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The two words share a common root, but they are not considered interchangeable in Standard English. Because they are homophones , misuse is usually only apparent when observed in writing. Standard : The Netherlands is well known for its elaborate system of levees.
A aggravate – Some have argued that this word should not be used in the sense of "to annoy" or "to oppress", but only to mean "to make worse". According to AHDI, the use of "aggravate" as "annoy" occurs in English as far back as the 17th century. In Latin, from which the word was borrowed, both meanings were used. Sixty-eight percent of AHD4's usage panel approves of its use in "It's the ...
For example, the following sentences would need citations: "It is possible that some of the meanings marked Non-standard will pass into Standard English in the future, but at this time all of the following Non-standard phrases are likely to be marked as incorrect by English teachers or changed by editors if used in a work submitted for ...
Grammar rules can seem like a nuisance -- but if you follow this simple trick, you can avoid all of those annoying faux pas.
Perceived violations of correct English usage elicit visceral reactions in many people. For example, respondents to a 1986 BBC poll were asked to submit "the three points of grammatical usage they most disliked". Participants stated that their noted points "'made their blood boil', 'gave a pain to their ear', 'made them shudder', and 'appalled ...
A common form of weasel wording is through vague attribution, where a statement is dressed with authority, yet has no substantial basis. Phrases such as those above present the appearance of support for statements but can deny the reader the opportunity to assess the source of the viewpoint. They may disguise a biased view.
The English language has quite a few surprises. We can't list all the irregular verbs, but be aware they do exist. For example, no past tense exists for the word "broadcast." "Broadcasted" isn't a ...
The confusion, seen in the common stock phrase "ye olde", derives from the use of the character thorn (þ), which in Middle English represented the sound now represented in Modern English by "th". This evolved as early printing presses substituted the word the with "yͤ", a "y" character with a superscript "e".