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 , E - L

elicit / illicit

Elicit is a verb which means to bring out or draw forth.
Illicit is an adjective which means illegal or unlawful.

For example:

Her illicit behavior elicited dirty looks from women everywhere.

eminent / imminent

Eminent means renowned or distinguished.
Imminent means impending or likely to happen without delay.

For example:
The eminent scientist eagerly anticipated his imminent return to his homeland.

enormity / enormousness

Enormity means excessive wickedness.

Enormousness refers to size.

For example:
The enormity of his behavior was surpassed only by the enormousness of his ego.

everyday / every day

Everyday means daily and is usually an adjective.
Every day means each day.

For example:
Every day that he wore jeans, his casual attire became less and less unusual until it eventually became an everyday occurrence.

farther / further

Farther expresses physical distance.
Further refers to degree, time, or quantity.

For example:
The farther I drive from Pittsburgh, the further my mind wanders to more exotic travels.

fewer / less

Fewer refers to a number of individual items.
Less refers to a bulk amount, sum, period of time, or concept.

For example:
Fewer than five hundred workers receive less than ten thousand dollars each year.

fortuitous / fortunate

Fortuitous means occurring by chance; unplanned.

Fortunate means lucky.

For example:
The winning of the lottery was a fortuitous happening; he felt fortunate.

hanged / hung

Hanged and hung are both the past tense of hang, but hanged should only be used in reference to executions or suicides.

For example:
He hanged himself rather than looking at the mis-hung picture of his ex-wife on the wall for another day.

hopefully

Almost always used incorrectly, it means with hope. Hopefully is not synonymous with it is hoped.

Correct:
He looked hopefully at the women disembarking from the train.

Correct:
He is hopeful the mail order bride will arrive on this train.

Incorrect:
Hopefully, the mail order bride will arrive on this train.

if I were

This common subjunctive mood is often used incorrectly as "if I was." Were is the subjunctive form of the verb to be.

For example:

If I were a hammer, I'd hammer in the evening.

impact

Impact means a collission or a violent or forceful striking together. It should not be used to replace a calmer word such as effect or influence.

For example:
The impact of the car hitting the lamp post caused an electrical short that affected the entire county.

imply / infer

Imply means to suggest or hint.
Infer means to deduce or conclude from facts or evidence.

For example:
When she implied that she was the best candidate for the job, the interviewers inferred that she was the worst.

in regard to

In regard to, as regards, and regarding are correct. In regards to is not.

inside of / inside

Inside of is only correct when used in the adverbial form meaning less than.
In other meanings of inside, the of is unnecessary.

For example:
Inside of twenty minutes I'll be inside the soothing air-conditioning of the hotel lobby.

invoke / evoke

Invoke means to appeal to or call forth earnestly.
Evoke means to produce or elicit (a reaction, a response) or to reawaken (memories).

For example:
When the speaker invoked the spirit of Elvis, he evoked a strong reaction from his audience of Wayne Newton impersonators.

irregardless

This is not a word. The word is regardless. The root word is regard; -less makes it negative, so ir- makes it a double negative.

its / it's

Its is the possessive form of it.
It's is the contraction for it has or it is.

For example:
It's the art deco decor which gives the office building its charm.

lay / lie

Lay, a transitive verb, always requires a direct object. Other forms of lay are laid and laying.
Lie, an intransitive verb, never takes a direct object. Other forms of lie are lay, lain, and lying.

For example:
Before lying down, she laid the book on the table. The book was still lying on the table when she awoke.

lend / loan

To be safe, use lend as a verb and loan as a noun.

For example:
She lent me money but only as a temporary loan.

Note: In financial contexts, the use of loan is preferred. For example:
The bank loaned the steel company sixty million dollars to get them out of the red.

less than / under
more than / over

Use less than to mean a lesser amount or quantity.
Only use under to mean physically underneath.

For example:
When we found the piggy bank under the bed, we realized there was less than three dollars in it.

Only use more than to mean a greater amount or quantity. Only use over to mean physically above.

lightening / lightning

Lightening is making something lighter.
Lightning is what appears in stormy skies.

For example:
The lightning caused a momentary lightening of the midnight sky.

(Commonly Misused Words and Phrases, M-Z)

(Commonly Misused Words and Phrases, A-D)