After getting nabbed for a usage error recently, I decided to do a few GPM posts on specific homophones that are commonly confused words. When we speak, such misuse may go unnoticed; but when we write, it's there in print for all the world to see. Let's start with the one I goofed. Which is correct? The man's hands were (calloused / callused) from years of work. He has a (callous / callus) attitude toward the homeless. In the first sentence, callused is correct, because it specifically refers to hardened places on the skin. In the second, it's callous . Even though callous means 'to harden,' it refers to an emotional state, meaning to be insensitive. Another mistake I made for years before becoming enlightened to the error of my ways was using the verb pour when I meant pore . You pour water from a pitcher into a glass, but if you are studying something intently, you're poring over it. A third — and one I was glad I looked up the other day before hit...
