Thalia's List of Much-Abused Words and Phrases
Part 3: R - Z
rain/rein/reign
"Rain" is the water that falls from the sky, and that's pretty much all it refers to. It can also be used figuratively, as in "raining cats and dogs" or "it's raining men.""Rein" is the piece of leather that keeps a horse under control. It's used figuratively rather often--you keep someone on a tight rein, or give them free rein.
"Reign" has to do with monarchy--as a noun, it's the period of time during which a monarch rules; as a verb, it's the act of ruling.
Harry hated playing Quidditch in the rain because his glasses fogged up.
Hermione kept a tight rein on her thoughts.
Professor Dumbledore tended to give Harry free rein.
Professor Snape never allowed chaos to reign in his classroom.
Silence reigned for several minutes.
ravish/ravage
To "ravage" is to "wreak havoc on" or to "commit destructive actions." "Ravish" means "to seize and take away by violence," "to overcome with beauty," or "to rape." If it's being done to a person, it's probably "ravishing." Bartleby.com has a good note on this. (Incidentally, "ravishing" can also mean "unusually attractive, pleasing, or striking"--like ravishing beauty.)The Death Eaters ravaged the house.
The Death Eaters ravished Hermione.
A hurricane ravaged the coast.
roll/role
"Role" is a noun that can mean "a socially expected behavior pattern usually determined by an individual's status in a particular society," or "a part played by an actor or singer," or "a function or part performed especially in a particular operation or process." For any other meanings, or a verb, use "roll."Harry must figure out his role in the wizarding world.
What role did Alec Guinness play?
It depends on the roll of the dice.
Jack was on a roll.
Hermione gave the teacher the roll of paper.
sheer/shear
As a verb, "shear" means to cut the hair or wool off, or "to subject to a shear force," or "to become divided under the action of a shear." As a noun, it's the scissor-like implement used for shearing, or "internal force tangential to the section on which it acts." "Sheer" is usually an adjective that means transparent or diaphanous--it can also mean unqualified, like sheer ignorance. "Sheer" can also be a verb or noun having to do with changing direction."There's no way I'm wearing leggings made of such a sheer fabric!" complained Obi-Wan.
Jim wondered where Blair had put the kitchen shears.
It's time to shear the sheep so we can sell the wool.
should of/should have
would of/would have
could of/could have
In all these cases, it's "have." "Of" is wrong.Ron should have finished his Transfigurations homework.
Jim would have kissed Blair, but he missed his chance.
"I could've gone to Hogsmeade," Harry said.
Top of page | Index | E-mail Thalia with a comment or correctionstanch/staunch
"Stanch" means "to check or stop the flowing of" or "to stop or check in its course." "Staunch" means "steadfast in loyalty or principle" or "watertight." "Stanch" is a verb; "staunch" is an adjective. In the U.S., the two words are sometimes used interchangeably, but it's generally best to stick with their strict definitions.Harry was glad to have a staunch friend like Ron.
Horatio thought the Indefatigable was the staunchest ship in the British Navy.
Blair tried to stanch the flow of blood from Jim's wound.
Obi-Wan managed to stanch his tears after Anakin threw his teddy bear out the window.
The police are working hard to stanch the crime wave.
supine/prone
"Supine" means lying on one's back. "Prone" means lying on one's front.Snape lay prone before Voldemort.
Blair lay supine, staring up at the ceiling.
tenet/tenant
"Tenants" are people who rent property. "Tenets" are principles or doctrines.I have to follow the tenets of my religion.
Top of page | Index | E-mail Thalia with a comment or correctionthat/which/who
"That," "which" and "who" are all relative pronouns, but there are some differences in how they're used.First, though, let's talk about restrictive vs. non-restrictive clauses. A restrictive clause is information that's necessary to figure out what's being talked about. For instance, let's say I'm standing on a sidewalk in front of two blue houses. I could say, "I live in the blue house that has the red door." In this case, "that has the red door" is necessary because, without it, you wouldn't know which blue house I'm referring to. This is a restrictive clause.
