GRAMMAR

COMMON PROBLEMS IN USAGE

WORDS OFTEN MISUSED OR CONFUSED

Accept/Except Affect/Effect
To take or receive To preclude or exclude To influence To cause or bring about To worsen or exacerbate Could be use as synonym for annoy/irritate

Aggravate

Aint Already/all ready Alright

Non standard Should be not

Previously Completely prepared Do not misspell it (Allright) Use all right

Among/between

To discuss more than two persons/things To limit yourself to two persons/things Referring to mass, bulk or quantity Quantity that can be counted Non standard Use since, that

Amount/Number Being as/Being that

Beside/Besides

Next to or apart from In addition or other than

Cant hardly/Cant Cannot double negative scarcely Use can hardly/ can scarcely Could of

Non standard Substitute to could have

Imply/Infer

To suggest something without coming out and saying it To draw conclusion, basing on evidence

Kind of/Sort of Later/Latter

Informal Use quite, rather or somewhat

Use it for time Use when talking about second one of a pair of two

Me and Of The reason is because

Unacceptable as part if a compound subject

Do not write in the expressions could have, would have, should have, must have

Ungrammatical Substitute to the reason is

Can/May

To have the ability to Have permission to

Farther/Further
Bring/Take

To a measureable distance To a greater distance

To carry from a distance place to a nearer one To carry from a nearer to a distance place

Cant help but

Use cant help followed by a gerund Eg: cant help crying

Hanged/Hung
Mad

To execute To suspend
Formal is insane Informal is angry

Raise/Rise Ought

Normally takes a direct object Never takes a direct object

Do use have or had with ought Used with an infinitive To overcome To achieve victory in

Beat/Win

As

Should not be used to mean because or since Means to worry or uneasy Not to be used to mean eager An opinion To express an opinion to

Anxious
Advice/advise