Purple Wren

Homonym, Homophone, or Homograph?

Today I noticed two examples of words that were misused. Since I'm interested in refreshing my own grammar and English usage skills, the words caught my eye. I looked them up and found interesting information about homonyms, and the fact that sometimes we are referring to homophones or homographs.

But I'll take the lead from others and continue to refer to them as homonyms for this post. You can read more about this nomenclature at Alan Cooper's Homonyms or the Homonym/Homophone Page at  taupecat consulting.

What, you ask, are the words that caused me to do a bit of research and write this post?

• know, no
• fair, fare

Glad to know I'm not the only one interested in homonyms. I see Josh Hallett at hyku found examples in the blogosphere. And in the news, UTube Sues YouTube.

Have you found any interesting examples?

Photo on flickr by nancycallahan

Grammar Tips: Loose or Lose

Today's post is about common grammatical errors. See the photo for an example of the word "loose" misused on a sign. This is one that many people have trouble with. Maybe these sites will help:

• Loose or Lose by J. Cheney - quiz to tesk your skill
• Arrgh!! It's LOSE not LOOSE! - lots of examples here
• Lose/Loose - Common Errors in English by Paul Brians

Photo on flickr by Park+Ride

Grammar Tips: Entitled or Titled

Tonight I posted an event on iowabizevents.com and questioned whether the word I wanted to use was "titled" or "entitled" when listing the name of the workshop. I had to look it up, and since I thought my choice was wrong, quickly edited it. So that's what this post is about.

Here's are a couple links exploring the difference between entitled and titled. I think many of us get this one wrong, but then again, I am more confused than before after reading some of the explanations.

• newsobserver.com
• PainintheEnglish.com
• On Target

Which is correct?

    She will be presenting a workshop titled...
                    -or-
    She will be presenting a workshop entitled...

Grammar Tips: There, Their or They're

OK - I have to post on this topic. English grammar has always been a subject I was good in. Maybe it was because my parents were journalists and my aunt was a teacher. It's probably a mix of nature and nurture. Even today I can't pass a billboard or read a newspaper without noticing misspelled or incorrect uses of words.

But, it's been many years since I studied grammar and I sometimes labor over my own writing, making sure it's correct and easy to read and understand. Today, after spending a couple hours at the computer reading everything from blog posts to ads, I just can't contain myself any longer and have to talk about grammar and the [mis]use of  words. No, the spell checker won't catch these errors. Maybe I'll make an occasional post on this topic and learn something in the process.

Let's start with three words that are often used incorrectly. Check my favorite links for explanations of when to use each word.

There - Their - They're

• HubPages: Grammar Mishaps
• Common Errors in English Usage

What words do you question the use of?

photo on flickr by oiyou