Lose Vs Loose

[talltim]

Why is it so many people have problems with differentiating the use of these two words? From my (anecdotal) experience they seem to the pair that confuse people most regularly and they aren't even homophones.

 

[RyanB]

There and Their are often confused as well. Of course let's not forget Your and You're.

 

[talltim]

There and Their are often confused as well. Of course let's not forget Your and You're.

[You forgot] They're homophones and more understandably confused. Lose and loose sound different

 

[Wyvern]

The confusion of affect and effect is my bete noir at the moment.

One of the problems may be that people rely too heavily on spelling checkers, a problem that has become worse with the introduction of predictive and so-called 'intelligent' ones.

 

[RyanB]

True, they do indeed sound the same, Lose and Loose do not, but I don't see those two mixed up a lot. On the other hand, I've seen people get the words I mentioned mixed up all the time, it's rather irritating to be perfectly honest.

 

[talltim]

Actually, after some more consideration it seems to be a one way confusion, people use loose when they mean lose, but not the other way around.

 

[RyanB]

The confusion of affect and effect is my bete noir at the moment.

One of the problems may be that people rely too heavily on spelling checkers, a problem that has become worse with the introduction of predictive and so-called 'intelligent' ones.

Good one there, and those two are a couple that I have had trouble with in the past. I tend not to rely on spellchecker too much as the number of times it's been wrong has been incredible. Predictive text can be beaten by adding words into the dictionary that it stores, auto-correct on the iPhone is a particular bug-bear, the number of times I've texted someone only to realise that it makes no sense due to auo-correct is incredible. Damn you auto-correct is a site I have visited on more than one occasion, sometimes the things you see on there are hilarious

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

It is now locked, but there was much discussion on the "Spelling and Grammar" thread a couple of months ago....and not a little hilarity

 

[talltim]

Examples from just this month!
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?p=748333&highlight=loose#post748333
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?p=739974&highlight=loose#post739974
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?p=737469&highlight=loose#post737469
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?p=736501&highlight=loose#post736501
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?p=736166&highlight=loose#post736166
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?p=725137&highlight=loose#post725137
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?p=723929&highlight=loose#post723929

The Spelling and Grammar thread isn't locked is it?

 

[90019]

Examples from just this month!
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?p=748333&highlight=loose#post748333
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?p=739974&highlight=loose#post739974
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?p=737469&highlight=loose#post737469
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?p=736501&highlight=loose#post736501
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?p=736166&highlight=loose#post736166
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?p=725137&highlight=loose#post725137
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?p=723929&highlight=loose#post723929

The Spelling and Grammar thread isn't locked is it?

You have too much time on your hands

 

[talltim]

You have too much time on your hands

Well, I am at work...

 

[Class172]

There and Their are often confused as well.

Don't forget the third variant, they're, which also sounds the same!

 

[talltim]

Don't forget the third variant, they're, which also sounds the same!

I said that!

[You forgot] They're

 

[Class172]

I said that!

Oh, I was reading it as part of the context, I didn't realise.

 

[HugePilchard]

auto-correct on the iPhone is a particular bug-bear

I do rather like the iPhone's autocorrect feature sometimes. Often, I'll be in the middle of typing a word and realise that by deft of being a fat-fingered oaf, I've messed it up somewhere along the line; fortunately, the phone seems to know what I meant, and neatly changes it for me.

It does have some annoying traits, though. Like insisting on putting an apostrophe into "its".

 

[Class172]

Also the iPod spellchecker refuses to put hell or ill, and in stead attempts to replace it with he'll and I'll (as it has just done).

 

[Oswyntail]

Actually, after some more consideration it seems to be a one way confusion, people use loose when they mean lose, but not the other way around.

Don't you believe it! I am an archer - a sport in which you "loose" the string, or "loose" the arrow from the string. On archery forums it can be quite amusing when people describe how they "lose" either. (Well, amusing to those who are amused by such things )

 

[passmore]

Why is it so many people have problems with differentiating the use of these two words? From my (anecdotal) experience they seem to the pair that confuse people most regularly and they aren't even homphones.

Ah homonyms, where would we be without them?