Now, let's say we're standing on a sidewalk, and there's only one blue house in sight. I could say, "I live in the blue house," and you'd know exactly which house I meant. I could also say, "I live in the blue house, which has a red door." In this case, the fact that the door is red is not necessary to identify which house we're talking about; it's just extra information. This is an unrestrictive clause.
You may notice that I used "that" for the restrictive clause and "which" for the unrestrictive clause. That's the traditional way of doing it. These days, however, "which" is sometimes used for restrictive clauses. Michael Quinion has a terrific article about the whole thing, including cases where it's still necessary to use "that." Also see the Guide to Grammar and Writing's Notorious Confusable on the subject. If you're not sure what's correct, you'll never go wrong using "that" with restrictive clauses and "which" with unrestrictive.
(Incidentally, if it's an unrestrictive clause, you have to use "which." "That" is incorrect.)
In these examples, you'll also notice that there is a comma before "which" in the unrestrictive clause, but not before "that" in the restrictive clause. This is always how it's done: Never use a comma before a restrictive clause, regardless of whether you're using "that" or "which." Always use a comma before an unrestrictive clause.
So that's "that" and "which." Now, what about "who"? Basically, "who" is used in place of "that" or "which" when it's referring to a person. You can get away with using "that" or "which" if the person or persons are not specified (The students that finish first will get a prize and The students who finish first will get a prize are both correct), but "who" is always safe.
The House that has the most points at the end of the year wins the House Cup.
Gryffindor House, which has fewer points than Slytherin, needs to win the next Quidditch match.
Blair Sandburg, who is a doctoral student in anthropology, is teaching that class.
The Weasley who gets out of bed first starts breakfast.
then/than
"Than" is used in comparisons.Hermione is older than Harry.
Jim is taller than Blair.
Harry would rather eat dirt than study Potions.
They ate dinner, then they had pudding.
If you want to learn to drive, then you must take lessons.
Your mind is made up, then?
Killing Voldemort will require all Harry's determination and then some.
Blair lost the election, but then he didn't expect to win.
Since then, Obi-Wan has been practicing.
Teal'c misses his family now and then.
their/they're/there
"Their" is the possessive form of "they." See below for more on this."They're" is a contraction of "they are."
Everything else is "there."
Jim and Blair bought their tickets for the Jaguars game.
Jack yelled, "They're coming to take me away!"
The landspeeder is over there.
your/you're
its/it's
whose/who's
hers
In general, the possessive forms of personal pronouns do not have apostrophes. Yes, that's different from adding 's to a noun like we're all used to. So "your" is the possessive form of "you," and "its" is the possessive form of "it." (Without the apostrophe. I swear.) "Whose" is the possessive form of "who" (like "Whose Line Is It Anyway?")."You're" is a contraction of "you are." "It's" is a contraction of "it is" or "it has." "Who's" is a contraction of "who is" or "who has." Whenever you're tempted to use one of these, try inserting "you are" or "it is" or "who is" into the sentence; if it doesn't fit, you want "your" or "its" or "whose"
And a side note: "Hers" doesn't have an apostrophe. "Her's" is not a word--it's totally incorrect.
"Here are your schedules," Professor McGonagall said.
"You're not driving my truck," Jim insisted.
It's a beautiful morning.
The Giant Squid ate its breakfast.
Whose name did you draw for the grab bag?
Who's been sleeping in my bed?
Sam wasn't sure which shirt was hers.
The dog wagged its tail.
threw/through
"Threw" is the past tense of "throw." "Through" isn't a verb, although it can be a lot of other things. Make sure you're using the right one.Oliver Wood threw the quaffle to Katie Bell.
The path goes through the Forbidden Forest.
throe/throw
A "throe" is a pang or spasm, or a hard, painful struggle. A "throw" is the act of tossing something, or it can be a light cover or wrap.The injured dog was in its death throes.
France was in the throes of revolution.
