Monday, April 30, 2012

sell, cell, cel

Sell or sell means to trade for cash or money; to vend--
He decided to sell his old things at a flea market.
She learned to sell real estate and got a new job.

Cell or cell ( rhymes with sell ) means one of the units of a living organism--
Under the microscope, they could see each individual cell.
The hospital did some tests, but they didn't find one cancer cell.
Cell also means one of the locked rooms in a jail or monastery--
He had to share his cell with another convict.

Cel or cel means a transparent image used to make one of the frames of an animated film--
He bought a framed cel from a Disney movie to hang on the wall.
This old cel may be worth some money to a collector.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He placed an ad to sell an old cel of the dogs in a jail cell from Lady and the Tramp.

Note--the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) form of "sell" is "sold"--
He sold his old things at a flea market last week.
Note # 2--an organism made up of only one cell,  biologically, is called a "single-celled organism"--
We saw a single-celled organism under the microscope.



Friday, April 27, 2012

populous, populace

Populous or populous describes an area having a large population, meaning a lot of people living in it--
The town was not as populous after the factory closed.
Toxic waste should be treated far from any populous area.

Populace or populace ( rhymes with populous ) means the inhabitants or citizens of a particular place--
The outlaws of the old west often terrorized the populace.
The health department worried about the disease spreading among the populace.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The dictator knew that the entire populace of such a populous area would never go along with the scheme."

Note--"population" may mean the inhabitants of an area or region. In this way it is a synonym for populace, but "population" is usually used in a more abstract way, as in the census--
The health department worried about the disease spreading among the population.
"Population" may also refer to animals or other living things, as in the population of butterflies in a meadow.

 Note # 2--"populate" means to provide with inhabitants, as in a colony or new territory--
It took many years for the Americans to populate the west.
"Population" may be a noun ( thing or idea ) form of "populate"--
The population of the west took many years.

Note # 3--"populist" is a political term for someone who believes in appealing to the common people--
His parents believed  the elite should make decisions. They despised his populist sympathies.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

tore, tour

Tore or tore is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of tear, meaning to rip or rend--
He tore his shirt, and went home to change.
We tore up bits of paper to make confetti.

Tour or tour ( rhymes with tore ) means a visit to examine or have a look at some new place--
They took a tour of Paris while on vacation.
They went on a guided tour of the museum.
Tour may also be used as a verb ( action word )--
We will tour the islands next spring.
We like to tour new places.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He tore his shirt while on a tour of the new factory."

Note--"tor" ( rhymes with tore ) means a rocky pinnacle or mountain peak--
He took several photographs of the tor with the sun setting behind it.
Note # 2--"torn" is a modifying ( describing something ) form of "tore"--
His shirt is torn.
He tore his shirt.
"Torn" is also a participle ( used with a helper verb ) to show that the action is over or complete--
He went home after he had torn all of the papers to bits.
The dog has torn up all of the grass.
Your shirt is torn.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

stare, stares, stair, stairs

Stare or stare means to look at someone or something intensely, with a fixed gaze--
His mother told him that it was rude to stare.
Don't stare! It makes me nervous.
Stares is the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of stare--
He stares when he is thinking about something.
I don't like the way she stares at me.
Stare may also be a noun ( thing or idea )--
She mocked him with an insolent stare.
His stare got everyone's attention.

Stair or stair ( rhymes with stare ) is an old-fashioned word for stairs, meaning the steps from one floor of a building to another, or any one step of the set--
"Yesterday upon the stair, I met a man who wasn't there..."
We should get some stair treads for the steps.
Stairs means a set of steps that go from one floor or level to another--
Be careful on the stairs.
He fell down the stairs and broke his leg.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He always stares when she comes down the stairs."
"What is making you stare? Is there something on the stair?"

