Clarifying Commonly Misused Words and Phrases
There seems to be a whole lexicon of routinely misused words and phrases out there, and most of us have been guilty of integrating one or two in our writing from time to time. These commonly confused expressions can have that fingernails-on-chalkboard effect, so arm yourself with this quick list to reduce the likelihood of being an unknowing offender.
- Affect/Effect – Affect is a verb and effect is a noun. “The bad meal affected Flossie’s opinion of the restaurant.” “The rain had a damaging effect on the girl’s paper dolls.”
- Stationary/Stationery – A stationary bike stays in place. Stationery is something you write on.
- Phase/Faze – “The silly phase the boy was going through didn’t seem to faze his mother.”
- Regardless/Irregardless – Regardless is a word; irregardless is not.
- Everyday/Every Day “The everyday towels are used every day.”
- Literally/Figuratively – Literally means actually and is often confused with figuratively. Figuratively refers to metaphorically or imaginatively. People often say literally when they really mean figuratively, such as “I was literally in the dog house last night.”
- Discrete/Discreet – discrete means separate or detached and discreet refers to secretive.
- Allusion/Illusion – Allusion is an indirect reference; illusion is a false impression. “The student’s allusion to William Wordsworth was understood by his classmates.” “A mirage is merely an illusion.”
On to Further Clarifications
The above subhead is representative of two particularly troublesome terms. Onto and on to, along with further and farther, have many wordsmiths reaching for the dictionary over and over.
- Onto means to be aware of something – such as “I’m onto what you are doing.” On to should be used in a sentence such as “Let’s move on to the next commonly misused word.”
- And the next commonly misused word is further – which means to a greater degree. Farther is used in reference to distance.
- Into and in to are often problematic. Into should be used when referring to a change of some sort such as “I’m changing into someone who doesn’t misuse words and phrases.” In to should be used in a sentence such as “She came in to the office to see me today.”
- Convince him of something and persuade her to do something.
- I could not care less and not I could care less.
- Supposed to; suppose to is incorrect.
- I’ll try to call you later, and not I’ll try and call you later.
- Oblivious of what is going on – not oblivious to.
Keep this quick reference of worrisome words and phrases close by for your next writing assignment, and take a moment to add a few that may be especially tricky for you.
