losing

Examples
Do not lose this key, or we can't get back inside.

James tends to lose his temper easily.

Did he lose his ship on that terrible reef?

Helen seems lost in daydreams.

Max, Leo and Parker all hope to lose weight.

Mnemonic
The O sounds like OO, the S sounds like Z;
Make it four-letter LOSE, or LOSE the spelling bee!

Loose

Pronounced lUss (long U like used, unvoiced s, like soup); rhymes with juice, truce, moose, goose

adj. - not rigidly tight or securely fastened; not tight-fitting; detached or disconnected; slack; flexible or relaxed.

v., trans. - to release, untie, detach or discharge.

loosed, loosing

Examples
Tendrils of hair slipped from Harriet's loose ponytail.

Megan knew her diet was working when her old jeans fit loosely.

Desmond used a loose, flowing brushstroke in these paintings.

Don't let the goat loose, it will eat Mama's petunias!

Jake is constantly loosing his biting tongue on his enemies.

Mnemonics
Don't let the GOOSE LOOSE with the MOOSE; they would SOONER fight than call a truce.

OO-whee, LOOSE and free!

Do these near-miss words trip you up? Any other almost-homophones you'd like me to address in a future post?

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Rough or a route? Using coarse vs. course

Today we're tackling a set of fraternal twins of language, the homophones coarse and course. Once again, I'll provide a definition, examples and mnemonic tricks to help you keep them straight. Because spellcheck will not help you if you use the wrong term for the context.

Luckily, these two words are always different parts of speech; the A version is only an adjective, the U version is a noun or verb.

Coarse fabric (Alvimann at morguefile.com)

coarse

(adj.) having a rough texture, or a loose weave; vulgar, rude, crude.

examples
The beggar's coarse woolen cloak gave little protection from wind.
Use coarse sandpaper to remove the old, thick layers of paint.
Mickey's coarse jokes made everyone blush.

mnemonics
Coarse oars make hands ache
The coarse mannered are always alone.

course

A riding course (jade from www.morguefile.com).

(n.) a route traveled, as by a ship, plane, or car;
a directed or mapped route
progress in time;
portion of a meal;
a unit of instruction, a plan of study on a topic

(v. intrans.) to flow or stream without obstruction;
to follow a course or be directed in a course

(v. trans.) to hunt using sight instead of scent;
to chase or pursue

Of course (idiom) - a turn of events is obvious or expected; certainly; naturally.

examples
Buffy often lost her way on the club's golf course.
Over the course of a week, the team built a new prototype.
We'll be serving salmon and roast beef for the main course.
Kyle really loved his art history course.
Tears course down Lucinda's cheeks.
My kayak coursed forward in the strong current.
The greyhounds coursed hares across the field.
Of course the class clown would wear a vampire costume to the prom.

mnemonics
For an utterly ultimate run, use our course
Una's unique course unified us students.

Which sound-alikes tend to trip you up?

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The center or the squad? Using core and corps

For today's phonics fun, I'd like to tackle a pair of homophones, pronounced /koar/ I've seen misused even in published books, though not because the spellings are at all similar. Rather, one form of the word is quite simple and familiar, and the other more obscure and less likely to be known.

Let's take a look at definitions, visuals, examples, and mnemonics to get the words clear in our heads. Because spell-check will not help you.

Core

Image: marykbaird for morguefile.com

(n.) the center; the essential part; the inner parts, as of a fruit; muscles in the center of the body.

(adj.) central, innermost, essential, reflecting the essence

(v., trans.) to remove the center or inner parts of a fruit or vegetable.

Examples
Josiah's intelligence gathering was core to their mission.

He felt her rejection in the core of his being.

Mom's core concern was for my brother's safety.

He got six-pack abs doing core strengthening exercises

I had to core and slice the apple so Lila could eat it without harming her braces.

Mnemonics
In her core she did adore the shore.
The core has more seeds that he could store.

Corps

Image: mzacha for morguefile.com

(n.) a group of people engaged in a particular activity. A tactical military group.

This term derives from the Latin corpus, meaning body and comes to English via French, which tends to not pronounce ending consonants. It is most often encountered military and few other contexts and in a handful of borrowed French phrases like esprit de corps, meaning group spirit, loyalty and pride.

Examples
Louis plans to join the Marine Corps.

Greg plays trombone in the Highpoint Drum and Bugle Corps.

The entire press corps stood when the ambassador entered the room.

Gabrielle liked the group pride her class had, the lovely esprit de corps.

Mnemonic
At the end of his letter, a core P.S.: "without the corps I'd be a corpse."

Which sound-alike words tend to trip you up?