Note--"upstairs" means on the floor above--
Don't play ball upstairs. It's too noisy.
Where is he? He's upstairs.
"Up the stairs" means walking up the steps to the second floor, or the floor above--
Don't run up the stairs. You'll fall.
"Downstairs" means on the floor below--
I wish the people downstairs would be quiet.
Mom went downstairs a minute ago.
"Down the stairs" means walking down the steps to a lower floor or level--
Walk down the stairs slowly, or you might fall.

Note # 2-- to "stare down" means to stare at someone until he sees your point of view--
They made fun of him, but he was determined to stare them down.

Note # 3--a "staircase" is a set of steps --
Don't leave your toys on the staircase.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

seller, cellar

Seller or seller means the person or party who has offered something for sale--
If you have any questions about the item, contact the seller directly.
The seller says he can wait until Friday for payment.

Cellar or cellar ( rhymes with seller ) means a basement or underground room--
We left the windows open to air out the cellar.
Don't put the books in the cellar. They'll get musty.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He has a cellar full of old stuff. He ought to become a flea market seller.

Note--"cellar" is also an old-fashioned word for a type of dish or compartment, as in the expression "salt cellar" , meaning a dish for holding salt, instead of the more modern salt shaker.
A person who sells salt might be called a "salt seller", but that would be unusual.


Monday, April 23, 2012

metal, medal, meddle, mettle

Metal or metal means one of the substances mined to use in making goods and machines--
Steel, iron, aluminum, lead, tin, brass, copper, gold, silver and platinum are all types of metal.
Some things made of metal can rust. That's why they are painted.

Medal or medal means an emblem or medallion  ( looks like a coin )  made as  an award or to commemorate a special event--
He won a gold medal in the swimming competition.
He was awarded a medal for bravery.

Meddle or meddle means to interfere where one is not wanted--
I wish she wouldn't meddle in my affairs!
They seem to like each other, but let's not meddle.

 Mettle or mettle means temperament  or  spirit--
"When a man's an empty kettle, he should be on his mettle..."
The battle was a test of the mettle of those involved.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"A witness decided to meddle, and after reporting the display of mettle, the hero was awarded a medal made of  shiny silver metal."

Note--a "medalist" is someone who has won a medal.
A "metallurgist" is someone who studies metal.

Note # 2--"meddlesome" describes a person who often interferes or meddles--
What a meddlesome old woman!
"Mettlesome" means brave or spirited--
Their leader, a mettlesome fellow,  inspired confidence in his troops.


Friday, April 20, 2012

salary, celery

Salary or salary ( sal ah ree ) means income earned from work, paid weekly or monthly, but not by the hour--
He looked for a new job with a higher salary.
She took the job, even thought the salary was low.

Celery or celery ( sell er ee ) is the light green vegetable that looks like the stems of a large plant--
The recipe calls for chopped celery.
He liked to snack on celery and peanut butter.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"His salary was so low that he couldn't afford celery."

Note--someone who earns a salary is a "salaried" employee--
Is he an hourly employee or a salaried employee?

Thursday, April 19, 2012

carrot, karat, caret

Carrot or carrot ( kar ut ) means the long, pointed root vegetable, usually orange in color--
See if there's a carrot in the refrigerator to add to the soup.
The recipe calls for a sliced raw carrot.

Karat or karat ( kar at ) is a measure of the quality of gold--
If the gold is 12 karat, it is half gold and half something else, such as silver.
Gold that has nothing mixed with it is marked 24 karat gold.

Caret or caret  ( kar et ) means the small triangular mark used to show where a word or phrase should be inserted in a sentence--
If you leave out a word while typing, you can use a caret ( ^ ) to show where it belongs.
Type a caret between the two words where you mean to add a correction.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"I should have typed "karat", but I typed "carrot", so I crossed it out and noted the correct spelling with a caret."

Note--not to be confused with "karate", a form of martial arts--
He studied karate until he could break a board with his hand.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

earn, urn, erne

Earn or earn means to obtain through work or service, as salary or wages--
She wants to earn more than the minimum wage.
If you finish school, you will earn more money.
How much interest will my bank deposit earn?

