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1 2

7 Words Often Confused What Will You Learn?

and Misused
• To identify words often confused and misused

• To use words often confused and misused in a

sentence effectively.

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3 4

Accede/Exceed Accept/Except

• Accede (VERB; to agree or consent)—I will accede to • Accept (VERB; to take or receive)—We do not accept
this request for new carpeting only if the tenants agree to two-party checks or checks written on out-of-state banks.
sign a new one-year lease.

• Except (PREPOSITION; with the exclusion of, but)—

This two-for-one dinner coupon is valid every day except
• Exceed (VERB; to surpass a limit)—Lending companies holidays.
cannot charge clients interest fees that exceed the legal
limit.

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5 6

Access/Excess Adapt/Adept/Adopt

• Access (NOUN; admittance or approachability. VERB; • Adapt (VERB; to adjust or modify)—We must adapt our
to pass to and from a place freely; to approach or advertising campaigns to capture the new generation of
communicate with a person or thing)—Do you have college graduates.
remote access to your company e-mail account?
Employees with a security clearance may access all offices
in the building.
• Adept (ADJECTIVE; skilled; proficient)—Mark is
particularly adept at writing successful grant proposals.
• Excess (ADJECTIVE; pertaining to a surplus. NOUN; a
surplus, beyond ordinary limits)—You may return all
excess flooring materials for full credit within 60 days of
purchase. Avoid placing an excess of information in these • Adopt (VERB; to take and follow as one’s own)—The
one-page advertisements. Harrises have filed a petition to adopt their foster child.

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7 8

Advice/Advise Affect/Effect

• Advice (NOUN; a suggestion, an opinion, or a • Affect (VERB; to influence or to produce a significant

recommendation)—I should have followed your advice influence upon)—Increased costs will affect our pricing
and declined the job offer. policies on all merchandise.

• Effect (VERB; to bring about or cause to happen; to

• Advise (VERB; to counsel or recommend)—Mr. Canton create)—Rising costs of raw materials will effect large
is qualified to advise you on the courses you will need to price increases in our products.
take for the marketing major.

• Effect (NOUN; a result or consequence)—The

company’s new vacation policy has had no apparent effect
on boosting employee morale.

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9 10

Allude/Elude Alternate/Alternative

• Allude (VERB; to mention or refer to indirectly)—As • Alternate (VERB [ˈo˙l-tər-ˌnā t]; to change from one
proof of Americans’ lack of concern for economy, I allude to another repeatedly. NOUN[ˈo˙l-tər-nət]; one that
to the increased popularity of SUVs during recent years. substitutes for another. ADJECTIVE [ˈo˙l-tər-nət];
substitute; every other)—Our conferences alternate
between the northern and southern parts of the state. Jack
Smith has agreed to serve as my alternate on the budget
committee. Dr. Malamed schedules annual physicals on
alternate Fridays.
• Elude (VERB; to evade or escape from)—The senator
has been able to elude severe criticisms of his program by • Alternative (NOUN; a choice between two or among
anticipating and counteracting objections. several. ADJECTIVE; offering or expressing a
choice)—We were left with only two alternatives: either
accept the lease conditions or find another location. None of
the alternatives presented by the committee were
acceptable to the general manager.

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11 12

Appraise/Apprise Assure/Ensure/Insure

• Appraise (VERB; to estimate the value or nature of • Assure (VERB; to promise; to make a positive
something)—Before we can liquidate this company, we declaration)—I assure you that the loan will be repaid
must hire an outside firm to appraise its assets. according to the terms specified in the note.

• Ensure (VERB; to make certain)—To ensure the timely

• Apprise (VERB; to inform or notify)—Please apprise all completion of this project, please hire additional qualified
employees immediately of this change in our safety personnel.
policies.

• Insure (VERB; to protect against financial loss)—We

insure all our facilities against fire, flood, and earthquake
damage through Great Western Indemnity.

