The noun pail refers to a bucket--a container for holding and carrying something.
The adjective pale means unusually light in color or weak. As a verb, pale means to become pale or to seem weaker or less important. As a noun, pale means a post, a fence, or a boundary (as in the expression "beyond the pale").
Examples:
- To wash his little red wagon, the boy brought a pail of water, a sponge, and some clean cloths.
- Marie walked along the path in the pale light of the dawn.
- What passes for paella at most restaurants is a pale imitation of the real thing.
- Engels thought that the inmates of workhouses were people beyond the pale of the law.
Practice:
(a) In the glare of the sun, Jennifer's red hair seemed brighter than ever, emphasizing her _____ complexion.
(b) The young woman carried a large _____ of milk on her head.
(c) Colonel Kurtz was operating without any restraints, totally beyond the _____ of acceptable human conduct.