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Thanks, Will: idioms from Shakespeare you're probably misspelling

image by http://wallpaper222.com/

William Shakespeare is considered a key transforming force in the English language. There are hundreds of words and phrases, particularly colorful idioms, he is believed to have coined. While scholars may squabble over which terms he invented and which ones were simply the slang of his day that he recorded for the first time, there's no doubt that his plays have hugely influenced our language.

Ask a teen to read Shakespeare, and they'll say his work is full of cliches, mostly because terms he first penned continue to be used so widely today. "Break the ice," "fancy-free," "in a pickle," "live long day," "neither rhyme nor reason," "night owl," "play fast and loose," "primrose path,"  "seen better days," "set my teeth on edge," "tongue-tied" are but a small sample of idioms we now use every day thanks to Shakespeare. (A comprehensive list is available here.)

But there are a number of his famous idioms that linger in our language with meanings and spellings that aren't particularly obvious in 2015, because they include archaic words one never hears outside these Shakespearean phrases. With each term, I give  the "eggcorn" version, a misheard or misunderstood incorrect variation. (For more on eggcorns, see The Eggcorn Database.) I also explain the phrase's meaning, giving special attention to the odd word you are likely to misspell.

bated breath (eggcorn: baited breath)
To hold one's breath in anticipation. Bated is a form of abate, to diminish or reduce.

much ado about nothing (eggcorn: much adieu)
Fuss, overreaction to something unimportant.

one fell swoop (eggcorn: one foul swoop)
Quickly arriving doom. Fell is an archaic term meaning deadly. The image is of a bird of prey attacking.

short shrift (eggcorn: short shift)
To make quick work of something or have little regard for it. Shrift is an archaic term that comes from shrive, to serve penance. The image is of being given an easy task to atone for sin, like reciting the Lord's Prayer once.

shuffle off this mortal coil (eggcorn: mortal toil)
To die.  Coil/coyle in this era meant trouble, strife. The image is of drifting away from the struggles of life.

Other archaic idioms you might be misspelling

Shakespeare was neither the first nor the last to give us lasting idioms that include archaic words. Here are some others to be aware of, some first appearing as early as Chaucer (1343-1400), some only a century and a half ago.

damp squib (eggcorn version damp squid)
Something that flops or fails to work as expected. Literally, a dud firework because it got wet.

derring do (eggcorn: daring do)
Heroic daring.
Possibly coined by Chaucer. More on origins here

high dudgeon (eggcorn: high dungeon)
Resentment.
Might come from Welsh, or might derive from the term for a knife handle first recorded decades before Shakespeare's plays. More on origins here.

on tenterhooks (eggcorn: on tenderhooks)
In suspense. The image is of woolen cloth stretched on a special rack (tenter) after washing to prevent shrinkage.

vale of tears (eggcorn: veil of tears)
Deep suffering. Vale is a derivative of valley.

Which of these idioms have plagued you most? Do you try to coin idioms in your work? Any favorite Shakespeare quote you'd like to share? 

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With me or against me? Using dual and duel

For today's phonics fun, I'm going to tackle the semi-homophone pair, dual and duel. Most pronounce the words similarly, though one of the pair might have two syllables (dewl; DEW-ul). There may be significant variation here depending on your dialect. The two are most often confused in written contexts, because they sound nearly alike and are spelled nearly alike.

Their meanings, however, are nearly antonyms. Nearly because they aren't the same part of speech. The A version is an adjective, the E version, a noun and verb. But both involve twosomes, the former, friends, the latter, enemies.

Confused yet? Let's dive in to meanings, see the words in context and learn some handy mnemonics to keep them straight (not strait, that's a geography term).

A dual team. Photo by earl53 from morguefile.com

Dual 

(adj.) having two parts or aspects that are alike or complementary.

Examples

• Geoffrey is a dual citizen of the US and Canada.
• The dual speaker system makes the sound so rich.
• Dual airbags keep both front passengers safe in a crash.
• Maisie had a dual purpose for her trip--to relax and find a man.
• We call our two-man  mime act "Dual Fools."

Mnemonic
Dual parts are always pals.

Fencers dueling. Photo by FidlerJan from morguefile.com

Duel 

(n.) a contest or battle between two opponents to settle a dispute or point of honor.

(v., intrans.) to battle, to fight in a duel.

Examples

• Benedict challenged Roderigo to a duel for publicly embarrassing his wife.
• Kate and Leo dueled all semester to become valdictorian.
• Hal displayed his grandfather's épée, a light dueling sword.
• The Ravens and the Mustangs will duel for the league championship.

Mnemonic
Enemies ever duel to the end.

Do these two words trip you up? What homophone pairs give you trouble?

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Using meat, meet and mete

It seemed high time for another Phonics Friday post. Today we'll tackle a set of fraternal triplets of language, the homophones meat, meet and mete. Once again, I'll provide a definition, examples and mnemonic tricks to help you keep them straight.

meat

Photo credit: mconnors from morguefile.com

meat (n.) flesh; the flesh of an animal used as food; the edible part or kernel of certain plant fruits (such as a walnut or coconut).

