Search: A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U W Y
a,
an
Use a before a consonant sound, an before a vowel
sound.
a heavy load, a nap, a sound; an island,
an honest man, an umpire.
accept,
except
As a verb, accept means "to receive"; except
means "to exclude." Except as a preposition
also means "but."
Every senator except Mr. Browning refused to accept the
bribe.
We will except (exclude) this novel from the list of those
to be read.
advice,
advise
Advice is a noun; advise is
a verb.
I advise you to follow Estelle's advice.
affect,
effect
Affect is a verb meaning "to
act upon, to influence, or to imitate."
Effect may be either a verb or a noun. Effect as
a verb means "to cause or to bring about"; effect
as a noun means "a result or a consequence."
The patent medicine did not affect (influence) the disease.
Henry affected the manner of an Oxford student. (imitated)
Henry effected a change in his schedule. (brought about)
The effect (result) of this change was that he had no Friday
classes.
aggravate
Aggravate
means "to
make more grave, to worsen." A problem or condition is aggravated.
A person is not aggravated; a person is annoyed.
CORRECT: The heavy rains aggravated the slippery roads.
CORRECT: The drivers were annoyed by the slippery roads.
INCORRECT: The drivers were aggravated by the slippery
roads.
CORRECT: Her headache was aggravated by the damp weather.
INCORRECT: She was aggravated by driving in the heavy traffic.
CORRECT: She was annoyed by driving in the heavy traffic.
agree
to, agree with
Agree to a thing (plan, proposal); agree with a person.
He agreed to the insertion of the plank in the platform
of the party.
He agreed with the senator that the plank would not gain
many votes.
all
ready, already
All ready means "prepared, in a
state of readiness"; already means "before some
specified time" and describes an action that is completed.
The players were all ready to begin. (fully prepared)
They had already started before we arrived.
all
together, altogether
All together describes a group as acting
or existing collectively; altogether means "wholly,
entirely."
The players managed to start all together.
I do not altogether understand the decision.
allusion,
illusion
An allusion is a casual reference. An illusion is
a false or misleading sight or impression.
The speaker made an allusion to Hamlet.
a
lot
Colloquial. Do not use. Use a more specific term.
I bought several pairs of socks at the outlet (not a lot of
socks).
allude,
elude, refer
One alludes to a book or an event and eludes a pursuer. Do not
confuse allude, which is an indirect reference, with refer,
which is a specific one.
Marjorie alluded to the prisoner who had recently eluded
the police.
alright
Do not use. The accepted spelling is all right.
altar,
alter
Altar is a noun and is an elevated
place, table, or other structure on or before which religious
sacrifices or ceremonies are performed. Alter is a verb
meaning to change, modify, or make different.
among,
between
Among is used with three or more
persons or things; between is used with only two.
It will be hard to choose between the two candidates.
It will be hard to choose among the many candidates.
amoral,
immoral
Something amoral is outside morality and not be be judged
by moral standards. The behavior of animals and the orbits of
planets are equally amoral. Anything immoral is
a violation of a moral standard. Stealing is considered to be
an immoral act.
amount,
number
Amount refers to mass or quantity;
number refers to things which may be counted.
and/or
Do not use except in legal or business documents.
anxious,
eager
Anxious means "apprehensive, doubtful,
or uneasy" and is not synonymous with eager, which
means "to be impatient or to anticipate with pleasure."
Martha is eager to attend the reception, but she is anxious
about traveling across town by herself.
any
one, anyone
Anyone is used in the sense of "anybody"
and is written as one word. Any one means "any single
person" or "any single thing."
Anyone can pass this course.
Any one of your students can learn the material.
as
seen, as shown, as stated, as demonstrated, etc.
Do not use.
INCORRECT: His crimes caused him to suffer, as seen in
many of his actions.
CORRECT: Many of his actions show that his crimes caused him to
suffer.
The suffering caused by his crimes is seen in many of his actions.
That his crimes caused him to suffer is seen in many of his actions.
as
to whether, as to why
Wordy. Whether or why is sufficient.
because
See reason is(was) because below.
can,
may
Can is used to denote ability; may
is used to denote permission.
May (not can) I go to the restroom?
He can lift heavy loads easily.
capital,
capitol
Capitol designates "a building
which is a seat of government"; capital is used for
all other meanings.
cannot
help but
Do not use.
INCORRECT: I cannot help but wonder about her honesty.
To correct: drop the word but and change the following word to
an -ing word (gerund).
