Accept/except
Accept is a verb meaning "to agree to" or "to adapt to" or similar:
Gabrielle needs to accept Xena’s dark side.
This store doesn’t accept wooden dinars.
Except is a preposition or conjunction meaning roughly "unless" or "if not."
All Xena’s enemies are men except Callisto.
Affect/effect
Affect is a verb meaning "to influence" or "to cause change in." Effect is a noun meaning "the result or outcome."
Gabrielle’s love affected Xena by making her less violent.
Gabrielle’s love had a calming effect on Xena.
The confusion caused by these two words is complicated by the fact that "effect" can sometimes be a verb with meaning similar to "affect," but with a rather subtle difference. The verb "affect" takes a direct object (the noun which is affected) which is typically a person. The verb "effect" takes a direct object (the noun which is effected) which is typically a change or similar concept, So, "Gabrielle’s love affected Xena" but "Gabrielle’s decision to travel with Xena effected an immediate change in Xena’s lifestyle."
As if you weren’t already confused enough, "affect" can also be used as a noun, although this usage is generally obsolete. It refers to the emotional or psychological result of something and is used a) in psychology/psychiatry to describe moods and b) in discussion of works of art, e.g. "The overall affect of Beethoven’s Fifth is melancholy." However, in general (unless you are a shrink or an art critic) you should disregard this meaning of the word.
Altar/alter
An altar is a table or stand upon which religious ceremonies are performed.
Alter means "to change":
Gabrielle, have you altered your hair color?
Desert/dessert
A desert is a dry sandy place. You place the accent on the first syllable (say "DEH-zert"). It is also an old-style word for "something that is deserved." Nowadays the second meaning only surfaces in the phrase "just deserts." That’s just as in "fair," not just as in "only." Whew, this gets more and more confusing, eh?
Dessert is the sweet stuff you generally eat after a meal. You accent the second syllable (say "deh-ZERT").
Farther/further
Both these words mean "more far." Farther refers to physical distance: that is, more far in terms that can be measured in inches (or centimeters if you prefer metric). Further refers to more abstract differences: for example, the difference between two people’s points of view.
Amphipolis is farther from Athens than from Poteideia.
Xena’s explanation of what happened is further from the truth than Gabrielle’s.
Its/it’s
Unlike most possessives, "its" does not contain an apostrophe. It is just one of the many cases where the English language is unnecessarily complex. The trouble with English is not that it has too many rules – it’s that there are too many exceptions to the rules. But "its/it’s" is a case wherein it’s good to remember that an apostrophe often replaces a letter. If the word is "it’s," ask yourself, "What letter has been removed?" The answer clearly is "i." The letter i from "it is" has been replaced by the apostrophe.
So, to clarify:
Its = belonging to it. "The frying pan has a dent in its handle."
It’s = it is. "It’s not my fault the frying pan is dented!"
your/you’re
Your is a possessive meaning "belonging to you."
You’re is a contraction of "you are."
Is this your hairbrush?
You’re not using my hairbrush, are you?
Who/Whom
These words are relative pronouns. Use "who" when it is the subject of the sentence, "whom" when it is the object. Here’s a very simple rule that should always work: Try replacing the word "who/whom" with "he/him." If "he" is correct, "who" is correct. If "him" is correct, "whom" is correct.
He is my brother.
Who is your brother?
I’m looking at him.
You’re looking at whom?
Toward/Towards
These two words are usually considered to be alternate spellings of each other. Mostly, it’s a matter of personal preference. In case you care, my own personal preference is to leave the "s" off, just because it can be confusing, seeming to imply plurality where there is none. (Incidentally, the same applies to "anyway/anyways.")
Roll/role
A roll is:
a small piece of bread
a piece of paper that has been turned into a tube
a verb meaning "to turn (paper) into a tube"
a verb meaning "to turn over and over" (e.g. rolling down a hill)
a list of people in a group ("I’m going to call the roll")
A role is a part in a play ("Lucy Lawless plays the role of Xena") or, more loosely, the function you perform in a certain group ("I play the role of peacekeeper in my family").
More/most
"More" should be used when comparing exactly two things. For example: "Xena wears more leather than Gabrielle." (The two things being compared are Xena and Gabrielle.)
A collective noun can be considered one of the two things, for example: "Gabrielle is more talkative than all the other Amazons." (The two things being compared are Gabrielle and the entire group of other Amazons.)
"Most" should be used when comparing more than two things. For example: "Of Aphrodite, Artemis, and Athena, Aphrodite is the most scantily-clad."
In the following example, "most" is used incorrectly. It should be "more."
"Xena, which do you like most: the dumplings with the red filling, or the fish that I cooked with your juices?"
__________________elow is a compilation of words which are often used incorrectly,
Accept/except
thanks
BYE..
