Righting the Write Words - Part 2

After my last post on Righting the Write Words I received a couple of emails about similar words which were not covered in that post. So, now I have a part two! Thanks for your suggestions. Remember, these are ways I remember how to use the words, and not necessarily the best ways.

These are words we all come across from time to time, and I'm sure, if not for a split second, you question yourself on which word to choose. If you're like me, you skip on over to dictionary.com to look them up.

I'll try to keep them in alphabetical order, so if you made a suggestion and it didn't start with "A", by all means, scroll down! And there you go.

Now, for part 2 of Righting the Write Words!


Advice is a noun and it's what your husband gives to the guy who is getting ready to take your daughter on a date for the first time.

Advise is the verb and it's what your husband does when a guy is getting ready to take your daughter on a date for the first time.



Ades are fruit drinks.

Aides are people who help.

Aids is what someone does when they help.

AIDS is an acronym for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome



Aisle is a passageway.

I'll is a contraction of "I" and "will".

And, isle is the last four letters of my name! Why is it so hard for people to spell Carlisle? It's the name "Carl" and the word "isle" which means a small island. You don't spell my last name Carlyle or Carlile. It's Carlisle!



Board is a piece of wood or a group of people.

Bored means I'm just not interested in what you're saying right now.



Device is a noun and can be anything from my iPad to this interesting piece of code that's tracking your IP address as you read this text. Just kidding, but that would be a device.

Devise is a verb and it's what I did to create that IP tracking code. I devised the plan and invented that device.



Discreet means careful or confidential.

Discrete means individual or distinct.

Tim just says it's where he parks his car. In discreet. Get it?  

Eh hem, anyway...


Foreword is an introduction to a book written by someone other than the author. I never did get this one. It's like a son writes a foreword on a book his mother wrote and it's about her son who has A.D.D.

This is a story from the point of view of a mother dealing with a son who acquires a condition known as A.D.D Attention Deficit Disorder. The son is deeply sorry for the pain he inflicted upon his parents during these very trying times, but alas, her story is intriguing and you will be emotionally touched, as was I. -- Author's loving son.

Forward is the opposite of backward.


Hangar is a shed or shelter for airplanes.

Hanger is what you use to hang up your clothes.


You hear sounds and you sit here to listen to them.


Lead is a metal element (noun - pronounced "led") and it's confusing because...

Led is the past tense of lead (verb - pronounced "leed"). See? Confusing!



Naval pertains to ships.

Navel is your belly button or a type of orange. But why? I never understood this. What does your belly button have to do with a type of orange?


Ordinance is a law.

Ordnance means military weapons and ammunition.


Peace means calm.

Piece means a portion of something.

I called Farmers & Merchants Bank some time last year to inform them of a grammatical error on a sign outside their branch office. Piece of mind was not what I believed they meant to convey to the public. The next day, a whole different message was up, something about discounted jumbo CDs.


Peak is the top of a mountain.

Peek is a verb and means to glance furtively.

Pique means to wound someone's pride or to excite interest.


Than is used for comparison.

I thought you were smarter than that.

Then is used for everything else. Not really. It's used for time, sequence, and in addition to.

1. She wasn't home then. (time)
2. Then I came back. (sequence)
3. It cost $500.00. And then there's the tax and shipping. Then you need to tip. (in addition to)

A vial is a small container for holding liquids.

Vile is an adjective which describes something or someone as being repulsive or depraved.


And finally, my favorite!

Who vs. Whom

Who refers to the subject and whom refers to the object. Sure, that's confusing, so here's my test to decide which to use.

If you can replace the word with "he" or "she" then who is correct.

If you can replace the word with "him" or "her" then whom is correct.

Examples:

Who wrote the letter?
She wrote the letter.
  not 
Her wrote the letter.

Whom did the principal scold?
The principal scolded her.
  not 
The principal scolded she.

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