The Dorrance Reference Shelf Contents Page

C O M M O N L Y M I S U S E D W O R D S A N D P H R A S E S , A - Z

adverse / averse

Adverse means unfavorable or hostile.
Averse describes someone's reluctance to do something.

For example:

She was averse to going outside due to the adverse weather conditions.

affect / effect

Affect is a verb which means to influence or to pretend
to have.
Effect is almost always a noun which indicates a result.

For example:
Millions of Deadheads were affected by Jerry Garcia's death, but the effect on the band remains to be seen.

aggravate / irritate

Aggravate means to add to an already troublesome matter or condition.

Irritate means to vex or annoy.

For example:
The irritating nasal quality of his voice aggravated an already tense situation.

aid / aide

To aid is to give help or give assistance.
An aide is an assistant.

For example:
The teacher's aide was trained to aid the students in intramural volleyball.

all right / alright

Although both appear in the dictionary, alright is considered to be a disputed usage. To be on the safe side, use all right.

allude / elude

Allude indicates an indirect reference.
To elude is to escape or avoid detection.

For example:
The allusion to the deeper meaning of the cryptic verse eluded the engineering students.

a lot / allot / alot

A lot refers to many items.
Allot means to apportion or to assign. There is no such word as alot.

For example:
At the zoo, a lot of monkeys are allotted ten bananas per day.

alternate / alternative

Alternate means every other one in the series.
As the other one in a series of two, alternate may stand for a substitute.
Alternative means one of two possibilities. It connotes a matter of choice which is not present with alternate.

For example:
When we approached the nearly empty vending machine, we found the candy bar chute was jammed, thereby leaving us with no alternative but the alternate option of fudgy cookies.

anxious / eager

Anxious implies fear and worry; you can only be
anxious about something.
Eager implies that you are stimulated or excited at the prospect of doing something.

For example:
Although he was eager to share his views with the group, he was anxious about the prospect of public speaking.

anymore / any more

Anymore means now or nowadays.
Any more indicates a quantity.

For example:
Since the pretzel snacks aren't stocked in the vending machine anymore, there are not any more crunchy, salty, cheesy snacks from which to choose.

as if / like

As if is properly used as a conjunction to introduce a clause.
Like takes a simple object; it cannot introduce a clause.

For example:
It looks as if it will rain; the sky is like soot.

bad / badly

Bad is an adjective.
Badly is an adverb.

For example:
The bad boy had to stand in the corner during milk and cookies time because he had behaved badly by slashing the teacher's tires.

Note: When describing how someone feels, the correct word is bad. For example:
She felt bad about losing the election.

because of / due to / since

Use because of when matching cause to effect. It should be used when the writer can ask why in a sentence.
Due to should never be used in anything but a linking verb construction. Due is an adjective and its preposition, to, relates to the condition of the subject. You'll note that you can't ask why in this type of construction.
Since is best used when it denotes a period of time, whether it is continuous or broken.

For example:
The stock price for the toy company dropped because of Santa sightings, which was due to the increase in the elf population since last Christmas.

Note: Since is best used when it denotes a period of time, whether continuous or broken. Because gives a reason or cause.
For example:
It has been many years since she had seen her old friend because of the unfortunate incident involving her straying husband.

beside / besides

Beside means next to.
Besides means in addition to.

For example:
I thought the guy standing beside the vending machine was cute; he had three tatoos besides having a pierced lip and a studded leather jacket.

compared to / compared with

Compared to must be used to liken one thing to another. This is figurative and metaphorical.
Compared with is to be used when you place items side by side to examine their similarities and differences. This is statistical rather than creative.

For example:
"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? / Thou art more lovely and more temperate"--especially when compared with the twenty days of ninety-plus degree weather during the summer of 1995.

complement / compliment

Complement is defined as that which completes something, supplements it, or brings it to perfection.
Compliment is an expression of praise or admiration.

For example:
I really must compliment you on the big shoes, which so complement your big skirt.

compose / comprise

Compose means made up of; it breaks the whole down into the parts.
Comprise means encompass; it links the parts to the whole.

For example:
The gourmet meal comprised several courses; it was composed of appetizer, salad, soup, entrée, dessert, and coffee.

continual / continuous

Continual means repeated or intermittent.
Continuous means unbroken.

For example:
Your continual interruptions are interfering with my continuous work load.

different from / different than

Use different from and you will never be wrong.

discreet / discrete

Discreet means prudent or careful.
Discrete means separate or distinct.

For example:
The discreet mistress considered her married life and her affair to be discrete entities.

disinterested / uninterested

Disinterested means impartial.
Uninterested means having no interest.

For example:
Even the disinterested observer could tell that Rikki was completely uninterested in Stephen.

(Commonly Misused Words and Phrases, E-L)