Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

The English teacher in me just can't sit on my hands
any more; I hope no one gets offended by this post or
feels I'm being critical. I promise I'm not using red
ink! The word LOSE is often erroneously replaced with
LOOSE. I first noticed a very respected equine vet
using them incorrectly in some journal articles
several years ago; the misuse seems to be spreading
and it's now very common on Ridecamp. LOSE is a verb
that often means 'to be unsuccessful in retaining
possession of' (you lose money or you lose your mind;
your horse loses his appetite or his shoe). LOOSE is
usually an adjective and in our sport generally refers
to 'not tight or confined' (loose horse, loose shoe,
loose girth). Try to think of it this way: You just
might lose your loose horse if he decides to gallop
off into the sunset; one thing that may slow him down
is if he loses his loose shoe. On rare occasions,
loose CAN be correctly used as a verb. You can loose -
most people would use the word loosen - your girth (so
it's not so tight), which is quite different than if
you lose your girth (you can't find it). That uncommon
use of loose as a verb may be what started the
confusion. I hope I haven't just added to that
confusion, and I promise this is your only grammar
lesson for the decade! Kristi      


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Life's a journey, so enjoy the ride (and try not to fall off)


               
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