Another Pair of Problematic Word Pairs
by Tina Blue
May 21, 2001
Just when I think I've covered most of the problematic word pairs, I come across more of them mixed up in newspaper or magazine articles or, as is the case with one of the following words, in an e-zine for women writers. (I'll let you guess which one I found there.)
PROSTATE vs. PROSTRATE
Men, If you have a "prostrate" gland, you are having medical problems and need to get a check-up fast. Prostrate can mean lying face-down, especially in submission, but we usually use the word to refer to the condition of being overcome or reduced to helplessness or physical weakness, especially by grief, heat, or exhaustion.
The gland in question is the prostate gland, which surrounds the urethra of males at the base of the bladder and releases part of the semen.
~You can see why you would not want your prostate gland to be prostrate!
ANECDOTE vs. ANTIDOTE
An antidote is a medicine or other remedy for counteracting the effects of poison or disease or any other damaging or destructive agent. An antidote prevents or mitigates injurious effects.
An anecdote is a short narrative recounting a particular (usually true) incident or event of an interesting or amusing nature.
~You might want to offer your audience an anecdote as an antidote for boredom the next time you give a public address.
