Transcript Commonly Confused Words

Commonly Confused Words
1.Some words that are spelled
differently but sound exactly the same.
2.Some words that are spelled the same
but are pronounced differently.
3.Some words that do not share the
same spelling or pronunciation but
are often confused.
These are your commonly confused
words.
1. Commonly Confused Words - Homonyms
Words that are spelled differently but
sound exactly the same.
Homonyms
 Its / It’s
 To / Two / Too
 There / Their /
 Then /Than
They’re
Example One : Its and It’s


ITS: the possessive pronoun
IT’S: the contraction (short for it is).
It’s common for the cat to lick its claws.
Example Two: To, Too, and Two

TO


preposition
 Walk to the car (toward)
 infinitive indicator
 To skate
TOO can mean also or indicate degree
TWO is the number following one

The two girls wanted to go to the skating rink too, but
it was too late.
Example Three: Their , They’re, and There



THEIR: (possessive pronoun)
Belonging to them
THEY’RE: (contraction) They are
THERE: (adv) At or in that place (primary def.)
They’re leaving their tired dog over there.
Example Four: Then and Than


Than is a conjunction used in comparisons
Then is an adverb denoting time.
Bob noticed that some pigeons
were much bigger than others
and then he realized they
weren’t pigeons at all!
Example Five: principal, principle


As a noun, principal means "head" or
"chief;" as an adjective, "highest" or
"best.“
Principle means "basic truth, law, or
assumption." Principle is NEVER an
adjective.
 The principal author gave the lecture. He
acts according to the highest principles.
2. Commonly Confused Words Same Verbs with Different Sounds
Words that are spelled the same but
are pronounced differently.


Life / Live
Everyday / Every day
Example One: Life and Live
These words can get very complicated.
 LIFE (long vowel sound like pie) is a
noun, whose plural is LIVES (long vowel
sound)
 LIVE is a verb (short vowel sound like in)
and the singular present tense of that
verb is LIVES (also short vowel sound)
 LIVE (with the long vowel like pie) is an
adjective that is short for alive.
In his life, the doctor saved many lives.
I live in Miami, but my brother lives in
Tampa.
I love to watch Saturday Night Live.
Example Two: Every Day and Everyday
To determine which one of these is appropriate,
ask yourself whether you want to say each day
or whether you are looking for an adjective that
means common or ordinary.
Every day is special. Don’t
weigh yourself down with
everyday concerns.
3. Commonly Confused Words –
Different Words
Some words that do not share the same
spelling or pronunciation but are often
confused.
affect,
effect
assure, ensure, insure
Example One - affect, effect


To affect is to influence or change.
To effect is to bring about. An effect is a result or
an influence.
 Ingesting alcohol affects her driving
competence. Margaritas effect an undesirable
change in his personality; he shouts and tells
you that they have no effect on his speech.

NOTE: "Impact" is frequently and
inappropriately used as a verb; "affect" is a
better choice.
 These
cuts impact our project.
 These cuts affect our project.
Example Two: assure, ensure, insure



Assure means "to convince," "to guarantee."
Insure means "to guard against loss."
Ensure means "to make certain."

Assure and ensure are often used interchangeably, but they
actually have different meanings.
 Assure takes a direct object--usually a person or group
of persons. You assure someone that something has been
done.
 Ensure does not imply that you are giving assurance to
someone else. You ensure that something has been done.

Examples:
 I assure you of my good intentions.
 Please insure this package.
 Ensure that you lock your car.
Websites for commonly confused words
Commonly Confused Words, A-Z
 http://www.pnl.gov/ag/usage/confuse.html
AskOxford.com
 http://www.askoxford.com/betterwriting/classicerrors/confuse
d/?view=uk
Quizzes
 http://virtual.yosemite.cc.ca.us/lumanr/904_stuff/confwords.h
tm
Other sites for Commonly Confused Words
 http://homepage.smc.edu/reading_lab/words_commonly_conf
used.htm
 http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shadowlands/4778/CattCnfs
dWrdsMn.htm
 http://www.rinkworks.com/words/confused.shtml
 http://www2.actden.com/writ_den/tips/sentence/confused.htm
 http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/conford.html
 http://www.wsuonline.weber.edu/wrh/words.htm
DICTIONARIES









CCSD ONline Dictionary
Hypertext Webster Dict. search page
The American·British - British·American
Dictionary
The Wordsmyth English DictionaryThesaurus
On-line Dictionaries
ROGET'S Thesaurus Online
The American·British - British·American
Dictionary
WWWebster Dictionary - Search screen
Dictionary.com