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Bought or brought?
In speech it isn’t always clear whether someone says brought or bought, but I really hate seeing them written in the wrong context so here are definitions to help people get them right…
bought: to have purchased something. It is the past tense of the word buy.
They bought their car from a registered dealer
brought: to have carried or taken something/someone with you. It is the past tense of the word bring.
She brought a friend with her to the conference.
‘After you bring something you’ve brought it’ is a handy reminder of which is which as many people get confused over these two words.
If you are not confident you are getting words like bought and brought in the correct places, get a second opinion before you make your writing public. Ask a friend to read your work for you (not just to catch a brought/bought error) or get a professional to edit your work for you, especially if it is something important like your website content or product manual.
Be quite quiet
As one of the most common spelling errors keep an eye out for this pair of words… especially as a spell check won’t pick the difference if you make a typing error.
quite: actually, truly; to an extent
The house was quite large
quiet: not making a lot, or any, noise
The children were unusually quiet
So how can you remember which is which, other than just repeating it until you get it? I was once told to keep my ears (the letter e) inside (rather than being the last letter) when I need peace and quiet 🙂 Maybe that tip will help you remember the difference…
And just to be complete, the word quit (as it is sometimes used instead of quite or quiet, too) means to stop or end something – for example, the man quit arguing with his boss. It is easy to remember – just quit writing before you add an e!
Bolt of lightning
Thunder bolts and lightning, very very enlightening…
Sorry to play with some great lyrics, but the word lightning always makes me think of that song! Apparently, a number of people don’t realise that there are two versions of the word lightning/lightening – that is, there is one sound for the word but two spellings and meanings. Given people don’t realise there are two spellings, I guess it isn’t surprising to see the incorrect word used.
So here are the definitions of the two words to make sure you know which is which!
lightning: a sudden burst of light in the sky
The lightning storm was exciting and beautiful to watch
lightening: to make lighter or brighter
The sky was lightening on the horizon as we arrived home.
I am looking forward to lightening my load!
Lightning in the sky is fast and sharp – there is no time for extra letters. Whereas lightening something involves some effort, it is a verb, so it has an extra e in the spelling and pronunciation.
Would you like a piece of peace?
The pronuncition of peace and piece is the only thing that these two words have in common.
piece: a portion or part of something, such as a pie or a cake; something regarded as a standard unit, such as a piece of paper or a piece of fruit.
Would you like a piece of pie?
peace: harmony and tranquility of environment, mind, politics or relationships. It often refers to a state of quiet, too.
He now has peace of mind
A good way to remember the difference is ‘a piece of pie’ because it has pie in it”.
Is your office stationary?
These two can be very tricky to get right…
stationery: office and writing supplies, including paper, envelopes, pens, pencils and folders.
The pencil case was full of new stationery
stationary: to be still and not moving.
All the cars in the car park were stationary
Stationery includes envelopes is the best reminder I can think of for this pair of words – do you have a better way of remembering which is which?
Is HR getting too personal?
Though they sound very similar the meanings of personal and personnel couldn’t be more different…
personal: belonging or relating to an individual
He went looking through my personal belongings
personnel: the people belonging to a group, such as employees of a company or members of an army division
The personnel of the company were happy
I have a cell to sell
cell: a basic unit, often regular in shape and function
Each cell of his body reacted to the oxygen
or
He couldn’t find a way out of his prison cell
sell: to transfer or exchange goods or services in return for money or other goods and services
How do you sell your services?
If you are having trouble with these two words, remember that a shop sells things.
Is noise allowed?
allowed: to have permission
Under school rules, she was allowed to wear casual clothes.
aloud: not silent, speak openly rather than in a whisper
The students took turns reading aloud from the novel.
whether the weather is what you want…
Today’s pair of definitions isn’t one I see misused very often, but it looks very strange when they are misused so it’s important to get it right!
whether: providing two or more options or choices
I am not sure whether I will have a boy or a girl.
weather: atmospheric changes that affect people – we usually include temperature, humidity, wet/dry conditions, wind and sunny/cloudy as part of the weather
Do you know what the weather will be for our picnic?
How to remember which spelling is which? Whether (starts with wh) is about which (starts with wh) choice, but weather affects what we want to eat!
Boy sits on a buoy?
Don’t rely on your spell checker. Even if there are no language differences, it won’t always catch your errors.
Both “the buoy is floating” and “the boy is floating” are correct, but they mean different things. Of course, if you live in the USA you pronounce buoy as boo-ey so this pair of words doesn’t seem quite so similar as it does to those of us who prounce it the same way as boy.
boy: a male child
The boy was excited about his birthday.
buoy: a floating device that marks significant spots in water
The boats kept outside of the circle of buoys during the race.
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