1. W HEN S PELL -C HECK L ETS Y OU D OWN : C OMMONLY C ONFUSED W ORDS & O THER I NSIDIOUS I MPOSTERS By Kathryn Mincey Associate Professor of English Morehead State University Teri Lynn Tosspon English 10, Heald College Roseville

2. “Owed to the Spell Checker” Eye halve a spelling checker It came with my pea sea It plainly marks four my revue Miss steaks eye kin knot sea. Eye strike a key and type a word And weight four it two say Weather eye am wrong oar write It shows me strait a weigh. As soon as a mist ache is maid It nose bee fore two long And eye can put the error rite Its rare lea ever wrong. Eye have run this poem threw it Eye am shore your pleased two no Its letter perfect awl the weigh My checker tolled me sew.

3. C OMMONLY C ONFUSED W ORDS These pesky pairs or groups of words are frequently mistaken for each other and are insidious because the spell checker will not catch them.

4. C OMMONLY C ONFUSED W ORDS They are spelled correctly when used in the appropriate context, but writers often overlook the fact that they are spelling a related word that is inappropriate for their intended meaning.

5. T HE E MBARRASSMENT F ACTOR Because many of these words are familiar utility words, they create tension: They are used often, but, their misuse can erode a reader’s confidence in the writer’s credibility.

7. W ORDS OF THE W EEK P RESENTATIONS Each class meeting, students will be assigned to present 4-5 pairs of these words to the class Where can you get the info? See handout Class Website, Internet Dictionary? BE CAREFUL!!!! (NOTE: if searching the internet, you MUST enter BOTH words at once in the search engine)

8. P RESENTATIONS ( CONTINUED ) Worth 100 points. You will be graded on – Content (50), Presentation (25), Professionalism (25) The class is depending on you – Bring the Commonly Confused WS each meeting – Write definitions/sentences as they are presented Peer evals: your classmates will be grading you individually, leaving anonymous comments for improvements. Each Peer Evaluation is worth 5 points.

9. There = where? here? Their = see an heir it means -----------they own it They’re = they are W AYS TO R EMEMBER Affect – act on Effect – the outcome A Quotation (noun) To Quote (verb) Then ← when ? Than = compare Cite = Call attention to Site = Scene, location Sight = vision Ever → forever Every = each Stationary – in place Stationery = letter Precede = before Proceed = through Whose → those Who’s = who is then

10. V OCABULARY M EETING 1 Teri Lynn Tosspon English 10, Heald College

11. T HERE, T HEIR, T HEY ’ RE There is an adverb meaning "that location." It is sometimes used with the verb to be as an idiom. It is spelled like here which means "this location." – I put the collar right there. (that location) – There are five prime numbers less than ten. (with to be ) Their is a possessive pronoun. It always describes a noun. – Note the spelling of their. It comes from the word they, so the e comes before the i. – Their dog has fleas. (possessive of they ) They're is a contraction of they are. – Note the spelling: The a from are is replaced by an apostrophe. – They're number 1! (contraction of they are ) Ways to remember. If you see HERE it is a place! (Where, There, Here). If you see HEIR it means they own something.

13. T O, T OO, T WO To is a preposition which begins a prepositional phrase or an infinitive. – We went to a baseball game. (preposition) – We like to watch a good ball game. (infinitive) Too is an adverb meaning "excessively" or "also." Way to remember: TOO is extra, also, excessive. It has excessive O’s – We ate too much. (meaning "excessively") – I like baseball, too. (meaning "also") Two is a number. Way to remember: Words which reflect the number two are spelled with tw: twin, twice, between, tweezers, etc. – Six divided by three is two. (number) – They own two Brittany spaniels. (number)

14. W HOLE / HOLE Hole – (n) opening, (v) to crawl into an opening. – I found a hole in this donut. – Bears hole up for the winter. Whole (adj) complete – You have the whole world in your hands. Way to remember : if it refers to a complete item/idea it needs the whole W.

