Commonly Confused Words -- A-K

Addition	A summation. Adding something up.	In addition to spraining his wrist, Blair had three cracked ribs, numerous contusions, fifteen stitches in his forehead, and a concussion.
Edition	A newspaper issue. A reprinting of a newspaper. A release of a magazine or newspaper.	The current edition of 'The Cascade Sun Times' carried a picture of the following people from the Cascade Police Department: Simon Banks, Captain of Major Crimes; James Ellison, a detective in Banks' unit; and Blair Sandburg, the police observer assigned to Detective Ellison.

Affect	To act upon; impress; influence. To touch emotionally. To imitate or counterfeit. To attack or attaint. To have a liking for. To imitate or counterfeit. To tend toward naturally. To aspire for or to.	The murder of the little girl affected Jim to the point where he mindlessly pounded his fist into the wall until it was bloody, then he went after the killer.
Effect	A result of some cause or agency. A consequence. The gist of a statement. To bring about. To accomplish. Fact or reality. Gist of a statement. Moveable goods. Mental state or attitude resulting from observation or external impression.	The effect of the governor's order was a state wide crackdown on child killers. The final effect: child murders were reduced by twenty percent, thanks to one very determined Sentinel.

A lot	More than a few.	Jim shook his head at Blair's antics; he obfuscated a lot.
Alot	This is not a word.	'Alot' should never be used; it isn't a word.
Allot	To assign by lot. To apportion. To grant.	Reading down the list, Simon checked the items he wanted to allot to his best team.

All right	Satisfactory. Correct. Uninjured. Certainly, without a doubt. Yes.	"You all right, Sandburg?" Jim asked, kneeling next to the anthropologist. "Yeah, Jim," Blair mumbled painfully, holding his head. "I'm just peachy."
Alright	All right: a spelling not yet considered acceptable. This would be considered slang and should be used sparingly in dialogue, and only if the character speaking is using slang.	'Alright' should not be used consistently, or in place of, the phrase 'all right' in description. It should never be used in formal writing.

And, & -- Another of my 'big' pet peeves. The '&' symbol should not be used in prose or dialogue unless it is the proper part of a name or phrase.

And	A connecting word	Jim and Blair had spinach and liver for dinner. (Yuck!)
&	The sign for the word 'and'. Don't use symbols when writing unless they're already part of a title or address.	"Proctor & Gamble," Jim mumbled, reading the label. Jim and Blair ran to the blue pickup truck, jumping in and speeding after the murder suspect.

Anyone	An indefinite pronoun. It means 'any person at all.'	Looking frantically through the crowd, Blair couldn't find anyone he knew.
Any one	The pronoun 'one' preceded by the adjective 'any', refers to a particular person or thing in a group.	Any one of the detectives in Major Crimes would have been more than happy lend Blair a helping hand.

Badly	An adverb. Improperly. Imperfectly. Unpleasantly. Harmfully.	Blair aimed the gun badly, hitting Rafe's target instead of his own.
Bad	An adjective. Not good. Unpleasant. Inadequate. Lacking skill. Rotten. Immoral.	Jim snatched the gun from Blair's hand. His aim was so bad, Jim was afraid he'd shoot off his own foot, or worse, Jim himself.

Blairs/Jims/Simons	Plural	Wow! Someone cloned Blair. There are now enough Blairs that every woman in fandom can have her very own!
Blair's/Jim's/Simon's	Possessive	It's Blair's hair, you may only have a lock of it if you ask him politely.
Friends	Plural	Jim, Simon, Blair, Joel, and Megan are all friends.
Friend's	Possessive	As he waited for Blair finish buttoning his shirt, Jim held his friend's coat.
Babies	Plural	Jim covered his ears, trying to block out the painful sound of the ten squalling babies in the room.
Baby's	Possessive	Jim checked to see if the baby's bottle was warm enough, splashing a few drops of milk on his wrist
Brothers	Plural	The brothers, Jim and Steven, hadn't seen each other in years.
Brothers'	Plural Possessive	They pulled into the brothers' driveway, and Blair glanced nervously at Jim as the four men came out of the house to greet them.

