Breathe vs breath
At Artistic Strategies Academy (ASA), students learn to dissect and discuss the English language – from its rules, regulations and even, its weirdness! This week, we will be diving into distinguishing between a noun, verb and an adjective.
What exactly is the difference? Well, when we take a breath of fresh air, we are able to breathe easily. Did you manage to catch that? Put simply, breath is a verb, whilst breathe is a noun! Both words can be used in several different ways, and are often misused by students in their writing as they are unable to tell the difference. After reading through our post, you won’t have to ever wonder to yourself, “Is it spelt as breathe or breath?”.
Breathe vs breath: Telling the difference
To make it easier, breathe has an ‘e’ at the end, for exhale! Breathe is a verb, referring to the action of inhaling and exhaling air using the lungs. Breathe doesn’t refer to air itself, instead, it refers to the action of inhaling and exhaling air.
Examples:
– The haze is so bad, I can hardly breathe!
– Plants breathe in oxygen at night.
On the other hand, breath is a noun, referring to the air which is inhaled or exhaled out of the lungs. If you have difficulties, just remember that breath is pronounced as breth (rhymes with death). Examples:
– Be calm and take deep breaths.
– Your breath smells like cheese!
Summary
Breathe is a verb, while breath is a noun. Once you notice the different word class, you will surely know when to use both words in the correct context. That wraps up our post, now go on, write that letter to your crush detailing how he or she takes your breath away!
If you have further words or punctuation puzzles you would like us to explore, email them to us today!
Written by: Eliz Wang