COMMON USAGE ERRORS
(Extracts from Word Smart II)
** I find the blue ones the more common errors in academic writing.
Many of the following common usage errors involve confusing similar words or using real words incorrectly- in short, they can’t be caught with the spell check on your computer. So, it’s a good idea to pay close attention to this list! ^_^
A LOT
A lot is always two separate words; alot is never correct.
ACCEPT/EXCEPT
To accept is to receive something with consent. Except means not including.
E.g. We accepted all of the housewarming gifts with pleasure, except the four-foot frog statue from my cousin.
AFFECT/EFFECT
Affect is a verb meaning to cause a change. Effect is generally a noun that means a result or consequence.
E.g. My friend apologized for her grumpiness(乖戾;暴躁) during her visit; apparently, the rain negatively affected her mood.
E.g.2 Because I am from Seattle, rain has no negative effect on my mood.
ALLUSION/ILLUSION
An allusion(提及, 暗示)is a subtle reference. An illusion is a mirage or false belief.
E.g. Have you been making allusions to my earlier fall down the stairs, or is that just an illusion of mine?
AMBIGUOUS/ AMBIVALENT
Ambiguous means unsure or unclear. Ambivalent means feeling opposing things at the same time.
E.g. The note saying that my girlfriend had left was ambiguous; I didn’t know whether she had left for good, so I went to look for her.
E.g.2 I am feeling ambivalent about my dog; I love him dearly, but I hate him for chewing up the rug while I was at work.
COMPLEMENT/COMPLIMENT
To complement is to complete. To compliment is to praise. Both the words have noun forms that are spelled and pronounced the same as verbs.
E.g. Scott and Judy are getting married because they complement each other so well. They are ideal complements.
E.g.2 Blanche complimented me on my new puce shoes. I wasn’t sure about them at first, so it was an ideal compliment.
CONTINUAL/CONTINUOUS
Continual means frequently happening. Continuous means without interruption.
E.g. You say that I continuously correct people, but I think you actually mean continually. Continuous means that I would never stop, which of course can’t be true.
DEFUSE/DIFFUSE
To defuse is to remove the fuse from a bomb. Figuratively, it can mean to avoid a difficult situation. To diffuse is to spread over a wide idea.
E.g. My boss’s email said that he wished to diffuse the tension in the department, and sure enough, the tension was spreading at a rapid rate. I am sure he meant to defuse everyone’s nervousness.
DISINTERESTED/UNINTERESTED
Disinterested means ‘‘having no issue of personal gain’’. Uninterested means ‘‘having no interest’’.
E.g. We intended to hire a disinterested mediator to resolve the conflicts; however, he turned out to be so uninterested in the proceedings that he fell asleep on the table in front of us.
ELICIT/ILLICIT
Elicit is a verb meaning “to draw out a response”. Illicit means “illegal or unsanctioned”.
E.g. The journalist is a master of eliciting the details of her interviewees’ affairs, no matter how clandestine(秘密的) and illicit.
EMIGRATE/IMMIGRATE
To emigrate is to leave a country for good. To immigrant is to settle in a new country.
E.g. I emigrated from Germany and immigrated to Australia.
EMINENT/IMMANENT/IMMINENT
Eminent means “important”. Immanent means “inherent”. Imminent means “about to happen”.
E.g. Kurt became an eminent scholar in his field partly because of his immanent passion for the topic. Once he received his first fan letter, he knew fortune beyond his wildest dream was imminent.
MORAL/MORALE
Moral means “concerned with right and wrong”. Morale means “spirit or enthusiasm”.
E.g. The fact that George made it to the top of the sales team damaged the morale of his co-workers; they were dispirited to see someone succeed who had such a skewed(歪扭的,斜的) moral sense.
PRINCIPAL/PRINCIPLE
A principal is an important person in an organization. A principle is a fundamental truth.
E.g. The principal dancers all rose to the top because of their dedication to the principle of hard work.
RESPECTABLY/RESPECTFULLY/RESPECTIVELY
Respectably means “worth of respect”. Respectfully means “showing respect”. Respectively means “in the order given”.
E.g. Respectably and respectfully mean worthy of respect and showing respect, respectively.
SIMPLE/SIMPLISTIC
Simple means “uncomplicated”; it generally does not have a negative connotation unless a person is being called simple. Simplistic means “so umcomplicated that the author did not really understand the issue”.
E.g. The new budget is simple to implement and it meets the needs of the entire organization well.
E.g.2 The new budget is so simplistic that there are many areas of the organization that will not have their needs addressed.
WEATHER/WETHER/WHETHER
Wearther is the state of the atmosphere at a particular place and time. A wether is a castrated ram, so its use in business and academic writing is limited (and luckily, most spell checkers will correct you on this one). Whether is a conjunction that shows a choice, and it is not necessary to follow it up or not.
E.g. The weather is a little cloudy, so I am undecided whether we should go to the beach.
WHERE AT
This is a redundant and often causes writer and speakers to end sentences with prepositions, Just drop the at, and instead saying, “Where’s the food at?” say, “Where’s the food?”
