Confused Words - DESERT or DESSERT?

Hi, my name is Rebecca and in today's lesson we are going to explain the difference between

two words and hopefully after this lesson, the next time you go out for a meal, you won't

make a mistake when it comes to the time after the meal.

Alright?

What am I talking about?

Let's have a look.

I'm talking about these two words and these words are "desert" and "dessert".

Now, first we're going to look at both of these words as nouns.

The first one does have a use as a verb as well, but first, in order to compare them

and in order to point out how some students confuse the two, we're going to focus first

on the noun, ok, on the two nouns.

So, this one, right, "desert" is written with one "s" and what is a desert?

A desert is a very dry region with little rainfall, not much vegetation, right?

We are all familiar with various deserts around the world such as the Sahara Desert or the

Gobi Desert or the Zahra Desert in India, right?

So, this is the word "desert", the very dry region, spelled with one "s", correct?

Alright.

Now, we come to the second word.

The second word is the word "dessert".

We all know what dessert is because we usually like to have some after dinner.

So, the correct word there is "dessert", not "desert" but "dessert".

That is the correct pronunciation for something that we eat, something sweet that we eat usually

after our meal, correct?

That is also a noun.

This time, it is spelled with two "s", right, d-e-s-s-e-r-t.

People don't usually make a mistake with the spelling as much as with the pronunciation,

so that's what I really want you to put your focus on, the pronunciation of these two words.

Again, "desert" and "dessert".

An example of a dessert, of course, might be cake, might be chocolate, might be ice

cream, anything like that, alright?

Lots of different kinds of desserts exist all over the world.

So, make sure next time when you ask someone after the meal, "Would you like some dessert?"

Not "Would you like some desert?" but "Would you like some dessert?"

This is especially true for our Indian viewers and Indian friends.

I've noticed that they tend to make this little mistake in the pronunciation, so do be careful

of that.

So, that's for the noun.

Before we complete the lesson, I just want to also point out that this word is also a

verb, alright?

Now, when it's used as a verb, then we pronounce it "dessert", alright?

I know that might be confusing because this verb, "dessert", to "dessert" someone, and

this noun, "dessert", sound basically the same, right?

However, they are completely different, alright?

So, when we're talking about "dessert" as a verb, alright, it means "to abandon".

To abandon means to leave without any plan or intention to come back to a person or place,

right?

He deserted her when she needed help, alright?

That means he abandoned her, he left her.

Or "dessert" can also have a specific meaning in the army, when you say that somebody deserted

the army some years ago, it means that he left the army without permission, alright?

And that is the use of the word as a verb, "dessert", alright?

Again, let's just review the nouns quickly.

The noun here of the very dry place, the Sahara and the Gobi, the Sahara desert, the Gobi

desert.

And what you like to eat after your meal is dessert.

Would you like some dessert?

Okay?

Alright.

That's it for now.

If you'd like to do a little quiz on these confusing words, you're welcome to do that.

I hope I've been able to clarify it.

Please visit our website at www.engvid.com.

Thanks very much.

Bye for now.