Born in Miami, Florida, Mateo is a bilingual educator with a Master's in Spanish Education. He has spent the last decade developing Spanish curricula. Mateo is passionate about helping students master conversational Spanish and everyday vocabulary.
To wreak is to inflict something — almost always havoc or vengeance. To wreck is to destroy, or the destroyed thing itself. Storms wreak havoc. They wrecked the car. The test that settles it Look at what follows. Wreak is nearly always followed by havoc or vengeance and hardly ever appears without one of them….
Which asks about a choice or introduces a clause. A witch is a person said to practise magic. Which one is yours? a witch in a folk tale. The test that settles it Ask whether the word names a person. Only witch can. Which never names anything; it either poses a question or links a…
They mean the same thing. While works everywhere; whilst is British, more formal, and never used in American English. Wait here while I check. Wait here whilst I check. The test that settles it There is no meaning to test, because there is no difference in meaning. Ask instead who is reading. For an American…
To wonder is to think or marvel. To wander is to walk about without a fixed route. I wonder why. We wandered through the old town. The test that settles it Ask whether it happens in the head or on the feet. Wonder is thinking; wander is moving. The vowel matches: wander goes with walk….
To waive is to give up a right or a charge. To wave is to move your hand, or what the sea does. They waived the fee. She waved from the platform. The test that settles it Ask whether something is being given up. Fees, rights, rules and requirements are waived. Hands, flags and water…
Weather is what the sky is doing. Whether introduces a choice between possibilities. The weather turned. I asked whether she was coming. The test that settles it Try replacing the word with if. If the sentence still makes sense, you want whether. Weather is a thing you can look out of the window at, and…
Were is the past of are. We’re is we are. Where asks about place. They were late. We’re ready. Where is it? The test that settles it Expand the apostrophe to we are. If that reads, the answer is we’re. If not, ask whether the sentence is about a past state or about a place….
Vain means conceited, or futile. A vane is a flat blade that turns in the wind. A vein carries blood. too vain to admit it. a weather vane. a vein in his wrist. The test that settles it Three different jobs, so ask what kind of word you need. Describing a person or an effort?…
Vary is a verb meaning to differ or change. Very is an intensifier meaning to a great degree. Prices vary by region. It was very cold. The test that settles it Swap in change. If the sentence still works, you need vary. Very can never be swapped for a verb, because it never acts as…
Your waist is the middle of your body. Waste means to squander, or the rubbish left over. a belt round his waist. Do not waste it. The test that settles it If you could point to it on a body or a garment, it is waist. Everything else — squandering, rubbish, barren ground — is…
They mean exactly the same thing. Toward is usual in American English; towards is usual in British English. He walked toward the door. He walked towards the door. The test that settles it There is no meaning test, because there is no difference in meaning. Pick the one that matches the variety of English you…
A track is a path or a course you follow. A tract is a stretch of land, a system in the body, or a short pamphlet. a muddy track through the field. a tract of woodland. The test that settles it Ask whether the thing can be followed. A track is something you move along…
A troop is a group of soldiers or scouts. A troupe is a company of performers. The troops withdrew. A dance troupe from Cork. The test that settles it Ask whether the group performs. If they sing, dance, act or juggle, the word is troupe. Everything else — soldiers, scouts, or people simply moving in…
If the clause is needed to identify the thing, use that and no commas. If it only adds extra information, use which between commas. The report that I sent is late. The report, which I sent on Monday, is late. The test that settles it Take the clause out. If the reader can still tell…
Threw is the past tense of throw. Through means from one side to the other, or finished. She threw the ball through the window. The test that settles it Replace the word with tossed. If the sentence still works, you want threw. Through can never be swapped for a verb, because it is not one….