Lose and loss are used in all the same contexts, but they are different parts of speech: one is a verb, and one is a noun. In this article, we’ll explain the differences between lose and loss, show how each one is typically used, and provide examples of how they often appear in sentences. The word lose is always used as a verb. Lose is …
Fashion is a major form of art and innovation. New looks and styles are being created all the time, but sometimes those new styles have names that aren’t so chic. The fashion world is full of funny portmanteaus, or word combinations that take the names of two well-known items and mash them together into something brand new and, well, sometimes a bit silly. Ever heard …
It’s a dilemma: you want to be polite when addressing a person or getting their attention, but you don’t know their gender. That means sir, madam, ma’am, miss, and other gendered terms of address and honorifics are out. So what should you do? The traditional ways of addressing people in English—especially at a distance, when a person might not know you’re talking to them—can present …
Is the head of a school called a principal or a principle? These two words are frustratingly similar, leaving even the most experienced English speakers to second-guess which word means what. In this article, we’ll discuss the distinct meanings between these easy-to-confuse terms—and leave you with a little trick to help differentiate between your principals and your principles. What is the difference between principal and …
To understand when to use that and when to use which, it’s important to keep in mind the difference between restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses. In formal American English, that is used in restrictive clauses, and which is used in nonrestrictive clauses. Not sure what that means? Let’s find out! How to use that vs. which A restrictive clause contains information that limits the meaning of …
If you’ve ever wondered whether it was spelled fiancé or fiancée, well, they’re both correct. And they’re both correct because they are actually different terms. English borrowed them from variants of the French verb fiancer (meaning “to get engaged”) in the mid-19th century. The masculine (fiancé) and feminine (fiancée) noun forms were both imported by English speakers, even though English doesn’t typically use gendered word endings. The extra E …
Where and were are similar-looking words and they often appear alongside each other in questions like Where were you this morning? But they are very different words with very different functions and meanings In this article, we’ll define where and were, explain the different ways that they are used, provide examples of how they are typically used in sentences, and even cover the also similar-looking …
In the context of religious and spiritual belief—or non-belief—there are two terms that often cause confusion: atheist and agnostic. But these terms do not mean the same thing. Read on to learn the distinction. agnostic vs. atheist There is a key distinction between these terms. An atheist doesn’t believe in the existence of a god or divine being. The word atheist originates with the Greek atheos, which is …
You might be able to recite the letters considered vowels in the English language: A, E, I, O, U, and sometimes Y. But what makes a vowel a vowel? Vowels and consonants are two different categories of sounds that linguists (in the branch of linguistics called phonetics) use to explain how speech sounds work. In this article, we’ll explore the difference between consonants and vowels …
