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[personal profile] whymzycal posting in [community profile] fandom_grammar
Happy Monday, grammar friends, and welcome to our next look at a pair of Commonly Confused Words!

Today we’re going to look at decent and descent, two words that are often mistaken for one another because their spellings are so similar. With examples from the Avengers and Star Trek.

Decent is an adjective that means, according to the dictionary, 1) conforming to the recognized standard of propriety, good taste, etc. in behavior or speech, 2) respectable, 3) adequate or passable, 4) kind, obliging, generous, 5) suitable, appropriate, 6) of fairly attractive appearance, or 7) wearing enough clothing to be out in public. The last one is an informal definition, but it still counts. The main thing to remember is that since it is an adjective, decent describes someone or something.

“Tony Stark is a decent guy,” Clint said to the interviewer.

Decent, you say. We’re talking about bad-boy billionaire Tony Stark, right?” The interviewer looked skeptical.

Clint shrugged. “Hey, he’s wearing pants out in public these days, he’s pretty good looking, and he doesn’t skimp when giving to charity or saving the planet. So yeah, Tony Stark’s a decent guy, in almost every sense of the word. Next question?”


Descent, on the other hand, is a noun. It means going from a higher place or degree to a lower place or degree. Essentially, it’s a fall or a decline—literal or metaphorical.

McCoy glared down into the canyon. “Remind me why we have to make the descent on foot instead of going by shuttle or transporter.”

“Because the magnetic ore at the bottom interferes with our instruments,” Scotty said. “I could give you a wee push to get you to the bottom faster, if you wanted.” He grinned. “Just step closer to the edge.”


If it helps, you can remind yourself that decent people don’t mind spending money (cents) on others—or on pants. And a descent often involves a slope or something else that can make you slide downward.

Sources:
Decent at dictionary.com
Descent at dictionary.com

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