5 Words Often Mistakenly Used in Place of Others

5 Words Often Mistakenly Used in Place of Others 5 Words Often Mistakenly Used in Place of Others 5 Words Often Mistakenly Used in Place of Others By Mark Nichol When writers, amateurs and professionals alike, employ words or phrases they have heard spoken but not seen written, they often mistakenly use a homophone or near homophone of the intended word. Each of the sentences below includes a word that is often used erroneously. A discussion and revision accompanies each example. 1. Given punk rock’s innate tendency to flaunt convention, the style fits the subject matter in its own roughshod sort of way. Flaunt, a verb meaning â€Å"show off,† is frequently confused for flout, a verb meaning â€Å"show disregard for†: â€Å"Given punk rock’s innate tendency to flout convention, the style fits the subject matter in its own roughshod sort of way.† 2. Others honed in on what they consider the company’s poor customer service and monopolistic tendencies. Hone means â€Å"sharpen† or â€Å"make more effective,† but what is meant here is home, as a verb meaning â€Å"proceed† or â€Å"direct attention toward†: â€Å"Others homed in on what they consider the company’s poor customer service and monopolistic tendencies.† 3. She had been the principle trial attorney for the public defender’s office. Both principle and principal derive from the Latin term princeps, meaning â€Å"prince† (the Latin word is also the origin of prince), but principle serves only as a noun, while principal, which can be a noun that refers to a key or leading person or to an amount of money, is also an adjective meaning â€Å"most important,† as in this sentence: â€Å"She had been the principal trial attorney for the public defender’s office.† 4. They were fulfilling a central tenant of the democracy envisioned by our founders. Though tenant and tenet both stem from the same Latin word, tenere, meaning â€Å"hold,† the former refers to someone who rents or leases property, while the latter, meaning â€Å"principle,† is the correct choice for this sentence: â€Å"They were fulfilling a central tenet of the democracy envisioned by our founders.† 5. Her deep-seeded resentment erupted one day in a spontaneous burst of indignation. â€Å"Deep seeded† seems to make sense in a reference to an emotion that is submerged in someone’s psyche, but there is no such idiom; the correct phrase is â€Å"deep seated†: â€Å"Her deep-seated resentment erupted one day in a spontaneous burst of indignation.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:45 Synonyms for â€Å"Food†15 Types of Documents90 Verbs Starting with â€Å"Ex-†

Buckingham palace (London) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Buckingham palace (London) - Essay Example designed by John Nash and Edward Blore but later structural and other changes were incorporated in the original design to accommodate the changing needs and tastes of the ruling monarch. The site that is considered the Buckingham Palace today was in the beginning three sites: Buckingham Gardens, Goring House and Arlington House. As the need for more space was required according to the lifestyle of the Dukes and rulers, the surrounding sites were added to the original Buckingham Gardens. Buckingham Palace began as Buckingham House when John Sheffield, the first Duke of Buckingham built the house in 1702. The Palace as one sees it today was quite different from the one that was originally created. The original house was constructed from red bricks but later the entire faà §ade was replaced by Portland Stone. In 1762, George III bought the house for his Queen, Queen Charlotte as her private residence. The house became to be known as the Queen’s House at that time and many court functions took place in the house at that time. George III wanted to remodel the house to suit the needs of the expanding family but did not get the time. When George III was succeeded by George IV, the new king decided to make changes in the house. Later, under the sanction of the government, George IV ordered a structural renovation of the house by architect, John Nash. George IV wanted to make the place into a palace to suit his own lifestyle. He wanted to make Buckingham House into a Palace and change his primary residence from Carlton House to the Buckingham Palace. The idea of the renovation was to make the place a theatrical showplace for the victories and accomplishments of the English rulers. This included a marble arch to commemorate the victories of Waterloo and Trafalgar. George IV made extensive investment in the palace when he bought furniture from France during the French Revolution. George IV was inspired by the French neo-classical design and thus tried to incorporate it