“Inspiration” comes from the word “inspire“, while “aspiration” comes from the word “aspire“. inspiration (n.) – a feeling of enthusiasm that gives you idea(s) to do something aspiration (n.) – desire to achieve something Examples: The recent speech was an inspiration to all of us to strive and work harder. My inspiration to be successful comes from failures of renown figures. […]
Continue ReadingI Founded It!
We know that the past participle of “find” is “found“. For instance: What did you find in the cave? I found some treasures there. Sometimes the word “founded” is used in a sentence but it gives an entirely different meaning. For instance: The organisation was founded by a prominent Chinese businessman. (√) Take note that “founded” has nothing to do with the […]
Continue Reading“affect” vs. “effect”
A regular reader of my blog, Bananaz, asked me to blog about the difference between “affect” and “effect“. I’ve heard politicians pronounce the words wrongly; they’re not interchangeable. affect (v.) – to influence or cause something to change effect (n.)* – the result of a particular action or event Examples: (a) affect The flu has affected my concentration at […]
Continue ReadingRaise up
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;You raise me up: To more than I can be. Familiar? Yup, this is an extract from the song, “You Raise Me Up“, sung by Josh Groban. This post does […]
Continue ReadingLet’s Open
“Open” and “close” are used very often, but have you been using them correctly? I’m sure at one point or another, we have heard someone say the following: Open your shoes. Close the tap. In the sentences above, both words are incorrectly used although the meaning is understood – well, at least WE understand them. Here’s how […]
Continue Reading“childish” vs. “childlike”
There’s a big sale today, and you excitedly tell your mom that you can’t wait to go shopping to buy your favourite soft toy – Garfield – and you’re 25 years old. Your mom instantly says: You’re so childish. You’re a grown woman, but you still want to play with soft toys. Notice the word in red? The correct […]
Continue Reading“stationary” vs. “stationery”
There’s no spelling error here. Although both words are pronounced the same way, “stationary” and “stationery” do not have the same meaning. Yet, you sometimes see mistakes. stationary (adj.) – not moving stationery* (n.) – writing materials like pen, pencil, eraser, exercise book etc. Therefore, it is incorrect to say: I want to go to the bookstore to […]
Continue Reading“pick” vs. “pluck”
Do you plant fruit trees at home? Well, not that it matters in this post. When the fruits are about to ripen, Malaysians would almost always say: “We’re able to pluck the mangoes in a few days.” That’s incorrect. That’s right. The word that we have been using so often have been wrongly used. It should be: […]
Continue ReadingFollow Me
We sometimes need to get a ride from a friend to get to work or to do some shopping. A very common way of saying it is: “I’ll follow you to the mall.” – though many of us understand this statement perfectly, it is incorrect. follow me – you’re behind me; I’m in front come with […]
Continue Reading“bienniel” vs. “biannual”
Here is another pair of words that looks the same but each has its own meaning. bienniel – once every two years biannual – twice a year If you want to say that your organisation conducts financial reports twice a year, then you’ll say: “…biannual financial report” On the other hand, if you report only once every two […]
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