To which, I shall add:
Their vs their
And also sometimes, this extends to: Their vs there vs vs they're.
And, not forgetting another horror that also sets my teeth on edge:
Lose vs loose. (No, they are not the same).
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Words or phrases that annoy you (even if you can't explain why) . . .
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Their vs their
And also sometimes, this extends to: Their vs there vs vs they're.
And, not forgetting another horror that also sets my teeth on edge:
Lose vs loose. (No, they are not the same).
Awhile ago, I was texting with someone who didn't know the difference between "their," "there," and "they're." It was astonishing given that they're a native English speaker.
And don't even get me started on "lose" vs "loose." I see the wrong one being used ALL THE TIME!
And then, there is rein vs reign.
Not to mention the related confusion that one sometimes observes when failing to distinguish between, or draw a distnction between, reign vs rule.
Hint: Monarchs reign, governments rule.
Not to mention the related confusion that one sometimes observes when failing to distinguish between, or draw a distnction between, reign vs rule.
Hint: Monarchs reign, governments rule.
Lend vs borrow. To be fair, quite a few languages use the same verb for both, but English isn't one of them.
"Can you borrow me ..."
"Can you borrow me ..."
"Take" vs "Bring." There IS a difference! I will "take" something to someone else's home or a place. I will "bring" something into my own home. It's all about the direction in which the item is going.....When one is moving something towards a destination it is appropriate to use "bring." When moving an item away from a destination one needs to use the word "take."
"I am bringing groceries home from the store." "A neighbor called and asked if I will be home, as she will be bringing a misdelivered package to me." "I am taking these library books back to the library, and on the way I'm taking this surprise gift to my sister at her home."
"I am bringing groceries home from the store." "A neighbor called and asked if I will be home, as she will be bringing a misdelivered package to me." "I am taking these library books back to the library, and on the way I'm taking this surprise gift to my sister at her home."
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If a monarch is riding a horse, are they reining while reigning ????
Did we get "breath" vs. "breathe" yet?
I'm constantly amazed by the amount of people who write things like "I couldn't breath". It's so common than using "breathe" correctly almost seems to be the exception.
I'm constantly amazed by the amount of people who write things like "I couldn't breath". It's so common than using "breathe" correctly almost seems to be the exception.
No.
They draw rein, or hold the reins, (or seize the reins) while reigning.
Remember: Some of these words take rather specific prepositions, as well.
Well some of these (lend vs. borrow is a good one) can be confusing for non-English speakers, so some tolerance and gentle correction is called for. Sometimes one's mother tongue can be "contaminated" if living immersed in a foreign language.
In engineering, I have found it frustrating when “precision” is confused with “accuracy”
Is-re-ill instead of Is-ra-el (like, you know, the way it's spelled!)
And while I'm at it…
Guttar instead of Ka-tar for Qatar
And while I'm at it…
Guttar instead of Ka-tar for Qatar
As a native English speaker, even I get confused by certain expressions. Does "deceptively small" mean the thing is smaller than it looks or looks smaller than it is?
And expressions like four times as small or smaller. Please let us have: A quarter the size? Or: A fourth the volume? Or something like that. "Times" immediately seems to imply the size is multiplied - and not by a number less than one.
Once we've sorted those out, we can discuss "biannual" and simple things like when "next Thursday" is, when it's currently Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday.
^Good questions! I would love to know if "bi-weekly" means "twice a week" or "once every two weeks". Based on what I've read it can be either and you just have to use context, but that makes it somewhat useless as a descriptor. Some grammar guides actually recommend just saying "twice a week" or "once every two weeks" and avoiding "bi-weekly" altogether.
I thought “bi-weekly” once every two weeks. While “semi-weekly” means once every ½ a week or twice a week.
And whether biennial has the same meaning as biannual.
A lot seems to depend whether you are thinking about the frequency or the period. But the person reading/hearing doesn't necessarily interpret the same way as you are thinking.
I thought “biannual” is for an event of something that occurs every 2 years, so it is a repeating occurrence. Painting my house every 2 years is a biannual occurrence.
“Biennial” is an event with respect to when something is 2 years old, so it occurs only. A two year olds birthday is a biennial.
“Biennial” is an event with respect to when something is 2 years old, so it occurs only. A two year olds birthday is a biennial.
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Then there's baited breath instead of the proper bated breath (from (a)bated).
Baited breath makes me think somebody hasn't cleaned their teeth for a couple of weeks.
In high school science we got taught that every scientific instrument had three, separate, independent properties --
- Precision
- Accuracy
- Repeatability