Basic Grammar & Spelling

A common mistake, and one that drives teachers of all levels crazy, is the mix-up between the words "its" and "it's." While the difference may not seem significant to the average writer, using the words correctly can help you appear more intelligent and educated. Many people form first impressions simply by reading someone's writing, so you want your writing to be as accurate as possible.

"Its" is a possessive pronoun, meaning "belonging to it." The confusion arises because if you don't substitute the pronoun "it" for the noun, an apostrophe is used. For example, the bone belonging to the dog is "the dog's bone." The eraser on the pencil is "the pencil's eraser." Both examples use an apostrophe plus an "s" in order to attribute ownership.

A common mistake, and one that drives teachers of all levels crazy, is the mix-up between the words "its" and "it's." While the difference may not seem significant to the average writer, using the words correctly can help you appear more intelligent and educated. Many people form first impressions simply by reading someone's writing, so you want your writing to be as accurate as possible.

"Its" is a possessive pronoun, meaning "belonging to it." The confusion arises because if you don't substitute the pronoun "it" for the noun, an apostrophe is used. For example, the bone belonging to the dog is "the dog's bone." The eraser on the pencil is "the pencil's eraser." Both examples use an apostrophe plus an "s" in order to attribute ownership.

However, when a noun is changed to a pronoun, an apostrophe is no longer used. Instead of "a rabbit's cage," you might say "its cage." Instead of "the house's window," you would say "its window." This tends to confuse people who are used to apostrophes denoting possessives. Other examples of the possessive "its" could include the dog burying its bone in its backyard and the table which has its leg broken off and its tablecloth in need of ironing.

"It's" is a contraction. A contraction is when a new word is formed from two or more separate words. In English, an apostrophe is used to acknowledge the missing letters. "Don't" is a contraction of "do not," and "shouldn't" is a contraction of "should not." "It's" is short for "it is," or less frequently, for "it has."

Any time "it's" includes an apostrophe, the writer should be able to substitute "it is" or "it has" and have the sentence still make sense. "It's going to be my birthday tomorrow," is correct because it can be changed to "It is going to be my birthday tomorrow." "It's been two hours since I've eaten," can be verified since changing it to "It has been two hours since I've eaten," is still correct.




"Its" is a possessive pronoun, just like "his" and "her" - neither of which have apostrophes. Other possessives include "their", "whose" and "hers" (again, no apostrophes).
Hence:

Q: Whose is that hair band?

A: It's hers. [It's = it is]

And:

Q: Where are their lunch boxes?

A: They're just over there. [They're = they are]

And:

Q: Whose mine is that?

A: That's mine! [That's = that is]

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-its-and-its.htm



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Words that sound the same but are spelt differently.


http://www.crazysquirrel.com/stuff/same-sound.jspx

http://www.unm.edu/~hookster/Homynyms%20and%20Other%20Similar%20Words.pdf





confusing words with definitions and usages

amicable: friendly
The dispute was settled in an amicable manner with no harsh words.


amiable: agreeable; lovable
His amiable disposition pleased all who had dealings with him.


appraise: estimate the value of
It is difficult to appraise old paintings; it is easier to call them priceless.


apprise: inform
When he was apprised of the dangerous weather conditions, he decided to postpone his trip.


maverick: rebel; nonconformist
To the masculine literary establishment, George Sand with her insistence on wearing trousers and smoking


aversion: firm dislike
Their mutual aversion was so great that they refused to speak to one another.


traverse: go through or across
When you traverse this field, be careful of the bull.


cadaver: corpse
In some states, it is illegal to dissect cadavers.


knavery: rascality
We cannot condone such knavery in public officials.


avert: prevent; turn away
She averted her eyes from the dead cat on the highway.


cadaverous: like a corpse; pale
From his cadaverous appearance, we could see how the disease had ravaged him.


aver: state confidently
I wish to aver that I am certain of success.


averse: reluctant
He was averse to revealing the sources of his information.


traverse: go through or across


ingenuous: naive; young and unsophisticated
Although she was over forty, the movie star still insisted that she be cast as an ingenuous sweet young thing.


inveigh: denounce; utter censure or invective
He inveighed against the demagoguery of the previous speaker and urged that the audience reject his philosophy as dangerous.