Bought, Brought -- I know this is a killer. It's so easy to miss that 'r' after the 'b'.

Breath	The air that moves in and out of your lungs. The word breath is pronounced with a soft, short 'e' sound, as in 'let'.	Jim wrinkled his nose; the old man's breath was sour with disease.
Breathe	The act of expanding and contracting your diaphragm and ribs, causing air to move in and out of your lungs. The first 'e' in the word breathe is pronounced with a long 'e' sound, as in 'flee', the second 'e' is silent.	Blair tensed, willing Simon to breathe despite his severe injuries.

Calvary, Cavalry -- These words are tough; they aren't pronounced alike, but that 'l' just seems to float around on its own whenever I try to spell it. <g>

Calvary

In the Christian Religion; a sculptured representation of the Crucifixion of Christ, usually erected in the open air.

"Wow!" Blair exclaimed.

"'Wow' what, Chief?" Jim asked.

"I've never seen a Calvary sculpted entirely out of ice," he explained, pointing.

Cavalry

Mobile ground troops, organized in mounted, mechanized, or motorized units. One of the principal arms or branches of the U.S. Army combat troops. Riders, horsemen, etcetera, collectively.

Jim cocked his head and squeezed Blair's arm reassuringly; he could hear the sirens of the cavalry coming to their rescue.

Can, May -- It is amazing how often these two words are confused. I know they're used interchangeably in very casual writing, such as letters or notes, but they should not be interchanged otherwise.

Can

To be able to. To know how to. To have the right to. A vessel for holding or carrying liquids. Slang for jail, toilet, buttocks, to dismiss or fire. Slang: means the same a may.

"Yes, I can," Blair said.

"No you can't," Jim replied.

"Can so."

"Can not."

"Can!" Blair leaped for the rope hanging over the river.

"Told you!" Jim crowed, laughing as Blair hit the water, belly first.

May

Permission. Desire or wish. Contingency. Possibility.

"Ah." Simon wagged his finger. "What do you say?"

"May I please go with Jim and Blair to the Jags game?" Darryl sighed, looking put upon.

Can't, Cant -- These words are not interchangeable. Yeah, I know it's very easy to lose an apostrophe, but if it's something you do frequently, a universal check through your story will find most of the problems.

Can't	Contraction for Can not.	Blair can't go to the bookstore right now because it's raining.
Cant	To lean, to tilt.	By the cant of the sail, Simon knew the catamaran was leaning into the wind. The board lay canted against the dock like a sailor on Saturday night, tripping Simon as he tried to get past it in the dark.

Cause

The power or agent producing any thing or event. Any occasion or condition upon the occurrence of which an event takes place. Any rational ground for choice or action. A great enterprise, movement, principle, or aim. To produce, effect, induce, compel.

Jim slowed the truck to a crawl when he saw flashing lights ahead of them on the highway.

"What happened?" he asked a patrolman.

"There's an eighteen car pile-up ahead." The trooper leaned against the truck frame. "We're rerouting traffic."

"Wow!" Blair exclaimed. "What caused it?"

"Semi jack-knifed," he answered, waving toward the off-ramp.

'Cause

Short form of 'because'. Generally considered slang. It should only be used in dialogue. Remember to put in the apostrophe.

Because: for the reason that; on account of the fact that; since.

Giving his partner a look, Blair kneeled next to the child. "Why did you run away, Kyle?" he asked gently, holding the youngster by the arms.

"'Cause." The seven year old mumbled, hanging his head.

"'Cause, why?" Blair urged, squeezing his shoulders.

"'Cause Mommy loves the new baby better'n me," he wailed, crying into Blair's chest.

Complement, Compliment -- These two words are tough; there's only one letter different between them.

Core, Corps, Corpse -- This is an interesting trio: core and corps are pronounced the same, and corps and corpse are spelled the same, except for one letter.

