Friday, August 17, 2012

rapt, rapped, wrapped

Rapt or rapt means transported by a sight, sound, feeling, or thought, as to another world--
He gazed at the ocean, rapt with wonder.
Rapt may mean engrossed in thought--
He listened to the speaker with rapt attention.

Rapped or rapped ( rhymes with rapt ) is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of rap, meaning to knock lightly or smartly--
He rapped his knuckles on the table whenever he got nervous.
The teacher rapped on the desk to get their attention.

Wrapped or wrapped ( rhymes with rapt ) is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of "wrap", meaning to cover on all sides, as with paper or a blanket--
She wrapped the presents and hid them in the closet.
He was sitting  in front of the fire, all wrapped up in a blanket.
Wrapped may also be used in a figurative sense--
She was so wrapped up in what she was doing that she didn't notice the time.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"She wrapped the lettuce in a towel, rapped it smartly on the counter, and  gazed in rapt amazement at the results."
 

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