RSS Feed
Oct 22

It took 100 bales to bail him out

Posted on Thursday, October 22, 2009 in Homonyms/Homophones, Incorrect word usage

aye, eye
aye means yes
eye is what we use to see light

bail, bale
bail means money to get out of jail
bale means a bundle of hay

bait, bate
bait means something to attract fish
bate means to restrain

Oct 21

Almost like getting a new PC

Posted on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 in Web development tips

I finished rebuilding my PC tonight. With all the backing up in advance, it takes a day. And then you have to tinker until it is just like it was.

Oct 20

I've nothing good to say about malware

Posted on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 in Web development tips

Wikipedia defines it well:

Malware, short for malicious software, is software designed to infiltrate a computer without the owner’s informed consent.

Arrrrrgh!

Oct 19

Seven ate nine

Posted on Monday, October 19, 2009 in Homonyms/Homophones, Incorrect word usage

eight, ate
eight means the number between seven and nine
ate means to have eaten

aural, oral
aural is related to the ear
oral is related to the mouth

away, aweigh
away means to go from a place
aweigh means means to raise an anchor

Oct 18

Each climber must assent to the ascent

Posted on Sunday, October 18, 2009 in Homonyms/Homophones, Incorrect word usage

arc, ark
arc means a portion of a circle
ark means a large boat

assent, ascent
assent means agreement
ascent means the act of moving upward

assistance, assistants
assistance means aid
assistants means those giving aid

Oct 17

I'll walk down the aisle

Posted on Saturday, October 17, 2009 in Homonyms/Homophones, Incorrect word usage

aid, aide
aid means assistance or to assist
aide means an assistant

ail, ale
ail means to be ill
ale means a heavier beer

aisle, isle, I’ll
aisle means a path through rows of seats
isle means island
I’ll means I will

Oct 16

Newspaper ads were used to sell the adz

Posted on Friday, October 16, 2009 in Homonyms/Homophones, Incorrect word usage

acts, ax
acts are things you do (she acts strangely)
an ax is a cutting tool (he will cut the tree down with an ax)

ad, add
ad is short for advertisement (the ad was for groceries)
add is short for addition (add these three numbers)

ads, adds, adz
ads are advertisements (there are many ads on TV)
adds is when a person does addition (the clerk adds each item to the total)
adz is a tool (he shaped the wood with an adz)

Oct 15

Words that sound alike or are spelled alike

Posted on Thursday, October 15, 2009 in Incorrect word usage, Pronunciation

Homonyms are words that sound alike but have different meanings.
(the county fair, they received fair treatment )

Homophones are a subset of homonyms but have different spellings.
(a pear is a fruit, two shoes make a pair)

Homographs are words that are spelled the same but have different meanings.
(he told a lie, he told the dog to lie down)

Heteronyms are a subset of homographs but have different sounds.
(tear in the eye, tear the paper)

Oct 14

Coupon: coo-pon or Q-pon?

Posted on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 in Pronunciation

According to my research, either pronunciation is acceptable.
I guess I tend to use coo-pon.

We could also discuss whether it is a crick or a creek.
I also discovered that either of those is acceptable.
I find that I use both.

Oct 13

I am well, thank you.

Posted on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 in Incorrect word usage

Your response to, “How are you?”, could depend on what has gone unspoken.

How are you?
  I am well. [your health]
  I am good. [your state of mind]
  I am feeling well. [your health]
  I am feeling good. [your state of mind]
  I am doing well. [good would mean that you are doing good things]

Or you could just avoid this problem by saying, “I am fine.”