LinguoLog by NUA Languages

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Avocation vs Vocation

An "avocation" is one's hobby, while a "vocation" is their regular occupation or calling.

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Lost and Found in Translation

Check out this link:

http://www.um.es/lincoing/how_to_say_things_with_words.htm

Something that anyone familiar with both English and Spanish feels at the subconscious level is that Spanish verbs are intrinsically Path-oriented (e.g., subir, bajar, salir, etc.), while English verbs of motion tend to focus on the Manner (e.g., prance, shuffle, etc.).  Linguists call this "verb-framing" and "satellite-framing."  As the article authors point out, "to express Path in English, one must use a separate word, a 'satellite': to go in/up/down; to express Manner of motion in Spanish, one must very often resort to 'external' arguments to the verb, as with an adverbial phrase, etc. (e.g., andar arrastrando los pies, andar de puntillas, etc.).'

One can't help wondering how much is lost in translation from one language into the other...

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Altogether vs All Together

"Altogether" means "completely, absolutely."

Example:  This approach is altogether different.

"All together," however, just means "together" or "in a group."

Example:  They did it all together.

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Everyone vs Every One

"Everyone" is used to refer to all the people who make up a group. 

Example:  Everyone loves ice cream.

However, when referring to each person in a group as a separate individual, you would want to use "every one."

Example:  Every one of us will donate $100 to the XYZ Foundation.

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Censor vs Censure

Yet again, they do not mean the same.  "To censor" is cut portions of (a publication, a movie, etc.) to prevent it from reaching a wide audience.  "To censure" is to express harsh criticism.

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Isle and Island

The word "isle" sounds so similar to "island" that one is easily misled into believing it's short for the latter.  In fact, these words are etymologically unrelated.  While "isle" derives from the Latin word "īnsula" (meaning "island"), "island" comes from the Old English "īegland."

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False Friends: Rare

The English word "rare" means "uncommon", while the Spanish "raro" and Dutch "raar" mean "strange."

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Exulted vs Exalted

Unless you believe you can rejoice someone to a higher position, "exulted to a higher position" doesn't make much sense either.  "Exalted" would be the word to use instead.  While "to exult" means to rejoice or to be jubilant, "to exalt" is to elevate.

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Peremptory vs Preemptory

No, "peremptory" (in other words, "imperative") has nothing to do with the verb "to preempt" (meaning "to appropriate before others").  If you wanted to turn "preempt" into an adjective, you would say "preemptive."

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Word of the day

blithe:

joyous or carefree.

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For Sale vs On Sale

Anything you can buy is "for sale," but if something is "on sale," it means that the price has been lowered.

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Apiece vs A Piece

When taken to mean "each," it should be spelled as one word.  Only use "a piece" when referring to an actual piece of something.

Here are some examples:

Answer both questions, 300 words apiece. (meaning "each question")

BUT:

This cake is pretty expensive, 6 EUR a piece. (meaning "for a piece")

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Feel Good vs Feel Well

Some folks get upset whenever they hear somebody say "I feel good" rather than "I feel well."  Yet, it is perfectly correct to answer "good" when asked how you are.  "To feel good" is to feel happy, and "to feel well' is to be in good health.

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Word of the day

Pangram:

A sentence that contains all 26 letters of the alphabet.

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Place Names: Is "The" Ever Needed?

Why is it that some cities and countries take the definite article?  Many an English learner is mystified by why it is "the Netherlands" (with the definite article), but "France" (without).  Is there a rule?

Countries whose names are descriptions of the form of the state always require that the name be preceded by "the."  Compare:  the United States of America BUT America, the People's Republic of China BUT China.

Some country names traditionally take the definite article.  Today there remain only three such countries (The Bahamas, The Gambia, and The Netherlands), but historical examples include also "the Argentine," "the Lebanon," "the Sudan," and some others.

The definite article is also required before the name of the capital of the Netherlands (The Hague), as well as before a few other smaller cities and towns (such as The Dalles, OR) and the New York City borough of The Bronx.

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Deep-seated vs Deep-seeded

So which one should you use?  Although "deep-seeded" seems to make sense, "deep-seated" is the correct word, which means "deeply rooted" or "firmly held."  It comes from horseback riding and has nothing to do (at least etymologically) with an idea or belief being deeply planted. 

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Word of the day

Serendipity:

1. The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident.2. The fact or occurrence of such discoveries.3. An instance of making such a discovery.

[From the characters in the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip, who made such discoveries, from Persian Sarandp, Sri Lanka, from Arabic sarandb.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.