Revised as of 14 April 2021
Phew, the fewer words the better with this pair of heterographs…since I’m pulling another all-nighter, lol.
Well, yeah, I have a few nights that I’m not up ’til the wee hours, but they are few and far between. Fortunately, I do have a good few word confusion pairs on the waiting list, actually quite a few.
Phew, just looking at that list raises no fewer than a hundred thoughts on not a few of the years it’ll take to get through that list.
Word Confusions…
…started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noir for you from either end.
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| Few | Phew |
|---|---|
| Credit to: Apple Dictionary.com; Dictionary.com: few | |
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Last Day at Woolworth’s by Lee Haywood is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — Shoppers get up to 90% off on the few items remaining on the nearly empty shelves. |
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Rickety Bridge on Pass to Lago Desierto by Jason Hollinger is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — Phew! I’d hate to try driving a car across this bridge! |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Adjective; Determiner; Noun; Pronoun Plural for noun: the few |
Exclamation |
| Adjective: Not many but more than one [A few] A small number of Used to emphasize how small a number of people or things is Determiner: Hardly any [Informal] Several Noun: The elect [Use with a plural verb] A small number or amount The few, a special, limited number The minority Pronoun: Used to emphasize how small a number of people or things is |
[Informal] Expressing a strong reaction of relief, surprise, disbelief, weariness, etc. |
| Examples: | |
| Adjective: Few artists live luxuriously. May I ask a few questions? He had few friends. The town had a population of fewer than two million. Sewing was one of her few pleasures. I need to ask which products have the fewest complaints. There were quite a few interesting movies to see. Determiner: Many are called but few are chosen. I’ve only had a few drinks. I see there are a few of you here tonight. Well, okay, we had a good few drinks. Noun: Send me a few, why don’t you? That music appeals to the few, and I can see why. Pronoun: Many believe it but only a few are prepared to say. Few had thought to challenge these assumptions. Very few of the titles have any literary merit. He is one of the few who survived. A dozen people volunteered, but few have shown up. |
Phew, what a year!
Phew, I never thought I’d get this job finished. Phew, it’s hotter than Hell out here. Oh, phew! It stinks in here!! |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: fewer, fewest, overfew | |
| History of the Word: | |
| Old English fēawe, fēawa is from an Indo-European root shared by the Latin paucus and the Greek pauros meaning small. | Early 17th century, imitative of puffing. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan…which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them…and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
This resized 101st Soldiers Use “Clarkville Flood Experience” to Save Afghan Lives, <https://visualhunt.com/f2/photo/4850879736/8f8a6e0a7b/>, by ResoluteSupportMedia, <https://visualhunt.com/author/389a8e>, is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via VisualHunt.
