The Portable Editor
Tips for Improving Your Writing
Volume 1, No. 1
Communicating clearly through writing demands precise use of language. Don’t
muddy your message by getting tripped up by these commonly misused or confused
words. Adapted from the NASW Web Site http://www.naswpress.org/authors/guidelines/08-tools.html
Affect: (v) to influence
Affect: (n) psychology conscious subjective
aspect of feeling or emotion
Effect: (n) result; (v) to cause something to
happen
Advice: (n) guidance
Advise: (v) to recommend or offer guidance
Censor: to prohibit or restrict
Censure: to condemn
Cite: (v) Give as proof or authority
Site: (n) physical location
Climactic: forming a climax
Climatic: relating to climate
Altar: used in a church
Alter: to change
Complement: (n) or (v) denoting completeness
or the process of supplementing something
Compliment: praise (n), to praise (v)
Accept: (v) to receive
Except: (v) to prevent from being included
Continual: steady repetition
Continuous: uninterrupted
Apart: (adj) remote or separated physically
A part: to be joined with
Council: legislative body or organization
Counsel: lawyer; someone who provides
direction or advice
Ascent: (v) climb, movement upward
Assent: (n) agreement (v) to express agreement
Conscience: (n) sense of right and wrong
Conscious: (adj) aware, aware, knowing and
perceiving
Allusion: indirect reference to something
Illusion: a fantasy that can be confused with
reality
Defuse: to remove the triggering device
Diffuse: spread over a wide area
Appraise: (v) assess comprehensively, judge
the value of
Apprise: inform
Envelop: wrap up, cover, or surround
completely
Envelope: flat rectangular container for papers
Assistance: (n) a resource, aid, help
Assistants: (n, pl) persons who contribute
toward an effort, fulfilling a task
Emigrate (from): leaving a country
Immigrate (to): coming to a country
Canvas: a kind of cloth
Canvass: a (n) or (v) denoting a survey
Elicit: (v) call forth, deduce
Illicit: (adj) unlawful, contrary to moral
convention
Eminent: famous, respected
Immanent: inherent or intrinsic
Imminent: about to occur
Imply: to convey meaning indirectly
Infer: to reach a conclusion on the basis of
experience or circumstance; reason by deduction
Farther: physical distance
Further: an extension of time, extent, or degree
It’s: it is, it has
Its: possessive pronoun (Please note that the
possessive “its” has no apostrophe.)
Incredible: unbelievable
Incredulous: skeptical
Then: a time
Than: a comparison
Lead: (n) a type of metal
Led: (v) past tense of "to lead"
Their: possessive pronoun
There: a place
They’re: contraction of “they are”
Prescribe: recommend with authority
Proscribe: disallow or forbid
Principal: (n) and (adj) denoting someone of
rank or authority
Principle: (n) basic generalization, or
fundamental truth, law
Amount: used to refer to things measured as a
whole (e.g., the amount of space in a room)
Number: used to refer to things that can be
counted individually (e.g., the number of chairs
in a room).
Your: possessive pronoun
You’re: contraction of “you are”
Insure: to guarantee against risk
Ensure: to make certain
Assure: to set the mind at rest
Whether: (conj) if
Rather: (adv) meaning on the contrary or
preferably
Interested in Individual Writing Help?
Drop-in Writing Support
Every Monday, Noon–1 p.m. Office 548E
One-on-One Writing Support
Please e-mail or call to schedule an appointment
Susan White–sewhite@email.unc.edu
Office 302C, 962-6418
Mondays: Noon–2 p.m.; Tuesdays: 5 p.m.–6:30 p.m.; Fridays: Noon–2 p.m.
Diane Wyant–dwyant@email.unc.edu
Office 548E, 842-5575
Wednesdays: Noon–2 p.m.; 5 p.m.–6:30 p.m.
These hours are reserved for students, but other times may be available.