Since I started writing about these words, more and more are coming to my notice. I suppose it’s because I’m now looking out for them. Some can be quite amusing, like in a previous blog when I talked about vicious and viscous.
A pupil wanted to say that a liquid became more VISCOUS, i.e. thicker and less runny. In fact, he said it became more VICIOUS.
Here are this week’s words.
Advise/Advice.
Advise is a verb. It is what you do. You advise someone.
e.g. I would advise you not to put all your money in the same shares.
Advice is a noun. It is what you give.
e.g. My advice to you is not to put all your money in the same shares.
Comprise/Compose
Comprise means to include.
e.g. The house comprised five bedrooms.
Compose means to make up.
e.g The hamper was composed of a bottle of wine, a ham, a box of dates and a goose.
Lie/lay
Lie is to recline.
e.g. My back hurts when I lie down.
Lay is to put an object down.
e.g. The man came to lay the carpet in the hall, or Lay the book on that table, please.
Defective/Deficient
Defective means that something does not work.
e.g. When I tried the new camera I had bought, I found it to be defective.
Deficient means that something is missing.
e.g. When the doctor analysed the results of the girl’s blood test he found she was deficient in iron.
Oh, here is one that people always get wrong.
Hung/Hanged
Hung refers to an object.
e.g. He hung his coat in the cloakroom.
Hanged refers to a person or other living thing.
e.g. One argument against capital punishment is that if a person is found to be innocent after they have been hanged it’s too late to do anything about it.
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