For me, so long as the meaning isn't lost because of one person's seeming inability to distinguish between lose and loose or there, their, they're, then I really don't have a problem.

If someone wrote me a memo saying 'what were you doing over their with they're belongings', I could figure the meaning of that memo out, spelling notwithstanding.

Heteronyms are my favourite: 'I like to READ. Yesterday I READ a book at my local library'.

 

[Seacook]

There are also confusions between led and lead - the metal is a homophone of led, but the metal is a homograph of the verb lead.

I have also seen bare/bear misused a few times.

It's slightly odd that I can't recall seeing loos for lose even though they are homophones.

"Payed" is quite common for paid, but a spellchecker would pibk that up if it were in use.

Draw/drawer is another.

But the most common misprint is surely its/it's.

 

[RyanB]

The english language is such a wonderful and confusing one. Full of incredibly colourful words and nuances.

 

[90019]

I saw an ebay ad recently where the guy had written "one of tho's".

 

[Seacook]

Ah homonyms, where would we be without them?

For me, so long as the meaning isn't lost because of one person's seeming inability to distinguish between lose and loose or there, their, they're, then I really don't have a problem.

If someone wrote me a memo saying 'what were you doing over their with they're belongings', I could figure the meaning of that memo out, spelling notwithstanding.

[Pedant mode on]
Lose and loose are not homonyms nor are they homographs, homophones or heteronyms since they do not have the spelling and pronunciation but different meanings (e.g., bear=carry, bear=animal; those are homonyms), the same spelling but different pronunciation (e.g., lead=leash, lead=Pb; these are heteronyms or homographs). or the same pronunciation but different spelling (e.g., bear/bare; these are homophones).

[/Pedant]

There is a difference between informal writing, such as an email, and formal, such as a letter or book. One tends not to be too concerned about the former, but the latter can create a very bad impression on the reader. A friend of mine showed me a letter from a solicitor which contained at least one solecism in every sentence. The consensus was that he should engage someone else - a legal adviser who has difficulty with English is probably not the best you can find.

 

[Oswyntail]

....
"Payed" is quite common for paid, but a spellchecker would pibk that up if it were in use......

I suspect the Fates had a laugh there

 

[passmore]

[Pedant mode on]
Lose and loose are not homonyms nor are they homographs, homophones or heteronyms since they do not have the spelling and pronunciation but different meanings (e.g., bear=carry, bear=animal; those are homonyms), the same spelling but different pronunciation (e.g., lead=leash, lead=Pb; these are heteronyms or homographs). or the same pronunciation but different spelling (e.g., bear/bare; these are homophones).

[/Pedant]

Ah, I failed English O-level you see so there was no guarantee I would know a homonym from a heteronym for certain. Thanks away for pointing it out though, Seacook.

 

[Class172]

Ah, I failed English O-level you see so there was no guarantee I would know a homonym from a heteronym for certain. Thanks away for pointing it out though, Seacook.

I've heard of homonyms and synonyms etc before, but never a heteronym, although I haven't done GSCEs yet. Heteronym reminds me of all those other fancy English terms and devices such as enjamblemant and caesura.

 

[talltim]

I've heard of homonyms and synonyms etc before, but never a heteronym, although I haven't done GSCEs yet. Heteronym reminds me of all those other fancy English terms and devices such as enjamblemant and caesura.

Google is your friend. Although I think that English grammar is taught better now than when I was at school (i.e. none, all grammar was learnt in foreign language classes) I suspect that many of the language construct descriptors in this thread are above GCSE level anyway. Most of my theory of language has been learnt (learned?) since school and I did do A level English lit.

*Goes off to Google enjamblemant and caesura...

 

[Class172]

(i.e. none, all grammar was learnt in foreign language classes)

Not much different now I'm afraid.

 

[snail]

There are more:

past or passed?

allowed or aloud?

Would have or would of?

 

[Class172]

Would have or would of?

Now that depends on how you speak.

 

[Seacook]

I suspect the Fates had a laugh there

All the time I was typing my post I was certain that I would hit a wrong key somewhere. I checked the thing twice and still missed it!

Hubris is inevitably followed by Nemesis.