In my Which Word? article I discussed commonly mis-used words.
Recent questions from clients have focused around when and how to use these words correctly.
The simplest words can often be the most confusing to use in the correct context.
Here are examples of when to use some of our confusing words.
| Confusing Word | Example |
|---|---|
| Your | Here is your copy of the report. |
| You're | I hope you're feeling better. |
| Affect | This decision will affect the outcome of the elections. |
| Effect | I don't think it will have any effect on the outcome. |
| Its | The coach will be able to help the team to achieve its goals. |
| It's | It's going to be a relaxing holiday. |
| Piece | Would you like a piece of cake? |
| Peace | Our aim is to bring about peace. |
| Council | The local council clean up will take place on Tuesday. |
| Counsel | Sue will be able to counsel you on the best action to take. |
| There | Place the bags over there. |
| Their | This is their first visit to Australia. |
| They're | They're visiting Sydney and then going to Brisbane. |
| Quite | It's quite cold today. |
| Quiet | This is a quiet location. |
| Advice | She gave good advice. |
| Advise | I'd advise you to go a different way. |
| To | Karen is going to the city. |
| Too | I'm feeling hungry too. |
| Two | David has two siblings. |
| Practice | The law practice is located in Sydney. |
| Practise | The best way to improve your speaking skills is to practise. |
Benefits for you
There are benefits in being aware of the confusing words in the English language.
When you check what you have written you are:
- More likely to pick up these common errors ensuring their mis-use are no longer a distracter for your clients and colleagues
- Able to present yourself and your business in a professional manner.
More tips
For more tips on how to use words well, check out:
How true, Maria, recently I have noticed spelling errors with amazing regularity in the media as well as in personal communication.
Is this a flaw of the education system, carelessness and laziness, and a 'who cares, let the reader work it out' selfishness on the part of the writer?
Hi James
Thanks for your comments. You've posed an interesting question. An additional point to consider is that nowadays everyone seems to be dealing with information overload and time-constraints.
In the case of the media, could it be more to do with 'getting the story out first'? In so doing, the writer hasn't considered the impact of their mis-use of words on their readers.
I also thinking texting has had an impact on how people write generally. It's becoming commonplace to see poorly formed sentences in emails with the shortening of words and phrases.
I may have posed even more questions. 🙂
Thanks again for your comments.
Maria
Maria, thank you for this blog. It is a common theme with wrong words used in the context in a sentence or paragraph. There are other words that I could add to the list above that I struggle with, not only in writing but also in speaking.
Also,I love your weekly tips and blogs! Keep up the awesome work, thank you.
Thanks for your feedback, Ewa.
I'm pleased that you're enjoying the blog posts and my weekly tips.
If you feel comfortable doing so, feel free to post your list of words here. They may help others who are also having similar experiences with those words.