6. misused words and expressions Key Concepts 6a. 1. a, an The article a is used before consonant sounds; an is used before vowel sounds. Words beginning with ho, o, or u may have either a vowel sound or a consonant sound. 2. accept, except Accept, a verb, means “to receive.” Except, a preposition, means “leaving out” or “other than.” 3. adapt, adopt Adapt, a verb, means “to change.” Adopt, also a verb, means “to take as one’s own.” 4. affect, effect Affect is almost always a verb meaning “to influence.” Effect is usually a noun meaning “result.” Occasionally, effect is a verb meaning “to bring about” or “to cause.” 5. aggravate Aggravate means “to make worse.” Avoid using this word to mean “to annoy.” 6. ain’t Ain’t, originally a contraction of am not, is not considered acceptable standard English. Avoid using it in all writing and speaking. 7. all ready, already All ready is an expression meaning “ready.” The expression functions as an adjective. Already is an adverb meaning “by or before this time” or “even now.” 8. all right, alright Alright is the nonstandard spelling. Always use the two-word form in your writing. 9. all together, altogether These two adverbs have different meanings. All together means “all at once.” Altogether means “completely” or “in all.” 10. among, between Among and between are both prepositions. Among always implies three or more. Between is usually properly used with just two items. 11. anxious Anxious means “worried,” “uneasy,” or “fearful.” Do not use it as a substitute for eager. 12. anyone, any one, everyone, every one Anyone and everyone mean “any person” and “every person,” respectively. Any one means “any single person (or thing),” and every one means “every single person (or thing).” 13. anyway, anywhere, everywhere, nowhere, somewhere These adverbs should never end in –s. 14. as Do not use the conjunction as to mean “because.” 15. as to As to is awkward. Replace it with about. 16. at Do not use at after where. Simply eliminate it. 17. at about Avoid using at about. Use at, around, or near. 18. awful, awfully Awful is used informally to mean “extremely bad.” Awfully is used informally to mean “very.” Better writers replace both with more descriptive words. In formal writing, use awful only to mean “inspiring fear.” 19. awhile, a while Awhile is an adverb, which in itself means “for a while.” A while is an article and a noun usually used after the preposition for. 20. beat, win Beat means “to overcome (an opponent).” Win means “to achieve victory in.” 21. because Do not use because after the reason. Say “The reason is… that” or reword the sentence. 22. being as, being that Avoid using either expression. Use because instead. 23. beside, besides Beside means “at the side of” or “close to.” Besides means “in addition to.” 24. bring, take Bring means “to carry from a distant place to a nearer one.” Take means the opposite: “to carry from a near place to a more distant place.” 25. can, may Can means “has the ability to.” May means “has permission to” or “possible or likely to.” 26. clipped words Avoid using clipped or shortened words—such as gym, phone, or photo in formal writing. 27. different from, different than Use from. 28. doesn’t, don’t Do not use don’t with third-person singular subjects. Use doesn’t instead. 29. done Done, the past participle of do, should always follow a helping verb. 30. due to Due to means “caused by” and should be used only when the words “caused by” can logically be substituted. 31. each other, one another Each other and one another are usually interchangeable. At times, however, each other is more logically used in reference to only two; one another, in reference to more than two. 32. farther, further Farther refers to distance. Further means “additional” or “to a greater degree or extent.” 33. fewer, less Use fewer with objects that can be counted. Use less with quantities and qualities that cannot be counted. 34. get, got, gotten These forms of the verb to get are acceptable in standard usage, but, whenever possible, it is best to use a more specific word. 35. gone, went Gone is the past participle of go and should be used as a verb only with a helping verb. Went is the past tense of go and is never used with a helping verb. 36. good, lovely, nice These three adjectives are weak and overused. Try to use a more specific adjective. 37. in, into In refers to position. Into suggests motion. 38. irregardless Avoid this word. Use regardless. 39. kind of, sort of Do not use kind of or sort of to mean “rather” or “somewhat.” 40. lay, lie Lay means “to put or set (something) down.” Its principal parts—lay, laying, laid, and laid—are usually followed by a direct object. Lie means “to recline.” Its principal parts—lie, lying, lay, and lain—are never followed by a direct object. 41. learn, teach Learn means “to acquire knowledge.” Teach means “to give knowledge to.” 42. leave, let Leave means “to allow to remain.” Let means “to permit.” 43. like Like is a preposition and should not be used in place of the subordinating conjunction as. 44. loose, lose Loose is usually an adjective or a part of such idioms as cut loose, turn loose, or break loose. Lose is always a verb, generally meaning “to miss from one’s possession.” 45. maybe, may be Maybe is an adverb meaning “perhaps.” May be is a helping verb and a verb. 46. of Do not use the preposition of in place of the verb have. Moreover, do not use of after outside, inside, off, and atop. Simply eliminate it. 47. OK, O.K., okay In informal writing. OK, O.K., and okay are acceptably used to mean “all right.” In formal writing, however, do not use either the abbreviations or okay. 48. only Only should be placed in front of the word it logically modifies. 49. ought Never use ought with have or had. Simply eliminate have or had. 50. outside of Do not use this expression to mean “besides” or “except.” 51. plurals that do not end in –s The plurals of certain nouns from Greek and Latin are formed as they were in their original language. Words such as criteria, media, and phenomena are plural and should not be treated as if they were singular (criterion, medium, phenomenon). 52. precede, proceed Precede means “to go before.” Proceed means “to move or go forward.” 53. principal, principle As an adjective, principal means “most important” or “chief.” As a noun, it means “a person who has controlling authority.” Principle, always a noun, means “a fundamental law.” 54. real Real means “authentic.” The use of real to mean “very” or “really” should be avoided in formal writing. 55. says Says should not be used as a substitute for said. 56. than, then Than is used in comparisons. Do not confuse it with the adverb then, which usually refers to time. 57. that, which, who That refers to people or things; which refers only to things; who refers only to people. 58. their, there, they’re Their, a possessive pronoun, always modifies a noun. There can be used either as an expletive at the beginning of a sentence or as an adverb. They’re is a contraction for they are. 59. to, too, two To, a preposition, begins a prepositional phrase or an infinitive. Too, an adverb, modifies adjectives and other adverbs. Two is a number. 60. when, where Do not use when or where directly after a linking verb. Also, do not use where in place of that. 61. your, you’re Your, a possessive pronoun, always modifies a noun. You’re is a contraction for you are. All material on this page borrowed for education use only from Writing and Grammar: Communication in Action: Ruby Level. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc, 2001.

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