Praise vs preys

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Grammarist

Praise and preys are two commonly confused words that are pronounced in the same way when spoken aloud but are spelled differently and mean different things, which makes them homophones. Homophones exist because of our ever-changing English language, and are a challenge for those who wish to learn to speak English. The way the spelling and definitions differ can be confusing even to native English speakers when attempting to learn vocabulary correctly. Proper pronunciation of spoken English may help the listener distinguish between homophones; the words affect-effect are a good example, but the words to, too and two, or horse and hoarse, are indistinguishable from each other. Pronunciation is usually more ambiguous, as English pronunciation may vary according to dialect, and English spelling is constantly evolving. Pronunciation may change even though the spelling doesn’t, producing two words that are pronounced in the same manner but have different meanings such as night and knight. Phonological spelling and spelling rules do not always work, and most people avoid misspelling by studying vocabulary words from spelling lists, enhancing their literacy skills through spelling practice. English words are also spelled according to their etymologies rather than their sound. For instance, the word threw is derived from the Old English word thrawan, and the word through came from the Old English word thurh. Homophones are confusing words and are commonly misspelled words because of the confusion that arises from words that are pronounced alike but have very different usage and etymology. A spell checker will rarely find this type of mistake in English vocabulary, so do not rely on spell check but instead, learn to spell. Even a participant in a spelling bee like the National Spelling Bee will ask for an example of a homophone in a sentence, so that she understands which word she is to spell by using context clues. We will examine the different meanings of the homophonic words praise and preys, the word origin of the terms, and some examples of their English usage in sentences.

Praise may mean an expression of love, gratitude and admiration toward a deity, a type of prayer. Praise may also mean an expression of respect or admiration toward something or someone. Praise may be used as a noun or as a transitive verb, which is a verb that takes an object. Related words are praises, praised, praising. The word praise is derived from the Latin word pretium, which means prize or reward.

Preys is the plural of prey, which is an animal that is hunted by a predator. Prey is also used figuratively to mean someone who is vulnerable. Preys is also the present tense of the verb to prey, which means to hunt an animal or to take advantage of someone who is vulnerable. Preys is derived from the Latin word praeda, which means hunted game. Related words are preyed and preying.

Examples

Repeating the twisted praise that Trump could be the “second coming of God” could be even more offensive for many. (The New York Daily News)

Jack Kelly won praise from Kilkenny legend Jackie Tyrell while Mark Kavanagh was lauded by Galway’s three time All -Ireland winning coach Cyril Farrell. (The Leinster Express)

“Consumer groups recognize that the litigation funding industry preys upon the vulnerable, such as the injured tort victim who is pressed for time and unaware of the true cost of these financial products,” Koch said. (The St. Louis Record)

“Sextortion preys on the fears and insecurities of recipients, using stolen passwords and other social engineering tricks to convince recipients their reputations are at risk,” Crispin Kerr, manager of cybersecurity firm Proofpoint Australia, said. (The New Daily)

Repeating the twisted praise that Trump could be the “second coming of God” could be even more offensive for many. (The New York Daily News)

Jack Kelly won praise from Kilkenny legend Jackie Tyrell while Mark Kavanagh was lauded by Galway’s three time All -Ireland winning coach Cyril Farrell. (The Leinster Express)

“Consumer groups recognize that the litigation funding industry preys upon the vulnerable, such as the injured tort victim who is pressed for time and unaware of the true cost of these financial products,” Koch said. (The St. Louis Record)