(n.) at the core of something; the most important part of something.

Examples

• The chef's knife slipped, slicing the meat of his palm.
• Rudy is vegan; the only meat he eats is coconut meat and other nut meats.
• The meat of the issue is fairness and equality.
• Your topic is very meaty. Can you keep the paper under ten pages?

Mnemonic
Andy ate meat at all meals.

meet

Photo credit: diggerdanno from morguefile.com

meet (v., trans.) met, meeting -  to encounter or come into contact; to become acquainted;  to gather with others, especially at a particular place and time; to come together for a common purpose

 - to provide for or pay fully; to cope with

- to conform precisely; to form a junction

- to have or receive a particular reaction

 meet (n.) - a gathering of athletes for a sports competition; a gathering to hunt foxes

meet (adj., archaic) - suitable; made to fit

Examples

• I can't wait to meet Jane's twin brother.
• Lois met us at noon to carpool to the swim meet.
• His higher salary will meet all the family's financial needs.
• Carlos thinks his candidate meets all the requirements best.
• Thorn Road meets Blueberry Lane just past the post office.
• His proposal was met with applause and cheers.
• Phua placed third in 500 meter hurdles at the track meet.
• Count Roderigo felt it meet that she should attend the coronation.

Mnemonic
Bree is free to meet new people

mete

Photo credit: cohdra from morguefile.com

mete (v., trans.) meted, meting -  to allot or dole out justice or punishment (usually with out)
- (archaic) to measure

Examples

• The queen will mete out justice to the highwaymen terrorizing her land.
• Harken the ways of yon fishmonger who metes not fair portions of his trout.

Mnemonic
Pete theatened to mete out concrete shoes for any athlete who dares to compete.


The handful of archaic forms are where troubles arise most. "It is meet that I should thus mete your portion of the meat from our meet" is not a sentence you're likely to see outside historical fiction or fantasy.

Which of these new definitions were new to you? What other homophones tend to trip you up?

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New tool for sound-alikes

It's phonics Friday, and because I'm currently down with an ice-slipping injury, I'm keeping it short today. Instead of doing my usual homophone clarity session, I thought I'd give a shout out for a book series I recently discovered, Homonyms and Confusing Words by Lisa Binion.

I know, I know, Binion is using the wrong word to describe this book. A homonym is a same name, like "beat," meaning whip and also territory. She really should have used homophone, meaning same sound, like "beat" and "beet." Well, don't hold it against her too much, because this is a very thorough collection. So much so that book one in the series covers only letters A-C.

What makes it uniquely helpful is the "and confusing words" approach. She bundles together not only words that sound alike, but also near cousins that are sometimes mistakenly swapped, like amity and enmity (which are actually antonyms; the first means friendship, the second, conflict or hatred).

The entries spell out meanings and give examples. She tends to give only one of each, so if you might need to cross reference with an online dictionary like Merriam-Webster at times. It's generally when one uses the less common meanings that real confusion sets in.

What are some terms you tend to confuse? 

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Pour, pull, or prevail? Using rain, rein, and reign

Today we're tackling a set of fraternal triplets of language, the homophones rain, rein, and reign. Once again, I'll provide a definition, examples and mnemonic tricks to help you keep them straight.

rain

image: http://guardian.co.uk

rain (n) - watery precipitation; water that has fallen from clouds, rainwater.

rain (v, intrans) rained, raining - to fall as water from clouds; to fall like rain; to send down rain

rain (v., trans) rained, raining - to pour or administer abundantly

Examples

• Hugh never understood that Adele song. How can rain be set on fire? Is it acid rain?
• It rained all day, so the hike was postponed.
• Jag rained blows on his opponent.
• Denise loves the disco song "It's Raining Men."

Mnemonics

• The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain. (Thank you, Henry Higgins.)
• Air pollution is a cause of acid rain.

rein

image: http://equiword.net

rein (n) - strap on a horse's bridle attached to the bit that allows a rider to control and steer the animal; restraining influence.

(with free or full) opportunity for unhampered activity or use. 

rein (v, trans.) reined, reining - to control or steer, as with a bit and rein; sometimes used with in.

Examples

• Pull the left rein to turn your pony left.
• Jed kept a tight rein on the meeting.
• Stacy was given free rein over the party planning. She could do whatever she liked.
• Chloe, you need to rein in your campers. They're making a huge mess in arts and crafts.

The expression "free rein" specifically means "without guidance" and "full rein" means "without control." They are metaphors based on the practices of letting a horse instinctively find a trail or run at top speed; the rider leaves the reins loose and long (versus tight and short) in either instance, not steering or slowing the horse's free movement.

