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The meaning of spade, or is it spayed?
Spade: a tool used for digging and moving dirt
The gardener prepared the new flower bed with his spade.
Spayed:the process of desexing an animal to prevent unwanted young.
The vet spayed three cats and one dog today.
Definitely not two words you want to confuse the meanings of!
How summery is your summary?
Summary: an outline or overview of something
He gave a quick summary of the lecture to date.
Summery: relating to the summer season
The coconut oil and filmy curtains gave the room a summery feel.
What an appropriate pair of words to define this week as they are predicting 37 plus degrees (Celsius of course) tomorrow and Wednesday – summer has certainly reached Melbourne!
Remembrance tip – summer heat is summery.
Your seam seems a little loose
Seam:a line where two edges join. Often used for the stitching and area beyond the stitching where fabric is joined in clothes.
The pattern allowed for a 5mm seam.
Seem: to appear
It seems he is selling his home.
seemly: to appear in a fitting or proper manner
“It would not be seemly for a woman to wear pants” said Queen Victoria.
Let’s take the role for a roll!
Role: the title and/or behaviours and actions associated with or expected of someone. It also applies to the playing of a character in acting.
In the role of friend, I have to tell you that there is a problem.
Roll:to move along or around in a circular or cyclical way
They used to roll jaffas down the aisle in wooden theatres.
The students’ knowledge grew as the weeks rolled by.
Who is a retch or wretch?
Retch: the act of vomiting, or trying to
Just the smell of the rancid meat made them all retch into the bushes.
Wretch: someone you pity for their miserable state OR someone you despise and consider lowly and/or despicable
He threw some coins to the poor wretch beside the pier.
Then the rotten wretch set the house on fire with me in it!
This definitely is not a pair of words to get wrong – imagine implying someone you pity induces vomiting! The way to remember which is which is to use w for who – who is the wretch? The verb retch is not a person and doesn’t have a w!
It’s reigning outside
Reign: period of leadership and power, especially for royalty.
During the reign of Henry VII, people mostly travelled on foot.
Rein: a tie to maintain control over another being
The horse rider kept tight hold of the rein in each hand.
Rain: water falling from clouds in the sky – a form of precipitation
The farmers are hoping for a lot of rain this month.
Have you recently resent that?
Sometimes, I really wonder how people learn English as a second language – it can be so tricky! For instance, the letters s and c can sound exactly the same but using the wrong one can totally change the meaning of a word, such as in recent and resent.
Recent: of a similar time to the present – not long ago or far into the future.
The recent rains have helped our water supply.
Resent: to send something again.
I resent the email after he said he hadn’t received it the first time.
If English isn’t your first language, do you find learning such words difficult?
You look ravishingly ravenous today
Today’s meanings are not words that sound alike (well, except for starting with rav!) but can be easily confused…
Ravaging: causing destruction, destroying something
The Vikings are known for ravaging many towns and villages.
Ravishing: taking by force; raping. It is more commonly used to mean ‘of great beauty and delight’ which derives from women of great beauty ‘raping’ men of their senses with their beauty!
Ravishing rich women was one of the old pirate’s delights.
Ravenous: very hungry {as hungry as a beast came from the devouring aspect of ravish.}
They were ravenous after their long hike.
Don’t get court…
The Victoria Police have a sign that is used by some shops that amuses me. It aims to reduce shoplifting and finishes “why risk getting court?” Obviously, it is a play on words and catches attention, which is what I like about it.
In case you are struggling with why this amuses me, here are the definitions of the words court and caught.
caught: the past tense of to catch
She caught the ball and won the game.
court:an institution that applies law and justice for society; a defined area, usually with markings, for the playing of a specific game.
Judges, lawyers and jurors come together in court.
A tennis net is strung across the court.
The legal system is there for us, as as games – you could say they are ours. So the word our is in our court…
I formally request…
formally: meeting polite procedures, not casually
We were formally recived at the door by the butler.
formerly: previously, used to be/do something
She was formerly the president of the state association.
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