PASSED, PAST
Passed is the past tense of pass. Past means a time that has gone.
"Time passed and we all forgot the incident."
"In times past it was the custom for women to wear hats in church."
PEACE, PIECE
Peace means the absence of war (or even noise); piece is a portion of something.
PEAK, PEEK, PIQUE
Pique means to excite or irritate; peek means to peep or snoop; peak as a noun means the summit or tip, and as a verb means to climax. So, you pique someone's curiosity; you don't peek or peak it. If someone annoys you, you become piqued rather than peeked or peaked.
PLAIN, PLANE
Plain means obvious, also unadorned or lacking in good looks; plane is a carpenter's tool or an abbreviation of aeroplane.
PATIENCE, PATIENTS
Patience means forbearance; patients are people under medical care.
POUR, PORE
You pour sauces, gravies, etc, over your dinner, while pore means to study something--so, "pore over the book", not "pour over the book", which reads as though you might be damaging the book with an unnamed liquid substance!
PRESENCE, PRESENTS
Presence means being near at hand; presents are gifts.
PRINCIPAL, PRINCIPLE
Principal means chief or main, also the amount borrowed in a loan; principle means regulations or ideals.
"The principal reason for the company's failure was lack of money." (or)
"The new principal is making a real difference to our school."
"We are paying both principal and interest each month on our mortgage."
"She is completely without principles and would steal from her own mother."
"The principle of a clause like this in your employment contract is to protect you against unfair dismissal."
QUIET, QUITE
Quiet means without noise; quite when used in fiction usually means moderately, but can also mean totally or entirely. Use of the wrong word here could, of course, simply be a typing error that went unnoticed in the proof-reading stages!
RAIN, REIGN, REIN
Rain is the water that comes down from clouds; reign means to rule; rein is a strap, usually leather, for controlling an animal, especially a horse.
RAISE, RAZE
These two are exact opposites. Raise means to lift or build up and raze means to pull down:
"We will raise the reputation of our village to new heights."
"He instructed his army to raze the village to the ground."
REALITY, REALTY
Reality is real life; realty is real estate.
REFERENCE, REVERENCE
I don't know if this confusion is common. I didn't even realise the words COULD be confused until I saw one wrongly used in something written by ... a writer! Maybe it was just a typing error. Reference is something referred to, reverence means respect.
RESIDENCE, RESIDENTS
Residence is a house; residents are the people who live there.
RESPECTFULLY, RESPECTIVELY
Respectfully means politely; respectively means in the order stated.
"The containers stood in a row and were numbered 1, 3, 2, 5 and 4 respectively" means they were standing in this order rather than numerical order.
RIGHT, RITE, WRITE
Right means correct; rite is a ceremony, usually religious; write means to make words.
ROAD, RODE
Road is a long surface for cars and other vehicles; rode is the past tense of ride.
About The Author
Laraine Anne Barker writes fantasy for young people. Visit her web site at http://lbarker.orcon.net.nz. Fantasy for Children & Young Adults for FREE stories and novel excerpts. Sign up for the NOVELLA OF THE MONTH CLUB, absolutely FREE!
All your publishing options are as follows:--Conventional publishing--Vanity or subsidy... Read More
Beyond three and four act story structure, lies the Hero's... Read More
This is the ideal topic for us all to think... Read More
As many authors are fond of stating, "Ideas are all... Read More
Everyone has a book inside them, or so the saying... Read More
Chaos and confusion come when established rules and procedures are... Read More
~TYPES~You Want Us to Write What? Understanding the Task AssignedWhich... Read More
Plagiarism has been condemned lately by all types of experts,... Read More
You sink back into your favourite chair with a new... Read More
Interesting characters that readers care about are the most important... Read More
Have you ever wondered why some people can make millions... Read More
Taming the Book Proposal: The BasicsOh, that most maddening of... Read More
The Big IdeaOkay. So youve figured out that you would... Read More
With the expansion and diversion of businesses, manufacturers, and even... Read More
Writing can be more difficult that just compiling your thoughts... Read More
In the ten years that I've taught people how to... Read More
Fiction manuscripts receive feedback that addresses and scores:· The theme... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?Whichever theme you choose, all the elements,... Read More
"If you're like me, than I'm sure you're pretty familiar... Read More
Not long ago, I went to an Internet Marketing Seminar.... Read More
The Internet has truly revolutionized the careers of writers worldwide.... Read More
Characters in a good novel really carry the story along... Read More
It is satisfying to be a part of such a... Read More
Sometime one must coax the words out.Each day is a... Read More
Peter Mayle was born in England in 1939.His fascination with... Read More
Whether you keep a separate spiritual journal or just want... Read More
What possibly could I have to write about? I never... Read More
I'm in the process of moving from one computer to... Read More
Ever wonder why we refer to convincing an editor a... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?You are plotting the story. You write... Read More
Creating written documents reveals so much about you and your... Read More
Self-examination sheds light on a writers motives, goals, and aspirations,... Read More
Have you given up on getting your book out of... Read More
Writer's Block can strike like a King Cobra, paralyzing every... Read More
Sometime one must coax the words out.Each day is a... Read More
Rudolf Flesch, a specialist in writing skills, ran classes... Read More
So, the decision is final. I am a writer.Actually, I... Read More
SALE, SAIL Sale is either offering something for purchase... Read More
When my first book "Starting Your Own Business" was published... Read More
Many experts recommend reading as a way to get ideas,... Read More
The principle for writing good screenplays begins with good idea... Read More
Structure in the form of frameworks, work processes and goals... Read More
Is your book nearly finished, finished, published, or even in... Read More
May I tell you about a writing technique shared by... Read More
Technology vendors often contribute bylined articles to trade journals. The... Read More
I've been in the communications business a long time?over 25... Read More
The freelance writing market is a growing market to be... Read More
William Faulkner, the great Mississippi writer, said, "The tools I... Read More
Here are 3 journaling or diary ideas that can contribute... Read More
A writer can never be self indulgent whether writing fiction,... Read More
The only way to become a writer is to write.... Read More
The big question. Do you submit directly to the publishers,... Read More
EditingExpect, allow, and accept that every first draft will represent... Read More
IntroductionSometimes it may be beyond a companies or individuals budget... Read More
If you either want to write a book to help... Read More
10 - You will always have a job. As long... Read More
I owe the completion and success of my book to... Read More
People want information, they want it quick, frequently in short... Read More
Ever wonder what an author's life is like? What that... Read More
Despite the widespread use of e-mail in commerce today, traditional... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?It's no use coming up with a... Read More
It's the funniest thing. When someone asks me what I... Read More
Our Freelance Writing Needs DefinedWe must make freelance niche types... Read More
Why is it that so many people don't take writing-as-a-job... Read More
I went to school to be a teacher. In fact,... Read More
Q. My writing sounds stiff and stilted. Help!A. Memories of... Read More
Writing |