Loose and Lose
2020-06-13
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1This week's question comes from Vukeni of South Sudan. Vukeni writes:
2What is the difference between "loose" and "lose"? This morning, I heard some people debating about it.
3Dear Vukeni,
4It makes sense that people were debating the difference between "loose" and "lose."
5The two words are commonly mistaken, even by native English speakers! It is probably because the words are close in spelling and pronunciation.
6In speaking, both words use the vowel sound /u/. But "lose" ends in the /z/ sound, while "loose" ends in the /s/ sound. In writing, "loose" has only one more -o than "lose."
7They may look and sound alike, but the two words are unrelated.
8Let's start with "lose," which is a verb. "Lose" has many meanings. Today, I will tell you about three.
9It can mean "to fail to win," such as a game or competition:
10We lost the tennis game last night. Better luck next week.
11Notice that the past form is "lost," not "losed." That is because "lose" is an irregular verb.
12"Lose" can also mean "to misplace (something)" or to be unable to find it. People can lose many kinds of things. Here's an example:
13Oh no! The airport lost my bags. Now I have nothing to wear to the wedding.
14"Lose" can also mean "to have less of something as time passes" as in this:
15Grandma has been losing her eyesight for a few years. These days, I usually help her walk around.
16A person can also lose sleep, weight or hair, or something nonphysical, such as memory, interest or contact.
17Now, let's talk about the word "loose."
18"Loose" is an adjective that means "not tightly attached or held in place." Many things can be loose, like clothing:
19Excuse me, these shoes are a little loose. Do you have a smaller size?
20Lots of other things can be loose, such as nails when they are not securely attached, teeth when they are ready to come out or wires when they are not tightly connected.
21Though "loose" is an adjective, it can take verb form. The verb is "loosen." To loosen means "to make loose," as in this:
22When he left the meeting, he quickly loosened his tie.
23In the example, notice that the past form ends in -ed. "Loosen" is a regular verb.
24And that's Ask a Teacher for this week.
25I'm Alice Bryant.
1This week's question comes from Vukeni of South Sudan. Vukeni writes: 2Question: 3What is the difference between "loose" and "lose"? This morning, I heard some people debating about it. 4Answer: 5Dear Vukeni, 6It makes sense that people were debating the difference between "loose" and "lose." 7The two words are commonly mistaken, even by native English speakers! It is probably because the words are close in spelling and pronunciation. 8In speaking, both words use the vowel sound /u/. But "lose" ends in the /z/ sound, while "loose" ends in the /s/ sound. In writing, "loose" has only one more -o than "lose." 9They may look and sound alike, but the two words are unrelated. 10Lose /luz/ 11Let's start with "lose," which is a verb. "Lose" has many meanings. Today, I will tell you about three. 12It can mean "to fail to win," such as a game or competition: 13We lost the tennis game last night. Better luck next week. 14Notice that the past form is "lost," not "losed." That is because "lose" is an irregular verb. 15"Lose" can also mean "to misplace (something)" or to be unable to find it. People can lose many kinds of things. Here's an example: 16Oh no! The airport lost my bags. Now I have nothing to wear to the wedding. 17"Lose" can also mean "to have less of something as time passes" as in this: 18Grandma has been losing her eyesight for a few years. These days, I usually help her walk around. 19A person can also lose sleep, weight or hair, or something nonphysical, such as memory, interest or contact. 20Loose /lus/ 21Now, let's talk about the word "loose." 22"Loose" is an adjective that means "not tightly attached or held in place." Many things can be loose, like clothing: 23Excuse me, these shoes are a little loose. Do you have a smaller size? 24Lots of other things can be loose, such as nails when they are not securely attached, teeth when they are ready to come out or wires when they are not tightly connected. 25Loosen /lus n/ 26Though "loose" is an adjective, it can take verb form. The verb is "loosen." To loosen means "to make loose," as in this: 27When he left the meeting, he quickly loosened his tie. 28In the example, notice that the past form ends in -ed. "Loosen" is a regular verb. 29And that's Ask a Teacher for this week. 30I'm Alice Bryant. 31Alice Bryant wrote this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. 32What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com. 33________________________________________________________________ 34Words in This Story 35spelling - n. the act of forming words from letters 36pronunciation - n. the way in which a word is said 37irregular - adj. not following the normal patterns by which word forms are usually created 38interest - n. a feeling of wanting to learn more about something or to be involved in something 39tightly - adv. in a way that is fastened, attached, or held in a position that is not easy to move 40nail - n. a long, thin piece of metal that is sharp at one end and flat at the other end and used mainly to attach things to wood