Commonly Confused Words: taught and taut
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fandom_grammarToday we’ll be discussing a couple of words that are pronounced the same way but have very different meanings. Let’s take a look at taught and taut, and a side order of taunt, with some help from the folks in the Magnificent Seven.
Taught is actually the past tense of the verb “teach.” It comes down to us from the Old English tahte, which was the past tense of tæcan. Teaching, of course, is the act of giving instruction in some subject, be it mathematics, history, or even just life in general.
Of course, just because something is taught doesn’t mean anything is learned:
Taut is a homophone of taught; that means it sounds the same, but it has a completely different definition. If something is taut, it’s stretched tight, either physically, as in a taut rope, or emotionally, as in taut nerves. If your characters are sailing, taut may have a third meaning as well; that of a tidy ship in good order, or a taut ship.
Taught and taut have two different meanings and even though they sound the same when spoken, they are not interchangeable.
Speaking of not being interchangeable, let’s make a quick drive-by look into taunt. Even though it’s not a homophone of either taught or taut, it is frequently and mistakenly used in their places. Taunt can be either a noun or a verb; it is not an adjective. As a verb, to taunt means to say insulting things to someone in order to make them angry. Taunt as a noun is an insult or jeer. I’ve often seen and heard people use taunt when they really mean taut, particularly when talking about someone’s skin or muscles. If you’re planning to use taunt as an adjective, it only applies in a nautical sense, when it describes particularly tall masts on ships; it cannot replace taut as an adjective because it doesn’t have the same meaning.
Choosing the correct word for your sentence isn’t that difficult. If someone had given instruction, or been given instruction, in the past, then the word is taught. If you mean something is stretched tight, you’ll want taut. And unless you’re using it in the nautical sense, remember that taunt is not an adjective; it’s a noun or a verb about mocking someone else.
Sources:
Taught is actually the past tense of the verb “teach.” It comes down to us from the Old English tahte, which was the past tense of tæcan. Teaching, of course, is the act of giving instruction in some subject, be it mathematics, history, or even just life in general.
Of course, just because something is taught doesn’t mean anything is learned:
Casey stormed away down the street, and JD just stood gaping after her, his hand cupping the red mark on his cheek where she’d slapped him.
Buck shook his head, wearing his most disappointed expression. “JD, that was the most awful display I have ever seen. Haven’t I taught you any better than that?”
Taut is a homophone of taught; that means it sounds the same, but it has a completely different definition. If something is taut, it’s stretched tight, either physically, as in a taut rope, or emotionally, as in taut nerves. If your characters are sailing, taut may have a third meaning as well; that of a tidy ship in good order, or a taut ship.
“Just back up nice and slow, JD,” Buck said. “You don’t want any slack in the rope, keep it nice and taut, just like I told you.”
“I know how to do it, Buck,” JD protested from atop his horse. He urged his horse to back up until the rope stretched tight, then kept going until they were able to pull Josiah up over the embankment.
Taught and taut have two different meanings and even though they sound the same when spoken, they are not interchangeable.
Speaking of not being interchangeable, let’s make a quick drive-by look into taunt. Even though it’s not a homophone of either taught or taut, it is frequently and mistakenly used in their places. Taunt can be either a noun or a verb; it is not an adjective. As a verb, to taunt means to say insulting things to someone in order to make them angry. Taunt as a noun is an insult or jeer. I’ve often seen and heard people use taunt when they really mean taut, particularly when talking about someone’s skin or muscles. If you’re planning to use taunt as an adjective, it only applies in a nautical sense, when it describes particularly tall masts on ships; it cannot replace taut as an adjective because it doesn’t have the same meaning.
“The things you said… JD, you’re lucky Casey didn’t try to kill you,” Buck taunted, poking JD in the shoulder.
“Keep your taunts to yourself, Buck,” JD retorted weakly; he knew Buck was right, and he’d have to find a way to apologize to Casey.
Choosing the correct word for your sentence isn’t that difficult. If someone had given instruction, or been given instruction, in the past, then the word is taught. If you mean something is stretched tight, you’ll want taut. And unless you’re using it in the nautical sense, remember that taunt is not an adjective; it’s a noun or a verb about mocking someone else.
Sources:
- Etymology Online: taught, taut, taunt
- Dictionary.com: taught, taut, taunt
- The Free Dictionary: taught, taut, taunt
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21/7/15 19:52 (UTC)no subject
21/7/15 22:32 (UTC)