240 THE FACTS ON FILE GUIDE TO GOOD WRITING brooch/broach
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brought/bought
BROACH/BROOCH.
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BOUGHT/BROUGHT.
buy/by/bye The words buy, by, and bye are pronounced identically but have different meanings. Buy is a verb meaning “purchase” (buy food supplies), while by is a preposition meaning “near,” “through,” “past,” etc. (by the exit, by the tunnel, right by them), and bye variously means “farewell” or “automatic progress” (bye to you all; a bye to the next round). In certain contexts the terms by and bye are interchangeable (as in bylaw, byelaw). by/buy/bye
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BUY/BY/BYE.
bye/buy/by
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BUY/BY/BYE.
cache/cash The nouns cache and cash are pronounced identically but have different meanings. Cache variously means “secret stock” or, in computing, “quick-access computer memory” (a munitions cache, retrieve from the cache memory), whereas cash refers to “ready money” (30 dollars in cash). calendar/colander These two nouns are totally unrelated in meaning and should not be confused. A calendar refers to a “system for arranging dates” or a “list of forthcoming events” (the Roman calendar, a full calendar over the next few weeks), whereas a colander is a “kitchen utensil used to drain food” (drain lettuce in a colander). callous/callus The words callous and callus are pronounced the same but have different meanings. Callous is an adjective meaning “insensitive” or “hardhearted” (a callous attitude, callous indifference), whereas the noun callus denotes an “area of hardened skin”: His skin was covered with calluses. callus/callous
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CALLOUS/CALLUS.
can/may Confusion can sometimes arise over the use of these two verbs. The words are interchangeable in the sense “be permitted” (can we stay? may we stay?), but can has the additional sense “be able”: She can juggle with five balls. May has the additional sense “be likely”: Things may work out as planned. cannon/canon The nouns cannon and canon are similar in appearance but are unrelated in meaning. Cannon means “large heavy gun” (siege cannon), whereas canon variously means “clergyman in a cathedral,” “religious law,” or, more generally, a “list of authoritative sources” or a “set of accepted rules or principles” (a canon regular, a statute of canon law, a new addition to the canon, break every