Commonly Confused Words Tips Whose & Who's Whose: The possessive form of "who" "Whose watch is this?

" Who's: The contraction of "who" and "is" "Who's on first base?" Disinterested vs. Uninterested Disinterested: impartial. Example: Let a disinterested person judge our dispute. (an impartial person) Uninterested: not interested in. Example: This man is uninterested in our dispute. (couldn't care less) Aid vs. Aide Aid (noun): a form of help. (verb): to help. Aide: an assistant. Biannual, Biennial, Semiannual "Biannual" and "semiannual" both mean "twice a year." "Biennial" means "every tw o years." Because of the possible confusion between "biannual" and "biennial," u se "semiannual" when you want to describe something that occurs twice a year. Then & Than Then: An adverb indicating time "Mother explained, and then I understood what she meant." Than: A conjunction that is used in comparisons "I have more books than I expected." Affect vs. Effect "Affect" is generally used as a verb meaning to change, assume, or influence. "E ffect" is usually a noun meaning impression or result; however, "effect" can als o be a verb meaning to bring about. Examples: To effect the sale from your account, we require written instructions. The president's decision will have a direct effect on the department. The decision will affect my job. Establishing this account will not affect your tax liability. Anybody vs. Any Body "Anybody" means "any person." "Any body" means "any corpse," or "any human form, " or "any group." Ensure, Insure, Assure Ensure: to make certain. Insure: to protect against loss. Assure: to give someone confidence. (The object of this verb should always refer to a person.) Examples: I want to ensure (make certain) that nothing can go wrong. I want to assure you (give you confidence) that nothing will go wrong. I want to insure this necklace (protect it against loss) for $5,000. Ante- vs. AntiAnte-: A prefix meaning "before" Anti-: A prefex meaning "against" Each Other vs. One Another Use "each other" to refer to two persons or things, and "one another" for more t han two persons or things. Ex: You and the other trustee may grant each other individual authority. Ex: You and the other trustees may grant one another individual authority. Regard vs. Regards Use "in regard to," "with regard to," "regarding," or "as regards." Never use "i n regards to." (The other acceptable use is "Give my regards to Broadway.") Principal vs. Principle "Principle" is only a noun, and all of its meanings are abstract. "Principal" is both a noun and an adjective. As a noun, it generally refers to a person, excep t in specialized legal and financial terms.

Ex: Approximately $40 of your payment goes repay the principal balance; the rest are interest payments. Ex: I have to meet with the principal of my child's school. Ex: We have to act on the principle that our customers are important. "Obligated" versus "Obliged" "Obligate," meaning 1. to bind or compel, legally or morally and 2. to commit (m oney, funds, etc.) to meet an obligation, has connotations of legal and ethical constraints. "Oblige," meaning 1. to constrain by physical, moral, or legal forc e or by circumstance and 2. to put in one's debt or do a favor or service for, h as connotations of constraints more closely associated to protocol, etiquette, a nd gratitude. It is usually considered more appropriate to use "oblige" to expre ss appreciation, e.g. "They obliged us by not bringing their children" and "John was much obliged for your assistance." Accept vs. Except Accept: To take, to receive. Except (verb): To exclude. (preposition): excluding Example: I would accept your criticism, except you don't know what you're talkin g about. Flammable vs. Inflammable To quote "Strunk & White": Flammable is an oddity, chiefly useful in saving lives. The common word meaning "combustible" is "inflammable." But some people are thrown off by the "in-" and think "inflammable" means "not combustible." For this reason, trucks carrying ga soline or explosives are marked "flammable." Unless you are operating such a tru ck and hence are concerned with the safety of children and illiterates, use "inf lammable." Altogether vs. All Together He is "altogether" (entirely) too lazy. The papers are "all together" (all in a group) in the binder. Breath vs. Breathe vs. Breadth Breath: respiration Breathe (verb): to inhale and exhale Breadth: width Adapt vs. Adept vs. Adopt Adapt: to adjust Adept: proficient Adopt: to choose Amount vs. Number Use "amount" for things in bulks, as in "a large amount of money." Use "number" for individual items, such as "a large number of customers." Allot vs. A Lot allot: To assign or distribute a share of something. a lot: a great deal. (NOT: alot!!) Correct & Incorrect Words afterwards ("afterward" is correct) come and see me ("come to see me" is correct) in route ("en route" is correct) irregardless ("regardless" is correct) more importantly ("more important" is correct 99% of the time) secondly, thirdly (use "second," "third," etc.) towards ("toward" is correct) Lay vs. Lie "Lay" means to put or place and always requires an object to finish its meaning. "Lie" means to recline or rest. Examples of "Lay": Please lay your pencils on the desk. I laid the pencil on your desk yesterday. I have laid the pencil on your desk many times. I am always laying the pencils on your desk.

