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COSTLY ERRORS
Their / There / They’re
• THEIR: possession (ex. their house)
• THERE: direction, location (ex. over
there)
• THEY’RE: contraction of “they are” (ex.
they’re coming over)
Your / You’re
• YOUR: possession (ex. your house)
• YOU’RE: contraction of “you are” (ex.
you’re late)
Its / It’s
• ITS: possession (ex. its name)
• IT’S: contraction of “it is” (ex. it’s raining)
Whose / Who’s
• WHOSE: possession (ex. Whose paper
is this?)
• WHO’S: contraction of “who is” (ex.
Who’s going to the game on Friday?)
Threw / Through
• THREW: past tense of “to throw” (ex.
D’mitri threw a long spiral pass to
Dennis.)
• THROUGH: preposition, “by way of”
(ex. Kyle walked through the hallway.)
A / An
• A: used before nouns that don’t start
with a vowel (ex. a book, a dog)
• AN: used before nouns that start with a
vowel (ex. an umbrella, an attack)
Wear / Where
• WEAR: to clothe oneself (ex. We have
to wear collared shirts to school.)
• WHERE: location (ex. Where is my
locker?)
We’re / Were
• WE’RE: contraction of “we are” (ex.
We’re going to the movies on Friday.)
• WERE: past tense of “to be” (ex. We
were absent yesterday.)
Accept / Except
• ACCEPT: verb, to receive (ex. to
happily accept the $200 gift)
• EXCEPT: preposition, something
excluded from a group (ex. to like all
vegetables except broccoli)
To / Too / Two
• TO: direction or preposition (ex. to the
store); infinitive of verbs (ex. to play, to
run)
• TOO: excess (ex. too early); in addition
(ex. you go too)
• TWO: number (ex. two sisters)
Apostrophes
• Indicate missing letters or numbers (ex.
can’t, class of ‘08)
• Form possessive of nouns, but NOT
pronouns (ex. Andre’s, brother’s,
children’s)
Weather / Whether
• WEATHER: noun (ex. The weather is
beautiful today.)
• WHETHER: conjunction expressing
doubt (ex. I wonder whether it will work.)
Words to Spell Correctly
• QUIET (not “quite”): low noise level (ex. Be
quiet.)
• DEFINITELY: surely (ex. I’m definitely going
to get an A in Ms. Wright’s class.)
• BEGINNING: first, inception (ex. The
beginning of school is always a difficult
adjustment.)
• NECESSARY: needed (ex. I forgot to bring
the necessary supplies to class.)
Practice
• Complete the “Costly Errors Practice”
sheet alone and silently.
Practice
• This year (hasn’t/hasnt) been so great thus far.
(It’s/its) always (to/too/two) cold in the
(classrooms/classroom’s), and the food in the
cafeteria (isn’t/isnt) appealing at all. My teachers
told me (to/too/two) visit them after school with
questions, but when I visit (there/their/they’re)
classrooms, (there/their/they’re) not
(there/their/they’re). (I’m/Im) hopeful that things
will improve.
• At least my (weekends/weekend’s) are enjoyable. I
no longer (have/half) to (wear/where) a uniform. I
can go (wear/where) I want and do what I want. My
friends and I often hang out outside,
(whether/weather) permitting. On Saturday, my
three friends and I (threw/through) a frisbee in the
park and then played a rousing game of
(to/too/two)-on-(to/too/two). (We’re/Were)
always trying to think of (new/knew) things to do so
that (we’re/were) not (board/bored).
• (I’m/Im) the type of person (whose/who’s) always
trying to stay busy. I (don’t/dont) like to just sit
around. I often call up my friends to see
(whose/who’s) up for hanging out. If (it’s/its) raining,
we normally chill at (someone’s/someones) house,
though we (have/half) to figure out (whose/who’s)
house to go to. It depends on (whether/weather) or
not (are/our) parents and little siblings (are/our)
home. If (there/their/they’re) (there/their/they’re),
then (we’ll/well) sometimes pick another place to go.
(There/Their/They’re) is a favorite restaurant
(wear/where) we sometimes go, but I (can’t/cant)
remember (it’s/its) name. Any place is really fine,
(except/accept) the mall. (It’s/Its) full of loud,
screaming children. (I’m/Im) sure you agree,
(to/two/too). Just walking (threw/through) the doors
makes me cringe.
Now we will be using these words in
action!
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Write a Halloween or Fall themed paragraph using a minimum of 10 of these words.
For any word used beyond 10, you will get an extra point! Be creative! Make it work.