15. W HO ’ S /W HOSE Who's is a contraction of who (pron.) and is (v.) – Who's awesome? Whose means “who owns” or “who was”, etc. It is a possessive pronoun (adj.) – Whose responsibility was it to bring marshmallows? Whose → those Who’s = who is

16. Y OUR, Y OU ’ RE your is a possessive adjective, indicating ownership of something That is your sock. Where is your potato? you're is a contraction (combination) of you and are Do you know what you're doing? You're stupid. WTR: if you own it, it is yours. If you can replace it with You Are, then it is you’re

18. V OCABULARY M EETING 2 Monica O, and Freda B. English 10, Heald College

19. I TS /I T ’ S It's is a contraction for it is. – It's been good to know you. it has – It's a trap! Contraction: it is Its is a possessive pronoun meaning, more or less, of it or belonging to it. – The cat liked its carrier. WTR: A simple test – If you can replace it[']s in your sentence with it is or it has, then your word is it's ; otherwise, your word is its.

21. Q UIET, Q UITE, Q UIT Quiet (adj) “of little activity,” (n.) meaning “tranquility” or “silence.” (v.) “to cause to be quiet.” – After lunch the children enjoyed an hour of quiet play. – We enjoyed the quiet of the countryside. Quite (adv) - “totally” or “completely.” – She was quite exhausted after the warm-up exercise. Quit - to stop, cease, desist. – I quit smoking.

22. W HICH, W ITCH Which – options Which way should we go? Witch – evil, bad, or magical female My sister is a witch. Way to remember: A witch is a *itch that you don’t want to mess with.

23. C HOOSE / CHOSE Choose is PRESENT TENSE for making a choice in the present. – You choose to take a Tylenol right now. Chose is PAST TENSE – tells that a choice was made in the past. – You chose tequila last night. WTR: 1 O = Over, happened in the past

24. T HAN / T HEN Than is a conjunction used with comparisons. rhymes with pan.comparisons. He likes you more than me. Then is an adverb that refers to time. It rhymes with pen. First you take a cup of flour, and then you sift it. WTR: Th A n for Comp A rison Then ← when ? Than = compare

26. V OCABULARY M EETING 3 Teri Lynn Tosspon English 10, Heald College

27. W HETHER, W EATHER Weather is usually a noun, can also be verb that means "to be affected by the weather” or "to get/live through” – How's the weather? – The weather is always great this time of year – That house is really weathered – I know we can weather this crisis Whether is a conjunction that introduces possibilities or alternatives: – You'll do it whether you like it or not – Whether you win or lose, you'll have done your best Ways to remember: whether is interchangeable with "if," while weather indicates the temperature and atmospheric conditions.

28. C ITE /S ITE /S IGHT Cite – to quote, summon, commend or call. Cite the author in an endnote. The officer cited the drunk driver. Site – location, area, computer website, or to place something in an area You visit a Web site or the site of the crime. Sight – the act of seeing, a view, a glimpse/ observation, to look in a direction. I lost my sight in an accident. Cite = Call attention to Site = Scene, location Sight = vision

29. W AIST /W ASTE Waste: (n) discarded objects, (v) to use carelessly He wasted too much time. The waste was toxic! Waist – middle portion of the body His waist is 36” around! Way to remember: if its on my body, it needs an i.

30. W E ’ RE, W ERE, W HERE We’re – contraction of we + are. We’re going to the beach. Were – past tense of are. We were happy playing in the sand. Where is at or in what place. Where is the lotion? WTR – when you see HERE it is a place!

31. T HROUGH / T HREW Through means from one point to its end (adv.) or because of (prep.) I went through a lot of pain. Threw is the past tense of throw which means to toss or to fling (v.) He threw the ball right at me! Way to remember: -EW = an action, a THROW. Btw “thru” is an abbreviation, it’s NOT to be used outside of text messaging.

32. V OCABULARY M EETING 4 Y our Names HERE English 10, Heald College

33. W RITE, R IGHT, R ITE Write (v): to form letters/words, to compose I will write this paper, I guess. Right (adj) correct, conforming to justice (n) power or privilege, direction opposite of left. What is the right answer???! Rite (n): traditional (often religious) ceremony. A bridal shower is a rite of passage. Way to remember: not left but RIGHT, Written is based on Write.