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13 14

Bazaar/Bizarre Because of/Due to

• Bazaar (NOUN; a fair for the sale of articles)—Our • Because of (PREPOSITION; by reason of)—Because of
Lady of Lourdes Church will hold its annual bazaar during the increased interest in our new phone plan, we are
the Memorial Day weekend. extending our store hours during the sale.

• Bizarre (ADJECTIVE; strikingly out of the ordinary)—

Floyd’s Fashions has often been described as carrying • Due to (PREPOSITION; as a result of)— an outdated
bizarre clothing lines and accessories. form of because of that is not appropriate for business
writing.

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15 16

Beside/Besides Bi-/Semi-

• Beside (PREPOSITION; by the side of)—Please place • Bi- (PREFIX; two)—Our newsletter is published
the new scanner on the table beside Ms. Carter’s bimonthly: January, March, May, July, September, and
computer. November.

• Semi- (PREFIX; half)—Bulletins to the staff are issued

• Besides (PREPOSITION; in addition to)—What other semimonthly, on the 1st and 15th of each month.
Internet service providers besides Time Warner have you
contacted?

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17 18

Breach/Breech Can/May

• Breach (NOUN; a violation of a law or an agreement; • Can (VERB; to have the ability to do something)—You
a hole or a gap; a break in friendly relations)—The can develop a Web site without knowing hypertext markup
judge ruled that a breach of contract transpired when the language (HTML).
building was not ready for occupancy by the date agreed
upon.

• May (VERB; to express permission or possibility)—

Yes, you may schedule your vacation for the week of July
• Breech (NOUN; the part of a firearm or a cannon that 15.
is located behind the barrel)—They had difficulty firing
the old cannon because the breech seemed to be
inoperable.

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19 20

Carat/Caret/Karat Cease/Seize

• Carat (NOUN; a unit of weight for gems)—The total • Cease (VERB; to stop or come to an end)—Please
diamond weight in this ring is 2.17 carats. cease shipment of any further orders to Home Décor until
its outstanding balance has been paid.

• Caret (NOUN; a proofreading symbol similar to an

inverted v that is placed at the bottom of a line to
show insertions in edited copy)—Ask the editor to place
a caret between the two words where the company name • Seize (VERB; to take possession of; to take)—Did the
is to be inserted. IRS seize the company’s assets for nonpayment of taxes?

• Karat (NOUN, GENERALLY USED AS AN ADJECTIVE; a

unit of weight for gold)—All the 18-karat gold chains in
our store are imported from Italy.

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21 22

Ceiling/Sealing Choose/Chose

• Ceiling (NOUN; the overhead inside lining of a room; • Choose (VERB; to select or make a choice)—Do you
upper limit)—Because of former leaks in the roof, the know whom the general manager will choose to become
ceiling in the reception area needs to be repainted. his executive assistant?

• Sealing (VERB, present participle of seal; to close • Chose (VERB; past tense of choose)—The general
with a coating to make secure)—We will be sealing and manager chose Ms. Randall to be his executive assistant.
mailing all our holiday cards on December 4.

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23 24

Cite/Sight/Site Command/Commend

• Cite (VERB; to quote or mention; to summon to a • Command (VERB; to order or direct. NOUN; an
court appearance)—Dr. Rosenthal can cite many order)—The sergeant commanded his troops to return to
authorities who have researched the problem of pollution in base by 6 p.m.
major United States cities.

• Sight (VERB; to see. NOUN; a view or spectacle)—Did • Commend (VERB; to praise or compliment)—Please
you sight Ms. Preston among the group of reporters? commend the sales staff for its fine job in promoting our
product line at the Dallas convention.

• Site (NOUN; a location)—This 20-acre land parcel is a

perfect site for the proposed housing project.

