15 Commonly Confused Terms

From a newsletter I receive. Most of us know these things, but a little reminder never hurts, and it may help someone. All copyright information is included, and contact information should anyone wish to receive these newsletters themselves.

Writing For Success Tipsheet #121 August 15, 2008 Editor: Marg McAlister ............ [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] "Tips to make your writing sparkle and your career race ahead" Editor: Marg McAlister ............ [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] "Tips to make your writing sparkle and your career race ahead"

Hone/home

Too many times, I have read "He honed in on what she was really saying..." To hone is to sharpen (he honed his knife; she honed her writing skills). When you want to explain how someone zoomed in on something, or narrowed something down, think in terms of homing pigeons: "He homed in on what she was really saying".


Loose/lose

The most common incorrect usage is to use 'loose' instead of 'lose'. "Lose" is pronounced "looz" and means to mislay something or to suffer a loss.
"Loose" is pronounced "loos" and means something not firmly attached.


Lightning/lightening

Lightning is the zig-zag flash in the sky that accompanies thunder during storms. Lightening, with an 'e', refers to something illuminating or brightening.


Complement/compliment

A compliment is praise (e.g. He complimented her on her new dress). It can also be used to mean 'free' (A complimentary subscription to an e-zine.) A complement is something that completes (e.g. Her dress was complemented by the new shoes and handbag.)


Copywrite/copyright

Over the years I've had a number of writers asking me how they can 'copywrite' their work. The correct phrase for claiming ownership to your writing is copyright. Copywriting is a form of writing: the creation of advertisements or promotional material.


Affect/effect

These words are commonly confused, and to make things worse, I've even seen the so-called 'rules' to explain the difference giving the wrong advice! "Affect: means "to influence" or "to produce an effect in." Effect means "consequence" or "that which is produced by an agent or cause." (e.g. "He was profoundly affected by her tears"; "What was the effect of his resignation?"). The reason many people get confused is that the word 'effect' can also serve as a verb, in the sense of 'to Carry out' ("She tried to effect changes in her department".)


Elicit/illicit

To elicit is to draw out (e.g., "He tried to elicit some emotion from her.")
Something that is illicit is illegal. Here's a tip if you tend to confuse the two: just remember that "illicit" and "illegal" have the same first three letters.


Lie/lay

A lie is a falsehood, but it is also one of the forms of 'lay', which is why there's so much confusion. Here are some correct examples:

She decided to lie down.
I think I will lie down.
She lay down to sleep.
If I lay out the rules for you, will you be able to complete the job?


Aggravate/annoy

A common error is the use of "aggravate" when the writer really means "annoy". "Aggravate" means "worsen." "Annoy" means "bother" or "provoke."


Adverse/averse

Adverse means "bad" or "antagonistic" ("The Olympic cyclists faced adverse weather conditions in Beijing.")Averse means "feeling disinclined." ("He was averse to making the long trip into the city.")


Discrete/discreet

Discrete means "individually distinct." ("Each stage in the process is discrete.") Discreet means "prudent", "circumspect" or "judicious." ("He asked her to be discreet about how she met him.")


Flaunt/flout

The most common misuse of this one is for a writer to write 'flaunt' when they mean 'flout'. Flaunt means "display ostentatiously." Flout means to "disobey openly and scornfully" or "show contempt for." (Correct usage: He flouted the rules when he flaunted a different sponsor's logo on his cap."


Pedalled/peddled

To pedal is to operate with foot pedals. To peddle is to sell wares. Therefore the correct usage is "He pedalled furiously until he caught up to the rest of the pelleton", NOT "He peddled furiously..."


Passed/past

Passed is a past tense verb, showing action: ("She passed the rest of the runners and went on to win.") Past can be a noun, adjective, adverb, or preposition, but never a verb.


Stationery/stationary

Stationary means "not moving." Stationery refers to writing paper and envelopes.


These are just a few commonly confused terms - there are many more. Try doing a Google search for any you're not sure about.

Further Reading
Here is a link to the Yahoo directory of sites related to Grammar and Language. (It was a long link, so I've shortened it by using TinyURL):

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© Marg McAlister

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I don't know why the html code shows up here. I could not cut it.

Very good, Zada. There are so many words and phrases that often are confused or confusing. One I always remember is that something "centers on" or "revolves around." I had an editor who went nuts if you reversed them.

Thank you, Zada. There are several here that I haven't even thought about

My most confusing ones are lay and lie. I must stop and think about them each time they come into play.

Thanks Zada,

Posts like this can only help writers. Great information!!

Charlie

Great list!

I know we could add it ... at least five popped into my head.

But I am going to resist the temptation and add only one ... because the word was in the last section of the original post.


Further / Farther

Farther - moving ahead in distance (farther down the path)
Further - advancing to a greater degree (read further in the book)


This one isn't a peeve or anything ... but I like it because it came up in one of my favorite movies. Does anyone else like "Finding Forrester"?

I just LOVE your picture, JoElle!!!!!!!

So do hens.

Zada I love that list! I have been known to trip myself off over forget and forgot.

JoElle "Finding Forrester" is on of my all time favourite movies--a word nerd's dream! After I watched it, I also started wearing my socks inside out...

The aggravate one is poorly taken. It's become a synonym for annoy in common use.

Reality check: what does "aggravation" imply?

lin wrote:

The aggravate one is poorly taken. It's become a synonym for annoy in common use.

Reality check: what does "aggravation" imply?

lin, you could always contact her at her website to let her know of 'newer' usages.
Her site: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

lin wrote:

The aggravate one is poorly taken. It's become a synonym for annoy in common use.

Reality check: what does "aggravation" imply?

Aggravating isn't it? How much easier it would be if the English language didn't have so many synonyms:

Quote :

USAGE NOTE Aggravate comes from the Latin verb aggravāre, which meant “to make heavier,” that is, “to add to the weight of.” It also had the extended senses “to annoy” and “to oppress.” Some people claim that aggravate can only mean “to make worse,” and not “to irritate,” on the basis of the word's etymology. But in doing so, they ignore not only an English sense in use since the 17th century, but also one of the original Latin ones. Sixty-eight percent of the Usage Panel approves of its use in It's the endless wait for luggage that aggravates me the most about air travel.

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I get aggravated a lot these days. Is that simply a problem of language?

Language is a fascinating subject. Really. Words that once meant one thing now mean something totally different. In some cases, it can be confusing. For instance, as a young teen, I almost got my mouth washed out for saying I thought something was 'bitchin''! Of course, no one uses that term anymore, but it is just a light example, and there are many more.

Sue Sunshine wrote:

I just LOVE your picture, JoElle!!!!!!!

Thank you Sue!



Aggravate vs Annoy ??? Hmmm.


Trolls enjoy annoying elves for fun. This only aggravates the already poor relationship between the two races.

Thanks for this list! I'm with Zada. I have to stop and think about lay/lie every time it comes up. You'd think by now I'd have it figured out! LOL

On another site they were talking about allot, alot, a lot.