Core	The central or innermost part of a thing. The heart of something. The most important part.	Frowning at Sandburg's incessant use of ten dollar words, Jim put one hand over his mouth. "Cut through the bullshit," he growled, "and get to the core of the problem, Darwin."
Corps	A tactical unit, intermediate between a division and an army, and consisting of two or more divisions. A special department or subdivision.	"My God," the hooker gasped, staring at Jim. "What'd he do, escape from the Marine Corps?" "Nope." Blair glanced up. "The Army Rangers."
Corpse	A dead body, usually of a human being.	Jim caught Blair by the arm. "You don't want to look, Chief," he choked. "The corpse has been there at least a week."

Defiantly, Definitely -- This is one of my own bug-a-boos; I constantly substitute one for the other. I know how to spell both of them, I know what they mean, but my fingers have other ideas.

Defiantly	Showing or characterized by defiance.	"You can never be me!" Blair cried defiantly. "Only I can be me!" Lash merely mocked him, sunk in his own dementia.
Definitely	Having precise limits; known with exactness; determined; clear; precise. Limiting; particularizing.	"Oh boy." Blair caressed the dent in the fender of Jim's truck. "I'm definitely in trouble now."

Defuse	To disarm, as in a bomb.	Sweat pouring down his face and from his armpits, Joel methodically defused the timing mechanism on the bomb.
Diffuse	To spread in all directions. To circulate. To permeate.	Jim was livid when he found out the thieves had used the town's water supply to diffuse the toxin that had made most of the inhabitants, including Blair, deathly ill.

Desert, Dessert -- It's so easy to add or delete an 's' from either of these words, plus they may or may not be pronounced exactly alike.

Desert	A region so lacking in rainfall, moisture, and vegetation as to be uninhabitable by any considerable population. Barren; waste. To deserve award or punishment. To forsake or abandon with or without right. To abandon one's post, duty, etcetera.	"Actually," Blair examined the murder weapon. "This type of knife was only used in special, sacrificial ceremonies by a few of the desert tribes in what would eventually become Egypt." Jim and Simon rolled their eyes at each other and grinned: their very own anthropologist was off and running again in his own little world.
Dessert	A service of something sweet at the close of lunch or dinner.	"You call that dessert, Chief?" Jim sneered at Blair's fruit cup while digging in to his own triple layer chocolate cake.

Do	To perform an action. To complete. To deal with. To exert.	"Just do it, man," Blair whispered, one hand reassuringly pressed on Jim's back.
Due	Something owed. Suitable. Sufficient. Appointed or expected to arrive.	"When's your mom's plane due, Chief?" Jim asked, never looking up from his paper. "At three," Blair replied, pacing nervously.
Dew	Moisture condensed from the atmosphere upon cool surfaces. Anything moist, gentle, or refreshing.	Waking at dawn, Blair sat up in his sleeping bag, shaking the dew from his hair.

Either, Or	One or the other.	"Well," Jim said. "You can either have peppermint ice cream, or spinach, but not both."
Neither, Nor	Not one nor the other.	Blair stuck his tongue out in distaste. "Neither peppermint ice cream, nor spinach sounds appetizing, Jim. I'd rather have liver and onions."

Enthused, Enthusiastic(ally) -- The word 'enthused' is constantly used as an adjective, use 'enthusiastic' instead. Yes, this is one of my pet peeves. I cringe every time I see the word 'enthused' misused.

Enthused

This word is an intransitive and a transitive verb. It is not an adjective.

To make enthusiastic; yield to or display enthusiasm.

Enthusiasm -- Earnest and fervent feeling; ardent zeal for a person or cause. An object of great interest to a person.

Blair was so completely enthused about the results of his most recent tests with Jim, that he fell off his chair.

Do not write the following:
"Hey Jim," Blair enthused. "I've got tickets to the Jags game!"

Enthusiastic(ally)

This word is an adjective, or an adverb.

Given to enthusiasm; ardent; zealous.

Write this instead:
"Hey Jim," Blair cried enthusiastically. "I've got tickets to the Jags game!"

