Common Errors

Errors occur every day in the manner in which words are used. Let's talk about some of the most common.

MEDDLE / METTLE

MEDDLE

is a verb and generally means to mess with.

I don't want him to

meddle

with me

or

He likes to

meddle

with all the girls

are two examples of how to use this word properly.

The word,

METTLE

, is a noun that I haven't seen used that often but it's a great word that means courage. A few examples of the proper use of this word are:

He entered the tournament to test his

mettle

or

Her

mettle

was very helpful in becoming a Marine.

ALLUDE / ELUDE

The usages I've seen of this have mostly been misspellings, not as many as with the actual meaning of the word.

ALLUDE

is a verb and means to refer to. An example of the proper usage would be:

She used to

allude

to her husband's time in the service when she talked about security.

The word,

ELUDE

is a verb and means to escape detection.

He hid behind the shrubs in order to

elude

the police

is an example of using this word.

EMIGRATE / IMMIGRATE

These are two commonly confused words that I have problems with myself.

EMIGRATE

is a verb and it describes a person that is leaving a country.

During the Gulf War, a lot of people were forced to

emigrate

to nearby countries

is one way to properly use this word.

The word,

IMMIGRATE

, is a different matter altogether. It is a verb that means to move

into

a country.

People in the Southwest are upset about the amount of people that are allowed to

immigrate

to the United States from Mexico.

PALATE / PALETTE / PALLET

These are three words that sound alike and are used incorrectly. Let's start with

PALATE

. This word is a noun and describes a part of your mouth: the roof of your mouth that is separated into two parts, the hard

palate

and the soft

palate

. I'm sure if you stick a finger in there (not too far, though), you'll be able to discern which is which. An example of the correct usage of this word is:

Peanut butter always sticks to the

palate

of my mouth.

PALETTE

is a noun which anyone who is an artist or knows an artist should be familiar with. A

palette

is usually a flat wooden board that an artist uses to mix paints on and is portable, enabling the artist to leave the table where the paints are stored. It can also be used to describe someone who has an assortment of skills or tools at their disposal. Some examples of the proper usage of this word are:

He cleaned his

palette

so that he could use some new colors

or

She sings, she dances ... she has a

palette

of talents to work from.

The final word in this set is

PALLET

, which is also a noun and has two meanings that are most commonly used. It can mean a bed that is made up and usually placed on the floor or it can mean a wooden structure built to withstand the weight of heavy objects and to provide support when shipping the objects.

He put the tines of the forklift under the

pallet

and lifted the computers onto the truck

is a good example of its usage.

CORE / CORPS

CORE

is a noun or a verb that means the center or heart of an object or to take the center of an object out. It can be used in the following ways:

To make an apple pie, you have to

core

the apples first

or

The

core

of the art show was her sculpture

.

The word,

CORPS

, is a noun that is derived from French and is pronounced in the same way that

core

is. A

corps

is an organization or group and some examples of the usage of this are:

The

corps

of the ballet was ready for practice

or

A lot of young men and women join the Peace

Corps

in college.

SUITE / SUIT

The word,

SUITE

, is a noun and can be pronounced two different ways with each pronunciation.

With using the pronunciation that sounds like 'sweet', it can mean a group of rooms or a single room split into separate chambers which are all usually opulent.

The Queen occupies a

suite

of rooms at any hotel she visits

or

We had the Honeymoon

Suite

on our wedding night

are good examples of using this word.

When using the pronunciation that sounds like 'suit', it can mean a group of pieces of an item. An example of this usage is:

The tallboy, four-poster bed and vanity were all part of the bedroom

suite

.

SUIT

is a noun and means articles of clothing that when put together, constitute a

suit

.

He checked to make sure that each piece of the

suit

was present before he paid for it

is an example of how to use this word properly.