ESEN
Which one to use?Advancednounverb
OdevsOwed
'Ode' is a lyrical poem of praise or celebration; 'owed' is the past tense of owe, to be in debt or obligated.
Side-by-side comparison
Ode
noun"Ode" is a lyric poem that celebrates or praises a person, object, or idea. "Ode to Joy" = Beethoven's famous choral movement. It has a rich literary tradition.
Keats wrote his Ode to a Nightingale in a single inspired morning in 1819.
The director dedicated an ode to the retiring professor at the ceremony.
This film is an ode to the golden age of Hollywood cinema.
Owed
verb"Owed" is the past tense of "owe": you were in debt or obligated to give something to someone. "You owed me an apology" = you had an obligation to apologize. Pronounced the same as "ode".
She owed the contractor twelve thousand dollars for the renovation work.
He owed his success to three mentors who had believed in him early in his career.
The company owed a full explanation to shareholders about the unexpected losses.
Common mistake
"She ode an apology" when meaning was obligated to give is wrong (correct: owed). And "He wrote an owed to autumn" when meaning the poem is wrong (correct: ode). Perfect homophones.
Trick to remember it
- •"Ode" is short like a concise poem.
- •"Owed" contains "owe" inside it, the verb for being in debt is literally embedded in its past tense form.
Quick rule
- •Is it the lyrical poem? "Ode".
- •Is it the past tense of owe? "Owed".
Did you know?
The most famous odes in English are John Keats's five great odes, all written in spring 1819 when he was 23: "Ode to a Nightingale," "Ode on a Grecian Urn," "Ode on Melancholy," "Ode on Indolence," and "To Autumn." Keats would die of tuberculosis two years later, at 25. ODE comes from Greek "aoidein" (to sing), odes were originally performed with music and dance in ancient Greece. The same Greek root gives MELODY (melos + ode), COMEDY (komos + ode = revel song), and TRAGEDY (tragos + ode = goat song, reason still debated by scholars).
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She still _____ him twenty euros from last month.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The poet wrote a beautiful _____ to his hometown after moving abroad.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
AcceptvsExcept
One means to receive or agree to something, the other means to exclude or not include.
AdvicevsAdvise
'Advice' is the guidance you receive (noun); 'advise' is the act of giving that guidance (verb).
AffectvsEffect
'Affect' is the verb meaning to influence something; 'effect' is the noun meaning result or consequence.
AislevsIsle
'Aisle' is the walkway between rows of seats or shelves; 'isle' is a small island.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy