spelling, vocabulary and confusing words

[medo1960]

Spelling, Vocabulary, and Confusing Words

Because many words in English sound or look alike, frequently causing confusion, this list will be very helpful.

PART 1

a vs. an

Rule. Use a when the first letter of the word following has the sound of a consonant. Keep in mind that some vowels sound like consonants when they’re sounded out as individual letters.

Examples:

• a finger
• a hotel
• a U-turn (pronounced You-turn)
• a HUD program
• a NASA study

Rule. Use an when the first letter of the word following has the sound of a vowel. Remember that some consonants sound like vowels when they’re spoken as individual letters.

Examples:

• an FBI case (F is pronounced ef here)
• an honor (H is silent here)
• an unusual idea
• an HMO plan (H is pronounced aitch here)
• an NAACP convention (N is pronounced en here)

Deciding whether to use a or an before abbreviations can be tricky. The abbreviation for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) causes confusion because it can be pronounced as a word (fak), or one letter at a time (F-A-Q). Using the guidelines above, one would say a FAQ when it is pronounced as one word, and an FAQ when it is pronounced one letter at a time.

accept

except

to agree; to receive

but, with the exception that

ad

add

advertisement

to perform addition

ades

aides

AIDS

aids

fruit drinks

people who help; assistants

acronym for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

helps, assists

adverse

averse

unfortunate; strongly opposed (refers to things, not people)

Examples: an adverse reaction to the medication

adverse weather conditions

having repugnance (refers to people)

Example: He is averse to a military draft.

advice (noun)

advise (verb)

recommendation

the act of giving a recommendation

affect vs. effect

Rule 1. Use effect when you mean bring about or brought about, cause or caused.

Example: He effected a commotion in the crowd.

Meaning: He caused a commotion in the crowd.

Rule 2. Use effect when you mean result.

Example: What effect did that speech have?

Rule 3. Also use effect whenever any of these words precede it: a, an, any, the, take, into, no. These words may be separated from effect by an adjective.

Examples: That book had a long-lasting effect on my thinking.

Has the medicine produced any noticeable effects?

Rule 4. Use the verb affect when you mean to influence rather than to cause.

Example: How do the budget cuts affect your staffing?

Rule 5. Affect is used as a noun to mean emotional expression.

Example: She showed little affect when told she had won the lottery.

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