Download COMMONLY CONFUSED WORDS affect: (verb) means to influence

COMMONLY CONFUSED WORDS
affect: (verb) means to influence. The flood will affect the harvest.
effect: (almost always a noun) means "result." The effect of the flood was frightening.
effect: (as a verb) means to cause. He will effect many changes in the agricultural rules.
allude: to make an indirect reference to something. President Clinton alluded to the problems of past
Republican administrations when defending his record.
(Note: To refer to something means to mention it directly.)
elude: to escape or avoid detection. Newt Gingrich eluded the fashion police.
among: implies a "distribution" involving three or more persons or object that have no explicit
relationship. The lottery money was divided among Oregon's five lucky winners.
between: refers to position or action of two persons or objects, and is also used if there is a "definite
relation" between persons or objects. Between you and me, this building will never be completed.
Negotiations have broken down between architects, builders and the owner.
anxious: afraid or worried. Sally was anxious about the championship game.
eager: excited. Sally was eager to play in the championship game.
accept: to receive. Gail Devers accepted the gold medal.
except: to exclude. Every swimmer received an Olympic medal except for Janet Evans.
aid: assistance. Students often ask their parents for aid.
aide: an assistant. A congressional aide said the senator was unavailable for comment.
because of: shows cause and effect. Because of a tuition increase, students were angry.
due to: use only with a linking verb. The riot at Johnson Hall was due to a tuition increase.
because: gives reason or cause for something. The bridge was closed because the river flooded.
since: denotes a period of time. The bridge has been closed since the river flooded.
compose: made up of other things, to create or put together (e.g., parts, ingredients). The car is composed
of many mechanical and electrical systems.
comprise: takes in, includes or embraces other things, contains. The United States comprises 50 states.
Note: The whole comprises the parts -- the whole is never comprised of the parts.
compared to: to liken one thing to another type or category of things as in a metaphor. He compared
playing goalie to being a drill sergeant.
compared with: to examine similarities and differences within the same type or category. We compared
Big Macs with Whoppers.
convince: to be secure about a decision or principle. Jody Runge is convinced the Ducks will win the
game.
persuade: to induce someone to do something or embrace an idea. Jody Runge persuaded the referee to
call a foul.
complement: (noun or verb) denotes completeness or the process of supplementing something. Susan's
Doc Marten's complement her leather jacket.
compliment: (noun or verb) denotes praise. Sean was proud of the compliments on his writing.
continual: a steady repetition. The senator's drinking was the source of continual rumors.
continuous: uninterrupted, unbroken. Ahead of them was a continuous stretch of desert.
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discreet: prudent, circumspect. British royalty seem to have forgotten how to be discreet.
discrete: detached, separate. There have been six discrete incidents of plagiarism this year.
elicit: (verb) to bring out or draw forth. Her lecture on prison reform elicited a strong reaction.
illicit: (adjective) illegal or unlawful. Bob Packwood's illicit actions led to his downfall.
enormity: wickedness. The enormity of the crime was revealed in Technicolor.
enormousness: very great in size. The enormousness of the national debt boggles the mind.
ensure: (verb) to secure or guarantee. Win today will ensure the team a place in the championship game.
insure: (verb) to guarantee against loss or harm. She decided to insure her home.
fewer: refers to a number of indivdual items. Lisa made fewer free throws than Cindy.
less: refers to bulk, amount, sum, or period of time. Because of her injury, she had less time on the court
than the other players
farther: physical distance. Sue kicked the soccer ball farther than any of her teammates.
further: extension of time or degree. The reporter will look further into the president's death.
hanged: (verb; conjugated hang, hanged and hanged) refers to people. The State of Oregon hanged the
murderer for his crimes.
hung: (same verb; conjugated hang, hung and hung) refers to objects. The University of Oregon athletic
department hung photos of women basketball players in the halls of Mac Court.
hangar: a building. The remnants of the plane are in the hangar.
hanger: something you hung your shirt on. There are never enough hangers in my closet.
if: a conjunction meaning "in the event that" or "on the condition that." If the Ducks keep playing well,
they may play in post season games.
whether: a conjunction meaning "in case," "if it happens that" or "if it is so that." Bob Rodman asked
whether the Ducks had won.
illusion: an unreal or false impression. The commercial created the illusion that the politician had told
the truth about his past.
allusion: an indirect reference. Packwood made an allusion to his critics in Oregon.
elusive: tending to elude capture, perception or understanding. An informative, intelligent political
commercial has proved elusive.
like: a preposition used to compare nouns or pronouns. Nicole runs like the wind.
as if: a conjunction used to introduce clauses. Nicole runs as if her life depends on it.
imply: to suggest or hint. Perot implied that he would run for president.
infer: to conclude from evidence. Reporters inferred that Perot would run as a third-party candidate.
media: (plural) in the sense of mass communication. The media are pressing for access to more
government documents.
medium: (singular of media) AM radio may be the medium that has changed the most in the last five
years.
more than: generally refers to relationships between figures and amounts. Tuition has increased more
than 18 percent in the last two years.
over: generally refers to spatial relationships. The helicopter flew over the volcano.
notorious: to be widely and unfavorably known. Ted Bundy was a notorious killer.
famous: to be widely known. The Miami Dolphins signed the famous coach, Jimmy Johnson.
