It’s no secret that the English language is one of the most confusing languages out there. You can study the English language your entire life yet still make silly mistakes, especially since the language is ever changing.
As a grammar freak, my biggest pet peeve is when people confuse similar words. There are pairs upon pairs of words that are constantly mixed up, and spell check doesn’t have the capability to decipher which version of the word is grammatically correct.
Here are a few silly mistakes to avoid in your own writing!
1. Accept/Except:
Accept is a verb that means to receive, take, obtain, get, gain, or acquire. Except means other than and is an exclusion.
2. Affect/Effect:
Affect is a verb meaning to have an effect on or to influence. Effect is a noun that refers to a change that is a result, consequence, or outcome of an action or other cause.
3. Complement/Compliment:
Complement means to go well together, and also refers to the number of something to complete a group. Compliment is a nice remark or praise.
4. Definitely/Defiantly:
Definitely is an adverb that means without a doubt and is used for emphasis. Defiantly is an adverb referring to something that is boldly resistant or challenging.
5. Empathize/Emphasize:
Empathize is a verb referring to when a person shares the feelings of another. Emphasize is a verb to make something more clearly defined.
6. Lay/Lie:
Lay means to put down. Lie means to recline.
7. Than/Then:
Than compares two things. Then indicates when something happened or what will occur next.
8. Your/You’re:
Your is used when describing something as belonging to or associated with any person in general. You’re is a contraction meaning you are.
Alexa Roth is a junior writing tutor. Come visit her at walk-in tutoring!