Examples of "Lie": John lies in bed all morning. He lay in the sick room yesterday afternoon. He has lain in bed all weekend. He is lying in bed as we speak. Broach vs. Brooch Broach: to introduce (like a topic) Brooch: an ornamental pin Advice vs. Advise Advice (noun): Information; recommendation. Advise (verb): to recommend; to give counsel. Percent vs. Percentage In normal usage, "percent" should always be accompanied by a number. Otherwise, use "percentage." Ex: A large percentage of the population likes chocolate. Ex: Approximately 47 percent of the customers ordered dessert. Agenda vs. Addenda Agenda: list of things to do Addenda: additional items Different From vs. Different Than "Different" always takes the preposition "from." It is never, ever, ever "differ ent than," even though you hear that frequently. An easy way to remember that is that you'd always say "differs from," not "differs than." Same rule for "differ ently." Two, To, Too Don't confuse these words! Example of usage: "The two boys went to the store. Their sister went, too." two=number too=also, or to a greater extent. Example: "Too much sun is bad for you." to=preposition Seek vs. Find Seek: To endeavor to obtain or reach. Find: To come upon something by chance. "Seek" is goal-driven. "Find" is free of any goal. Example: "Seek and you will find." Among vs. Between "Between" is used when referring to two persons or things; among is generally us ed when referring to more than two persons or things. Ex: We will divide the estate between the two heirs. Ex: We will divide the estate among the three heirs. Birthdate vs. Date of Birth and Birthday There is no such word as "birthdate." It's either "date of birth" or "birthday." Access vs. Excess Access: admittance Excess: surplus Ad vs. Add Ad: short for "advertisement" Add: to join Allowed vs. Aloud Allowed: permitted Aloud: audibly Bring vs. Take "Bring" indicates motion toward the writer; "take" indicates motion away. Ex: Your investment takes you over the minimum balance requirement. Ex: Waiter, It's vs. Its It's=it is Its=shows possession Example: "It's going to rain." Example: "Put the book in its proper place."

Bring vs. Take "Bring" indicates motion toward the writer; "take" indicates motion away. Ex: Your investment takes you over the minimum balance requirement. Ex: Waiter, bring me more Dr Pepper. They're, There, Their they're=they are there=location their=shows possession Example: "They're over there, admiring their new car." Anxious vs. Eager Both "anxious" and "eager" mean "desirous," but "anxious" also implies fear or c oncern. Examples: I am "anxious" to hear whether I got the job. I am "eager" to hear about your new job. Titled vs. Entitled "Titled" refers to the name of a book, play, etc. "Entitled" means a right or a claim. Please refer to page 2 in the section titled "How to Contact Us." As the sole heir, you are entitled to the entire estate. Addition vs. Edition Addition: something added Edition: One version of a printed work Fewer vs. Less "Fewer" refers to numbers and is used with plural nouns. "Less" refers to amount or degree and is used with singular nouns. Ex: There is less crime because there are fewer criminals. Imply vs. Infer These are not interchangeable. Something implied is something suggested or indic ated, though not expressed. Something inferred is something deduced from evidenc e at hand. Examples: Farming implies early rising. Since he was a farmer, we inferred that he got up early. Alternate vs. Alternative Alternate (noun): substitute (verb): to take turns Alternative (noun): one of several things from which to choose. You're, Your, Yore You're=you are Your=shows possession Yore=long ago Example: "You're going to be a great writer!" Example: "Your hair looks nice today." Example: "Things were different in days of yore." Both vs. Each "Both" means "the two considered together," and "each" refers to the individual members of a group considered separately. Ex: We require an authorization form signed by both owners. Ex: We require a separate form for each person's account. Air vs. Heir Air: atmosphere Heir: one who inherits Ascent vs. Assent Ascent: Act of rising Assent: Consent Accede vs. Exceed Accede: to comply with; to give consent Exceed: to surpass Good vs. Well