CORRECT: I cannot help wondering about her honesty.
center
around
Illogical: use center in (or on) or cluster around.
childish,
childlike
Childish means "disagreeably like
a child." Childlike means "agreeably like a child."
The childish whining of the chronic complainer soon becomes
unbearably boring.
Picasso's canvasses express his childlike love of color.
cite,
sight, site
Cite is a verb meaning to mention
a support, illustration, or proof. Sight, as a noun or
a verb, has to do with seeing. Site, as a noun or a verb,
has to do with setting or location.
claim
Claim means "to demand or ask
for as one's own or one's due." It is not synonymous with
such words as say.
CORRECT: He claimed the reward.
CORRECT: He said (not claimed) that I was guilty.
climactic,
climatic
Climactic refers to a climax; climatic
refers to climate.
complement,
compliment
To complement means "to complete"; to compliment
means "to praise." Both words can also be nouns and
have the adjective forms complementary and complimentary.
That sentence contains no complement.
June was embarrassed by the unexpected compliment.
conscience,
conscious
Do not confuse. Conscience means "a knowledge of right
and wrong; moral judgment." Conscious means "awake"
or "able to feel and think."
consensus
of opinion.
Do not use. The word consensus itself denotes a general
opinion.
contemptible,
contemptuous
Contemptible means "deserving of scorn";
contemptuous means "feeling scorn."
He is a contemptible person.
We are contemptuous of his contemptible treatment of his
parents.
continual,
continuous
Continual
means "repeated
regularly and frequently." Continuous means "repeated
without interruption."
cope
Do not use to mean "to deal with" or "to handle."
John will have to learn to deal with his emotions (not to cope
with).
could
of
Nonstandard for could have.
couple,
couple of
Informal for two or several. Do not use in formal
writing.
credible,
creditable, credulous
Credible
means "believable";
creditable means "worthy of praise"; a person
is credulous if he is ready to believe, especially if is
so ready that he seems gullible.
CORRECT: His account of the accident was so credible that
no one will dispute it
CORRECT: His generosity to the college is most creditable.
CORRECT: He is credulous enough to believe even the most
incredible story
CORRECT: It is incredible [unbelievable] that even a credulous
[believing] person would think that Mary's work was creditable
[worthy of credit].
crisis
situation
Redundant. Crisis is sufficient.
data,
media, phenomena, criteria
These words are the plural forms of the singular words datum,
medium, phenomenon, and criterion.
The datum is misleading.
The data are misleading.
deal
Do not use to mean "a bargain," "a transaction,"
or "a business arrangement."
different
from, different than
Use different from to introduce nouns and pronouns, different
than to introduce clauses.
Republicans are different from Democrats.
College is different than I expected it to be.
dilemma
Dilemma does not mean "an acute
problem." It means "the necessary choice between evenly
balanced alternatives, most often unattractive ones."
disinterested,
uninterested
Disinterested means "objective, impartial,
and unbiased." Uninterested means "without any
interest in" or "lacking in interest."
We need a disinterested person to settle our dispute, but
Louise is obviously uninterested in our quarrel.
double
negative
Do not use such phrases as cannot help but, cannot hardly,
cannot scarcely, etc.
each
other, one another
Use each other when only two people or things are involved
and one another when more than two are involved.
The twins fought each other.
The three brothers looked at one another.
eminent,
imminent, immanent
Eminent means "distinguished"
(He is an eminent novelist); imminent means "about
to happen, threatening" (The storm seemed imminent);
immanent means "indwelling, invading all creation"
(Is the deity immanent in the universe?).
ensure,
insure
Ensure means "make sure"
or "guarantee," as "There is no way to ensure
that every provision of the treaty will be honored." Insure
means "to make a contract for payment in the event of financial
loss, damage, injury, or death," as in "I insured
the package for fifty dollars." It is possible to use both
words in the same sentence: "We tried to ensure that
our customers would insure with us." The difference
between the two words should be plain from their uses in this
sentence.
enthused
Do not use. Enthusiastic is the correct form.
epic,
play, novel, short story
Do not confuse these terms.
The Iliad is an epic and should not be referred
to as a play.
Hamlet is a play and should not be referred to as
a story.
See story.
equally
as good
A confusion of equally good and just as good. Use
either phrase in place of the incorrect phrase equally as good.
Their TV set cost more than ours, but ours is equally good.
(Not equally as good)
Our TV set is just as good as theirs. (Not equally as
good)
farther,
further
Use farther in expressions of physical distance and further
in expressions of time, quality, and degree.
My car used less gasoline and went farther than his.
The second speaker went further into the issues than the
first.
feel,
think
Do not use the verb to feel as a substitute for to think
or to believe.
