This is part of the difference between series. Another common word confusion exists between the words nauseous and nauseated. I hear persons mixing these two words all the time. The basic difference is that one is nauseous to others, and others make one nauseated.
Category: Writing
Capitalize dad and mum/mom
The following is a reader submission. My son had to determine whether or not “dad” was capitalized in this sentence. His first grade teacher wrote the sentence: Mom and Dad/dad did not scold the kind child. Thanks for your input! Cindy Hi Cindy, It would be capitalized if it is a proper name. In this… Continue reading Capitalize dad and mum/mom
When to use “I were”
The following is a reader submission. I was surprised to see that you said, “I were” in a sentence. When I went to school, the nuns told us that “were” was only to be used with a plural subject such as you, they or we. Has grammar changed and now it’s okay to say, “I… Continue reading When to use “I were”
Difference between than and then
This is part of the difference between series. Another common pair of words I see mixed up is “then” and “than”. Luckily, telling the difference is easy. “Then” is always used in reference to a sequence of events, as in: We went to the store, then we came home “Than”, on the other hand, is… Continue reading Difference between than and then
Difference between who and whom
This is part of the difference between series. The following is a reader submission: Please detail the difference between “who” and “whom” in the following phrase: . . . which helped to shape me into (who/whom) I am today. Carmen Thanks for writing, Carmen. This is a tricky one. The key to determining whether to… Continue reading Difference between who and whom
Difference between that and which
This is the fifth part of the difference between series. Two words commonly confused with each other are “that” and “which”. So much so that it has become common in many circles to not differentiate between the two. As a result, some people may disagree with my explanation. Nevertheless, I offer it here for some… Continue reading Difference between that and which
Difference between its and it’s
This is the fourth part of the difference between series. One of the most common grammatical mistakes I see is using it’s instead of its. Or vice versa. Telling the difference is really easy actually. It’s is a contraction. A contraction is a word formed by omitting or combining some of the sounds of a… Continue reading Difference between its and it’s
Difference between insure and ensure
This is part of the difference between series. Having worked in a university for over 6 years, I’ve been exposed to a lot of academic writing. The only thing worse than academic writing is business writing. Considering I work in a faculty of management, I get to see the worst of both worlds. Apparently, there… Continue reading Difference between insure and ensure
Difference between lie and lay
This is the second part of the difference between series. Another common misuse I hear is that of “lie” and “lay”. Most of the misuse I see is the use of “lay” when the speaker means “lie”. Lie means to recline, and lay means to put or to place. An easy way to tell the… Continue reading Difference between lie and lay
Difference between affect and effect
This is the fourth part of the difference between series. I’ve seen this before, and just this week in fact. Some people confuse the words “affect” and “effect”. Here’s the difference. Affect is a verb, and effect is a noun. Here are some examples: What effect did the rain have on the crops? This unbearable… Continue reading Difference between affect and effect