The other day, my teenage daughter and I had a conversation about the past tense of to dive after I had used the word dived in a sentence. One of the downsides of being a professional copywriter is that everyone waits for you to mess up when you say or write something. Then they pounce like tigers that… Continue reading Dove vs. dived; or people love it when I get it wrong
Category: Difference between
The difference between clause and phrase
Two words you’ll hear grammarians throw out are clause and phrase. What’s the difference? In short, a clause contains a subject doing the verb while a phrase doesn’t. Take this sentence for example. For the first time in 11 years, I ate fried chicken. In this example, everything before the comma is a phrase and… Continue reading The difference between clause and phrase
Difference between “A While” vs. “Awhile”
A while is a time, a noun. The article a before while is a sure sign that you’re dealing with a noun. Awhile means for a time and it’s an adverb. Read the rest at Grammar Girl : “A While” Versus “Awhile”
Difference between emigrate and immigrate
This is part of the difference between series. Recently, someone asked me to explain difference between the words emigrate and immigrate. Here’s the difference between the two.
Difference between principle and principal
This is part of the difference between series. I’ve heard some people confusing the words principal and principle. Here’s the difference between the two. Let’s start with the easier one first: principle. Principle Principle typically means something like rule, doctrine, or standard. I won’t compromise my principles. Principal Principal, on the other hand, has several… Continue reading Difference between principle and principal
Difference between stationery and stationary
This is part of the difference between series. Stationery means “writing materials,” while stationary means “immovable.” I bought some stationery from Staples. and That mountain is stationary.
Difference between historical and historic
This is part of the difference between series. Historical means “related to history,” while historic means “something important from history.” The Apollo moon landing was historic. and Louis Riel was one of the historical figures who helped shape Canada.
Difference between whatever and whichever
This is part of the difference between series. I’ve heard some people confusing the words whatever and whichever. Here’s the difference between the two.
Difference between biannual and biennial
This is part of the difference between series. Biannual means “occuring twice a year”. Biennial means “occuring every two years”.
Difference between sitting and seating
This is part of the difference between series. I’ve heard some people confusing the words sitting and seating. Here’s the difference between the two. Seating Seating refers to how seats are laid out. The seating arrangement is fan-shaped. Sitting Sitting refers to how one sits. The sitting arrangement will be on the floor rather than… Continue reading Difference between sitting and seating