| PASSED, PASTPassed is the past tense of pass. | | | | against unfair dismissal."QUIET, QUITEQuiet |
| Past means a time that has gone. "Time passed | | | | means without noise; quite when used in |
| and we all forgot the incident." "In times | | | | fiction usually means moderately, but can |
| past it was the custom for women to wear hats | | | | also mean totally or entirely. Use of the |
| in church."PEACE, PIECEPeace means the | | | | wrong word here could, of course, simply be a |
| absence of war (or even noise); piece is a | | | | typing error that went unnoticed in the |
| portion of something.PEAK, PEEK, PIQUEPique | | | | proof-reading stages!RAIN, REIGN, REINRain is |
| means to excite or irritate; peek means to | | | | the water that comes down from clouds; reign |
| peep or snoop; peak as a noun means the | | | | means to rule; rein is a strap, usually |
| summit or tip, and as a verb means to climax. | | | | leather, for controlling an animal, |
| So, you pique someone's curiosity; you don't | | | | especially a horse.RAISE, RAZEThese two are |
| peek or peak it. If someone annoys you, you | | | | exact opposites. Raise means to lift or build |
| become piqued rather than peeked or | | | | up and raze means to pull down: "We will |
| peaked.PLAIN, PLANEPlain means obvious, also | | | | raise the reputation of our village to new |
| unadorned or lacking in good looks; plane is | | | | heights." "He instructed his army to raze the |
| a carpenter's tool or an abbreviation of | | | | village to the ground."REALITY, REALTYReality |
| aeroplane.PATIENCE, PATIENTSPatience means | | | | is real life; realty is real |
| forbearance; patients are people under | | | | estate.REFERENCE, REVERENCEI don't know if |
| medical care.POUR, POREYou pour sauces, | | | | this confusion is common. I didn't even |
| gravies, etc, over your dinner, while pore | | | | realise the words COULD be confused until I |
| means to study something--so, "pore over the | | | | saw one wrongly used in something written by |
| book", not "pour over the book", which reads | | | | ... a writer! Maybe it was just a typing |
| as though you might be damaging the book with | | | | error. Reference is something referred to, |
| an unnamed liquid substance!PRESENCE, | | | | reverence means respect.RESIDENCE, |
| PRESENTSPresence means being near at hand; | | | | RESIDENTSResidence is a house; residents are |
| presents are gifts.PRINCIPAL, | | | | the people who live there.RESPECTFULLY, |
| PRINCIPLEPrincipal means chief or main, also | | | | RESPECTIVELYRespectfully means politely; |
| the amount borrowed in a loan; principle | | | | respectively means in the order stated."The |
| means regulations or ideals. "The principal | | | | containers stood in a row and were numbered |
| reason for the company's failure was lack of | | | | 1, 3, 2, 5 and 4 respectively" means they |
| money." (or) "The new principal is making a | | | | were standing in this order rather than |
| real difference to our school." "We are | | | | numerical order.RIGHT, RITE, WRITERight means |
| paying both principal and interest each month | | | | correct; rite is a ceremony, usually |
| on our mortgage." "She is completely without | | | | religious; write means to make words.ROAD, |
| principles and would steal from her own | | | | RODERoad is a long surface for cars and other |
| mother." "The principle of a clause like this | | | | vehicles; rode is the past tense of ride. |
| in your employment contract is to protect you | | | | |