Whenever writers and speakers use words incorrectly, it detracts not only from the power of the messages they are attempting to covey but also their credibility in the eyes of their readers and listeners. However, it seems the words that are most regularly misused are those that can easily be confused with other words.
Difference Between Accept and Except
Two words that are often misused are “accept” and “except,” although they have entirely different meanings.
“Accept” is a verb meaning “to receive,” as in this sentence:
- The authors will accept the awards at Saturday’s banquet.
“Except,” on the other hand, although it can work as a verb, usually works as a preposition meaning “excluding,” as in this sentence:
- All the authors, except Tom, will accept awards at Saturday’s banquet.
When used as a verb, “except” means “to exclude,” as in this sentence:
- The judges said, “Please except Tom’s name from the list.
Improving Communication Skills and Increasing Word Power
There are quite a few commonly confused words in the English language, and it’s impossible to address them all within the length of this article, so only a few of the “worst offenders” are addressed. On the other hand, writers and speakers can increase their word power by verifying a word’s meaning and its part of speech with a dictionary before using that word and perhaps using it incorrectly.
Commonly Confused Words in the English Language
Below are some of the many commonly confused words in English:
Among, Between: “Among” is used with three or more items, and “between” is used with two items, for example:
- Tom said it was impossible to choose among the three entrées.
- Sue rolled her eyes and said, “You don’t even like fish, so choose between beef and chicken.”
Amount, number: “Amount” is used with quantities that cannot be counted, whereas “number” is used with quantities that can be counted, for example:
- Tom said the dessert probably contained a large amount of sugar.
- Sue said the dessert was sugar-free but still contained a large number of calories.
Awhile, A while: The word “awhile” is an adverb (adverbs modify adverbs, adjectives, and other adverbs); and the two-word expression “a while” is comprises of an article plus a noun and works as the object of a preposition; for example:
- Even though he felt ill, Tom told Sue that he wanted to stay awhile.
- Even though Tom felt ill, Sue told him that she wanted to stay for a while.
Bring, Take: “Bring” indicates that an object is being moved or transported in the direction of a person, but “take” indicates that something is being moved or transported away from a person; for example:
- When Sue got up from the sofa to go to the kitchen, Tom shouted, “Please bring me a beer when you return.”
- Sue said, “I’ll bring you a beer if you’ll take your suit to the cleaners tomorrow.”
Beside, Besides: “Beside” is a preposition meaning “at the side of” or “next to;” and “besides” can be either a preposition meaning “except” or “in addition to,” or an adverb meaning “in addition.” Here are three sample sentences:
- Tom always placed his bunny slippers beside the bed.
- Tom thought that no one besides Sue should read the draft of his latest novel.
- Money makes the world go round; besides, being rich sure beats being poor.
Complement, Compliment: “Complement” is a verb meaning “to complete” or “to go with;” and “compliment” is either a verb meaning “to flatter” or a noun meaning “flattering remark;” for example:
- Tom thinks his skill at throwing a football complements his skill at tackling.
- After dinner, Tom complimented Sue on her culinary skills.
- Sue took Tom’s compliment with the proverbial grain of salt.
Continual, Continuous: “Continual” means “repeated regularly and frequently;” and “continuous” means “extended or prolonged without interruption;” for example:
- Sue was sick and tired of Tom’s continual complaining about his lack of success.
- When Tom received the rejection letter for his novel, he sobbed continuously for an hour.
Disinterested, Uninterested: Whereas “disinterested” means “impartial” or “objective,” “uninterested” means “not interested;” for example:
- Tom is disinterested when it comet to either politics or religion.
- Tom is uninterested in anyone’s opinion regarding either topic.
Farther, Further: “Farther” refers to distance, and “further” refers to quantity or degree; for example:
- Tom told Sue it was farther to her mother’s house than to his mother’s house.
- Sue said, “If you make any further comments about my mother, I’m leaving.”
In summary, the words above are merely a sampling of those that are oftentimes misused by writers and speakers; however, as initially stated, the surest way to avoid misusing any word is by learning its definition and its part of speech.
Source:
Webster's New World Dictionary (2004) New York: Simon & Schuster
Carol Rzadkiewicz - Carol Rzadkiewicz has taught college English for over 14 years and is the author of three published novels and numerous short stories.
