Commonly Confused Words—Holiday Edition!

The holidays are almost here and that means you’ll be mailing Christmas cards, planning dinner menus via e-mail, and writing your gift wish list. This blog is dedicated to helping you get your message across this holiday season without any confusion for your readers.

The idea for this blog stemmed from a reader who contacted me to ask if there is a grammar rule for when to use bring vs. take. I knew right away that bring and take have different meanings. What I didn’t realize is that there is a definite rule about how these two are used.

I loved this inquiry because it proves my point that a person can be using bad grammar and not even know it. I never gave much thought to bring vs. take, and I am sure I have used them both incorrectly in my lifetime. But, thanks to this reader, I have learned a new grammar rule and would like to share it with you all.

I have provided any mnemonic exercises I use to remember the differences in these commonly confused words. I hope these tips will help make one part of your Holiday less stressful.

Carat vs. Karat (…vs. Carrot… vs. Caret)
When you create your wish list at , be sure to add the 1-carat diamond stud earrings with the 24-karat gold posts.

Carat refers to the weight of gemstones.
Karat refers to the purity of gold. An easy way to remember this difference is that when you write about gold, you usually write it as 24K.

After the holidays, is going to see an upswing in carrot sales, as we all will begin munching on them in an effort to lose those extra pounds we’ve gained. And, there is one more caret—this one is the name for an editor’s mark used to indicate where something should be inserted into a sentence.

Carrot refers to the vegetable, and I remember its spelling because the o reminds me it is orange in color.
Caret is a word that people seldom write because it is often expressed with a symbol (^). But, I remember its spelling because the e reminds me that it is the editor’s mark, and the caret with the e is the one I never have the occasion to use.

Farther vs. Further
Sibling rivalry prevails, regardless of our ages! When you exchange e-mails with your sister that discuss who should bring what for Christmas dinner, you can argue that SHE should be responsible for the hot vegetable. If you bring it, it will get cold because you live farther away from mom than she does. Later, when you are complaining about your sister to your best friend, be sure to mention that your kid is smarter and will go further in life than the lazy teenager she’s raising.

Farther is a physical distance.
Further is a figurative distance.

I remember the difference between these two by thinking farther is actual, while further is figurative.

Bring vs. Take
After a few e-mails between you and your sister, you’ll finally agree that YOU will take dessert to mom’s house on Christmas. On Christmas Day, however, when your husband stays home with a sinus infection, you’ll ask if you can bring home some leftovers.

Before using bring or take, you first need to know where the action is directed. If the action is towards you, use bring; if the action is away from you, use take. I remember this simply as "bring to" and "take away"; however, the hard part is remembering that you are the center of the action. You bring home the bacon, fry it up in the pan, and then you take out the trash when you’re done.

Edible vs. Eatable
You sister ended up doing a great job with the hot vegetable—she even garnished it with edible flowers. You sister-in-law, on the other hand, overcooked her scalloped potatoes and they were dry but still eatable.

Edible is fit for human consumption.
Eatable describes the palatability—it has to be at least minimally palatable to say something is eatable.

Compliment vs. Complement
On the day after Christmas, when you are reflecting on the great time you had at the party, be sure to e-mail everyone and tell them all of the wonderful things they did right. For example, compliment your brother on his wine selection from , and tell him it perfectly complemented the standing rib roast.

Compliment is to praise.
Complement is to make something complete.

To keep these two straight, I think of compliment as something that is directed towards an individual, and complement as something that is all-encompassing.

Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas
Whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa or Festivous, I hope your celebration is memorable and 2012 brings you and your family good health and happiness. I celebrate Christmas, so I bid you a Merry Christmas! See you next year!