Im Confused

1
Im Confused!

• A Brief Guide to Some of the Many Confusing Words
  in the English Language
• by Clayton E. Samels
• The University of Akron

2
The Tip of the Iceberg

• Im not an English major, so why should I bother
  with this stuff anyway?
• Im not a math major, so why should I be
  expected to know that 2 2 4?
• Which Word When? by Paul Heacock, lists over 1500
  common confusables!

3
Figure out the Problem

• Figure out why you are confusing these words.
  There may be several reasons.
• Often, you know what the word means you just
  dont know what written form goes with which
  meaning.
• I say it that way, too, but we are talking about
  writing.

4
Look It Up

• Check your English handbook or textbook.
• Look in a dictionary of English usage.
• Look in a good college level dictionary.
• See if a copy of Which Word When? Is available.
• I am an English major, and they quit teaching me
  these things in Fresh. Comp.

5
Dont Rely on the Computer!

• That was quiet a storm. (OK?)
• Will you be quit? (OK?)
• Quite your talking! (The computer said to use
  youre instead of your! UGH!)
• All the computer seems to know for sure is if it
  can find a word in its dictionary, not whether
  the word is the correct word.

6
a, an, and
7
a

• A means an unspecified one. It is used before
  words beginning with a consonant sound.
• I bought a book.
• A dog was barking.

8
an

• An means the same thing as a. It is used before
  words beginning with a vowel sound.
• I bought an apple.
• I need an umbrella.
• (BUT I need a uniform.)

9
and

• And is a conjunction, that is, a joining word,
  which puts words, phrases, or clauses together.
• I like peanut butter and banana sandwiches.
• You go there, and Ill stay here.

10
a lot, alot, allot
11
a lot

• A lot means often, much, or a great deal.
• I drink a lot of pop.
• She talks a lot.

12
alot

• This is my personal irritant, so please dont use
  it! Alot as one word probably isnt in the
  dictionary yet, but there are so many people who
  use it that way that its just a matter of time
  until it does become acceptable in spite of
  anything any sensible person can do.

13
allot

• Allot is a verb meaning to apportion or divide.
• The Red Cross will allot the donations to the
  victims of the tragedy.

14
accept, except
15
accept

• Accept is a verb meaning to receive.
• I will accept your suggestions.
• They said they accept us as friends.

16
except

• Except means only, just, or but.
• Everyone except Joe may leave now.
• I dont hear anything except crickets.

17
affect, effect
18
affect

• As a verb, affect means to influence. As a noun,
  affect means emotion, usually in a technical,
  psychological sense.
• How does this affect me?
• The experimenter tried to measure affect in the
  subjects after showing pictures of various
  objects.

19
effect

• Effect, as a noun, means the result of a cause.
  As a verb, it means to influence or bring about.
• His speech did not have its intended effect.
• We must effect a change immediately.

20
are, our
21
are

• Are is a verb.
• Are you ready?
• We are not alone.

22
our

• Our means belonging to us.
• Lets read from our textbook.
• Our house is a very, very fine house.

23
brake, break
24
brake

• Brake means to stop or is a part on your car or
  bicycle.
• I need a new left rear brake on my car.
• We brake for squirrels.

25
break

• Break means to smash or interrupt. Its noun
  meaning is similar.
• Dont break the vase!
• Lets take a break!
• He fixed the break in the panel.
• We will break for winter in December.

26
breath, breathe
27
breath

• Breath is a noun and is the stuff that goes in
  and out of your nose.
• It was so cold, I could see my breath.

28
breathe

• Breathe is a verb and means to make the breath go
  in and out of your nose.
• Breathe deeply, please.
• Dont breathe a word of this to anyone.

29
buy, by, bye
30
buy

• Buy means to purchase or a purchase.
• Do you want to buy, or are you just looking?
• What a great buy I got at the mall!

31
by

• By is a preposition and sometimes means near.
• She sits by me in math class.
• Give me your answer by tomorrow.
• They were chosen by lot.

32
bye

• Bye means so long for now! It is a shortened form
  of goodbye.
• Bye, see you tomorrow.

