Top 10 Confused Words in English [S]

Top 10 Confused Words in English [S] Top 10 Confused Words in English [S] Top 10 Confused Words in English [S] By Maeve Maddox My cumulative list of â€Å"words commonly confused† continues with ten that begin with the letter S. The confusion relates to spelling or meaning. 1. sight / site Both words function as nouns and verbs. As a noun, sight is a thing seen. Ex. The Pont du Garde is an astounding sight. As a verb, sight means â€Å"catch sight of something or to take aim.† Ex. The lookout sighted land at dawn. Ex. The  surveyor sighted the  compass. Site is from Latin situs: place, position. The principal meaning for web users is probably â€Å"a web address.† Ex. Daily Writing Tips is one of my favorite sites. The context in which site is frequently confused with sight regards physical location. Examples of correct usage: A small  Iron Age settlement  was found during excavations at  the site of  a new housing development near Swindon. Redness, soreness,  swelling, or itching may develop at  the site of  the injection. 2. stationary / stationery Stationary is an adjective meaning fixed or unmoving. Ex. All of his traffic violations involved stationary vehicles. Stationery is a noun meaning writing and office materials, especially writing paper and envelopes. Ex. She’s old-fashioned enough to write letters by longhand on monogrammed stationery. Tip: An easy way to remember which is which is to be aware of the er in stationery. It matches the -er at the end of paper. 3. storey / story This distinction concerns British speakers, although some older Americans were taught to observe the difference between storey, â€Å"the level of a building,† and story, â€Å"a tale.† Younger generations of Americans are accustomed to using story for both meanings. Examples: I  live in  a one bedroom  second-storey walkup  in Chelsea. Children derive comfort as well as vocabulary from a daily bedtime story. The plural of storey is storeys. The plural of story is stories. 4. sometime / sometimes / some time Sometime is an adverb that means an indefinite, unstated time in the future. Ex. I’ll clean the garage sometime. Sometimes is an adverb that means â€Å"continually, off and on, occasionally.† Ex. Sometimes she reads in the evening instead of watching television. Some time is a phrase that refers to a period of time. Ex. My web design took some time to complete, but was worth the wait. 5. shear / sheer Both words function as different parts of speech with numerous meanings. The confusion is that of misspelling sheer as shear when the meaning of sheer is â€Å"thin, fine, diaphanous.† INCORRECT: She bought some shear curtains for the living room. CORRECT: She bought some sheer curtains for the living room. Shear is a verb meaning â€Å"to cut† or â€Å"remove wool by cutting.† Ex. We watched the men shear the sheep. 6. set / sit As a verb, set means, â€Å"to place.† Ex. Please set the hot dish on a pad. The verb sit means, â€Å"to be or remain in that posture in which the weight of the body rests upon the posteriors; to be seated. Ex. Are you going to sit at that computer all day? 7. sale / sell Sale is a noun meaning â€Å"the act of selling.† Ex. He regretted the sale of his old Encyclopedia Britannica. Sell is a verb meaning â€Å"to transfer ownership of something for a price.† Ex. When are you going to sell your golf clubs? Sell functions as a noun in the expression â€Å"hard sell.† Ex. Jones has mastered the art of the hard sell: he can bully a customer into buying anything. The error with these words is to use sell in place of sale, as in this example from a site about garage sales: INCORRECT: I had a  garage sell  and I only made 5 dollars! . CORRECT: I had a  garage sale and I only made 5 dollars! . 8. straight / strait Both straight and strait function as more than one part of speech. The error with this pair is one of spelling. In all its uses, strait conveys the ideas of â€Å"tight,† â€Å"tightly fitting,† and â€Å"narrow,† whereas straight connotes the idea of â€Å"not crooked.† Here are some examples of both strait and straight: What the British call a â€Å"strait waistcoat,† the Americans refer to as a â€Å"strait jacket†: a garment for the upper part of the body, made of strong material and admitting of being tightly laced, used for the restraint of violent lunatics or prisoners. One meaning of strait as a noun is â€Å"a comparatively narrow water-way or passage connecting two large bodies of water, like the Strait of Gibraltar. A straight line is the shortest distance between two points. The old soldier stood straight and tall as he saluted the flag. 9. statue / statute A statue is â€Å"a representation in the round of a person, animal, etc., which is sculptured, molded, or cast in marble, metal, plaster, or a similar material. Ex. One of the most famous statues in the world is the David of Michelangelo. Generally speaking, a statute is a law. Ex. The perpetrator was identified just before the statute of limitations ran out. The usual error with this pair is to write statue for statute, as in this comment on a legal site: INCORRECT: My husband was sentenced to prison on a 20 year old burglary charge in California? Can they do this? Is there no statue of limitations on this type of crime? CORRECT: My husband was sentenced to prison on a 20 year old burglary charge in California? Can they do this? Is there no statute of limitations on this type of crime? 10. sensuous / sensual Both adjectives relate to the senses and are often used interchangeably. Sensuous, however, contrasts with the adjectives spiritual and intellectual. Although often equated with sexuality, sensuous can describe anything that appeals to the bodily senses, producing an agreeable effect conducive to physical comfort or contentment. For example, the touch of a cat’s fur, the aroma of bread baking, the warmth from a cozy fire, etc. are sensuous in nature. Sensual, on the other hand, implies a certain indulgence of appetite, a gratification or titillation of the senses that goes beyond what might be considered acceptable, at least in public. Ex. Madonna and Led Zeppelin Make a Startling, Sensual Pairing in â€Å"Justify a Whole Lotta Love.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Inquire vs EnquireHomogeneous vs. HeterogeneousOne Scissor?

