Okay, this one might make you feel a little itchy. An itch is a skin irritation that causes the desire to scratch. Scratch describes the action used to relieve an itch. The grammatically correct construction is “to scratch an itch.” People often use itch and scratch in place of each other in everyday speech. For example, you may hear people saying they need to “itch …
The words irreparable and unrepairable are synonyms that mean unable to be fixed. Both irreparable and unrepairable are adjectives (words that modify nouns by describing an aspect of them). Irreparable was first used between the late 1300s to early 1400s. It’s a Middle English word derived from the Latin term, irreparabilis, meaning not able to be recovered. Unrepairable is a related form of the verb …
And just what, may we ask, is the difference between these? While inquire means “to seek information in a formal way,” enquire means “to ask in a general way.” They can be used interchangeably. Inquire and enquire both originate from the same Latin word, meaning to seek. Both words mean to request information or examine facts. Ask As verbs, both words mean to ask for …
What does it mean? Supposably means capable of being supposed. In other words, it describes something that’s capable of happening. Though supposably is a valid word, it can be tricky to use in a sentence, and isn’t often used in modern speech. Contemporary writers are more likely to use its synonym, conceivably.Supposably is frequently confused with the similar-sounding word supposedly. The main difference is that …
If you need to say you’re sorry, it helps to know whether you’re sending your apology or apologies.The phrase my apologies is an idiom, while the phrase my apology literally means my act of apologizing. As an idiom, my apologies means excuses or regrets. This phrase is a way of saying you’re sorry. The phrase my apology is not an idiom. It only has a …
The words assume and presume both mean that you take something for granted as being true, but the difference is based on how certain you are. Assume is typically used in situations where someone takes something as the truth with a very low level of certainty or with no proof at all. Presume usually involves a higher level of certainty and is used in situations …
Are you excited? We sure are! Hyperbole is a literary device that relies on exaggeration, while hype is a word associated with excitement and publicity. Hyperbole Hyperbole is extreme exaggeration. It’s not meant to be taken literally. Writers use hyperbole to create imagery, emphasize feelings, or provide insight about a character. Hyperbole appears in novels, songs, poems, and daily speech. The song “1,000 Miles” by …
Let’s start from the top: Hyper- is a prefix that means excess or exaggeration, while hypo- is another prefix that means under or beneath. Both hyper and hypo are usually used as prefixes, which are elements or partial words added to the beginning of a base word to modify its meaning. Hyper is derived from the Greek word for over, and hypo is a Greek …
First things first: former and latter are both terms that denote an item’s place in a two-part sequence. Former refers to the first of a set, while latter refers to the second, or last, item. They usually appear in the sentence immediately following the sequence they are describing. Former and latter in sequence Take this example from The Young Student’s Companion: “I have a grey …
When you’re among friends, you talk amongst yourselves, right? Or is it the other way around? Among and amongst are variations of the same word. Among is more common in American English, while amongst used almost exclusively in British English. History and Meaning Amongst may feel more archaic to speakers of American English, but among is actually the older word, dating back to Old English …
A double entendre is a subtle literary device that uses one statement to convey two very different meanings. Taken literally, a double entendre is usually an innocent statement that has no ironic or inappropriate overtones. Taken another way, the same statement often can mean something too indelicate to be said in polite company. A double entendre can also work in reverse, with an apparently dirty …
