“Awe, poor Ava.”
No. No, this does not work.
Sure, in some contexts awe works if the author wanted the character to show her fear and amazement, but not when this author’s context is trying to indicate sadness.
Well, okay, so maybe “Ava” is an actress and the director is telling her to show awe…?
Aw could be used to express one’s awe at a gorgeous sunset or an amazing scene with cute puppies or kittens or even to express sympathy with someone’s misfortune…or winning the lottery, lol.
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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| Aw / Aww | Awe |
|---|---|
| Credit to: Apple Dictionary.com; Cambridge Dictionary: awe; Dictionary.com: aw, awe; Lexico.com: aw | |
Adorable Kittens is under the CC0 license, via pxhere. — Aw, aren’t they cute? |
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That Moment of Awe by John Powers, US Army, is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Abbreviation; Acronym; Exclamation; Interjection | Noun; Verb, transitive
Plural for the noun: awe |
| Abbreviation: Actual weight [In shipping] All water Atomic weight The internet domain name for Aruba Acronym: Exclamation: Used to express mild disappointment or self-deprecation Used to express pleasure, delight, or affection, especially in response to something regarded as sweet or endearing Interjection: |
Noun: A feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder
[Obsolete] Fear or dread Verb, transitive: To influence or restrain from respect and amazement tempered with fear |
| Examples: | |
| Abbreviation: My truck’s aw hits 3,000 lbs. Nah, this is an AW load to Capetown. The a.w. of helium is 4.002602. This URL https://www.overheid.aw/home-eng takes you to the English language page of the Aruban government. Acronym: Exclamation: Aww, you poor thing. Aw, it’s a shame I can’t make it. Aww, thanks for the nice comments. Aww, the kitten is too cute! Aww, are you guys an item? Aw, what’cha wanna go and do that for? Interjection: Aww… Awwww |
Noun: They gazed in awe at the small mountain of diamonds. The sight filled me with awe. His staff members are in awe of him. Is it any wonder that Christmas Eve has lost its awe? And yet another plan using shock and awe… Verb, transitive: The school kids were awed when Doug Flutie, the football star, entered the room. I am awed by his courage. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: aw-shucks | Adjective: awe-inspiring, awed, aweless, awesome, awesomesauce, awestricken, awestruck, awless Verb, transitive: outawe, outawed, outawing |
| History of the Word: | |
| A natural exclamation first recorded in American English in the mid-19th century. | Old English ege meaning terror, dread, awe was replaced in Middle English by forms related to the Old Norse agi. |
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 by exploring the index. You may also want to explore Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, and/or the Properly Punctuated.
Resources for Aw versus Awe
Wigmore, Ivy. “The Difference Between ‘Aw’ and ‘Awe’.” Writing for Business. IT Knowledge Exchange.com. 19 Feb 2013. Web. 4 Jan 2020. <https://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/writing-for-business/aw-vs-awe/>.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Heavily Loaded Pakistani Truck is under the CC BY-SA 2.5 license, via Wikipedia.