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proven: use only as an adjective. This is a proven method to get good grades.
proved: past participle for the verb prove, which means to establish the truth of something. The game
against Washington proved the Ducks' defense had a lot to learn.
regardless: without regard or unmindful. The couple hikes every weekend regardless of the weather.
irregardless: a dreaded double negative that has been snubbed by dictionaries nationwide.
reluctant: unwilling to act. Susan is reluctant to go to the dentist.
reticent: means unwilling to speak. Steven is reticent in public places.
to: a preposition meaning (among other things) as compared with. President Clinton compared the
nation's debt to a swelling balloon.
with: a preposition meaning in the company of or alongside of. Susan went with her sister to the meeting.
towards: Don't even think about using this out-of-date word unless you're writing a poem in Olde
English.
toward: This is the 20th Century word.
under way: two words in virtually all uses. Construction on Allen Hall is well under way.
underway: Use only as an adjective before a noun in the nautical sense. In other words, forget about it.
under: physically underneath. Several people sleep under the bridge at night.
less than: a lesser quantity or amount. I can go to the concert if the tickets are less than $5.00.
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A FEW GRAMMAR NUGGETS
WORDS THAT ARE ALWAYS A SINGULAR SUBJECT:
First it might be helpful to remember that the singular form of all verbs except to be and to have is
formed by adding "s" or "es." For example: dives, runs, answers and crashes, presses and tosses.
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When used as a subject or adjective these indefinite pronouns are always singular and, therefore,
they take singular verbs.
another
anybody
anyone
anything
each
each one
either
every
everybody everything much
neither
nobody
no one
nothing
one
other
somebody something someone
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These pronouns may be used as subjects, and they take a singular verb.
ƒ Everyone has been invited.
ƒ She said that something was all she wanted for her birthday.
ƒ The Democratic leadership suggested two solutions but neither was acceptable to
the committee chair.
When they are used as adjectives, the noun they modify always takes a singular verb
ƒ Neither solution works for the committee chair.
ƒ Each tragedy gives the population given less time to recover from the previous
shock.
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The number--when used as subject of a sentence (an organized unit)—takes a singular verb.
o The number of tenants without heat is increasing.
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Subjects that stand for definable units of money, measurement, time, organization, food and
medical problems always take singular verbs.
o Six months is not enough time.
o Five thousand dollars is the minimum bid.
o Ham and eggs is my favorite meal.
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Singular subject followed by phrases such as together with and as well as take singular verb.
o The tax measure, together with its amendments, has passed.
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When all parts of a compound subject are singular and refer to same person or thing.
o The head of the expedition and mayor of the village was the same person.
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When the subject is followed by the phrase "the only one of."
o Jake is the only one of the runners who has finished.
o BUT: Jake is one of those runners who have finished.
(In this case, Jake is one of many [those] runners. The verb "have" agrees with "those
runners" not with Jake.)
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WORDS THAT ARE ALWAYS PLURAL SUBJECT:
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When a compound subject is joined by a coordinating conjunction (and), it always takes a plural
verb if the subjects refer to different persons or things and if the subject cannot be considered a
unit.
o Your investments and property are sure to increase in value.
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Indefinite pronouns (both, few, many, several) always take plural verbs.
o Both are acceptable choices.
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"A number" as the subject of a sentence always takes plural verbs.
o A number of tenants are in the building.
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Certain plural subjects always take plural verbs.
o The news media are under attack. (singular of media: medium)
WORDS THAT ARE EITHER SINGULAR OR PLURAL SUBJECT:
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When the parts of a compound subject are joined by
or, but, either ... or, neither ... nor, not only ... but also
the verb must agree with the subject nearest to the verb.
o Neither the Oregon players nor the coach was overconfident.
o Neither the Oregon coach nor the players were intimidated by Arizona.
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Collective nouns and certain plural words may take singular or plural verbs-depending on the
meaning in the sentence.
