Can you select the correct "s" word in each sentence?

1. By the time daylight (saving, savings) time ended, he had lost his life's (saving, savings) in bad investments.

2. Though the conflict had turned violent and (sanguinary, sanguine), the government officials were (sanguinary, sanguine) about achieving peace.

3. On a day of (seasonable, seasonal) weather, the economist made (seasonable, seasonal) adjustments to the data.

4. The tourists set their (sights, sites) on visiting the (sight, site) of John Brown's raid.

5. Tramping through the muddy (slough, slew), they (sloughed, sluffed) off the dangers and (slough, slew) a (slough, slew) of alligators.

6. He was the (soul, sole) survivor; not another (soul, sole) made it back to base camp.

7. After (sowing, sewing) up a hole in her gardening shirt, she (sowed, sewed) some corn and pumpkins.

8. After signing his name in (scrip, script), he was paid with government (scrip, script).

9. The force of the wind (shear, sheer) caused (shear, sheer) terror in the pilot.

10. During a high wind, the (stationary, stationery) on which she was writing would not remain (stationary, stationery).

Answers:

1. daylight saving time; savings

2. sanguinary — bloody, bloodstained; sanguine — cheerful, optimistic. Both words derive from the Latin "sanguis" (blood). In medieval times, when people believed moods were determined by the body's various humors, red-cheeked, happy people were thought to be dominated by their blood.

3. seasonable — normal for the season; seasonal — affected or caused by the seasons

4. sights — devices that aid the eye in locating something; site — location of something

5. slough — swamp, creek; slough — cast off, shed (though "sluff" is gaining increasing acceptance); slew — killed; slew — a large number, throng

6. sole — only, single; soul — person

7. sewing — stitching; sowed — planted

8. script — handwriting, text; scrip — a certificate issued in place of money

9. shear — a cutting tool and also a technical term for the interaction of winds or other forces; sheer — total, utter

10. stationery — writing paper; stationary — not moving. Helpful mnemonic: "Letter" and "stationery" have an "e"; "stay" and "stationary" have an "a."

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Connecticut, invites your language sightings. His book, "Mark My Words," is available for $9.99 on Amazon.com. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via email to [email protected] or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

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