Anker Susan. Real Essays with Readings with 2009 MLA Update
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Understand Why Certain Words
Are Commonly Confused
Certain words in English are confusing because they sound alike and may
have similar meanings. In writing, words that sound alike may be spelled
differently, and readers rely on the spelling to understand what you mean.
Edit your writing carefully to make sure that you have used the correct
words.
35
Commonly Confused Words
Avoiding Mistakes with Sound-Alikes
■ IDEA JOURNAL
Write about something
you and a friend or
family member dis-
agree about. Explain
your friend’s opinion
as well as your own.
647
STRATEGIES FOR EDITING SOUND-ALIKES
1.
Proofread carefully, using the techniques on page 662.
2. Use a dictionary to fi nd the meaning of words you are unsure
of.
3. Focus on fi nding and correcting mistakes you make with the
twenty-seven sets of commonly confused words covered in
this chapter.
4. Develop a personal list of sound-alikes that confuse you.
Before you turn in any piece of writing, consult your personal
list to make sure you have used the correct words.
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EDITING ESSAYS
648 Part Six • Word Use
Practice Using Commonly
Confused Words Correctly
Study the different meanings and spellings of these twenty-seven sets of
commonly confused words. Complete the sentence after each set of words,
fi lling in each blank with the correct word.
A / An / And
a: used before a word that begins with a consonant sound
A bat was living behind the shutter.
an: used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
An elderly lady sat beside me.
and: used to join two words
My sister and I went to the amusement park.
A friend and I got lost in an old maze.
Most classrooms have worn-out chair old desk for the
teacher.
Accept / Except
accept: to agree to receive or admit (verb)
I plan to accept the offer.
except: but, other than (conjunction)
The whole family was there except my brother.
I accept all your requests except the one to borrow my car.
Do not anything from people at airports from family
members.
Advice / Advise
advice: opinion (noun)
I would like your advice on this decision.
advise: to give an opinion (verb)
My boyfriend advises me about car repairs.
Please advise me what to do; your advice is always helpful.
me of your plans, particularly if you don’t follow my .
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EDITING ESSAYS
Chapter 35 • Commonly Confused Words 649
Affect / Effect
affect: to have an impact on, to change something (verb)
The whole region was affected by the drought.
effect: a result (noun)
The lack of water will have a tremendous effect on many businesses.
The sunny weather has had a positive effect on people’s moods, but it
will negatively affect the economy.
Since this year’s drought will the cost of food, we’ll be feeling
its personally.
Are / Our
are: a form of the verb be
The fl owers are ready to bloom.
our: a pronoun showing ownership
I am proud of our garden.
Gardens are rare in our neighborhood.
bulbs arriving this week.
By / Buy
by: next to or before
I’ll be standing by the door.
We have to be at the restaurant by eight o’clock.
buy: to purchase (verb)
I would like to buy a new car.
By the time I’m ready to leave the dollar store, I have found too much I
want to buy.
I have decided to
the model the showroom entrance.
Conscience / Conscious
conscience: a personal sense of right and wrong (noun)
My conscience keeps me from doing bad things.
■ Remember that
one of the words is
con-science; the other
is not.
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EDITING ESSAYS
650 Part Six • Word Use
conscious: awake, aware (adjective)
The patient is now conscious.
Shelly was conscious of Sam’s feelings.
Danny made a conscious decision to listen to his conscience.
The burglar was
that someone else was in the house and
for a moment felt a twinge of .
Fine / Find
fi ne: of high quality (adjective); feeling well (adverb); a penalty for
breaking a law (noun)
She works in the fi ne jewelry department.
After taking some aspirin, Shana felt fi ne.
The fi ne for exceeding the speed limit is $100.
fi nd: to locate, discover (verb)
Can you help me fi nd the key?
You will fi nd a fi ne leather jacket in the coat department.
A partner is hard to .
Its / It’s
its: a pronoun showing ownership
The bird went back to its nest.
it’s: a contraction of the words it is
It’s important for you to be on time.
It’s amazing to see a butterfl y come out of its cocoon.
good news for us that the bus changed route.
Knew / New / Know / No
knew: understood; recognized (past tense of the verb know)
I knew we took the wrong turn.
new: unused, recent (adjective)
Jane has a new boyfriend.
■ Some commonly
confused words — such
as conscience and
conscious, loose and
lose, and of and
have — sound similar
but not exactly alike.
To avoid confusing
these words, practice
pronouncing them
correctly.
■ If you are not sure
whether to use its or
it’s in a sentence, try
substituting it is. If the
sentence doesn’t make
sense with it is, use its.
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EDITING ESSAYS
Chapter 35 • Commonly Confused Words 651
know: to understand, to have knowledge of (verb)
I know him from work.
no: used to form a negative
There are no other classes at that time.
I knew that Jason would need new shoes.
The
employee already some of the other employees.
There is no way to know what will happen.
Do you what means?
Loose / Lose
loose: baggy, not fi xed in place (adjective)
That button is loose.
lose: to misplace, to forfeit possession of (verb)
I don’t want to lose my job.
If the muffl er is loose, you might lose it.
You will that bracelet if it’s too .
Mind / Mine
mind: to object to (verb); the thinking or feeling part of one’s brain
(noun)
I don’t mind loud music.
Sometimes I think I am losing my mind.
mine: belonging to me (pronoun); a source of ore and minerals (noun)
That parking space is mine.
That store is a gold mine.
Keep in mind that the sweater is mine.
Your is a lot sharper than .
Of / Have
of: coming from; caused by; part of a group; made from (preposition)
The president of the company pleaded guilty to embezzlement.
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EDITING ESSAYS
652 Part Six • Word Use
have: to possess (verb; also used as a helping verb)
Do you have a schedule?