Urn or urn ( rhymes with earn ) means  sort of jar or vase, often used to hold the ashes of someone who has been cremated--
The urn on the table holds the ashes of my late uncle.
His favorite poem was "Ode on a Grecian Urn".

Erne or erne ( also spelled ern, rhymes with earn ) means a sea eagle--a kind of bird--
They climbed over  the rocks to the cliff, hoping to see an erne.
He sat watching the erne flying over the ocean.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"When I earn enough money, I will buy the antique urn with an erne in flight painted on it."

Note--the money we earn, or that our money in the bank earns,  is called "earnings"--
His earnings for the year added up to a large sum.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

seed, cede

Seed or seed means the small kernel a plant uses to reproduce itself, and which people use to grow plants--
Make sure to put one seed in each hole. Then cover them with dirt.
Each seed will grow into a plant.
Corn kernels are also corn seeds. If you plant one it may grow a cornstalk.

Cede or cede ( rhymes with seed ) means to give over or surrender as a  term of a treaty or pact--
One of the terms of the treaty stipulates that they will cede all of the land they occupied during the war.
He will not agree to cede any territory.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The soldier offered them bushels of grain seed, instead of the wagons they wanted him to cede."

Note--to "concede" is to finally agree with someone, or to admit that someone else is right--
Enough arguing! I concede the point!
He refused to concede that fiction is not the same as fact.

Monday, April 16, 2012

peal, peel

Peal or peal is what a bell does when it makes a sound--
He heard the peal of the bells and hurried home.
The loud peal of the bell was used as an alarm on the ship.

Peel or peel ( rhymes with peal ) means the outer skin of a fruit or vegetable--
The recipe calls for a grated orange peel.
You can eat the potato peel. It won't hurt you.
Peel also means to remove the outer skin from a fruit or vegetable--
Here, you can peel the potatoes.
Make sure to peel the apples before you put them in the pie.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He started to run when he heard the peal of the bell, but he slipped on an apple peel and fell down."

Note--"appeal"  means the quality of enticement or attraction--
He made an appeal to their sympathy, hoping they would change their minds.
Advertisers often try to appeal to our vanity.
Not to be confused with "a peel", as in "a peel of a lemon"--
There's nothing left but a peel and some seeds.
Or "a peal" as in "a peal of the bell"--
A peal of the bell sent everyone running. 

Friday, April 13, 2012

guilt, gilt

Guilt or guilt is the noun ( thing or idea ) from of guilty, meaning responsibility or culpability--
The jury will decide his guilt or innocence.
Modern Freudians maintain that all guilt feelings are to be rejected.

Gilt or gilt ( rhymes with guilt ) is a kind of paint made of gold--
The frames were covered in real gilt.
The book had gilt decorations on the cover.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He admitted his guilt in the theft of the gilt frames."

Note--To "gild" something is to cover it in gilt, or decorate it with gilt--
" to paint the lily, to gild refined gold...."
Something that is covered in gold is "gilded"--
The ends of the book are gilded.
Note # 2--"guild" ( rhymes with gild ) means a skilled trades union--
They belonged to the printer's guild.
Note # 3--a fish or a mushroom may be "gilled", meaning it has gills--
Many fish are gilled, having special organs that fish use for obtaining oxygen from the water.
"Gilled" may also be the past tense of "gill", meaning  to remove the gills of the fish for cooking--
He gilled and gutted the fish he caught, and then took them home to cook.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

reality, realty

Reality or reality means what actually exists, as opposed to what is pretend, or fact as opposed to fiction--
The psychiatrist reported that his patient had a poor grasp of reality.
Reality shows are very popular on television.

Realty or realty means real estate or real property, as in land or buildings--
The realty agent is going to show us some houses today.
He called a realty firm to find out about listing his house for sale.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The realty agent said that the asking price did not conform to the reality of the housing market."


