Slip-ups: Confusing continuous forms (4)
We are concluding our discussion on those pairs of words whose continuous forms are similar in appearance but are spelt and pronounced differently.
Today, we are looking at scraping and scrapping, and filing and filling.
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Scraping/scrapping
Scraping, pronounced skreipin, comes from the verb scrape, pronounced skreip, which means to remove something from a surface by moving something sharp and hard such as a knife across it, as in:
We have to scrape the dirt from the wall before we can paint it.
Scrapping, pronounced skrapin, on the other hand, comes from the verb scrap, pronounced skrap, which means to cancel or get rid of something that is no longer practical or useful, as in:
They had been forced to scrap the payment of taxes on printing equipment.
Filing/filling
The word filing, pronounced failin, is the continuous form of the verb file, pronounced fail, which means to put and keep paper documents in a particular place and in a particular order, so that you can find them easily, as in:
It is his habit to file every document that comes his way.
Filling, pronounced fiilin, is the continuous form of the verb fill, which is pronounced fil and means to make something full of something; to become full of something, as in:
My duty is to fill all the empty drums with water.