Thursday, 6 May 2010

List R








































raise or rise?Let us look at these two words first as
verbs (doing words):
My landlord has decided to RAISE the
rent.
He RAISED the rent a year ago.
He has RAISED the rent three times in
four years.
My expenses RISE all the time.
They ROSE very steeply last year.
They have RISEN steadily this year.
Now let us look at them as nouns (a raise,
arise):
You should ask your employer for a
RISE.
You should ask your employer for a
RAISE.
An increase in salary is called ‘a rise’ in
the UK and ‘a raise’ in America.
recent or resent?RECENT = happening not long ago
RESENT = to feel aggrieved and be
indignant
recover or re-cover?Bear in mind the difference in meaning
that the hyphen makes:
RECOVER = get better, regain possession
RE-COVER = to cover again
referee or umpire?REFEREE = football, boxing
UMPIRE = baseball, cricket, tennis
regal or royal?REGAL =fitforakingorqueen;
resembling the behaviour of a king or
queen
ROYAL = having the status of a king or
queen, or being a member of their family
repellent or repulsive?Both words mean ‘causing disgust or
aversion’. REPULSIVE,however,isthe
stronger of the two; it has the sense of
causing ‘intense disgust’, even horror in
some circumstances.
REPELLENT can also be used in the
sense of being able to repel particular
pests (a mosquito repellent) and in the
sense of being impervious to certain
substances (water-repellent).
repetitious or
repetitive?
Both words are derived from ‘repetition’.
Use REPETITIOUS when you want to
criticise something spoken or written for
containing tedious and excessive
repetition. ‘Repetitious’ is a derogatory
term.
Use REPETITIVE when you want to
make the point that speech, writing or an
activity involves a certain amount of
repetition (e.g. work on an assembly line
in a factory). ‘Repetitive’ is a neutral
word.
reverend or reverent?REVEREND = deserving reverence; title
for a cleric.
The Revd. C. Benson
The Rev. C. Benson
REVERENT = showing reverence
REVERENT pilgrims
rigorous or vigorous?RIGOROUS = exhaustive, very thorough,
exacting physically or mentally
VIGOROUS = full of energy

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