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25 26

Complement/Compliment Conscience/Conscious

• Complement (VERB; to complete or make perfect. • Conscience (NOUN; the faculty of knowing right from
NOUN; something that fills up, completes, or makes wrong)—I believe his conscience prevented him from
perfect)—The paintings you selected for the reception area accepting the illegal campaign contributions.
will complement the office decor. You may wish to select
one of our fine wines to complement your meal.

• Conscious (ADJECTIVE; aware or mentally awake)—

• Compliment (VERB; to praise or flatter. NOUN; an Yes, we are conscious of the declining market in our
admiring remark)—Mr. Rose did compliment me on the industry.
fine job I had done. Andrew received many compliments
on the sales brochure he designed for our new line of
bedroom furniture.

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27 28

Convince/Persuade Costumer/Customer

• Convince (VERB; to bring a person to your point of • Costumer (NOUN; one who deals in or makes
view)—Do you think you can convince the board that our costumes)—Allison Parker was the costumer for the
losses this year are related directly to a slowdown in the Valley Playhouse production of Cats.
economy?

• Customer (NOUN; one who purchases a commodity or

• Persuade (VERB; to induce a person to do service)—Does the customer wish to send the wrapped
something)—An effective banner on a popular Web site wedding gift to the bride or just take it with her?
may persuade visitors to that site to purchase your
products.

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29 30

Deceased/Diseased Decent/Descent/Dissent

• Deceased (ADJECTIVE; dead)—Two of the company’s • Decent (ADJECTIVE; in good taste; proper;
founders are already deceased. adequate)—Students are expected to use only decent
language in the classroom.

• Descent (NOUN; moving downward; ancestry)—The

• Diseased (ADJECTIVE; sick)—Be sure to spray all these view of the city from the sky was breathtaking as the plane
diseased rose bushes with insecticide. began its descent into the Denver airport. Mr. Sirakides is
of Greek descent.

• Dissent (NOUN; differences or disagreement)—There

seems to be considerable dissent among the council
members concerning the resolution to expand our city’s
police department.

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31 32

Defer/Differ Device/Devise

• Defer (VERB; to put off or delay)—Our company has • Device (NOUN; an invention or mechanism)—The
decided to defer moving its offices until next spring. automatic collating and stapling device on the copier
worked perfectly during the demonstration.

• Differ (VERB; to vary; to disagree)—State laws in this

area differ from state to state. • Devise (VERB; to think out or plan)—Were you able to
devise an overtime plan that would be equitable to all
employees?

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33 34

Discreet/Discrete Disinterested/Uninterested

• Discreet (ADJECTIVE; showing good judgment in • Disinterested (ADJECTIVE; free from selfish motive
conduct and speech; unnoticeable)—Ms. Doyle is or interest; unbiased)—All the judges for this
discreet in discussing patients’ cases with other hospital competition have been certified to be disinterested
personnel. parties.

• Discrete (ADJECTIVE; separate)—The conglomerate • Uninterested (ADJECTIVE; not interested)—Employees

consists of nine discrete companies. who are uninterested in the success of the company are
certainly not candidates for promotion.

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35 36

E.g./I.e. Elicit/Illicit

• E.g. (PREPOSITION + NOUN; Latin abbreviation • Elicit (VERB; to draw out or bring forth)—Did the
meaning for example)—Michael already has seven write- seminar speaker attempt to elicit questions from the
ups during the three months he has been with the company audience?
(e.g., he has three write-ups for absences without prior
notification).

• Illicit (ADJECTIVE; unlawful)—One of our agents has

been cited for illicit business practices.
• I.e. (PRONOUN + VERB; Latin abbreviation meaning
that is)—You may telephone your order anytime (i.e., we
have operators on duty 24 hours a day every day).

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37 38

Eligible/Illegible Envelop/Envelope

• Eligible (ADJECTIVE; qualified to be chosen)—To be • Envelop (VERB; to wrap, surround, or conceal)—

eligible for these employment opportunities, applicants Envelop each tamale in a corn husk before boiling it.
must be at least 21 years of age.