Hamlet thinks [not feels] that his mother has remarried
too soon after his father's death.
Lincoln believed [not felt] that the nation had been founded
on the principle of equality.
Use the verb to feel for matters that are felt.
I feel cold. The child feels bad. I feel sorry
for Ted. I feel depressed. John feels sleepy.
fewer,
less
Use fewer to denote number; less, to denote amount
or degree. Use fewer to modify things that can be counted.
There are fewer flowers in the vase than there were yesterday.
There is less flour in the bowl than when we began.
The American Heritage Dictionary says that less is used with plurals that indicate a unit, such as distances (less than 150 miles), periods of time (less than twenty minutes), and sums of money (less than two hundred dollars). Note that most words following fewer are plural (fewer apples, calories, books); most words following less are singular (less fruit, weight, knowledge).
first,
start, beginning
Do not use first or start as substitutes for beginning
when referring to a literary composition.
At the beginning of the play, a ghost appears to Hamlet's
friends. (Not At the start or At the first of the play.)
former,
latter
Former refers to the first named of
two; latter refers to the last named of two. If three or
more items are named, use first and last instead
of former and latter.
The Folger and the Huntington are two famous libraries; the former
is in Washington, D. C., and the latter is in California.
get,
got, gotten
The preferable form of the past and past participle is got,
not gotten.
They returned without having got (not gotten) any.
had
have, had of, had ought
Do not use for had.
If he had tried, he would have won (Not If he had have
[or had of] tried, he would have won.)
hang,
hanged, hung
When hang means "to suspend," hung is
its past tense.
We hung the picture last night.
When hang means "to execute," hanged is
its past tense.
The prisoner was hanged at noon.
have
got
Do not use for have.
I have to study more. (Not I have got to study more.)
hopefully
Use hopefully correctly as an adverb to mean "in a
hopeful manner."
The puppy looked hopefully at his master.
Do not use hopefully to mean "I hope."
INCORRECT: Hopefully, it will not rain this weekend.
CORRECT: I hope that it will not rain this weekend.
NOTE: Do not change hopefully to "It is to be hoped
that" or "I am hopeful that."
human,
human beings
Do not substitute human or humans for human being
or human beings.
Every human being (not human) should want to learn.
Human beings (not Humans) are often inconsistent.
imply,
infer
Imply means "to hint" or
"to suggest"; infer means "to draw a conclusion."
The speaker implied that Mr. Dixon was guilty.
The audience inferred that Mr. Dixon was guilty.
in,
into
Into denotes motion from the outside
to the inside; in denotes position (enclosure).
The lion was in the cage when the trainer walked into
the tent.
in
back of
Do not use for behind.
INCORRECT: Albert was standing in back of the curtain.
CORRECT: Albert was standing behind the curtain.
in
regards to
Do not use. Use in regard to or with regard to.
irregardless
Do not use. The word is a mistaken fusion of irrespective
and regardless.
inter,
intra
As a prefix, inter means "between" or "among"
(Examples: international, intermarry); intra means "inside
of" or "within" (Examples: intramural, intramuscular).
is
when, is where
It is ungrammatical to use an adverbial clause after a linking
verb. Do not misuse in definitions and explanations.
INCORRECT: A simile is when two essentially unlike things
are compared.
CORRECT: A simile is the comparison of two unlike things.
its,
it's
Its is the possessive case of the
pronoun it; it's is a contraction of it is.
It's a wise child that knows its father.
kind
of, sort of
Do not use as adverbs. Use rather, somewhat, and
so forth.
kind
of a, sort of a
Delete the a; use kind of or sort of.
What kind of (not kind of a) pipe do you smoke?
L
learn,
teach
Learn means "to acquire knowledge."
Teach means "to impart knowledge."
She could not learn how to work the problem until Mrs.
Smith taught her the principles.
lend,
loan
In formal writing, loan should be regarded as a noun and
not as a verb.
Will you lend me (not loan) three dollars?
I will go to the bank for a loan.
lead,
led
Do not confuse. Lead as a noun is a metal. Led,
not lead, is the past tense of the verb lead.
like
Like may be used as a verb or a preposition.
It should not be used as a conjunction. When like is not
being used as a verb, it should be followed by a substantive that
is its object. The word should not be used to introduce a clause.
Martha likes to play tennis. (verb)
Martha plays tennis like a professional. (preposition)
NOTE: "Like a professional" is a prepositional phrase
used as an adverb modifying the verb plays.
