How ToCommon Errors Ch. 06Errors occur every day in the manner in which words are used. Let's talk about some of the most common.
WAIST / WASTE
I've seen this so many times that it's not funny and decided to put this in after a fan of mine requested it (thanks, kb6nqw!). It's an easy mistake to make and even easier to correct.
WAIST is a noun and describes the area around the midsection of a person's body. I put my arms around her waist or She was so fat that she couldn't fasten the waist band of her new pants are two examples of how to use this word.
The word, WASTE, is a noun and a verb and means to use without care. Some examples of correct usage of the word are: I didn't want him to waste the cake so I ate the rest or He got a trash can to put the waste in.
ASSURE / ENSURE / INSURE
The word, ASSURE, is a verb and means to make an event sure. I wanted to assure her that everything would be all right or When you assure someone of something, you give them the idea that it will be accomplish are two good examples of how to use the word.
ENSURE, besides being the name of a popular liquid supplement, is a verb and means to make sure that something happens. An example of the usage of this word is: The chaperones will ensure that nothing untoward happens between the girls and boys.
The last word in this series is INSURE. It is a verb and generally means to issue a policy, as in insurance. It is important to insure drivers before they operate a vehicle is an example of using this word.
LEACH / LEECH
LEACH is a verb and means to cause a liquid to separate itself from a solid item. Being buried for a long time caused the toxic liquid to leach out of the containers or The excess water caused the color to leach out of my pants are examples of how to use this word.
The word, LEECH, is a noun and a verb and describes a person that obtains room and board or other things for free without offering remuneration. My brother is such a leech that he never pays for a thing is an example of how to use this word.
ALLUSION / ILLUSION
Both words have common pronunciations and are commonly misused.
An ALLUSION is a noun and means making a reference to something. Her allusion to his black eye reminded him that she'd punched him before is an example of the use of this word.
Most everyone is familiar with the word ILLUSION. An ILLUSION is a noun and describes something that looks real but really isn't. A favorite illusion of magicians is to saw a woman in half or Her sunny demeanor was just an illusion are two examples of the use of this word.
PRECEDE / PROCEED
PRECEDE is a verb that means to go before. Guards always precede Queen Elizabeth in the procession or The bridesmaids always precede the bride are examples of the proper usage of this word.
The word, PROCEED, is a verb which means to go. Some examples are: In order to proceed with the lawsuit, she must submit to a deposition or He signed the papers to allow the doctor to proceed with the operation.
YEA / YEAH
These two words are frequently misused. YEA is an adverb, rhymes with BAY and generally means yes. When voting for an amendment, the congressmen say, YEA is an example of how this word is properly used.
YEAH is an adverb or noun and also means yes, though it's considered a more informal usage. When I asked him if he wanted to go to the mall, he said, "Yeah" is an example of using this word.
EMINENT / IMMINENT
EMINENT is an adjective that means famous or distinguished. His eminent father was elected as a judge or The scandal concerning Clinton made Lewinsky an eminent figure in pop culture are two examples of the usage of this word.
The word, IMMINENT, pronounced the same as EMINENT, is an adjective that means something that is going to happen soon, sometimes with a threat attached. Some examples of the correct use of this word are: According to the weather reports, the hurricane's landing is imminent or His arrival was imminent so we had to hurry and clean the house.
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I would add immanent to eminent/imminent, although it is less commonly used, unless one is referring to religious/spiritual or mythological/supernatural beings. :-)
Also, a clarification for ensure/assure: Both are verbs, and have similar meanings, but can be disambiguated because ensure refers to the physical act and assure refers to the mental/psychological. You ensure that something happens a certain way by acting (or preventing a recurrence of a negative behavior or outcome). An assurance is uttered, and likewise, assuring someone that something will or will not occur involves communication, in speech or writing.
I disagree with several of your pronunciations in the last few articles, however. I believe that when using suite to refer to a collection, the pronunciation does not change to become like suit, and a quick search of online dictionaries seems to bear this out. [Also, you have a typo or an error at the beginning of this example. You start by saying: "The word, SUITE, is a noun and can be pronounced two different ways with each pronunciation." You repeat the use of the verb pronounced/pronunciation, and it is unclear what you were going for with this sentence. Plus, as an aside (alluding to your excellent puntuation article), it elucidates a common use of brackets -- for editorial asides during text; to offset text that runs more than one sentence, but would otherwise warrant the use of parentheses; or in addition to the alternate use to highlight a change made to a quote, either to correct or point out an error in the original quote, or where a change was necessary to fit the original quote into the current text.]
Eminent and imminent differ in the initial vowel, however imminent and immanent are very similar in pronunciation.
Allusion and illusion are similarly pronounced differently at the initial vowel.
In part 5, vary and very are not pronounced the same, the emphasis on the vowel differs, vary being similar to marry, and very being similar to merry.
A common mistake that could be mentioned along with taught/taut is the misspelling taunt used in place of taut; it occurs way too frequently on literotica!
Overall, a very informative and well-written series of articles. Unfortunately, not everyone will take the time to read them, or remember to apply them, being in too much of a hurry to 'get to the money shot' so to speak. :-(
Overall, the writers here are either well-educated, or spend a fair amount of time writing and editing their work(s), or avail themselves of the editors who make themselves available. Some contributors do not seem to have bothered to have even spell-checked their work, let alone do editing for grammar, punctuation, or word choice! Having edited and graded more than my fair share of papers in college and graduate school, I can say that I wish the students spent as much time on their assignments as many (most?) authors here spend on their erotica! I have seen English majors in the last year or two of their college careers who did not (or could not) write as well as many authors here! That may be the defining difference between those who contribute their 'porn' stories (wham, bam, thank you ma'am style, fit as many sex acts into as few pages of poorly edited story as possible) and those who contribute their 'erotic literature/erotica' (character development, editing, proper spelling, grammar and punctuation, believable plot and dialogue) here.more...
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