Confusing Words Clarified: Group P; Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, Synonyms, etc.

1. According to: "I did what I was told to do per the instructions that I received."
2. For each item, often with a financial context: "The price per box of chocolates is higher in this store than in the store across the street."

1. The vibrating murmur produced when a cat is content and happy: "My cat will purr very loudly after she has had her supper and is lying on my lap."
2. To speak in a manner that suggests a murmur of contentment: "The novel described her manner of speaking as if she would purr like a cat when she got her way."
3. To speak in a gossipy or malicious manner: "When the two got together, they would purr and chat about all the local gossip."

An amount that is equal to one one-hundredth of something: "It is estimated that water covers more than 70 percent of the earth's surface."

"I am 99.9 percent sure that her version of the incident is correct."

1. A share of the winnings or profits of an undertaking: "After taxes, I received a percentage of the profit from the sale of the property."

"I was pleased with my percentage from the bet at the horse race this afternoon."

2. Part of the whole of something presented in hundredths: "What is the percentage of winners in the lottery?"

One of 100 equal parts that a group of people can be divided into in order to rank them: "My friend scored in the 95th percentile in advanced-vocabulary skills."

To sit on or to be on something high or on something from which it is easy to fall: "Birds often perch on the ledge outside our window."

A high seat or location: "The lifeguard watches the swimmers from his high perch."

"The bird flew down from its perch in the tree."

A fish that lives in rivers and streams and which is eaten as food: "Her father caught a good supply of perch for our dinner."

1. Bars or pegs upon which something may be hung or upon which something may sit: "The pet store had several different perches to choose from for our new parrot."

"There was a row of perches in the cloakroom upon which to hang our coats."

2. To sit or to rest in a somewhat precarious situation: "My friend always perches on the edge of the chair."

"The eagle perches on the edge of the cliff poised to fly away.

3. Several small, white European fresh water fish (Perca fluviatilis); plural, perch or perches: "The river was abundant in perches and fishing was easy."

1. Something bought for a price in money or equivalent: "I sought to purchase a brace of pheasant for the elegant dinner I was planning."
2. To acquire the ownership of something by means other than inheritance: "He acquired the ancestral lands by purchase rather than by inheritance."
3. To raise or to move through the use of a mechanical device: "The stone masons sought to purchase the rocks by using a lever to raise them."
4. To acquire through flattery, sacrifice, or a bribe: "His position on the Board of Directors was acquired through purchase and not through hard work."

1. To be without fault or defect: "Her explanation was perfect and there was no confusion."
2. Meeting ideal expectations: "He was the perfect gentleman."
3. An accurate reproduction: "She painted a perfect copy of the photograph of her grandmother."
4. A verb form that indicates action completed in the past before another past action: "Please use the perfect tense of the verb when writing this sentence; for example, 'She had completed her homework before she went home.' "
5. To improve or to refine: "She sought to perfect her technique through constant practice."

1. A student in charge of monitoring other students, typically in a private school situation: "He wanted to be the senior prefect in his class when he went back to school in September."
2. A high ranking officer or magistrate: "He wore the mantle of a prefect in the city council."

To bring about, to commit: "The police will try to find out who could perpetrate such a crime in the quiet neighborhood."

To cause to last a long time or indefinitely: "By writing a biography, he tried to perpetuate the memory of his parents and their ordeals as pioneers living in the desert."

1. Lasting forever; serving in a position or office for an indefinite time: "The movie had a perpetual sense about it and I thought it would never come to an end."

"The beloved president was elected to serve a perpetual term in office."

2. Continuous, blooming through every season: "The roses in the sheltered corner of the garden were in perpetual bloom."

1. The quality or state of lasting forever; eternity: "The monument was to ensure the memory of the heroes would last in perpetuity."
2. Payment of an annuity on an ongoing basis: "My grandfather’s will stipulates that the annuity be paid to my aunt in perpetuity."

1. To be unable to think clearly or decisively about something: "It will perplex me all evening if I am unable to resolve that mystery."
2. To make something intricate or complicated: "His explanation of the map only served to perplex me further."

1. To present a mental challenge or to offer a situation that is difficult to solve: "He tried to puzzle me with the complicated mathematical equations."
2. To resolve a question or situation with ingenuity: "She was able to puzzle her way out of the challenging word quiz."
3. A challenging toy designed to amuse while requiring ingenuity to resolve or to complete: "On rainy days, she enjoyed working on the 1,000 piece jig saw puzzle of 50 different cats."

