Raise Your English Knowledge - Don't Be Bored By A Boor

Following on from last week, today we are going to look at some more pairs or groups of words, that sound similar or the same but have different meanings. The reason we are looking at these words in particular is that we will often see them used wrongly; they are easy to mix up. Hopefully when we have looked at the differences it will help us all to never make these mistakes again.

Here we go:

Raise/ Rise 

It is very easy to see how these two monsters get mixed up; and not just in written English.  It is not unusual to hear the wrong word being said in everyday conversation. However, although they sound similar and have similar meanings, there is a difference and it is important to use the correct word.

“To raise” is a verb meaning to lift something (or someone) up to a higher position.

Example 1  

Kelly raised the trophy over her head, so all the crowd could see it.

It can also refer to an increase in the amount, of or level of something.

Example 2

It was a cold day so Kevin put more logs on the fire to raise the temperature in the living room.

“To rise” means to get up, to assume an upright position, often from a lying, kneeling or sitting position.

Example 3

I like to rise at 6.30am every day.

However it is also used to mean something that goes up or elevates. The main difference here is that when something is raised it has been lifted up by someone or something; when it rises it does this on its own, there is no external force.  

Example 4.

The sun rises in the East.

The easiest way to remember which the correct word to use is is to think is it active or passive. If an action has to be performed to elevate something then it is raised, whereas if something elevates of its own accord, it rises.

Beside/Besides

Although these words look similar they have very different meanings.

Beside is most usually used to mean “near to” or “by the side of”.

Example 5

My new house is being built beside the river.

It can also be used to compare one person or thing with another.

Example 6

This proposal seems very reasonable beside the others.

There is also a commonly used British saying that someone is beside themselves with grief, meaning that they are completely overwhelmed at the loss of a loved one.

Besides on the other hand means “in addition to” or “apart from”.

Example 7

No-one besides the owner could get open the door to the house.

Example 8  

Besides a long weekend in New York, I have never seen the sights in America.   

 

Forward / Foreword

Although these sound very similar, the meaning is completely different.

To go forward is to advance towards a place that is in front of you. To look forward is to look for advancement in the future, rather than raking over the past.

However, a foreword is a section at the beginning of a book that will introduce the book and possibly tell you something about the author. This is usually only a short section, maybe only a couple of paragraphs, and is often written by someone other than the author.

Bore/Boar/Boor

These three homophones (words that are spelt differently but sound the same) have entirely different meanings.

Starting with the first, to bore something can mean to make a hole in something, maybe using a drill or an auger. However, to bore someone, or to be boring, is to be uninteresting or repetitive, causing boredom. Just to confuse things even further, bore is also the past tense of the verb to bear, which is to carry something.

Example 9

Yesterday you bore the wood to the worktable, where you bored a hole in it, but this was a boring job.

A boar is a type of wild pig, or is the correct name for any un-neutered male pig, as opposed to a sow, which is a female pig. You will be please to know that the piggish aspect of this word is the only meaning when it is spelt this way.

Finally we have the last spelling, boor. This word refers to someone who is clumsy in social situations, or even rude and ill-mannered.

I hope we have cleared up some of the confusion that often goes with these words. It may be helpful if you read some of our previous blogs which discuss homophones, homonyms and homographs. Happy reading!

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Confusing Words Explained

We have already talked many times about how confusing the English language can be. Following on this theme, today, we are going to have a look at pairs and groups or words that can be, and often are, easily mixed up. Some of these words sound similar, and some sound exactly the same but have different spelling and different meanings (homophones). This can be very difficult when writing in English, as generally your spell checker will not identify the wrong usage of a word, as long as the word you have used does exist. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of examples we could look at, but we will try and pick out the most frequently mistaken, and hopefully explain the difference, so you will never need to wonder which one to use again.

1. Affect / Effect

So we are starting off with a really tricky one. Let’s try to be clear about when we should use affect and when should it be effect.

Affect is a verb meaning to influence something, have an impact, and produce a change in physical or emotional feelings.

 Examples:

Smoking can adversely affect your health.

The increase in the price of petrol does not affect me, as I don’t have a car.

Effect is generally a noun and it is the result or the change that has occurred.

Examples:

The medicine had an immediate effect on the pain.

A good night’s sleep has a positive effect on your whole day!

  

2. Accept / Except

Although these words are often confused they actually have very different meanings.

To accept something is to take or receive something that has been offered to you. This covers a whole host of things such as an invitation to a party, a cup of coffee, a proposal, or a public duty or obligation. You can also accept another person’s point of view or theory meaning to regard as true.

Whereas except means "with the exclusion of".

Example

 I think I know everyone here, except that gentleman.

It can also replace “other than” in some sentences, meaning “if it were not the fact that.....”

Examples:

He never phones, except when he wants a favour!

I would make you a cup of tea, except I am too busy.

3. Lay / Lie

This tricky pair of irregular verbs causes no end of confusion!

To lay means to put or place something or someone somewhere. Whereas to lie is to assume a horizontal position, to rest or recline.

The easiest way to remember is that you lay something down, but you lie down by yourself.

So, for example, you would lie down on the bed, but you would lay your book on the bedside cabinet.

I think much confusion is caused by the fact that the past tense of to lie is to lay, but let’s leave that one for another day!

We should also remember that lie also has another meaning, which is to tell an untruth.

4. Pour/ Poor/ Pore/Paw

Yes all these sound the same, and in spoken English we would only know the right meaning by the context of the sentence they were used in. However when it comes to written English we need to make sure we use the right one or our work can become nonsensical.

To pour is to cause something to flow from a container. We may offer to pour a drink for someone.

However to be poor is to lack sufficient money to enjoy a reasonable standard of life. To be lacking essentials such as sufficient food and heat.  Poor can also be used to describe things lacking in quality, such as the standard of his work was poor, or the children had a poor diet (meaning lacking sufficient vitamins and minerals).   

   

 A pore is a minute opening in a surface, especially the skin, through which microscopic particles can pass. The beauty industry sells many products claiming to cleanse pores, leading to healthier looking, radiant skin.

Last, but not least we have paw, which is the name given to an animal’s foot. To paw, when used as a verb is to touch or feel something, usually in a clumsy or unwanted way!

I hope that these explanations have helped to clarify things a little for you. Any questions please let us know. Otherwise, see you next week with some more easy to mix up words!   

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Are You An Assiduous Bibliophile Or A Feckless Blunderer?

From the feedback we have received following last week’s blog I’m guessing that a lot of our readers enjoy learning fancy or elaborate ways of saying ordinary things. With this in mind I thought we would continue the theme and look at some more   interesting words to extend our vocabularies.

I have to start by admitting that I am a bit of a bibliophile, that is to say I am a book lover.  I love reading, and I’m particularly drawn to old books, I love the look, the feel and even the smell. Bibliophiles may also be collectors of books, and whilst I would not particularly describe myself as such, I will own up to having a few overloaded book cases around the house! On a serious note it is important that bibliophilia is not confused with bibliomania, which is an obsessive, compulsive disorder involving the collection of books to the point where an individual’s relationships and health are likely to be damaged.

Luckily for me, my book collecting is more of an innocuous hobby. When something is described as innocuous it means it is not harmful or offensive. People may ask innocuous questions or make innocuous remarks; they do not intend to cause any hurt or offense by what they are saying.

Of course, there are times when an innocuous remark may cause trouble accidentally. For example if you were to ask someone if they had a good time at the football match last Saturday, this may seem like a polite and innocent question. If you then find out that their partner, who is with them when you ask the question, thought that they were in work at that time, you can see how this could lead to an argument! This indeed would be a blunder! A blunder is a mistake or error that is caused by ignorance, stupidity or carelessness.

I’m sure most of us can remember a time when we have made a blunder, we all make mistakes. However, I would like to think that we are basically assiduous, meaning hardworking, attentive and conscientious rather than feckless. To be described as such is certainly an insult. A feckless person is someone who is useless and unable to take on any responsibility. They certainly cannot be relied upon, as they lack strength of character. You would not want to work with a feckless colleague. Luckily, here at Written English Corrected, we are all assiduous of course!

And now the gloaming has arrived, so I will finish this blog. Gloaming is used to describe that time following sunset but before complete darkness. This time of half light is also known as twilight or dusk. Whilst the gloaming occurs every day of the year, it is usually associated with travelling home from work or school in the autumn and winter, looking forward to the comfort and warmth of home.

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Be Not Pusillanimous, Cachinnate at the Coruscating Apparel of the Bloviator

It doesn't matter if English is your first, second or third language, we could all do with extending our vocabulary. With this in mind I thought this week we could have a look at some “fancy” ways of saying everyday things.

In this way I hope all our conversations will become more coruscating. To coruscate is to sparkle and glitter, to shimmer and dazzle, like the sun shining on a gleaming pond. When the adjective coruscating is used it means brilliant or striking in content or style.

I hope that didn't make you cachinnate! To cachinnate is to laugh extremely loudly, possibly making such a noise as to embarrass others in your company. It is to cackle or guffaw. I suppose it could be compared to the modern expression” lol” (laugh out loud).

Maybe you are having guests for dinner soon. If so you could welcome them to your abode (your house or home) and compliment them on their apparel (the clothes they are wearing). You may also use the term to describe a “type of clothing” such as sports apparel, or you could say something like the apparel I wear Monday to Friday (smart working suits) is very different to the apparel I wear on the weekends (sports/leisure suits).

When trying out new words it is important to be bold and not pusillanimous. To be pusillanimous is to be cowardly and lack courage; to be very timid and afraid of danger. However, do not go to the other extreme and bloviate, no-one likes a bloviator! Those who bloviate have developed the art of talking for a long time and saying absolutely nothing. They can be seen as self indulgent, empty pompous and often a little boastful. Not at all like any of our readers.

Indeed, if I was accused of such a thing I would consider myself a target of calumny. That is to say the victim of an untrue statement that was said with the intention of damaging my reputation. I would cry slander and be vitriolic (bitter and caustic) in my response!  

Talking of insults, I can think of nothing worse than being labelled as vapid. Apart from the fact that it sounds horrible it means to be boring, bland and lifeless. A sad tired out person with little personality!

That’s enough of the insults; let’s finish this blog in a nice way and look at a rather peculiar sounding word: indubitably. This word, pronounced in-doo-bit-a-blee, means beyond doubt, an absolute certainty. Indubitably this blog should help you to improve your English vocabulary!

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Get Healthy and Help Others in October

This week has seen the beginning of October; autumn has really arrived. For me the beginning of October conjures up images of golden leaves rustling on nearly bare trees, of crisp mornings and cold nights. We are on the cusp of winter. Traditionally, I suppose October has been quite a mellow month. The children have been back to school for a few weeks now, following the long summer holidays, and have fallen back into the school routine. By now most of the students have returned to their colleges and universities. It’s too early for the Christmas panic to begin, so time for a bit of peace and reflection.

Maybe this is why the Government decided it was a good time to introduce Stoptober!    Stoptober is an initiative to encourage smokers to stop smoking for 28 days from the 1st October. If you are wondering why 28 days is suggested, it is because research has shown that someone is 5 times more likely to stay off cigarettes if they have been smoke free for this length of time.  It was first introduced in 2012 and has been supported by both health groups and celebrities who are willing to give their time and support to encourage those who are trying to stop. The campaign has been a great success with over 250,000 people signing up for it last year.

About two thirds of people who are still smoking in the UK state they would like to stop, but it can be a difficult challenge when faced alone. The idea here is that, with support from each other and the celebrities, the challenge becomes more “doable”. There is a feeling of camaraderie – we are all in this together! I think one of my favourite quotes is from Al Murray (a great English comedian) as his character “The Pub Landlord”. He stated:

 'When it comes to stopping smoking the only thing stopping you stopping is the fact that you can’t stop, so stop stopping yourself stopping and stop.”

Very funny ....and yes it really does make sense!

This year we also have the first Macmillan Cancer Support Charity campaign “Go sober for October”. Macmillan is a wonderful charity that provides help and support for all those whose lives are touched by cancer, and their families. The idea is that you sign up for this event online and then make a donation to Macmillan from the money you will save. Participants are also encouraged to hold events in the community or their workplace to raise money for the charity.  

In this way it can be seen to be encouraging participants to look after their own health by avoiding alcohol for one month and helping others via contributions to a worthwhile charity. For those who are slightly worried that a month without alcohol seems a long time, there is the possibility to buy a “golden ticket” from the sponsors that enables the ticket holder to have a couple of drinks on a night that they specify.

This idea has grown from a concept of “Dry July” started in Australia in 2008 by a group of friends, and has grown to become a non profit organisation that has raised 20 million dollars for Australian charities.    

When looking at worthwhile fund raising events going on in October, we must also mention “Wear it Pink”. This is an event to raise money for research into breast cancer. With over 1000 women in the UK still dying from breast cancer each month it is so important that research continues to help prevention and cure for this disease. It is also important to realise that men too are affected, with approximately 350 – 400 men diagnosed each year.

The pink ribbon has long been associated with breast cancer awareness and the “wear it pink” campaign encourages individuals to arrange fun events to raise money for breast cancer research.

So, as you can see, October in the UK is taking on a new look altogether. We still have that sort of mellow feeling but also the encouragement to look after our own health, whilst also raising money to help others. There is somehow a lot to be said about this approach to health and well being, especially just before the mad rush of parties and over indulgence in the run up to Christmas celebrations.

      

You can follow these links if you would like more information on Stoptober, Go sober for October, Wear it Pink, or MacmillanCancer Support.

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