Commonly Confused Words
Mark Twain wrote, "The difference between the right word and the the nearly right word is the same as that between lightening and the lightening bug."
This is a review of of commonly confused words and their meanings.
between and among
Among is used when speaking of more than two persons or things. Between is used when speaking of two people or things.
Examples:
We shared the pepperoni pizzas among the class.
The secret was to be kept between Jason and Lisa.
accept and except
Accept, a verb, means to receive or believe; except, a preposition, means other than.
Examples:
We were learning to accept the idea that our English teacher loved to give homework.
All my chores were completed except emptying the trash.
affect and effect
Affect means "to influence"; while effect means "to produce." When effect is used as a noun is means "the result."
Examples:
The car accident was an effect of texting while driving.
It is my desire to affect our school policies by running for student government.
Gemma's laugh effected a chorus of giggles around the room.
fewer and less
Fewer refers to the number of separate units; less refers to bulk quantity.
Examples:
I had fewer Oreo cookies that my sister, but she had less milk.
good and well
Well is an adverb (well, almost always) and describes an action; good is a adjective that describes a noun.
Examples:
Eliza did a good job on her Frankenstein essay exam.
Eliza performed well on her Frankenstein essay exam.
waist and waste
Waist is the part of your body just above you hips. The verb waste means "to lose though inaction" or "to decay"; when waste is used as a noun is refers to a substance that is useless or unused.
Examples:
Molly's waist is small because she wastes no opportunity to exercise.
either and neither
Both of these words a commonly used with singular nouns and placed before the noun. Either and neither have to do with distribution between two things. Either is positive; neither is negative.
Examples:
Which cupcake do you want? Either will be fine.
There are two cupcakes on the place. You can take either of them.
There are two cupcakes on the place; you may neither of them.
Neither cupcake is very good. Neither one has enough frosting.
irregardless and regardless
Irregardless is not a proper word even though it is listen in most dictionaries. It is a double negative and non-standard.
Link to Grammar Girl: Irregardless and regardless
HERE. This link will open a new window. Listen to the pod cast about Irregardless.
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/irregardless.aspx
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