Syllabus Links
Common Usage Problems
"Affect" versus "Effect"
You probably want to use "affect" if the word is a verb: "It didn't affect me at all."
If the word is a noun, you probably want to use "effect": "It has no effect on me at all."
"Alot"
"A lot" should be two words. Here's what Webster's Online Dictionary says when you type in "alot":
"Although"
"Although" does not mean the same thing as "however." A sentence beginning with "Although, ..." should often be revised to "However, ..."
"Anyways"
. . . is appropriate only when you're writing extremely chatty stuff, like a letter to your friend, or when you're writing a short story or poem and you want one of your characters to sound colloquial. "Anyway" is what you probably mean.
"But, ..."
Sometimes, you'll want to use a comma after the word "but." But not always! For some reason, many beginning writers seem to think there is a rule requiring a comma after every instance of "but." There is no such rule!
CD, TV
I bought a CD today. Later I watched TV.
"Each Other" versus "One Another"
This rule is easy: If you're talking about two people, you should use "each other"; if there are more than two people (three or 257), you should use "one another."
"Everyday" versus "Every Day"
"Everyday" is an adjective, and it describes a noun, as in: "Washing dishes was an everyday experience for me."
"Every day," two words, is used when you want to say something like: "I washed dishes every day."
"Its" versus "It's"
"It's" means "it is." "Its" doesn't.
Numbers
Write out numbers under ten as words . . . unless your teacher has a different rule (which is very possible!).
"Okay"
That's how to write it.
"Could of," "Should of," "Would of," "Might of ..."
These don't make much sense. You probably mean "could have . . ." (and so on).
"Suppose" versus "Supposed" and "Use" versus "Used"
The common mistake is to leave out the "d" when it's supposed to be there; people just get used to doing it wrong.
"Then" versus "Than"
"Then" is a time. "Than" compares things.
"There" versus "Their" versus "They're"
"They're" means "they are." "There" is a place. "Their" is neither of those things.
"To" versus "Too"
"Too" expresses excess--too much, too little, too funny, too cool, too shy, and so on.
"Try and . . ."
You probably mean "try to." This is an easy mistake to make, because of the way we pronounce things. But think about the logic of a sentence like "I'll try and find out." That means that you'll do two things: 1) try, and 2) find out. What you probably mean is that you'll do one thing, namely, try to find out.
"Women" versus "Woman"
One woman.
Two or more women.
"Your" versus "You're"
"You're" means "you are." The other one doesn't.