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Thread: A "Listicle" of Frequently-confused Words

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    A "Listicle" of Frequently-confused Words

    Just what you need right now-- another "Listicle."

    There's no set number, but here's a chance for my fellow LitNutters to make a listicle of word-pairs which either give you trouble or irritate you when you notice that somebody else has chosen the wrong one. Here are a few to start off:

    its/it's

    you're/your

    stentorian/stertorous I've got to watch myself from typing "stentorius."

    reluctant/reticent They don't mean the same thing!

    efficacious/effective Think "before" and "after."

    "energizing"/"enervating" These are opposites.
    Last edited by AuntShecky; 09-17-2013 at 06:31 PM.

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    Registered User Calidore's Avatar
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    Don't forget there/their/they're.
    You must be the change you wish to see in the world. -- Mahatma Gandhi

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    Lay/laid/lie/laying/lying
    Similar to, different from, compared with (the correct forms)
    Off of
    Bored of
    Would of
    Should of
    All failures to correctly conjugate verbs - apply declensions to nouns & adjectives

    Etc. etc. etc.

    By the way, if you make a listicle of questions does it become a testicle?

    Live long and prosper - H

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    Registered User Calidore's Avatar
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    An incomplete listicle would be a particle.
    You must be the change you wish to see in the world. -- Mahatma Gandhi

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    Registered User mona amon's Avatar
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    stentorian/sterorous I've got to watch myself from typing "stentorius."
    Aunt Shecky, did you mean "stertorous"?
    Exit, pursued by a bear.

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    Quote Originally Posted by mona amon View Post
    Aunt Shecky, did you mean "stertorous"?
    Yep-- I told you those words drive me nuts ( or more nuts than I already am.)

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    confidentially pleased cacian's Avatar
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    great thread. the word ''row'' it is either a series of patterns/rows or a row with your partner/friend/stranger.
    'two' and 'tow' I tend to misspell them when I type too quickly.
    'bizarre' and 'bazar' they could almost be the same.
    freekish and freak.
    Last edited by cacian; 09-18-2013 at 04:23 AM.
    it may never try
    but when it does it sigh
    it is just that
    good
    it fly

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    empathize/emphasize

    cavalry/Calvary
    Last edited by AuntShecky; 09-18-2013 at 05:36 PM.

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    Registered User Grit's Avatar
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    who is/who's/whose
    While the truncheon may be used
    in lieu of conversation,
    words will always retain their power.
    Words offer the means to meaning,
    and for those who will listen,
    the enunciation of truth.

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    strait-laced Not "straight." It's hyphenated, too.

    flout/flaunt

    stanch/staunch

    The "t" is silent "hasten" or "listen," yet some folks pronounce the "t" in "often," I think the reason is over-correction.

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    English is rich and intriguing, especially with its extensive vocabulary. I adore my language, but sometimes its peculiarities cause confusion, even to a native speaker.

    The folowing words drive me cah-ray-zzzy!:

    sign off (on)/ sign on
    "The President signed off on the latest plan to fix the ACA website."
    (meaning he approved it.)

    But "sign on" means the same as "sign off":
    "The workers signed on to the new insurance plan."

    And "written off" is the opposite of "sign off":
    The company has written off its old debts.

    The word "sanction" means one thing, or its opposite, according to context.
    Some NATO members have imposed economic sanctions upon the belligerent nation.(coercive measures.)

    The company sanctions better communication with its employees. (approves)



    Shameless Plugs:
    The following posts are gathering cobwebs:


    Auntie's Anti-humor take on Halloween.

    Lines impersonating poetry in the Auntie's Anti-Poems thread
    Last edited by AuntShecky; 10-30-2013 at 05:17 PM.

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    peak/peek

    Today I noticed that a LitNutter wrote "peak" when I'm sure he meant "peek," though confusion over the spelling of these two words often appears.

    The next two pairs of FCW came up yesterday on a cable news channel whose staff should know better.
    The first on the looping "scroll," the other uttered by a distinguished commentator.

    effected/affected
    ". . .reporting that eighty percent of Americans will not be adversely _________by the Affordable Care Act." ("Affected" is the appropriate word.)

    farther/further
    "Farther" refers to literal distance--For instance, "Virginia is close to Washington, D.C., but Texas is farther."

    "Further" has a sense of intensifying or adding on, as using the rhetorical word "furthermore" in a speech or an argument.The usage note in my dictionary offers the following examples: "further into debt," "a further reason," "pursuing this matter further."


    "Words matter.
    Pay them heed.
    Tend them well."

    --Lawrence Weschler and Walter Murch
    [I]"The Trouble with Bubbles"[/I]
    Last edited by AuntShecky; 11-07-2013 at 05:40 PM.

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    Registered User Delta40's Avatar
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    This one drives me nuts!

    Loose/lose

    Has the world gone mad? I figure people who use loose in place of lose must use looose in place of loose!
    Before sunlight can shine through a window, the blinds must be raised - American Proverb

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    Quote Originally Posted by Delta40 View Post
    This one drives me nuts!

    Loose/lose

    Has the world gone mad? I figure people who use loose in place of lose must use looose in place of loose!
    What's good for the goose is good for the goosess, and what's good for the loose is good for the loosess. Pace, Dr. Seuss.

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    Registered User Delta40's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AuntShecky View Post
    What's good for the goose is good for the goosess, and what's good for the loose is good for the loosess. Pace, Dr. Seuss.
    Ha ha. You mean we'll arrive at the day when:

    Choose/chose?
    Before sunlight can shine through a window, the blinds must be raised - American Proverb

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