Coarse vs. Course How to Choose the Right Word

The words coarse and course  are  homophones: They sound alike but have different meanings. Originally, coarse and course were the same word, but in the 18th century, the differences in spelling and meaning emerged, and the words have long since gone their separate ways, explains Bryan Garner in Garners Modern American Usage. How to Use Coarse The adjective coarse means rough, common, inferior, crude, or vulgar. It can also refer to something that is composed of large parts or particles. Synonyms for coarse would be harsh,  raucous, or rough in tone. When it means vulgar, coarse can refer to a film that is lowbrow. Sandpaper is often described as coarse when it has a high degree of grit, as opposed to fine sandpaper, which does not. How to Use Course As a noun, course can mean several things, including path, playing field, mode of behavior, unit of study, and onward movement. When used as such, course can refer to a route, duration, academic class, golf playing field, or parts of a meal. For example, a busy student might be taking many courses, or hungry diners might go through several courses during the course of the meal. As a verb, course means to move swiftly. You might say that blood courses through your veins, for instance. The word also has several idiomatic uses, often meaning obviously, as in of course. Examples Coarse is largely used in a couple of ways: to describe the texture of something or to describe something as vulgar. For example, My sister dislikes the coarse language used by many of todays comedians, means that my sister dislikes vulgar or crude language, or profanity, used by many current comedians. When referring to texture, coarse doesnt only refer to the roughness of sandpaper. For example, you might say: The fabric had a very coarse texture. In this use, coarse describes the texture of the fabric, which was likely made of slubbed or rough material. The word can also describe materials as being rough-hewn, as in: The builder decided to use broken stones and other coarse materials for the foundation of the house. Course, by contrast, often refers to the links of a golf course. You might say that professional golfer Tiger Woods has played on many golf courses throughout the world in the course of his career. You would thus be saying the Woods has played on many links during the years of his career. Or you could comment that a certain professor has taught many courses—or classes—over the course of his career. In addition to meaning a road or way, course can mean a path, as in, The navigator of the ship set a direct course for home. The word can also have a more esoteric meaning, describing a persons path in his life or even his academic career, as in, After failing the entrance exam, Bob had to come up with a new course of action. When describing the different parts of a meal, you could say, The diners enjoyed the main course but not the other eight courses, including dessert. This means the diners liked the main dish, perhaps a burger or steak, but did not enjoy the other parts of the meal. How to Remember the Difference It can be a challenge to remember the difference between coarse vs. course, but EnhanceMyWriting.com offers a couple of tips: The word course contains the smaller word our. Many of the meanings of course, such as an academic class, a golf playing field, or parts of a meal, are things we do together. The word our—contained in the word course—implies something we do, celebrate, or hold together. To remember when to use coarse, use a British term: Coarse contains the word arse, meaning buttocks, which in some circles is impolite to mention. In other words, to talk about an arse is coarse, says EnhanceMyWriting.com. Additionally, course is always a noun or verb, while coarse is always an adjective. The words coarse and adjective both contain an a. So if you have a flair for grammar, this might be a good way to remember how to use coarse (an adjective) instead of course (a noun or verb). Idiom Alerts The word course has a number of idiomatic uses in English. Its helpful for an English-language student to learn them. On course: The expression on course means going in the right direction, moving forward as expected, or following a plan correctly: If the student keeps going as she has been, she is on course to graduate two years early. Take (or run)  its course: The expression take (or run)  its course means to let something progress or continue without interference: Rather than try to break up the couple, the mother decided just to let the relationship run its course. Of course: Probably the most widely used idiomatic expression using the term, of course means naturally, for sure, or without a doubt. The expression often conveys a bit of an attitude on the part of the speaker, as in: Of course Im going on vacation with my family. Did you think I would stay home alone? A matter of course: This expression, which is so familiar that Merriam-Websters dictionary punctuates it as a matter-of-course, means something that is expected or occurring or proceeding in a logical or natural manner. Using this idiom, you could say: She accepted his advances as a matter-of-course.His matter-of-course manner caused her anger to flare. Course as a Compound Word There are instances when course is combined with another term to form a compound word. Two of the most common are racecourse and watercourse. These terms are similar to golf course, but unlike the term describing the tract of land for playing golf, these two terms incorporate course to form new words. Racecourse is a synonym for racetrack, a facility used for the racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals, as in: Although the racecourse was muddy after the rain the previous night, the horses negotiated it with ease. Watercourse refers to a brook, stream, or artificially constructed water channel, as in: The banks of the watercourse were steep and treacherous, but the seasoned explorers managed to pass over them with little difficulty. Sources â€Å"Coarse vs. Course.†Ã‚  Grammarist.â€Å"Course vs. Coarse – How to Use Each Correctly.†Ã‚  EnhanceMyWriting.com, 26 July 2017.â€Å"Coarse or Course? | Oxford Dictionaries.†Ã‚  Oxford Dictionaries | English, Oxford Dictionaries.â€Å"Course vs. Coarse: Whats the Difference?†Ã‚  Writing Explained, 10 Apr. 2017.Garner, Bryan A.  Garners Modern American Usage. Oxford University Press, 2009.â€Å"Watercourse.†Ã‚  Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com.