Confusing Words in English

Confusing Words: Bought (past tense of verb – buy) and Brought (past tense of verb – bring)
Meaning:
Bought (the past tense and past participle of buy.)
Brought (past simple and past participle of bring.) 
Bought vs Brought Clarification: Both of these words are different in terms of meanings, spellings and functions.

Bought vs Brought – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?

In this post, I will define each of the above terms and use these words in example sentences. Bought and brought are just one-letter apart. If you speak out these words together, you will not feel any difference in pronunciation.

This is the reason of the confusion between them. I hope that after reading the proper definitions with example sentences, you will never find any confusion again.

Bought

Bought is the past tense of the verb ‘buy’.

Definition of Buy: Buy means to obtain, get or to acquire something in exchange for money. For example,

1. I will buy these plates for $10 only.

2. She bought a brand new designer dress.

3. In October 2014, he bought his first home, a three-bedroom, two-bathroom investment property in Bracken Ridge, about 30km north of the CBD, for $378,500. (NEWS.com.eu)

Brought

Brought is the past tense of the verb ‘bring’.

Definition of Bring: Bring means to take or to carry someone or something from one to another place. For example,

1. Please, bring me a glass of water.

2. She asked me to bring a glass of water, but I <strongbrought a glass of fresh orange juice for her.

3. Amnesty International has revealed that just one unaccompanied child refugee has been brought to Northern Ireland under the Dubs scheme, introduced by the Government in response to a campaign fronted by Labour peer and former child refugee, Lord Dubs. (Amnesty International UK)

Quiz

Remember that bought is the past tense of buy whereas, brought is the past tense of bring ( i.e. brought and bring have –r in them).

Here is a small quiz for you. Fill in the blanks using bought or brought.

1. My friend ___________ me some chocolates.

2. I __________ a toy car from a nearby store.

3. She _________ a dinner set for $50.

4. Don’t worry, I have __________ the money.

(Answers at the end)

What Did You Learn?

Bought and brought are just one-letter apart. Both of these words are different in terms of meanings, spellings and functions. Bought is the past tense of buy meaning to obtain in exchange for money. Brought, on the other hand, is the past tense of bring meaning to carry someone or something.

Answers : 1. Brought , 2. Bought , 3. Bought , 4. Brought

Confusing Words: Burned (past tense) and Burnt (past participle)
Meaning: (of a fire) produce flames and heat while consuming a material such as coal or wood.
Burned vs Burnt Clarification: Burned and burnt are both correct spellings to be used within sentences.

Burned vs Burnt – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?

There is a minor difference between burned and burnt in terms of pronunciation but there is no difference in meaning. Both of these words can be used interchangeably. The problem is with the region or people that you have to be careful about.

Define Burned/Burnt

Burned or burnt can be used as the past tense and the past participle form of the verb ‘burn’. Both burned and burnt are used to refer something that has been destroyed by fire or heat.

Note: Remember one thing, burned and burnt refer something that was happened in the past.

1. He burned his entire bookshelf for no reason.

2. Almost ten thousand papers were burnt infront of my house.

3. Cambridge college appeals for ‘calm’ over student who burnt £20 note in front of homeless man. (Cambridge News)

4. A fire broke out in Disneyland’s main parking structure that burned eight cars and forced seven people to be treated for smoke inhalation, authorities said. (Omaha World-Herald)

Burned and burnt can also be used as adjective within sentences. For example, burnt orange, burned car, burnt toast, burned house, etc.

Where to Use Burned or Burnt?

Though both of the spellings are acceptable as the past tense form of the verb ‘burn’, but, burned is more preferable than burnt. You will see burned in most of the worldwide publications.

In the same way, American English prefers burned than burnt. Only American English, most commonly, makes this distinction between burned and burnt. They want to go with the older version ‘burned’. However, you will see burnt used as adjective in many American publications.

Burned is more common than burnt

Beside the above discussion, burnt is the newer version and is favored by Britishers. It means that in British English, burnt is the more preferable spelling than burned.

Check Out: The Difference Between Assume and Presume.

What Did You Learn?

Burned and burnt are both correct spellings to be used within sentences. They are used to refer something that has been destroyed by fire or heat. Burned is more preferable spelling than burnt. However, burnt is used more commonly in British English.

Confusing Words: Beside (preposition) and Besides (preposition/adverb)
Meaning: at the side of; next to.
Beside vs Besides Clarification: Beside and besides are just one-letter apart. You cannot use both of these words interchangeably.

Beside vs Besides – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?

Is it beside or besides? Are both of these words correct to use or there is just a spelling mistake?

Let me tell you one thing, both beside and besides are correct words to use within sentences. They are different in terms of meanings as well as in functions. Now, I will define each term separately and use them in example sentences.

Beside

The word ‘beside’ is used as a preposition within sentences. It is synonymous with alongside meaning at the side of.

For example,

1. Don’t get nervous; I will always stand beside you.

2. I have placed your book on the table beside the bed.

3. Her body was found beside a footpath on the outskirts of the community and she died a day later in Townsville Hospital. (The Cairns Post)

Besides

The word ‘besides’ can be used as a preposition or an adverb within sentences. As a preposition, it means apart from or in addition to.

1. Besides baking, I love to make handmade accessories.

2. Besides the dearth of bike lanes, fast-moving busy streets, and sub-par pavement, bike share has additional challenges in this area. (Streetsblog San Francisco)

As an adverb, besides means furthermore, in addition to, also or as well.

1. I don’t want to go outside. Besides, I want to take a rest.

2. Pictou County would benefit from a post-season matchup with the Antigonish Bulldogs for a couple of reasons (sincerely, no offence to the Bulldogs, and besides, I’m pretty sure they’d be good with playing the Scotians in the first round, and not the Miners). (The News)

Got the Difference?