34. C OARSE /C OURSE Coarse is always an adjective meaning “rough, crude.” Don’t use that coarse language in here! Course – N. or v. many meanings! Path, track, procedure, mode of conduct, to hunt or chase, etc. ALSO used in many idioms Of course, we do charge a fee. See you on the course! Take all required courses. If it has an A, it means “rough”, for all others, use COURSE

35. D ESERT, D ESSERT Desert : A dry, arid, sandy place – I got lost in the desert. Dessert : A sweet tasty item or dish you eat after a meal – I like pie for dessert. WTR: an extra S (in Dessert) = extra food at the end of the meal!

36. D O /D UE Do – to perform, to create, to deal with, to handle – I will do it later. Due – owed, because of – No one would hang out with him, due to his temper. – The money is due. WTR: If it involves $ (or means “because of”) use the UE version

37. E LIGIBLE /I LLEGIBLE Eligible – available, qualified, fit or proper – He was quite the eligible bachelor. Illegible not readable, impossible to read, bad handwriting. – I cannot take this paper, your writing is illegible! WTR: Your handwriting is so bad it makes me ill (ILLegible)

38. V OCABULARY M EETING 5 TT English 10, Heald College

39. E MINENT /I MMINENT Eminent - (adj) prominent, famous, most important. – The government exercises eminent domain. (most important domain and thus takes your house). Imminent – (adj) threatening, facing immediate disaster. From Latin minere, meaning “to project or overhang.” – The cat’s pounce is imminent.

40. E NSURE /I NSURE Ensure- (V) make sure something will be the case. – This letter will ensure you a hearing. – The drink ensures good health. Insure – (v) financially protect. to guarantee against loss or harm, to secure indemnity to or on, in case of loss, damage, or death, to issue or procure an insurance policy on or for. – Check with your agent, they can probably insure you for less. WTR – Insure = Financially protect against future loss, injury, death Ensure = Make sure something is the case

41. E VERYDAY / E VERY DAY Everyday is an adjective that means commonplace, ordinary, or normal. – These shoes are great for everyday wear – You shouldn't wear an everyday outfit to the wedding – Don't use the everyday dishes - it's a special occasion Every day Every (adj) day (n.) means "each day." – I go to the park every day. – I have to work every day except Friday. – Every day I feel a little better. WTR: If you do it EACH day, use 2 words: Every day.

42. F ARTHER / F URTHER Farther refers to length or distance. It is the comparative form of the word far when referring to distance. comparative – London is farther north than Juneau. Refers to distance Further means "to a greater degree," "additional," or "additionally." It refers to time or amount. It is the comparative form of the word far when meaning "much."comparative – The Master’s Degree requires further study. (Meaning "additional study," refers to amount) – According to my timetable, we should be further along. (Refers to time)

43. F ORMERLY /F ORMALLY Formerly means earlier (adv.) These dogs are clean! Formerly, they were dirty, but so fluffy. Formally means properly or officially (adv.) The President formally resigned today. WTR: Formerly = came before. Formally – requires a specific form if done formally.

44. V OCABULARY M EETING 6 English 10, Heald College

45. P RINCIPAL / P RINCIPLE Principal usually refers to a person. Remember that it ends in ‘pal’, which is a person. A principal can be: – the head of a school, the head of an organization – the main person involved in a contract or financial negotiation – Adj meaning most important. My principal is pretty awesome. Principle - a standard, a law or a rule. This means you can have: – I like the principles of economics, which are the laws that govern economic theory. – You have good moral principles, which are the rules and standards that govern your behavior WTR: You can have an argument with your HS PrinciPAL about his principles.

46. L ATER / L ATTER Later –(adj or adv) refers to time. – Though Amy said that she would join me later, I never saw her again. latter – (adj) being the second mentioned of two (distinguished from former).more advanced in time; near or comparatively near to the end: the latter part of the century. Obsolete. last; finaltheformer timelast – Cake or Pie? I prefer the latter (meaning I prefer pie!). WTR: 2 t’s = compares 2 things and this is the 2 nd thing.

47. L AY / L IE Lay means "to place something down" It is something you do to something else. – Lay the book on the table. (It is being done to something else.) Lie means "to recline" or "be placed." It does not act on anything or anyone else. – Lie yourself down on the couch. (It is not being done to anything else.) The reason lay and lie are confusing is their past tenses. The past tense of lay is laid. I laid it down here yesterday. (It is being done to something else.) The past tense of lie is lay. Last night I lay awake in bed. (It is not being done to anything else.)

