Words often confused and misused: 4

1.     Between and among

Between       To and from

I would like to meet you between 2 p.m and 4.p.m. ( ‘Between’ is used only when there are two things. If there are more than two numbers, ‘among’ is used.)

Among          In the midst of

Please distribute the sweets among the students.

2.    Canvas and Canvass

Canvas          A kind of rough cloth

Bags made out of canvas cloth are strong and last long.

Canvass       To ask for votes

Nowadays, film actors have started canvassing for votes.

3.    Cast and Caste      

Cast         To throw somebody or something ( The word does not change in its past tense of past participle form)

We should think of donating our old clothes instead of casting them away.

Caste       Hindu class system

In the olden days, castes were decided based on the professions of individuals.

4.    Ceremonious and Ceremonial

Ceremonious          Carefully formal or polite

The chief minister was given a   Ceremonious welcome.

Ceremonial              Done as part of a ceremony

The award was given at a ceremonial function.

5.    Childish and Childlike

Childish        Immature, suiting a child (mainly negative) ( Better to avoid this adjective when one wants to give someone a compliment)

Her behavior was quite childish. She must learn to exercise more restraint.

Childlike        Having the innocent, unspoiled quality of a child (positive)

Everyone is fascinated by Divya’s childlike smile.

Words often confused and misused - 3

    Alternate               To take each other’s place on a regular pattern

                  I attend my German classes on alternate days.

    Alternative            Other possibility

                                    Do as he tells you. You have no other alternative.

    Amiable                 Friendly and pleasant

                                    Vimala is an amiable person. It is a joy to be in her company.

    Amicable               Without anger or bad feelings

                                    The chairman succeeded in arriving at an amicable settlement.

    Antics                    Silly pranks

                                    Don’t try to amuse me with your antics. They only irritate me.

    Antiques               Collectible old items

                                    My boss is quite interested in antiques. He has a large collection.

    Appreciable         Large or important enough to be noticed

                                    Mr. Kumar’s contribution to the success of this project is appreciable.

    Appreciative        Grateful or approving

                                    The musician was very happy with the appreciative audience.

    Artist                      Creator of art

                                    Raja Ravi Varma was a great artist.

    Artiste                    Performer; entertainer

                                    Dancers, actors and singers are known as artistes.

Words often confused and misused- 2

One of my friends wanted me to talk about the usage of the words ‘repair’ and ‘prepone’.

·       In English, we use the word ‘repair’ to mean that something is in good condition/that which was not working well has been brought back to its original good condition. We talk about a car that is in good repair.

In Tamil also, we use the word correctly, in sentences such as–– கார் ரிப்பேர் செய்தாகி விட்டது.

But most often, the word is used in its opposite sense. We say, ‘கார் ரிப்பேர் ஆகி விட்டது’,  to mean, the car has broken down. This usage should be avoided.

·       The word ‘prepone’ is widely used to mean ‘a date or function has been ‘advanced’.

E.g., The meeting that was scheduled for 10^th April has been preponed to 8^th April.

We can easily understand how this expression came into being. Actually, it is a word coined by the Indians. The word ‘postpone’ means ‘to put off something.’

E.g., The meeting that was scheduled for 7^th April has been postponed to 10^th April.

The prefix ‘post’ means ‘after’ and it is used in that sense in phrases such as– post-dated checques, post-war period, post-independence era, etc.

The opposite of ‘post’ is ‘Pre’. We have expressions such as –‘pre-independence era’, ‘pre-school children’, ‘pre-teen behaviour’ etc.

A prefix should be added to a word that can make sense independently. In the examples given above, if we remove the prefix ‘post’/ ‘pre’, the rest of the word will make sense. But if we remove ‘post’ from the word ‘postpone’, what remains  (pone) will not make sense. So we cannot treat ‘ post’ as a ‘prefix’. For the same reason, we cannot add ‘pre’ as a prefix and coin the word ‘prepone’. It is better to use the word ‘advance’ in the place of ‘prepone’.

E.g. , The examinations have been advanced due to the General Elections.

WorWords often confused and misused –1

We tend to get confused between words either because they look alike or sound alike. They need not necessarily be homonyms or homophones. Some kind of similarity can make people get confused. When we misuse words, the greatest disadvantage is that we fail to get our ideas across. Misusing words can also prove hilarious or dangerous. It is better to know the difference between words and use them appropriately.

1.        Abuse               Maltreatment of a person or animal

                                    In some houses, children are abused even today.

         Misuse              The incorrect or improper use of something.

                                    The officer was arrested for misusing his authority.

