Confusing Words

and their correct usage

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Let's go to our next stop. 

A

A, An:  The choice of which to use depends on the sound–not the letter that follows.

• Accept, except: Accept means to take or to receive.  Except means to exclude.
• Adverse, Averse: Adverse means hostile or unfavorable.  Averse means disinclined.
• Affect, Effect:  Affect is to influence, change.  Effect is to cause.
• Afterward, Afterwards: Never use afterwards.
• Aid, Aide: Aid is a form of help, to help.  Aide is an assistant.
• A lot, Allot: A lot means a great deal.  Allot means to assign or distribute a share of something.
• Allude, Elude: Allude means refer to a book.  Elude means to avoid a pursuer.
• Allusion, Delusion, Elusion, Illusion: Allusion means indirect reference.  Delusion means false belief.
• Elusion means to escape.  Illusion means unreal vision.
• Already, All ready:  Already means previously.  All ready means all prepared.
• Alright:  Bad spelling of all right, but is common in written dialogue.
• Altogether, All together: Altogether means entirely.  All together means in a group.
• Ante-, Anti-: Ante- is a prefix meaning “before.”  Anti- is a prefix meaning “against.”
• Anybody, Any Body: Anybody means any person.  Any body means any corpse or any human form.
• As, Like:  As can introduce a clause, like cannot.
• Assure, Ensure, Insure: Assure means to give someone confidence.  Ensure means o make certain.  Insure
• means to protect against loss.
• Awhile, A while:  Awhile is an adverb meaning for a  short time.  A while is a noun phrase used when a
• preposition is expressed.

B

• Beside, Besides:  Beside means by the side of.  Besides means in addition.
• Breadth, Breath, Breathe: Breadth means width.  Breath means respiration.  Breathe means to inhale and exhale.

C

• Can, May:  Can implies ability.  May denotes permission.
• Cannot, Can not: Cannot is always one word.
• Credible, Credulous:  Credible means believable.  Credulous means willing to believe.

D

• Disinterested, Uninterested:  Disinterested means unbiased by personal interest.  Uninterestedmeans lack of interest.

E

• Elicit, Illicit:  Elicit means to draw forth.  Illicit means unlawful.
• Everyday, Every day:  Everyday pertains to every day, daily; or ordinary.

F

• Farther, Further:  Farther means more distant, measurable sense.  Further means more or additional.

G

• Get:  Imprecise or redundant usually for context; consider replacing.

H

• Hanged, Hung:  Hanged is used in connection with executions.  Hung denotes any other kind of suspension.

I

• Imply, Infer:  Imply means to give a hint or suggestion.  Infer means to derive by      reasoning.
• Its, It’s:  Its is the possessive case of it.  It’s is the contraction of it is.

J

• Just exactly:  Redundant combination.

K

• Kind of, Sort of:  Never use a or an after these expressions.

L

• Lay, Lie:  Lay means to put or place.  Lie means to rest or recline.
• Lead, Led:  Lead used as a verb means to go before; used as a noun it is a metal.      Led is the past tense of verb lead meaning went before.
• Lose, Loose:  Lose means to misplace.  Loose means not fastened down.

M

• Myself:  An intensive and reflexive pronoun; should never be used in a sentence without its corresponding noun or pronoun.  (I hurt myself.)

N

• Nauseous, Nauseated:  Nauseous means affected with nausea or causing nausea. You arenauseated.

O

• On, Onto, On to:  On can mean on top of.  Onto means upon, on and implies movement.  On tocan have same meaning as onto.
• Oral, Verbal:  Oral means spoken.  Verbal means spoken also.
• One another, Each other:  Each other applies to two.  One another applies to three or more.

P

• Passed, Past:  Passed is a verb for went or gone by.  Past means preceding.

• People, Persons:  People refers to masses.  Persons is for small groups.
• Precede, Proceed:  Precede means to come before.  Proceed means to go ahead.
• Principal, Principle: Principal as a noun, refers to a person, except in specialized legal and financial terms. Principle a noun with abstract meanings.

Q

• Quite:  Can mean completely.

R

• Raise, Rise:  Raise as a verb means to lift or bring up; as a noun it means an increase.  Rise as a verb means to go or get up; as a noun it means reaction.
• Regardless, Irregardless:  Regardless means without regard or despite.  Irregardless is a nonstandard word for regardless and should not be used.

S

• Set, Sit:  Set means to place or put something.  Sit means to assume an upright position.

T

• Than, Then:  Than is used after a comparison.  Then means next.

• That, Which:  That is used to indicate a person or thing as pointed out; is not set off by commas.  Which means which one; used in restrictive and non-restrictive clause to represent a specified antecedent; is set off by
• commas.
• That, Who:  Both can refer to a person.  Use whichever sounds better in a given context.
• Their, There, They’re: Their means to show possession.  There means a location.  There is a contraction of they are.
• Titled, Entitled: Titled refers to the name of a book play, etc.  Entitled means a right or a claim.
• Toward, Towards: Toward is correct. Do not use towards.

U

• Use, Utilize:  Use can have same meaning as utilize and can be used in its place. Utilize cannot replace use.

V

• Via:  Often treated as synonymous for by, through, or by means of.

W

• Who, Whom:  Who is the correct form of a subject of a sentence or clause. Whom is used for the object of a verb or preposition.
• Who’s, Whose:  Who’s is the contraction for who is and who has.  Whose is the possessive form of who.

Y

• You’re, Your:  You’re is the contraction of you are.  Your is the possessive form of you.

Source:rubbishtopublish

I hope you learn something for today^^ ;) Don't be shy to ask me or anything. lol.  Our next stop probably will be the writing processes. See you next time!