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.
2. A description of someone whose way of living is considered morally wrong: It's sad to say, but Lorene has led a dissolute life as a beggar ever since she left home as a teenager.
The dissolute army officer marched his army through the countryside, planning to desolate it for future farming.
By the time his army reached the sea, a whole swath of countryside was desolate and uninhabitable.
2. Different from each other; dissimilar; radically different, different in essential qualities: The discussion included topics as disparate as the economy and health care.
The school was composed of students from disparate cultures.
The desperado was described as a desperate character or ruffian.
The desperate desperadoes were disparate as to how they should avoid capture by the pursuing police.
The politician wanted to distract his constituents by sending out charming letters intended to detract their attention from his outlandish remarks to the media.
Gwen wanted to devise a device that would make driving safer and less expensive.
Acting as a divisor, Sharon's uncle ensured that the property he bought with the wealth he accumulated as the devisor of specialized farm equipment was willed to her mother.
Due to the dry weather, we do not see any dew on the grass.
"If you had your due," Bill's father said, "You'd get a good whipping True?"
"I guess," said Bill, "but bills aren't always paid when they are due."
The diagnosis given by the three specialists confirmed that the prognosis for Silvia was good and that she would have a full recovery.
The doctor drew a diagram to illustrate the location and functions of the body's diaphragm.
The author was considered a significant diarist of her times as she chronicled the direst events with compassion and insight.
2. Small cubes that are made of plastic, wood, etc. which have one to six dots on each side, and are used usually in pairs in various games: The guys in the back room were playing games with dice to see who could walk away with the most money.
The brain dies a little each day as a person gets older and older; especially, if there are no mental challenges.
When Lorena's aunt dies, the directions for how best to dice vegetables will die with her unless she writes them down.
Jenna explained the directions to her daughter who illustrated the page with drawings of dice.
2. To speak in a way that is not normal: Josefina minced her words in an effort to sound sophisticated.
As an actor on the TV cooking show, Nick minced his words while he diced the vegetables and minced the meat for the soup.
While Jill was looking up synonyms in the thesaurus, she also consulted a new dictionary which was helpful in that it had a special glossary of specialized words which she had not seen when she reviewed the old lexicon that her friend had given to her.
2. One of a pair of dice: At the store, Lana rolled a large die and the number five was on top which gave her that number of free trial days at a fitness studio.
Jesse always said, "Before I die, I want to dye my hair red; but first I want to complete my collection of individual die all of which are single samples of those that have been used in many gambling places in Las Vegas."
He also plans to use a die to make a special cabinet in which to store his die collection.
In order to differentiate the distinctive geological features on the map, Lynette used different colored markers to distinguish low hill formations from higher hill formations.
The leader of the dissident faction attending the conference displayed a surprisingly diffident attitude when speaking to the crowd.
Confusing Words: Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs; explained and demonstrated.
Confusing Words: Units, Groups A to Z.
Confusing Words: Vocabulary Quizzes Listed.
