Tail and Tale - Commonly Confused Words

The words tail and tale are homophones: they sound the same but have different meanings. Both a noun and a verb, tail has several meanings, including the rear part of an animal or vehicle. The noun tale refers to a report or story. Examples: A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.(Mark Twain)I used small words and short sentences as if I were telling a fairy tale to a child.(Maya Angelou,  The Heart of a Woman. Random House, 1981)Memphis is a sad story of long-distance love, with an unexpected twist at the tail end of the tale.(Fred Rothwell, Long Distance Information: Chuck Berrys Recorded Legacy. Music Mentor Books, 2001) Practice: (a)  Kevin told a wonderful _____ about an angel who falls in love with a girl and then becomes human so that he can be with her.(Christopher Pike, The Midnight Club, 1991)(b) A dog wags its _____ with its heart. Answers (a)  Kevin  told a wonderful  tale  about an angel who falls in love with a girl and then becomes human so that he can be with her.(Christopher Pike,  The Midnight Club, 1991)(b) A dog wags its  tail  with its heart. See also: Glossary of Usage: Index of Commonly Confused Words   A Misspelled Tail, by Elizabeth T. Corbett