Lose vs. loose

This local establishment fell victim to the very common lose vs. loose confusion.

Okay, here’s the deal: If you fail to keep something, you lose it. If something is less tight, then it is now loose. So in this case, we did not lose power would have been correct.

Brians’ Common Errors in English Usage offers this easy way to remember the difference: “This confusion can easily be avoided if you pronounce the word intended aloud. If it has a voiced Z sound, then it’s “lose.” If it has a hissy S sound, then it’s “loose.”” And it’s also worth reading the extensive explanation from Language Log (which, as an aside, also includes an interesting commentary of the tendency to lump all language issues under the umbrella of “grammar”).

Copyblogger includes lose vs. loose in a list of seven common writing mistakes, and offers this helpful way of remembering:

“If your pants are too loose, you might lose your pants.”

And no one wants that, do they? So remember: keep your pants on.

********

By the way, MRP was recently nominated for the Grammar.net contest for Best Grammar Blog of 2011. Many great blogs that cover grammar and language were also nominated, so we’re in excellent company. Voting will begin September 26, so please vote!

About these ads