Engleski jezik, najčešće greške i nedoumice, XIII deo

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121. How to use “gotten/got”?
Got is the past tense form of get. Both got and gotten are past participles for the word get. You would say, “We get tired from running each day”, “We have gotten tired from running each day”. In informal conversations, many speakers use the word have got or got to mean “have” or “must”. You should avoid this in your writing. Use have or must instead.

122. What is correct: “till/’til/until”?
When you are talking about a period of time that lapses before something happens, the words till and until can be used. For example, “We ran till we were out of breath” or “We ran until we were out of breath.” Til’ is an accepted form of until.

123. What is the difference between “gray” and “grey”?
Gray is the more common spelling in American English and grey is the preferred spelling in British English.

124. “Mute or moot?”
Moot is an adjective that generally means it is not important or relevant anymore. Mute means a person without the power of speech or to soften the sound of speech. These are two different words with different spellings, pronunciations and meanings.

125. Is it “burned or burnt”?
Both of these words are acceptable for the past-tense forms of the verb “burn”. However, burned is the more common form in the United States, and burnt is the more common form in Britain. If you live in the United States, burnt is used as an adjective like the burnt steak.

126. “Drag, dragged, drug”?
“Dragged” is the past tense verb of “drag” when you mean to pull something. However, some people use the word “drug” as the past tense of “drag”. It is noted that this is a dialect common to people who live in southern United States. The standard meaning of “drug” is pharmaceuticals so grammar experts suggest using dragged for the past tense of drag.

127. Are these words used the same: “persuade/convince”?
Persuade means to move by an argument to that opinion or course of action usually through appeals to the emotions, moral sense or the will. So you persuade someone who does not want to go to the movies to go after all. Maybe you tell them that you will pay for the movie or that you will buy them popcorn. You might tell them that they deserve a break or that the movie is a really good one to see. Convince means to bring by demonstration or argument to a belief made to the intellect. You are convinced of a doctrine, belief or duty. You may be convinced that human beings deserve equal rights.

128. What do these words mean: “preventive/preventative’?
Both words mean the same thing: to keep from happening. Preventive is the original adjective corresponding to the word to prevent. It is used more often in common speech. You could have a preventive check-up which is a yearly physical to check on your general health or preventative maintenance done on your car at so many miles so your car stays running in the best condition and lasts a long time.

129. When to use: “entitled/titled”?
Major dictionaries and grammar guides state that the words entitled and titled are synonyms. They do feel that the word titled is often a better choice to use as it is a simpler term. You could say the book titled ___ is new novel I want to read.

130. What is the difference: “healthy/healthful”?
Healthy describes someone who is fit, trim and not sick. It describes someone or something that enjoys good health. For example, “Healthy forests are built to withstand severe natural disturbances.” Healthful means something that will create good health. So it’s correct English to have a healthy snack or a healthful one. But if you are referring to the person who is enjoying good health, then healthy is the better choice as in, “The physical trainer at the gym is very healthy“.

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