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Grammar Police Monday - Does Usage Make You Weary?

Announcements first!


The Truths about Dating and Mating by Jaycee DeLorenzo was released on November 21st! It’s available in your choice of print or ebook from Amazon, B&N, Smashwords, and ARE.


In Name Only by Carol Kilgore (Kindle Edition) is on sale for the holidays! $2.99 Starting 12:01 a.m. (Amazon Time) Friday, 11-23-12 to 11:59 p.m. Saturday, 12-15-12
You can find Carol Under the Tiki Hut. :)

Now for GPM...



Wary vs Weary vs Leery
Wary (adj.)- to be watchful, cautious, on one's guard 

Being home alone at night makes me wary.

Weary (adj.) - physically or mentally exhausted, impatient or dissatisfied

She grew weary of his lame excuses.

Leery (adj. and synonym of wary) - suspicious

I'm leery of offers that sound too good to be true.


Taught vs Taut, Taunt & Tout 
Taught is the simple past and past participle form of the verb 'teach.' 

I taught my daughter how to cook pancakes.

The next two, we have to watch...  

Taut (adj.) means tightly drawn; not slack. Whereas its frequently-seen imposter taunt (verb) means to provoke, as with insults; mock.

The opposing teams playing tug-of-war yelled taunts at one another before digging their heels in and pulling the rope taut.

Tout (verb) - to solicit support for; to advertise boastfully, publicize or promote.

That restaurant is often touted as the best in the city


Root vs Route vs Rout
Root (noun) - the underground part of a plant; the embedded part of a hair, tooth or nerve; (verb) - to become fixed or established; to turn up the soil as with a snout

She grabbed a fistful of hair and pulled it out by the root.
He was so shocked, he stood rooted to the spot.

Route (n.) - a course, way, or road for passage or travel.

Our mailman always follows the same route.

Rout (n. or verb pronounced the same as route) - an overwhelming defeat; dispersal of the defeated group; to disorderly disperse in defeat; a mob.

The visiting team routed them on their own field.



I won't post again until Thursday, 
when I host a second stop on the Stealing Breath book tour. 
There will be a giveaway, 
so be sure to come back and sign up!

Thanks for stopping by. 
I hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving.  
:)


Comments

  1. "Route" isn't a problem where I live. We say it funny. LOL

    Great post, as always! :)

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  2. But here's the $1k question... do you pronounce root as root-rhymes-with-boot or root-rhymes with foot?

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  3. My skin is no longer taught.. tout.. taut.. oh shoot, I'm gettin' old.

    Thanks for the book intros and as always, the advice. I look forward to Thursday's post!

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  4. Ma belly was taut after all that turkey!
    And guess what? I've tagged you with a surprise! Don't worry, it's an easy one. (; Hop one over when you get the chance and hope your turkey day was a good one too! (:

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  5. Oh wow! I like the idea of Grammar Police Monday. I'm always tripping over my grammar so this is definitely a place I need to be more often. I'm constantly "wary" of my grammar usage. Eek!

    Thank you, Melissa, for sharing your much needed grammar wisdom.

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  6. Thanks for the tips, Melissa! I've never really used the words tout or rout before. I'll have to start. :)

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  7. I seriously love this grammar series! You are too awesome, Melissa!

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  8. Route, rout--I needed that! Hope you had a great holiday. I love these posts. I always get something out of them.

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  9. I always look forward to Grammar Police. Thanks for these wonderful tips Melissa!

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  10. Hi, Melissa,

    I like your "grammar police" segment... We all need a lesson in grammar on occasion. I know I do! LOL.

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  11. Thanks for these wonderful grammer tips!

    I have highlighted a new publisher and you are welcome to come by as they are inviting aspiring writers to ask their submission questions!

    Nas

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  12. Another great post. I'll be back Thursday!

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  13. Melissa...for some reason your posts haven't been coming through to my email! I was wondering what was going on. Good thing I stopped by to check it out. I'll need to re-follow just in case.

    I totally used "weary" when I meant to use "wary" in my novel. A writing friend caught it.

    So glad it's officially cleared up!

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    Replies
    1. That happens to me sometimes. Just re-subscribe. ;)

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  14. Like Katie, I'll try subscribing again because I enjoy getting your posts in my inbox and they seem to have stopped again.
    Love the usage review! I don't seem to get tripped up with these, but it's always great for me to go over exactly why.

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