inveigle: lead astray; wheedle
She was inveigled into joining the club after an initial reluctance.


loathe: detest
We loathed the wicked villain.


loath: averse; reluctant
They were both loath for him to go.


loathe: detest
We loathed the wicked villain.


obnoxious: offensive
I find your behavior obnoxious; please mend your ways.


noxious: harmful
We must trace the source of these noxious gases before they asphyxiate us.


obnoxious: offensive
I find your behavior obnoxious; please mend your ways.


obsequious: slavishly attentive; servile; sycophantic
Helen valued people who behaved as if they respected themselves; nothing irritated her more than an excessively obsequious waiter
or a fawning salesclerk.


perspicuity: clearness of expression; freedom from ambiguity
One of the outstanding features of this book is the perspicuity of its author; her meaning is always clear.


repertoire: list of works of music, drama, etc., a performer is prepared to present
The opera company decided to include Madame Butterfly in its repertoire for the following season.


aperture: opening; hole
She discovered a small aperture in the wall, through which the insects had entered the room.


expertise: specialized knowledge; expert skill
Although she was knowledgeable in a number of fields, she was hired for her particular expertise in computer programming.


pert: impertinent; forward
I think your pert and impudent remarks call for an apology.


impertinent: insolent
I regard your remarks as impertinent and I resent them.


perturb: disturb greatly
I am afraid this news will perturb him and cause him grief.


imperturbable: calm; placid
Wellington remained imperturbable and in full command of the situation in spite of the hyteria and panic all around him.


pertinent: suitable; to the point
The lawyer wanted to know all the pertinent details.


pertinacious: stubborn; persistent
He is bound to succeed because his pertinacious nature will not permit him to quit.


impertinent: insolent
I regard your remarks as impertinent and I resent them.


pertinent: suitable; to the point
The lawyer wanted to know all the pertinent details.


vulpine: like a fox; crafty
She disliked his sly ways, but granted him a certain vulpine intelligence.


pine: languish, decline; long for, yearn
Though she tried to be happy living with Clara in the city, Heidi pined for the mountains and for her gruff but loving grandfather
.


repine: fret; complain
There is no sense repining over the work you have left undone.


supine: lying on back
The defeated pugilist lay supine on the canvas.


repine: fret; complain
There is no sense repining over the work you have left undone.
fileNameForInputWords confusedWords
inputList: confusedWords

amicable: friendly
The dispute was settled in an amicable manner with no harsh words.


amiable: agreeable; lovable
His amiable disposition pleased all who had dealings with him.


appraise: estimate the value of
It is difficult to appraise old paintings; it is easier to call them priceless.


apprise: inform
When he was apprised of the dangerous weather conditions, he decided to postpone his trip.


maverick: rebel; nonconformist

aversion: firm dislike
Their mutual aversion was so great that they refused to speak to one another.


traverse: go through or across
When you traverse this field, be careful of the bull.


cadaver: corpse
In some states, it is illegal to dissect cadavers.


knavery: rascality
We cannot condone such knavery in public officials.


avert: prevent; turn away
She averted her eyes from the dead cat on the highway.


cadaverous: like a corpse; pale
From his cadaverous appearance, we could see how the disease had ravaged him.


aver: state confidently
I wish to aver that I am certain of success.


averse: reluctant
He was averse to revealing the sources of his information.


traverse: go through or across
When you traverse this field, be careful of the bull.


averse: reluctant
He was averse to revealing the sources of his information.


aversion: firm dislike
Their mutual aversion was so great that they refused to speak to one another.


bouillon: clear beef soup
The cup of bouillon served by the stewards was welcomed by those who had been chilled by the cold ocean breezes.


bullion: gold and silver in the form of bars
Much bullion is stored in the vaults at Fort Knox.


carillon: set of bells capable of being played


carrion: rotting flesh of a dead body
Buzzards are nature's scavengers; they eat the carrion left behind by other predators.


caption: title; chapter heading; text under illustration
I find the captions that accompany these cartoons very clever and humorous.



captious: faultfinding
His criticisms were always captious and frivolous, never offering constructive suggestions.


recapitulate: summarize
Let us recapitulate what has been said thus far before going ahead.


