Who would’ve thunk this heteronymic Word Confusion pair could even be a confusion!? I guess if one is wooden-headed . . .
Exploring Later . . .
You may also want to take a look at “Might’a not be a Could’a, Would’a, Should’a” to learn how not to contract would.
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 noire for you from either end.
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Wood | Would |
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Part of Grammar: | |
Adjective 1, 2; Noun 1; Verb 1, intransitive & transitive
Plural for the noun: woods Third person present verb: woods |
Morpheme: will
Verb, modal Third person present verb: wills |
Adjective: Made of wood 1
Used to store, work, or carry wood Dwelling or growing in woods [Archaic] Wild, as with rage or excitement 2 Mad
Noun:
[Also woods; used with a singular or plural verb] An area of land, smaller than a forest, that is covered with growing trees [Music] A woodwind instrument
The cask, barrel, or keg, as distinguished from the bottle [Forestry] Firewood
[Tennis, squash, badminton] The frame of a racket One of the biased wooden bowls used in the game of bowls [Slang] An erect penis Verb, intransitive: Verb, transitive: To supply with wood
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Expressing inevitable events
Expressing a request
Expressing facts about ability or capacity Expressing habitual behavior
Expressing probability or expectation about something in the present |
Examples: | |
Adjective: I just bought some wood chisels. Sparrows, nuthatches, and titmouses are all wood birds. A wooden gunstock has a nicer feel than the plastic ones. Noun: It was a large table made of dark, polished wood. Only the best quality woods were used for joinery. She had a wood cross hung over her bed. Helen usually uses her one wood to tee off. A well-hit fairway wood shot feels solid. She hit a wood off the tee. A thick hedge divided the wood from the field. Jane and George took a long walk in the woods. It had been well-aged in the wood. We’re not out of the woods yet. He hit a winning shot off the wood. Everything is going well, knock on wood. In Burwash, I learned to play bowls, using woods which we rolled at the jack. Man, she gave me total wood. Verb, intransitive: “The northern cove is the most commodious for wooding and watering” (Kerr). “The lanterns on shore began to move boatward as the last of the wooding was finished and the fuel boxes again were full” (Mulford). Verb, transitive: “Many passengers would save a little by helping to wood the boat” (Bidwell, 106). |
You would regret it when you are older.
Come what may, I would succeed. Accidents would happen. Would you stop here, please. Would you like a cognac? It was a rock so light that it would float on water. Your tank would hold about 26 gallons. She would dance for hours. He would keep on intruding. They would be miles away by now. |
Derivatives: | |
Adjective: wooded, wooden, woodier, woodiest, woodless, woodsier, woodsiest Adverb: woodenly Noun: deadwood, driftwood, firewood, heartwood, peckerwood, plywood, sapwood, woodbine, woodblock, woodburner, woodcarving, woodchat, woodchip, woodchop, woodchuck, woodcock, woodcraft, woodcut, woodcutter, woodenness, woodgrain, woodie, woodiness, woodland, woodlander, woodlark, woodlice, woodlouse, woodlessness, woodman, woodnote, woodnymph, woodpecker, woodpigeon, woodpile, woodruff, woodrush, woodsia, woodsman, woodstove, woodsy, woodwind, woodworking, woody |
Adjective: would-be Verb: wouldest, wouldn’t, wouldst |
History of the Word: | |
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Old English wolde, past tense of wyllan. |
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 explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Wood versus Would
Some of these links may be affiliate links, and I will earn a small percentage, if you should buy it. It does not affect the price you pay.
Apple Dictionary.com
Bidwell, General John. Josiah Gilbert Holland and Richard Watson Gilder (eds). “The First Emigrant Train to California.” The Century Magazine. 1 Nov 1891. vol 61. Scribner & Company. California Department of Parks and Recreation, 2000. Paperback. <https://amzn.to/3ey7kmM>.
Dictionary.com: wood
Kerr, Robert. A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, vol 14. 2011. EBook. Originally published 1811. <https://amzn.to/3T8NCgq>.
Mulford, Clarence E. Bring Me His Ears. 2011. EBook. Originally published in 1922. <https://amzn.to/3TtyolR>.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Firewood to Dry is Luc Viatour‘s own work under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons, and forms a double background for the words.
Revised as of 21 Apr 2024
By: Kathy Davie