Commonly Confused Words
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Affect
usually a verb—to act on a situation or the mind, to influence change: “That bad call will affect the game.”
Effect
usually a noun—the result: “The trip had an effect on them.”
a title that refers to a phenomenon: “Our class discussed the Doppler Effect.”
sometimes a verb—to bring about: “I want to effect change.”
A lot
two distinct words meaning a significant amount: “He ate a lot of pizza.”
Alot
not a word
Altogether
entirely: “I thought the group presentation was altogether excellent.”
All together
everything or everyone in one place: “The kids were all together watching a movie in the living room.”
Capital
a seat of government: “The capital of California is Sacramento.”
financial resources: “Starting a new business requires a large amount of capital.”
Capitol
a building where a legislative body meets: “The governor announced his resignation at the Capitol today.”
Everyday
commonplace, ordinary, normal (adjective): “Having dinner is an everyday occurrence.”
Every day
each day: “I pray every day when I first wake up.”
Its
the possessive form the pronoun it—does not require an apostrophe: “The dog licked its paw.”
It’s
combination of it and is: “It’s raining today.”
Lead
a type of metal: “The officer’s vest is made of lead.” to guide, to precede: “Will you lead me to the store?”
Led
the past tense of to lead: “Dr. Wallace led the students on a hike.”
Lie
to lie oneself down (a person or animal): “I’m exhausted from the trip, so I’m going to lie down.”
Lay
to lay an object down (something that cannot lie down on its own): “Lay your weapons down!”
the past tense of lie: “I had a headache, so I went to lay down.”
Lose
to fail to keep: “I hope I don’t lose my ID card.”
Loose
to release something (verb): “The young girl set loose her wild horse.”
the opposite of tight (adjective): “This watch is so loose that it won’t stay on.”
Principal
the most important (adjective): “The principal ingredient in chocolate chip cookies is chocolate chips.”
Principle
a fundamental truth, a value: “The students conducted the study using the principle of gravity.”
Rev 9/11/14
Than
used in comparisons: “This class is harder than my last one.”
Then
refers to time, meaning soon after, also, next: “Then we went out for ice cream.”
That
refers to something: “I bought that last week from a man living in Azusa.”
Who
pronoun referring to a person or persons: “How could Jill, who is brilliant, struggle in calculus?”
Which
pronoun referring to a particular one or ones out of a group: “Which history class do you have?”
relative pronoun providing additional information about what came before: “I love my car, which is fast.”
Their
the possessive form of the pronoun they—does not require an apostrophe: “I went to their dorm.”
They’re
combination of they and are: “They’re doing homework right now.”
There
at a certain place: “Please, put the book over there.”
Through
by means of: “He aced that paper through discipline and hard work.”
finished: “Countless dangers would assail the hobbit before his journey was through.”
into or out of: “It is family tradition to honk the car horn when driving through a tunnel.”
Threw
past tense of to throw: “She accidentally threw away her homework.”
To
shows direction: “I went to school there.”
used in comparisons: “The score is ten to eight.”
until: “They danced from sunrise to midnight.”
before: “The time is five to seven.”
Too
overly: “It’s too hot to go outside
also: “He’s a student, too.”
Two
the number: “I want two Tiger Tails from Donut Man, please.”
We’re
combination of we and are: “We’re going home for break.”
Were
past tense of to be: “We were at In ‘N’ Out.”
Whose
the possessive form of the pronoun who—does not require an apostrophe: “Whose shoes are these?”
Who’s
combination of who and is: “Who’s going to the birthday party?”
Who
subject in a sentence, the one doing the action: “Billy is the kid who stole the cookies.”
Whom
object in a sentence, the one who has the action done to him or her: “Whom did Sarah choose?”
Your
the possessive form of the pronoun you—does not require an apostrophe: “He borrowed your notebook.”
You’re
combination of you and are: “You’re a good student.”
Rev 9/11/14