Exterior	External; outlying. Manifest to the senses. Acting from without. That which is outside; external features or qualities.	Simon surveyed the exterior of the warehouse. "All right," he said. "You can go in, but be careful."
Interior	Existing, pertaining to, or occurring within something or between limits; internal; inner; opposed to exterior. Inland. Of a private or confidential nature. Of or pertaining to spiritual matters; not worldly.	The interior of the warehouse was so dark that Blair had to hang on to Jim's belt to keep from tripping.

Farther, Further -- This one's a toughie because they both mean distance. It's the kind of distance that makes them different. Well, it's how I was taught to differentiate between them. <g>

Floor, Ground -- pet peeve time again. If you're inside a building and fall down, you land on the floor, not the ground.

Floor	The surface in a room or building upon which one walks. A story of a building.	"Ahhh!" Blair tumbled from the ladder, landing, paint can and all, messily on the floor.
Ground	The firm, solid portion of the earth at and near its surface. Soil. Any tract of land. The dirt outside.	Jim leaped from the rocky outcrop to land in a neat tuck and roll on the ground, half a story below.

God

In the Christian Religion: The one Supreme Being, self-existent and eternal; the infinite creator, sustainer, and ruler of the universe; conceived of a omniscient, good, and almighty. How the supreme being that has no name is called. A noun.

"I don't know what do, Rabbi," Blair said sadly. "Everything happened so fast, and now I've hurt my best friend; practically destroyed him."

"Look to your heart, my son. The answer will be there. God would not forsake you." He patted Blair's shoulder reassuringly.

god

A being regarded as possessing superhuman or supernatural qualities or powers and made an object of worship or propitiation. A higher intelligence supposed to control the forces of good and evil. Any person or thing exalted as the chief good, or made and object of supreme devotion. Anything that absorbs one's attentions or aspirations. An image or symbol of a deity.

"No, no, no, Jim." Blair shook his head. "Woden, rather Odin, was the head of the Norse gods. Zeus was the head Greek god.

Good

Satisfactory in quality or kind. Striking in appearance. Virtuous. Worthy. Kind. Well-behaved. Proper. Pleasing. Beneficial. Favorable. Skilful. Orthodox. Reliable. Considerable. Full.

"Is it good?" Blair asked, anxiously bouncing in his seat.

Jim chewed thoughtfully for a minute. "Yeah," he said. "I like it."

Well

Shaft sunk into the ground to obtain fluid. A spring of water. Satisfactorily. Properly. Excellently. Suitably. Agreeably or luxuriously. Intimately. To a large or proper extent or degree. Completely; wholly. Far; at some distance. Also. In addition to. Fortunate. Having physical health.

"How ya doin', sir?" Jim asked, setting a bag of grapes on the hospital table.

"Well, outside of a few extra holes here and there, I'm all right," Simon said.

Heart	Central organ of the cardiovascular system. The traditional seat of affections and emotions.	Jim lost his heart to Carolyn, but she merely ripped it to shreds and handed it back to him.
Hart	A male red deer.	Blair felt as a hart must as he dodged yet another crazed killer.

Here

This place.

"We're here today in the loft apartment of that famous crime fighting duo: Jim Ellison and Blair Sandburg."

Hear

To use the auditory sense.

Slang: to understand. To accept what someone else is saying without judgment.

Jim's extra sensitive ears allowed him to hear Blair's frantic scream for help, even from over a mile away.

"I hear you," Naomi said, nodding absently.

Know	To have knowledge of. To understand something.	"Jim, I just know you want to go to Wonder Burger for lunch." Blair grinned.
No	Negative. Not yes	"No, chief, actually there's this great Chinese place out by Glenbrook Mall I'd like to try," Jim said.
Knew	To have knowledge of. Past tense of 'know'.	Jim smiled: he knew he had Blair's full attention.
New	Something that is not old. Something made in the immediate past.	"I don't remember a Chinese place out that way. Is it new?" Blair asked.