Sunday, April 5, 2009

Not homonyms

sedimentary ~ one of the three main types of rock (the others being igneous and metamorphic rock), formed by the deposition and compression of small particles.

Sample of correct usage in a sentence: Limestone, dolomite, and sandstone are all types of sedimentary rock, which covers 75-80% of the Earth's land area.

With the intention of describing the desk job which aided in the expansion of your waistline, the word you are looking for is sedentary.


pitcher ~ 1. a vessel used to contain liquid, usually having a handle and spout for pouring. 2. the player on a baseball team who launches the ball toward home plate to begin each play in attempt to retire the batter.

Sample of correct usage in a sentence: When I saw the Yankees' pitcher in the bar, I bought him and his friends a pitcher of beer.

In discussions relating to photography, the word you are looking for is picture which is pronounced with a hard 'k' sound at the end of the first syllable. Of course, both words may be appropriately used if you have taken a picture of a pitcher.


mortified ~ a synonym for embarrassed or humiliated, as in when one is made to feel uncomfortable because of shame or wounded pride.

Sample of correct usage in a sentence: There were only two of us in the car, so when my date had to nonchalantly roll down his window to clear the gas I had passed, I was mortified.

When you are extremely frightened, or intend to describe your intense fear toward a particular object or situation, the word you are looking for is terrified. To say, "I am mortified of spiders" implies only that you might be ashamed if one were seen in your company.

2 comments:

jaeyde said...

amen.

Sarah Rose Evans said...

does this ccount? They've posted a sign in my gym asking parents to "disgard" their diapers in on outside trashcan. I think they're confusing discard and disregard.

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