Wednesday, April 11, 2012

conscious, conscience

Conscious or conscious means aware, especially in the sense of being aware of one's own feelings and motivations--
He continued to sulk, although he was conscious of the effect it was having on everyone.
He drove into the wrong lane without being conscious of his mistake.
Conscious is also a medical term, meaning not unconscious, as someone who has been knocked out or passed out--
The 911 operator wants to know if he's conscious.
Is the patient conscious?

Conscience or conscience means the human sense of right and wrong--
The nagging voice of his conscience told him that he shouldn't do it.
"Let your conscience be your guide."

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He was conscious that he was rationalizing his behavior to soothe his own conscience."

Note--"concise" means in as few words as possible--
Tell the story, but try to be concise.
Note #2--"consciousness" is the noun ( thing or idea ) form of "conscious", meaning awareness, especially of one's own inner thoughts and feelings--
The self-help book promised anew form of consciousness.
Consciousness is also a medical term, meaning not in a state of physical unconsciousness, as someone who has been injured might be--
The victim regained consciousness while in the ambulance, and told them the whole story.
Note #3--"conscientious" means with thorough attention to duty or obligation--
He was always a conscientious worker.
Note #4--Conscientiousness is the noun ( thing or idea ) form of conscientious--
He was rewarded for his conscientiousness with a bonus and a promotion.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

sheer, shear

Sheer or sheer means somewhat transparent, as fabric--
I am looking for some sheer curtains for the front window.
That dress is sheer--you need a slip!
Sheer or sheer is also used to mean utter, or unmixed with anything--
This is sheer nonsense!
Sheer folly!
Sheer may also mean steep, as in nearly vertical--
When they got to the top of the ridge, they saw a sheer drop below them.

Shear or shear ( rhymes with sheer ) means to cut off with a sharp instrument, as sheep's wool--
When it gets warm we will shear the sheep.
The pilot was afraid that the crash would shear the wing off of the plane.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He watched them shear the sheep through the sheer window shade."

Note--"shears" means scissors, always with an "s" at the end, as a plural--
The shears are on the table.
Who has been using my shears?
"Shears" may also be the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of "shear", the verb ( action word )--
He shears the sheep every spring.
Not to be confused with "sheers", which may refer to more than one sheer curtain--
I need some sheers for the front window.

Monday, April 9, 2012

aisle, isle, I'll

Aisle or aisle means a corridor or space between shelves in a store or seats in a theater or other building--
The usher says not to block the aisle.
The cereal is in the first aisle.

Isle or isle ( rhymes with aisle ) means an island. Isle may be part of an island's name, or an old-fashioned term for island--
They took a tour of the Isle of Wight.
He dreamed of a sunny isle with palm trees.

I'll  ( rhymes with aisle ) is a contraction ( short, informal form ) of "I will"--
I'll go to the store later.
I'll never get this done if I don't stop playing video games.
"I'll be home for Christmas..."

Now that you know that, you can say--
"I'll walk down the aisle, and then we'll honeymoon on a romantic isle."

Note--"ill" ( rhymes with will ) means sick or not well--
She was too ill for school, so she stayed home.
"Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, where wealth accumulates and men decay."
Not to be confused with I'll,a contraction of "I will"--
I'll be right back.
I'll be ill if I eat any more ice cream.

Friday, April 6, 2012

click, clique

Click or click means the small noise made by a device such as a light switch, or a computer mouse--
If you click the right side of the mouse you will get a menu.
He froze when he heard the light switch click.

Clique or clique is a word we borrowed from the French. We pronounce it to rhyme with click; the French pronounce it "cleek". A clique is a small group of people who are friends or associates--a group that excludes anyone not a member--
In high school, he spent four years trying to be accepted into the most popular clique.
They belonged to the same clique for years, and rarely spoke to anyone else.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"With social media, chatting with the clique is only a click away."