TEST: If the word indicates persons or things working together as an identifiable unit, a singular
verb is used.
o The jury was seated at 9 a.m. ("It" was seated.)
o BUT: The jury were being interviewed by the media.
(refers to individual members of the jury; could be rewritten as: "The jurors were ... ")
o Politics is a hot topic. (politics as a single topic)
o BUT: The mayor's politics are offensive.
(politics as several actions over time)
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The pronouns any, none or some and the nouns all and most:
1. take singular verbs when they refer to a unit or quantity
1. Some of the money was missing. (a bag of money)
2. take plural verbs when they refer to number, amount or individuals
1. Some of the gold coins were missing. (a series of coins)
3. "NONE":
a. "No Single One"; "Not One"--Singular
ƒ None of the gold coins was missing. (not one of the coins)
b. "No Two" or "No Amount"--Plural
ƒ None of the goods were missing. (no amount of the goods)
ƒ None of the forests were destroyed. (no amount of the forests)
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When subject is a fraction or a word such as half, part, plenty, rest, its intended number is
suggested by the object of the preposition that follows it.
o Three-fourths of the enemy's army is wounded.
o Three-fourths of the enemy's soldiers are wounded.
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CLARITY
As writers, our words are our tools. Therefore, with every word, phrase, clause and sentence we write, we
should be asking, "Is this the right tool for the job?" Is the way we have written a sentence the clearest,
most concise way to express what we are trying to say?
There are several danger zones to be mindful of as we are writing for clarity, conciseness and coherence.
WORD CHOICE:
The words we choose should communicate just what we mean to communicate--nothing more; nothing
less. As noted in "When Words Collide," choosing the correct verb is a matter of grammar; but choosing
the right verb is a matter of conciseness and clarity.
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Avoid UP
o
o
Bob appointed his uncle to head up the committee.
Bob appointed his uncle to head the committee.
o
o
The negligent father finally faced up to his responsibilities.
The negligent father finally faced his responsibilities.
o
o
His incessant questions only served to slow up the meeting.
His incessant questions only served to slow the meeting.
Avoid those verbs requiring "up" to complete their meaning. These verbs are not wrong; but they
are weak.
o
o
She suspected the student was making up the excuse.
She suspected the student was fabricating the excuse.
o
o
Business has been picking up since the street opened.
Business has improved since the street opened.
MISPLACED WORDS
A modifier must point directly and clearly to what it modifies. Place the modifier next to or as close as
possible to what it is modifying.
Problem modifiers: only, nearly, almost, just, scarcely, even, hardly and merely.
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ONLY
o
Only the coach lead the team to victory.
(No one else can lead them)
o
The coach can only lead the team to victory.
(The coach can't do anything more than lead them.)
o
The coach can lead only the team to victory.
(The coach can't lead anyone else.)
o
Just the swimmer missed her chance to compete in the race.
(No one else missed a chance.)
JUST
o
The swimmer just missed her chance to compete in the race.
(The swimmer barely or recently missed her chance)
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o
The swimmer missed her chance just to compete in the race.
(The swimmer missed her chance simply to compete)
o
The swimmer missed her chance to compete in just the race.
(The swimmer missed only once chance to compete: the race. Or she missed the chance
to limit her competing to one event: the race.)
MISPLACED MODIFIERS
Phrases and clauses should also be placed next to or near what they modify.
o
Several of the children were confused by math in the class.
o
Rising to their feet, the fight song roared from the fans.
o
Joe found a twenty-dollar bill walking home.
DANGLING MODIFIERS
A modifier "dangles" when what it is supposed to modify is not part of the sentence.
o
Before going on vacation, the bills need to be paid.
o
After cutting the grass, the garden was weeded.
SPLITTING AUXILIARY AND MAIN VERBS AND SPLITTING INFINITIVES
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Split verbs lead to incoherence. In most cases, it is best to keep auxiliary verbs next to the main
verb and to avoid splitting infinitives.
o
The students who have been, for more than a week, waiting for tickets were disappointed
with the news.
o
The burglar was, as far as the detectives could determine, hiding somewhere in the
building.
Splitting infinitives, though common practice is grammatically incorrect and makes for sloppy
writing.
o
For the information to truly be valuable, he will need to verify the source.
o
Sally intended to fully explain the proposal, but she missed the meeting.
SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD
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A mood of the verb (to be) that expresses a condition or supposition that is contrary to fact or
highly improbable (a wish).
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It is also used to express: DOUBTS, UNCERTAINTIES, REGRETS, DESIRES.
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With subjunctive mood, use WERE instead of WAS.
o
o
o
If I were rich, I would still teach grammar.
The students looked at me as if I were insane.
