borrow (v.) vs. borrow (adj.)
vs. borough vs. burrow
by AnnaLisa Michalski
originally published in the ezine-turned-blog Word-wise, 1/18/09
Many thanks to one of my readers for a passing comment that inspired this discussion. It's uncharted territory for Word-wise: a four-way usage tip!
- borrow: trans. verb (BAR-oh) to receive [an object] with the intention of using and returning it
- borrow: adj. (BORE-oh, BAR-oh) used with the noun "pit," the hole that remains in the ground when fill material is removed to another site
- borough: noun (BURR-oh, BURR-uh) a geographical or political area or division
- burrow: trans. verb (BURR-oh) to dig or bury oneself into
Luckily, these words are not likely to be used in near context to each other. Unfortunately, there's no obvious method of remembering which is which. Pronunciation distinctions are only partly helpful since some are pronounced different ways in different regions.
This is one of those cases in which the best bet for getting it right may be a simple determination to employ the help of a dictionary when in doubt.
© 2009 by AnnaLisa Michalski