capitulate: surrender
The enemy was warned to capitulate or face annihilation.


recapitulate: summarize
Let us recapitulate what has been said thus far before going ahead.


recession: withdrawal; retreat; time of low economic activity
The slow recession of the flood waters created problems for the crews working to restore power to the


concession: an act of yielding
Before they could reach an agreement, both sides had to make certain concessions.


secession: withdrawal
The secession of the Southern states provided Lincoln with his first major problem after his inauguration.


cession: yielding to another; ceding
The cession of Alaska to the United States is discussed in this chapter.


cessation: stopping
The workers threatened a cessation of all activities if their demands were not met.


chaff: worthless products of an endeavor
When you separate the wheat from the chaff, be sure you throw out the chaff.


chaffing: bantering; joking
Sometimes his flippant and chaffing remarks annoy us.


chaffing: bantering; joking
Sometimes his flippant and chaffing remarks annoy us.


chasten: discipline; punish in order to correct
Whom God loves, God chastens.


chaste: pure
Her chaste and decorous garb was appropriately selected for the solemnity of the occasion.


chasten: discipline; punish in order to correct
Whom God loves, God chastens.


complacent: self-satisfied
There was a complacent look on his face as he examined his paintings.


complaisant: trying to please; obliging
The courtier obeyed the king's orders in a complaisant manner.


canvass: determine or seek opinions, votes, etc.
After canvassing the sentiments of his constituents, the congressman was confident that he represented the majority opinion of his
district.


canvass: determine or seek opinions, votes, etc.
After canvassing the sentiments of his constituents, the congressman was confident that he represented the majority opinion of his
district.


demure: grave; serius; coy
She was demure and reserved.


demur: delay; object
To demur at this time will only worsen the already serious situation; now is the time for action.


demure: grave; serius; coy
She was demure and reserved.


expiate: make amends for (a sin)
He tried to expiate his crimes by a full confession to the authorities.


expatiate: talk at length
At this time, please give us a brief resume of your work; we shall permit you to expatiate later.


expatriate: exile; someone who has withdrawn from his native land
Henry James was an American expatriate who settled in England.


factious: inclined to form factions; causing dissension.
Your statement is factious and will upset the harmony that now exists.


forebears: ancestors
Reverence for one's forebears (sometimes referred to as ancestor worship) plays an important part in many


garish: gaudy
She wore a garish rhinestone necklace.


garnish: decorate
Parsley was used to garnish the boiled potato.


gibe: mock
As you gibe at their superstitious beliefs, do you realize that you, too, are guilty of similarly foolish thoughts?


horde: crowd
Just before Christmas the stores are filled with hordes of shoppers.


hoard: stockpile; accumulate for future use
Whenever there are rumors of a food shortage, people are tempted to hoard food.


ingenious: clever
He came up with a use for Styrofoam packing balls that was so ingenious that his business school professors declared it was market
able.


disingenuous: not naive; sophisticated
Although he was young, his remarks indicated that he was disingenous.


ingenuous: naive; young and unsophisticated
Although she was over forty, the movie star still insisted that she be cast as an ingenuous sweet young thing.


inveigh: denounce; utter censure or invective
He inveighed against the demagoguery of the previous speaker and urged that the audience reject his philosophy as dangerous.


inveigle: lead astray; wheedle
She was inveigled into joining the club after an initial reluctance.


loathe: detest
We loathed the wicked villain.


loath: averse; reluctant
They were both loath for him to go.


loathe: detest
We loathed the wicked villain.


obnoxious: offensive
I find your behavior obnoxious; please mend your ways.


noxious: harmful
We must trace the source of these noxious gases before they asphyxiate us.


obnoxious: offensive
I find your behavior obnoxious; please mend your ways.


obsequious: slavishly attentive; servile; sycophantic
Helen valued people who behaved as if they respected themselves; nothing irritated her more than an excessively obsequious waiter
or a fawning salesclerk.


perspicuity: clearness of expression; freedom from ambiguity
One of the outstanding features of this book is the perspicuity of its author; her meaning is always clear.


repertoire: list of works of music, drama, etc., a performer is prepared to present
The opera company decided to include Madame Butterfly in its repertoire for the following season.


