Tuesday, March 13, 2012

ring, wring

Ring or ring means a piece of jewelry worn on the finger, or anything shaped like the outline of a circle--
She showed her engagement ring to all of her friends.
That glass will leave a ring on the table.
The people formed a ring around the bonfire and sang holiday carols.
The muddy water left a ring in the tub.
Ring may be a verb ( action word ), meaning to make a circle around something or someone--
The house was ringed with flowering shrubs.
We could ring the tables with crepe paper for the party.

Ring is also what a bell does, or a phone, alarm, doorbell, or another device--
Did you hear the phone ring?
Turn off your phone so it won't ring during the meeting.
Ring bell for service.

Wring or wring ( rhymes with ring ) means to twist and squeeze in order to remove water or liquid--
It is hard to wring out the laundry by hand.
Wring the water out of the towels before you put them in the car.

Wring also means to twist one's hands together, as an expression of dismay or anxiety--
She was so upset that she was wringing her hands.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Take off your ring before you wring out the clothes."

Note--the past ( yesterday, or some time ago ) form of "ring" is "rang"--
My phone rang a minute ago, but I missed the call.
The past tense of "wring" is "wrung"--
She wrung out all of the laundry this morning.
"Rung" is a past participle ( used with a helper verb ) of "ring"--
The bell had rung, but she was still a block away from school.
Note # 2--"rung" is also a step on a ladder--
Don't step on the top rung of the ladder. It's not safe.
The ladder is missing a rung.
Note # 3--a "wringer" is part of a washing machine--
She put the clothes through an old-fashioned wringer to get the water out.
A "ringer" may mean what makes a phone or bell sound--
Turn off the ringer of your phone before going in.
Or "ringer"  may be a winning throw in a game of horseshoes--
How many points do I get for a ringer?

No comments:

Post a Comment