Every day, I come across a blog, website, newspaper article, or manuscript that makes me cringe because the writer confused one word for another. Check out the list below to see if you’re guilty of the same errors.
1. accept: to receive willingly
except: to exclude
2. advice: suggestion
advise: verb meaning “to give advice”
3. affect: verb meaning “to influence”
effect: result
4. all ready: prepared
already: previously
5. choose: to pick (present)
chose: to pick (past)
6. ensure: to make certain
insure: to get insurance on something; to guarantee protection
7. farther: at a greater distance
further: in addition
UPDATE: Here’s another source: The Chicago Manual of Style says, “The traditional distinction is to use farther for a physical distance {we drove farther north to see the autumn foliage} and further for a figurative distance {let’s examine this further} {look no further}.”
8. lets: allows
let’s: contraction of “let us”
9. loose: opposite of tight
lose: opposite of find or win
10. nauseated: feeling sick to one’s stomach
nauseous: causing nausea (like from a smell for example)
UPDATE: Here’s what The Chicago Manual of Style says: “Whatever is nauseous induces a feeling of nausea–it makes us feel sick to our stomachs. To feel sick is to be nauseated. The use of nauseous to mean nauseated may be too common to be called error anymore, but strictly speaking is poor usage. Because of the ambiguity in nauseous, the wisest course may be to stick to the participal adjectives nauseated and nauseating.”
11. their: possessive of “they”
there: in or at that place
they’re: contraction of “they are”
12. who’s: contraction of “who is” or “who has”
whose: possessive form, shows ownership
Another very common error is not knowing when to use “then” and “than”. However, that rule isn’t the easiest to explain. Simply reading the definitions will make many people scratch their heads. Instead, I’ll use examples to illustrate how to properly use these two words.
Then: I will then go see Tommy. She read a book and then fell asleep. He heard a noise, but then realized it was only the wind.
Than: More than that, he wanted to win. Rather than get up, he instructed Bobby to bring him an apple. Other than the TV and DVR, nothing else was missing.
Are you guilty of making any of these mistakes? Which ones? What other word choice errors have you seen?
Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com
I really hate when people say (or write), ‘I could care less,’ when obviously they mean they couldn’t care less.
Also, I see ‘should of’ and ‘could of’ instead of should’ve and could’ve a lot. Hate those.
In advertising on TV and in print I see TVs and DVDs written as TV’s and DVD’s ALL. THE. TIME. Why do people keep insist on apostrophising plurals?
I had to stop reading a book the other day which mentioned the plaintive in a court case (instead of the plaintiff) and had a character do something in one foul swoop (instead of fell).
The list goes on and on, unfortunately!
I’ve been guilty of number ten, but pretty much all the rest of them drive me up the wall when I see them. I work for an attorney and it astounds me the number of people who don’t know the difference between “advice” and “advise.” (Numbers five and nine are also particular pet peeves of mine.) Evidently, people must assume that one is a British spelling or they are simply unaware that there are two spellings and that they mean two different things. Nothing grinds my gears quite as quickly when I’m reading something as a misspelled or misused word. Needless to say, I have quite a lot of trouble reading some of my friends’ Facebook posts without grinding my teeth into oblivion.
Incidently, thanks for the clarification regarding number ten!
Gosh – see them everyday, all the time. Good post, Lynnette! Some of my most cringe worthy moments are when I see past/passed and your/you’re (besides the ones you listed).
A lot of these I already knew about, but I didn’t know about the “farther” vs. “further”. One source said they were interchangeable, or something like that.
I agree completely. I work as a tutor for English as Second Language program so I’m very aware of the many errors, grammatical and spelling I see daily in print media. Many occur on professional websites, not just online blogs. Much of it I put down to people who are trying to be more concise in their blogging- even microblogging sites like Twitter.Its very challenging to relay a concise thought/argument in 140 characters.What I really dislike is the phonetic spelling so many people online use.Some people’s entire comment is spelled phonetically, and they’re presumably educated adults. As an aside, its wonderfully gratifying to teach English to the many newcomers to Canada who really enjoy learning our complicated language.
Thanks for this post, Lynnette! I see these mistakes all the time and they always make me wince. A couple of others I often see include the misuse of “its” and “it’s” (with “it’s” being the contraction of “it is”) and “your” and “you’re” (with “you’re” being the contraction of “you are”). Every time I receive a “Your welcome,” I want to weep.
Yes, I’m a grammar nerd…
Always good to repeat these. I don’t care how long you’ve been writing, or how many times you use these words, it often seems they conspire against us. Thanks for the reminder.
I’ve possibly misused “nauseous”. I’m not exactly sure. LOL. Most of these aren’t problems for me at all.
One of the biggies that people misuse is lie and lay.
I have to admit, I get further and farther screwed up. I’m good with then and than because it’s easy for me to remember the “more than, rather than,” etc. Nausea and nauseated is one I never thought of, so thanks for the tip.
What frustrates me is when I see alright on closed captioning. My grammar diva (who teaches adult basic ed, college reading and writing,) says it’s all right, always.
I can forgive errors in a manuscript, but seeing them in newspapers, magazines, etc. makes me cringe. Great post!
Nicola: I see those far too often, too. I remember being taught in school to write TV’s. Bad, bad, teacher. It took quite a while for me to correct that mistake.
