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 Robb
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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