★ Affect or Effect?
This one took me absolutely years to grasp the concept of. All of my schoolwork would have either "affect" or "effect" circled and replaced with the other, I just couldn't understand which was which and why we used them in different contexts. After sitting down with my final year English teacher I was explained thoroughly why it is important to use them properly. In case you are still struggling with this very common word misuse, let me explain:
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| 30 Common Grammatical Errors |
The effect is the result of that change.
Example 1:
Sabrina's joke went too far, it really affected Miriam.
The effect of Sabrina's joke on Miriam was that it made her sad.
Example 2:
Juliet's tiredness affected her willpower to finish the work.
Unfortunately, the effect of this was that her homework was handed in late.
★ Cite or Site?
This misuse is more of a mistake than a lack of understanding as both words mean very different things, I can't recall a time I ever used the word 'cite', so I've definitely learned something new today!
To cite is to refer to something.
A site is a place someone can visit.
Example 1:
Vinnie cited his love for his new wife in his wedding vows.
Bert decided to visit the site alone.
Example 2:
Laurence went online and cited an article about the Amazon rainforest for his school project.
Children often come to the site with friends during the summer holidays.
★ Alright or All Right?
Alright? How can you say that with etiquette! Suitable for text messages with friends but nothing else, it's slang for the more suitable "are you all right?" So avoid using this in professional environments, it won't look good on you!
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| 58 Misused Words and Phrases |
All right is derived for the phrase "are you all right?", asking someone if something's wrong.
Non-formal:
Liam said his new life in Cyprus was going alright.
Alright, I'll call Eva later.
Formal:
Are you all right, Ozzy? You can talk to me if you have something on your mind.
You need to ask Karl if everything is all right with Katheryn!
★ Into or In To?
This one also baffled me for a long time. Surely they both mean the same thing? Actually not, let me explain why, it will certainly make confusing the two much harder after reading this!
Into is the prepositional word we use to mean moving inside something else.
In to is just a plain coincidence of having the two words next to each other in a sentence, there is no real definition to this.
Using The Word "Into" Properly:
Tanya and Bobbie loved running into the sea and splashing each other.
Vance said that I really put all my effort into winning the spelling bee.
Coincidental Placement:
Everything was fine when Alessia came in to drop off Justine.
Francesca insisted we drove in to the cinema for a late-night movie!
★ Already or All Ready?
They both sound the same, so it can get confusing at times. Thankfully the confusion is easy to quash by giving a quick definition of the both of them for future reference!
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| 20 Words You've Been Misusing |
Already is to have done something in the past, usually quicker than expected.
All ready means to be completely prepared.
Example 1:
Keith's teacher said he was already good at swimming after just three lessons!
Someone told me that Krista's work is already completed.
Example 2:
The hotel was all ready for Drake and Oswald's arrival.
Dillon said that they were all ready for us to join in.
Well, there's a few of the most common misused words we are all guilty of making, I know a few of these I definitely have experienced muddling up in the past but I have learned something today, that's for sure. I hope you have too! I enjoyed writing this post so much that I am toying with the idea of extending the original post or making another post on a similar topic, I am yet to make my decision! Tell me what you think!
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