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English bloopers: A guide for everyone
Jagruti Sharma
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September 07, 2007

For most of us, English is still a challenge. With all its irregularities, exceptions and rules, English is a very difficult language to master.

With that in mind, rediff.com presents our English Bloopers series. Here, we publish written and spoken mistakes spotted and sent to us by observant Get Ahead readers. It's a great way to review the basics, clarify a few issues and share a laugh or two! 

Jagruti Sharma
, director of Words Infocom Limited, sent a tremendous list of homonyms that tend to trip up non-native speakers of English. Homonyms are words that sound the same when pronounced, but are spelled differently and have different meanings.

Example: 'Loose' and 'lose'

Many people make this mistake. They inevitably interchange the words 'loose' and 'lose' while writing. 'Lose' means to 'suffer a loss or defeat'. Thus, you would write:

~ 'I don't want to lose you," and not 'I don't want to loose you.'

'Loose', on the other hand, means 'not firm' or 'not fitting.' In this context, you would write,

~ "My shirt is loose," not "My shirt is lose." 

Today, we conclude our series on homonyms:


 tacked

used a small nail with broad, flat head, as in: He tacked the message up on the corkboard.

tact

diplomacy, as in: This difficult situation must be handled with tact and sensitivity.


tail

last part, as in: The veterinarian examined the dog from head to tail.

tale

story, as in: I loved hearing my mother tell me the tale about how she came to the US


tare

(1) a plant used as forage or a cover crop, as in: We'll need another bag of tare seed.

(2) deduction from the gross weight to allow for the weight of the container, as in: The tare weight of the vehicle is 2,000 lbs.

tear

rip, as in: The letter made me so angry I wanted to tear it into little pieces.

tear

drop of fluid from the eye, as in: The police used tear gas to subdue the bank robbers.

tier

layer or row of a vertical arrangement, as in: We sat in the top tier of seats in the stadium.


taught

past tense of teach, as in: The experience taught him to always read the fine print.

taut

stretched tight, as in: The rope was pulled taut between the two poles.


team

a group working together in a united action, as in: Our team project is almost completed.

teem

be full, as in: The lakes in that region teem with all kinds of fish.


tenant

one who holds the right to occupy a place, as in: The previous tenant of this apartment was a doctor.

tenet

a rule or part of a body of doctrine, as in: The sanctity of marriage is an important tenet of her faith.


than

a conjunction in sentences involving comparison, as in: Our product is no more expensive than theirs.

then

at that time or in that case, as in: If you agree that my skills and experience are what you need to do this job, then let's draw up the contract.


their

belonging to them, as in: In my opinion, their Web site is attractive, but takes too long to load.

there

in that place, as in: Set the box there on the counter.

they're

contraction of they are, as in: She said they're coming for dinner next Monday night.


theirs

belong to them, used when no noun follows, as in: There can be no doubt the money is theirs.

there's

contraction of there is, as in: The evidence is clear, so there's no use denying it.


thorough

not leaving anything out, as in: The police conducted a thorough search of the apartment looking for clues.

threw

past tense of throw, as in: The news threw the whole office into a panic.

through

from the beginning of to the end of, as in: I walked through the store on my lunch hour, but I didn't find what I wanted.


throes

pangs or struggles, as in: Please forgive us; we're in the throes of remodeling our store.

throws

puts, hurls, or flings, as in: The news of the merger throws a new light on his recent departure.


to

toward, as in: I am going to the store.

too

in addition or very much, as in: You are too kind.

two

the number after one, as in: The two candidates for the job are evenly matched.


tortuous

twisting, as in: The cabin is reached by a tortuous mountain road.

torturous

full of torture, as in: I can't come in to work today; I have a torturous toothache.


tracked

followed traces of or the path of, as in: They tracked the mistake back to the accounting department.

tract

region, as in: Our tract of homes was originally called Sycamore Hills and contained 42 houses but no sycamore trees.


trail

path or remnants of passage, as in: Her journey through life left a trail of broken promises.

trial

time of testing or judging, as in: We offer a free one-month trial period so you can see what benefits our service will bring you.


penultimate

second to the last, as in: Y is the penultimate letter of the alphabet.

ultimate

the very last, as in: The ultimate cost of the project will be over one million dollars.


undo

cancel or reverse what has been done, as in: Thank you for pointing out my mistake so I can undo it.

undue

beyond what is appropriate, as in: The court voided the contract, ruling that the attorney exerted undue influence on his client.


disinterested

not influenced by personal motives, as in: To mediate this argument, we need a disinterested person.

uninterested

unconcerned, as in: I knew she was sick because she was uninterested in food.


urban

relating to a city or city life, as in: She is a specialist in urban planning.

urbane

refined and sophisticated, as in: Years in the foreign diplomatic service gave him urbane manners.


 vain

ineffective, as in: We worked all night in a vain attempt to meet the deadline.

vein

(1) blood vessel, as in: They had a hard time finding a vein to draw blood.

(2) mineral deposit, as in: A vein of silver was found in the mine.

(3) mood or tendency, as in: Her stories are written in a humorous vein.


vale

valley, as in: I wonder if the city of Sunnyvale, California, is really a sunny vale?

veil

covering or curtain, as in: She wore a heavy veil to conceal her puffy, red eyes.


veracity

truthfulness, as in: We're asking you what happened, because you have a reputation for veracity.

voracity

eagerness or great hunger, as in: She loves mystery books so much that she reads them with voracity.


vice

badness, defect or fault, as in: He was a lover of vice rather than a lover of virtue.

vise

tool having two jaws that are tightened by a screw mechanism, as in: My headache made me feel like my head was being squeezed in a vise.


 wail

to cry loudly, expressing sorrow, as in: The baby started to wail when Mother left the room.

whale

to hit or beat, as in: In times past, a teacher might threaten to whale an unruly student.