She wishes she were home in bed instead of in class.
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o
BUT: -- If the ex-convict was involved in the robbery, he
probably has left town.
CONCISENESS
Make your words count. Don't muddy your writing with jargon, unclear construction and repetition.
REDUNDANCIES AND WORDINESS
Mutual cooperation
cooperation
Completely
destroyed
destroyed
Could care less
couldn't care
less
consensus of opinion
consensus
refer back
refer
thinking to myself
thinking
needless to say
then why say it?
at the present time
now
despite the fact that
although
INTENSIFIERS
Avoid overused intensifiers such as: Very, Really, Truly, So, Completely, Totally, Positively,
Perfectly
• Re-write for conciseness and description. For example:
very hungry
famished
really tired
exhausted
perfectly happy
content
so silly
ridiculous
truly angry
irate
SENTENCE FRAGMENT:
• A group of words lacking one or more of the following: a subject, a predicate, a complete thought
(e.g, a dependent clause).
o Although he passed the test.
o "Now his concern is to be a normally functioning human being again. Without the
headaches, dizziness, memory loss and lethargy that have been part of his life for too
long."
RUN-ON SENTENCE:
• Lacks proper punctuation
e.g, Comma Splice:
o The professor dismissed the class, the students cheered.
• Options to fix run-ons:
1) Create two sentences
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2) Use a semi-colon
3) Use a coordinating conjunction
OVERSUBORDINATED SENTENCE:
• Caused by several dependent clauses or one long dependent clause at the start of a sentence.
Problem: delays main idea.
o Even though I felt sick and discouraged at the thought of taking the exam, I passed the
LSDT.
PASSIVE & ACTIVE VOICE
• The "VOICE" of a sentence indicates the form of the verb.
• PASSIVE VOICE: The subject is acted upon by the verb.
o The test was passed by the student.
o The meeting was led by the president.
o The play was canceled.
• ACTIVE VOICE: The subject is performing an action.
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Think: Subject-Verb-Object
o The student passed the test.
o The president led the meeting.
o The director canceled the play.
NOTE: Use of the verb to be (e.g., is, was) does not necessarily mean the passive voice.
o She was managing the store. (active)
o The store was managed by her. (passive)
o She was tired. (indicative)
TIP: Avoid unnecessary introductory phrases and clauses
o It has been shown by numerous studies that studying improves your chances of passing
the LSDT.
o Numerous studies have shown that studying improves your chances of passing the LSDT.
CORRECTING PASSIVE VOICE:
Find the verb in the sentence
Ask who or what is performing the action.
Construct the sentence to that the "actor" (subject) performs the action.
o Our conclusion was ignored by the committee.
o
Verb: ignored
Actor: committee
Re-write: The committee ignored out conclusions.
The infant was rescued from the blaze by his mother.
Verb: rescued
Actor: mother
Re-write: The infant's mother rescued him from the blaze.
If we write it:
His mother rescued the infant from the blaze.
"His" is unclear as a pronoun reference.
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WHEN PASSIVE VOICE IS JUSTIFIED:
The recipient of the action is more important (prominent) than the performer of the action.
o President Clinton was heckled by an unidentified comedian posing as a journalist.
The actor or performer of the action is unknown, difficult to identify or irrelevant.
o The gift was damaged during shipping.
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PARALLEL STRUCTURE (PARALLELISM):
• Don't mix elements in a phrase or series.
o He enjoys books, movies and driving his car. (NO)
o He enjoys reading books, watching movies and driving his car. (YES)
• Don't mix verbals (e.g., gerunds and infinitives).
o He believes in using force and then to resort to diplomacy only if all else fails. (NO)
o He believes in using force and then resorting to diplomacy only if all else fails. (YES)
• Don't mix tenses or voice.
o Workers who were consulted regularly feel more committed to the company and had
lower rates of absenteeism. (NO)
o Workers who are consulted regularly feel more committed to the company and have
lower rates of absenteeism. (NO)
• Don't mix singular and plural subjects.
o One should study; students should know that. (NO)
o Students should know that they should study. (YES)
• Don't use a dependent clause inappropriately.
o The professor explained the theory of relativity, Newtonian Physics and that critical
thinking is at the heart of scientific study. (NO)
o The professor explained the theory of relativity, Newtonian physics and the importance
of critical thinking in scientific study. (YES)
• Be consistent with grammatical patterns in a sentence (e.g., verb-adjective-noun pattern of
three phrases)
o He vowed to decrease federal taxes, increase social services and strengthen foreign
relations.
This information borrows liberally from E.L. Callahan, “Grammar fro Journalists.”
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