"Good" is an adjective; "well" is normally an adverb. The local ballet troupe performed well. The performance of the local ballet troupe was good. -ceed, -cede, or -sede Only ONE word ends in "sede": supersede. One THREE words end in "ceed": exceed, proced, and succeed. All other words ending with the sound of "seed" are spelled "cede:" precede, sec ede, recede, concede, accede, intercede. Aggravate vs. Irritate Aggravate: "to add to" an already troublesome condition. Irritate: "to vex, annoy, or chafe." First vs. Firstly Always use the following forms: Correct: first, second, third, etc. Incorrect: firstly, secondly, thirdly, etc. Farther vs. Further "Farther" refers to distance; "further" refers to a greater degree or a greater extent. Ex: We will discuss this matter further. Ex: The post office is farther away than the grocery store. May vs. Can "May" and "might" are used to imply permission or possibility. "Can" and "could" refer to ability or power. Ex: We can accept your instructions. Ex: You may go to the party. Ex: It may (might) rain tomorrow. Ex: She could see the lake from her window. Allude vs. Elude You "allude" to a book; you "elude" a pursuer. Altar vs. Alter Altar: part of a church Alter: to change Indifferent vs. In Different She was "indifferent" (not caring one way or another) to the offer. He liked the offer, but he wanted it expressed "in different" (in other) words. Cannot vs. Can Not "Cannot" is always one word. Even though you can probably think of examples wher e you want to make it two words, don't. (Ex: You can go to the store, or you can not go to the store.) Try to rewrite it for more clarity instead. final completion Better: completion main essentials Better: essentials Already vs. All Ready The order had "already" (previously) been shipped. The order is "all ready" (all prepared) to be shipped. There, Their, and They're There, their and they're commonly trip people up on appropriate usage. Follow th ese rule: There denotes location. If you look at the word, it contains the word "here," al so a location word -- that's not a coincidence. Example: The box is over there. Their denotes plural possession. Think about the word "heir," which is contained within their; it means someone who inherits -- or someone who possesses. Again, not a coincidence. Example: Their box has been shipped. They're is a shortened version of "they are." When you see an apostrophe ('), it usually means that letters have been dropped in a word, and the apostrophe take s the place of those dropped letters. Whenever you can substitute the words "the y are" for "they're," use the version with the apostrophe. Ex: They're going to

bring the box home. To put all the words together: They're going to take their box over there. Using "That" or "Which?" That: Should be used restrictively to narrow a category or identify a particular item being talked about. Example: -This is the house that Jack built. -There are a lot of grammar mistakes that make you look bad. Which: Should be used non-restrictively. Not to narrow a class or identify a par ticular item but to add something about an item already identified. Almost alway s preceded by a comma, a parenthesis, or a dash. Example: -This is the house that Jack built, which he later sold. -Jill received a good grade on her paper, which she desperately needed to pass t he class. Exception: Which should be used restrictively only when it is preceded by a preposition. Example: -The room in which he ate his dinner.