Jeannie should have been here by now.
I would have helped if you had told me you were out of change.
Joe might been part the band.
Passed / Past
passed: went by or went ahead (past tense of the verb pass)
Tim passed us a minute ago.
past: time that has gone by (noun); gone by, over, just beyond
(preposition)
The school is just past the traffi c light.
This past school year, I passed all of my exams.
If you go the church, you have the right turn.
Peace / Piece
peace: no disagreement; calm
The sleeping infant is at peace.
piece: a part of something larger
May I have a piece of paper?
We will have no peace until we give the dog a piece of that bread.
Selling his of land will give Uncle Joe of mind.
Principal / Principle
principal: main or chief (adjective); head of a school or a leader of an
organization (noun)
Making sales calls is your principal responsibility.
Darla is a principal of the company.
Mr. Tucker is the principal of the Sawyer School.
principle: a standard of beliefs or behaviors (noun)
The issue is really a matter of principle.
■ Do not use of after
would, should, could,
and might. Use have
after those words.
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EDITING ESSAYS
Chapter 35 • Commonly Confused Words 653
The principle at stake is the principal issue of the court case.
The
problem with many criminals is that they do not
have good .
Quiet / Quite / Quit
quiet: soft in sound; not noisy (adjective)
The library was very quiet.
quite: completely, very (adverb)
I have had quite enough to eat after that half-pounder and fries.
quit: to stop (verb)
Will you please quit bothering me?
It is not quite time to quit yet.
The machine running, and the offi ce was .
Right / Write
right: correct; in a direction opposite from left (adjective)
Are you sure this is the right way?
Take a right after the bridge.
write: to put words on paper (verb)
I will write soon.
Please be sure to write the right address.
your name in the column.
Set / Sit
set: a collection of something (noun); to place an object somewhere (verb)
Junior has a great train set.
Please set the package on the table.
sit: to rest with one’s rear end supported by a chair or other surface
You can sit right over there.
Set your coat down before you sit.
Let’s and look over my of travel photos.
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EDITING ESSAYS
654 Part Six • Word Use
Suppose / Supposed
suppose: to imagine or assume to be true
Suppose you could go anywhere in the world.
I suppose you want some dinner.
supposed: past tense of suppose; intended
The clerk supposed the man was over twenty-one.
The meeting was supposed to be over by noon.
You are supposed to call when you are going to be late, but I suppose
that’s too much to expect.
I was to take the ten o’clock train, but I the
eleven o’clock is okay.
Than / Then
than: a word used to compare two or more things or persons
Joanne makes more money than I do.
then: at a certain time
I will look forward to seeing you then.
I weigh a lot more than I used to back then.
If you want to lose weight, you will have to eat less
you do now.
Their / There / They’re
their: a pronoun showing ownership
Their new apartment has two bedrooms.
there: a word indicating location or existence
Your desk is over there.
There is more work than I can handle.
they’re: a contraction of the words they are
They’re going to Hawaii.
Their windows are open, and there is a breeze, so they’re not hot.
going to be away, so my friend will be staying and tak-
ing care of cat.
■ If you aren’t sure
whether to use their or
they’re, substitute they
are. If the sentence
doesn’t make sense,
use their.
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EDITING ESSAYS
Chapter 35 • Commonly Confused Words 655
Though / Through / Threw
though: however; nevertheless; in spite of (conjunction)
I’ll be there, though I might be a little late.
through: fi nished with (adjective); from one side to the other (preposition)
Jenna is through with school in May.
Go through the fi rst set of doors.
threw: hurled, tossed (past tense of the verb throw)
She threw away the garbage.
Jimmy threw the ball, and it went through the window, though he had not
aimed it there.
she loved him, she him out because she couldn’t
go any more pain.
To / Too / Two
to: a word indicating a direction or movement (preposition); part of the
infi nitive form of a verb
I am going to the food store.
Do you want to see a movie?
too: also; more than enough; very (adverb)
Toni was sick too.
The car was going too fast.
two: the number between one and three
There are two tables.
They went to a restaurant and ordered too much food for two people.
The friends started dance, but it was crowded
to move.
Use / Used
use: to employ or put into service (verb)
I use this grill all the time.
used: past tense of the verb use. Used to can indicate a past fact or state,
or it can mean “familiar with.”
I used the grill last night to cook chicken.
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EDITING ESSAYS
656 Part Six • Word Use
I used to do yoga.
I am used to juggling school and work.
Paolo used to be a farmer, so he knows how to use all the equipment.
When you last the oven, what did you it for?
Who’s / Whose
who’s: a contraction of the words who is or who has
Who’s hungry?
Who’s been here the longest?
whose: a pronoun showing ownership
Whose bag is this?
The person whose name is fi rst on the list is the one who’s going next.
the man shoes are on the table?
Your / You’re
your: a pronoun showing ownership
I like your shirt.
you’re: a contraction of the words you are
You’re going to run out of gas.
You’re about to get paint all over your hands.
teacher says always late to class.
PRACTICE 1 USING THE RIGHT WORD
In each of the following items, circle the correct word in parentheses.
EXAMPLE: ( You’re / Your ) résumé is a critical computer fi le.
1. I tell all my friends to back up important data on ( their / there ) computers.
2. Unfortunately, I sometimes forget to take my own ( advice / advise ).
3. My computer had a serious crash, and now I cannot ( fi nd / fi ne ) the
most recent copy of my résumé.
■ If you aren’t sure
whether to use whose
or who’s, substitute
who is. If the sentence
doesn’t make sense,
use whose.
■ If you aren’t sure
whether to use your
or you’re, substitute
you are. If the sentence
doesn’t make sense,
use your.
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