Oar, ore and or

Photo of author

Grammarist

An oar is a long pole with a flat blade affixed or carved into one or both ends, used to propel a boat or raft through the water. An oar is a very long paddle. Oar may be used as a noun or a verb, related words are oars, oared, oaring, oarless, oarsman. Oar comes from the old English word ār.

Ore is the solid material from which precious minerals and metals are extracted. The word ore is derived from the old English word ōra, which means unwrought metal.

Or is a conjunction, which is a word used to join two words, phrases or sentences. Or is used to link two words, phrases or sentences that are alternatives to each other.  Or comes from a contraction of other, derived from Old English oththe.

Examples

Burchill escaped with three others in a life raft, which he had unwittingly placed into the harbor upside down, rendering the oar useless. (The Daytona Beach News-Journal)

With rowers who were the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington’s eight-oar crew was never expected to defeat the elite teams of the East Coat and Great Britain, yet they did, going on to shock the world by challenging the German boat rowing for Adolf Hitler. (The Saratogian News)

A combination of weak demand and rising production from global iron ore majors has resulted in the ongoing weakness in iron ore prices. (Forbes)

But chief executive Sam Walsh insists the iron ore industry is “sowing the seeds of recovery right now” and iron ore will bounce back as the price rout continues to push high cost production out of the market. (The Australian Finance Review)

The second scenario in which an IS terror cell could strike Israel, the former security adviser said, is through the creation of cells among Palestinians in the West Bank or east Jerusalem. (The Jerusalem Post)

But Mr Turnbull may have to shuffle his ministry during the Christmas break if Mr Macfarlane successfully joins the Queensland Nationals or if Mr Brough faces new disclosures or police charges in relation to the unlawful handling of the diary of former Speaker Peter Slipper. (The Australian)