Usage Glossary

1. Usage Glossary

2. A, AN • Use a in front of words that begin with a consonant or "yew" sound. • Use an in front of words that begin with any other vowel sound. • Ex. a house, a university, an animal, an honor

3. A lot, alot, allot • alot, a lot - A lot should always be two words or avoided completely. • Ex. There are a lot of new computers on the market. • Allot- Allot is a verb that means the same as allocate. • We need to allot our resources fairly so everyone gets an equal share.

4. a while, awhile • a while, awhile - A while is made up of an article and a noun. It will be used as an object of the preposition FOR most often. • Awhileis an adverb to describe for how long something will occur. • Ex. Let's think for a while, then we'll continue awhile with the lesson.

5. Accept / Except • Acceptis a verb meaning "to receive" or "to agree to.“ • Exceptcan be a verb, though it is often used as a preposition meaning "but” and is intended to EXCLUDE. • Ex. I accept your explanation that footballs fly straight, except in high winds.

6. Affect, effect • Affectis a verb meaning "to influence." • Effect is usually a noun meaning "result" but can be a verb meaning "to accomplish." • Artificial lighting can affect the nutritional cycle of plants. (verb) • Artificial lighting can have an undesirable effect on plants. (noun) • Exposure to both daylight and darkness effects good health in plants. (verb)

7. AIN’T • DON’T USE AIN’T! IT AIN’T A WORD WE USE! Um, I mean it ISN’T a word we use. • Ain’t got = doesn’t / don’t have • Actually, just don’t use contractions and you will not have this problem.

8. all ready, already • All ready means "completely ready.“ • Alreadymeans "by this time.“ This is an adverb that tells when something occurred. • Ex. Matthew was all ready to perform his gymnastics routine. • Janice was already capable of reading college-level textbooks.

9. all right, alright • This should always be two words. • Ex. Any flavor of ice cream is all right with me! • I got the questions all right!

10. all the farther, all the faster • These are unacceptable in writing. Use as far as and as fast as instead. • Ex. Walk as far as you want and as fast as you can to build stamina.

11. all together, altogether • All together means "in a group.“ • Altogethermeans "completely." • Ex. We were all together for the last time at our class picnic. • Our class picnic was an altogether wonderful experience.

12. amount, number • Use amount when referring to nouns that cannot be counted. • Use number when referring to nouns that can be counted. • Ex. The Appalachian Mountains have a vast amount of fog. • We have a smaller number of dictionaries in the branch library.

13. bad, badly • Badis an adjective. • Badlyis an adverb. • Ex. This cold weather has been bad for the farmers. • The crops were badly damaged.

14. being as, being that • These expressions should not be used in writing. Replace them with because or since.

15. beside, besides • Besidemeans "at the side of." • Besidesmeans "in addition to." • Ex. My dog likes to curl up beside me. • There are other things in life besides television.

16. between, among • Use between to compare one person or thing to another. • Use among to show a relationship in which more than two persons or things are considered a group. • Ex. The sculptor had to choose between marble and granite. • The trees in Oregon are among the tallest in the Pacific Northwest.

17. borrow, lend, loan • Borrow is a verb meaning "to take something for a limited time.“ • Lend means "to give for temporary use.“ • Loanis a noun. • Ex. May I borrow your pen? • Please lend me your pen. • We got a loan from the bank.

18. bring, take • Bring means "to carry from a distant place to a closer one.“ • Take means "to carry from a nearby place to a more distant one." • Ex. Bring your books to me. • Take a jacket to the game tonight.

19. can, may • Usecan to indicate the ability to do something. • Use may to indicate permission to do something. • Ex. I can finish reading before dinner. • May I finish reading after dinner?

20. can't hardly, can't scarcely • These expressions are double negatives. Avoid using them. • Ex. I can hardly wait for vacation. • The driver can scarcely see through the snow.

21. Of’s Vs. Haves • could of, might of, must of, should of, would of- The preposition of is incorrect here; use the helping verb have instead. • Ex. The loud noise might have startled the dog.

22. different from, different than • The expression different from is preferred. • Ex. Although there are similarities, a clarinet is different from a soprano saxophone.

23. doesn’t, don’t • Doesn’tis used with he, she, it and all singular nouns. • Don’tis used with I, you we, they and all plural nouns. • Ex. She doesn’t like cold weather. • We don’t have a hockey team.