From the above discussion, it has been clear that beside and besides are two different words having different meanings and functions. So, you have to be careful while using these words. Do not mix beside with besides, as it will cause a great confusion among readers.

Always use beside (without an –s) to refer an alongside. Remember one thing that beside is always followed by a noun or a pronoun. For instance, ‘beside you’ or ‘beside the bed’. On the other hand, besides (with an –s) always refer to make an additional point. If besides comes before the additional point then, a comma should be set off after besides.

What Did You Learn?

Beside and besides are just one-letter apart. You cannot use both of these words interchangeably. Beside is a preposition which is synonymous with alongside. On the other hand, besides can be an adverb and a preposition which means apart from, also or in addition to.

Confusing Words: Breath (noun) and Breathe (verb)
Meaning:
Breath (the air taken into or expelled from the lungs)
Breathe (take air into the lungs and then expel it, especially as a regular physiological process.
Breath vs Breathe Clarification: Breath and breathe are two different words with different meanings and functions within sentences.

Breath vs Breathe – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?

Both breath and breathe are correct words to use. They both have different meanings and functions. It means that you cannot use them interchangeably.

Breath and breathe are just one-letter apart. Breath is pronounced as “breth” whereas, breathe is pronounced as “breeth”.

Let me define each term separately so that you can easily differentiate between breath and breathe. I will also use these terms in example sentences to show out their functions within sentences.

Breath

Breath is used as a noun within sentences. It is used to refer the air that is inhaled or exhaled during respiration.

1. I was out of breath because I ran so fast to get you.

2. Can you hold your breath for about one minute?

3. I took a deep breath and listened to the old bray of my heart. I am. I am. I am. (Sylvia Plath)

Breathe

Unlike breath, breathe is works as a verb within sentences. Breathe means to bring air or oxygen in and out of the lungs. In simple words, it means inhaling or exhaling air.

1. The nurse informed him that the patient was not able to breathe well.

2. I can breathe fresh clean air in the green-grassy environment.

3. “Now I can’t breathe, so I have to do another surgery to repair my breathing,” he explained. “It’s just like when you start dyeing your hair.” (Yahoo Health)

Got the Difference?

The difference between breath and breathe is so simple to memorize. Breath is a noun that is the air or oxygen we inhale or exhale whereas, breathe is a verb that means to bring that air in and out of the lungs.

Breath = Noun
Breathe = Verb

You must be careful about their pronunciations. Breath is pronounced as ‘breth’ (as in shed). Breathe, on the other hand, is pronounced as ‘breeth ‘(as in cheese).

Quiz

I hope you are now clear with the above discussion. Now, test youself by filling the below sentences using breath or breathe.

1. I can hardly __________.

2. Take a deep _________ and relax.

3. _________ a sigh of relief.

4. Hold your _________; I am going to surprise you very soon.

(Answers at the end)

What Did You Learn?

Breath and breathe are two different words with different meanings and functions within sentences. Breath is a noun that is used to refer the air that is inhaled or exhaled during respiration. Breathe, on the other hand, is a verb meaning to bring that air in and out of the lungs.

Answers : 1. Breathe , 2. Breath , 3. Breathe , 4. Breath

Confusing Words: Catsup (noun) and Ketchup (noun)
Meaning:
Catsup (another term for ketchup.)
Ketchup (a smooth sauce made chiefly from tomatoes and vinegar, used as a relish.)
Catsup vs Ketchup Clarification: Catsup and ketchup are two different spellings of the same word

Catsup vs Ketchup – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?

If you quickly speak out these words together, you will feel that these words sound exactly same. However, there is a slight difference in terms of pronunciation. In fact, catsup and ketchup are two different spellings of the same word.

As I said above that both catsup and ketchup have similar meaning. It is used as a noun within sentences which means a sauce that contains tomatoes, sugar, spices, etc. as its ingredients.

1. I have also added a cup of ketchup in the mixture.

2. French fries is nothing without ketchup.

3. I mix mayonnaise, ketchup and brandy and a little bit of mustard. This is a heck of a good sauce for seafood. (Jose Andres Puerta)

Check Out: The Difference Between Catalog and Catalogue.

Ketchup or Catsup?

The reason that I have used ketchup in the above examples is that ketchup is the dominant spelling in almost every part of the world.

Ketchup = Dominant Spelling

However, after a research, I came to know that catsup is popularly used in some parts of U.S., Latin America and Mexico.

The words, catsup and ketchup, are derived from a chinese word ke-tsiap, which is a fish sauce. The word ketchup’s publicity may flourish because of the company ‘Heinz’ who brought the term ‘Heinz Tomato Ketchup’. Hence, ketchup influenced the English vocabulary and is, now, used as the most commonly used spelling around the world. Finally, Ketchup took over catsup in America as well because of this U.S. company, Heinz, who first named their product as ‘Heinz Tomato Catsup’. In the 1880s, catsup switched to ketchup.

So, writers must be careful with word choice. They should choose ketchup, which is the widely accepted spelling, rather than catsup.

What about Catsup?

As it is clear that ketchup is the dominant and acceptable spelling around the world. However, if you really like this spelling, you can use catsup as your product name.

Obviously, if a product name is catsup, you should use the same word rather than correcting its spelling.

You can use Catsup as a Company or Product Name

What Did You Learn?

Catsup and ketchup are two different spellings of the same word. It is a sauce or a condiment that contains tomatoes, sugar, spices, etc. as its ingredients. Ketchup is the dominant and preferred spelling around the world. You can use catsup as a product or company name.