33
cite, site, sight
34
cite

• Cite means to refer to as a source. It can mean
  to refer to a law that has been broken.
• He cited the Bible.
• She cited a famous poem.
• The officer cited me for speeding.

35
site

• Site means a place.
• This is a good site to build a factory.
• Its on my web site.

36
sight

• Sight is the function of the eye.
• What a sight for sore eyes!
• The boy lost his sight in an accident.
• That was a sight I will never forget.

37
cloth, clothe, cloths, clothes, close
38
cloth

• Cloth is material or fabric.
• I bought three yards of linen cloth.

39
clothe

• Clothe is a verb meaning to put cloth or articles
  of clothing on.
• We are supposed to clothe the naked.
• The room was clothed in mystery.

40
cloths

• Cloths means more than one cloth.
• She got six cloths to dust the house.

41
clothes

• Clothes means things like pants, shirts, dresses,
  etc.
• Put on your best clothes to go to the wedding.
• Dont leave your clothes on the floor for your
  mother to pick up.

42
close

• Close is a verb meaning to shut, and a noun
  meaning that is similar.
• Now, close your eyes and imagine.
• Close the book.
• At the close of the day, he had two dollars.

43
conscience, conscious
44
conscience

• Conscience is that part of you that knows the
  difference between good and evil.
• Jimminy Cricket was the conscience of Pinoccio.
• Doesnt your conscience bother you?

45
conscious

• Conscious means awake or aware.
• After the accident, he was barely conscious.
• Are you conscious of the fact that I did what you
  asked me to?

46
every day, everyday
47
every day

• Every day means every single day.
• I read the comics every day.
• Every day, its the same old thing for dinner.

48
everyday

• Everyday as one word means ordinary or usual.
• Put on your everyday clothes to play in.

49
find, fine
50
find

• Find means to locate or something that was
  located.
• I cant find my keys.
• What a find I got at the yard sale.

51
fine

• Fine, as a noun, is a penalty. As an adjective,
  it means not coarse or acceptable.
• I paid the traffic fine.
• The powder was very fine.
• Thats fine with me.

52
hear, here
53
hear

• Hear is what you do with your ear.
• Can you hear me?

54
here

• Here means in this place.
• Come over here.
• He lives in the here and now.

55
its, its
56
its

• Its means belonging to it.
• The dog chased its tail.
• The committee exaggerated its influence.

57
its

• Its means it is. You probably should use it is
  in more formal writing.
• Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
• Do you know when its supposed to happen?

58
know, no, now, knew, new
59
know

• Know means to realize or understand in your mind.
• Do you know where the restroom is?
• He didnt know the answer.

60
no

• No is the opposite of yes. It also means not any.
• No, I dont have any paper.
• We serve no Red Coats here!
• There is no accounting for taste.

61
now

• Now means at this very moment in time.
• I did have some, but I dont have any now.
• Now, come on!
• Now you tell me!

62
knew

• Knew is the past form of know.
• If I only knew then what I know now.
• She asked if I knew her roommate.

63
new

• New is the opposite of old.
• I bought a new car.
• No, I knew that the car wasnt new.

64
lie, lay, laid
65
lie

• Lie means to say something not true it also
  means to be situated.
• Dont lie to me.
• Let sleeping dogs lie.

66
lay

• Lay means to put something somewhere. It is also
  the past of lie.
• Where did I lay my keys.
• We will lay a wreath at the tomb.
• I had to play the ball where it lay.

67
laid

• Laid is the past of lay.
• We laid a wreath at the tomb yesterday.
• She wondered where she had laid her keys.

68
loose, lose
69
loose

• Loose means not tight.
• The shoelace came loose.
• Dont chase fast cars and loose women.

70
lose

• Lose means to forget where something is or not to
  win.
• Did you lose your keys?
• Did you lose the game?

71
mind, mine
72
mind

• Mind is that thing you think with. It can be a
  verb meaning to obey or pay attention to or care
  about.
• Have you lost your mind?
• Mind your parents.
• Mind your manners.
• No, I dont mind at all.

73
mine

• Mine means to belong to me.
• Hey, give that back. Its mine!

74
of, off
75
of

• Of is a preposition which can mean many different
  things.
• This is a case of mistaken identity.
• He is a friend of mine.

76
off

• Off means the opposite of on it may mean away
  from.
• Turn that boombox off!
• The plane took off.
• Are you off your rocker?
• Get off of the roof.

77
past, passed
78
past

• Past means before now or beyond here.
• That is all in the past.
• He went past the school on his way to work.

79
passed

• Passed is the form of the verb pass that is used
  for a previous time.
• He passed the test yesterday.
• She passed me the ball.
• He passed out when he heard the news.
• Did he pass? He passed.

80
peace, piece
81
peace

• Peace is the opposite of war.
• May there be peace on earth.

82
piece

• A piece is a part of something. As a verb, it
  means to do something with parts.
• I want a piece of cake.
• He tried to piece together the puzzle.

83
plain, plane
84
plain

• Plain means not fancy. It also means a flat piece
  of land.
• She wore a plain blue dress.
• The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain.

85
plane

• A plane is something that flies. It is also a
  tool used to make wood flat, or a verb that means
  to make wood flat.
• The plane took off at three.
• I need to plane the maple board.
• I have to sharpen my plane before I work on that
  piece of maple.

86
principal, principle
87
principal

• The principal is the head of a school. As an
  adjective, it means the main or chief
• We groaned when the teacher said, You can always
  remember how to spell it because the principal is
  your friend, your pal.
• Those are the principal reasons he gave.

88
principle

• A principle is a rule, doctrine, law, or
  assumption. It can only be used as a noun.
• He follows the principles of non-violence.
• You are a person of no principles.

89
quit, quiet, quite
90
quit

• Quit means to stop.
• Quit doing that!
• He quit work and became a hermit.

91
quiet

• Quiet is the opposite of noisy.
• Be quiet! Cant you see Im trying to sleep?
• He was a very quiet person.

92
quite

• Quite means very or totally.
• Are you finished? Not quite.
• It was quite cold.
• That sounds quite British to me.

93
right, rite, wright, rote, wrote, wrought,
94
right

• Right means correct or the opposite of left. It
  is the opposite of a privilege.
• We got the right answer.
• Raise your right hand, please.
• You have the right to remain silent.

95
rite

• A rite is the prescribed form or manner of the
  words of a ceremony.
• We watched the film of the marriage rite of the
  Eastern Orthodox Church.

96
wright

• Wright is an out-of-date verb meaning to make. It
  survives in the form of some nouns, even proper
  names.
• His father was a cartwright he is a wainwright.

97
write

• Write usually means to make meaningful marks
  which someone else reads.
• Dont write on the walls, please.
• Write me a letter.

98
rote

• Rote means to learn by memorizing.
• He learned the alphabet by rote.
• Rote memorization is not the most complex form of
  learning.

99
wrote

• Wrote is the past tense of write.
• He wrote me a memo last week.
• Yeah, thats what I wrote! So what?

100
wrought

• Wrought is the past tense of wright it is still
  used as a verb but more commonly as an adjective
  meaning worked.
• What hath God wrought.
• The piece was made of wrought iron.

101
ruff, tuff
102
ruff

• Hey, spell it as rough, please. Us older folks
  consider ruff to be a cutsey spelling of the
  word without merit. It is similar to alot in
  that it probably will be so misused that one day
  it will be correct, if it isnt already, but it
  hurts my eyes because I learned to spell it
  rough.

103
tuff

• Hey, spell it as tough, please. Us older folks
  consider tuff to be a cutsey spelling of the
  word without merit. It is similar to alot in
  that it probably will be so misused that one day
  it will be correct, if it isnt already, but it
  hurts my eyes because I learned to spell it
  tough.

104
sit, set, sat
105
sit

• Sit means to recline, usually in a chair.
• Sit down over there, please.
• Sit, Fido, sit.

106
set

• Set means to place something somewhere or to be
  prepared.
• Set the table.
• Set the vase on the mantle, please.
• Is everything set for the party.
• The old folks say, Come, set a spell, when
  Come, sit a spell, would do as well.

107
sat

• Sat is the past of sit. It is not the past of
  set.
• Little Jack Horner sat in the corner.
• There he sat, all alone.

108
than, then
109
than

• Than is used in comparisons.
• He is bigger than I am.
• She is slower than molasses in January.
• You came sooner than I expected.

110
then

• Then is a time word meaning at that time or next.
• Lets eat first. Then we can go to the movie.
• This is now, and that was then.

111
there, their, theyre
112
there

• There is a place word that means not here. It is
  also used as a filler word to start a sentence.
• Your keys are over there.
• There is no reason to fear.

113
their

• Their means belonging to them.
• We went over to their house.
• He did not pay attention to their words.

114
theyre

• Theyre means they are or they were. You probably
  should use they are in more formal writing.
• Theyre here.
• She wonders where theyre going.

115
through, threw, though, throw, thought
116
through

• Through means in one side and out the other or
  finished.
• The water flowed through the pipe.
• We went through basic training.
• Arent you through yet?

117
threw

• Threw is the past tense of throw.
• He threw me the ball.
• The dog threw up all over the carpet.

118
though

• Though means but or although
• He was tough though fair.
• Though money was scarce, he bought some bread.

119
throw

• Throw means to toss something.
• Dont throw that away.
• Throw me the ball.
• If you throw up, clean up.

120
thought

• A thought is something in your mind.
• Dont give it a second thought.
• Thought should come before action.

121
to, too, two
122
to

• To is a preposition. Sometimes it is used to form
  an infinitive with a verb.
• We went to a movie.
• He froze to death.
• To err is human to forgive is divine.

123
too

• Too means more than enough or also.
• You think too much.
• Can I come, too?

124
two

• Two is the number after one.
• I have two sisters.
• Ill see you at two oclock.
• Two heads are better than one.

125
used to, supposed to
126
used to

• Used to means a habit from the past or accustomed
  to .
• We used to go to the library once a week.
• I cant get used to his scratchy voice.

127
supposed to

• Supposed to means to have a duty, or what most
  people think.
• She is supposed to do the dishes every night.
• He was commonly supposed to be an honest
  individual.

128
weather, whether
129
weather

• Weather is that stuff like rain, snow, and
  sunshine.
• What is the weather supposed to be like tomorrow?

130
whether

• Whether is sort of like if and means which of two
  possibilities, so perhaps whether or not is a bit
  redundant.
• I wonder whether she will call tonight or come
  over to visit.
• I will come over whether or not you call

131
were, where, were
132
were

• Were is the past of are. It has a special
  subjunctive use also.
• We were there, but you were not.
• If I were him, Id be careful.

133
where

• Where is a place word like here or there. It can
  also be a place question word.
• Youll find your keys right where you left them.
• Where do you live?

134
were

• Were means we are. You probably should use we
  are in more formal writing.
• Were coming over tonight to see you.
• They know were upset about it.

135
whos, whose
136
whos

• Whos means who is or who has. You probably
  should use who is in more formal writing.
• Whos the one that put gum on my chair?
• Whos been sleeping in my bed?

137
whose

• Whose means belonging to whom.
• I wonder whose book that is.
• Those are the people whose dog barks all night
  long.

138
your, youre
139
your

• Your means belonging to you.
• Is that your book, or is it mine?
• Mind your manners, please.
• May I take your order?

140
youre

• Youre means you are. You probably should use you
  are in more formal writing.
• So youre the one who called?
• Youre in for a big surprise tonight.

141
chitin, chiton
142
chitin

• Chitin is the hard substance that makes up the
  shell of a beetle.
• The beetle shell made a snapping sound as I put
  my fingernail through the chitin.

143
chiton

• Chiton is an ancient Greek tunic worn by men and
  women men wore knee-length ones while women wore
  them full length
• The statue was dressed in sandals and a chiton.

144
Take a Test or Two!

• Quizzes - a useful link to torture yourself!
• http//webster.commnet.edu/grammar/
• Look under numbers 123-130 in Quizzes for
  Notorious Confusables. Pick a test, and take it!
• When you begin to master these confusables, you
  will soon notice that there are a lot of people
  out there who are still confused!