Common Errors Ch 06

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

WAIST / WASTE

I've seen this so many times that it's not funny and decided to put this in after a fan of mine requested it (thanks, kb6nqw!). It's an easy mistake to make and even easier to correct.

WAIST

is a noun and describes the area around the midsection of a person's body.

I put my arms around her

waist

or

She was so fat that she couldn't fasten the

waist

band of her new pants

are two examples of how to use this word.

The word,

WASTE

, is a noun and a verb and means to use without care. Some examples of correct usage of the word are:

I didn't want him to

waste

the cake so I ate the rest

or

He got a trash can to put the

waste

in

.

ASSURE / ENSURE / INSURE

The word,

ASSURE

, is a verb and means to make an event sure.

I wanted to

assure

her that everything would be all right

or

When you

assure

someone of something, you give them the idea that it will be accomplish

are two good examples of how to use the word.

ENSURE

, besides being the name of a popular liquid supplement, is a verb and means to make sure that something happens. An example of the usage of this word is:

The chaperones will

ensure

that nothing untoward happens between the girls and boys.

The last word in this series is

INSURE

. It is a verb and generally means to issue a policy, as in insurance.

It is important to

insure

drivers before they operate a vehicle

is an example of using this word.

LEACH / LEECH

LEACH

is a verb and means to cause a liquid to separate itself from a solid item.

Being buried for a long time caused the toxic liquid to

leach

out of the containers

or

The excess water caused the color to

leach

out of my pants

are examples of how to use this word.

The word,

LEECH

, is a noun and a verb and describes a person that obtains room and board or other things for free without offering remuneration.

My brother is such a

leech

that he never pays for a thing

is an example of how to use this word.

ALLUSION / ILLUSION

Both words have common pronunciations and are commonly misused.

An

ALLUSION

is a noun and means making a reference to something.

Her

allusion

to his black eye reminded him that she'd punched him before

is an example of the use of this word.

Most everyone is familiar with the word

ILLUSION

. An

ILLUSION

is a noun and describes something that looks real but really isn't.

A favorite

illusion

of magicians is to saw a woman in half

or

Her sunny demeanor was just an

illusion

are two examples of the use of this word.

PRECEDE / PROCEED

PRECEDE

is a verb that means to go before.

Guards always

precede

Queen Elizabeth in the procession

or

The bridesmaids always

precede

the bride

are examples of the proper usage of this word.

The word,

PROCEED

, is a verb which means to go. Some examples are:

In order to

proceed

with the lawsuit, she must submit to a deposition

or

He signed the papers to allow the doctor to

proceed

with the operation.

YEA / YEAH

These two words are frequently misused.

YEA

is an adverb, rhymes with BAY and generally means yes.

When voting for an amendment, the congressmen say,

YEA

is an example of how this word is properly used.

YEAH

is an adverb or noun and also means yes, though it's considered a more informal usage.

When I asked him if he wanted to go to the mall, he said, "

Yeah

"

is an example of using this word.

EMINENT / IMMINENT

EMINENT

is an adjective that means famous or distinguished.

His

eminent

father was elected as a judge

or

The scandal concerning Clinton made Lewinsky an

eminent

figure in pop culture

are two examples of the usage of this word.

The word,

IMMINENT

, pronounced the same as EMINENT, is an adjective that means something that is going to happen soon, sometimes with a threat attached. Some examples of the correct use of this word are:

According to the weather reports, the hurricane's landing is

imminent

or

His arrival was

imminent

so we had to hurry and clean the house.