20 Tricky
Word Usages
“It is of interest to note that while
some dolphins are reported to
have learned English -- up to fifty
words used in correct context -no human being has been
reported to have learned
dolphinese.”
~Carl Sagan (1934 - 1996)
all ready vs. already
 all
ready – pronoun (all) + adjective
modifier (ready)

They were all ready to go dancing.
 already

– an adverb denoting time
The pie was already baked.
all together vs. altogether
 all

together – gathered in a group
The Write Place staff were all together
suffering through another PowerPoint.
 Altogether
– adverb meaning
“completely”

The PowerPoint presentation was altogether
mind-numbing.
allude vs. elude
 allude

In demonstrating the Write Place culture, he
alluded to the finger puppets in the Bistro.
 Elude

– make a quick reference to
– to evade or avoid
“I eluded Carol by hiding in the bathroom,”
said Jake.
alternately vs. alternatively
 alternately
– adverb denoting time,
meaning “by turns”

When making mayonnaise, add oil and
lemon juice alternately.
 Alternatively
– adverb denoting “by way
of an alternative”

You can create a handout or, alternatively,
you can wash the coffee cups.
amoral vs. immoral

amoral – an amoral person, action, or thing is
one for which the whole concept of morality
is foreign or irrelevant


The sociopathic murderer is amoral. OR A
devastating hurricane is amoral.
immoral – doesn’t measure up to cultural
standards of morality

Unmarried women who had children used to be
thought of as immoral. Or Cutting down the 200
year-old oak in the center of town is an immoral
action.
angry at vs angry with
 angry

I am angry at the way I was treated at the
Dept. of Public Safety.
 angry

at – pertains to situations
with – pertains to people
I am angry with my younger sister for
plagiarizing my paper.
ante- vs. anti ante

An antecedent is the noun which comes
before the pronoun that represents it. For
example; John had better put the beer
back in the cooler, if he wants it to stay
cold.
 anti

– before
against, contrary to
I use anti-freeze in my car in the winter.
ascent vs. assent
 ascent

– climb
It was a steep ascent to the top of Enger
Tower
 Assent
– agree or agreement (either verb
or noun)

She will assent to re-funding the Write Place
OR She gave her assent when asked to refund the Write Place.
censor vs. censure
 censor
– to cut out or prevent something
offensive from appearing

The government censored parts of the
soldiers’ letters to keep information about
military action out of the hands of the
enemy.
 censure

– to condemn
The Governor was censured for using public
funds to help build his vacation home.
complacent vs. complaisant
vs. compliant

complacent – self-satisfied


complaisant – doing what one can to please others


His complacency in the middle of the mess he created
caused him to be defeated in the last election.
Chris was consistently complaisant in his dealings with
clients at the reception desk.
compliant – doing what your are told whether it
pleases you or not

She was compliant when asked to re-do the report,
even though she fumed inside.
continual vs. continuous

continual – keeps coming back, keeps
repeating


I get so frustrated at the continual auto-format
generated typos in my Facebook posts.
continuous – never goes away, goes on and
on

Interstate90 is a continuous, straight and boring
route across South Dakota, rarely broken by a
hill or curve.
differ from vs. differ with
 differ

The last tutorial greatly differed from this
one.
 differ

from – to be different from
with – to disagree
I differed with my father over the value of
his old Ford Fairlane.
discreet vs. discrete
 discreet
secrets

Julie was discreet when her roommate’s
boss called to ask why she didn’t come to
work.
 Discrete

– to be tactful and to keep
- to be separate from
Linguistics and rhetoric are discrete
disciplines.
disinterested vs. uninterested
 disinterested

She was a disinterested observer, which
made her analysis credible.
 Uninterested

– impartial, no vested interest
– not interested
The client acted as though he was
uninterested in his own essay.
farther vs. further
 farther
space

It is farther to Las Vegas than to Missoula.
 further

– used when referring to physical
– other non-physical distance
I want you to take that argument further.
Push the envelope.
flaunt vs. flout
 flaunt

He flaunted his wealth by parking his
Lamborghini right in front of the Write Place.
 Flout

– to make a show of
– to scoff at or mock
The students flout the noise ordinance on
the south side every weekend.
incredible vs. incredulous
 incredible

– unbelievable, fantastic
The Minnesota Lynx have been incredible
this season.
 incredulous

– unbelieving, doubting
When I told her I’d never had a speeding
ticket, she looked at me incredulously.
ingenious vs. ingenuous
 ingenious

– clever, inventive
Toni Morrison’s plot lines are ingenious as
well as meticulously crafted.
 ingenuous

– innocent
Even though he was guilty as sin, his
ingenuous expression convinced others he
had nothing to do with the mess.
temerity vs. timidity
 temerity
taking

His temerity was once again demonstrated
when he dove off the cliff without checking
to see how deep the water was.
 timidity

– foolhardy boldness or chance-
– fearfully cautious
The great Dane’s timidity when faced with
the aggressive toy poodle was hysterically
funny.