A garner was originally a granary, and to garner something is to gather it in. Today the word rarely has to do with agriculture: we garner attention, praise, awards, evidence, and sympathy.

To garnish something is to decorate it. You can garnish a pork chop by placing a sprig of rosemary next to it. Quite a few people use “garnish” when they should be using “garner.”

Back to list of errors

 

Common Errors front cover

BUY THE BOOK!