8/3/2011 0 Comments Common Mistake: Loose v. LoseWe see this one all the time -- some instances may be the result of a typo that, of course, will never register on the spell check, since both are actual words.
However, if you're not sure which is which: Loose = the opposite of tight Lose = the opposite of win or find
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More homophones and homophone-like words that are frequently misused:
Pique as a verb, to irritate, "wound the pride of," or "arouse (curiosity, interest, etc.)"; as a noun, ill- feeling or resentment -- 'the rustling sound of the plastic bag piqued the kitten's interest.' The verb form of pique will always have an object that receives the action --> the subject is the plastic bag, the verb is pique, but the thought cannot culminate without describing WHAT was piqued, i.e., the kitten's interest. Peak as a verb, "reach the highest value," crest, top out, culminate; as a noun, it is the highest point or a projecting part of something larger -- 'the fever peaked in the night, breaking just before dawn.' In this case, though the sentence presents a time line of events, they are not necessary to express the complete thought contained in just the subject, the fever, and the verb, peaked. This verb requires no object. Roll is to rotate or move "by turning on an axis" -- 'the old saw about rolling with the punches is rarely comforting when the situation becomes difficult.' Role is a function, or an actor's part -- 'since I've been in this role, the department's revenues have doubled.' Peace of Mind is tranquility or mental calm -- 'he found that an organized desk imparted peace of mind when stress became too great.' Piece of [one's] Mind is a "sharp rebuke or lecture" -- 'the teacher was sorry for letting day's frustrations lead him to give an unlucky student a piece of his mind with little provocation.' (All quoted definitions are from The Oxford Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus (Second Edition)) Beware of certain homophone-like words that are frequently misused:
Tack is a direction, or change thereof, in sailing, or "a course of action or policy"-- 'we may need to consider taking a new tack.' Tact is "adroitness in dealing with others, esp. in delicate situations; intuitive social grace" -- 'this client requires some tact; he can be difficult.' Gibe is to mock, tease or taunt -- 'playground gibes often stay with us longer than we like to admit.' Jibe is to "agree; be in accord" -- 'I've spent an hour trying to make these figures jibe.' Jive is "jerky lively style of dance esp. popular in the 1950s", or the music corresponding to it, or "talk or conversation, esp. when misleading or pretentious" -- 'Barbara Billingsly speaking jive is a memorable comedic moment from the movie Airplane.' Foliage [FOE-lee-ij] -- the leaves on trees, bushes, etc. Foilage [FOIL-ij] -- slang for the act of foiling something?? -- 'That was some rad foilage of the baddies by that Jackie Chan, dude.' This is not officially a word, but is a common mispronunciation of 'foliage', though feel free to re-purpose it as above in casual interchange! (All quoted definitions are from The Oxford Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus (Second Edition)) |
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