Mnemonics

• To ride east, Eve and Ella rein left.
• Free rein: freedom and speed, whee!

reign

image: http://royal-splendor.blogspot.com

reign (v, intrans.) reigned, reigning -  to exercise dominion or rule, like a monarch; exert dominion, sway or influence; to be predominant or prevalent.

reign (n.) royal authority, ruling power, dominion; the period of rule or dominion.

Examples

• Elizabeth II celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in honor of reigning for 60 years.
• King Xerxes reigned from 519 to 465 BC.
• Jessamyn reigns over the entire school like an evil queen.
• Chaos reigns when those kids are left with a sitter.
• Rebels continued their reign of terror for five months.
• Reign of Fire was a film about dragons ruling the earth.

Mnemonics

• King George reigns from a glittering, gem-covered throne.
• Gorgeous Gordon reigns the giggling girls at Glenside High.

Increasingly, I've seen people use the expression "free reign," which I'm not entirely certain is a homophone error so much as a new expression with a slightly different meaning than "free rein." It is usually used in contexts of someone exerting total control or behaving like a dictator.

This is an updated post from May 2012.


Do these distinctions help? What other homonyms trip you up?

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Fundless, flowing or fixated: Using poor, pour, and pore

In this week's edition of Phonics Friday, we'll be tackling a trio of sound-alike words, all pronounced pȯr. We'll look at definitions, see the terms used in context, and learn some mnemonic (memory) devices to keep them straight.

image credit: hotblack at morguefile.com

Why bother? If you accidentally swap one of these legitimate words for another, spell check won't help you. It can't discern context, but merely if a certain combination of letters appears in its dictionary.

Poor

poor (adj.) - lacking resources, having little money; less than ideal, negative, bad. An expression of pity.

Examples
Hank's family was so poor, they ate meat only once a month.
The cafe service was so poor that we waited an hour for our meal.
Kay was discouraged by her new employee's poor performance on the job.
Poor Leo is hobbling around campus on crutches.

Mnemonic
The poor have too few cool things.

image credit: lisa solonynko, morguefile

Pour

pour (v., trans.) to make flow or dispense in a stream; to produce or give in abundance; to give full expression.

Examples
A waiter must pour wine with great care.
Travis decided to pour all his resources into the family ranch.
Over lunch, Violet poured out her worries to us.

Mnemonic
Doug will pour out our pungent southern punch

Pore

pore (V., intrans.) to intently study, gaze, reflect, or meditate upon; often used with over.

image credit: clarita, morguefile.com

pore (n.) a microscopic opening, as in the skin, (especially one through which molecules can pass through a membrane); tiny opening in the surface of plants or minerals.

the adjectival form of the noun is porous.

Examples
Renee loved to pore over European travel guides in the library.
How long have you been poring over your exam notes?
The dermatologist examined the pores on Mia's cheeks.
Don't take that porous bag; it will leak.

Mnemonic
To raise your geology score more, you must pore over ore.

Which of these terms trip you up most? Any other homophones you'd like me to cover?

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In the dining room, stockroom, or art room? Using palate, pallet, and palette

It's Phonics Friday once again, and today we'll be tackling a trio of sound-alike nouns, all pronounced pal-it, that are used in quite different contexts.

Let's take a look at definitions, see the terms used in context, and learn some mnemonic (memory) devices to keep the terms straight.

Why bother? If you accidentally swap one of these legitimate words for another, spell check won't help you. It can't discern context, but merely if a certain combination of letters appears in its dictionary.

Palate

Photo by luisrock62, morguefile.com

palate - n. the roof of the mouth; appreciation of taste and flavor, especially when sensitive and discriminating.

The adjectival form palatable and its antonym unpalatable are commonly used to describe food.

Examples

• Smile Train is a charity that treats children born with cleft palate.
• "The L sound," explained the ESL teacher, "is created by pressing the tongue against the palate." 
• Because of his sensitive palate, Crosby was always called on to taste-test the soups and sauces.
• Our hosts served fresh fruit as a palate cleanser between courses.
• Thea does not find fast food palatable.  (adj. form)

Mnemonic
My PAL ATE what appealed to her PALATE.

Pallet

image: Wikipeda

pallet - n. a mat or thin mattress; a slab or framework  used for carrying things; a unit of goods that can fit on a standard frame used in warehouses.

Examples

• During the hurricane, Deb had only her yoga mat to use as a pallet.
• Forklift drivers spend their workdays moving pallets of goods around the warehouse.
• Jim builds dog houses out of wood salvaged from old warehouse pallets.
• Five pallets of medical supplies were delivered to the refugee camp.

Mnemonic
My PAL LET me sleep on his PALLET

image by jppi, morguefile.com

Palette

palette - n. a flat board used by artists for holding and mixing paint; a group of colors used together, as an artist might for a particular painting; a comparable range, use or quality of items.

