Poring over Pore and Pour

Poring over Pore and Pour Poring over Pore and Pour Poring over Pore and Pour By Maeve Maddox Some confusion appears to exist regarding the use of pour and pore. Charlie complains that he has to pour through stacks of badly-written letters to the editor every day. In this context the word should be pore. The usual idiom is to pore over. Apparently the preposition through has entered into use, as in the above quotation, and as in this headline in the New York Times: Teachers Pore Through Stacks Of Possibilities The verb pore, with the meaning examine closely, may derive from two Old English words, a verb, spyrian, meaning to investigate, examine, and a noun, spor, meaning a trace, vestige. The noun pore, meaning an opening in the skin, is not related to the verb in the expression to pore over. The noun comes from a Greek word meaning a passageway. The verb pour, meaning to transfer water or some other substance from a container, came into English by way of Old French from a Latin verb, purare, to purify. In ritual practice, objects are purified by pouring water over them. The English word pure comes from Latin purus, pure. The Latin verb came from the Latin noun. Memory device: Lore is learning, knowledge, doctrine. To become well-versed in computer lore or the lore of magic, or the lore of religion, one must pore over learned tomes. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Congratulations on or for?How to spell "in lieu of"8 Great Podcasts for Writers and Book Authors