Martha plays as though (not like) she enjoys the
game.
likely,
liable
Use likely to express probability; use liable, which
may have legal connotations, to express responsibility or obligation.
You are likely to have an accident if you drive recklessly.
Since your father owns the car, he is liable for damages.
loose
Loose is a frequent misspelling of
lose. Loose is an adjective; lose is a verb.
She wore a loose and trailing gown.
Speculators often lose their money.
lot
of, lots of
Do not use in the sense of much or many.
mad
Do not use as a substitute for angry. Mad should
be used only to mean "insane."
At the beginning of the play, Hamlet seemed angry with (not
mad at) his mother. Later in the play, Hamlet seems to be
mad; many critics believe his madness to be feigned.
moral,
morale
Moral is either a noun or an adjective.
Morale is a noun and has to do with mental or emotional
condition that demonstrates itself in confidence, enthusiasm,
cheerfulness, discipline, and willingness to perform assigned
tasks.
What is the moral of that story? (noun)
The moral man was not elected. (adjective)
The morale of the platoon seems very high.
most
Do not use for almost in such expressions as the following:
He is late for class almost (not most) every day.
myself,
yourself, himself, herself, itself
These words are reflexives or intensives, not strict equivalents
of I, me, you, he, she, him, her, or it.
INTENSIVE
I myself helped Father cut the wheat.
I helped Father cut the wheat myself.
REFLEXIVE
I cut myself.
Not: The elopement was known only to Sherry and myself.
But: The elopement was known only to Sherry and me.
Not: Only Alice and myself had access to the safe.
But: Only Alice and I had access to the safe.
nice
Do not use as a substitute for more exact words like attractive,
modest, pleasant, kind, and so forth. Nice means "showing
or marked by great precision and sensitive discernment (a nice
distinction) or executed with delicacy, accuracy, or skill (a
nice bit of craftsmanship)."
NUMBERS
There are several rules for using numbers that are appropriately
placed in this glossary. These rules are followed in standard
written English. There may be exceptions if one is writing technical
reports that are filled with statistics or if one is writing dates,
addresses, times, or the numbers of pages, chapters, and the like.
1. Write out numbers
that can be expressed in one or two words:
There were ten thousand people at the game. [not "10,000
people"]
I drove ninety-five miles in two hours. [not "95 miles in
2 hours"]
NOTE: Rule one means that numbers from one to ninety-nine should normally be written out.
2. Use figures for numbers
that cannot be written out in one or two words.
CORRECT: There were 432 people in my chemistry class.
3. Do not begin a sentence
with a number.
INCORRECT: 350 people were on the ship.
CORRECT: On board the ship were 350 people.
4. Except in legal papers
and in business contracts, do not repeat a written number with
figures in parentheses.
INCORRECT: Jesus had twelve (12) disciples.
CORRECT: Jesus had twelve disciples.
5. Separate with a comma
each group of three figures in a number of four or more digits.
Exceptions for dates and addresses.
CORRECT: The car cost 12,375 dollars.
CORRECT: He lived at 2231 Whistlestop Road.
of
The word of instead of have is unacceptable, especially
in such expressions as could of, may of, might of, must of,
should of, and would of. The correct forms are could
have, may have, might have, must have, should have, and would
have.
off
of, inside of, outside of, out of
Omit the of.
He fell off (not off of) the building.
He waited outside (not outside of) the building.
He jumped out (not out of) the window.
only
Only should be placed as near as
possible to the sentence element it modifies. Only may
modify either words, phrases, or clauses.
INCORRECT: I only want a few minutes of your time.
CORRECT: I want only a few minutes of your time.
parameter
Informal for boundary, perimeter, or limit. Do not use.
plan
on
Use plan followed by an infinitive rather than plan
on followed by a gerund.
I plan to leave early (not plan on leaving).
prejudice,
prejudiced
Do not confuse the noun prejudice with its past tense form
prejudiced. See also suppose and use for
similar errors.
I was a victim of prejudice because the law was prejudiced
against me.
pretty
Do not use pretty as an intensive.
I swim fairly well (not pretty well).
principal,
principle
Use principal to mean "first in authority or importance."
Use principle to mean "a rule" or "a truth."
Both rule and principle end in -le.
What principle did you use in solving that problem?
Evelyn is a woman of high principles.
The principal speaker arrived late.
The principal of the high school resigned yesterday.
The principle of justice is of principal importance.
prophecy,
prophesy
Prophecy is a noun meaning "a prediction";
prophesy is a verb meaning "to predict."
quiet,
quite
Quiet means silence; quite
means really or entirely.
quote
Do not use as a noun. Quotation is the noun.
