Usage

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Autobiography vs biography

An autobiography is a literary genre that is the story of a person’s life written by that person, the one who lived the life. The plural is autobiographies, the adjectives are autobiographical and autobiographic, the adverb is autobiographically. Autobiography comes from the Greek auto- which means regarding oneself, bio– which …

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Cease and desist

Cease and desist is a legal term signifying an enforceable order by a court or government agency demanding someone cease conducting a certain action, such as attempting to contact someone who does not wish to be contacted. A cease and desist letter is also known as an infringement letter or …

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Sang vs sung

Sang is the simple past tense of sing, which means to make musical sounds with the voice. It can function as a transitive verb when followed by an object and an intransitive verb when used without an object. Sung is the past participle of sing. It requires an auxiliary, “helping” …

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Cheek to cheek vs cheek-to-cheek

Cheek to cheek is a phrase that refers to two people with their heads positioned closely together, cheek to cheek nearly always describes two people who are dancing with their bodies held closely together in an intimate fashion. If the phrase cheek to cheek is used after the word it …

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Heavens to Murgatroyd – Idiom, Definition and Origin

You probably heard your parents, grandparents, or anyone older say “Heavens to Murgatroyd” and wondered what they meant. It’s an expression whose origin can be traced to an old cartoon show. Snagglepuss was the character who said heavens to Murgatroyd. Add this idiom to your vocabulary by understanding its meaning …

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Cauterize vs cauterise

Cauterize means to burn the skin or a wound with a hot instrument or caustic substance.  Cauterizing eliminates necrotic tissue to prevent gangrene and infections, cauterizing also stops bleeding.  Cauterize is a transitive verb. Cauterize is the North American spelling, related words are cauterizes, cauterized, cauterizing and cauterization. Cauterise is an …

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Ceremonial vs ceremonious

Ceremonial means being used for or relating to a formal ritual or event. Ceremonial may also mean a position that bestows only nominal authority or power. Ceremonial is an adjective, a word that modifies a noun. Ceremonial comes from the Latin, caerimonia which means religious worship. Ceremonious means pertaining to …

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Transparent, translucent and opaque

Transparent, translucent and opaque are adjectives that describe the amount of light that is able to pass through an object. Transparent, translucent and opaque may be used in the literal sense or figurative sense. Transparent is an adjective that describes material that allows objects behind it to be seen clearly. …

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Hooves or hoofs

Hooves is the plural form of hoof, the horny part of an animal’s foot, especially, a horse.  Hoof comes from the Old English word, hof. The plural of hof is hofas, which when pronounced, would have sounded like hooves. Hoofs is also a plural form of hoof, the horny part …

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Kneeled vs knelt

Kneeled is the past tense of kneel, a verb which means to bend the knees and rest upon them. Kneeling is often a position employed when praying or abasing oneself before another. Knelt is also the past tense of kneel, it is a form that gained prominence in the 19th …

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