Revised as of
19 Nov 2022
Did you find all your Easter eggs? Or were you fined for stealing too many??
Perhaps you can find that traffic ticket you mislaid. You really don’t want to be fined simply because you can’t find it!
You may have guessed *oh snarky ones* that in this pair of heterographs (a subset of homophone), find is to locate something that is lost while fined is generally a penalty that one must pay . . . I hate that!.
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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| Find | Fined |
|---|---|
Search Binoculars is under the CC0 license, via Max Pixel.net, <https://www.maxpixel.net/Watch-To-Find-See-Overview-Search-Binoculars-1026424>. — Those binocs should help him find it. |
Base Emphasizes Importance of Driver Safety by Jan Abate is in the public domain courtesy of Hanscom Air Force Base. — That cop has just fined that driver . . . dang. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Noun; Verb, intransitive & transitive Plural for the noun: finds Third person present verb: finds |
Past tense or past participle of fine
Adjective 1; Adverb 1; Noun 1, 2, 3, 4; Verb 1, intransitive & transitive 2 Plural for the noun: fines Third person present verb: fines |
| Noun: A discovery of something valuable, typically something of archaeological interest
Verb, intransitive: To determine an issue after judicial inquiry Verb, transitive:
Recognize or discover (something) to be present
[Of a thing] Reach or arrive at, either of its own accord or without the human agent being known
To locate or recover something lost or misplaced To gain or regain the use of To find the sum of several numbers To feel or perceive To provide or furnish [South Midland and Southern US; of farm animals] To give birth to |
Adjective: Of high quality
[Of a thread, filament, or person’s hair] Thin
Adverb:
Noun: A sum of money exacted as a penalty by a court of law or other authority 2 French brandy of high quality made from distilled wine rather than from pomace 3
[In musical directions] The place where a piece of music finishes (when this is not at the end of the score but at the end of an earlier section which is repeated at the end of the piece) 4 Verb: [Of liquid] Become clear Verb, transitive: [Often be fined] Punish someone by making them pay a sum of money, typically as a penalty for breaking the law 2 Fine someone for (doing) something |
| Examples: | |
| Noun: He made his most spectacular finds in the Valley of the Kings. This resort is a real find. Paul had been a real find — he could design the whole hotel complex. Well-trained dogs on the hunt allow them to find and catch foxes within the surrounded wood. Verb, intransitive: I hope the jury finds for the plaintiff. Verb, transitive: The remains of a headless body had been found. In this climate it could be hard to find a buyer. Phobia sufferers often find themselves virtual prisoners in their own home. After a long illness, he found himself well again. She woke to find herself at home. She also found the time to raise five children. I found the courage to speak. Vitamin B12 is found in dairy products. The majority of staff find the magazine to be informative and useful. She found that none of the local nursery schools had an available slot. It’s a forum that attempts to find solutions for multimedia publishers. I did psychotherapy for years — I wanted to find myself. Both men find it difficult to put ideas into words. He was found guilty of speeding. The court found that a police lab expert had fabricated evidence. Water finds its own level. He found his way to the front door. Each and every boy found his way into a suitable occupation. I only hope my letter can find him. The books of which I have been speaking found me and taught me. I can’t find my blue socks. His anger finally helped him find his tongue. He finds it so. Bring blankets and we’ll find the rest of the equipment for the trip. The brown cow found a calf yesterday. |
Adjective: This was a fine piece of filmmaking. The guy really appreciates fine wines. What a fine human being he is. Relations in the group were fine. Anything you want is fine by me, Linda. He said such a solution would be fine. “I’m fine, just fine. And you?” It was another fine winter day. It is a very fine Elizabethan mansion. Fine words seemed to produce few practical benefits. That’s a fine collection you have. The coin is struck in .986 fine gold. I have always had fine and dry hair. I sharpened the leads to a fine point. The soils were all fine silt. She does exquisitely fine work. There is a fine distinction between misrepresenting the truth and lying. He has a fine eye for the detail and texture of social scenery. Adverb: That suits me fine. The sign has fine wrought lettering. Noun: I’ll have to pay that parking fine. Verb: She’d certainly fined down — her face was thinner. He was fined $600 and sentenced to one day in jail. Verb, transitive: Drivers who exceed the speed limit can expect to be fined heavily. They fined him £100 for using threatening behaviour. He was fined for defacing library books. She was fined for speeding last month. The council has begun to fine drivers who park in the bus lanes. The judge decided to fine him rather than impose a prison sentence. He was fined for impersonating a police officer. She was fined for speeding. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: findable Noun: finder, finding Verb: refind, refinding, refound |
Adjective: fineable, finer, finest Adverb: finely Noun: fineness |
| Phrasal Verb | |
| find against find for find in favor of find out about something find someone out find something out |
|
| History of the Word: | |
| Old English findan is of Germanic origin and related to the Dutch vinden and the German finden. |
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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 Find versus Fined
Apple Dictionary.com
Cambridge Dictionary: fined
Pinterest Photo Credits:
£125 Fine Notice, Greenland Road, Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent, Great Britain, 2 February 2016 by Jaggery is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, courtesy of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council, via Geograph. The “found” was replaced with “we find”.