A Critical Look at Death of a Salesman

A Critical Look at 'Death of a Salesman' Have you ever loved a rock band that had lots of great songs you cherished? But then the band’s hit single, the one everyone knows by heart, the one that gets all the airtime on the radio, isn’t a song you particularly admire? That’s the way I feel about Arthur Millers   Death of a Salesman. It’s his most famous play, yet I think it pales in comparison to many of his less popular dramas. Although it’s by no means a bad play, it certainly is overrated. Wheres the Suspense? Well, you have to admit, the title does give everything away. The other day, while I was reading Arthur Miller’s esteemed tragedy, my nine-year-old daughter asked me, â€Å"What are you reading?† I replied, Death of a Salesman, and then at her request I read a few pages to her. She stopped me and announced, â€Å"Daddy, this is the world’s most boring mystery.† I got a good chuckle out of that. Of course, it’s a drama, not a mystery. However, the  suspense is a vital component of tragedy. Sure, when we watch a tragedy, we fully anticipate death, destruction, and sadness by the play’s end. But how will the death occur? What will bring about the destruction of the protagonist? When I watched Macbeth for the first time, I guessed that it would conclude with Macbeth’s demise. But I had no idea as to what would be his undoing. After all, he and Lady Macbeth thought they’d never be â€Å"vanquished until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.†Ã‚   How the heck is a forest going to turn against them?! Therein lies the suspense because, sure enough, the forest comes marching right up to their castle! The main character in  Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman, is an open book. We learn very early on in the play that his professional life is a failure. He’s the low-man on the totem pole, hence his last name, â€Å"Loman.† (Very clever, Mr. Miller!) Within the first fifteen minutes of the play, the audience learns that Willy is no longer capable of being a traveling salesman. We also learn that he is suicidal. Spoiler! Willy Loman kills himself at the end of the play. But well before the conclusion, it becomes clear that the protagonist is bent upon self-destruction. His decision to kill himself for the $20,000 insurance money comes as no surprise; the event is blatantly foreshadowed throughout much of the dialogue. The Loman Brothers I have a hard time believing in Willy Loman’s two sons. Happy: He is the perennially ignored son. He has a steady job and keeps promising his parents that he’s going to settle down and get married. But in reality, he’s never going far in business and plans to sleep around with as many floozies as possible. Biff: He’s more likable than Happy. He has been toiling on farms and ranches, working with his hands. Whenever he returns home for a visit, he and his father argue. Willy Loman wants him to make it big somehow. Yet, Biff can’t hold down a 9-to-5 job to save his life. Both brothers are in their mid-thirties. Yet, they act as though they are still boys. The play is set in the productive years following World War II. Did the athletic Lowman brothers fight in the war? It doesn’t seem like it. If they had, perhaps they would be completely different people. They don’t seem to have experienced much during the seventeen years since their high school days. Biff has been moping. Happy has been philandering. Well-developed characters possess more complexity. By leaps and bounds, the father is the best part of Arthur Miller’s play. Unlike many of the show’s flat characters, Willy Loman has depth. His past is a complicated tangle of regrets and undying hopes. Great actors such as Lee J. Cobb and Brian Dennehy have mesmerized audiences with their portrayals of this iconic salesman. Yes, the role is filled with powerful moments. But is Willy Loman truly a tragic figure? Willy Loman: Tragic Hero? Traditionally, tragic characters (such as Oedipus or Hamlet) were noble and heroic. They possessed a tragic flaw, usually a bad case of hubris. (Note: Hubris means excessive pride. Use the word hubris at cocktail parties and people will think you’re ever-so-smart! But dont let it go to your head!). In contrast, Willy Loman represents the common man. Arthur Miller felt that tragedy could be found in the life of ordinary people. While I certainly agree, I also believe that tragedy works best when the main character’s choices become whittled away, much like a masterful yet imperfect chess player who suddenly realizes he is out of moves. Willy Loman has options. He has a lot of opportunities. Arthur Miller seems to be criticizing the American Dream, claiming that Corporate America drains the life out of people and casts them away when they are no further use. Yet, Willy Loman’s successful neighbor continually offers him a job! Willy Loman declines the job without ever explaining why. He has a chance to pursue a new life, but he wont let himself give up his old, soured dreams. Instead of taking the decent paying job, he chooses suicide. At the play’s end, his loyal wife sits at his grave. She does not understand why Willy took his own life. Arthur Miller would claim that the dysfunctional values of American society killed him. However, I believe that Willy Loman suffered from senility. He exhibits many of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Why couldn’t his sons and his ever-attentive wife recognize his failing mental condition? It’s a mystery to me.