48. L ESS / F EWER Use fewer with objects that can be counted one-by-one. – There were fewer days below freezing last winter. (Days can be counted.) Use less with qualities or quantities that cannot be individually counted. – I drank less water than she did. (Water cannot be counted individually here.) When referring to time or money, less is normally used even with numbers. Specific units of time or money use fewer only in cases where individual items are referred to (I have fewer dollar coins in my collection than you).

49. L IABLE /L IBEL liable (a three-syllable word) (adj) means subject to, obligated to, or responsible for something. – The court ruled that school officials cannot be held financially liable for the improper search. libel (a two-syllable word) (n. or v.) refers to a false publication that damages a person's reputation. – Because of rising legal costs, regional newspapers may not be able to defend themselves in libel actions.

50. V OCABULARY M EETING 7 J ANETTA, S ABRINA R., N ICKOLAI Teri Lynn Tosspon English 10, Heald College

51. L OSE / L OOSE Lose ( v) to suffer the loss of, to miss. – I win! You lose! – Don't lose your keys – I never lose bets Loose (Adj), the opposite of tight or contained. – My shoes are loose. – I have a loose tooth. – There's a goose running loose in the street. WTR: This confusion can easily be avoided if you pronounce the word intended aloud. If it has a voiced Z sound, then it’s “lose.” If it has a hissy S sound, then it’s “loose.” Loose rhymes with GOOSE, and both need 2 O’s

52. M AYBE / M AY BE Maybe, the compound word, is an adverb meaning "perhaps" or "possibly." – Maybe I will go out tonight. May be is a verb phrase meaning "might be" or "could be." – I may be going out tonight. If you can replace it with 2 words (“might be”) it IS two words.

53. P ASSED /P AST Past : (adj, adv, noun, or prep) previously (a period of time before now) or a distance. Beyond in time, space, distance, amount – The team performed well in the past. – The police car drove past the suspect’s house. Passed, is an action. The past tense is “passed“: – The red truck passed the blue truck. – The teacher was astonished that none of the students had passed the test. – After a brief illness, he passed away. Ways to Remember: however you have ”passed the time” you have never “ past the time,” not even in the distant past.

54. P ROSECUTE / P ERSECUTE Prosecute (v) means "to begin or carry out a legal claim against someone, usually for a crime" or "to carry or accomplish.” He will prosecute the man for his crime. Persecute (v) means "to harass, or pursue in order to injure or afflict.” People in the past were persecuted because of their religious beliefs, political beliefs, ethnicity, sexual orientation or social grouping. WTR: You can PERSECUTE people for those things listed, but you cannot PROSECUTE them for those in the United States.

55. P ERSONAL / P ERSONNEL personal (adj) (with the accent on the first syllable) means "private" or "individual.“ I write in my personal diary. personnel (n) (accent on the last syllable) refers to the people employed in an organization, business, or service. The personnel manager fired him. Personnel lost his file. WTR: If it has 2 N’s, its just business, not personal.

56. V OCABULARY M EETING 7 Teri Lynn Tosspon English 10, Heald College

57. V OCABULARY M EETING 8 J ESSE, A MANDA, X AVIER Teri Lynn Tosspon English 10, Heald College

58. A LL R EADY / A LREADY All ready (two words) means "ready,“ with the modifier indicating all. – They are all ready to run the marathon. – (meaning, all in the family were ready) Already, an adverb, means "by now," previously, "even now," or "by then." – The plane had already left when we arrived. WTR: If you are saying “everyone/ everything is ready” it is 2 different words: The books were all ready to be shipped. If used as an adverb, it is already.

59. R ESPECTFULLY, R ESPECTIVELY Respectively "one by one in the order designated or mentioned." Chris and I took the green and red parrots, respectively. (In other words, Chris took the green and I took the red) Respectfully "with respect.“ "My cat does not talk as respectfully to me as I do to her." (Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette) WTR: Respectfully literally means FULL of respect

60. A MOUNT / N UMBER Amount words relate to quantities of things that are measured in bulk (with the exception of money) – Do not drink up too great an amount of milk. Number to things that can be counted. – I have a large number of cakes to eat! Tip: Numbers can be counted, amounts are measured in bulk. (except for $$)

61. B ESIDE /B ESIDES Besides (Adv, prep) can mean “in addition to” Do you have any shirt besides the pink one. WTR : if it has an S it means “extra” (like a plural) Beside (prep, adv) in contrast, usually means “next to.” Pooh stood beside Rabbit laughing.

