Welcome to another Edit This® grammar lesson. In today's blog post, we will discuss bawl vs. ball. Do you know the difference between them?
Most people reading this might respond with a resounding "YES!" But bawl and ball are examples of homophones – words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. And they trip more people up than you might think. In fact, I caught this error on two unrelated editing assignments over the past few months, so I know it's an issue.
Let's dive right in, shall we?
Ball (I know ... this is an easy one) refers to a spherical object you play with. It can also be used when writing or talking about a gala event.
* I went to the charity ball last night.
* He kicked the ball through the uprights.
* Mike needs a new soccer ball.
Bawl (the more difficult of the two) refers to loud, unrestrained crying.
* She bawled her eyes out over the breakup.
* Jen doesn't usually bawl like that.
* Quit bawling and tell me what happened.
All too often, I see people using "ball" in place of "bawl." I hope this blog post helps clear up any lingering confusion.
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STEVE GAMEL is the President & Owner of Edit This®, a writing and editing services company in Denton, TX. He is also the author of Write Like You Mean It: Mastering Your Passion For The Written Word. Steve handles anything involving the written word. Give him a call today to help give your business a clear voice.