For most of us, English is still a challenge. With all its irregularities, exceptions and rules, English is a very difficult language to master.
With that in mind, rediff.com presents our English Bloopers series. Here, we publish written and spoken mistakes spotted and sent to us by observant Get Ahead readers. It's a great way to review the basics, clarify a few issues and share a laugh or two!
Jagruti Sharma, director of Words Infocom Limited, sent a tremendous list of homonyms that tend to trip up non-native speakers of English. Homonyms are words that sound the same when pronounced, but are spelled differently and have different meanings.
Example: 'Loose' and 'lose'
Many people make this mistake. They inevitably interchange the words 'loose' and 'lose' while writing. 'Lose' means to 'suffer a loss or defeat'. Thus, you would write:
~ 'I don't want to lose you," and not 'I don't want to loose you.'
'Loose', on the other hand, means 'not firm' or 'not fitting.' In this context, you would write,
~ "My shirt is loose," not "My shirt is lose."
Today, we conclude our series on homonyms:
used a small nail with broad, flat head, as in: He tacked the message up on the corkboard.
tact
diplomacy, as in: This difficult situation must be handled with tact and sensitivity.
tail
last part, as in: The veterinarian examined the dog from head to tail.
tale
story, as in: I loved hearing my mother tell me the tale about how she came to the US
tare
(1) a plant used as forage or a cover crop, as in: We'll need another bag of tare seed.
(2) deduction from the gross weight to allow for the weight of the container, as in: The tare weight of the vehicle is 2,000 lbs.
tear
rip, as in: The letter made me so angry I wanted to tear it into little pieces.
tear
drop of fluid from the eye, as in: The police used tear gas to subdue the bank robbers.
tier
layer or row of a vertical arrangement, as in: We sat in the top tier of seats in the stadium.
taught
past tense of teach, as in: The experience taught him to always read the fine print.
taut
stretched tight, as in: The rope was pulled taut between the two poles.
team
a group working together in a united action, as in: Our team project is almost completed.
teem
be full, as in: The lakes in that region teem with all kinds of fish.
tenant
one who holds the right to occupy a place, as in: The previous tenant of this apartment was a doctor.
tenet
a rule or part of a body of doctrine, as in: The sanctity of marriage is an important tenet of her faith.
than
a conjunction in sentences involving comparison, as in: Our product is no more expensive than theirs.
then
at that time or in that case, as in: If you agree that my skills and experience are what you need to do this job, then let's draw up the contract.
their
belonging to them, as in: In my opinion, their Web site is attractive, but takes too long to load.
there
in that place, as in: Set the box there on the counter.
they're
contraction of they are, as in: She said they're coming for dinner next Monday night.
theirs
belong to them, used when no noun follows, as in: There can be no doubt the money is theirs.
there's
contraction of there is, as in: The evidence is clear, so there's no use denying it.
thorough
not leaving anything out, as in: The police conducted a thorough search of the apartment looking for clues.
threw
past tense of throw, as in: The news threw the whole office into a panic.
through
from the beginning of to the end of, as in: I walked through the store on my lunch hour, but I didn't find what I wanted.
throes
pangs or struggles, as in: Please forgive us; we're in the throes of remodeling our store.
throws
puts, hurls, or flings, as in: The news of the merger throws a new light on his recent departure.
to
toward, as in: I am going to the store.
too
in addition or very much, as in: You are too kind.
two
the number after one, as in: The two candidates for the job are evenly matched.
tortuous
twisting, as in: The cabin is reached by a tortuous mountain road.
torturous
full of torture, as in: I can't come in to work today; I have a torturous toothache.
tracked
followed traces of or the path of, as in: They tracked the mistake back to the accounting department.
tract
region, as in: Our tract of homes was originally called Sycamore Hills and contained 42 houses but no sycamore trees.
trail
path or remnants of passage, as in: Her journey through life left a trail of broken promises.
trial
time of testing or judging, as in: We offer a free one-month trial period so you can see what benefits our service will bring you.
second to the last, as in: Y is the penultimate letter of the alphabet.
ultimate
the very last, as in: The ultimate cost of the project will be over one million dollars.
undo
cancel or reverse what has been done, as in: Thank you for pointing out my mistake so I can undo it.
undue
beyond what is appropriate, as in: The court voided the contract, ruling that the attorney exerted undue influence on his client.
disinterested
not influenced by personal motives, as in: To mediate this argument, we need a disinterested person.
uninterested
unconcerned, as in: I knew she was sick because she was uninterested in food.
urban
relating to a city or city life, as in: She is a specialist in urban planning.
urbane
refined and sophisticated, as in: Years in the foreign diplomatic service gave him urbane manners.
vain
ineffective, as in: We worked all night in a vain attempt to meet the deadline.
vein
(1) blood vessel, as in: They had a hard time finding a vein to draw blood.
(2) mineral deposit, as in: A vein of silver was found in the mine.
(3) mood or tendency, as in: Her stories are written in a humorous vein.
vale
valley, as in: I wonder if the city of Sunnyvale, California, is really a sunny vale?
veil
covering or curtain, as in: She wore a heavy veil to conceal her puffy, red eyes.
veracity
truthfulness, as in: We're asking you what happened, because you have a reputation for veracity.
voracity
eagerness or great hunger, as in: She loves mystery books so much that she reads them with voracity.
vice
badness, defect or fault, as in: He was a lover of vice rather than a lover of virtue.
vise
tool having two jaws that are tightened by a screw mechanism, as in: My headache made me feel like my head was being squeezed in a vise.
wail
to cry loudly, expressing sorrow, as in: The baby started to wail when Mother left the room.
whale
to hit or beat, as in: In times past, a teacher might threaten to whale an unruly student.
