For more useful nuggets go to the get it in writing blog. thats where this came from:
Top 20 Words You Use in Speech or Copywriting That Make You Look Stupid When You Misuse Them.
adverse/averse
"Adverse" means unfavorable. "Averse" means reluctant.
accept/except
"Accept" means to to receive with consent."Except" means With the exclusion of.
affect/effect
"To affect" means to influence, change or produce an effect "To effect" means to accomplish, complete, cause, make possible or carry out. If you're looking for a noun, you're probably looking for "effect." If you're using a verb, you're safest with "affect."
allude/refer
"To allude" means to speak of without mentioning. "To refer" means to speak of directly.
all right
not alright
allusion/illusion
An "allusion" is an indirect reference. An "illusion" is a false impression or image.
around/about
"Around" should refer to a physical proximity or surrounding (I'll look for you around the front of Baker Hall). "About" indicates an approximation (Let's have lunch about 11:30 a.m.).
between/among
Use "between" to show a relationship between two objects only.Use "among" when it's more than two.
complement/compliment
"Complement" is something that supplements. "Compliment" is praise or the expression of courtesy.
farther/further
"Farther" refers to physical distance. "Further" refers to an extension of time or degree.
historic/historical
"Historic" means important. "Historical" refers to any event in the past.
imply/infer
"Imply" means to suggest or indicate indirectly. To "infer" is to conclude or decide from something known or assumed.
insure/ensure
"Insure" means to establish a contract for insurance of some type. "Ensure" means to guarantee.
General rule? Use "ensure."
irregardless/regardless
The word is "regardless." "Irregardless"? No such word.
literally/figuratively
"Literally" means in an exact sense. "Figuratively" means in a comparative sense.
lose/loose
"lose" means to To fail to win, or misplace. "loose" means Not fastened, restrained, or contained.
peddle/pedal
To "peddle" is to sell. To "pedal" is to use pedals, as on a bicycle.
principal/principle
"Principal" as a noun is a chief person or thing; as an adjective, it means first in importance. "Principle" is a noun meaning a fundamental truth, doctrine or law; a guiding rule or code of conduct; a method of operation.
toward/towards
"Toward" is correct. "Towards" is not.
who/whom
We rarely see the word "whom" in writing. But if your sentence has an objective clause referring to a person or animal with a proper name, you're being ungrammatical if you don't use whom.
The word "who" substitutes for subjective pronouns‹he, she or they; "whom" must be used in the sense of him, her or them. If you don't want to use "whom," restructure your sentence. Don't just stick in "who" when it is incorrect.
-wise
Do not use this suffix to coin words like "weatherwise."
Great post. Here's one that drives me crazy: a lot, not alot. Recommended reading: Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English by Patricia T. O'Conner. I keep a copy at my desk at work, but I still flub it too many times to admit.
ReplyDeleteWhile I heartily agree with the vast majority of these points - some aren't quite as cut-and-dried as the others.
ReplyDeleteNotably, there is little difference in meaning between insure and ensure, and both are interchangeable in most situations. The only difference is that insure also includes the process of purchasing insurance. Thus, a better "if in doubt" suggestion would be to use insure.
Also, the who/whom distinction is antiquated - it was definitely a rule to follow in the past, but common usage has devolved "who" to be acceptable as both a subject and an object. While some language purists decry this change, they don't seem to mind the fact that we're not speaking ancient Latin or Germanic. Languages evolve in time - anyone who insists otherwise is just as wrong as someone who uses every word on the list incorrectly.