USAGE
accept, except
Accept means "to agree to or receive."
Will the union accept the terms of the contract?
Except means "exclude or leave out."
They want the no-smoking rule excepted from the contract.
affect, effect
Affect is a verb that means "cause a change in" or "influence."
The cold weather will affect the plants.
Effect is a noun that means "result or conclusion."
Did the cold weather have a harmful effect on the plants?
TIP A verb is an action word. Action begins with a; affect, which is an action, begins with a.
allot, a lot, alot
Allot
means to make provision for: e.g., When budgeting for the trip, we should
allot $50
for gasoline.
A lot refers, at least typically, to many: e.g., There were a lot of geese at the lake today.
Contrary to popular belief, alot is NOT a word.
all right
All right is two words, not one--e.g., alright.
amount, number
Amount is used for uncountable things (soup, wealth, happiness).
Number is used for countable things (sandwiches, dollars, blessings).
The amount of soup we need to prepare depends on the number of guests invited.
continual, continuous
Continual means “occurring repeatedly “
Continuous means “going on without interruption in space or time “
Although all life-support systems of the space station are designed to function continuously, the crewmembers continually check the instruments that monitor those systems.
different from, different than
Different from is preferred to different than. His purpose is different from mine.
disinterested, uninterested
Disinterested means “impartial.”
Uninterested means “having no interest in.”
They were uninterested in hearing my argument, so we agreed that a disinterested person should settle our dispute.
due to, because of
Do not use due to as a preposition.
INCORRECT
He dropped out of school due to
failing grades.
CORRECT
He dropped out of school because of
failing grades.
Due to may be used as an adjective following a form of to be, however.
His failure to make the
appointment was due to the
loss of his planner.
My present temperment is due to the change in the weather.
everyday, every day
Everyday is an adjective meaning "used daily" or "common."
She coped with everyday problems with exceptional good humor.
When referring to a day as a unit of time, use every day, wherein every is an adjective that modifies the noun, day.
Feed the dog every day.
explicit, implicit
Something that is explicit is expressed directly, whereas something that is implicit is implied.
fewer, less
Fewer is used for countable things (calories, haircuts, fleas).
Less is used for uncountable things (fat, hair, scratching).
The new product has fewer calories and less fat than the old one did.
further, farther
Further means to proceed or to go beyond a given point.
Having come to a locked door, we could go no further.
Farther is used with respect for geographic distances.
hopefully
Hopefully is an adverb that means "in a hopeful manner." It can modify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Its use as a sentence modifier to mean, "I hope" is not desirable in academic writing.
We hope the twins will arrive on time. or We waited hopefully for the twins to arrive on time.
NOT Hopefully, the twins will arrive safely.
in regard to, in regards to
In regard to is standard; in regards to is not standard and should be avoided.
What should I do in regard to dropping this course?
insure, ensure
Insure is reserved for financial or legal certainty.
I can insure my car, but I cannot ensure that it will not be damaged.
irregardless, regardless
Irregardless is nonstandard for regardless.
Regardless of what you do, I am going to the park.
lie, lay
Lay is a transitive verb that means "put" or "place," and takes a direct object.
The principal parts of the verb lay
are
lay (present), as in “Please lay the books on the
table”;.
laid
(past), as in “I laid
the books on the table yesterday afternoon”; and
laid (past participle), as in
“I have laid the books
on that table every day after school since I was six.”
Lie
is an intransitive verb meaning "recline or be situated." It does not
take a direct object. The principal parts of the
verb lie are
lie (present), as in “I lie out in the sun to get a tan”;
lay (past), as in “I lay down for a nap every
afternoon”; and
lain (past participle), asi in “I have lain
down for a nap every afternoon for the past five years.”
loose, lose
Loose is an adjective meaning “not
tight,” whereas lose is
a verb that means “to suffer loss.”
Consider “The goose is loose”
vs. “If he isn’t careful, he’ll lose his buttons.”
myself, himself, herself, themselves
Reflexive pronouns always use the objective case because they are always objects of verbs, prepositions or verbals. They reflect back to the antecedent:
They claim to have built the house themselves.
As intensifiers, they serve to focus emphasis on the antecedent:
I did it myself.
The spy believed his life itself
was in danger.
Do not use reflexive pronouns alone, without nouns
or other pronouns that serve as antecedents.
The coach wanted John and me (not myself) to join the team.
Mary and I (not myself) are the ones who
prepared all the food for the picnic.
passed, past
Passed
is a verb referring to the past
tense of pass, whereas past is an adjective or noun
referring to something that happened before the present time.
Consider
“The day passed
slowly” vs. “Last Wednesday is in the past” or “This past Tuesday was a day to remember.”
reason is because, reason why
Both because and why mean "for the reason that," so using either the reason is because or the reason is why is redundant.
The reason
we left was that [not was
because] the noise was distracting.
The reason they left the
books on the table is unclear.