Usage Errors
The list below contains some of the English language’s most commonly confused words. For even more excitement, check out these plain-old-ignorant-but-still-all-too-common errors.
About / Approximately: About indicates a rough estimate. Approximately implies near accuracy.
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Advise / Inform: Advise means to offer counsel and suggestions. (I advise you to buy a mutual fund.) Inform means to communicate information. (I inform you that your proposal hasn't arrived yet.)
- Affect / Effect: In simplest terms, “affect” should be used as a verb, and “effect” should be used as a noun. (e.g., “I hope to affect the vote.” vs. “I hope my vote has an effect.”) Think of effect as a synonym of consequence, and think of affect as meaning “to influence.”
All Ready / Already: All ready means completely ready or everyone is ready. Already means previously. Everyone already knew about the surprise party, so they were all ready to go.
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Anticipate / Expect: Anticipate and expect are not the same. If you anticipate something, you take action to prepare for it. If you expect something, no action is involved.
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Anxious / Eager: Anxious means that anxiety or worry is involved; it is not a synonym for eager.
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Assure / Ensure / Insure: Use ensure when you mean, “to make sure of.” Use assure when you mean “to give confidence to.” Use insure when making references to the business of insurance.
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Bi- / Semi-: Bimonthly means every two months. Semimonthly means occurring twice a month.
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Borrow / Lend: The simplest way to remember these? “Borrow” means to take, while “lend” means to provide. I wanted to borrow five dollars from Jack, but he wouldn’t lend it to me.
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Can / May / Might: These words (with three very different definitions) often cause confusion—especially for those who learned English as a second language. May = permission; Might = possibility; Can = capability. For example, if there is a possibility that a machine could explode, the correct word to use is “might.” Using “may” implies that it’s okay for the machine to explode—that is has permission to explode.
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Cite - Site – Sight: A reference is “cited,” a “site” is a location, and “sight” is vision. My sight now required eyeglasses, but I still enjoyed the views at the site cited in “Vacation” magazine.
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Continual / Continuous: Continual means “over and over again; frequently repeated.” Continuous means “without interruption” or “unbroken.”
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Disinterested / Uninterested: Disinterested means impartial. Uninterested means indifferent, bored.
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Effective / Efficient: A machine that's effective performs its intended function well. If it does this with a minimum of waste, expense, and unnecessary effort, then it's efficient as well.
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Farther / Further: Farther refers to distance, while further refers to more abstract ideas of time or degree. They planned to drive much farther during their next trip, since sleep was the furthest thing from their minds.
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Fewer / Less: Fewer is used when units or individuals can be counted.
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i.e. / e.g.: Both of these are used to provide clarification, but “i.e.” means in other words,while “e.g.” means for example. She said that attendance was mandatory (i.e., we all had to be there), or there would be repercussions (e.g., we’d get fired or our pay would be cut).
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Purposely / Purposefully: If you do something on purpose, you do it purposely. If you have a specific purpose in mind, you're acting purposefully.
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Toward[s]: In the United States, the correct word is “toward.” The [s] at the end is common in England but should never be used in the U.S.