24. emigrate, immigrate • Emigratemeans “to go from one country to another to live.” • Immigratemeans “to come to a country to live. • Ex. The entire family plans to emigrate from Russia next year. • Most people who immigrate to the United States live in coastal areas.

25. farther, further • Use farther to refer to physical distance. • Use further to refer to degree or time. • Ex. We traveled farther today than we did yesterday. • We will discuss this topic further at our next meeting.

26. fewer, less • Use fewer to refer to nouns that can be counted. • Use less to refer to nouns that cannot be counted. • Ex. There are fewer students enrolled in the city's elementary schools this year. • It takes less time to travel one mile in a car than on a bicycle.

27. good, well • Goodis an adjectivedescribing a noun. • Wellis an adverb telling how something was done. • Ex. It was a good book. The team played well.

28. hanged, hung • Use hanged when referring to death by hanging. • Use hung in all other instances. • Ex. In the Old West, they hanged people for stealing horses. • The librarian hung the sign on the door.

29. in, into • Use in to mean "inside." • Use into to indicate movement from outside to a point within. • Ex. Meet me in the cafeteria. • I'm going into the cafeteria.

30. Irregardless, regardless • Irregardlessis a double negative and should not be used. • Regardlessis the only correct usage. • Ex. The mouse tried to run across the room, regardless of the cat.

31. this kind, these kinds • Usethis and that with singular words. • Use these and those with plural words. • Ex. This kind of metal won't rust. • These kinds of paints are lead-free.

32. lay, lie • Lay, laid, and has laid mean "to put" or "to place.“ • Lie, lay, and has lain mean "to recline" or "to be positioned." • Ex. Lay your cards on the table. • I laid my cards on the table. • I have laid my cards on the table. • My dog likes to lie in the sunshine. • My dog lay in the sunshine yesterday. • My dog has lain in the sunshine many times.

33. learn, teach • Learn means "to receive knowledge.“ • Teachmeans "to give knowledge.“ • Ex. You can't teach an old dog new tricks unless it's willing to learn.

34. like, as, as if • Likeis a preposition and introduces a prepositional phrase. It can also be a verb that indicates something you enjoy. • As and as if are often a subordinating conjunction and introduces a subordinate clause. • This roller coaster feels like a jet! • We won the game as the final buzzer sounded. • He ran as if his legs were broken.

35. loose, lose • Loosemeans "free" or "not fitting tightly." • Lose means "to have no longer" or "to fail to win.“ LOSE the O in LOSE! • Ex. These new shoes are too loose. • Don't lose your ticket.

36. passed, past • Passed is the form and the past participle of the verb to pass. • Past may be an adjective, a preposition, an adverb, or a noun. • We passed this building an hour ago! • Have you eaten any pizza this past week? • We drove past this building an hour ago!

37. precede, proceed • Precede means "to go or come before." • Proceed means "to continue" or "to move along." • Ex. Which selection will precede Beethoven's PastoralSymphony in tonight's program? • You may proceed with your presentation.

38. raise, rise • Raisemeans "to cause to move upward." Rise means "to go up." • Raisethe flag at 7:30 a.m. sharp. • Does the sun rise over the eastern or western horizon?

39. reason is because • This expression is redundant and should not be used. • The reason he left early is that he came down with a fever. • He left early because he came down with a fever.

40. respectfully, respectively • Respectfullymeans "with respect." • Respectivelymeans "in the order named." • Ex. Tim respectfully handed the ball back to the referee. • Blue and magenta are primary and secondary colors, respectively.

41. says, said • Saysis the third person singular of the verb say. • Saidis the past tense of say. • Ex. He always says he'll call. • He said he would call back tomorrow.

42. sit, set • Sit means "to place oneself in a sitting position.“ • Set means "to place" or "to put." • Ex. You may sit at this table. • Please set the table with napkins.

43. than, then • Than is a word used to make a comparison. • Then is an adverb that tells when. • Cats are more agile than dogs. • Layna was a young girl then.

44. this here, that there • Here and there shouldn't be used after this and that. This and that should be used alone. • We like this song. • I don't like that color.

45. where at • At is a preposition and should not be used after where. • Ex. Where is city hall?