Writers Tricks of the Trade ISSUE 1, VOLUME 9 | Page 17

Y OU D ON ’ T S AY ! P ESKY W ORDS T HAT S OUND A LIKE By Mike Dennis and Morgan St. James Mike and Morgan explore the pitfalls of the English language, because so many words are misused. From words that sound alike, to ones that almost sound alike—redundancies, oxymorons and words that don’t really exist but are used every day. The list goes on, and we’re going to have fun with them in every issue MIKE: Well, Morgan, what’ve you got on tap for this issue? MORGAN: We’re taking a look at those pesky words that sound alike, but have en- tirely different meanings. You know, homo- nyms. Or as they call them on Jeopardy, “homophones”. MIKE: Homophones? MORGAN : Right. For example, “RESISTOR vs. RESISTER”. I’m sure you know the dif- ference between the two. MIKE : Of course, but tell me anyway. MORGAN : Well, you may remember read- ing about the antiwar movement in the 1960s. One of those articles might say something like, “Many people respected the antiwar RESISTORS.” MIKE : I would also add that many people MIKE : Ahh, I see. So the RESISTER is the one who opposes or stands in the way of. Then it’s safe to say “MARSHAL vs. MAR- TIAL” would fit right into our column, right? MORGAN : Right. MIKE : So, if somebody says they’re going to take up “MARSHAL arts”, then... MORGAN : Then I would ask him if he’s go- ing to do paintings of lawmen like Wyatt Earp. Or maybe it’s a Marshall who also wants to draw horses, or maybe cows. MIKE: Alright. That’s enough for this time. Wouldn’t it be cool if some of our readers sent us their favorites? We could do a YOU DON’T SAY column with their suggestions. Just email to Writers Tricks of the Trade Magazine didn’t respect them at all. MORGAN : Regardless of how you feel about the antiwar “RESISTORS,” you would have to ask yourself whether they were in series or parallel. After all, a RESISTOR is a device used in electrical circuits. W RITERS ’ T RICKS OF THE T RADE P AGE 12 S PRING 2019