Examples

• Ette squirted dollops of blue, orange, black, and white oil paint onto her palette.
• Roderigo used a palette knife to apply thick layers of paint to his canvas.
• Our color palette for the guest room will be plum, pale mulberry, and charcoal, with touches of silver.
• Yuko's music combined a rich palette of harmonies.

Mnemonic
My PAL ETTE put paint on her PALETTE.

Be aware that advertisers love to do word plays on palate and palette.
For example, "Tempt your palate with a colorful palette of summer fruit."
Remember that the "ate" version relates to taste, while the "ette" version is visual.

Which of these words trip you up? Are there other homophones (sound-alikes) that confuse you?

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Esteem or enhance? Using compliment and complement

It's phonics Friday, when we learn to tell apart sound-alike words known as homophones. This week's pair came to my attention while copy editing at work. Even folks with PhDs in English can get things mixed up, and spell check will not help you.

Compliment

image: pippalou for morguefile.com

(v., trans.) To express regard, esteem, affection or admiration; to praise; to present with a token of esteem.

(n.) Praise; an expression of regard, esteem, affection or admiration.

Examples

Rupert gave me the nicest compliment; he said I have a winning smile.

Wendy strutted over in her designer dress, clearly fishing for compliments.

My compliments to the chef!

Mnemonic
Compliments mean I like it!

Complement

Photo by Modnar at morguefile.com

(v., intrans.) To complete or enhance something by adding to it.

(n.) something that completes, fills up, or makes perfect; the quantity needed to make something complete.

The term also has technical uses in geometry (making a right angle), music (completing an octave), medicine (blood components), and grammar (completing a phrase with predication), which you can read about HERE.

Examples
The throw pillows perfectly complemented Suzanne's new couch.

Kelly's illustrations complement Joe's poetry so beautifully.

We have a full complement of staff on duty this weekend.

Mnemonic
A complement is needed to complete it.

Were you aware of this pair? Any others you'd like me to cover in future posts?

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See, place or quote? Using sight, site and cite

In my continuing series Homophone Helps, we'll be looking at three sound-alikes I've frequently seen confused both online and in some self-published books. Getting a handle on which word belongs in which context is so important because, for the most part, your computer's spell check won't catch this sort of error.

Sight

Photo credit: blackbird for morguefile.com

(n.) the power or ability to see; perception; something that is seen; a device that helps the eye aim at or find the direction of an object; aspiration.

(v., trans.) to catch a glimpse of; to aim using a sight; to test the straightness of

(v., intrans) to aim; to look carefully in one direction

Examples
That was a sight for sore eyes!

Jose lost his sight in the accident; now he's learning Braille.

Cullen caught his prey in the rifle sight.

She set her sights on winning the scholarship.

He sighted Melody coming across the field toward him.

That sharpshooter can sight targets a hundred yards away.

Mnemonic
Glasses and goggles protect your sight.

Site

(n.) the location of an actual or planned structure; the scene, point or place of an event or occurrence

photo credit: morguefile.com

(v., trans) to place in position or at a location

Examples
The new building site has marvelous views of the river.

Dr. Hendrix pinpointed the site of the tumor.

Mack sited the fountain a few feet from the path.

Mnemonic
He has a bump on the site where the mite did bite.

Cite

Photo: johninportland; morguefile.com

(v., trans.) to quote as an authority, example or proof; to refer to; to bring to another's attention; to call upon officially or authoritatively to appear

The noun form is citation.

Examples
Gladys frequently cited her yogi's words of wisdom.

If you're going to quote Faulkner in your essay, be sure to correctly cite the source and pages.

Lia was cited for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

Mnemonic
Carefully cross-reference what you cite in this composition.


Here's a tough one for you: Do you go to see the sights? or the sites?

Context is everything! If you mean "stuff to be seen," like vistas or exciting venues, it's sights.
If you mean locations for a specific purpose, like where buildings will go up or film will be shot, it's sites.

Which of these trip you up? Any other homophones you'd like me to tackle?

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The lead or the law? Principal and principle

It's Phonics Friday once again, and I'm here to tackle a pair of homophones I've frequently seen mixed up, even in published books and newspapers--and on a billboard once, as well. Let's take a look at definitions, visuals, examples, and mnemonics to get the words clear in our heads. Because spell-check will not help you.

Principal

adj. -- most important, influential or consequential.

Photo credit: Jusben from morguefile.com 

n. -- person in the lead position of authority; chief; lead performer or star; person ultimately legally liable; one who engages another to act on their behalf, specifically, the person from whom an agent's authority derives.

Examples
My principal concern is my baby's safety.

The principal flautist took the stage.

Merrick Jones is the new principal of Jones and McDuff, CPAs.

Stephanie got sent to the principal's office because she sassed her teacher.

