More Tips on English UsageHomonyms and Spelling

For BDCOL Students

Homonyms, Spelling, etc.• Loose is the opposite of tight; lose is the opposite of find.• I need to stop all this loose living before I lose any

remaining chance at promotion.• Lead rhymes with “greed,” or else refers to a soft, gray elemental

metal. Led means, well, led.• Do not fly behind me, for I may not lead.• I was led astray by my WSO, who is a very bad influence—

ask anyone.• The Republic F-105 was the original “lead sled.”• Moral is an adjective, or it can refer to a lesson; morale refers to a

state of mind.• In war, the moral is to the physical as 6.02 times 1023 is to

twelve and a half.• The moral of the story is that you shouldn’t pull negative Gs

after eating nachos.• The defenestration of the Quality Air Force briefer did

wonders for unit morale.

More• Rational is an adjective about thought, rationale is a noun, referring

to reason or justification.• Keanu may be rational, but he’s not much of an actor.• The rationale for retiring the EF-111 tactical jammer fleet

remains unconvincing.• I tried to think of a plausible rationale for a TDY to New

Orleans during Mardi Gras.• Horses have reins, monarchs have reigns.• The airship’s reign as queen of the skies was brief but

romantic.• It is time for the proletariat to seize the reins of power!• When it rains, it pours.• You can wreak havoc or destruction. You can wreck almost

everything else.• If you think airpower can wreak havoc with speed and

firepower, you should see my kids.• That one stupid mistake wrecked both an expensive aircraft

and a once-promising career.

more

• To defuse is to disarm or make safe. Diffuse means dispersed or spread out.• I tried to defuse the confrontation before anyone got hurt.• The only remaining sign of the explosion was a diffuse gray cloud drifting

downwind.• The diffusion of advanced MANPADS poses serious problems for our attack

helicopters.• A sight is something you look at (or, on a weapon, through). A site is a place. To cite

means to refer to an academic source, which is a citation.• The Dean’s expression of shock and disappointment was a sight that I will never

forget.• He smiled as he lined up his sight on the outhouse and squeezed the trigger to fire the

105.• This will be a good site for an Air Force base if there is another Ice Age.• Can you cite any evidence, beside the phony accent, that you are Clausewitz

reincarnated?• Ordnance is weaponry, an ordinance is a law.• He’d sooner bomb his own grandmother than return to base with unexpended

ordnance.• I’m afraid violating the noise ordinance is the least of the charges being levied

against you.• Affinity means attraction. Infinity means enormous or numerous without limit.• You seem to have an affinity for saying exactly the wrong thing to superior

officers.• Strangely, the infinity of rational numbers is smaller than the infinity of real

numbers.• Hey, your Dad backed over my skateboard with his Infiniti!

• Principal means important, or an important person. A principle is a law or belief.• The Hurricane was the principal fighter in the RAF during the Battle of Britain.• The principle of proportionality is central to the laws of war.• To me, the vice principal’s office soon came to feel like a second home.• When the fight started, she hit the Hornet pilot with a beer bottle, just on principle.• To elude means to escape, to allude to something is to suggest it in an indirect way. Such a

suggestion is an allusion, not to be confused with an illusion, which is a misperception or a mistaken belief.

• I’m afraid your last point eludes me, can you restate it more clearly?• If you are alluding to my earlier comments, I would point out that the situation has

changed.• His subtle allusions to Hegel and Marx only served to confuse the cadets.• It is time to dispel the illusion that carrier aviation is more responsive than land-based

air.• To lie is intransitive, meaning you do it; to lay is transitive, meaning you do it to something (which

might be yourself). (Sit and set work the same way, but for some reason produce less confusion).• The Galapagos Islands lie on the equator, due south from Guatemala.• Unfortunately, they did not know that the reserve brigade lay across their axis of

advance.• Lay your weapon on the desk, then lie down on the floor and no one will get hurt.• She laid out the pros and cons of the plan so simply a child could understand them.• PA lied about the F-15 being able to reach Mach 2.5, but the public believes it.• Historical means relating to history or the past. Historic means historically important.• Mitchell’s sinking of the Ostfriesland was truly an historic event for air power.• The western corner of Molton and Montgomery Streets is a site of great historic

importance.• I love a good historical romance—let’s rent both versions of Pride and Prejudice.• He believed the historical record would prove that Douhet was wrong.

• Affect is a verb, meaning “to influence,” or “to have an effect” (or “to make a pretense of”). Effect is a verb meaning “to bring about,” and a noun meaning “result.” I know it seems irrational, but I didn’t invent English, so don’t blame me. If you learn nothing else at BDCOL, learn this—or else.

• I lit the afterburner, but it had no discernible effect on our relative speeds.• My decoys did not appear to affect the approaching missile.• I was unable to effect a disengagement.• After ejecting, I affected an attitude of nonchalance and disdain towards my

captors.• Lesser is the opposite of greater. A lessor is someone from whom you lease something.• Given the choice between BDCOL and prison, this seemed like the lesser of

two evils.• Some tenants say I’m a slumlord, but I prefer to be called a lessor of entry-

level housing.• Predominant is an adjective, predominate is a verb (just like dominant and dominate).• India is the predominant military power in South Asia by a wide margin.• C-130s predominate in the transport arms of most major air forces.• When you praise someone, you are being complimentary. When two things fit together

to make a whole (or a right angle), they are complementary. Free goodies are complimentary.

• Ouch! When I said you’re smarter than you look, I meant it as a compliment.• What wine would you recommend to complement buffalo wings and

guacamole?• The ship’s complement was badly depleted by the epidemic.• I assumed the buffet was complimentary—until the waiter brought me the

check.

• The military rank marshal has only one l (marshal also means to collect or organize). George Marshall was a general and a Secretary of State. Martial means related to warfare or the military.

• Did General Marshall ever meet Marshal Zhukov or Air Marshal Tedder?• German railroad marshaling yards turned out to be a good strategic

bombing target.• Napoleon had many martial virtues, but few of any other kind.• People looked at him strangely after he accidentally listed “marital arts” as

his main hobby.• Eniwetok is in the Marshall Islands? I thought it was a planet in Star Wars.• Groups of states aligned together are usually called blocs, not blocks.• Yugoslavia was the first country to leave the Soviet bloc.• There was a solid block of anti-temperance voters, which decided the result

of the election.• The Block 50 F-16C may be the best multi-role fighter ever built.• People imply when they write or speak, and infer when they read or listen.• Don’t infer too much from this preliminary evidence.• The speech seemed to imply that we would not fight to defend South

Korea.• I’m sorry if you inferred that; I certainly didn’t mean to imply any disrespect.• I think there’s an important inference to draw from the actions of the

Bosnian Serbs.• The implications of this discovery will certainly be profound.