Don’t Confuse These Two!
Here is a mistake I am seeing more and more often. It bugs the heck outta me. Where is an adverb meaning “in what location.” Were is a verb, the past tense of “to be,” meaning “formerly” or “existed in the past.” Perhaps the mistakes I am seeing are the result of sloppy typing. If […]
You Can’t Censure a Censor for Doing His Job
Three words that are often confused, and that have little to do with each other: censor, censure, sensor, and censer. Let’s get the censer out of the way first, as it bears no conceivable relation to the other two, except in approximate pronunciation. A censer (/SEHN sur/) is an incense burner that can be swung […]
Keep Your Mitts Off My …
Mettle…Metal…Meddle…Medal? This is where poor pronunciation gets us … pure confusion. These four words are so often mispronounced (well, okay, pronounced sloppily) that their misuse in writing is almost as certain as death and taxes. So here’s the easy way to remember how to use them: Metal (/meh-tuhl /) is a noun meaning a substance […]
When You Need Advice, Ask Someone to Advise You!
The Grammar Guru has been asked to explain the difference between advise and advice, two frequently misused words that should be easy to tell apart. Advise is a verb, meaning “to tell someone what they ought to do.” It is pronounced /ad-VIZE/. Someone advised him not to invest in widgets. Advice is a noun, meaning […]