For all intents and purposes is an expression meaning “essentially” or “in effect.” It’s used to say that something has the same outcome or result as something else.
The warring sides had, for all intents and purposes, agreed to a ceasefire.
The old laptop is, for all intents and purposes, useless.
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Dreamt and dreamed are two different spellings of the past tense of the verb “dream,” used to refer to the act of experiencing thoughts or images while asleep or to the act of fantasizing while awake. The spelling tends to vary based on whether you are using UK or US English:
Lionel dreamt/dreamed about a talking lamp.
When I was young, I dreamt/dreamed of becoming a famous musician.
Vanessa never dreamt/dreamed that she would be so successful.
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A determiner is a word that modifies, describes, or introduces a noun. Determiners can be used to clarify what a noun refers to (e.g., your car) and to indicate quantity or number (e.g., four wheels).
Priya is taking her first steps.
The festival has been postponed due to bad weather.
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Bear and bare are pronounced the same but have different meanings.
| Examples: Bear in a sentence | Examples: Bare in a sentence |
|---|---|
| The desk could hardly bear the weight of all the books. | The apartment is bare, but it will feel like home once I decorate it. |
| The tree no longer bears fruit. | Let me bare my soul to you in a song. |
| Rajesh froze when he saw a bear approaching his tent. | Anna does the bare minimum at the office. |
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Besides can be used as a preposition meaning “except” or “in addition to.” It can also be used as an adverb meaning “as well” or “moreover.”
Besides being a writer, Sophie is a painter.
Tyra wasn’t free on the night of the party. Besides, she wasn’t even invited.
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Touch base is an expression meaning “make contact” or “reconnect.” It’s used to describe the act of briefly communicating with someone or something (e.g., a team).
The expression is thought to have originated in the sport of baseball. It’s most often used in a business context, but it can also be used in informal contexts to mean the same thing. It’s rarely used in formal or academic writing.
I should touch base with David to find out how he’s doing.
Don’t forget to touch base with the team before the launch.
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Misnomer is a noun that refers to a wrong, misleading, or inappropriate use of a name or designation. It’s also used to refer to the misleading name or designation itself.
It’s a bit of a misnomer to call nachos “fine dining.”
“Stand-up comedy” turned out to be a misnomer for the show in the theater. I didn’t laugh once.
In legal contexts, misnomer has a similar meaning. It’s used to refer to the use of an incorrect name in a legal document and to the legal processes related to this offense (e.g., “law of misnomer”).
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Bear with me is an expression meaning “be patient with me.” It’s typically used along with a conjunction (e.g., “as” or “while”) to explain why you’re asking for patience. It can also be used by itself when the reason is already known.
Our operating system is down at the moment. Can you bear with me as I fill out the form manually?
Our restaurant is very busy this evening; please bear with me while I try to find you a table.
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Copacetic is an adjective with a range of positive meanings including “fine,” “very satisfactory,” and “excellent.”
It’s a somewhat old-fashioned slang word, more common in US English than UK English. It’s rarely used in formal or academic writing.
Game night was fun and copacetic until Wayne got angry because his team was losing.
Don’t worry about your exams. Things will be copacetic—you’ve worked hard.
While copacetic is the standard spelling, some variants include copasetic and copesetic. Since the word doesn’t have a clear origin (it’s believed to have originated as slang in the southern US), dictionaries tend to accept these variant spellings as valid.
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Callous is an adjective meaning “cruel” or “lacking sympathy.”
I don’t mean to be callous, but I’m not loaning you any more money.
Zadie is not usually callous; she was just having a bad day.
The doctor seemed callous when he delivered the bad news.
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