"I'm a dutch-speaking Belgian user of this site, but I always thought that a whale was a rather big fish with a particular appetite for Jonah's ...With kind regards, Stefan Van pellicom"


waist

that part of a human body between the ribs and the hips, as in: She wore a red belt around her waist.

waste

act of squandering, as in: For the sake of our budget, we must cut down on waste in this office.


wait

period of expectation, as in: Dinner took a long time, but it was well worth the wait.

weight

heaviness, as in: It feels good to sit down and take the weight off my feet.


waive

to give up something you are entitled to, as in: We will waive the application fee if you sign up now.

wave

to signal by bending your hand up and down, as in: We will wave our hands when the coast is clear.

(Thanks to word-lover Chris Maddox, who gets letters from her bank saying they will wave the fee)


waiver

voluntary relinquishment of a right, as in: The university gave him a waiver for the payment of tuition.

waver

go back and forth on a decision, as in: We must decide today--there's no more time to waver.


want

have a desire for, as in: Children want to be loved and cared for.

wont

customary practice or habit, as in: It was his wont to stay late at the office.

won't

contraction meaning will not, as in: The boss called, saying he won't be in until ten.


ware

article of merchandise, as in: I saw all the new software at Spring Internet World.

wear

clothes, as in: She was prepared for the weather in her stylish red rainwear.


way

course of action or manner, as in: There must be a better way to learn this lesson.

weigh

measure the heaviness of, as in: It's a good idea to use the same scale each time you weigh yourself.


weak

having little strength, as in: She felt weak because she hadn't eaten all day.

week

period of seven days, as in: Let's have lunch a week from today.


weather

climate, as in: San Diego, California, is famous for nice weather.

whether

conjunction before the first of two choices, as in: I can't decide whether I want to sell the property or keep it.


which

what one, as in: Which Web browser do you use?

witch

woman claiming to have magical powers, as in: The witch gave them herbs.


whine

a high-pitched sound, as in: Just about every parent cringes when they hear, "I'm bored" in that whine that sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard.

wine

wine is the naturally fermented juice of fresh fruit or berries, as in: Even for wine experts, a common problem is the impoverished language we have for describing tastes and smells.

A large part of the wine taster's skill comes from being able to develop some sort of classification system and then to associate words/categories with smells--olfaction researcher Professor Tim Jacob of Cardiff University

Thanks to word-lover Rabiatul Kamit for suggesting this word pair, May 2002


who ever

who as a pronoun and ever as an adverb, as in: Who ever comes to this deserted place?

whoever

anyone who, as in: Whoever wants this book can have it.


holly

plant of the Ilex genus, as in: We have a hedge of holly bushes on our property.

holy

sacred or pure, as in: The people refused to build there because they considered it holy ground.

wholly

completely or entirely, as in: The company is wholly owned by one family.


who's

contraction of who is or who has, as in: Who's been eating my porridge?

whose

belonging to who, as in: I'm not sure whose shoes are these?


one

single person or thing, as in: The store is locatedon a one-way street.

won

past tense of win, as in: Who won the basketball game?


wood

lumber, as in: The book said wood floors look nice and last a long time.

would

auxiliary verb used to express a condition, futurity, preference, intention, longing, probability, a request, habitual action, or uncertainty, as in: I would go with you if I could.


rap

knock or tap sharply, as in: Rap on the door again; I'm sure someone's home.

wrap

to put a cover around something, as in: Be sure to wrap the baby warmly in this cold weather.


retch

to try to vomit, as in: The awful smell made me retch.

wretch

a pitiful or despised person, as in: I'd like to get my hands on the wretch who robbed the blind old man.


right

correct or accurate, as in: Careful writers strive to use the right word.

rite

customary and solemn ritual or ceremony, as in: The rite of baptism is taken very seriously in many faiths.

wright

someone who makes or repairs a thing, as in: My grandfather was a shipwright and my grandson is a playwright.

write

to put letters of the alphabet, numbers, and/or punctuation marks on a surface to be read, as in: When I write my goals on paper I am more likely to achieve them than if they remain only as thoughts in my head.


rote

unthinking routine, as in: Foreign languages used to be taught by the rote method.

wrote

past tense of to write, as in: I wrote to the company last week but I haven't received any answer yet.


 ewe

female sheep, as in: The ewe was bleating and looking for her lamb.

yew

evergreen tree of the taxus genus, as in: The finest bows are made of yew wood.

you

the one or ones being spoken to, as in: I guarantee that you will be satisfied or your money will be cheerfully refunded.


yoke

crosspiece holding two things together, as in: The pair of oxen pulling the plow had an ancient wooden yoke around their necks.

yolk

yellow part of an egg, as in: For good health, the egg yolk should be fully cooked before you eat it.


you're

contraction meaning you are, as in: Are you glad you're going to the party?

your

belonging to you, as in: I welcome your comments on this page.


 DON'T MISS

MORE English bloopers

If you'd like to share common bloopers you come across when people speak/ write in English, do mail your list, along with their correct alternatives to englishbloopers@rediffmail.com -- we'll highlight them right here as a helpful guide to those trying to improve their English. Also, make sure you include your FULL NAME, AGE, OCCUPATION and the CITY you are based in.


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