2.      Adapt                Adjust

                                    My sister easily adapted to her new home after her wedding.

        Adopt                 Follow; legally raise another’s child

                                    The childless couple adopted a baby girl last month.

        Adept                 Expert

                                    He is an adept at playing saxophone.

3.         Affect               Influence somebody or something

                                    Meera is affected by the chill weather.

          Effect               Result; being in force or operation; power to influence

                                    This medicine has very good effect.

4.           Alibi                The accused’s claim of having been somewhere else

                                    The movie, ‘Drishyam’ revolves round the concept of alibi.

          Alias                 Also known as (a.k.a)

                                    Chanakya alias Kautilya was the author of Arthashastra.

5.          Alone               Without company

                                          I don’t like to stay alone in the house.

         Lonely              Feeling alone

                                    We at times feel lonely in the midst of a crowd.

Reflexive and Emphatic pronouns

Reflexive pronouns and emphatic pronouns look alike. They either end in –self, as in the singular form, or –selves as in the plural form.

The singular reflexive/ emphatic pronouns are:

Myself

Yourself

Himself, herself, itself

Plural reflexive pronouns include:

Ourselves

Yourselves

Themselves

Reflexive pronouns are pronouns that refer back to the subject of the sentence or clause.

E.g.,

He fell down and hurt himself.

I e-mailed myself a copy of the article.

Kumar blames himself .

If we write without ‘self’, the pronouns will not refer back to the doer of the action. They will refer to somebody else.

E.g.,

He hurt me.

I e-mailed you a copy of the article.

Kumar blames her.

Emphatic pronouns

When reflexive pronouns are used to put emphasis on a particular noun they are called emphatic pronouns.

E.g.,

She herself told me this.

I finished the job myself.

We ourselves cooked dinner.

* The emphatic pronouns cannot be used as subjects. It is therefore wrong to say:

Shekhar and myself went there.

I invited herself to tea.

The correct form will be:

Shekhar and I went there.

I invited her to tea.

Difference between reflective and emphatic pronouns:

A pronoun is a reflexive one if the action of the subject reflects upon the doer.

E.g.,

He cut himself. (Reflexive: here the subject and object refer to the same person.)

Emphatic pronouns, on the other hand, are used to just emphasize the action of the subject.

E.g.,

He himself cut the cake. ( He cut the cake-not anybody else.)

I spoke to the principal myself. (Emphatic)

But,

You must blame yourself for the loss. (Reflexive – the subject and the object are the same).

* An emphatic pronoun can be removed from the sentence and the core meaning would not be affected.

E.g.,

I myself opened the door.

I opened the door.

A reflexive pronoun, on the other hand, is indispensable. The sentence wouldn’t make complete sense if you remove the reflexive pronoun.

E.g.,

She cut herself.

If you remove herself, what remains, will not make sense.

She cut…… what?

·       Some use ‘itself’ along with the pronouns in order to give emphasis.

E.g.,

You  itself teach me.

He itself wants to go there.

But that is not the way. It should be:

You yourself teach me.

He himself wants to go there.

                                                          ***

It is high time…. / It is time….

There is a confusion in the use of ‘It is high time’ and ‘It is time’ The former is used when we wish to state that  something should have been done long back. It is already a bit late.

So, ‘high time’ is always followed by the past tense form of the verb.

E.g.,

It is high time you started preparing for the examinations. ( You should have started long back; start at least now.)

It is high time Anu took her responsibilities seriously.

On the other hand,

‘It is time to’  is used to indicate that it is the right time to do something.

E.g.,

It is time to wind up the meeting.

It is time to pack our things.

It is time to start cooking. 

Possible and probable

Possibility:

·       Possible – means-it has the potential or the power. It refers to what can be done, what can occur or what can be true.

E.g.,

Will it be possible for you to come and see me tomorrow? ( Can you come and see me tomorrow?)

·       Probable refers to what is likely to be done, to occur, or to be true.

*When we say something is probable, we are more confident about its happening, than when we say something is possible.

·       We also use could, might and may to show that something is possible in the future, but not certain.

E.g.,

We may go to a movie tomorrow.

They might buy that house.

If we don’t hurry, we could miss the train.

Probability:

·       We use must / should  to show that we are sure that something is true and we have reasons for our belief:

E.g.,

It must be a good movie. The reviews are good.

He should know. He was there when the accident occurred.

·       We use must have/ should have  for the past:

E.g.,

She must have passed the examination. She looks quite happy.

It's nearly eleven o'clock. They should have arrived  by now.