Writing Center
Youngstown State University
In English, there are many words that sound alike but are spelled differently. Why bother to use the right word? Well, for one thing, when you use the wrong spelling, you distract the reader's attention from the content of your writing. Also, the wrong word at the wrong time will confuse the reader since he/she may have to reread your sentence many times to get your intended meaning.
| an--article, used with words that begin with vowels
or vowel sounds. Ex.--an elephant, an hour, an artichoke, an earthworm
and--conjunction, used to connect words and ideas. Ex.--rock and roll; she's going to the store, and I want to go. |
| accept--verb, to take willingly. Ex.--I accept your offer.
except--preposition, to exclude. Ex.--I want all the food except the peas, please. |
| advice--noun, a suggestion or recommendation. Ex.--Take
my advice. advise--verb, to show the way, to give advice. Ex.--I will advise him of our arrival time. |
| affect--verb, to change in some way. Ex.--Did that movie
affect you at all? effect--noun, the result of something. Ex.--The effect of the prism is wonderful. |
| by--preposition, used to show location. Ex.--by the river,
by the way, by the book, by an orange car. buy--to purchase. Ex.--I will buy that watch. |
| hear--verb, to listen. Ex.--I can hear you better when
you take your hand away from your mouth. here--adverb, location that tells where. Ex.--Please move the chair over here. Here it is. |
| it's--contraction of it is. Ex.--It's cold outside. its--possessive pronoun meaning belonging to something that is gender neutral. Ex.--The cat lost its collar. |
| passed--verb, went by or got over something. Ex.--My
flu symptoms have finally passed. I passed him yesterday. past--noun, the before, the "what was" that is now gone. Ex.--That was all in the past. Her past was plagued with bad decisions. |
| right--adjective, means correct or proper. Ex.--I know
I'm right. write--verb, the action of committing thought to paper. Ex.--If I don't write this paper tonight, I'm going to get an F. |
| sight--noun, sometimes verb, the ability to see. Ex.--My
sight has cleared up considerably since the doctor took that bandage off
my eyes. site--noun, a place, a location. Ex.--That site is a great place to build a house. cite--verb, to mention or call attention to. Ex.--That senator cited several reasons for his pay raise. |
| suppose--verb, means to think or guess. Ex.--I suppose
it's O.K. if you buy a snake. supposed--adjective, accepted as such, ought, should. Ex.--Are you supposed to eat that? |
| than--conjunction, used to show comparison. Ex.--My car
is bigger than yours. I would rather starve to death than have to eat your
cooking! then--adverb, shows a time sequence or order. Ex.--If you drag that tree out of the way, then I will chop it up. |
| their--possessive pronoun, meaning belonging to them. Ex.--Sure,
it's their business since they asked. there--adverb, shows location. Ex.--Look over there. There are three correct answers to this problem. they're--contraction of "they are." Ex.--They're taking the last bar of soap on the shelf. I wonder if they're ready to go yet. |
| to--preposition, shows movement or direction. Ex.--to
the store, to the one I love. Also, sometimes used with verbs. Ex.--I
want to go to the movies, but I don't have any money. too--adverb, means also or to a greater degree. Ex.--I should dye my hair, too. This soup is too hot to eat. two--adjective, the number 2. Ex.--Nobody wants two noses. |
| use--verb, to utilize. Ex.--I use green shampoo because
it's fun. used--verb past tense, as in I used all the shampoo. Also, "used to" means accustomed to. Ex.--I am used to your ways. Also, used to ___--(any verb in the blank). Ex.--I used to go to the movies, but I don't go any more. |
| whose--relative pronoun, means person to whom it belongs. Ex.--Whose
banana peels are these? The boy, whose mother is missing, is very sad.
who's--contraction of who is. Ex.--Knock, knock. Who's there? Who's the boss? |
| your--personal pronoun, belonging to you. Ex.--Your lipstick
is extremely bright. I think your yard is magnificent. you're--contraction of "you are." Ex.--You're a fool if you think no one will steal your wallet. I think you're a very nice person. |
E-mail your comments and suggestions to the YSU Grant Team (cardcat@bgnet.bgsu.edu).
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