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.
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….
A throne is a royal seat. Thrown is the past participle of throw. She sat on the throne. The rider was thrown. The test that settles it Look for has, have, had, was or were in front of it. Those auxiliaries signal a participle, so the answer is thrown. If the word follows a or…
Straight means without a bend. Strait means narrow — a narrow channel of water, or a tight spot. A straight road. The Strait of Gibraltar. The test that settles it Try the word narrow. If it fits, you want strait. If you mean direct, level, honest or undiluted, you want straight. Try it “in dire…
Suit (rhymes with boot) is clothing, a lawsuit, a set of playing cards, or a verb meaning “to be right for”: a grey suit, That colour suits you. Suite (sounds like sweet) is a set of things that go together: a hotel suite, a bedroom suite, a software suite. He wore a grey suit. They…
A tenant is a person who rents. A tenet is a principle someone believes. The tenant paid on time. A central tenet of the theory. The test that settles it Ask whether you could shake its hand. A tenant is a person; a tenet is an idea. If the sentence is about belief, doctrine or…
A stalactite hangs from the ceiling. A stalagmite rises from the ground. Water drips off a stalactite and builds a stalagmite underneath it. The test that settles it Look at the third letter. Stalactite has a c for ceiling. Stalagmite has a g for ground. That one letter settles every case. Try it “icicles of…
Steal is to take what is not yours. Steel is the metal. Do not steal it. The frame is steel. The test that settles it If the word is doing something — taking, creeping, bracing — it is almost always steal. If it names a material, it is steel. The one overlap is steel yourself,…
Sole means only, or the underside of a foot. Soul is the spiritual part of a person. The sole survivor. A generous soul. The test that settles it Try replacing the word with only. If that works, it is sole. If you could replace it with spirit or person, it is soul. Try it “the…
Sensual is about bodily appetite, usually sexual. Sensuous is about the senses in general, usually aesthetic. A sensual embrace. A sensuous piece of music. The test that settles it Ask whether you could use the word about a cello or a length of silk without anyone reading a second meaning into it. If you could,…
Set takes an object — you set something down. Sit does not — you sit down yourself. Set the tray on the table, then sit beside me. The test that settles it Put a noun straight after the verb. If the sentence still works, you want set. If the subject is the one doing the…
In modern English, will is the default for the future. Shall survives mainly in questions with I or we, and in legal drafting. Shall I open a window? I will be there at six. The test that settles it If you are offering, suggesting or asking for instructions with I or we, use shall. Everywhere…
A regime is a system of government. A regimen is a planned routine, usually for health. The previous regime. A training regimen. The test that settles it The extra n is for the personal routine. Governments get the shorter word. Try it “the military ___” → a government, so regime. “a daily skincare ___” →…