Common Errors Ch 05

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

COUNCIL / COUNSEL

The word,

COUNCIL

, is a noun and means a group of people that pass laws, ordinances or other laws or standards.

She had to go before the

council

for them to pass judgment on her

or

The

council

will take up the wetlands provisions next week

are two examples of how to use this word.

COUNSEL

is a noun. It can mean a lawyer that offers advice or the advice itself. A few examples of how to use this word correctly are:

The

counsel

asked to approach the bench

or

His

counsel

provided answers for her.

ACCEDE / EXCEED

ACCEDE

is a verb and means to agree.

I accede with your wishes

is an example of how to use the word.

The word,

EXCEED,

is a verb and means to go beyond what the standard is for that particular situation. A few examples are:

Her father told her not to

exceed

her limit

or

The cop told her that she could not

exceed

the speed limit.

ENQUIRE / INQUIRE

This is a good example of a word that has the same meaning with either spelling but one is more common in another country.

ENQUIRE / INQUIRE

is a verb and means to ask questions about or seek information concerning something.

In the United Kingdom and other U.K. holdings (past and present), the word

ENQUIRE

is more commonly used. In the United States, the word

INQUIRE

is more commonly used.

LEAD / LED

LEAD

is both a noun and a verb. In noun form, one of the many meanings of the word

LEAD

is a metal that is silvery in color. As a verb, it rhymes with the word REED and means to give someone or a group specific direction.

Moses was chosen by God to

lead

his people out of bondage

is a good example of how to use the verb version of the word.

LED

is a verb and is the past tense of

LEAD

. A few examples are:

I

led

the horse to water

or

He said that the people needed to be

led

.

DEFUSE / DIFFUSE

In its literal meaning,

DEFUSE

means to 'remove the fuse' or to remove whatever is present in a situation that could make or makes it volatile.

DEFUSE

is a verb and should be used as in this example:

I told her to leave to

defuse

the situation

.

DIFFUSE

can be used as an adjective but its most common use is as a verb and means to disperse or spread something out.

I turned on the fan to

diffuse

the smoke

is a good example of proper usage of the verb version of this word. An example of adjective use would be:

His

diffuse

behavior left us wondering if he was on drugs.

PEAK / PEEK / PIQUE

All three of the words are pronounced the same and rhyme with LEAK. The word

PEAK

means the highest point of something, either tangible or intangible. Some examples of the use of this word are:

The

peak

of the mountain was covered with snow

or

He reached his

peak

and couldn't lose any more weight.

PEEK

is a noun or a verb and means to take a quick look at someone or something.

I took a

peek

at my Christmas present

is an example of the correct usage of this word.

The word,

PIQUE

, is derived from the French language and means to stimulate. An example of the use of this word is:

She wore the short skirt to

pique

his interest.

VARY / VERY

Both of these words are pronounced alike and rhyme with the word, MARY.

VARY

, in this form, is a verb and means to change.

Sources of where the items are ordered

vary

from week to week

is an example of this word.

VERY

is an adverb or an adjective that describes the word the follows and adds a higher degree of the word. Some examples of this usage are:

She is

very

beautiful

or

He is

very

busy.

DUAL / DUEL

This is another set of words with common pronunciation and they rhyme with the word MULE. The word,

DUAL

, is an adjective and means having two things that are alike or similar.

The character, Molly, is a

dual

role in the movie

is an example of how to correctly use the word.

A

DUEL

is a noun and can also be used as a verb and means to fight, usually with some specific ending in mind, sometimes death. It doesn't have to be a physical fight; it can be a competition as well.

He challenged the stranger to a

duel

at sunrise

or

The race was going to be a

duel

between Gordon and Jarrett.