Pairs/Groups Of Words Often Confused - Part 6 of 6

SALE, SAIL Sale is either offering something for purchase ("for sale") or offering it at a special price ("on sale"); sail is part of a ship or boat.

SELL, CELL Sell is to exchange for money; cell is a small room.

SCENE, SEEN Scene is the place where something happens; seen is the past participle of see.

"Yet he had seen nothing suspicious at the scene of the accident." (Of course you wouldn't write a sentence like that; the two words make for a clumsy combination. I would probably replace "scene" with "site".)

SITE, SIGHT, CITE

Site always refers to location or place: building site; archaeology site.

"We will site the house to take advantage of the panoramic views."

Sight always refers to vision, as in the cliche "a sight for

sore eyes".

"We sighted two horsemen coming over the hill."

"It was a sight I would never forget."

"She feared she might lose her sight."

Cite means to summon, or to refer to a source, as in the

following sentences:

"I was cited as a witness to the accident."

"He cited in his defence an incident in which these same people were involved."

SOME TIME, SOMETIME

This is a common confusion. Some time is a period of time and sometime means at some time not specified.

"Some time ago you promised to introduce me to your

brother."

"Sometime when you're not busy we must do this again."

STATIONARY, STATIONERY

Stationary means standing still. Stationery refers to writing paper.

STATUE, STATUTE, STATURE

Statue is a carved or moulded likeness; statute is law; stature means height or status.

STRAIGHT, STRAIT

Straight means without bends; strait is a passage of water.

TENANT, TENET

Tenant is one who rents a property; tenet is a principle or belief.

THERE, THEIR, THEY'RE

There is a location: "Put it over there."

Their is the possessive of they: "their coats"

They're is short for they are: "They're unlikely to miss seeing them."

So: "They hung their coats over there by the door where

they're unlikely to miss seeing them on their way out."

Dreadful sentence I know, but at least it demonstrates the correct usage for all three words.

TO, TOO, TWO

To is a preposition meaning towards; too means also; two is the number after one.

VICIOUS, VISCOUS

Vicious means savage, cruel; viscous means thick, gummy.

WAIST, WASTE

Waist is the part of your body around which you fasten your belt; waste is stuff that's thrown away.

WAVE, WAIVE

Wave means to flap your hand in farewell and as a noun is also a breaker on the beach; waive means to give up one's rights or claim.

WAVER, WAIVER

Waver means to be undecided; waiver means the giving up of one's rights or claim.

WEAK, WEEK

Weak is the opposite of strong; week is seven days, Sunday to Saturday.

WET, WHET

Wet as a verb means strictly to pour liquid on something, or soak something in liquid. You do not "wet" somebody's appetite for anything; you'll only land up doing the opposite of what you want! Instead, you whet it, which means

to sharpen or stimulate.

WHICH, WITCH

As a fantasy writer, I have trouble believing people get these two confused! Which is one of a group; witch is a sorcerer.

WHOSE, WHO'S

This confusion is similar to its and it's. Whose is possessive, and who's is short for "who is".

YOUR, YOU'RE

As in the previous entry, this confusion is similar to its and it's. Your is possessive and you're is short for "you are".

This is the end of the present list, which is growing all the time. Updates will appear on the complete list on my web site.

About The Author

Laraine Anne Barker writes fantasy for young people. Visit her web site at my web site. Fantasy for Children & Young Adults for FREE stories and novel excerpts. Sign up for the NOVELLA OF THE MONTH CLUB, absolutely FREE!

cheap limo service Lombard .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare
In The News:

