New subject: [SLE] friendly English lesson

6 Sep 2005

      Hello, all:

English is a bitch.  Even native speakers have
trouble with the spelling, etc., of very similar words.

I very often see "lose" and "loose" used wrongly. Let me
set that to rest, if I can.  I will steal some definitions from 
The American Heritage Dictionary, as follows:

*******************************************************************
Lose:

lose (l?z)
 v. lost (lôst, lost), los·ing, los·es 
v. tr.

 1. To be unsuccessful in retaining possession of; mislay: He's always
losing his car keys. 
2.
a. To be deprived of (something one has had): lost her art collection in
the fire; lost her job. 
b. To be left alone or desolate because of the death of: lost his wife. 
c. To be unable to keep alive: a doctor who has lost very few patients. 

3. To be unable to keep control or allegiance of: lost his temper at the
meeting; is losing supporters by changing his mind. 
4. To fail to win; fail in: lost the game; lost the court case. 
5. To fail to use or take advantage of: Don't lose a chance to improve your
position. 
6. To fail to hear, see, or understand: We lost the plane in the fog. I
lost her when she started speaking about thermodynamics. 
7.
a. To let (oneself) become unable to find the way.
 b. To remove (oneself), as from everyday reality into a fantasy world.
8. To rid oneself of: lost five pounds. 
9. To consume aimlessly; waste: lost a week in idle occupations. 
10. To wander from or become ignorant of: lose one's way. 
11.
 v. intr.
 1. To suffer loss.
 2. To be defeated.
 3. To operate or run slow. Used of a timepiece.

Phrasal Verb: 
lose out
 To fail to achieve or receive an expected gain.

Idioms: 
lose it Slang 
1. To lose control; blow up.
 2. To become deranged or mentally disturbed.
 3. To become less capable or proficient; decline.
 lose out on
 To miss (an opportunity, for example).
 lose time
1. To operate too slowly. Used of a timepiece.
 2. To delay advancement.

[Middle English losen, from Old English losian, to perish, from los, loss;
see leu- in Indo-European roots.]

los·ing (l??zing)
 adj. 

1. Failing to win, as in a sport or game: a losing team; a losing lottery
ticket. 
2. Of or relating to one that fails to win: a losing season; a losing battle. 
n. 
1. The act of one that loses; loss.
 2. Something lost, such as money at gambling. Often used in the plural.

a. To elude or outdistance: lost their pursuers. 
b. To be outdistanced by: chased the thieves but lost them. 

12. To become slow by (a specified amount of time). Used of a timepiece.
13. To cause or result in the loss of: Failure to reply to the
advertisement lost her the job. 
14. To cause to be destroyed. Usually used in the passive: Both planes were
lost in the crash. 
15. To cause to be damned.

 v. intr.

 1. To suffer loss.
 2. To be defeated.
 3. To operate or run slow. Used of a timepiece.

Phrasal Verb: 
lose out
 To fail to achieve or receive an expected gain.

Idioms: 
lose it Slang 

1. To lose control; blow up.
 2. To become deranged or mentally disturbed.
 3. To become less capable or proficient; decline.

 lose out on
 To miss (an opportunity, for example).

 lose time
 1. To operate too slowly. Used of a timepiece.
 2. To delay advancement.

[Middle English losen, from Old English losian, to perish, from los, loss;
see leu- in Indo-European roots.]

los·ing (l??zing)
 adj.

1. Failing to win, as in a sport or game: a losing team; a losing lottery
ticket. 
2. Of or relating to one that fails to win: a losing season; a losing battle. 

n.

1. The act of one that loses; loss.
 2. Something lost, such as money at gambling. Often used in the plural.

****************************************************************************
********

Loose:

loose (l?s)
 adj. loos·er, loos·est 

1. Not fastened, restrained, or contained: loose bricks. 
2. Not taut, fixed, or rigid: a loose anchor line; a loose chair leg. 
3. Free from confinement or imprisonment; unfettered: criminals loose in
the neighborhood; dogs that are loose on the streets. 
4. Not tight-fitting or tightly fitted: loose shoes. 
5. Not bound, bundled, stapled, or gathered together: loose papers. 
6. Not compact or dense in arrangement or structure: loose gravel. 
7. Lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility; idle: loose talk. 
8. Not formal; relaxed: a loose atmosphere at the club. 
9. Lacking conventional moral restraint in sexual behavior.
10. Not literal or exact: a loose translation. 
11. Characterized by a free movement of fluids in the body: a loose cough;
loose bowels. 

adv. 

In a loose manner.

v. loosed, loos·ing, loos·es 
v. tr.

1. To let loose; release: loosed the dogs. 
2. To make loose; undo: loosed his belt. 
3. To cast loose; detach: hikers loosing their packs at camp. 
4. To let fly; discharge: loosed an arrow. 
5. To release pressure or obligation from; absolve: loosed her from the
responsibility. 
6. To make less strict; relax: a leader's strong authority that was loosed
by easy times. 

v. intr.

 1. To become loose.
 2. To discharge a missile; fire.

Idiom: 
on the loose

 1. At large; free.
 2. Acting in an uninhibited fashion.

[Middle English louse, los, from Old Norse lauss; see leu- in Indo-European
roots.]

loose?ly adv. 
loose?ness n. 

Synonyms: loose, lax, slack1
 These adjectives mean not tautly bound, held, or fastened: loose reins; a
lax rope; slack sails. 
Antonym: tight

This dictionary is not on line (AFAIK) so I have had to
copy the definitions from a purchased edition.  Some of the special
dictionary marks did not copy properly.  Sorry.

--doug

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friendly English lesson

Carlos E. R.

James Knott

Jim Cunning

Anders Johansson

Ted.Harding＠nessie.mcc.ac.uk

Howard Coles Jr.

Kevanf1

Peter Nikolic

Anders Johansson

Gil Weber

Peter Nikolic

elefino

elefino

Carlos E. R.

Anders Johansson

Kevanf1

Anders Johansson

James Knott

Albert

James Knott

Carlos E. R.

Jerry Feldman

Stanley Long

James Knott

Michael W Cocke

James Knott

Peter Nikolic

Anders Johansson

Anders Johansson

Carl William Spitzer IV

Peter Nikolic

Kevanf1

Peter Nikolic

Kevanf1

Peter Nikolic

Michael W Cocke

Jerry Feldman

Kevanf1

James Knott

Jerry Feldman

Peter Nikolic

Kevanf1

Jim Cunning

Jerry Feldman

Carl William Spitzer IV

James Knott

Carl William Spitzer IV

Peter Nikolic

B. Stia

Kevanf1

Jerry Feldman

Carlos E. R.

James Knott

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