Does an avid reader pore or pour over a book? This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Pore vs. Pour”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hi, my name is Sheila. I live in Indianapolis.
Hi, Sheila. Welcome to the program.
Thank you.
How can we help you?
Well, I had a question.
I was reading a novel recently, and I came across the phrase, pouring over, I believe it was a map in this particular case. I paused over it because it was spelled P-O-R-I-N-G, and I’d always envisioned that as being a P-O-U-R-I-N-G. And I mentioned it to my husband, and he’s like, no, it’s the other way, and we just kind of disagreed over it.
I sort of took an informal poll of some of our friends and family, high school English teachers. She thought it should be P-O-U-R. My mother, who’s well-read, everybody thought that. So I’m not sure I understand the P-O-R-E in that context.
-huh.
Well, then what makes you think it’s P-O-U-R to pour over a book or pour over a map?
Yeah, you know, I’ve always, the mental picture is you’re pouring your own concentration and attention out over onto the, and I mentioned it to my son who, you know, he’s in college, he’s an English major, he thought the same thing.
Oh, really?
He responded the same way, yeah.
Well, that’s very poetic. I can see why you would think that.
Mm—
Yeah, but it actually is P-O-R-E.
Well, you know, I did look it up in a dictionary. I guess there is an alternate meaning for porous. You always think of porous, you know, your skin, a hole in a membrane of some sort. But I guess there is an alternate meaning, which I didn’t realize that has to do with concentrating on, you know, something.
Yes, exactly, yeah.
I’m not sure I understand how the same word P-O-R-E came to mean both of those either.
Okay.
They’re separate words. That’s the thing. The two P-O-R-E’s have completely different roots. They’re from different sources. They entered English at different times, and they’ve always meant different things.
Right, and same with the other poor, P-O-U-R. Those are three completely separate words. We don’t know the source of the poor where you’re P-O-R-E, where you’re looking at a book intently. It may be related to peer, you know, like to peer at something intently. We don’t know.
But the way that I remember it, and it’s just a silly little way, but I think about pores, like the pores in your skin, and think, well, you’d have to look really, really, really closely. You’d have to pore over the book.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, it’s sort of like your way of remembering it, only my way is right.
Oh, no.
Yeah, I was, everybody I talked to, without exception, except for my husband. Well, I said, what would you put in there? How would you think that was? They thought it was D-O-U-R.
So in the future, you’re going to go to your husband with all your grammar questions?
No.
Why, is he insufferable when he’s right?
Yes.
It was awful to have to admit that he was right.
Oh, you poor thing.
Oh, no, let’s not go there.
Well, Sheila, thank you so much for calling. I’m glad we were able to straighten this out for you.
Thank you.
I appreciate it.
Thanks for sharing. Your misunderstandings are an everyday part of speaking, reading, and writing English. So don’t worry too much about it, all right?
Thank you so much, Sheila.
Thank you.
Have a great day.
Bye.
Bye.