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Their / There / They’re
Your / You’re
Its / It’s
Whose / Who’s
Threw / Through
A / An
Wear / Where
We’re / Were
Accept / Except
To / Too / Two
Weather / Whether
Quiet
Definitely
Beginning
Necessary
Affect/Effect
Affect/Effect
• Use affect as a verb
• Use effect as a noun.
The arrow affected the aardvark.
The effect was eye-popping.
Try it…
1) The rain (affected/effected) Sarah’s
hair.
2) The (affect/effect) of the lecture was
obvious the next day in class.
1. Wars (affect/effect) everybody, and
their destructive (affects/effects) last for
generations.
2. Television has a strong (affect/effect)
on public opinion.
3. My mood can (affect/effect) my
thinking, too.
Capital/Capitol
• Capital: city that serves as the seat of
government.
• Ex: Nashville is the capital of
Tennessee.
Capitol
• The building in which a legislative
assembly meets. Think of the “o” in the
“dome” of the capitol
Principal/Principle
• Principle: a rule or doctrine
• Principal: head of a school, or the noninterest part of a loan. Also-the main
part of something.
• Remember this: The principal of a
school is your “pal”—princi-pal.
Stationary/Stationery
• Stationary: something that is standing
still
• Stationery: Fancy-shmancy paper.
Stationery has an “e” like the “e” in
paper.
Who/Whom
• Use who when you are referring to the
subject of a clause
• Use whom when you are referring to
the object of a clause.
*Remember: the subject of the sentence is the
person doing something, and the object of the
sentence is having something done to them.
*If I step on Squiggly, then I am the subject and
Squiggly is the object.
Who/Whom Quick Tip!
• Like whom, the pronoun him ends with m.
• When you're trying to decide whether to use who or whom, ask
yourself if the answer to the question would be he or him.
• That's the trick: if you can answer the question being asked with
him, then use whom, and it's easy to remember because they both
end with m.
• For example, if you're trying to ask, "Who (or whom) do you love?"
The answer would be "I love him." Him ends with an m, so you know
to use whom.
•
• But if you are trying to ask, "Who (or whom) stepped on Squiggly?"
the answer would be "He stepped on Squiggly." There's no m, so you
know to use who.
Try it!
1. Susan, [who/whom] was in an ugly mood,
pushed past a Girl Scout trying to sell
cookies.
2. Noel, [who/whom] I’ve known since middle
school, has decided to trade in his ancient
Honda.
The Johnsons, [who/whom] everyone in the
neighborhood hates, let their noisy dogs
bark all night.
Allusion/Illusion
• Allusion means "an indirect reference to
a person, event, or thing.”
• Illusion is a noun that means "false
impression; hallucination.”
Try it!
1. A pleasant (allusion/illusion) is better
than a harsh reality.
2. The mayor's remark "Ich bin ein
Springfielder" was an (allusion/illusion)
to President John Kennedy's famous
speech in West Berlin.
Complement/Compliment
• Complement: an item that completes
another; a counterpart
• Compliment: a comment of admiration
• You look so pretty today! (complement
or compliment?)
• The sauce (complements/compliments)
the vegetables nicely.
Cite/Sight/Site
• The verb cite means to mention or quote as an
authority or example.
• The noun sight refers to something that is
seen or the power or process of seeing.
• The noun site means a particular place.
Try it!
1. The National Palace stands on the _____
of Montezuma’s castle.
1. Every student in the class _____ the same
article.
2. "Of all the senses, _____ must be the
most delightful." (Helen Keller)
(Sight, site, cite)
Counsel/Council
• Council: (n) Leadership group
• Counsel: (n) advice, guidance
(v) to advise
1.Do not seek (council/counsel) from her. She
is not trustworthy.
1.The city (council/counsel) meets tonight to
discuss the new stop light.
Course/Coarse
• The adjective coarse means rough, common,
inferior, or indecent.
• The noun course can mean several things,
including path, playing field, mode of behavior,
unit of study.
1.The Spanish (coarse/course) was difficult, but
she passed with a B.
2.The dog’s coat was short and (coarse/course).
Farther/Further
• The quick tip is to use “farther” for physical
distance and “further” for metaphorical, or
figurative, distance.
• It's easy to remember because “farther” has the
word “far” in it, and“far” obviously relates to
physical distance.
We drove farther south, making excellent time on the almost
empty roads.
The meeting ended without any plans for further
discussions.
Try it!
1. We need to explore this problem
(farther/further).
2. Simon walked (farther/further) into the
woods.