• Envelope (NOUN; a container for a written

• Illegible (ADJECTIVE; unreadable)—The handwriting on message)—Please send me your reply in the return
this student’s paper is illegible. envelope provided for your convenience.

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39 40

Explicit/Implicit Farther/Further

• Explicit (ADJECTIVE; expressed clearly)—The • Farther (ADJECTIVE; a greater distance [always a

accompanying booklet gives explicit instructions for measurable amount of space])—The driving distance
assembling this computer desk. from the plant to the warehouse is farther than I had
anticipated.

• Implicit (ADJECTIVE; being understood, although • Further (VERB; to help move forward. ADVERB; to
unexpressed; unquestionable)— Although the a greater degree or extent. ADJECTIVE;
project manager did not state so in his progress report, additional)—The Arden Foundation contributed $5
I recognized an implicit appeal for additional engineers million to further research in spinal cord injuries. Stock
to assist with this complicated project. market prices declined even further after the
president’s announ cement. Refer to my July 8 memo
for further details.

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41 42

Fewer/Less Foreword/Forward

• Fewer (ADJECTIVE; used with items that can be • Foreword (NOUN; prefatory comments, as for a
counted and plural nouns)—We had fewer sales this book)—William J. Clark, president of the Oxnard
month than we had anticipated. University Public Library, wrote the foreword for the
2010 publication of The Oxnard University Book of
Twenty-First-Century Political Quotations.

• Less (ADJECTIVE; used with mass items that

cannot be counted and singular nouns)—You will
get by with less work if you follow my suggestions. • Forward (ADVERB; to or toward what is ahead)—
Our company, since its beginnings, has moved forward
at a rapid pace in research and development.

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43 44

Good/Well He/Him/Himself

• Good (ADJECTIVE; meaning of favorable quality in • He (PRONOUN; the subject of a clause or a

describing a noun or pronoun; meaning fit, complement pronoun)—He is the best candidate for
wholesome, or healthy spirit in describing a the position. If I were he, I would investigate this
person’s well-being)—Has Jason received the good opportunity more thoroughly.
news that he has been promoted to day supervisor?
• Him (PRONOUN; a direct object, an indirect object,
or an object of a preposition)—The president asked
• Well (ADVERB; meaning satisfactorily, skillfully in him to head the project.
describing an action; ADJECTIVE, meaning fit,
healthy in describing a person’s health)—Our • Himself (PRONOUN; a reflexive pronoun used to
soccer team has done well this season. Jenny did not emphasize or refer back to the subject)—He
feel well, so she went home. himself had to solve the problem.

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45 46

Hoard/Horde I/Me/Myself

• Hoard (VERB; to store or accumulate for future • I (PRONOUN; a subject of a clause or a

use)—Please do not hoard stationery and other complement pronoun)—I received information about
supplies in your office. this promotional opportunity yesterday. Yes, it was I
who received the promotion.

• Me (PRONOUN; a direct object, an indirect object,

• Horde (NOUN; a multitude)—A horde of jazz or an object of a preposition)—E-mail me as soon as
enthusiasts were waiting for the box office to open so you receive a response from the client. The fruit basket
they could purchase prime seats for the October 15 sent to our new manager is from Sally, Nathan, and me.
concert.
• Myself (PRONOUN; a reflexive pronoun used to
emphasize or refer back to the subject)—I myself
wrote the entire script.

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47 48

Ingenious/Ingenuous Irregardless/Regardless

• Ingenious (ADJECTIVE; marked by originality, • Irregardless (an incorrect usage for regardless
resourcefulness, and cleverness)—Your ingenious that is not acceptable for speaking or writing)
plan could save our company thousands of dollars
annually.

• Regardless (ADVERB; despite everything)—We

• Ingenuous (ADJECTIVE; showing innocent or must vacate these premises by July 31, regardless!
childlike simplicity; natural)—Mayor Warren’s
ingenuous smile and warm personality have
contributed immeasurably to his successful political
career. • Regardless of (PREPOSITION; without taking into
account; in spite of)—Regardless of price, which one
of these models has the best performance record?

