‘Flaw’ and ‘floor’

October 26, 2015October 27, 2015Hannah McCall 4 Comments

Flaw:

an imperfection, mark or blemish
a mistake or shortcoming in something that makes it invalid, causes it to fail, or reduces its effectiveness
a fault or weakness in a person’s character.

Floor:

the lower surface of a room
a storey of a building (rooms or areas on the same level)
a flat bottom surface
a minimum limit or level
the part of a legislative hall in which members sit and debate is conducted
the large central hall where trading takes place in a Stock Exchange
to provide a room/area with a floor (or as an adjective e.g. ‘a marble-floored room’)
to have the right to speak in a debate or discussion – ‘have the floor’
to disconcert, baffle or defeat; to knock someone to the ground.

‘Whine’ and ‘wine’

October 19, 2015October 20, 2015Hannah McCall 8 Comments

I bring you more homophones.

Whine:

a long, high-pitched plaintive cry; a long, high-pitched unpleasant sound
to issue a long, high-pitched cry or sound
a petulant complaint
to whinge or complain.

Wine:

an alcoholic drink produced by the fermenting of grapes (usually with sugar and water)
an alcoholic drink produced by the fermenting of other fruits and flowers (usually with sugar and water)
a dark purplish-red colour.

You can wine and dine someone by offering them (usually lavish) drinks and a meal, or you can wine and dine as you enjoy yourself by eating and drinking.

Thank you to Jeff Curry for suggesting this post.

‘Its’ and ‘it’s’

October 14, 2015March 16, 2016Hannah McCall 15 Comments

When I am proofreading, I often find that it’s is used when its would be correct. I think that this occurs because the writer is thinking about apostrophes as a way to show possession. However, its is a possessive pronoun. It doesn’t need an apostrophe because it is already the possessive form of it.

Its means ‘belonging to it’.

It’s means ‘it is’ or ‘it has’.

The following are also possessives and don’t require an apostrophe: hers, his, mine, yours, theirs and ours.

‘Tire’ and ‘tyre’

October 12, 2015March 16, 2016Hannah McCall 1 Comment

In British English, these are the spellings for two words with different meanings.

Tire:

to reduce the energy of (usually by exertion); to feel or cause to feel in need of sleep/rest
to become bored with or lose interest in something; to exhaust the patience of.

Tyre:

a ring of rubber fitted round the rim of a wheel of a road vehicle to form a soft contact with the road
a band of metal fitted round the rim of a wheel (typically of a railway vehicle).

In American English, tire is the standard spelling for both meanings. Tyre is actually thought to be a variant of the old form tire (a shortening of attire because the tyre was seen as the ‘clothing’ of the wheel).

Thank you to Aeryn Rudel for suggesting this post.

‘Warn’ or ‘worn’?

October 5, 2015October 6, 2015Hannah McCall 1 Comment

Warn:

to make someone aware of a possible danger or problem
to give cautionary advice to someone about about their actions or conduct.

Worn:

the past participle of wear
showing signs of use or wear; damaged as a result of long use
looking tired and/or ill.

‘Presume’ and ‘assume’

September 30, 2015March 16, 2016Hannah McCall 2 Comments

Presume and assume can both mean ‘suppose’ and are often used as if they are interchangeable. However, there is a difference:

Presume: to suppose something is the case on the basis of probability.
Assume: to suppose something is the case without proof.

Usage of assume that is more common than presume that, so assume may feel more natural to use in conversation.

Both assume and presume can also mean ‘to take on oneself’. The usages are usually as follows:

Assume: to take on a role.
Presume: to take on an attitude.

‘Bizarre’ or ‘bazaar’?

September 28, 2015October 19, 2015Hannah McCall 2 Comments

Bizarre: odd, strange or unusual (usually in an interesting or amusing way).

Bazaar: a sale (especially in aid of a charity) or a market area (often a street of small stalls).

‘Fourth’ and ‘forth’

September 23, 2015September 24, 2015Hannah McCall 1 Comment

These two are homophones, and we all know what that means.

Fourth: number four in a sequence. Sometimes a fourth is used to mean a quarter (usually North American usage). There are also some applications in regards to musical notes.

Forth: onward/forward in time or place, or out from a starting point and forward/into view.

‘Current’ or ‘currant’?

September 21, 2015March 16, 2016Hannah McCall 1 Comment

Currant

A small dried fruit made from a seedless grape*
A small round acid berry
A family of shrubs that produce berries (including redcurrants and blackcurrants)

Current

Of the immediate present – happening or being done/used now
Most recent or up-to-date
Commonly accepted or in common use
A flow of air or water in a definite direction, particularly through a body of air or water that has less movement
A flow of electricity or the rate of flow of electric charge
A general trend or drift (thoughts, opinions and events)

* Only acceptable in foodstuffs if it has first been soaked in copious amounts of brandy, rum or similar (as far as I am concerned).

‘I.e.’ and ‘e.g.’ are not interchangeable

September 16, 2015March 16, 2016Hannah McCall 16 Comments

When I proofread essays, I often find that these two abbreviations are used as if they mean the same thing. They don’t.

I.e. is the abbreviation for id est. This means ‘that is (to say)’. Use i.e. when you want to introduce another way of putting what you have already written.

E.g. is the abbreviation for exempli gratia. This means ‘for example’. Use e.g. when you want to introduce an illustrative example.