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
Kay: #10 is a tough one for many people. I learned the wrong usage for them as a kid and now have to check myself whenever I use them.
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
Laurie: I definitely see those as well.
Chihuahua0: The Chicago Manual of Style says, “The traditional distinction is to use farther for a physical distance {we drove farther north to see the autumn foliage} and further for a figurative distance {let’s examine this further} {look no further}.” Since most publishers follow this style manual, I’d go with that.
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
Susan: I think it’s a combination of things, but you could be right. This could be one of the many reasons.
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
Raine: I know the feeling.
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
Lori: LOL Isn’t everything?
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
Lauralynn: Lie and lay. Ugh. Those ones are really tough for many people. I can understand why.
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
Stacy: Your grammar diva is correct. It should always be all right.
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
The only problem words I find difficult (that I can remember right this second) is when to use past and passed.
I miss seeing: it’s and its. Not to mention regardless and irregardless (which isn’t a word). This is a good post. I know that when I’m writing and not thinking about anything but the idea, the dialogue, or the scene, I make common errors (horrible spelling errors, too). But then, if that didn’t happen what would the editor do?
Jamie: You aren’t the only one. Someone else mentioned that, too.
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
David: LOL I suppose I should thank you and others like you for keeping me employed. In case you didn’t know, I’m a freelance editor, so I got a kick out of your comment.
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
A wonderful editor *wink* advised me to keep a cheat sheet, to be a reminder of my known suspects in regards to grammar, the last word that seemed to always be an issue for me was back pack a lot past/passed lay laid etc always get me and the their they’re there trips me too I really have to go back and check my sources to make sure I use words correctly.
Excellent list! I’ll pass it on tomorrow in my Ninja News.
And glad to see you have Linky Followers up. I’m using it as well.
Keisha: She sounds like a wise woman.
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
The simple answer – YES. Thanks for a compact reminder.
Alex: Thanks! I’ll stop by and follow you, too.
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
Christina: LOL
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
Numbers 1 and 3 cause me some issues where I have to stop and rethink things. But the one that’s been really getting me lately is “lie” and “lay”. One’s the verb as in “to place” while the other is “to recline”, but isn’t it great that the past tense of “lie” is “lay”. Wonderful! Thank goodness for cheat-sheets.
Pretty common errors for non writers. Others: Their vs. they’re vs. there. How does that even happen?
@Laurie: ironically, you’re using one of the common errors in your comment: every day vs. everyday (commonplace)!
Well,
Effect can also be a verb, “to effect a great change,” meaning “to bring about.” And “further” does not mean “in addition to,” but rather is a word to convey that something is “more far” or of an intangible measure. Farther can be marked or measured (a distance in miles), further is a statement of the immeasurable (into the recesses of one’s mind, pulling away emotionally, the further end of a room, etc).
Mark: Luckily, nobody is expected to know it all, so cheat sheets work great!
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
Chansi: Pretty common errors for writers, too.
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
Gina: Many of these words have more than one meaning. I wanted to keep the post short, so I didn’t include them all. You’re wrong about “further”. Check with Merriam Webster and you’ll see “in addition” is one of the definitions. I also quoted The Chicago Manual of Style in my comments earlier on.
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
The “nauseated” vs. “nauseous” distinction is one of those things that some insist on, but every modern dictionary recognizes as outdated and incorrect given modern usage. See this note over at webster.com: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nauseous
Agathis: Thanks. I looked into this and have updated the post with The Chicago Manual of Style’s recommendation.
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
Great post! I knew all except one, and it irritates me too when I see the misuse BUT I’ve realized now that my protagonist might have sickened everyone around her at one point in my book instead of being sickened. LOL. Thankfully, the manual says it is now common usage but I am still cringing.
Mine is affect/effect. In fact I need to go back over my WIP and see if I put the right one.
Others are here/hear, your/ you’re. I know the difference 
I just get to typing so fast and I will be reading back through and realize my mistake.
This is a great post. Thanks for sharing.
RJ: LOL
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
Karen: It’s great that you are able to spot the mistakes when you read it back. Not everyone can.
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
Great post, I’m looking forward to reading part 2. Maybe it’s a “Gina” thing but I have to second the other Gina who posted earlier. For me, the confusion over affect/effect can’t really be cleared up without acknowledging the full “effect.” I’m sure the dual usage of that term contributes greatly to the problem. Of course, if you’re someone who reads a lot of psychology research you are also used to seeing another use for “affect.” But I would completely back you up if you wanted to avoid that whole can of worms.
On further/farther, I’d prefer to see you and the other Gina as “both right,” seeing as how she may inadvertently have left out the qualifier “only.” (ie: “’further’ does not [only] mean ‘in addition to.’” Sorry, it’s the relationships writer in me.
The Other Gina: LOL I love your “name”. It’s not actually about about who is right and who is wrong. It’s just about the facts. Most publishing houses follow The Chicago Manual of Style and I should’ve written out that version as well. I’ve since updated the post, so everything is fine now.
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
How about the dialectal “all the further” (often pronounced “all the futher”) that many people use instead of “as far as”? Example: “That’s all the further it would go.”
(Common in PA, especially the Royersford area. Not sure how common it is elsewhere.)
Arrgh!