Additional Confused Words

By georgelthomas on 17 Sep 2017 • ( 1 )

Hello everyone here’s another post about words that are sometimes confused with others. You can find my other posts about Confused Words here.

Break, Brake
Break: is the word to use when you’re talking about ending or pausing something for a short time or when you want to talk about something that has been cracked, fractured or shattered. For example, we played cards for over two hours before taking a ‘break‘. She saw him pick up the vase and told him to put it down because it was fragile and she was worried that he’d ‘break’ it.
Brake: is used when talking about slowing down a vehicle. For example, I realised I was driving too fast and put my foot on the ‘brake‘.

Prey, Pray
Prey: is used when speaking of an animal who is the target of an attack. For example, the owl stalked the mouse for an hour before swooping down and claiming its ‘prey‘.
Pray: this word is used in reference to speaking to a higher being, such as a god or some other diety. For instance, he clasped his hands together and bowed his head to ‘pray‘, asking God to give him strength.

Mall, Maul
Mall: is the term used to describe a public area surrounded by shops and department stores. For example, she went to meet her friends at the ‘mall‘ every day after school.
Maul: this is the term used to describe an attack by a person or animal. For instance, unfortunately, the forest ranger was ‘mauled’ by a bear.

Source, Sauce
Source: is used when speaking about where something comes from or begins. For example, lemons are an excellent ‘source‘ of vitamin C.
Sauce: is the word for a liquid accompaniment to food. For instance, the tomato ‘sauce‘ added a lot of extra flavour to the dish.

Hair, Hare
Hair: this is the word which refers to the strands that grow from the skin of people and animals. For instance, his ‘hair‘ had grown past his shoulders, and he decided it was time for a trim.
Hare: is a type of mammal related to the rabbit, distinguishable from by its larger legs and ears. For example, the ‘hare‘ hopped happily over the hill.

Die, Dye
Die: is the word used when referencing something or someone who has come to the end of their life. For instance, after a long battle with illness, the old man ‘died’.
Dye: is the word used for the action of changing the pigment of something. For example, having chosen a colour, he put the ‘dye‘ on his head and waited for it to change the shade of his hair.

As always, thank you for reading my words if you did, I really appreciate it.

Until next time,

George