Confusing Words Clarified: Group D; Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, Synonyms, Polysemes, etc. +
(lists of "D" sections that are organized into what for some people are confusing groups of words)
The day-to-day arena of spoken and written communication has always been a perilous place, fraught with endless possibilities for embarrassing blunders by even the most wary.
People may have a fine grasp of grammar, be proficient with spelling and syntax, and still occasionally find themselves in a quandary about which word to use. These days it seems that those of us who want to be precise are having a harder time than ever because there is so much which is working against us.
For one thing, there is the constant bombardment of sloppy English that we are subjected to from what we hear and read; and not just what's overheard on the bus or read on the walls of buildings.
We are also subjected to the many errors audible on TV or radio and published in every conceivable kind of printed matter; especially, in blogs and other presentations on some internet sites. These are strong influences, and if we hear and see a word misused often enough, it takes on a certain "correctness".
If you have any problems understanding the pronunciation symbols, go to this Pronunciation Chart for clarifications.
Once again, we want you to know that efforts have been made to help you grasp the meanings of the following and the other word groups that may be confusing so you can utilize them with greater accuracy in your communication.
Your comments and suggestions are always welcome by writing to: E-mail Contact (just click it for an e-mail form) or by typing, [email protected], as the address in your e-mail heading.
Jeremy was worried that his editor might misplace a comma in the introductory sentence of his new novel.
2. To direct a feeling; such as, trust or confidence toward someone or something that does not deserve it: Emanuel's lying all the time caused Haley to misplace her trust in such tall red haired men.While Selma was doing a thorough cleaning at the library, she had to displace the books from the shelves. When it was time to replace them, she was afraid that she would misplace some of the titles and confuse the users.
It soon became apparent among the dissidents that there was a strong dissidence between their movement and the university administration.
2. Easy to see, hear, smell, feel, etc.: Latisha spoke with a distinct British accent.
3. Strong and definite: A cancellation of the flight is a distinct possibility.
4. Remarkable or unmistakable: Bianca's distinct style of dress caught the eye of the famous clothing designer.
2. Appealing or interesting because of an unusual quality or characteristic: This store sells the most distinctive chocolates."
There is a distinct difference between the large department stores and the smaller stores that sell distinctive clothing.
Frieda's mother appeared to be distraught and distrait during the school meeting and we were all distracted by the noise of the train speeding past across the street.
The divers who worked for divers pearl companies often received diverse wages for the same dangerous work.
2. A complete or radical severance of closely connected things: To ensure a completely neutral decision, there should be a divorce between the church and the courts.
When the divorcé was talking with a divorcée, they discovered they had used the same divorce lawyer when each one finalized his and her divorce.
There is also the verb do (DOO): To perform or to execute, plus many other meanings; however, the do (DOH) in this section is presented with doe and dough to demonstrate their "homonymic" relationships.
2. Slang for "money": Reuben said he was running out of enough dough to take care of his family's needs.
Anton doesn't have much dough these days to pay for all of his expenses.
Rod promised Jodie a lot of dough if she would go to the forest with her camera and take a picture of the doe. This made Jodie so happy that she walked away singing ...do...ra...mi...fa...sol...la...ti...do.
2. A specified location within a courtroom where the prisoner or accused person remains during a court proceeding: The Old Bailey Courthouse has a famous dock for criminals.
The lawyer, who everyone referred to as "doc", often went to the cottage by the lake where the dock bloomed.
Going to the cottage always gave him a reprieve from having to see his clients in the dock. He sailed a lot and would bring his boat up to the dock at the end of the day.
If the buck doesn't doze, then he probably does get excited when the does come around.
When does a female deer sleep? Well, we can see those does doze there in the field right now.
Ernie, the bailiff, travelled in a carriage pulled by the dun horse when he went to dun the debtors; as a result, he was always very tired when he was done with a day's work.
If the storm blowing sand off the dune lasts very long, Devon is afraid it will doom his plans to cross the desert on camel back.
2. Slang for someone who is not considered to be very intelligent: When Hans lost the spelling bee, he felt like a complete dope.
Any dope who allows a friend to dupe him or her into using dope will feel as if the friend tried to dupe that person into believing that using dope would be a healthy choice.
2. To put out (a light or fire); to extinguish: "Burton, don't forget to douse your campfire before leaving the camp ground."
When Scotty and Shauna went camping, they tried to dowse for water because they needed lots of water to douse the campfire and to douse thier faces, etc. in the morning.
2. To go underwater or to go down to a deeper level underwater: "The whale dove way down into the ocean."
3. To suddenly jump toward something that is on or near the ground: "Because of the hail and strong winds, Nolan dove for cover in a safe more protected place."
After hearing the wild cat creeping up through the dry leaves, the dove dove into the bushes.
2. In a low position or place: "Mike, make sure you keep your head down as we go into the cellar."
3. On or to the ground: "Darwin's neighbor's house burned down."
2. A covering of soft, short hairs, as on some leaves, fruit, insects, and some animal fur: "Ants have down, there are leaves with down, peaches have down, and there are humans with soft down on their faces; as well as some animals which have soft-fur down."
When Jodie went hiking, she wore a down coat to keep warm as she was going down the steep slope of the hill, but she warmed up quickly and she could feel the sweat running down her neck.
Kermit was not watching where he was going and so he fell down and rolled down the hill and landed down at the bottom of the slope.
Confusing Words: Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs; explained and demonstrated.
Confusing Words: Units, Groups A to Z.
Confusing Words: Vocabulary Quizzes Listed.