Thursday, April 5, 2012

feet, feat

Feet or feet is the plural ( more than one ) form of "foot"--the foot you walk on, the foot of a thing or device,or foot as a unit of measurement --
He seems to have two left feet today.
That old table has ball and claw feet.
We need a garden fence about 8 feet long.

Feat or feat ( rhymes with feet ) means an outstanding exploit or accomplishment, usually physical--
The rescue was lauded in the press as a feat of daring and courage.
The runner won a medal for his feat of endurance.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Throwing the anvil 10 feet was considered a great feat."

Note--the plural ( more than one ) of "feat" is "feats"--
He was awarded a trophy for his feats of strength.
Note# 2--"feet" is already plural ( more than one ), and would agree with a plural ( you, we, they ) form of a verb ( action word )--
His feet are too big.
"Feet" as a unit of measurement may be the subject ( actor ) in a sentence, and agree with a plural verb--
There are six feet of string left. ( the plural "are" refers to "six feet"--also plural )
Or "feet" as a unit of measurement may be the object ( acted upon ), and the verb would agree with the subject--
This string is six feet long. ( The subject of the sentence is "string"--singular )

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

seem, seam

Seem or seem means to appear to be, or to appear to be true--
Does it seem likely that you'll be promoted?
Does she seem arrogant to you?

Seam or seam ( rhymes with seem ) means the line made by two parts joined on one side, especially the line where two pieces of cloth are sewn together--
The shirt split along the shoulder seam.
The seam of your pants is coming apart.

 Now that you know that, you can say--
"Does this seam seem crooked to you?"

Note--"seamy" means sordid or squalid--
They stayed in a seamy hotel that had a rough-looking clientele.
Note # 2--"Seemly" describes proper or appropriate conduct--
It was not seemly to be so forward, said her great aunt.
"Unseemly" describes inappropriate or loose, loud public manners or conduct--
The congregation found the minister's behavior unseemly, and fired him.
Note # 3--"seamless" ( one word ) means all of a piece, or in one piece, without any seams, literally or figuratively--
He wants a seamless robe, cut from one large piece of cloth.
If we plan everything carefully, the transition should be seamless.
Not to be confused with "seem less" ( two words ), meaning to appear to be of a smaller quantity, literally or figuratively--
Does the amount in this glass seem less than the amount in the other?
Does she seem less depressed lately?


Tuesday, April 3, 2012

hall, haul

Hall or hall means the space or passageway between rooms or apartments, where the doors are--
We'll need a long narrow rug for the hall.
Tell the children not to play in the hall. It's bothering the neighbors.
Hall also means a large room for lectures, meeting or dining--
Everyone is already in the mess hall.
The hall was nearly empty on the last day of classes.

Haul or haul ( rhymes with hall ) means to pull from one place to another--
He used an eighteen-wheeler to haul the freight to California.
Everyone haul on the rope, so we can pull the boat to shore.
Haul may mean the goods that are being pulled, usually in the sense of illicit goods or winnings--
The burglars got quite a haul.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"They used a rope to haul the piano into the hall."

Note--"hall" may still be a part of some addresses, used as part of the name of a large building--
The meeting will be in College Hall.
We had to go to City Hall to get the form.

Monday, April 2, 2012

ton, tun

Ton or ton means 2,000 pounds, or something that weighs 2,000 pounds--
Iron ore and coal are bought and sold by the ton.
This truck isn't big enough to carry a ton of goods.

Tub or tun ( rhymes with ton ) means a large vat or barrel--
You may see a tun of wine if you visit a vineyard.
A tun holds more than 200 gallons of wine.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"A tun of wine weighs more than a ton."

Note--not to be confused with a French word you may see in an English book--"ton" ( rhymes with tone, or close to it ). "Ton" means stylishness or doing things well, according to fashion--
She wanted to be a fashionable woman, with the real bon ton.