Writing Center
West Chester University
Margaret Ervin
Lawrence 214
West Chester, PA 19383
610-430-5664
mervin@wcupa.edu
Handouts
Frequently Misused Words
When reading the following sentence out loud you would think it was correct, but many of the words are used incorrectly:
Among the too principles at there school, Mr. Jones was the only one to complement Mary and Billy regarding they're perfect SAT scores.
The correct way to write this sentence is:
Between the two principals at their school, Mr. Jones was the only one to compliment Mary and Billy regarding their perfect SAT scores.
It is not uncommon for students to write sentences that include words that sound correct, but are actually incorrect. A list of the most common misused words follows.
Accept, Except - Use accept when your meaning is "to receive." Use except when you mean an exception, as in He invited everyone except Thuan. You can also use except as a verb that means "to leave out," as in The report excepted the two episodes of misconduct.
Affect, Effect - If your sentence requires a verb meaning "to have an influence on," use affect. If your sentence requires a noun meaning "result," use effect. Effect can also be a verb, however. Use effect as a verb when you mean "to make happen," as in He was able to effect a change in how the city council viewed the benefits of recycling.
Among, Between - Use between when you are expressing a relationship involving two people or things, as in There was general agreement between Rob and Jackson on that issue. Use among when you are expressing a relationship involving three or more separable people or things, as in He failed to detect a link among the blood cholesterol levels, the red blood cell counts, and the T-cell production rates.
Complement, Compliment - Use complement when you mean "something that completes," as in The wine was the perfect complement for the elegant meal. Use compliment when you mean "praise," as in The administrator savored the compliment on her organizational skills.
Precede, Proceed - Use precede when you mean "come before," as in The opening remarks precede the speech. Use proceed when you mean "go forward," as in The motorist proceeded with caution.
Principal, Principle - Use principal when you refer to a school administrator or an amount of money. Use principle when you are referring to a law, conviction, or fundamental truth. You can also use principal as an adjective meaning "major" or "most important," as in The principal players in the decision were Sue Marks and Tom Cohen.
Than, Then - Use than when you mean "as compared with," as in The violin is smaller than the cello. Use then when you are stating a sequence of events, as in First, he learned how to play the violin. Then he learned to play the cello. Also use then when you mean "at the time" or "therefore."
Their, There, They're - Use their as a possessive pronoun, as in Their father prevented William and Henry James from being under the control of any one teacher for more than a year. Use there to refer to a place, as the opposite of here. Use they're to mean "they are."
To, Too, Two - Use to as a preposition as in We went to school. Use too when you mean "also," for example I want to go to the mall, too. Use two when referring to the number "2".
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