Lose/Loose
• The adjective loose means "not tight.”
• The verb lose means "not to win" or
"not to keep.”
• Because your belt is loose, you will
probably lose your pants.
Try it!
1. The button on my sleeve is (loose/lose).
2. If I (loose/lose) that button, I'm in trouble.
Fewer/Less
• The basic rule is that you use less with
mass nouns and fewer with count
nouns.
• A count noun is something you can count.
• Mass nouns are things you cannot count
individually.
A tip!
• Think of the grocery store express lane.
• Most of the signs for these lanes read,
“10 items or less,” and that's just wrong.
• The signs should read, “10 items or
fewer,” because items are individual,
countable things!
Advice/Advise
• Advice (n): counsel
• Advise (v): to give advice
I (advice/advise) against you going there
at night.
Listen to my (advice/advise)!
Precede/Proceed
• Precede means "to come before."
• Proceed means "to go forward."
Bill Clinton preceded George W. Bush in
the White House. Bush proceeded with
his plans to increase military spending.
Try it!
1. After keeping us for an hour, the guard
let us (precede/proceed).
2. The storms of April (precede/proceed)
the gentle rains of May.
Adapt/Adopt
• Adapt: take something and make it
suitable for a specific use or situation.
• Adopt: take something and make it
one's own.
• You adapt to a situation.
• You adopt a baby.
Try it!
1. We must (adapt/adopt) to changing
circumstances.
2. "Morality is simply the attitude we
(adapt/adopt) towards people whom
we personally dislike." (Oscar Wilde)
Eminent/Imminent
• Eminent: prominent or famous
• Imminent: impending; about to occur
• Charles Dodgson was an eminent
mathematician.
• The citizens are in imminent danger.
Try it!
1. Novelist Naguib Mahfouz was
considered the (eminent/imminent)
literary voice of the Arab world.
2. The death of conventional
newspapers appears to be
(eminent/imminent).
Assure/Ensure/Insure
• Assure: to remove doubt or anxiety
• Ensure: to guarantee an event or condition
• Insure: to provide or obtain financial liability
(insurance)
• "Do not worry about your problems with mathematics. I assure
you mine are far greater." (Albert Einstein)
•
The USDA must act to ensure safety in school lunch programs.
•
She has not been able to insure her Bugatti, a valuable old car.
Which/That
• Use that before a restrictive clause
• Use which before everything else
What is a restrictive clause?--Part of a sentence that you can't get
rid of because it specifically restricts some other part of the
sentence.
Ex: "Cars that have hybrid technology get great gas mileage."
Are all cars hybrids? No. Therefore it is restrictive…it is a detail that
MUST be included.
The science fair, which lasted all day, ended with an awards
ceremony.
Which lasted all day is not crucial to the sentence or its meaning.
Dear Abby…
• Dear Abby is the name of the advice
column founded in 1956
• Still syndicated today and
appears in newspapers
Dear Abby Example
DEAR ABBY:
I am 16 but will be 17 in a few months. I have known my boyfriend, "John,"
for two years. He is my first boyfriend. After four months of dating, John
has asked me to marry him, and I said yes. He had been hinting about an
engagement, and I didn't have the heart to say otherwise. John is very
dear to me, but I keep hearing people say, "Keep your options open." I told
John that I am young (he's 18), and I want to take it slowly, but he says if I
break up with him to date other guys, he will never date me again. Abby, I
want to make sure John is the person I want to spend the rest of my life
with. Sometimes I wish I hadn't started dating him because I feel too
young to be engaged or married. I love John dearly. I
don't want to break his heart or mine. I am also scared I might mess up this
relationship. What should I do to make myself believe that I have found my
true love?
--- STUCK IN OKLAHOMA
Dear Abby example response..
DEAR STUCK:
You should have been absolutely honest with John from the
beginning. When you have found your own true love, you
won't have to "make yourself" believe it. You will KNOW it.
John is pressuring you because he is afraid if you start
dating others he won't measure up. For both your sakes,
tell him that you are not ready to make the kind of
commitment he is demanding. He may not like hearing it,
but it is the truth. You won't break his heart, and once you
have done it, you will feel a sense of relief.
Your Assignment
• You will write a “Dear Abby” letter about a real
or fake problem.
• In the letter, you must use AT LEAST 10 of the
Commonly Confused Words we reviewed
today.
• Underline each word you use.
• Once you are finished, you will swap with a
partner.
• On your partner’s paper, you will write a
response to his or her Dear Abby letter. In your
response, you will use at least 5 of the words.