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49 50

It’s/Its Lay/Lie

• It’s (PRONOUN + VERB; contraction of it is)— • Lay (VERB; to put or place; a transitive verb that
Although this model digital television set has become needs an object to complete its meaning; lay, laid,
very popular, it’s not our best seller. laid, and laying are the principal parts of this
verb)—Please lay

• Its (PRONOUN USED AS ADJECTIVE; possessive • Lie (VERB; to recline; an intransitive verb that
form of it)—The company had its stockholders’ does not have an object; lie, lay, lain, and lying
meeting in Atlanta last week. are the principal parts of this verb)—Where may the
patient lie down? He lay in the hospital waiting room
for more than three hours before a doctor examined
him. These contracts have lain on Ms. Lee’s desk since
Monday.

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51 52

Liable/Libel/Likely Lightening/Lightning

• Liable (ADJECTIVE; legally responsible, • Lightening (VERB [GERUND]; illuminating or

obligated)—The court ruled that the company was brightening; lessening or alleviating)—Lightening
liable for all damages resulting from the accident. the kitchen and the living areas requires us to revise the
design drawings to include ceiling lights in these areas.
• Libel (NOUN; a false or damaging written Only by lightening her workload can we expect to
statement about another)—Don censored one retain Ms. Burton.
statement in the reporter’s article because he feared the
newspaper could be sued for libel.
• Lightning (NOUN; the flashing of light produced by
• Likely (ADJECTIVE; probable. ADVERB; probably)— atmospheric electricity)—During the storm flashes of
He is a likely candidate for the position. If you continue lightning streaked across the sky.
to be habitually late and absent, you are likely (not
liable) to be fired.

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53 54

Loose/Lose Moral/Morale

• Loose (ADJECTIVE; not fastened, not tight or shut • Moral (ADJECTIVE; pertaining to right and wrong,
up)—A loose connection was the probable cause of the ethical)—Too many moral issues were apparent in this
power failure on the fifth floor of the Fisher Building. investment strategy for our company to become
involved.

• Lose (VERB; to fail to keep; to mislay)—We do not

want to lose any of our accounts in the Philippines • Morale (NOUN; a mental condition)—Announcement
because of this temporary shortage. of an across-the-board 7 percent pay increase instantly
boosted employee morale.

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55 56

Peak/Peek Personal/Personnel

• Peak (ADJECTIVE or NOUN; highest point; top)— • Personal (ADJECTIVE; private; individual)—Be
Our peak sales period is from September through careful about disclosing personal information over the
November. Internet.

• Peek (NOUN; a glance)—Some of the buyers have • Personnel (NOUN; employees. ADJECTIVE;
already had a peek at the new fall fashions by major relating to employment)—All personnel have been
designers. notified that the company will be acquired by Certified
Investment Corporation, effective July 1. Your annual
performance evaluation will be placed in your
personnel file.

©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. ©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

57 58

Perspective/Prospective Peruse/Pursue

• Perspective (NOUN; a mental picture or outlook)— • Peruse (VERB; to read hastily or casually)—Each
I believe his perspective is distorted by greed. morning at breakfast I peruse the newspaper for any
items of interest to our industry.

• Prospective (ADJECTIVE; likely to be or become,

expected)—Have you been able to locate prospective • Pursue (VERB; to follow in order to overtake; to
buyer for the property on Lake Street? proceed with a course of action)—As he used his cell
phone to notify the police, the onlooker continued to
pursue the hijacker.

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59 60

Pore/Pour Precede/Proceed

• Pore (VERB; to read studiously or attentively. • Precede (VERB [pri-ˈsē ̄d]; to go before)—Mrs.
NOUN; a small opening in a membrane)—How long Andrews’ breakout session will precede the
did the auditors pore over these books before convention’s first general session.
discovering discrepancies in the entries? Hot water will
open the pores of your skin, and cold water will close
them.

