Confusing Words Clarified: Group P; Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, Synonyms, etc.(lists of "P" sections that are organized into what for some people are confusing groups of words)If you have any problems understanding the pronunciation symbols, go to this Pronunciation Chart for clarifications.pray, prey
pray (PRAY)
1. A function word in the context of a request or plea; "Pray shut the door on your way out."
2. To address a religious figure, God or gods, in a manner of supplication, adoration, etc.: "The minister requested that the congregation pray to God with him after the hymn was concluded." prey (PRAY)
1. Victim, someone or something that is helpless: "People who are alone and live in isolation are often the prey of unscrupulous con-artists."
2. An animal which is taken by a predator as food: "The wild owl hunted its prey in the evening when it was almost dark." 3. To seize, devour, commit violence: "The lions might devour their prey for a few days before leaving their kill." "The roving bandits were known to prey on the isolated farms in the area." precede, proceed, proceeds
precede (pri SEED)
1. To go before, to be in front of: "The marching band will precede the parade marshal's car in the parade."
2. To exceed in rank or degree of importance from someone else: "The rank of cabinet minister will precede that of deputy cabinet minister in the hierarchy of the government." 3. To occur earlier than something else: "The rally in the stadium will precede the actual start of the game." proceed (proh SEED, pruh SEED)
1. To issue or to come forth from a source in a regulated manner: "The student march will proceed from the library to the administration buildings."
2. To continue after interruption: "After extensive applause, the speaker was able to proceed with his lecture and illustrated talk." 3. To move along in a designated course: "The parade will proceed along the streets which will be decorated with colorful bunting." proceeds (PROH seedz")
The total amount of money or profit that is made via an activity: "The proceeds from the Jumble Sale exceeded all expectations."
"The proceeds of the concert will go to charity." "We took the proceeds from the sale of our business and invested then in stocks." precedence, precedents
precedence (PRES i duhns, pri SEED n's)
A position of superior honor in a formal occasion or ceremonial event; a priority: "The president of the university was given precedence in terms of where he sat during the banquet."
precedents (PRES i duhns)
1. That which is done or said and which may serve as examples to justify later proceedings: "The judge noted there were several precedents in the law books for her ruling at the end of the trial."
2. Activities that are well established and based on practice over time: "Morning coffee and afternoon tea are two precedents which are traditions in our office." precedent, president
precedent (PRES i duhnt)
1. The occurrence of something that sets an example for others: "He set a precedent for his employees by coming to work an hour early every day."
2. Custom or activities that have become established over time: "Having a meal break at mid-day seemed to be the precedent at my new job." president (PREZ i duhnt, PREZ i dent")
1. An individual who has been elected to serve as the chief of state in a government: "She was the first female president elected to the office in 75 years."
2. An individual who is the chief official or officer in a business or corporation: "The Board of Directors at the company elected my uncle as President of the Board for a two year term." 3. An individual chosen to lead or preside over a meeting "The president of the parents' organization called the meeting to order." precipice, precipitate, precipitous
precipice (PRES uh pis)
1. An overhanging or extremely steep mass of rock; such as, a crag or the face of a cliff: "He stood on the edge of the precipice as he looked down at the villages."
2. A point where danger, trouble, or difficulty begins: "The company is on the edge of a financial precipice." precipitate (pri SIP i tayt")
1. To bring about before expected or needed; to hasten the occurrence of: "He must not have been aware that he was about to precipitate a quarrel about the meaning of the word."
2. Hasty, rash, without due deliberation: "The precipitate act was a cause for much regret." 3. To send somebody or something suddenly and rapidly into a particular state or condition: "Her mother's sudden death could only precipitate a severe family crisis." precipitous (pri SIP i tuhs)
1. Very steep and perpendicular: "It was a precipitous slope."
2. Happening in a very quick and sudden way: "There has been a precipitous decline in home sales recently." "People were shocked by his precipitous fall from political power." preclude, prelude
preclude (pri KLOOD)
To make impossible or to rule out: "Because she injured her hand, it will preclude her performing on the piano this evening."
prelude (PREL yood", PRAY lood", PREE lood)
1. An action or event that serves as an introduction to a primary event or occasion: "The performance by the school choir was the prelude to the president of the school board's speech on music in the schools."
2. A musical selection that serves as an introduction to a larger musical composition; such as, an opera or oratorio: "When I went to the opera, I had just a minute or two to read the program before the orchestra played the prelude." predicate, predicate, predict, predictive
predicate (PRED i kayt")
To state or to affirm as an attribute or quality of something: "The preacher's sermon made efforts to predicate that people who follow the teachings of Christ are true Christians."
"He tends to predicate his theories on faulty assumptions." predicate (PRED i kit")
The part of a sentence that expresses what is said about the subject: "In the sentence, The child threw the ball, the subject is The child and the predicate is threw the ball."
"The simple subject is the principal noun or pronoun that tells what a sentenced is about; while, the simple predicate is the verb or verb phrase that tells something about the subject"; for example, "Penguins dive." In most sentences, the meaning of the simple subject and the simple predicate is expanded or modified by the addition of other words and phrases. The complete subject consists of the simple subject and all the words that modify it while the complete predicate consists of the simple predicate and all the words that modify or complete it; for example: "The penguins of Antarctica dive hundreds of feet." A compound predicate has two or more verbs or verb phrases that are joined by a conjunction and have the same subject or subjects: "Diane and Jim will wash the dishes, mop the floor, and cook dinner." predict (pri DIKT)
To foretell a future event based on reason or experience: "The meteorologist's job is to predict the weather to the best of his ability using weather maps, etc."
predictive (pri DIK tiv)
Characteristics that foretell a situation: "High blood pressure could be a strong predictive of future heart problems."
premier; première, premiere
premier (pri MIR, pree MIR)
First in importance, position, rank or time: "The leader of the political party was appointed as premier after an election among his peers."
