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Tag Archives: grammar
Word of the Day: Salient
Today’s word is outstanding, so is the photo I added to go with it.
Salient [sey-lee-uhnt, seyl-yuhnt] (adj.):
1. prominent or conspicuous
2. projecting or pointing upward
3. leaping or jumping
Example:
His salient performance on his exams earned him a scholarship to an ivy league university.
Misunderstood: Contented Vs. Contentious
No, Contentious is not derived from content. It’s not its adjective. It’s not another noun with the same meaning. It’s a totally different word that has a totally different meaning.
Content [kuhn-tent] or Contented [kuhn-ten-tid] (adj.):
satisfied, contempt, agreeing.
Example:
You can’t bribe me with your money, I’m contented with my own.
Contentious [kuhn-ten-shuhs] (adj.):
1. argumentative, quarrelsome.
2. causing argument or strife.
Example:
When the issue became contentious, the negotiation had to be halted until both parties regained their composure.
Twins: Wrath and Wroth
You know that Wrath, the deadly sin, means anger. Did you know, however, that wrath has a twin brother? I didn’t, until recently. Meet Wroth.
Wroth [rawth, roth or, esp. British, rohth] (adj.):
1. angry.
2. stormy, violent, turbulent.
Example:
His wroth blurred his common sense. At that moment, he was ready to do anything.
Lookalikes III: Emerge Vs. Immerge
This is another set of words I commonly confuse. Turns out, they are not only pronounced alike but they are, more or less, antonyms.
Emerge [ih-murj] (verb):
1. to come forth into view or notice.
2. to rise, as from difficulty.
3. to come into existence.
Example:
Little bubbles emerged on the surface of the water. “Someone’s down there,” he yelled, “and he’s breathing.”
Immerge [ih-murj] (verb):
1. to plunge, as into fluid.
2. to disappear by entering into a medium, as the moon into the shadow of the sun.
(Think Immerse)
Example:
Having arrived at a dead end, Sergey caught his breath and immerged himself under the surface of the pond.