• Proceed (VERB [prō -ˈsē d]; to go forward or

continue)—Please proceed with your analysis of the
• Pour (VERB; to dispense from a container; to utility company’s financial statements.
move with a continual or continuous flow)—Please
ask the servers to pour the water after the guests are
seated.

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61 62

Precedence/Precedents Rational/Rationale

• Precedence (NOUN [ˈpre-cə-dən(t)s]; priority)— • Rational (ADJECTIVE [ˈrash-nəl]; based on

Please give precedence to training our middle reason)—There must certainly be a rational
management personnel in the use of voice-recognition explanation for the strange noises in the attic.
software.

• Rationale (NOUN [ˌra-shə-ˈnal]; an explanation of

• Precedents (NOUN [ˈpre-cə-dənts]; things done or belief or practice, an underlying reason)—Do you
said that can be used as an example)—There are no understand management’s rationale for closing this
legal precedents in our state for this particular case. outlet store, which is presently showing a profit?

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63 64

Respectably/Respectfully/Res Shall/Will
pectively
• Respectably (ADVERB; in a correct or decent • Shall (HELPING VERB; denotes future time in the
manner)—The vagrant was dressed respectably for first person in formal writing)—I shall give your
his court appearance. request the utmost consideration.

• Respectfully (ADVERB; in a manner denoting high

regard; a word used in the complimentary close of
a letter to show high regard for the addressee)— • Will (HELPING VERB; used with all three persons
Please remember to treat all our customers in business style)—I (or We) will call you tomorrow.
respectfully.

• Respectively (ADVERB; each in turn or in order)—

Janice Jackson, John Zelinsky, and Al Turnbull were
first-, second-, and third-prize winners, respectively.

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65 66

Shear/Sheer Should/Would

• Shear (VERB; to cut, strip, or remove)—The • Should (HELPING VERB; denotes future time in the
mechanic had to shear off the bolts before he could first person in formal writing)—We should
remove the wheel. appreciate your returning the signed contracts by
Friday, March 23.

• Sheer (ADJECTIVE; transparently thin; utter;

steep)—None of these sheer fabrics are suitable for • Would (HELPING VERB; used with all three
the kind of draperies we have in mind. persons in business style)—I (or We) would
appreciate receiving a copy of this month’s sales report.

©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. ©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

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67 68

Soar/Sore Sole/Soul

• Soar (VERB; to fly aloft or about; to rise or • Sole (NOUN; the undersurface of a foot.
increase dramatically)—These miniature aircraft are ADJECTIVE; being the only one)—When you walk,
built to soar through the air without motor or battery distribute your weight evenly between the sole and the
power. heel of your foot.

• Sore (ADJECTIVE; painfully sensitive)—If you • Soul (NOUN; the immaterial essence of an
overdo an exercise program, your muscles will be sore individual; a living example of moral principle)—
for several days. Most contemporary religions believe that the soul of an
individual continues on after his or her physical death.

©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. ©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

69 70

Stationary/Stationery Statue/Stature/Statute

• Stationary (ADJECTIVE; not movable or not • Statue (NOUN; a carved or molded image of
moving)—Only two of the interior walls in this office someone or something)—Meet me in front of the
suite are stationary. statue of Lincoln at 2 p.m.

• Stature (NOUN; the height of an object or a body;

• Stationery (NOUN or ADJECTIVE; writing material status gained by attainment)—The stature alone of
or related to writing materials)—Prepare this letter the pyramids is overwhelming.
on Mr. Parks’ personal stationery.

• Statute (NOUN; a law enacted by a legislature)—A

recently enacted statute prohibits the use of handheld
cell phones while driving.

