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Arose or arouse?

Easter is just few days away from now. As we prepare for the day, we shall be considering a word used to describe the event of the Day and other confusing words.

1. Between "arose" and "arouse"

Let's look at the two words:

i. Arose (past tense of arise):

- to get up or stand up : rise. 

E.g. He arose from the grave.

- especially: to get up from sleep or after lying down.

E.g. He arose (from bed) refreshed after a good night's sleep.

ii. Arouse /ə-ˈrauz/:

- to cause (an emotional or mental state)

E.g. The report aroused a great deal of public interest.

- to awaken the passion or (sexual) desire in someone.

E.g. The alleged rapist said he was aroused by the lady's nude body.

- to wake (someone) from sleep.

E.g. The noise of the children playing could arouse him.

Note that the two vowel letters /ou/ in "arouse" sound like /aw/ as in "out" while the letter /o/ in "arose" has a different sound. Often times, some people use "arose" to mean "excite" or "stir" some passion or desire in someone when they actually mean "arouse" pronounced: /arauz/. 

Can you now see the difference between "arose" and "arouse"?

Other similar words that suffer wrong usages are:

2. "guide" and "guard"

i. Guide: to direct.

E.g. May God guide (direct) you. The little boy needs guidance.

ii. Guard: to protect.

E.g. The man said he is in need of a guard. The little boy went to visit his guardian (someone who takes care of him other than his parents).

Take note of "guidance" and "guardian" in the two examples above. 

3. "melt" and "mete"

e. Melt: to cause something to change from solid to liquid. To dissolve.

E.g. The butter melted in the pot.

f. Mete: to give out  (by measure).

E.g. The man warned that appropriate punishment will be meted on defaulters. 

You have also noted the difference between "guide" (guidance) and "guard" (guardian) as well as "melt" and "mete".

Kindly help us improve on this blog by letting us know your thoughts through  comments, questions or suggestions.

Happy Easter in advance.

From the grammarstar team.




Comments

KHA MUS HEALTH said…
Thanks for the enlightenment ��
April 13, 2022 at 12:21 PM
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