"I'm a dutch-speaking Belgian user of this site, but I always thought that a whale was a rather big fish with a particular appetite for Jonah's ...With kind regards, Stefan Van pellicom"
waist
that part of a human body between the ribs and the hips, as in: She wore a red belt around her waist.
waste
act of squandering, as in: For the sake of our budget, we must cut down on waste in this office.
wait
period of expectation, as in: Dinner took a long time, but it was well worth the wait.
weight
heaviness, as in: It feels good to sit down and take the weight off my feet.
waive
to give up something you are entitled to, as in: We will waive the application fee if you sign up now.
wave
to signal by bending your hand up and down, as in: We will wave our hands when the coast is clear.
(Thanks to word-lover Chris Maddox, who gets letters from her bank saying they will wave the fee)
waiver
voluntary relinquishment of a right, as in: The university gave him a waiver for the payment of tuition.
waver
go back and forth on a decision, as in: We must decide today--there's no more time to waver.
want
have a desire for, as in: Children want to be loved and cared for.
wont
customary practice or habit, as in: It was his wont to stay late at the office.
won't
contraction meaning will not, as in: The boss called, saying he won't be in until ten.
ware
article of merchandise, as in: I saw all the new software at Spring Internet World.
wear
clothes, as in: She was prepared for the weather in her stylish red rainwear.
way
course of action or manner, as in: There must be a better way to learn this lesson.
weigh
measure the heaviness of, as in: It's a good idea to use the same scale each time you weigh yourself.
weak
having little strength, as in: She felt weak because she hadn't eaten all day.
week
period of seven days, as in: Let's have lunch a week from today.
weather
climate, as in: San Diego, California, is famous for nice weather.
whether
conjunction before the first of two choices, as in: I can't decide whether I want to sell the property or keep it.
which
what one, as in: Which Web browser do you use?
witch
woman claiming to have magical powers, as in: The witch gave them herbs.
whine
a high-pitched sound, as in: Just about every parent cringes when they hear, "I'm bored" in that whine that sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard.
wine
wine is the naturally fermented juice of fresh fruit or berries, as in: Even for wine experts, a common problem is the impoverished language we have for describing tastes and smells.
A large part of the wine taster's skill comes from being able to develop some sort of classification system and then to associate words/categories with smells--olfaction researcher Professor Tim Jacob of Cardiff University
Thanks to word-lover Rabiatul Kamit for suggesting this word pair, May 2002
who ever
who as a pronoun and ever as an adverb, as in: Who ever comes to this deserted place?
whoever
anyone who, as in: Whoever wants this book can have it.
holly
plant of the Ilex genus, as in: We have a hedge of holly bushes on our property.
holy
sacred or pure, as in: The people refused to build there because they considered it holy ground.
wholly
completely or entirely, as in: The company is wholly owned by one family.
who's
contraction of who is or who has, as in: Who's been eating my porridge?
whose
belonging to who, as in: I'm not sure whose shoes are these?
one
single person or thing, as in: The store is locatedon a one-way street.
won
past tense of win, as in: Who won the basketball game?
wood
lumber, as in: The book said wood floors look nice and last a long time.
would
auxiliary verb used to express a condition, futurity, preference, intention, longing, probability, a request, habitual action, or uncertainty, as in: I would go with you if I could.
rap
knock or tap sharply, as in: Rap on the door again; I'm sure someone's home.
wrap
to put a cover around something, as in: Be sure to wrap the baby warmly in this cold weather.
retch
to try to vomit, as in: The awful smell made me retch.
wretch
a pitiful or despised person, as in: I'd like to get my hands on the wretch who robbed the blind old man.
right
correct or accurate, as in: Careful writers strive to use the right word.
rite
customary and solemn ritual or ceremony, as in: The rite of baptism is taken very seriously in many faiths.
wright
someone who makes or repairs a thing, as in: My grandfather was a shipwright and my grandson is a playwright.
write
to put letters of the alphabet, numbers, and/or punctuation marks on a surface to be read, as in: When I write my goals on paper I am more likely to achieve them than if they remain only as thoughts in my head.
rote
unthinking routine, as in: Foreign languages used to be taught by the rote method.
wrote
past tense of to write, as in: I wrote to the company last week but I haven't received any answer yet.
female sheep, as in: The ewe was bleating and looking for her lamb.
yew
evergreen tree of the taxus genus, as in: The finest bows are made of yew wood.
you
the one or ones being spoken to, as in: I guarantee that you will be satisfied or your money will be cheerfully refunded.
yoke
crosspiece holding two things together, as in: The pair of oxen pulling the plow had an ancient wooden yoke around their necks.
yolk
yellow part of an egg, as in: For good health, the egg yolk should be fully cooked before you eat it.
you're
contraction meaning you are, as in: Are you glad you're going to the party?
your
belonging to you, as in: I welcome your comments on this page.
DON'T MISS
- Help with tricky words
- Is English a problem? Here's help!
- Through the letter H
- More help with Homonyms
- Weak in English? Help with homonyms
If you'd like to share common bloopers you come across when people speak/ write in English, do mail your list, along with their correct alternatives to englishbloopers@rediffmail.com -- we'll highlight them right here as a helpful guide to those trying to improve their English. Also, make sure you include your FULL NAME, AGE, OCCUPATION and the CITY you are based in.
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