Recent reports show many common passwords can be cracked in literally seconds. Kurt the CyberGuy explains how to strengthen your passwords.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Iron, a robot that stands 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs 154 pounds, combines advanced artificial intelligence with human-like movement and exceptional vision.
Hertz, the rental car giant, recently confirmed that customer information was exposed through a cyberattack on one of its software vendors.
There are a number of features with AirPods you may or may not know about to take your listening experience to the next level. Kurt the CyberGuy explains.
These 35 Chrome extensions have privacy and security concerns. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says to delete them now.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says 329,000 mph fusion rocket promises to be fast, disruptive and enable deep-space missions.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says a new autonomous AI is a game changer that also raises privacy risks. Is your data safe?
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says robots and drones are revolutionizing fruit farming with faster picking and smarter handling.
Landmark Admin revises May 2024 cyberattack scope to show twice as many people were affected. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson gives tips to help stay safe from an insurance data breach.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how Yamaha’s hydrogen outboard motor could revolutionize boating with zero emissions.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals how to memorialize or remove a deceased loved one’s Facebook account and protect their digital legacy from misuse or scams.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says an Apple Watch saved psychiatrist Amanda Faulkner by detecting deadly leukemia early.
Scammers and fraudsters are increasingly targeting the most vulnerable, especially nursing homes and the personal data of their residents. Kurt the CyberGuy has safety tips.
Infected USB flash drives can spread malware among multiple organizations in ways that can easily bypass traditional security systems.
With a fully automated warehouse system and AI-powered robots, Ocado's Hive picks, packs and delivers grocery store orders in just a few minutes.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Recycling robots are using artificial intelligence to learn how to sort recyclables by recognizing patterns in colors, textures, shapes and logos.
The Reachy 2 robot is designed to be friendly and approachable, inviting natural interaction and is perfect for research, education and experimenting with embodied AI.
Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson shares several easy ways to keep your credit cards safe from digital thieves while you're traveling this summer.
Arcturus sets up cameras around the edges of baseball stadiums to capture real-time action and generate a 3D digital clone of the game.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
The CyberGuy explains why healthcare organizations are vulnerable to hackers after there have been a half dozen data breaches this year.
Developed at two California universities, the innovative technology combines brain-computer interfaces with advanced AI to decode neural activity into audible speech.

The Myths of Writing: Have You Bought Into These?

There is an image most people carry of the artist... Read More

Does Your Plot Suit Your Characters And Vice-Versa?

Creative Writing Tips ?When an idea comes to us for... Read More

The Value of Adding Images to Technical Documentation

It's clich?, but true-a picture does paint a thousand words.... Read More

Greatness

[When I was a nineteen-year-old high school student and budding... Read More

Time to Write

SO YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER?Many people have entertained... Read More

Memoir Writing Help, Memoir Writing Ideas

You might not need any memoir writing help, per se,... Read More

Writing Is Not Life-threatening

Some writers complain that writing is arduous work requiring long... Read More

Balance Your Life

Balance your life ... Read More

Interviewing an Author: Dont Be Left Speechless

Joyce Carol Oates. Langston Hughes. Anne Sexton. F. Scott Fitzgerald.... Read More

Finish Your Book Already!

I owe the completion and success of my book to... Read More

Publish It Now! No Matter What It Is

Do you want to publish something? An article, a non-fiction... Read More

2nd Installment on Autobiography

ESSAY 2Andre Malraux once said that what interested him in... Read More

Mumblings

The self-indulgent writer listens only to the mumblings of sycophants,... Read More

Gaining Writing Experience

GAINING WRITING EXPERIENCE Some Catch-22, huh? In... Read More

How to Have an Effective Reading Group

Writing leads to reading. Therefore, it's only fair to supply... Read More

6 Tricks To Squeeze Your Letters Onto One Page

Anyone who has read any of my articles on the... Read More

An Inside Look at Proofreading

This is the ideal topic for us all to think... Read More

Write For Yourself First

It would be very selfless or noble of me to... Read More

Starting a Local Writers Group

My husband is no poet, so when I offer my... Read More

The Prologue - When to Use One, How to Write One

What is a prologue? When should you use one? Should... Read More

English Grammar ? Seven Outdated Rules You Can Ignore

No matter what your fifth-grade English teacher says, some grammar... Read More

Building a Character Wall

For any great novelist, defining your cast of intriguing characters... Read More

Trying Too Hard

If you dread the thought of writing, if you fear... Read More

How Are You Plotting?

Creative Writing Tips ?Writing is a creative process and how... Read More

Creative Writing

Do you consider yourself a storyteller? Do you consider yourself... Read More

limo O'Hare Glen Ellyn ..