I’m not the best speller in the world, which is odd considering how much I read, but I am a stickler for getting general grammar correct. I break a lot of rules like starting sentences with and or because, but I do that purposely. I am a casual writer. Yet there’s nothing that drives me crazier then when a writer uses the wrong spelling of a word.
I try my best not to do it, but this happens a lot with today’s grammar tip examples: pedal vs. peddle vs. petal
Which is part of a beautiful flower, which is to sell something, and which belongs on a bike?
PEDAL
noun
a foot-operated lever or control for a vehicle, musical instrument, or other mechanism, in particular
• each of a pair of cranks used for powering a bicycle or other vehicle propelled by leg power.
• a foot-operated throttle, brake, or clutch control in a motor vehicle.
• each of a set of two or three levers on a piano, particularly (also sustaining pedal) one that, when depressed by the foot, prevents the dampers from stopping the sound when the keys are released. The second is the soft pedal; a third, if present, produces either selective sustaining or complete muffling of the tone.
• Music (usu. pedals) each key of an organ keyboard that is played with the feet.
• Music short for pedal note (sense 2).
verb
move by working the pedals of a bicycle : they pedaled along the canal towpath.
• [ trans. ] move (a bicycle) by working its pedals : she was pedaling a bicycle around town.
• [ intrans. ] work the pedals of a bicycle : he was coming down the path on his bike, pedaling hard.
• [ intrans. ] use the pedals of a piano, esp. in a particular style : [as n. ] ( pedaling) Chopin gave no indications of pedaling in his manuscript.
PHRASES
with the pedal to the metal informal with the accelerator of a car pressed to the floor.
PEDDLE
verb
try to sell (something, esp. small goods) by going from house to house or place to place : he peddled art and printing materials around the country.• sell (an illegal drug or stolen item) : [as n. ] ( peddling) certain youths who were involved in theft and drug peddling.• derogatory promote (an idea or view) persistently or widely : he criticized his fellow candidate for peddling risky ideas.ORIGIN early 16th cent.: back-formation from pedlar .
PETAL
noun
each of the segments of the corolla of a flower, which are modified leaves and are typically colored.
DERIVATIVES
petaline |?petl??n; -in| |?p?dl?a?n| |?p?dl?n| |-??n| |-?n| adjectivepetaled |?p?dld| adjective : [in combination ] pink-petaled trailing phlox.petallike |-?l?k| |?p?dl ?la?k| adjectivepetaloid |-?oid| |?p?dl???d| adjective
ORIGIN
early 18th cent.: from modern Latin petalum (in late Latin ‘metal plate’ ), from Greek petalon ‘leaf,’ neuter (used as a noun) of petalos ‘outspread.’
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