Confusing Words Clarified: Group T; Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, Synonyms, Polysemes, etc. +
(lists of "T" sections that are organized into what for some people are confusing groups of words)
If you have any problems understanding the pronunciation symbols, go to this Pronunciation Chart for clarifications.
The professor laid out on the table the table showing the students’ grades.
Since the conference at which he was speaking was held high on the table overlooking the valley, the attendees decided to table their discussion until the following day so they could go sightseeing.
"Someone has written that a tablet computer, or tablet laptop, is fast and runs many programs at the same time without lagging and freezing."
The doctor wrote directions for the change in medication about a new prescription tablet which stated that the patient should take one tablet of the new medication every three hours; then, he also recorded the information on his tablet computer.
2. The skills to appreciate the delicacy of a situation and to do or to say the kindest or most fitting things; diplomacy: "The boy's father used tact in dealing with their tragedy."
Tact is the knowledge of how far is too far or the skill in making a point without making an enemy.
A tactful husband told his wife, "How do you expect me to remember your birthday when you never look any older?"
People with tact have less to retract.
Tact is the ability to make a person see the lightning without letting him feel the bolt.
2. To fasten something to a surface using a short sharp pointed pin or nail: "The principal of the school usually tacks the sports schedule on the bulletin board for the coming week."
2. To charge or to administer the collection of a specified amount of money for the use of or ownership of something: "The city council decided to tax each household for the amount of water that was being used in each residence."
3. To expect a great deal from or to put demands on someone or something: "That job will tax her strength because she will be required to use a lot of physical effort."
"Will you have to tax your budget so you can go on this trip?"
"It's sad to say, but the more a person makes, the more he/she will have to pay a tax on such income."
Bulletin board: Tacks' haven.
A tacks' haven is far from being the same as a tax haven.
Tax is another thing that, once started, declines to decline.
The principal said that all the tacks that were needed to tack up the schedules for the year would tax her supply.
"The tail of the car was damaged in the accident."
"He was at the tail end of the line waiting to buy tickets for the film."
"The tail of the airplane was broken off when the pilot had to make an emergency landing after running out of gas."
"My silly cat tried to tail me when I left home for a walk, but she soon got tired and went back to the house."
2. To become more faint or scattered: "Her voice started to tail off after she had been reading out loud for several minutes."2. An imaginative telling of an event: "A myth is often a tale used to explain puzzling events or circumstances."
3. Gossip or stories that can be libellous: "The tale that was told about the couple's elopement was scandalous and was later proven not to be true."
The teacher was telling a tale about a dog's tail.
A tail is something attached behind the behind.
A tale is the largest part of a fish story.
At the scene of the accident it was obvious that the driver of the red sports car had been tailgating and rammed into the tailgate of the station wagon in front of him.
Be careful that we don't tailgate the car in front of us because it belongs to my friend and we are planning to have a tailgate party at the beach and we want to use the tailgate on the back of his station wagon as the "stand" for the picnic.
2. Natural endowment or ability of a superior quality: "The computer company has hired some of the best talent for its software development."
"Her brother's experience, skills, and talent have been recognized and will make him the perfect choice for the new position on the staff."
"In Greek and Latin, talent was used for a sum of money (a Greek talanton was equivalent to 6,000 drachmas)."
"In the New Testament of the Bible (Matthew 25:14-30), the passage known as 'the parable of talents' has been interpreted to mean that the monetary talent was a God-given endowment which, if not used, would be lost and this 'endowment' sense gave rise to its extended use as 'mental ability, skill, or aptitude'."
The antique dealer had a special talent of being able to determine the difference between an authentic-ancient talent and a clever reproduction.
2. The general abilities that someone has: "His winter sports talents were diverse including snowboarding, skiing, and skating."
"Our friend's experience, skills, and talents make him perfectly suited for the new position in the company."
"The talons of the mountain lion are sharp and useful for hunting its prey."
2. Any objects that are shaped like a claw: "The child used two crooked sticks as talons when he tried to reach the ball he lost in the bushes."His talents as a sportsman included working with falcons whose talons were very sharp and dangerous.
2. Insipid, lacking spirit or zest: "We were disappointed because we thought the sports event was merely a tame game."
2. To soften or to tone down: "He struggled to tame his temper while talking with his supervisor at work."
He was trying to tame the hyperactivity of his kitten by using a very tame voice when he had to scold her; however, he didn't want her to be too tame so she would be just another tame household pet.
I know I should be studying geometry; especially, the lesson on the tangent and the hypotenuse of the triangle, but my mind seems to have gone off on a tangent because I was day dreaming about going swimming at the beach.
"Our neighbor cleaned the fish tank before he went camping."
The driver of the army tank must have been in a tanked condition when he filled the gas tank because he filled it with water.
When the plumber came to fix the water tap, she used a hammer to tap the pipes. It was obvious that she also had taps on the heels of her shoes because the clicking was quite loud when she walked on the floor.
"He used the waxed taper to light the taper on the mantle."
2. To diminish or to become smaller: "Her voice began to taper off as she was reading the long story."
While we were camping out on the Malay Peninsula, we heard a noise outside our tent and when we used a lighted taper to see what was going on, we were surprised to see a tapir near the tent entrance and then our sight of the animal tapered off as it ran away.
When they tar the city streets again, the people hope the new tar will make driving much smoother.
2. A counterweight or an empty container that is the same size as a filled container, used to determine changes in the original cargo caused by changing conditions: "The merchant used a tare when weighing the containers of grain to ensure a fair price for the actual produce."
"The shipper made a tare of the container and deducted it from the gross weight to obtain the net weight of the contents."
"I tried to tear a piece of cloth to use as a cleaning rag."
2. To injure as if by pulling something apart: "My ankle sprain felt so bad it felt as if someone were trying to tear my foot off my leg."3. To move with haste: "He started to tear down the hill at breakneck speed on his motor cycle."
2. A profusion of this liquid spilling from the eyes and wetting the cheeks; especially, as an expression of emotion: "She was crying tears of frustration and anger."
"Why do your eyes tear when you cut onions?"
"With his promotion, my cousin joined the tier of upper management in the office where he worked."
For our science lecture, the speaker was going to talk about a particular tare found in the fields nearby; unfortunately, she turned out to be allergic to the tare sample that was brought to the class and her eyes started to tear up.
A member of the class didn't have a handkerchief to give her, but he was able to tear a strip of cloth off the lab coat he was wearing and give it to her because he was sitting in the first row of the tier of seats in the auditorium.
When the artist saw the tear in his painting, you can be sure that he shed more than one tear over it.
Tears are glum-drops.
Confusing Words: Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs; explained and demonstrated.
Confusing Words: Units, Groups A to Z.
Confusing Words: Vocabulary Quizzes Listed.