aperture: opening; hole
She discovered a small aperture in the wall, through which the insects had entered the room.


expertise: specialized knowledge; expert skill
Although she was knowledgeable in a number of fields, she was hired for her particular expertise in computer programming.


pert: impertinent; forward
I think your pert and impudent remarks call for an apology.


impertinent: insolent
I regard your remarks as impertinent and I resent them.


perturb: disturb greatly
I am afraid this news will perturb him and cause him grief.


imperturbable: calm; placid
Wellington remained imperturbable and in full command of the situation in spite of the hyteria and panic all around him.


pertinent: suitable; to the point
The lawyer wanted to know all the pertinent details.


pertinacious: stubborn; persistent
He is bound to succeed because his pertinacious nature will not permit him to quit.


impertinent: insolent
I regard your remarks as impertinent and I resent them.


pertinent: suitable; to the point
The lawyer wanted to know all the pertinent details.


vulpine: like a fox; crafty
She disliked his sly ways, but granted him a certain vulpine intelligence.


pine: languish, decline; long for, yearn
Though she tried to be happy living with Clara in the city, Heidi pined for the mountains and for her gruff but loving grandfather
.


repine: fret; complain
There is no sense repining over the work you have left undone.


supine: lying on back
The defeated pugilist lay supine on the canvas.


repine: fret; complain
There is no sense repining over the work you have left undone.


prodigy: highly gifted child; marvel
Menuhin was a prodigy, performing wonders on his violin when he was barely eight years old.


prodigal: wasteful; reckless with money
The prodigal son squandered his inheritance.


refectory: dining hall
In this huge refectory, we can feed the entire student body at one sitting.


refractory: stubborn; unmanageable
The refractory horse was eliminated from the race when he refused to obey the jockey.


regimen: prescribed diet and habits
I doubt whether the results warrant our living under such a strict regimen.


regime: method or system of government
When a Frenchman mentions the Old Regime, he refers to the government existing before the revolution.


regimen: prescribed diet and habits
I doubt whether the results warrant our living under such a strict regimen.


reputed: supposed
He is the reputed father of the child.


reputable: respectable
If you want to buy antiques, look for a reputable dealer; far too many dealers today pass off fakes as genuine antiques.


somber: gloomy; depressing
From the doctor's grim expression, I could tell he had somber news.


sensuous: pertaining to the physical senses; operating through the senses
He was stimulated by the sights, sounds and smells about him; he was enjoying his sensuous experience.


sensual: devoted to the pleasures of the senses; carnal; voluptous
I cannot understand what caused him to drop his sensual way of life and become so ascetic.

go fuk ursef! I typ jus fyn.

its not ur plas to dickate how i typ. Theirs two many dam critiks round her

Um.... er.....in the thread title.......Grammar is spelled incorrectly!!

foghorn wrote:Um.... er.....in the thread title.......Grammar is spelled incorrectly!!

Poindexter......

More ammo for the grammar Nazis of this forum.

Hey koi, as long as you are pointing out pet peeves, here's [here is ] an example of two that drive me apeshit every time I see them:

"Those loosers over at Watchgeeks need to learn how to losen up."

Thanks for the clarification.

foghorn wrote:Um.... er.....in the thread title.......Grammar is spelled incorrectly!!

I know. It was deliberate. An attempt to point out that we all can be wrong, even grammar lords.

Bulchet!

At last. A reference for the “stoopid” poster. I would say poseur but he would miss the point.
Poseur describes a person who copies the speech, and/or mannerisms of a group hoping to attain acceptability or for popularity among various watch forums, yet does not understand the philosophy of the group. This inauthenticity is often met with scorn and contempt by members.

Damn hippie...

Yeah, but wasn’t referring to you.
You are OK in my book, I just get riled when people toss out “ must be a republican” or “You gonna get raped“ with the presidents picture. Was in Spokane Monday, saw all these hippies out in force with banners calling everyone but them racists. Heard MLK Kings speech being read, and the kid did not know what he was saying not the crowd. You say his exact words, they hear something totally different. So I am thinking some are playing with words to be accepted in this crazy forum. I have had my butt handed to me on this forum and was banned for a while on WUS for chiding the Chinese watchcrap lovers. Where can we go to have fun and talk watches but here.