TRICKY WORDS TO MASTER
G'day folks,
Welcome to some more words that seem to cause us grief. English
vocabulary is full of pitfalls that you might not be aware of. Don't let them
trip you up.
INVARIABLY
If
something happens invariably, it always happens. To be invariable is to never
vary. The word is sometimes used to mean frequently, which has more leeway.
COMPRISE/COMPOSE
A whole
comprises its parts. The alphabet comprises 26 letters. The U.S. comprises 50
states. But people tend to say is comprised of when they mean comprise.
If your instinct is to use the is … of version, then substitute composed.
The whole is composed of its parts.
The words
rein and reign are commonly confused. Reign is a period of
power or authority—kings and queens reign—and a good way to remember it is to
note that the g relates it to royal words like regent and regal.
A rein is a strap used to control a horse. The confusion comes in when
the control of a horse is used as a metaphor for limits on power or authority. Free
rein comes from such a metaphor. If you have free rein you can do what you
want because no one is tightening the reins.
JUST DESERTS
There is
only one s in the desert of just deserts. It is not
the dessert of after-dinner treats nor the dry and sandy desert.
It comes from an old noun form of the verb deserve. A desert is a thing
which is deserved.
TORTUOUS/TORTUROUS
Tortuous is not the same as torturous.
Something that is tortuous has many twists and turns, like a winding road or a
complicated argument. It’s just a description. It makes no judgment on what the
experience of following that road or argument is like. Torturous, on the
other hand, is a harsh judgment—“It was torture!”
EFFECT/AFFECT
When you
want to talk about the influence of one thing on another, effect is the
noun and affect is the verb. Weather affects crop yields. Weather
has an effect on crop yields. Basically, if you can put a the or an
in front of it, use effect.
EXCEPT/ACCEPT
People
rarely use accept when they mean except, but often put except
where they shouldn’t. To accept something is to receive, admit, or take on. To
except is to exclude or leave out—“I’ll take all the flavors except orange.”
The x in except is a good clue to whether you’ve got it right. Are
you xing something out with the word? No? Then consider changing it.
DISCREET/DISCRETE
Discreet means hush-hush or private. Discrete
means separate, divided, or distinct. In discreet, the two Es are
huddled together, telling secrets. In discrete, they are separated and
distinguished from each other by the intervening t.
I.E./E.G.
When you
add information to a sentence with parentheses, you’re more likely to need e.g.,
which means “for example,” than i.e., which means “in other words” or
“which is to say ...” An easy way to remember them is that e.g. is eg-zample
and i.e. is “in effect.”
DISINTERESTED/UNINTERESTED
People
sometimes use disinterested when they really mean uninterested.
To be uninterested is to be bored or indifferent to something; this is the
sense most everyday matters call for. Disinterested means impartial or
having no personal stake in the matter. You want a judge or referee to be
disinterested, but not necessarily uninterested.
Clancy's comment: Another bunch to print off and stick on your wall ... Just in case.
I'm ...
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