"The new film was given the premier position on the schedule at the film festival." première (pri MIR, pri MEER)
The first exhibition or performance of something: "The artist worked hard to organize her paintings for the première which was scheduled in December."
premiere (pri MIR, pri MEER)
The first appearance of an actor, or actress, in a lead role: "Saturday was the premiere for my aunt who was staring in a new play written especially for her."
premise, surmise
premise (PREM is)
1. That which is set forth ahead of time as an introduction to a discussion, etc.: "The premise of the suffragette movement was that women were entitled to the same rights and responsibilities as men."
2. Property upon which a building may be placed; a building: "With the windfall from the lottery, she decided to purchase a premise upon which to build a school." 3. Something that is taken for granted or assumed: "It was the premise of the city hall that there would be no opposition to higher taxes next year." surmise (suhr MIGHZ)
To imagine or infer something based on thin or flimsy evidence: "Do not surmise I can swim just because I like to exercise in the swimming pool."
prescribe, proscribe
prescribe (pri SKRIGHB)
1. To provide or write an order for medications or recommendations: "I asked my doctor to prescribe physiotherapy for my sore wrist."
2. To indicate or to dictate rules that are to be followed: "The school principal decided to prescribe new play ground rules for the pupils." proscribe (proh SKRIGHB)
To prohibit or to condemn as harmful: "The village elders determined to proscribe smoking in the public buildings."
2. To make something illegal or to prohibit certain things: "The principal said he would proscribe the use of cell phones in school." 3. To publish the name of an individual who is condemned to death or whose property is forfeited to the government: "The internal newsletter at the prison proscribed the list of inmates each week." prescribed, required
prescribed (pri SKRIGHB'd)
1. Specified with authority: "The driver's handbook prescribed the consequences of driving without a valid driver's license."
2. To have required the use of something as a remedy: "The doctor prescribed a week in the mountains as a remedy for the patient's asthma." required (ri KWIGHR'd)
1. To have an essential or compelling need for something: "The animals required fresh water every day."
2. Expected as suitable or appropriate: A black tie was not required at the formal dinner but my friend was embarrassed because his polka dot tie was too informal." 3. That which has been made necessary for someone to do: "The taxi driver carried a special license, as required by the law." presence, presents (noun), presents (verb)
presence (PREZ uhns)
1. A quality of poise and effectiveness that facilitates a relationship between individuals: "The presence of the speaker encouraged a warm response from the audience when she read her poetry."
2. The immediate proximity of something or someone: "I could feel an eerie presence when I walked through the graveyard after dark." 3. The sense that something is close by: "Her presence was felt throughout the room because of her charming personality." presents (PREZ uhnts), noun
1. Something that has been given to someone; especially, as a way of showing affection: "I received three presents for my birthday."
"We gave her two books as presents for her help." presents (pri ZENTZ), verb
1. To formally introduce or to announce: "The butler presents each of the guests to the host as the guests arrive at the party."
2. To give wards or certificates: "The school principal always presents certificates for good citizenship to certain students during the end of school ceremonies." 3. To describe or to show someone or something in a particular way: "She presents herself as a very ambitious candidate." present, present, present
present (PREZ uhnt)
A moment or period in time perceptible as intermediate between past and future; now: "Past, present, and future are all linked together."
"Let's leave things as they are for the present." "There's no time like the present for getting things done!" present (pri SENT)
1. To formally talk about something one has written, studied, etc. to a group of people: "The chemist wanted to present his report to the committee."
2. To make something available to be used or considered: "The defense lawyer will present evidence refuting the charges against his client." 3. To show something to someone: "Her sister was told that she would have to present her passport when she was ready to cross the border." present (PREZ uhnt)
Something that is given to someone; especially, as a way of showing affection or thanks: "He gave her a book as a present."
"The couple received a wedding present from a friend in France." It is said that there is no time like the present, so I thought it was time to present the present to my wife now. presumably, supposedly
presumably (pri ZOOM uh bli)
To guess to be true without specific facts; an assumption: "I did not listen to the weather report but presumably it will be sunny this afternoon."
supposedly (suh POHZ uhd li)
Pretended, alleged, make believe, a mistaken belief: "She was supposedly my best friend and I could not believe she would tell lies about me."
"Supposedly we should be able to drive to the city and home again in three hours." presumption, presumptive, presumptuous
presumption (pri ZUHMP shuhn)
1. The inference of fact based on information that is based on other factual information: "The lawyers agreed on the presumption of certain information based on the hospital reports."
2. A belief or attitude based on probability: "In my country, there is a presumption of innocence until proven otherwise in the legal system." 3. Audacious or discourteous: "It was a poor presumption on his part to think that tennis shoes were appropriate for the luncheon at the hotel."" presumptive (pri ZUHMP tiv)
Embryonic, small, or immature in nature, but capable to developing normally: "She was the heir presumptive to a fortune whenever she would complete her education."
presumptuous (pri ZUHMP choo uhs)
Stepping out of bounds of appropriate and expected behavior: "His loud and crude language was considered presumptuous in the quiet of the library board meeting."
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