ACCEPT vs. EXCEPT ACCEPT-to receive EXCEPT-to take or leave out He accepts defeat well. Please take all the books off the shelf except for the red one.
AFFECT vs. EFFECT AFFECT-to influence EFFECT-n., result, v., to accomplish Lack of sleep affects the quality of your work. The subtle effect of the lighting made the room look ominous. Can the school effect such a change without disrupting classes?
A LOT vs ALOT A LOT (two words)-many. ALOT (one word)-not the correct form.
ALLUSION vs. ILLUSION ALLUSION-an indirect reference ILLUSION-a false perception of reality The professor made an allusion to The Catcher in the Rye. They saw a mirage: that is a type of illusion one sees in the desert.
ALL READY vs. ALREADY ALL READY-prepared ALREADY-by this time Dinner was all ready when the guests arrived. The turkey was already burned when the guests arrived.
ALTOGETHER vs. ALL TOGETHER ALTOGETHER-entirely ALL TOGETHER-gathered, with everything in one place Altogether, I thought that the student's presentation was well planned. We were all together at the family reunion last spring.
APART vs. A PART APART-to be separated A PART-to be joined with The chain-link fence kept the angry dogs apart. My old car fell apart before we reached Ohio. The new course was a part of the new academy at Northwood. A part of this plan involves getting started at dawn.
ASCENT vs. ASSENT ASCENT- climb ASSENT-agreement The plane's ascent made my ears pop. The martian assented to undergo experiments.
BREATH vs. BREATHE BREATH-n., air inhaled or exhaled BREATHE-v., to inhale or exhale You could see his breath in the cold air. If you don't breathe, then you are dead.
CAPITAL vs. CAPITOL CAPITAL-seat of government. Also financial resources. CAPITOL-the actual building in which the legislative body meets. The capital of Virginia is Richmond. The firm had enough capital to build the new plant. The governor announced his resignation in a speech given at the capitol today.
CITE vs. SIGHT vs. SITE CITE-to quote or document SIGHT-vision SITE-position or place I cited ten quotes from the same author in my paper. The sight of the American flag arouses different emotions in different parts of the world. The new office building was built on the site of a cemetery.
COMPLEMENT vs. COMPLIMENT COMPLEMENT-n., something that completes; v., to complete COMPLIMENT-n., praise; v., to praise The creamy flavor of the cheese is perfectly complemented by the acidity of the lime. The professor complimented Betty on her proper use of a comma.
CONSCIENCE vs. CONSCIOUS CONSCIENCE-sense of right and wrong CONSCIOUS-awake The student's conscience kept him from cheating on the exam. I was conscious when the burglar entered the house.
COUNCIL vs. COUNSEL COUNCIL-a group that consults or advises. COUNSEL-to advise. The student council voted in favor of a concert in their school. The parole officer counseled the convict before he was released.
ELICIT vs. ILLICIT ELICIT-to draw or bring out ILLICIT-illegal The teacher elicited the correct response from the student. The Columbian drug lord was arrested for his illicit activities.
FARTHER vs. FURTHER FARTHER-refers to distance FURTHER-refers to extent or degree The student had to walk farther to get to his new school. The teacher refused to go further with the lesson until everyone was paying attention. She wanted to go to grad school after college to further her education.
EMINENT vs. IMMANENT vs. IMMINENT EMINENT-famous, respected IMMANENT-inherent or intrinsic IMMINENT-ready to take place The eminent podiatrist won the Physician of the Year award. The meaning of the poem was immanent, and not easily recognized. A fight between my sister and me is imminent from the moment I enter my house.
ITS vs. IT S ITS-of or belonging to it IT'S-contraction for it is The puppy will whimper as soon as its owner walks out of the room. It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
LEAD vs. LED LEAD-n., a type of metal LED-v., past tense of the verb "to lead" example: Is that pipe made of lead? She led the campers on an over-night hike.
LIE vs. LAY LIE-to lie down (a person or animal. hint: people can tell lies) example: I have a headache, so I'm going to lie down for a while. (also lying, lay, has/have lain--the dog has lain in the shade all day; yesterday, the dog lay there for twelve hours). LAY-to lay an object down. "Lay down that shotgun, Pappy!" The sheriff demanded of the crazed moonshiner. The town lay at the foot of the mountain. (also laying, laid, has/have laid--at that point, Pappy laid the shotgun on the ground).
