Anytime or any time? The two tend to be used in the same exact contexts, but that one little space can make a lot of grammatical difference. In this article, we’ll discuss how and when to use each form and explain which one is an adverb and why. Don’t know what that means? Read on to find out! Any time is a common and straightforward …
You may be confused about the difference between maybe and may be. Or maybe you’re not. Either way, one space can make the difference between a verb meaning “might be” and an adverb meaning “possibly” or “perhaps.” In this article, we’ll break down why that space matters so much, and we’ll give you some examples to show exactly what the difference is, as well as …
Evoke and invoke are both fairly formal words that look and sound a lot alike—and, for what it’s worth, you can summon a spirit with either one (we’ll get to that, don’t worry). But the contexts in which they’re used are often quite different. Evoke is typically used when talking about how something produces or draws out feelings, memories, or reactions. Invoke is often used …
You’re trying as hard as you can. Are you doing your utmost or your upmost? Confusion between these two words probably comes from people hearing utmost (which is the correct choice in this case, btw) as upmost (which is otherwise a pretty uncommon word). This may be because up seems like it should fit situations involving the highest effort. And, in fact, there are some …
Recently, we added the word supposably to our dictionary. And, what do you suppose happened? For one thing, we discovered how strongly people feel about this word—which many assume to be a recently invented term or a mispronunciation. Others quite reasonably think it’s a synonym of supposedly. After all, even Joey from Friends famously and hilariously couldn’t figure out if supposedly and supposably were different words. …
by John Dempsey, Writer and Editing Professional Today is National Grammar Day so it’s (not “its”) time to celebrate! Now, many of us may have bad memories of teachers correcting us on “Can I use the bathroom?” and similar common phrases all in the name of grammar. (I don’t know, can you? 🙄) So you may be surprised to learn what those of us who style ourselves …
Homophones: love them or hate them, they’re everywhere. These two are a great example. They may sound the same, but their meanings couldn’t be any more different. Assent is a word that indicates agreement or approval. Ascent refers to an upward movement. Let’s take a closer look. What does assent mean? As a verb, assent means to agree or to give in. When used as …
by John Kelly, Senior Research Editor at Dictionary.com From March Madness and SXSW to birthday parties and spring break vacations, many gatherings, big and small, have been canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak around the world. … or is it cancelled? Now, spelling may seem like the least of our worries during these trying and unusual times, but many people are curious and still want …
Chances are that, during times of … let’s say biological outbreak, you’re bound to hear the words afflicted, affliction, and inflict or inflicted used a lot—and to varying degrees of accuracy. It’s OK, this is normal: the English language is particularly confusing when it comes to usage of words that share a similar element. In this case, it’s –flict, ultimately based on the Latin verb …
When they are learning to read, children are often taught about syllables first. Having a firm understanding of how many syllables appear in each word and how each of those syllables is pronounced makes the introduction to reading a little bit easier. If children know how to identify the syllables in a word, they can break longer multisyllabic words up into smaller, more manageable segments …
Yeah … these two words seem the same but which one should you use? Yea vs. yeah Yea can be used as an informal adverb meaning “yes” or “to affirm,” or as a noun to indicate an affirmative vote. When used in a vote, yea can be pronounced like “yay.” Yea can also be used as an adverb to amplify an adjective or to say …
English has a rich, extensive vocabulary. Problem is, sometimes those words run into each other, resulting in a tangled set of homophones, words that are pronounced the same but have different meanings. The word set we’re examining today can send writers into a spiral of uncertainty when it comes to word choice, particularly in the context of one expression: piqued my interest, peaked my interest, …