More Confusing Words

A few weeks ago, I posted an article by Cathy Witlox, Which Word Is Right (original article here; my blog post here).

The following are words that are also commonly confused and which I've come across many times in reading submissions and print books. Please note that the definitions provided are not all inclusive.

breach/breech: As a noun, breach is a break, such as an infraction or violation of a law, obligation, tie, or standard, or a gap made by battering; as a verb, breach is to make a breach, to break or violate. Breech is always a noun, is an old-fashioned word for a pair of pants, usually the plural is used. A breech presentation is when a baby is appears feet first, rather than head first.

He signified his breach with his father by untying his breeches and baring his rear end.

clench/clinch: To clench is to hold fast; it is a transitive verb, which means it has to be followed by a direct object. Clinch is usually a noun, meaning, an embrace or a fastening, but it is also a lesser variation of the transitive verb clench.

He moved them into a clinch by clenching her hair and angling her lips toward his.

complement/compliment: Complement is usually used as a noun to mean something that makes something else complete. Compliment, on the other hand, is used as either a noun to mean an admiring remark, or as a transitive verb to praise or pay a compliment to.

Jack was pleased at Linda's compliment about his outfit; he'd bought the aquamarine tie to complement his shirt.

council/counsel: Council is usually a noun for an assembly or an administrative/advisory body; as an adjective, it means used for councils or built, maintained, or operated by a local governing agency. Counsel can be used as either a noun or verb, respectively: advice or a policy/plan of action, or to advise or consult.

The council deemed it necessary to seek the counsel of attorneys with expertise in the matter.

dragged/drug: The former is the past tense of drag; the latter is either a noun or a verb. Drug the noun is something used to make a medication or used in the making of a medication; it can also be an illegal substance that causes addiction or change in mental status. As a verb, drug is used to mean to administer a drug to someone or to affect someone with a drug.

The patient was dragged to the gurney and given a drug to calm her down.

its/it's: Its, without the apostrophe, is an adjective that means relating to it and used in a possessive sense. It's, with the apostrophe, is a contraction of 2 words: it is or it has.

It's really cute when the puppy chases its tail.

loose/lose: The former as an adjective, means not firmly attached or free; as a verb, it means to release, untie or detach, or relax; as an adverb, it means in a loose manner. The latter, lose, is always used as a verb and can mean any of the following: to cause the destruction of, to miss from one's possession or customary place, to suffer loss or removal from, to wander or go astray, and others.

She tried to hang her shoulders loose but was unable to lose the thought of her pending exams.

manner/manor: The first is a noun meaning kind, sort, type, or custom, style, fashion, or behavior. The second is a noun meaning a house or mansion, or landed estate.

His general manner and demeanor indicated a sophisticated upbringing in a country manor.

precede/proceed: To precede someone or thing is to go before or in front of, or to surpass in rank, dignity or importance. To proceed is an intransitive verb that means to come forth from a source, to continue after a pause or interruption, or to advance.

The hostess was at a loss as to how to proceed; by rank, the duke should precede the earl into supper, but earl had ties to the king.

prescribe/proscribe: To prescribe something is to lay down a rule, or to write or give a medical prescription. To proscribe something is to forbid or condemn it, or to publish the name of as condemned to death, with the property of the condemned forfeited to the state

The medical board proscribed the prescribing of the tainted medication.

rout/route: Rout as a noun means a social gathering, a throng, or a disturbance or debacle; as a verb, it means to disorganize completely, demoralize, drive out, or to search haphazardly, to come up with, to cause to emerge. Route as a noun is a traveled way, means of access, or specific course of action or travel. As a verb, route is to send by a selected route or divert in a specific direction.

The scouts attempted to travel the mountain route but were routed by the enemy soldiers.

sensuous/sinuous: Sensuous is an adjective that means having a strong sensory appeal, of or relating to the senses. Sinuous is an adjective meaning to be winding or of a serpentine or wavy form, or marked by strong lithe movements.

The harem girl's sensuous and evocative movements reminded the pasha of the sinuous motions of his cobras.

shined/shinned: Shined is the past tense of shine, another common form is shone. Shinned is the past tense of the verb to shin, meaning to move oneself up or down something vertical, to move forward rapidly on foot, or to kick or strike on the shins.

He shinned up the rope, then shined the flashlight at the ceiling.

shudder/shutter: The former as an intransitive verb means to shiver or tremble convulsively; the noun means the act of shuddering. The latter as a verb means to close or shut, or to furnish with shutters; as a noun, it means something that shuts, a movable cover or screen for a window, or a mechanical device (such as in a camera) that limits the passage of light.

Gwen shuddered at the sight of the chartreuse shutters on her windows.

suit/suite: Suit, as a noun, is the act of suing or seeking by entreaty, a set of clothing, or a set of the same symbols in a deck of cards. Suite, on the other hand, is always a noun and signifies a retinue or a set or group of things.

Tom was pleased to see his suite consisted of 3 rooms. One would be his bedroom, another his dressing room (he could finally change out of his business suit!), and the third, his den.

sight/site: The former is related to vision, the latter is related to the actual space, location, or position of something.

He wore the sunglasses to protect his sight while he drove to the construction site.

taut/taught/taunt: Taut is an adjective meaning tightly drawn, or an instransitive verb meaning to mat or tangle. Taught is the past tense of teach; and taunt is a noun that means a sarcastic challenge or insult, or a verb that means to mock, insult or jeer at.

My mother always taught me not to taunt others and that I could always tell I had insulted someone by the taut set of their shoulders.

their/there/they're: Their is an adjective that means of or relating to them or themselves especially as possessors, agents, or objects of an action. There is an adverb meaning in or at that place, point or stage; as a noun, it signifies a place, position or point; as an adjective, there is used for emphasis. They're is a contraction of the words they are.

There! They're always late now that their babysitter has moved away.

threw/through: Threw is the past tense of throw. Through can be used as a preposition meaning by way of or is used as a function word to indicate movement into at one side or point and out at another and especially the opposite side; as an adverb to signify from one side to the other or to completion; or as an adjective, as in extending from one surface to another.

The boys accidentally threw the baseball through the school window.

to/too/two: The first word can be a preposition that is used as a function word to indicate movement or an action or condition suggestive of movement toward a place, person, or thing, reached, or an adverb, to indicate a direction toward. The middle word is an adverb meaning besides, also, or excessively.

As the two of us drove to the game, I could tell Jim was too hyped up to remain quiet for long.

rack/wrack: The former can be a noun meaning a framework, a stand, or an instrument of torture; as a verb, it means to torture on the rack; to cause to suffer torture, pain, or anguish; or to stretch or strain violently. The latter, wrack, as a noun is a ruin, wreck, or destruction; as a verb, it means to utterly ruin or wreck.

The pirates racked their brains about how to salvage the cargo from the wrack in the waves below.