LOSE vs. LOOSE LOSE--v. to misplace or not win LOOSE--adj., to not be tight; v. (rarely used)--to release Mom glared at Mikey. "If you lose that new lunchbox, don't even think of coming home!" The burglar's pants were so loose that he was sure to lose the race with the cop chasing him. While awaiting trial, he was never set loose from jail because no one would post his bail.
NOVEL NOVEL-noun, a book that is a work of fiction. Do not use "novel" for nonfiction; use "book" or "work." Mark Twain wrote his novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn when he was already well known, but before he published many other works of fiction and nonfiction.
PASSED vs. PAST PASSED-v., past tense of "to pass," to have moved PAST-belonging to a former time or place The tornado passed through the city quickly, but it caused great damage. Who was the past president of Microsquish Computers? Go past the fire station and turn right.
PRECEDE vs. PROCEED PRECEDE-to come before PROCEED-to go forward A rough draft precedes the final draft of a well-edited paper. The teacher proceeded to pass back the research papers.
PRINCIPAL vs. PRINCIPLE PRINCIPAL-adj., most important; n., a person who has authority PRINCIPLE-a general or fundamental truth The principal ingredient in chocolate chip cookies is chocolate chips. The school principal led the cheers at the Pep Rally. The study was based on the principle of gravity.
QUOTE vs. QUOTATION QUOTE-v., to cite QUOTATION-n., the act of citing I would like to quote Dickens in my next paper. The book of famous quotations inspired us all.
RELUCTANT vs. RETICENT RELUCTANT-to hesitate or feel unwilling. RETICENT-to be reluctant to speak; to be reserved in manner. We became reluctant to drive further and eventually turned back when the road became icy. They called him reticent, because he rarely spoke. But he listened carefully and only spoke when he had something important to say.
STATIONARY vs. STATIONERY STATIONARY-standing still STATIONERY-writing paper The accident was my fault because the fence that I ran into was a stationary object. My mother bought me stationery that was on recycled paper.
SUPPOSED TO vs. SUPPOSE SUPPOSED TO-correct form for "to be obligated to" or "presumed to" SUPPOSE-to guess Do you suppose we will get to the airport on time? When is our plane supposed to arrive? We are supposed to check our bags before we board, but I suppose we could do that at the curb and save time.
THAN vs. THEN THAN-use with comparisons THEN-at that time, or next I would rather go out to eat than eat the leftovers in the fridge. I studied for my exam for seven hours, and then I went to bed.
THEIR vs. THERE vs. THEY RE THEIR-possessive form of they THERE-indicates location (hint: think of "here and there") THEY'RE-contraction for "they are" Their house is at the end of the block. There goes my chance of winning the lottery! They're in Europe for the summer--again!
THROUGH vs. THREW vs. THOROUGH vs. THOUGH vs. THRU THROUGH-by means of; finished; into or out of THREW-past tense of throw THOROUGH-careful or complete THOUGH-however; nevertheless THRU-abbreviated slang for through; not appropriate in standard writing He plowed right through the other team's defensive line. She threw away his love love letters. John thoroughly cleaned his room; there was not even a speck of dust when he finished. He's really a sweetheart though he looks tough on the outside. We're thru for the day!
TO vs. TOO vs. TWO TO-toward TOO-also, or excessively TWO-a number I went to the University of Richmond. He ate too many cupcakes and got a stomachache. Only two students did not turn in the assignment.
WHO vs. WHICH vs. THAT WHO-pronoun, referring to a person or persons WHICH-pronoun, replacing a singular or plural thing(s);not used to refer to persons THAT-used to refer to things or a group or class of people Jane wondered how Jack, who is so smart, could be having difficulties with subtraction. Which section of history did you get into? I lost the book that I bought last week.
WHO vs. WHOM WHO-used as a subject or as a subject complement WHOM-used as an object John is the man who can get the job done. Whom did Sarah choose as her replacement? Hint: If you re not sure which to use, try saying the sentence to yourself with he and him to see which you would use...