Hi everyone, I hope you’re all well. I’m sharing another round of commonly confused words with you today, and they are:

Alter, Altar
Alter: this word is used to mean change. For example, it’s easy to ‘alter‘ the designs.
Altar: this is the word you’d use in reference to a flat-topped block or surface used in religious rituals. For example, the berries were placed on the ‘altar‘ as an offering to the gods.

Canon, Cannon
Canon: this is used to mean that something is accepted as official or as a general rule or law. It can also be used in regards to a member of clergy belonging to the chapter or staff of a cathedral. For instance, the creator of the book series has said that the new novel should be considered ‘canon‘. He was appointed ‘Canon‘ of the local cathedral.
Cannon: this is the word you’d use when referring to a piece of wheel-mounted heavy artillery that used to be used in warfare. For example, the soldier loaded the ‘cannon‘ and prepared to fire.

Cellar, Basement
Cellar: is used to denote a room that is located below ground level of a house or other building used primarily for storing items such as wine or coal. Often cellars make for great storage locations because they have no access to direct sunlight. For instance, he kept the wine ‘cellar‘ fully stocked.
Basement:  is used to refer to a room of a house that can be either fully or partially below ground. A basement can be used for practically any purpose and is usually larger than a cellar. For example, the house’s large ‘basement‘ contained two extra bedrooms.

Deep-seated, Deep-seeded
Deep-seated: this is used when you’re talking about something that is firmly entrenched or established. For example, his love of poetry is ‘deep-seated‘.
Deep-seeded: this is sometimes mistakenly used instead of the above deep-seeded. Otherwise, it doesn’t really mean anything – at least not in this sense.

Systemic, Systematic
Systemic: you’d use this word when talking about something such as an error that has affected a whole system rather than a specific part. For example, the infection was not ‘systemic‘ but was localised to the patient’s ears.
Systematic: this word is used to refer to something that is methodically done according to a specific plan. For example, she ‘systematically‘ followed each and every instruction.

Effluent, Affluent
Effluent: This word is used when referring to waste or sewage that flows into a river or the sea. For example, industrial ‘effluent‘ is poisoning the river.
Affluent: is the word you might use to describe an area that is considered to be particularly wealthy. For example, many people were eager to move into the new, ‘affluent‘ housing district.

As always, thank you for reading my words, it really does mean a lot.

Until next time,

George

© 2019 GLT

Categories: Confused Words, English Language

Tags: affluent, altar, basement, canon, confused, English, language, words, Writer, writing