Sounds like. . .words that spell trouble
Posted by quinncreative on May 7, 2008
There it was again. In a reputable magazine for artists. “The collage peaked my interest.” Luckily, it didn’t, or you would never have a peak experience again. The collage piqued your interest. Totally different word. It’s from the French and it means to give it a little stab of interest. Peek is to look, peak is a top of a mountain, and pique (pronounced peek, that’s why it’s a problem) means to be interested in.
Last week, in the newspaper, I read that woman had performed while she was ill. “She was a real trooper.” Only if she was a policeman. In this case, she was a trouper. Because she was in a troupe of actors, dancers, or other performers. And the show must go on.
In today’s newspaper, I saw a grocery store that had a “souper sale.” I thought it was a joke, maybe tomato or chicken noodle soup was on sale. Nope, just a typo. A super big one.
Some other words that give us trouble:
It’s is never the possessive. When its tail comes to rest, the dragon will be sleeping. No apostrophe. That’s hard, but the only meaning of it’s (with an apostrophe) is it is.
Disinterested means fair or impartial. It has nothing to do with not being interested.
Peruse means to read carefully, not to skim.
Lie is to recline, lay is to place. I lie down on the bed, I lay the baby back in bed.
That’s enough for one day.
–Quinn McDonald is a writer and certified creativity coach. See her work at QuinnCreative.com (c) 2008 All rights reserved. Image: altaread-austin.org
May 7, 2008 at 7:45 am
Wait, what about (a|e)ffect and impact!
–I’ve given up on impact, guage, and other noun/verbs. Although I will fight to the end against incentivize and partner. Grrr.
May 8, 2008 at 6:07 pm
I can understand how people have trouble with homonyms like peak, peek, and pique (though why an editor didn’t catch it . . . sigh). But confusing “its” and “it’s” makes me nuts. My ninth grade English teacher in Eastern Kentucky (yes, that would be the Appalachian, poor part of the state) made it plenty clear: if you can substitute “it is”, then “it’s”; otherwise, the word should be “its”. I just don’t get why this is hard. If a poor Kentucky public school kid can get it . . .
—Well, you see, both you AND the teacher cared about it. Sadly, few people care about the language anymore, and we have somehow slipped into a culture where you never correct anyone who is wrong. I can understand that if you are talking to a stranger on the street, but it has seeped into school, too. So remind me again of what schools are for. . . –Q
May 8, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Oh wait until you see the local paper report with a perfectly straight face that ‘the horse, which was stuck in the pond, was drug out using a wench.’
Interestingly, the only incorrect part is the wench instead of winch. In this part of the country it is considered acceptable to use drug as a past tense for drag.
THE funniest error I ever heard was on the military news network in the 1980s when someone was doing a health segment and said to ‘be sure to use a condom when having sex to avoid catching Gentile herpes.’
But I do like the souper sale. I’d go in and ask the manager which soups were on sale! LOL
—-I laughed till I had tears in my eyes imagining that horse being hauled out by a powdered and rouged lady in leg o-mutton sleeves and a green velvet dress which showed petticoats and an ankle. A wench, indeed! –Q
May 9, 2008 at 11:38 am
My favorite botched headline in a local “Advertiser News” sort of paper:
Storm Reeks Havoc.
Part of my job is editing stories that come in from people who don’t make a regular habit of writing or reading much. The mistakes they make amaze AND scare me: way beyond “it’s” vs. “its.”
Gentile herpes…LOL!
—ah, of course–reeks. I’d forgotten that. And while I’m thinking of it, there is I bought you a broach for Mother’s day (instead of brooch), and still my favorite grocery store sign, “Portable Mushrooms.” (Portabella). I do bet you see some veeeerrrrry scary stuff. –Q