©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. ©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

71 72

Than/Then That/Which

• Than (CONJUNCTION; used to show comparison)— • That (PRONOUN; refers to animals or things;
Ms. Espinoza has more experience than I in writing introduces a restrictive or essential subordinate
contract proposals. clause)—All dogs that are found wandering in the
streets will be impounded.

• Then (ADVERB; at that time)—Once all the data has • Which (PRONOUN; refers to animals or things;
been gathered, you may then begin organizing the introduces a nonrestrictive or nonessential
report. subordinate clause)—The security staff recommended
that we acquire a watchdog, which would be kept
inside the plant at night.

©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. ©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

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73 74

Their/There/They’re Theirs/There’s

• Their (PRONOUN USED AS ADJECTIVE; the • Theirs (PRONOUN; possessive form of they)—This
possessive form of they)—As a result of their copy of the contract is theirs.
recommendation, we installed an Apex Security System
in our main warehouse.

• There (ADVERB; at that place or at that point)— • There’s (PRONOUN + VERB; contraction of there is
Please be there promptly at ten o’clock in the morning. or there has)—There’s still much to be done before
we can open our new store.

• They’re (PRONOUN + VERB; the contraction of

they are)—Although the union representatives rejected
our first offer, they’re willing to consider our second
proposal.

©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. ©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

75 76

Threw/Through/Thru Toward/Towards

• Threw (VERB; past tense of throw)—As I reviewed • Toward (PREPOSITION; in the direction of)—Set up
all the documents in the files, I threw away those these workstations so that all the screens on the
documents that were no longer needed. computer monitors face toward the west wall.

• Through (PREPOSITION; in one end and out the

other; movement within a large expanse; during • Towards (secondary form of toward; use toward
the period of; as a consequence of)—While you are instead of towards in business writing)
in Atlanta, will your schedule permit a tour through the
plant?

• Thru (a variation of through that is not acceptable

for business writing)

©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. ©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

77 78

Vice/Vise Waive/Wave

• Vice (NOUN; immoral habit; personal fault)—Drug • Waive (VERB; to relinquish; to refrain from
abuse by America’s populace is a vice that must be enforcing)—Do you waive your right to a jury trial?
curtailed.

• Vise (NOUN; a clamp. ADJECTIVE; strong hold or • Wave (VERB; to swing something back and forth
squeeze)—Please order a vise for our new carpenter. or up and down)—The angry customer was
determined to wave his bill in everyone’s face.

©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. ©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

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79 80

Waiver/Waver Weather/Whether

• Waiver (NOUN; the relinquishment of a claim)— • Weather (VERB; to bear up against. NOUN; the
Please sign the enclosed waiver to release our company state of the atmosphere)—We are pleased that you
from any further responsibility for your injury. were able to weather the high rate of employee
turnover during the summer months. The weather is
unpredictable today.

• Waver (VERB; to shake or fluctuate)—I believe Mr.

Doyle is beginning to waver concerning our request to • Whether (CONJUNCTION; an introduction of
update our accounting software. alternatives)—We will not know until next week
whether our company or Artistry in Motion will be
awarded the contract.

©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. ©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

81 82

Who/Whom Who’s/Whose

• Who (PRONOUN; the subject of a subordinate • Who’s (PRONOUN + VERB; a contraction of who
clause or a complement pronoun)—I was the person is)—Please let me know who’s taking over your
who invited you to attend. responsibilities during your leave of absence.

• Whom (PRONOUN; a direct object or an object of a • Whose (PRONOUN USED AS ADJECTIVE;

preposition)—No one yet knows whom the vice possessive form of who)—Mr. Long is the vice
president has recommended to become his successor. president whose position was eliminated.

©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. ©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

83

Your/You’re

• Your (PRONOUN USED AS ADJECTIVE; possessive

form of you)—Your assistant provided me with a copy
of the minutes from our last committee meeting.

• You’re (PRONOUN + VERB; contraction of you

are)—If you’re interested in contacting the authors of
HOW 12, please e-mail us at ClarksHOW@aol.com

©2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

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