#MonMud – Page 12 – LC Plaunt, M.Ed.

Monday Muddle: peer, pier

LC September 26, 2022 Monday Muddle

peer: (noun) a person who has equal societal or legal status with another; (verb) to look intently pier: (noun) a pillar or a structure built upon pillars, commonly extending over water

Monday Muddle: pair, pare, pear

LC September 19, 2022 Monday Muddle

pair: (noun) a set of two identical, similar, or coordinating items pare: (verb) to cut away the outer layer or edge (with a paring knife); to reduce (used in the expression “pare down”) pear: (noun) a fruit

Monday Muddle: strait, straight

LC September 12, 2022 Monday Muddle

strait: (noun) a narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water Used in the expression “dire straits”. straight: (adjective) (adverb) moving in one direction; level; upright; not crooked, curved, or bent NOT used in the expression “dire straits”.

Monday Muddle: grammar, grammer

LC September 5, 2022 Monday Muddle

grammar: (noun) the study of the structure of language, word order, and how words change (according to tense, for example); the system of rules that guides the use of language; a book about grammar grammer: (noun) an affectionate term for someone who uses Instagram (who may or may not care …

Monday Muddle: there, their, they’re

LC August 29, 2022 Monday Muddle

Monday Muddle: there: (adverb) used to indicate a location or a literal or figurative position; (there is/are) used to indicate the existence of something; (exclamation) used to direct attention; used to express satisfaction; used to comfort someone when repeated their: (possessive adjective) to show possession of something by someone who would be referred to as they they're: (contraction) they are

Monday Muddle: rue, roux

LC August 22, 2022 Monday Muddle

Monday Muddle rue: (verb) regret deeply; lament; feel sorry about; feel remorse; grieve; (noun) regret; remorse; a type of evergreen shrub Used in the expression "rue the day roux: (noun) a mixture of butter (or butter substitute) and flour used as a base for making sauces NOT used in the expression "rue the day".

Monday Muddle: overdo, overdue

LC August 15, 2022 Monday Muddle

Monday Muddle overdo: (verb) to do something in an excessive way; to exaggerate; to do more than reasonably expected overdue: (adjective) not done on time; not arrived when expected; not available when needed; late

Monday Muddle: stationary, stationery

LC August 8, 2022 Monday Muddle

Do you love stationery as much as I do?

Monday Muddle stationary: (adjective) not moving; intended to stay in one place; unchanging; in a permanent position stationery: (noun) writing paper; envelopes; writing materials (pens, pencils); office supplies

Monday Muddle: affect, effect

LC August 1, 2022 Monday Muddle

By far the most common uses of affect and effect are affect as a verb and effect as a noun. The memory trick I use to help keep them straight is that affect is an action and starts with A. A is for action. Effect is a consequence or end result. E is for end. And if you have trouble remembering which is which, I would recommend trying to avoid the less common versions.

Monday Muddle affect: (verb) to alter; to change; to make a difference to; to sway the emotions of; (noun) facial expressions, gestures, vocal sounds that display emotion, often insincerely effect: (noun) end result; consequence; change resulting from an action or other cause; used in the term "special effects": (verb) to cause something to happen; usually used in the expression "to effect change"

Monday Muddle: noting, nothing

LC July 25, 2022 Monday Muddle

Monday Muddle: noting: (verb, present participle of to note) taking note of; paying attention to; noticing; mentioning to someone else Part of the expression "also worth noting". nothing: (pronoun) not a thing; not anything; something of no value (can also be used as an adjective and adverb) NOT part of the expression "also worth noting", and in fact would mean the opposite.