29 April 2017 - MORE TRICKY WORDS

MORE TRICKY WORDS
G'day folks,
Welcome to a few more of those tricky words.

11. HEARTY/HARDY
Hearty is for things that are warm and nourishing, like a robust welcome or an abundant feast. They have heart. Hardyis for things that are tough and durable, that can stand up to the elements and survive. They are hard.
12. DEEP-SEATED/DEEP-SEEDED
Whether you're talking about fears, habits, or emotions, the correct term is deep-seated. Talk of depth and rootedness brings the idea of planting to mind, but seeds don’t enter into this expression.
13. COMPLIMENT/COMPLEMENT
A compliment is a kind or flattering comment. Complement means to go together well. Your shoes may complement your dress, but if I remark on how sharp you look I am giving you a compliment.
14. HOARD/HORDE
To hoard is to collect and keep things in a secure or hidden place, and hoarditself keeps its stash of vowels all tucked away inside the word. A hordeis a big crowd. Its vowels are scattered over the word, like a horde of tourists on a sidewalk.


15. LOATHE/LOATH
Loathe is a verb meaning to hate. It is a more severe sentiment than loath, which means reluctant. Loathwill always be followed by to, as in “I am loath to make small talk with people I loathe.”
16. PERPETRATE/PERPETUATE
They only differ by one letter, but perpetuate gets a whole extra syllable. That works well, because perpetuate means to keep something going (to make it perpetual) while perpetrate is to commit a single act, usually a crime.
17. PORE OVER/POUR OVER
When you study a document carefully, you pore over it (almost as if you are inspecting its tiny pores). If you were to pour something over it, like juice or coffee, that would make it much harder to read.
18. CONSCIENCE/CONSCIOUS
Conscience is a noun, and consciousis an adjective. A conscience can be cleared, or keep you awake at night, or tell you what decision to make. Conscious is a description of a state. If you’re conscious you're awake and aware.
19. WHO’S/WHOSE
If you can substitute in “who is” or “who has,” then the one you want is who’s, otherwise it’s whose.
20. AMUSED/BEMUSED
It’s better to be amused than bemused. Amused means entertained, while bemusedmeans puzzled or confused. It’s the difference between a smile and a head scratch.

Clancy's comment: I hope you were amused as you pored over these words.
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