Mnemonics
The principal is always alpha; all-important and influential.
"The principal is not your pal,"  Mr. Palgrave told naughty students.

Principle

photo by doctor_bob, morguefile.com

n. -- a fundamental law or doctrine; a core assumption; primary source or origin; an underlying capability or function.

NOTE -- principle is ONLY a noun. Its adjectival form is "principled."

Examples
He followed the principle of "pay yourself first" and put money in savings each payday.

I don't like mud masques or mud baths. It's the principle of it. How can dirt be cleansing?

Joe is very principaled about who he dates--only vegan nonsmokers.

Mnemonic
The principle of a level playing field lets learners lead.


Which of these tend to trip you up? Any other sets I should cover in future posts?

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Secret or separate? Discreet and Discrete

It's Friday Phonics time, and today we will be tackling the homophone pair discreet and discrete. Mixing up these two higher-level vocabulary words is something I've seen in both beginner and scholarly, PhD-level writing. Once again, spell check will not help you.

The more commonly used term is the double E version, having to do with secret-keeping. Let's take a look at definitions, visuals, examples and mnemonics to get the words clear in our heads.

Discreet

© carulmare, Flickr; Rembrandt. 1661. Matthew and the Angel

adj. -- having discernment, prudent, able to keep delicate matters secret; modest and unpretentious; unnoticeable, unobtrusive

adv. -- discreetly
n. -- discreetness, discretion

Examples
John trusted her to be discreet about his gambling debts.

Lady Ambrose signaled the Duke by discreetly touching her cheek.

A key rule of medicine is discretion with sensitive patient information.

Mnemonics
LEE was so DISCREET, she allowed no man to ever SEE her KNEES.
The BEE flew DISCREETLY from TREE to TREE.

Discrete

photo by schurch, morguefile.com

adj. -- separate, individual; having distinct or unconnected elements

adv. -- discretely
n. -- discreteness

Examples
The color of the grass makes the Joneses' yard discrete from the Wesleys'.

Detective Nicholson felt there might be two discrete perpetrators, not one.

Mnemonics
We kept the areas DISCRETE with CONCRETE that would not SECRETE moisture.
Joe needed to DELETE six DISCRETE lines of INCOMPLETE code.

Test your skills

1. I wish I knew how to make my designs look more _____ from each other.
2. Francesca moved _____ to Philip's side and whispered in his ear.
3. Lady Mary depended on her family to be ____ about the affair with Mr. Pamuk.
4. Dr. McMahon developed three ___ treatment options for the condition.

Do you struggle with keeping these terms discrete? Any others I should cover in the future?

Answers: 1. discrete 2. discreetly 3. discreet 4. discrete.

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The heights of looking excited: using peak, peek and pique

In my continuing series Homophone Helps, we'll be looking at three sound-alikes I've frequently seen confused both online and in some self-published books. Getting a handle on which word belongs in which context is so important because, for the most part, your computer's spell check won't catch this sort of error.

image from morguefile.com

Peak

peak (n.) - a projecting point, as on a mountain; the high point, top, summit, climax, apex.

peak (v., intrans.) To reach a highest point.

peak (adj.) - excellent or top-rate; descriptor for an insult so cutting it silences an opponent, humiliating (urban slang, US); bad luck, banter that's on the verge of taboo (urban slang, UK).

Common phrases: peak performance, peak of his career, widow's peak, Pike's Peak

Menmonic:  Arriving Atop an Alps PEAK was the Apex of his Austria trip.

lisasolonynko

Peek

peek (n.) - a quick, furtive look

peek (v., intrans.) - glance or look briefly; look through a small opening or from a place of concealment

Common phrases: "Close your eyes, no peeking!", play peek-a-boo, sneak peeks

Mnemonic: When she PEEKED, she could SEE LEE.

image by Alvimann

Pique

pique (n.) resentment; a feeling of wounded vanity or pride

pique (v., trans.) to excite or arouse; to irritate

This term comes to us from the French piquer, meaning to prick or goad

Common phrases: fit of pique, piqued my interest/curiosity

Mnemonics:
The cruel, Quick Quip made her Quiver with PIQUE.
The Queen's Queer Quirks PIQUE our curiosity.

Test your skills

1. Philip covered Carrie's eyes and begged her not to ____.

2. That article certainly has _____ my interest in learning to knit.

3. "You don't think my outfit is the ____ of fashion?" Liz cried, and in a fit of ____, stormed off.

4. Louisa's curiosity was ____, so she climbed to the roof ____ and tried to ____ through the skylight.

Which of these terms tend to trip you up? How did you do on the quiz? 

Answers: 1. peek 2. piqued 3. peak, pique 4. piqued, peak, peek.

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Homo-what?

They lurk in your manuscript, undetected by spell check, ready to ruin your reputation. Worse, you might not know that these devils do not belong.