A payment or profit received in addition to a regular wage or salary; especially, a benefit expected as one's due; a perk: "Use of the company's jet is a perquisite of the job."

Required or necessary as a prior condition: "Competence is a prerequisite to promotion to the next level of administration."

Required; essential or something that is indispensable: "It is a requisite that we carry water with us when we hike into the desert."

To constantly annoy or to bother someone: "The paparazzi were determined to persecute the famous actress by following her everywhere."
2. To treat someone cruelly or unfairly; especially, because of race or religious or political beliefs: "The regime was known to constantly persecute those who fought against it during the uprising."
3. To harass in such a manner as to injure or to afflict: "In the ancient city, the soldiers would often persecute people who were identified as foreigners."

1. To initiate legal action as the result of a crime: "The police decided to prosecute the vandals who ruined the monument with graffiti."
2. To follow through with something until it is finished: "She was determined to prosecute those who committed fraud until justice has been achieved."

1. The act or condition of being harassed or annoyed: "She had no tolerance for the persecution by the press since the publication of her new book."
2. The practice of harassing individuals in such a manner as to injure or to cause harm: "Persecution of someone even in jest, or as a joke, may be unlawful and immoral."

1. An individual or party which initiates a legal action in a criminal situation: "My uncle is a lawyer and is acting as the prosecution in a high profile criminal case."
2. The action of following through with a legal action until a final resolution has been accomplished: "The prosecution of the case was expected to take at least two years before the judge would give a final judgment."

1. Done by an individual without intervention by another: "It was her personal decision to try to swim the English Channel."
2. Relating to one's body, private: "Her mother taught her good personal hygiene."
3. Relating to an individual's conduct, often in a negative context: "It felt like a personal insult when she left the party early without an explanation."
3. Short columns or stories about the activities of individuals or groups: "My sister's first job at the newspaper was to write the weekly personal column about the local guilds."

1. A group of individuals who are employed: "The personnel list was posted in the lunch room at our office."
2. A department or part of an organization which is concerned with the employees: "The personnel department is interviewing candidates for the new position."

1. The technique for representing an object seen by the eyes on a flat or curved surface: "She presented an excellent perspective in her still life drawings."
2. The process of mentally reviewing a subject: "The worried student took a long walk, after which his problems seemed to have taken on a new and more manageable perspective."
3. The process of being able to see or understand a situation in its true or relative importance: "With the new perspective on the situation, the committee was able to make sound recommendations."
4. A view which gives the impression of distance: "The perspective from the hill was lovely but we were glad the walk to the village was short."
5. The appearance to the beholder of objects with respect to their relative positions and distance: "By standing across the room, the artist was able to get a better perspective on the large painting she was working on."

1. Likely to happen or to come about: "She was a prospective mother and the baby was due in two months."
2. Relating to the future: "He wrote a long novel in the hope of getting a prospective bonus from the publisher."

1. A printed statement that summarizes or describes a business and is for distribution to potential investors: "I received the prospectus about the mining company and an invitation to attend their annual meeting."
2. Something; for example, a statement, which foretells the nature of something: "The prospectus from the bank suggested that high interest rates were a thing of the past."

1. Having or showing penetrating mental discernment; clear-sighted: "He always thought his mother was a perspicacious judge of character."
2. Having or showing an ability to notice and to understand things that are difficult or not obvious: "The movie critic made some perspicacious observations about the film."

1. Clearly expressed or presented; easy to understand: "As an author and a speaker, he was hailed as a perspicuous writer and presenter of oral information."
2. Expressing oneself clearly and effectively: "The professor was known as a perspicuous lecturer."

1. To study or to consider with close attention to details: "Please peruse this essay carefully and check for spelling errors."
2. To look at or to read something in an informal or relaxed way: "He decided to peruse the newspaper during his afternoon snack."

1. To find ways to achieve or to accomplish something: "She was determined to pursue a career in music."
2. To proceed or to follow: "We determined to pursue a course directly across the snowy field in order to get to our winter lodge."
3. To haunt or to afflict: "The nightmares continue to pursue me after witnessing the horrible boating accident."
4. To be involved in: "After his retirement, he was very happy to pursue his hobby of fishing."