300-Plus Problem Words and Phrases

By Johnson, Kevin, Wade

Book Id: WPLBN0100749968
Format Type: PDF eBook:
File Size: 0.1 MB
Reproduction Date: 9/22/2023

Title:	300-Plus Problem Words and Phrases
Author:	Johnson, Kevin, Wade
Volume:
Language:	English
Subject:	Non Fiction, Education
Collections:	Authors Community, Literature
Historic Publication Date:	2023
Publisher:	Self-Published

Member Page:	Kevin Johnson
Citation APA MLA Chicago Wade Johnson, B. K. (2023). 300-Plus Problem Words and Phrases. Retrieved from http://gutenberg.cc/

Description
English has a lot of tricky words, including but not limited to homonyms, homographs and homophones similar enough to trip people up. Here is a look at some of them, and with luck it can shed enough light to lessen the missteps. If nothing else, I bet I can entertain you by turning loose and taking a trip with them!

Summary
110 sets of homonyms, homographs and more, totaling 300 different problematic words, explained, with derivations, mnemonics, and entertaining wordplay, too

Excerpt
A lot is two words, not one; the easy way to remember that is the expression "a whole lot"; you can't insert a word inside a word, only between them. Lot goes back to an Indo-European root *qleu-/qlau-, meaning a twig, forked branch, or a hook, with the sense of one of those used in drawing lots—lots in that sense being much like ping-pong balls in a lottery. (No coincidence: same root, sense and meaning.) The word is mostly used here in real estate, in the derivative sense of a plot (portion) of ground. Allot means to assign, apportion, or distribute, and has the same root as lot; it's mostly seen in some set expressions, especially allotted span (i.e., lifespan). So I hope that helps you remember each, and that your allotted span has a whole lot of years.

Table of Contents
A lot/allot A while/awhile Affect/effect Afterward/afterword Air/Eire/ere/err/heir Aisle/I'll/isle All right/already/all ready Allude/elude; allusive/elusive; allusion/illusion/delusion Altar/alter Alternate/alternative Amuse/bemuse Any more/anymore, Any one/anyone Are/our/hour (R) ("Arrr") Aye/eye/I (AI) Bail/bale Boar/boor/bore Borough/bureau/burro/burrow Brake/break Breach/breech Cache/cachet/cash Chute/shoot Cite/sight/site Click/clique (klick) Complement/compliment Composed of/comprise Continual(ly)/continuous(ly) Dammed/damned Dew/do/due Discussed/disgust, discuss/discus Does (does)/dose/doughs/doze Done/dun Dual/duel Eek/eke Endanger/in danger; En masse/amass/a mass Exciting/exiting Fair/fare Faze/phase For/fore/four Gibe/jibe/jive Gored/gourd (Gord) Grisly/gristly/grizzled/grizzly Hear/here (Hear, hear!) Historic/historical Hoard/horde Hole/whole; holy/wholly Immanent/imminent Its/it's Knead/kneed/need Knew/new (gnu) Knight/night (benighted) Lay/lei/lie/lye Lead/lead/led Literal(ly) Load/lode Loose/lose Made/maid Meat/meet (mete) Moot/mute Morning/mourning Mythic/mythical Nay/neigh Oar/or/ore Ordinance/ordnance Overseas/oversees Pair/pare/pear Passed/past Peak/peek/pique Plum/plumb Poor/pore/pour Premier/premiere Prophecy/prophesy; profit/prophet Prostate/prostrate Rack/wrack Rain/reign/rein Raise/rays/raze (race) Rap/wrap Real/reel Right/rite/wright/write Ring/wring Road/rode Roe/row (row) Root/route/rout Sea/see, "C" (sí) Sew/so/sow Shoe/shoo Slay/sleigh Soar/sore Staid/stayed Steal/steel Tacks/tax Tea/tee (T) Their/there/they're Tic/tick Tide/tied (tidings) Toe/tow Ton/tonne/tun Unique/unusual Vain/vane/vein Wail/Wale (Wales)/Whale Way/weigh, under way/under weigh Wind/Wind/Winded/Wined/Wound/Wound Wreak/wreck (reek) Year/light-year/parsec Your/you're/yore Yay/yea (yeah) All intents and purposes; intensive Bated breath Cut and dried First come, first served The Importance of Understanding Problem Words About the Author