More commonly confused words.

Gorilla/ guerrilla

A gorilla is a large, plant-eating ape living in the forests of central Africa. A guerrilla is a fighter in a small informal group, usually combating larger organized forces. The word guerrilla derives from the Spanish word for war, guerra, meaning someone who makes war. It is sometimes used today in peaceful contexts, but indicating struggle, as in the world of business. The word gorilla, although first applied to a species of apes in the 1800s, dates back to ancient Greece,  where it meant a wild hairy creature. Some examples of usage:

• “Unlike other monkeys, gorillas have to be provided with special treats like apples, grapes, carrots, bread, tomato, pineapples, watermelon and boiled eggs. Actually, they get very happy when they see me bringing in boiled eggs,” Suwan said.
• A bat-wielding gorilla who gets drunk on soju arrives in Thailand this week aiming to win the hearts of fans more accustomed to falling in love South Korea’s boy band idols.
• Lin Ping has long been regarded as China’s panda ambassador and now Chiang Mai Zoo will soon be home to some new foreign ambassadors – two gorillas from Uganda. The gorillas, a male and female and aged between three and five years olds, are gifts from the Ugandan government and will arrive at Chiang Mai Zoo before the end of this year, said Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation’s director general Manopat Huamuangkaew.
• Hundreds of representatives of guerrilla groups, the military and members of parliament, gathered in the capital, Nay Pyi Taw, for the second stage of talks aimed at ending insurgencies that have plagued Myanmar for decades.
• In the game of deterrence, the Chinese make no effort to conceal the fact that they are employing asymmetry and uncertainty as weapons of guerrilla warfare.
• To prosper in 2014, become a ‘guerrilla’ Asian investor.
• This year, the Sundance Institute presented fierce conversations around the latest technology and trends in film including a crash course on DCP, creative financing, guerrilla marketing, and independent theatrical distribution.

To remember which spelling is correct for the right word, it may be helpful to create a little story. For example, few people want to go towards a gorilla. Most people want to go away from a gorilla. If the use of the letters go remind us of the beginning of the word meaning a large ape, then it is less likely we will spell it wrong as guerrilla. Also, the word guerrilla will be spelled wrong fewer times as gorilla.

Your/ you’re

Your means belonging to you or somehow related to you. You’re is a contraction, a short form of a word or words leaving out some letters and sounds. You’re is a shorter way of stating you are.  In formal English, such as term papers, theses, and academic articles, there should be no contractions, unless someone’s spoken words are quoted. That is because a contraction like you’re for you are is meant to be like spoken English, very casual. In Thai English there are often problems with apostrophes and contractions, which sometimes get mixed up with the apostrophe used to indicate possession. It is simple to remember that in academic writing, you’re should never appear, so probably the appropriate spelling should be your. Some examples:

• Choose to travel around Thailand in April and May and you’re in for a “hot deal” – quite literally.
• What you’re not supposed to say.
• When you’re exercising, music can coax the muscles into cooperating, and Sport Pace wireless in-ear headphones from Jabra are a great way to keep the music and the muscles pumping as you work out.
• After all, unlike other e-commerce products, you can’t return a holiday, and you have no way of knowing how good your choice is until you’re there.
• You can use your iflix account on up to five devices, from a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a smartphone, a tablet computer or Internet TV. Best of all, one account can be used on two devices at the same time.
• The new Joox music app will have you listening to your favourite tunes around the clock.
• Your dog is a pack animal and is looking for someone to follow. It would be best for that person to be you.

Even native born writers of English sometimes confuse your and you’re. Being aware that this is easy to confuse is already a good step towards solving the problem. Also, asking whether what is needed is a contraction for two words, you are, or whether a single word is all that the sentence requires.

Phase/ faze

Phase is a noun meaning part of a sequence or cycle. Faze is a verb meaning to annoy or frighten or discourage someone. It is usually used in such sentences as

Do not let that faze you.

This means try not to be discouraged by whatever it is. As with your and you’re, even native English speakers get faze and phase mixed up. One way to solve the challenge is to remember that the verb faze is considered slightly informal. That means it is not ideal in an academic paper or article. By not using the verb faze at all, it is unlikely it will be confused with the noun phase. Instead, if faze is meant, another verb can be used instead with the same meaning:

Do not let that bother you.

Do not let that discourage you.

Do not let that intimidate you.

Do not let that annoy you.

Do not let that confuse you.

All of the alternate sentences above use words that are appropriately formal for academic writings. By leaving out faze altogether, we are not missing much. Some samples:

• The fact that there were already more than 100 cake shops in central Trang – or that she had little experience in the trade – didn’t faze Kwanruedee Boonsiri at all.
• All this talk about whether Thailand should legalise casinos doesn’t faze Tananya “Linla” Boonma, a very popular character on social media, who’s just opened an online casino in typically boisterous fashion.
• Not much seems to faze Dion Phaneuf, but the veteran defenceman admits he was rattled the first day he joined the Ottawa Senators.
• Airports of Thailand has cut the budget for the second phase of the expansion at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
• It is entering a new phase where data are supreme and maximising them to push for better earnings becomes key.
• The second phase of the e-payment programme is EDC, and the big banks will form a consortium to oversee investment in that technology.

Prosecute/ persecute

Prosecute is a verb meaning to conduct legal proceedings against someone or something. Persecute is also a verb, meaning to treat people badly, often because of their race, religion, or anything else that sets them apart. In legal writings, the word prosecute is common, while the word persecute is only needed when an injustice is meant:

• Team assembled to prosecute alleged human traffickers.
• Hague Court May Prosecute in South Ossetia War.
• China to Prosecute Taiwanese in Fraud Case Despite Acquittals in Kenya.
• Pakistan’s Persecuted Christians.
• In history, minority groups have sometimes been persecuted.

Once again, telling a little story may make it easier to keep the two words apart. If we say that to choose a lawyer to prosecute a case, a pro is needed, we may remember that the letters pro begin the legal word.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)