The quotation (not quote) came from the Bible.
I put his words in quotation marks (not quotes).
reason
is (was) because
Do not use for the reason is that. Because should
introduce an adverbial clause, not a noun clause used as a predicate
nominative.
INCORRECT: The reason Henry enlisted was because
he failed in college.
CORRECT: The reason Henry enlisted was that he failed
in college.
CORRECT: Henry enlisted because he failed in college.
Note: To use reason and because together is redundant. It is illogical to use both words to say the same thing.
recur,
recurred, recurring, recurrence
Do not substitute reoccur for recur.
INCORRECT: I hope that this kind of accident does not reoccur.
CORRECT: I hope that this kind of accident does not recur.
relate
to
Trite in the sense of "sympathetic with" or "responsive
to." Do not use.
INCORRECT: Athena related to Odysseus' problems.
CORRECT: Athena was responsive to Odysseus' problems.
respectfully,
respectively
Respectfully means "showing proper
respect"; respectively means "in the order designated
or mentioned."
He respectfully thanked the president for his diploma.
Crossing the platform, he passed respectively by the speaker,
the dean, and the registrar.
shape
Do not use as a substitute for condition.
INCORRECT: Henry was in good shape for the game.
CORRECT: Henry was in good condition for the game.
so
Do not use so as a synonym for therefore. Do not use so
as an intensive. So is properly used in combination with
that.
INCORRECT: I thought that the football player was so handsome.
CORRECT: I thought that the football player was so handsome
that I would like to date him.
INCORRECT: I was tired, so I went to bed.
CORRECT: Because I was tired, I went to bed.
some
Do not use as a substitute for somewhat.
I am somewhat better today.
sometime,
some time
Sometime is used adverbially to designate
an indefinite point of time. Some time refers to a period
or duration of time.
I will see you sometime next week.
I have not seen him for some time.
start,
first
Do not use for beginning.
At the beginning (not start or first) of the epic, warriors
are dying.
stationary,
stationery
Stationary means "in a fixed position."
Stationery is writing paper. Hint: The -er in stationery
is like the -er in paper.
story
Do not use story as a substitute for more specific terms
such as epic, poem, play, or novel. Use story
only when referring to a short story. Do not confuse the terms
epic, poem, play, novel, and story.
suppose,
use
Do not confuse these words with the past tense forms.
The medicine is supposed to relieve pain (not suppose).
Anne used to arrive earlier (not use).
sure
and, try and
Use sure to and try to
Be sure to (not sure and) notice the changes in the schedule.
their,
there
These words are not interchangeable: their is the possessive
form of they; there is either an adverb meaning "in
that place" or an expletive.
Their dog is standing there by the flowers.
There it is in the corner. (adverb)
There are twenty-two people in the room. (expletive)
time
period
Time period is redundant. Use either time
or period, but not both.
to,
too, two
Distinguish the preposition to from the adverb too
and the numeral two.
If it isn't too cold, I will take my two poodles
to the park.
try
and
See sure and above.
unique
Unique means "one of a kind";
therefore, it may not logically be compared. Unique should
not be loosely used for unusual or strange.
She owns the most unusual (not unique) hat in town.
up
Do not add a superfluous up to verbs.
We opened (not opened up) the box and divided (not divided
up) the money.
use
See the entry under suppose, use.
wait
on
Do not use for wait for. Wait on correctly means
"to serve."
We waited for (not waited on) Carrie at the station.
weather,
whether
Weather means "atmospheric conditions";
whether means "if."
I do not know whether the weather will be fair or
foul.
where
at
The at is unnecessary.
INCORRECT: Where is he at?
CORRECT: Where is he?
where
to
The to is unnecessary.
INCORRECT: Where are you going to?
CORRECT: Where are you going?
whose,
who's
Whose is the possessive form of who;
who's is a contraction of who is.
-wise
A suffix that is overused in combinations with nouns, such as
budget-wise, progress-wise, and business-wise. Do not use.
would
have
Do not use would have as a substitute for had in an adverb
clause beginning with if.
INCORRECT: If I would have gone to bed earlier last night,
I would not be so sleepy today.
CORRECT: If I had gone to bed earlier last night, I
would not be so sleepy today.
would
of
Nonstandard for would have.
you,
your
Do not use you or your as an indefinite pronoun.
INCORRECT: You should examine all of the issues.
CORRECT: The voter should examine all of the issues.
INCORRECT: You should change your oil frequently.
CORRECT: Car owners should change their oil frequently.
Links to Presbyterian College Compostion Guide: