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accept, except	accept = verb meaning “to receive” Gary could not accept defeat. except =verb meaning “to leave out” or preposition meaning “excluding” Everybody except me knew the answer.
affect, effect	affect = verb meaning “to influence” The heat did not affect the team. effect = verb meaning “to accomplish” or “to bring about” or noun meaning “the result of some action” Did the medicine effect a cure? Or the heat had no effect on the team.
allusion, illusion	allusion = a reference to something The poem’s allusion is to the Hopi folk tale. illusion = a mistaken idea or a misleading appearance The magician was a master of illusion.
bear bare	bear = the animal (big growling creature), or a request for forbearance and patience Feeding the bears was not allowed in the zoo. Bear with me. bare= As an adjective it means "without covering or clothing, unadorned." As verb it means "to open to view, divulge." The trees in the forest were bare. He decided to bare his chest to the paparazzi.
bring, take	bring = “to come carrying something” Bring your radio when you come. take = “to go away carrying something” Don’t forget to take the coat when you go.
bust, busted	Avoid using these words as verbs. Instead, use a form of break or burst. I broke [not busted] the switch on the stereo. The water main burst. [not busted]
could of	Do not use of with the helping verb could. Use could have instead.
counsel council	counsel = a verb meaning "to advise" The lawyer must counsel her client before the trial. counsel = a noun meaning "lawyer" Clarence Darrow was the led counsel for the defense. council = a noun meaning "a body of people who come together for deliberation" The city council meets tonight.
emigrate, immigrate	emigrate = “to leave a country to settle elsewhere” My great grandmother emigrated from Mexico. immigrate = “to come into a country to settle there” Much of Australia’s population is composed of people who immigrated there.
fewer, less	fewer – used with plural nouns There are fewer whales than there once were. less – used with singular words We should have bought less meat and fewer eggs.
good, well	Good is an adjective. Do not use it to modify a verb. Instead, use well. They skate well. (They skate good.= incorrect) Well is usually an adverb, but it can also be used as an adjective meaning “healthy,” “well dressed,” or “satisfactory.” I didn’t feel well; He looked well in his uniform; All seems well.
he, she, they	Do not use unnecessary pronouns after nouns. This error is called double subject. My father he works downtown. (incorrect) My father works downtown. (correct)
imply, infer	imply = “to suggest something” The political candidate implied that she is for tax reform. Infer = “to get a certain meaning from a remark or an action” From the candidate’s speeches, I inferred that she is for tax reform.
kind of, sort of	These expressions mean “rather” or “somewhat.” Avoid them in writing. She seemed kind of bored. (incorrect) She seemed rather bored. (correct) The waves were sort of rough. (incorrect) The waves were rather rough. (correct)
learn, teach	learn = “to acquire knowledge” She learned how to saddle a horse. teach = “to instruct” or “to show how” The stable owner taught her how.
lie, lay	lie = verb meaning “to rest” or “to recline” The cat often lies on the porch. lay = verb meaning “to put” or “to place” Lay your packages here.
like, as	like = usually a preposition In informal English, like is often used in place of the conjunction as. Formal English calls for as to introduce a subordinate clause. The animal looked like a snake. It shed its skin as a snake does. (formal; correct) It shed its skin like a snake does. (informal)
of	Do not use of with prepositions such as inside, off, and outside. The diver jumped off the board (correct). The diver jumped off of the board. (incorrect)
principal principle	principal = an adjective meaning "the most important or main;" as noun it means "the main or chief one" The principal sum of money on which one draws interest is the principal. Dr. Cathy Long is the principal of Auburn High School. principle = can never be an adjective; it functions only as noun meaning "fundamental law or code of conduct" Susan made her choice based on the principles she had chosen to believe in.
rise, raise	rise = verb meaning “to go upward” rise; rising; rose; have risen I usually rise at 6:00 A.M. Prices rose rapidly in the early 1980s. raise = verb meaning “to move (something) upward” or “to bring up” raise; raising; raised; have raised Raise your hand if you know the answer. The coach raised the bar on the high jump.
sit, set	sit = verb meaning “to rest in a seated position” sit, sitting, sat, have sat You may sit. The car sat in the driveway. set = verb meaning “to put” or “to place” set, setting, set, have set Set your books down. We set the books there.
some, somewhat	In writing, do not use some as an adverb in place of somewhat. The medicine should help your cough somewhat. [not some]
stationery stationary	Stationery is a noun that refers to "the paper on which one writes or other related items." The stationery I received as a gift had a lovely blue border around the edges. Stationary is an adjective meaning "not moving" or "still" As a noun, it refers to "an individual who is unmoving or staying in one place." The eyes of the stationary statue seemed to follow me around the room.
than, then	Than is a conjunction used in comparisons. She is younger than you. Then is an adverb telling “when.” I swept the floor; then I emptied the trash.
them	Do not use them as an adjective. Use those instead. It’s one of those [not them] fancy show dogs.
try and	The correct expression is try to. When you’re at bat, you must try to [not try and] concentrate.
way, ways	Use way, not ways, in referring to a distance. She lives quite a way [not ways] from here.
What	Do not use what in place of that to introduce a subordinate clause. This is the book that [not what] I told you about.
which, that, who	Which refers only to things. That refers to either people or things. Who refers only to people. These running shoes, which are on sale now, are the ones I want. This is the bulb that needs replacing. Is she the runner who won the medal? Is she the runner that won the medal?
who, whom	who, whoever – nominative case (as a noun form) Roscoe is the only student who got a perfect score. Do you know who she is? whom – objective case (as an object) I saw Sabrina, whom I know from school. She is someone whom we all admire.
hardly, scarcely, no, none, nothing	A double negative is the use of two negative words when one is enough. Do not use the words hardly or scarcely with another negative word. You can hardly see ten feet in this fog. (correct) You can’t hardly see ten feet in this fog. (incorrect) We had scarcely enough time to finish. (correct) We hadn’t scarcely enough time to finish. (incorrect) Do not use no, none, or nothing with another negative word. There isn’t no reason to be nervous. (incorrect) There is no reason to be nervous. (correct) We searched for clues but didn’t find none. (incorrect) We searched for clues but found none. (correct) I didn’t hear nothing. (incorrect) I didn’t hear anything. (correct)

Comparisons	Positive, Comparative (2), Superlative (3 or more)
One-syllable modifiers form their comparative and superlative degree by adding –er and –*est*.	thin, thinner, thinnest safe, safer, safest dry, drier, driest
Some two-syllable modifiers form their comparative and superlative degrees by adding –er and –*est. Other two-syllable* modifiers form their comparative and superlative degrees with *more* and *most*.	lovely, lovelier, loveliest tricky, trickier, trickiest awkward, more awkward, most awkward quick, more quickly, most quickly
Modifiers that have more than two syllables form their comparative or superlative degrees with more and most.	catastrophic, more catastrophic, most catastrophic predictably, more predictably, most predictably
Modifiers indicate less or least of a quality with the words *less* and *least*.	frequently, less frequently, more frequently carefully, less carefully, more carefully
Irregular Comparisons	Positive, comparative (2), superlative (3 or more)
Some adjectives and adverbs do not follow the regular methods of forming their comparative and superlative degrees. Do not add –er, --est, more, or most to irregularly compared forms: worse, not worser, or more worse.	bad, worse, worst good, better, best well, better, best little, less, least many, more, most much, more, most
Avoid double comparisons.	The second movie is more funnier* than the first one.* The second movie is funnier* than the first one.*

Words Often Confused
all ready	meaning “all are ready” We were all ready to leave.
already	meaning “previously” We have already painted the sets.
all right	This is the only acceptable spelling. The spelling *alright* is not standard usage.
all together altogether	meaning “everyone in the same place” The players were all together in the gym. meaning “entirely” I’m not altogether convinced.
brake break	Verb – “to slow down” or “stop” Noun – “a device used to slow down or stop” Georgia braked the speeding car. The worn brakes couldn’t stop the car. Verb – “to violate” or “to fracture” Noun- “the fracture itself” Don’t break the speed limit. The doctor says it isn’t a bad break.
choose chose	[Verb, present tense] We choose partners today. [Verb, past tense of choose] Each of us chose a partner.
complement compliment	[Verb] “to make whole or complete The scarf complements your outfit nicely. [Noun] “that which makes whole or complete The complement, or full crew, is six hundred people. [Noun] “a courteous act”; “a flattering statement He received many compliments on his cooking. [Verb] “to express these qualities I complimented her on her success.
desert desert dessert	[Noun] “a dry region” The car crossed the desert at night. [Verb] “to leave” The rats deserted the sinking ship. [Noun] “the last part of a meal” For dessert we had cheese and fruit.
formally formerly	“in formal manner” Do you plan to dress formally for the party? “previously” This lake was formerly a valley.
hear here	“to receive sound through the ears” Please speak up—I can’t hear you. “this place” Let’s sit here.
its it’s	[possessive form of it] The town hasn’t raised its tax rate in years. [contraction of it is or it has] It’s cold, and it’s started to snow.
lead led lead	[verb] “to go first Who will lead the Mardi Gras parade? [verb; past tense of lead] He led us five miles out of the way. [noun, pronounced “led”] “a heavy metal” or “graphite in a pencil” A pencil lead is not made of lead.
loose lose	[adjective, pronounced “loos”] “free, not connected tightly Put all your loose papers in a folder. My little brother has two loose teeth. [verb, pronounced “looz”] “to suffer loss Don’t lose your tickets.
personal personnel	“individual” The store manager gave us her personal attention. “a group of people employed in the same place” “The management added personnel to handle the increased workload.
principal principle	[noun] “head of a school” [adjective] “main” or “most important The principal of our school is Dr. Long. The principal export of Brazil is coffee. “a rule of conduct” or “a main fact of law” Her principles are very high. Martin Luther King, Jr., supported the principle of nonviolence.
quiet quite	“silent” or “still” I need complete quiet to study. “wholly”; “rather”; or “very” Are you quite sure this is the right path?
shone shown	[past tense of shine] The stars shone brightly last night. [past principle of show] The slides were shown after dinner.
stationary stationery	[adjective] “in a fixed position Are these desks movable or stationary? [noun] writing paper Purple stationery isn’t appropriate for business letters.
their there they’re	[possessive of they] Their apartment has a view of the river. [adverb] “in that place”; [expletive, used to fill out the meaning of a sentence] I haven’t been there in a long time. There is too much pepper in my soup. [contraction of they are] They’re reading a book by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve.
to too two	[preposition; also part of the infinitive form of a verb] Please return these books to the library. He began to whistle. [adverb] “also” or “more than enough” Kim Mock is a teacher and a mother, too. You’re too young to drive. “one plus one” I will graduate in two years.
weather whether	[noun] “conditions outdoors The weather has been perfect all week. [subordinating conjunction; indicates alternative or doubt] They don’t know whether or not they’ll go.
who’s whose	[contraction of who is or who has] Who’s there? Who’s been wearing my socks? [possessive form of who] Whose book is this?
your You’re	[possessive of you] Your coat is in the closet. [contraction of you are] You’re never on time.