What is the difference between a while and awhile? Few word pairs capture the idiosyncrasies (“peculiar characteristics”) of the English language like a while and awhile do. Both of these terms are expressions of time, but one is written with a space while the other is one word. In fact, these two terms represent different parts of speech. The two-word expression a while is a noun phrase, consisting of the article …
What’s the difference between everyday and every day? Do you eat breakfast every day or everyday? The word everyday describes things that are commonplace or ordinary, and it also answers the question “what kind?” For example, in the sentence “Wear your everyday clothes,” the word everyday tells you what kind of clothing to wear. The phrase every day indicates that something happens each day. It also answers the question “when?” …
Turns out, paramount doesn’t have that much to do with mountains. It does, however, describe something that’s of highest importance. Tantamount, on the other hand, refers to something that’s equal to something else. While the two words sound similar, that’s really all they have in common. Paramount Paramount is an adjective meaning “of utmost importance.” It can also describe someone with the highest level of …
Oblivious to and oblivious of can both be used the same way. You can generally pick one based on which sounds better in the context of the sentence. Essentially, they both mean that someone is unaware of something. Synonyms Oblivious to and oblivious of share a meaning with a number of phrases, like ignorant of, unaware of, unconscious of, and blind to. Similarly, it may …
Here’s something that’s good to know: No good means something has no use or value, and has no potential of becoming good. Not good means something is bad or undesirable. The correct way to use them isn’t that clear cut. At times, there’s no difference, and they can be used interchangeably. No Good When good is used as a noun, no can quantify or modify …
A manor is a mansion or stately home. A manner is a characteristic way of doing something. These words are homophones (words that sound the same but have different meanings), so it’s easy to mix them up. Manor In the context of a feudal system, manor referred to an estate or territorial unit consisting of a lord’s home and lands. In other words, the area …
These two phrases mean almost the same thing, but it can be useful to know the difference. Making peace with something means you “become resolved or reconciled.” Coming to terms with something means you “accept or become resigned” to it. It can also mean to reach an agreement. Make peace with is usually used to talk about humans. Come to terms with is usually used …
Did you lose that sock in the dryer … or loose it?Lose is a verb, while loose is almost always an adjective. They’re often confused because of their similar spelling. When to use lose Lose can only be used as a verb. It describes when you “come to be without something” (e.g., to lose a sock in the laundry) or “to suffer defeat or fail …
Let’s bring some order to these two similar terms. The juridical process relates to the administration of the law. The judicial process is the series of steps a legal dispute goes through in the court system. It deals with procedural issues, and it determines the roles of the judge and the jury in a courtroom. The judicial process also deals with the role and jurisdiction …
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 word software is a mass noun because it can be used to refer to a mass (or nonspecific number) of computing programs or products. Mass nouns function as both singular and plural nouns. They can describe either one item, multiple items of the same type, or an entire category of items. Some examples include bread, rice, hair, garbage, and ice. It isn’t necessary to add …
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 …