Confusing Words and Homonyms: Part 6 “V, W, and Y”

Sometimes words give us problems because we don’t know that there are words similar to the one we want to use, but mean different things. Sometimes words give us problems because we don’t know any better or we’re just too lazy to make sure that we are correct. Whatever the case, this final installment will help clarify a few common errors that people have with words that are similar and homonyms. Click here for previous entries.

Vain: excessively concerned about your appearance. “She always looks nice, but she’s incredibly vain.”
Vane: a blade moved by wind. “The weather vane is blowing in the wind.”
Vein: blood carrier. “My vein in my temple is pulsing.”

Vary: to change. “The temperature may vary, but it’s generally nice all year long.”
Very: extremely. “He is very angry at the wind.”

Verses: lines of poetry. “Please read Shakespeare’s verses of poetry from his seventh sonnet.”
Versus: compared to another. “Tonight it is the epic battle of bananas versus apples.”

Vial: small container of liquid. “Slip the vial of poison in his bag so he’ll get caught.”
Vile: repulsive. “She is the most vile looking stripper I’ve ever seen.”

Vice: a bad habit. “Biting her nails is her vice.”
Vise: a devise to hold an object in place. “Put the vise on the wood so we can hammer it into place.”

Wade: to walk through water. “I’d rather wade in the shallow end rather than splash in the deep end.”
Weighed: to have placed on a scale. “We have weighed the woman and she is very heavy.”

Wail: mournful cry. “I could hear her wail from across the street.”
Whale: an animal. “The whale bumped against the tug boat in the ocean.”

Waist: a part of the human body. “My waist is twenty-six inches.”
Waste: to spend or trash. “What a waste of time.” or “Throw away the waste.”

Wait: to be ready. “Wait until five then come knocking on my door.”
Weight: quantity of mass. “The total weight of the cat is seventeen pounds.”

Waiver: to relinquish a right. “You will waiver your right to eat soup upside down.”
Waver: to vary. “Your decision may waver over the course of a year.”

Warn: to notify. “I warn you to stay back or I’ll karate chop you!”
Worn: carried on the body. “She has worn the same jacket for five years.”

Way: a direction. “Go that way down the street then make a left.”
Weigh: to measure mass. “Let’s weigh the cat and a bucket of water at the same time.”

Weak: not strong. “Her right arm is weak compared to her left.”
Week: seven days. “It will take one week to get the photos back from the printers.”

Wear: to carry on the body. “I will wear the pink Speedo to the beach.”
Where: in what place. “Where should we meet for dinner?”

Weather: state of the atmosphere. “The weather is cold and rainy.”
Whether: meaning if. “Whether or not you want to go, you’re going!”

Weave: to interlace thread or yarn. “He will weave a blanket for the back of his couch.”
We’ve: contraction for we have. “We’ve had a lovely time at dinner, thank you for having us.”

Were: past tense of are. “We were going to dance, but I hurt my ankle so we couldn’t.”
We’re: contraction for we are. “We’re going to the movies if you want to join us.”

Wheeled: moved on wheels. “Max wheeled the sheep around in his cart.”
Wield: to exercise power. “I can wield the power of lightning.”

Which: what one. “She wants to know which oven mitt is prettier.”
Witch: a person who does magic. “Not every witch has a broom and an evil laugh.”

Whine: to complain. “Alex will whine all night if no one shuts him up.”
Wine: an alcoholic drink. “We have already had a few glasses of wine.”

Whirled: to spin rapidly. “The washer machine whirled the water and clothes around.”
World: the planet. “The world is a wonderful place to live.”

Who’s: contraction for who is. “Who’s parked on the corner?”
Whose: belonging to. “Whose cat is this?”

Wood: tree material. “The desk is made out of wood and brass.”
Would: to express intention. “Would you like to go to the cemetery with me?”

Yoke: harness for oxen. “Don’t forget to take the yoke off of the ox.”
Yolk: yellow center of an egg. “I only want to eat the whites, not the yolk of the egg.”

Yore: long past. “The days of yore are long behind many setting suns.”
You’re: contraction of you are. “You’re not going to go to the show without a proper dinner.”
Your: possessive pronoun. “Your dress is very nice.”

Many of the most common mixed up words and homonyms have been explained over the past few months. Now you should have a better idea of which words to use in different sentences and which words to not use.

Written by Patricia Vennes from Writer's Rants
Posted on June 22nd, 2009 and filed under Blogging, Writing
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