62. C APITOL /C APITAL Capitol is Always a building Congress held session in the Capitol. Can remember this! COngress meets in the CapitOl (both have O’s). Capital – Money/wealth/property, fatal, most important, and/or city which serve as seat of government. The capital of Nebraska is Lincoln, home of the Huskers. The death sentence is capital punishment. The big letter that starts a sentence or proper noun is a capital letter. WTR: If its not an actual building, capit a l requires an A.

63. V OCABULARY M EETING 9 Teri Lynn Tosspon English 10, Heald College

64. A CCEPT /E XCEPT Accept (v)– "to receive." – He accepted the gift. (He received it.) Except (prep, v) is usually a preposition meaning "but" or "leaving out." However, except can also be a verb meaning "to leave out."preposition – He liked everyone except Sabrina. – Way to remember – EX is like your EX that you want to LEAVE OUT!

65. E XCESS /A CCESS Access –(n, v, adj) a way to enter. This place has internet access?! Excess ––(n, v, adj) too much Excess fat in your diet is bad. WTR: EX = TOO MUCH.

66. A DOPT /A DAPT Adapt means "to change." Usually we adapt to someone or something. The moths adapted to the environment. Adopt means "to take as one's own." Judy adopted the orphan puppy. If you mean “take as one’s O wn” its ad O pt. Orphans also get adOpted.

67. A DVICE /A DVISE Advice is the noun, an opinion or recommendation offered as a guide to action, conduct. He gives good advice. Advise- the act of giving advice. I would advise you not to speak to him. Way to Remember: Adv ice (a noun like ice ) is what is given.

68. A FFECT /E FFECT Affect –(v) to influence or alter in some way. Use the verb affected when you mean influenced | rather than caused. The arrow affected the aardvark’s rear end. Effect – (n) the result of being affected. Use effect whenever any of these words precede it: a, an, any, the, take, into, no. (v.) Bring about, cause. The effects of the rain have been local flooding. You use Effect after The, on, any, into, or no. Th E E ffect. Affect – act on Effect – the outcome

70. V OCABULARY E XTRA /M AKE -U P W ORDS Teri Lynn Tosspon English 10, Heald College

71. S TATIONARY / STATIONERY Stationary (adj) not moving, still. (n) unmoving or staying in one place. He stood stationary, waiting for the fight. Stationery (n) paper on which one writes or to other related items. (let the E in envelope remind you) Pass me the flowery stationery?

72. C OMPLEMENT /C OMPLIMENT compliment : nice things said about someone – "She paid me the compliment of admiring the way I shined my shoes.” Complement - matching or completing. – Alice’s love for entertaining and Mike’s love for washing dishes complement each other. – the full number of something needed to make it complete: “My computer has a full complement of video-editing programs.” If it is preceded by “full” the word you want is almost certainly “complement.” Remember, if you’re not making nice to someone, the word is “complement.”

73. C ONSCIENCE /C ONSCIOUS Conscience – inner sense of right and wrong. – Your conscience makes you feel guilty when you do bad things. Conscious – aware, having mental faculties, known. – If you are awake, you are conscious. – Although it is possible to speak of your “conscious mind,” you can’t use “conscious” all by itself to mean “consciousness.”

74. C OUNCIL /C OUNSEL Council – an assembly, a body of people – I checked with the city council. Counsel – advice, to give advice – I could counsel you not to speak to him anymore.

75. C ONTINUALLY /C ONTINUOUSLY Continually means "repeated again and again." – I was continually interrupted by the telephone. Continuously means "uninterrupted." – It rained continuously for forty-eight hours.

76. D ISBURSE /D ISPERSE Disburse – to distribute, give out – You disburse money by taking it out of your purse (French “bourse”) and distributing it. Disperse – scatter, drive off, dispel – If you refuse to hand out any money, the eager mob of beggars before you may disperse.

77. P ATIENCE / P ATIENTS Please have some patience : I will be able to help you after I am done seeing these other patients.