I'll get to the lesson shortly. First, I'm going to
While helping my 77-year-old mother clean out her closet the other day, I got the jobs of climbing the stepladder and moving the heavy stuff. I also got the job—when her vacuum attachment didn't fit—of laying on top of a jumbo Spacebag to press out all the air. She wanted the bag smaller, so she joined me.
There we were, side by side, flat of our bellies on this thing and sprawled across her bed. It was a Kodak moment. (Not.)
There we were, side by side, flat of our bellies on this thing and sprawled across her bed. It was a Kodak moment. (Not.)
As the air hissed out, she looked over at me. "This is kinda fun."
"Yeah, it is," I agreed. "Almost as fun as popping bubble wrap."
(What can I say? It doesn't take much to amuse us. :P)
Once that excitement was over, I helped her sort through her shoes and purses as she decided which ones to keep and which ones to give to charity. Inside one of her old Sunday clutches we found this...
Do you know what these are?
I'm really going to date myself, but I'll give you some hints.
- Mom used to get them when she checked out at the grocery store
- She saved them in booklets until she had enough to redeem for merchandise
- The word 'green' is part of their name
Now,
on to our lesson...
Let's
compare some words and their usage.
Economic vs Economical
These two adjectives are very close in meaning, but not exactly the same.
Economic means pertaining to the production, distribution, and use of income, wealth, and commodities.
Mary quit shopping at luxury retailers for economic reasons.
These two adjectives are very close in meaning, but not exactly the same.
Economic means pertaining to the production, distribution, and use of income, wealth, and commodities.
Mary quit shopping at luxury retailers for economic reasons.
Economical means to be thrifty; to avoid waste or extravagance.
Now that Mary shops at discount stores, her purchases are very economical.
Collaborate vs Corroborate
Collaborate means to work cooperatively with others, usually toward a common goal. Collaborators do not have to be friends.
The traitor collaborated with the enemy to overthrow his own government.
Corroborate means to verify, authenticate or validate.
A witness corroborated the man's testimony.
Collaborate means to work cooperatively with others, usually toward a common goal. Collaborators do not have to be friends.
The traitor collaborated with the enemy to overthrow his own government.
Corroborate means to verify, authenticate or validate.
A witness corroborated the man's testimony.
Benefactor vs Beneficiary
A benefactor is a person
who supports
or helps a person or
institution, etc, especially by giving money.
The university has many wealthy benefactors.
A beneficiary, on the other hand, is a person who benefits in some way from
something—often a recipient entitled to receive funds or other property by way
of a trust, will or insurance policy.
I'm listed as the beneficiary of my husband's life insurance.
(If not, he'll be getting resurrected to do some serious splainin'.) :P
Thanks for stopping by. :)
If you know what the green things are, speak up!
Be sure to come back Wednesday
when I'll be hosting Nancy S. Thompson's book tour with a excerpt from her psychological thriller, The Mistaken.
Ha! Those things you only do with close friends and family!
ReplyDeleteI think we bought the silverware (erm... tableware NOT made of silver) with green stamps when I was a kid. Mom saved them, but they had limited us, as I think we had to drive to Spokane two hours away to redeem them.
True! LOL
DeleteWe had to drive all the way to Conroe. As I recall, the stamps and the stores were on their way out even then.
S&H green stamps! Yeah. I'm old. :P
ReplyDeleteScore!
DeleteThat's okay. So am I. :P
As always great tips. I treat these posts like a quiz and check myself to see if I'm correct. Great reminder to verify our use of words if unsure of their meaning.
ReplyDeleteI used to help my mother paste sheets of these stamps into their booklets. We'd set a damp sponge in a plate and press the sheet backs into it --but not too much. Soggy stamps didn't stick well. The exciting day was trading them in for dinner plates or a gravy boat!
Yes! Mom and I tried to remember the last big thing she saved up for. It was some small kitchen appliance, we think, but the specifics escaped us both. LOL
DeleteKnow those words!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, my mom used to collect those. Wonder whatever happened to those stamps?
Apparently Carrie knows. :D
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I shall represent the under-forty crowd by saying:
ReplyDelete1) Didn't they fight over green trading stamps on the Brady Bunch? That was the first thing that came to mind.
3) S&H is making an online comeback!
Wow, aren't you the clever commenter! I had no clue. :)
DeleteI've never seen green stamps before but have read about them and knew exactly what they were as soon as I saw your pic. It reminded me of Stephen King's story of his mother that used to collect S&H Green Stamps and how that inspired him to write his first short story called "Happy Stamps."
ReplyDeleteAnd great Monday lesson as always.
I like that name - Happy Stamps. :)
DeleteAre those Green Stamps? I've heard of them but I'm a bit too young to ever have actually seen them.
ReplyDeleteGood lesson today. Those words are similar but quite separate in meaning. I'll have to be sure to remember the difference between economic and economical.
"I've heard of them but I'm a bit too young to ever have actually seen them."
DeleteYeah, yeah. Rub it in. hahaha
Thanks for stopping by. ;)
Oh, S&H Green stamps. And we had the pink ones too. What were they called? I can't remember, but I put plenty of both stamps in their respective booklets and my mom redeemed them for things. Memories!
ReplyDeleteOh, and then there were the dish promotions at the grocery store. Each week, according to the amount you would get a plate(s) or a cereal bowl(s) or cup(s) and saucer(s). My mom got several sets of "china" that way!
ReplyDeleteI sooo know what 'green stamps' are Melissa! In fact, the 'Green Stamp Store' was one of about 3 places we had to shop in our little town for the first 8-10 years of my life. :-) (Yes, we actually had a store.)
ReplyDeleteI still remember how awful the they tasted! Grandma always had the 'kids' help her fill her books ... but she'd get us stuff with them, so we didn't mind licking several dozen books worth at a time. :-D