These two adjectives could be easy to confuse!  Ceremonial describes objects, actions, or words that are used in a ceremony. A ceremony is a ritual—a formal event consisting of a specific series of actions, often to honor a person or event: In the ritual of the Passover dinner, a special ceremonial cup of wine is put […]

Ah, English! These four words are pronounced almost exactly alike (SEN-ser), except for censure, which is pronounced “SEN-shure.” Let’s look at each more closely. A censer (noun) is a kind of incense-holder. Incense is a mixture of herbs, wood, leaves, or other materials that one burns in order to create a pleasant smelling smoke. A censer […]

These words, both adjectives, are almost synonyms, meaning “low cost.” When talking about prices, they can be synonyms, though cheap is often considered cheaper than inexpensive: Computers are never really cheap, but some are relatively inexpensive. Inexpensive can mean just as cheap as cheap, but it is more polite, since cheap can have negative connotations. Besides […]

These words both have material and non-material meanings.Concrete (noun) is a material used in much urban architecture. Large buildings and sidewalks are usually made of concrete—a mixture of cheap minerals (stone), such as sand or gravel. We sometimes call urban environments a “concrete jungle.”Cement, in contrast, is a similar material but has some more specific […]

Strangely, these two verbs do not have similar meanings. They are originally related, but their modern meanings in English are not.Capitulate means “to give in, yield, or surrender” – i.e. to declare that you are incorrect in an argument, to agree that you have lost a contest, or that you will try no longer: I […]