Commonly Misused Words and Phrases

Many of the confusions involve parts of speech.

A lot/a lot: a lot is informally used a lot. But it is incorrect.
“A lot” is a much used informal phrase; do not use it in your writing.

Advice/advise: advice is a noun; advise, a verb.
I never asked for your advice.
The counselor advised me to research the biotechnology field.

Affect/effect: affect is a verb meaning “to influence, or have impact upon”; effect is a noun meaning results of; effect can also be used to mean influence, or impact but not as a verb: The effects of nuclear radiation are radiation sickness, soil contamination, and global pollution.
Poverty affects the incidence of animal neglect. When people are short on cash, they sometimes abandon their pets.
My paper concerns the effects of television violence on children’s behavior.

All ready/already: all ready means fully prepared; already is an adverb meaning previously or before.
I was all ready to leave for my trip when I got the surprise cancellation.B. the time I arrived home, the family had already eaten.

Bad/badly: bad is an adjective and thus modifies nouns and pronouns; badly is an adverb.
John looked bad after his accident
John was badly hurt in the accident.

Breath/breathe: Breath is a noun; breathe is a verb.
I was all out of breath by the time I reached the summit.
She was so frightened that she couldn’t breathe.

Capitol/capital: A capitol is a building wherein a legislative body meets. A capital is either a political center as in, Boston is the capital of Massachusetts, or it refers to the uppercase letter that must begin all sentences. Capital can also mean goods, assets, cash.
Madoff bilked many investors of their capital.

Complement/compliment: complement means to go along with, to match; compliment means “to flatter.” Both can be either nouns or verbs.
The professor complimented the class on its stellar performance.A. one of the class members, I felt honored by his compliment.

Conscience: the part of mind that experiences right and wrong
After lying to his girlfriend, Jim’s conscience bothered him.

Conscientious: an adjective meaning very careful, attentive to requirements
He is a very conscientious teacher; lectures are always well-prepared.

Conscious: an adjective meaning aware or deliberate
Irena is often not conscious of how alienating her behavior can be.

Continual/continuous: continuous refers to something that never stops; continual to something that happens frequently but not always.
The continuous force of evolution means that change is inevitable.
Rainfall is the result of the continuous cycle of evaporation and condensation linking the waters of the earth and the clouds of its atmosphere.
The college students in the apartment above us have frequent parties that continually disturb us in the middle of the night.

Council/counsel: council is a noun and signifies a group; counsel is either a noun or a verb meaning advice or to advise
Four magnificent mutts, Dublin, Logan, Molly, and Sasha elected me to the Council of All Beings.
The council debated heatedly before finally deciding to whom the prize was awarded.
The therapist counseled my best friend to leave her relationship.
When I met her partner, I gave her the same counsel.

Desert/dessert: desert is an arid land; dessert is a delicious sweet food.
Arizona contains many deserts.
Dessert is the best part of the meal.

Mnemonics: As a desert lacks water, so the word lacks an s.

Every day/everyday: every day is a phrase, two words meaning “happening daily”; everyday, one word, meaning ordinary, usual
Every day I go to the gym to work out.
Arguments at dinner are everyday affairs.

Farther/further: farther refers to physical distance, while further refers to difference in degree or time
The restaurant is about two miles farther down this road.
His shifting eyes were further proof of guilt.

Good/well: good is an adjective; well is an adverb. Hence,
I may look good, but I don’t feel well.
He cooks very well.

Hanged/hung: unless you are referring to stringing someone up by a rope, use hung.
The stockings were hung on the chimney. The clothes hung on the line.
The vigilantes hanged John Dooley for his thievery.

Its/it’s: its is a possessive form of it—a pronoun; it’s a contraction of it is.
Our town must improve its roads.
It’s time to leave the zoo.

Like/as: like is a preposition; as is a conjunction that introduces a clause. Hence, if a statement has a verb, use as; if not, use like.
Dorothy drank as heartily as a thirsty camel.
Her muscles were strong and ropey like a weight lifter’s.

Loose/lose: loose means “not attached,” the opposite of tight; lose means to misplace
He has been accused of having loose lips: don’t trust him!
If I lose these keys, I’ll be in serious trouble.

Passed/past: passed is the past tense of the verb, to pass, meaning to move by, or succeed; past is a noun meaning before the present time
We passed two hitchhikers on Route 22.
In times past, people enjoyed much richer social lives.

Principal/principle: principal means a supervisor or something of major importance; principle refers to a value, an idea.
The principal of Sunnyside High was fired for fiscal irresponsibility. Some pal!
The fired principal was evidently not a man of high principles.

Proceed, proceeds, precede: proceed is a verb meaning to carry on, to go forth; proceeds, a plural noun, meaning revenue raised; precede is a verb, meaning to be ahead or in front of, or earlier than:
“Proceed, counselor,” bellowed the judge, “or be fined for stalling.”
In the Easter procession, the Bishops, priests, and other clergy precede the parishioners.
The proceeds from the raffle are going to the Food Bank.

Quote/quotation: quote is a verb; quotation is a noun
I chose a quotation from Karl Marx to summarize the negative effects of capitalism upon family ties.
I quoted Karl Marx to emphasize the adverse effects of capitalism on family ties.

Raise/rise: raise means to elevate, or to increase. Past tense is regular, raised; rise means to stand up, to get up. Past tense is irregular rose.
The State Department of Education is charged with raising academic standards.
The reform effort has successfully raised student achievement.
“All rise for the benediction,” the minister directed.
The congregation rose for the benediction as surely as the sun rises every day.

Real/really: real is an adjective; really, an adverb.
He is a real artist, in my opinion, contrary to the hacks employed in advertising.
He is a really good artist, despite his large commercial appeal.

Set/sit: set means to put down or to adjust; its past tense is also set. Sit is a verb meaning to place oneself in a sitting position; the past is sat.
John set his hat on the bureau.
After setting his hat on the bureau, John sat in his favorite chair.

Than/then: than is a comparison word; then is an adverb referring to time
The politics of health care are more complicated even than those of public education.
I got up at 8:00 AM and, then, five minutes later, I was on my way to the office.

Their/they’re: their is a possessive pronoun; there’re is a contraction for they are.
The Smiths can be annoying; they’re always late for dinner.
Their habitual lateness annoys their friends.

Used to/use to: used to is the past tense phrase to express a former action/state; use to is simply incorrect.
When American artists migrated to France in the 1920s, they used to gather at the Café Metro in Paris.

Who/whom: who is the nominative case; whom, the objective case (Review pronoun section)
The first person who reaches the goal post wins the prize.
Ask not for whom the bell tolls: It tolls for thee.

Who’s/whose: who’s is a contraction of who is; whose is a possessive pronoun
The student who’s voted the most likely to succeed wins a full scholarship.
The student whose GPA is the highest wins a full scholarship for graduate school.

Your/you’re: you’re is a contraction of you are; your is a possessive pronoun
The neighbors dislike that you’re an environmentalist who doesn’t cultivate a lawn.
The neighbors dislike your choice of herbs and stones for your front yard.

Learning Tip: Mnemonics is an effective tool to help you with confusing words and spelling problems. Making up ways to remember can be entertaining and instructive. For instance, remember that principal is a pal (person).