There are words that indicate time, such as since and while.
Then there are words that indicate causality and contrasts such as because and although.
Since = time
Since the beginning of time, all parents have loved their children.
Because = causality
Because parents love their children, they try not to kill them no matter what the provocation.
While = time
She covered her ears while singing Janis Joplin at the top of her lungs in order not to kill her darling children.
Although = contrast
Although she could not hear her children singing 99 bottles of beer on the wall with her hands over her ears, she could see their mouths moving and decided to go into the other room.
What trips you up?
Immanent, imminent, eminent. I have to look them up every time.
I have that problem with principle and principal: until I remembered that Ramona Quimby hated that the school principal was spelled “pal” because the principal was NOT her pal. Love it.
While listening to my 26 yr old son, I heard him say, “I wouldn’t have gone, besides for my boss making me.”
You’ll understand that I’m too choked up to respond.
Semantics, in their entirety.
And, allow me to say, I love your examples! I’m going to give the Janis Joplin approach a try this afternoon.
Good luck!
I’m trying to decide if ‘she’ was singing “Break another piece of my heart” or “Ball n Chain”.
Break another piece of my heart, definitely.
I was on baby-sitting duty last night, and was sitting on the floor in the bathroom watching three small, naked boys squirt water on each other, drink bubble bath water, and do other make-you-gag things that small boys do. The biggest of the paused from his antics for a moment, turned to me, and pensively asked: “what number can I wake up tomorrow?”
I tried explained that he should say “what ‘time’” rather than “what ‘number’”; the numbers on his watch were not the same as other numbers. It was a difficult concept to explain, and one you’ve got to “get” before the rest makes sense. Since and while make take longer.
But, he’s only six.
Why are you babysitting when you have a contest to judge? Ahem. Tell Cub Clause that you need a few minutes off to get the work done. Or, better yet, let her judge.
Contest? Another contest with Dr Cougar as the judge?
Flashbacks. *shudder*
Ahem yourself! Why don’t you come and babysit then?!
I wish I could, Cub!
Conscious and conscience, along with all their un- and sub- variations, are apparently a problem for me.
In my writing, I hasten to say . . .