ENGLISH LANGUAGE CONFUSING WORDS SERIES #11: COUNSEL VS. COUNCIL
IN A SENTENCE:
The student COUNCIL agreed to hold the debate on a Sunday morning as per COUNSEL of the Principal.
DISCLAIMER: I am not an English Native Speaker nor an expert in English language. What I write here are all from experience and research. If you feel I am out of line or say the wrong things, please alert me in the comments. To this effect, I am not immuned to these confusing words myself and this series is as much as an education for me as to those who read these blog posts.
COUNSEL VS. COUNCIL
COUNSEL
may either be a NOUN or a VERB. As a NOUN, it means an advice; as a VERB, it is an act or giving advice. COUNSEL is mostly referred to in legal terms as someone who give legal advice.PHOTO CREDITS: https://ogc.byu.edu/adviceandcounsel.php
Office of the General Counsel, Brigham Young University
Example #1 (NOUN): I need a good COUNSEL to win my case against medical malpractice suit.
Example #2 (VERB): My lawyer COUNSELs me not to give any comments about my legal case.
COUNCIL
is a NOUN that refers to a group of people who has a definite goal or agenda to fulfill, such as a student council.PHOTO CREDITS: UST Central Student Council A.Y. 2014-2015, Philippines
Example #1: The community COUNCIL passed an ordinance against smoking in public places.
Example #2: Our prom night was great and it’s all because of the efforts of our student COUNCIL.
FURTHER STUDY:
https://www.vocabulary.com/articles/chooseyourwords/council-counsel/
http://writingexplained.org/council-vs-counsel-difference
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/council-counsel/
http://www.melvagifford.com/2012/04/03/the-difference-between-counsel-and-council-21612/
Good post