What are these twisted, little enemies? Homophones.

This term, from the Latin, means "sound-alikes," not to be confused (as I have in the past) with homonyms, literally "name-alikes." Homonyms are things like the noun "beat," which could mean rhythm, the area a police officer patrols, or the subject area a journalist investigates. Every use is spelled the same.

Homophones, on the other hand, are words that sound the same, but have different meanings AND different spellings. Spell check will not find them because they are legitimate words in their own right. Homophone errors can be some of the hardest to ferret out in your work, in part because you may not be aware of the other term.

Educating yourself is key. And I find that mnemonic devices can really help, too. Here are a few I've tackled so far:

bare and bear
rain, rein and reign 
phase and faze

A few I plan to consider in the coming weeks:
whose and who's, they're and their
than and then
jibe and jive
pore and pour

Ramble news
I've been out and about talking to wonderful bloggers about many aspects of my debut. Here's a recap:
"The perfect fall-into-winter book": a review
Repulsion, Attraction, Connection: Romance is more than "hotness"
In loving memory: how autobiographical is Never Gone? (and a review)
Eleven book trailer tips
Why did I write Never Gone? Tackling "where is God when we suffer?"
Stories of our youth: empathy and transformation
Inspirations, and Why ghosts and God?

Coming next week: I'll be talking to Lynn Simpson on Monday about writer support and to Tyrean Martinson on Wednesday about "Why Dads matter."

What are some homophones that trip you up? Which set would you like me to tackle first?

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Is it wet, controlled or controlling? Using rain, rein and reign

Today we're tackling a set of fraternal triplets of language, the homophones rain, rein and reign, as requested by Tricia O'Brien at Talespinning. Once again, I'll provide a definition, examples and mnemonic tricks to help you keep them straight.

rain (n) - watery precipitation; water that has fallen from clouds, rainwater.

rain (v, intrans) rained, raining - to fall as water from clouds; to fall like rain; to send down rain

rain (v., trans) rained, raining - to pour or administer abundantly

Examples:
Hugh never understood that Adele song. How can rain be set on fire? Is it acid rain?
It rained all day, so the hike was postponed.
Jag rained blows on his opponent.
Denise loves the disco song "It's Raining Men."

Mnemonics for rain with an A:
The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain. (Thank you, Henry Higgins.)
Air pollution is a cause of acid rain.

rein (n) - strap on a horse's bridle attached to the bit that allows a rider to control and steer the animal; restraining influence.

(with free or full) opportunity for unhampered activity or use. 

rein (v, trans.) reined, reining - to control or steer, as with a bit and rein; sometimes used with in.

Examples:
Pull the left rein to turn your pony left.
Jed kept a tight rein on the meeting.
Stacy was given free rein over the party planning. She could do whatever she liked.
Chloe, you need to rein in your campers. They're making a huge mess in arts and crafts.

The expression "free rein" specifically means "without guidance" and "full rein" means "without control." They are metaphors based on the practices of letting a horse instinctively find a trail or run at top speed; the rider leaves the reins loose and long (versus tight and short) in either instance, not steering or slowing the horse's free movement.

Mnemonics for rein with an E:
To ride east, Eve and Ella rein left.
Free rein: freedom and speed, whee!

reign (v, intrans.) reigned, reigning -  to exercise dominion or rule, like a monarch; exert dominion, sway or influence; to be predominant or prevalent.

reign (n.) royal authority, ruling power, dominion; the period of rule or dominion.

Examples:
Elizabeth II celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in honor of reigning for 60 years.
King Xerxes reigned from 519 to 465 BC.
Jessamyn reigns over the entire school like an evil queen.
Chaos reigns when those kids are left with a sitter.
Rebels continued their reign of terror for five months.
Reign of Fire was a film about dragons ruling the earth.

Mnemonic for reign with a G:
Gorgeous George reigns the giggling girls.

Increasingly, I've seen people use the expression "free reign," which I'm not entirely certain is a homophone error so much as a new expression with a slightly different meaning than "free rein." It is usually used in contexts of someone exerting total control or behaving like a dictator and taking no direction from anyone.

image credits: rain - http://guardian.co.uk ; rein - http://equiword.net; reign - http://royal-splendor.blogspot.com.


Do these distinctions help? What other homonyms trip you up?

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Grin and bare it?

If you've ever used the expression in my post title, you probably got a few sideways looks. Or perhaps a snarky comment about gaining exposure in gentlemen's clubs.

I'm sure we've all seen fur sprouting in some strange places--like humans with bear bottoms or bearfeet.

Some homophone errors are, frankly, more troublesome than others.

Today we'll learn to distinguish two fraternal twins in English, the homophones bare and bear, looking first at definitions and use within sentences, then providing some mnemonics to help you keep them straight.

bare (adj.): lacking a natural or usual covering, lacking clothing, naked; lacking a tool or weapon; open to view, exposed; scantily supplied, destitute; having nothing left over or added; devoid of amplification or adornment

Examples:
I wouldn't want to walk on hot coals with bare feet.
The baby ripped off her diaper and ran bare-bottomed.
Susan had to kill the mouse with her bare hands.
The reporter laid bare their secrets.
Detective Smitherson searched the bare room for clues.
Those homeless families lack the bare necessities to live.
Ken was stunned by the bare facts of the case.

bare (v, trans.): bared, baring
to expose, make naked, uncover.

Examples:
Desmond wanted to bare himself, body and soul, to his beloved Ekaterina.
Do you dare to bare your figure this swimsuit season?

Mnemonics:  You ARE BARE if you have no hair.
You ARE BARE naked under your clothes.



bear (n) a large, shaggy mammal (family Ursidae) with a rudimentary tail and paws that eats primarily plants, fruits and insects, as well as flesh; a burly, uncouth, shambling person.

Examples:
The bear gobbled up honey, just like Winnie the Pooh.
If you camp in Yellowstone Park, you have to hide food from the tame bears.
Snickers liked to sleep on the bearskin rug.
Josiah was a bear of a boy who galumphed around campus.

Mnemonic: A BEAR has rounded, fuzzy EARs

bear (v, trans.) bore, borne, bearing
to move while holding and supporting something, carry; to be equipped or furnished with something; to behave or conduct; have a feature or likeness; have as an identification; hold in the mind or emotions;

to give birth to, produce; to permit the growth of;

to support the weight of, sustain; allow or accept.

Examples:
Kevin will bear the responsibility of finding his brother a job.
Holden bears a grudge against his parents.
Grin and bear it.
Pippa bore a resemblance to her father.
Louisa could not have borne taking anything less than first place.

Mnemonics: Your EAR will BEAR sound waves to your brain.
Your EARs BEAR the weight of your sunglasses.

bear (v., intrans) bore, borne, bearing
to produce fruit, yield; go in a direction; be situated; support a weight or strain (often used with up).

Examples:
Rotten apples was all the tree bore.
Bear left at the next intersection.
Gloria is bearing up so bravely after her diagnosis.

Mnemonic: The sound you HEAR in your EAR tells you to BEAR due EAst.

image credits: http://sunspotstudio.com; http://www.killsometime.com

Do these distinctions help? What other homophones trip you up?

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Funky favorites and how to spell them

You don't have to be on the Internet long to find that spelling is in decline. In particular, I see a handful of common expressions consistently misspelled, or a homophone incorrectly used.

Here's a quick round-up to help you keep your blog--and your writing--error-free.

Whoa - /interj./ slow down, hold on; an expression of awe and wonder. Comes from the verbal command to a horse to halt.

Neo's first reaction to his power in The Matrix was an awed "Whoa." 

Common misspelling: Woe, woah. I saw this latter one in a published book this morning and wanted to cry. How exactly would you pronounce this bugaboo?

Voilá  -  /interj./  French for "there it is," and pronounced in the French way: VWA-la. Usually used to express an unveiling or "ta-da" moment.

Mix together the two ingredients, and voilá, dinner is ready.

Common mispellings: Phonetic wa-lah and vwa-la, and viola (which is a musical instrument and a flower similar to the pansy).

Psych -  /interj./  just kidding; fooled you. A shorthand way of saying "I've pulled a psychological trick on you."

Tina told the chess club captain, "I'd love to go to the prom with you. Psych!"

Psyched - /adj./ excited

Jed was so psyched about his trip, he packed his suitcase a week early.

Psych out - /v./ to intimidate or unnerve.

Keisha tried to psych out her opponent by humming "Taps."

Common misspellings: Phonetic sike; psyche (a term used by therapists to refer to a person's inner being and emotions, pronounced SIKE-ee.)

Trawl - /v./ to search and gather. Derived from the term for fishing with a net.

I need to trawl for websites that can help me solve this problem.

Common misspelling: Troll (monster that guards bridges; also, a creep, someone who harasses others online).

Ado - /n./ fuss, commotion. From Middle English, pronounced uh-DOO. Made famous from Shakespeare's Much Ado about Nothing.

Without further ado, I present today's winner!

Common misspelling: Adieu (French for "goodbye" or "farewell").

Copacetic - /adj./ all right, quite adequate, just fine. This term might come from French Creole for "in good form," though linguists can't agree. Break it up and it's easy to remember: cop / ace / tic.

The venue seemed too small to me, but our saxophonist claimed it was copacetic.

Common misspellings: Copasetic, copecetic, copesetic, copesthetic.

Which of these trip you up? Do the explanations help? What other misspellings to you see often?

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