Qui-Gon bet Watto on the throw of the die.
trooper/trouper
A "trooper" is a soldier or a policeman. A "trouper" is a member of an acting troupe, or "a person who deals with and persists through difficulty or hardship without complaint." If you want to say someone is a real trouper, it's the word with the "u."The four-year-old was a trouper for not complaining while he was in the hospital.
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vial/vile
A "vial" is "a small closed or closable vessel especially for liquids." "Vile" means despicable, repulsive, abhorrent, or "disgustingly or utterly bad."Snape put the potion in the vial.
Snape is known for his vile temper.
What vile weather we're having!
vicious/viscous
"Vicious" means depraved, impure, spiteful, damaged or malicious. "Viscous" means "having a glutinous consistency." Make sure you're choosing the right one and spelling it correctly.Harry, Ron and Hermione thought Fluffy looked vicious.
Top of page | Index | E-mail Thalia with a comment or correctionwaist/waste
The "waist" is the part of a body where you'd wear a belt. All the other meanings are "waste".Jim wrapped the belt around his waist.
If you don't eat, you'll waste away to nothing.
Television has been referred to as a vast wasteland.
Don't waste food; there are children starving in China.
A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
A waist is a terrible thing to mind.
weather/whether
"Weather", in general, is what's going on outside--rain, snow, wind, sun, etc. It can also be a verb meaning "to subject to the elements" or "to bear up against and come safely through." "Whether", on the other hand, is either a pronoun or a conjunction having to do with choosing one of two alternatives.Blair weathered the storm of the dissertation fiasco.
What's the weather like today?
I can't decide whether to watch the first or second Harry Potter movie.
who/whom
"Who" is the subject form; "whom" is the object form. If you're trying to figure out which to use, try replacing it with "he" or "him." If "he" is correct, then use "who." If "him" is correct, use "whom."Ask not for whom the bell tolls. (The bell tolls for him.)
Who was at the door? (He was at the door.)
Whom did you speak to? (You did speak to him.)
The prize is for the student who has the highest score. (He has the highest score.)
wrack/rack
This one gets really complicated; use it at your own risk. In the U.S., "wrack," as a noun, can mean "wreckage," "ruin," "destruction" or "marine vegetation (like kelp)." As a verb it means "to utterly ruin." American dictionaries say the phrase "wrack and ruin" is proper usage. "Rack" has a lot of meanings, but the ones that tend to get confused with "wrack" generally have to do with pain. It can mean "to torture on a rack," or "to stretch or strain violently," or "to cause anguish." A "rack" is a torture instrument on which a person is stretched--it can also be "a cause of anguish and pain" or "the action of straining or wrenching."Random House has a good discussion about these words.
In British English, "wrack" definitely has the "marine vegetation" and "shipwreck" meanings, but after that, things get a little confusing. Its usage tends to vary by geography; in some areas, "wrack and ruin" would be correct, but other areas would use "rack and ruin."
Harry racked his brains trying to remember the ingredients for the Pepper-Up Potion.
Fred and George's new business was wracked by competition.
Daniel found meeting Apophis nerve-racking. (In the U.S. you could get away with nerve-wracking.)
The Shrieking Shack appeared to be storm-wracked.
wringer/ringer
A "wringer" is the part of an old-style washing machine that presses the water out of the clothes.Obi-Wan was put through the wringer.
Top of page | Index | E-mail Thalia with a comment or correctionyeah/yay/yea
"Yeah" is slang for "yes." It's pronounced with a short a. "Yea" and "yay" are both pronounced with a long a. "Yea" is more formal, like in a yes vote, or "yea, verily I say to you...". "Yay" is more often used for cheering, and it's very informal."Yeah, I think it is," said Ron in an offhand sort of way. (from PoA)
"Yay! The Jags won!" Blair yelled.
Minister Fudge was surrounded by yea-sayers.
Additions to the misused words list are always welcome! Feel free to send examples to thalia@destinysgarden.net
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