USAGE GLOSSARY

A, AN

•Use a in front of words that begin with a consonant or "yew" sound.•Use an in front of words that begin with any other vowel sound.

•Ex. a house, a university, an animal, an honor

A LOT, ALOT, ALLOT

• alot, a lot - A lot should always be two words or avoided completely.• Ex. There are a lot of new computers on the market.

•Allot- Allot is a verb that means the same as allocate.•We need to allot our resources fairly so everyone gets an equal share.

A WHILE, AWHILE

•a while, awhile - A while is made up of an article and a noun. It will be used as an object of the preposition FOR most often.•Awhile is an adverb to describe for how long something will occur.• Ex. Let's think for a while, then we'll continue awhile with the lesson.

ACCEPT / EXCEPT

•Accept is a verb meaning "to receive" or "to agree to.“•Except can be a verb, though it is often used as a preposition meaning "but” and is intended to EXCLUDE.• Ex. I accept your explanation that footballs fly straight, except in high winds.

AFFECT, EFFECT

• Affect is a verb meaning "to influence." • Effect is usually a noun meaning "result" but can be a verb meaning "to accomplish."

• Artificial lighting can affect the nutritional cycle of plants. (verb)• Artificial lighting can have an undesirable effect on plants. (noun)• Exposure to both daylight and darkness effects good health in plants. (verb)

AIN’T

•DON’T USE AIN’T! IT AIN’T A WORD WE USE! Um, I mean it ISN’T a word we use.•Ain’t got = doesn’t / don’t have•Actually, just don’t use contractions and you will not have this problem.

ALL READY, ALREADY

•All ready means "completely ready.“•Already means "by this time.“ This is an adverb that tells when something occurred.

• Ex. Matthew was all ready to perform his gymnastics routine.• Janice was already capable of reading college-level textbooks.

ALL RIGHT, ALRIGHT

•This should always be two words.•Ex. Any flavor of ice cream is all right with me!•I got the questions all right!

ALL THE FARTHER, ALL THE FASTER

•These are unacceptable in writing. Use as far as and as fast as instead.

•Ex. Walk as far as you want and as fast as you can to build stamina.

ALL TOGETHER, ALTOGETHER

•All together means "in a group.“•Altogether means "completely." •Ex. We were all together for the last time at our class picnic.•Our class picnic was an altogether wonderful experience.

AMOUNT, NUMBER

•Use amount when referring to nouns that cannot be counted.•Use number when referring to nouns that can be counted.

• Ex. The Appalachian Mountains have a vast amount of fog.•We have a smaller number of dictionaries in the branch library.

BAD, BADLY

•Bad is an adjective.•Badly is an adverb.

• Ex. This cold weather has been bad for the farmers.• The crops were badly damaged.

BEING AS, BEING THAT

•These expressions should not be used in writing. Replace them with because or since.

BESIDE, BESIDES

•Beside means "at the side of." •Besides means "in addition to."

• Ex. My dog likes to curl up beside me.• There are other things in life besides television.

BETWEEN, AMONG

• Use between to compare one person or thing to another. • Use among to show a relationship in

which more than two persons or things are considered a group.

• Ex. The sculptor had to choose between marble and granite.• The trees in Oregon are among the tallest

in the Pacific Northwest.

BORROW, LEND, LOAN

• Borrow is a verb meaning "to take something for a limited time.“• Lend means "to give for temporary use.“• Loan is a noun.

 • Ex. May I borrow your pen?• Please lend me your pen.• We got a loan from the bank.

BRING, TAKE

•Bring means "to carry from a distant place to a closer one.“• Take means "to carry from a nearby place to a more distant one."

• Ex. Bring your books to me.• Take a jacket to the game tonight.

CAN, MAY

•Use can to indicate the ability to do something.•Use may to indicate permission to do something.

• Ex. I can finish reading before dinner.•May I finish reading after dinner?

CAN'T HARDLY, CAN'T SCARCELY

• These expressions are double negatives. Avoid using them.

• Ex. I can hardly wait for vacation.• The driver can scarcely see through the snow.

OF’S VS. HAVES

• could of, might of, must of, should of, would of - The preposition of is incorrect here; use the helping verb have instead.

• Ex. The loud noise might have startled the dog.

DIFFERENT FROM, DIFFERENT THAN

• The expression different from is preferred. 

• Ex. Although there are similarities, a clarinet is different from a soprano saxophone.

DOESN’T, DON’T

• Doesn’t is used with he, she, it and all singular nouns.• Don’t is used with I, you we, they and all plural

nouns. 

• Ex. She doesn’t like cold weather.• We don’t have a hockey team.

EMIGRATE, IMMIGRATE

• Emigrate means “to go from one country to another to live.”• Immigrate means “to come to a country to live.

• Ex. The entire family plans to emigrate from Russia next year.

• Most people who immigrate to the United States live in coastal areas.

FARTHER, FURTHER

• Use farther to refer to physical distance.• Use further to refer to degree or time.

 • Ex. We traveled farther today than we did yesterday.• We will discuss this topic further at our next meeting.

FEWER, LESS

• Use fewer to refer to nouns that can be counted.• Use less to refer to nouns that cannot be

counted.

• Ex. There are fewer students enrolled in the city's elementary schools this year.

• It takes less time to travel one mile in a car than on a bicycle.

GOOD, WELL

• Good is an adjective describing a noun.• Well is an adverb telling how something was

done.

• Ex. It was a good book. The team played well.

HANGED, HUNG

• Use hanged when referring to death by hanging.• Use hung in all other instances.

 • Ex. In the Old West, they hanged people for stealing

horses.• The librarian hung the sign on the door.

IN, INTO

• Use in to mean "inside." • Use into to indicate movement from outside to a

point within. 

• Ex. Meet me in the cafeteria.• I'm going into the cafeteria.

IRREGARDLESS, REGARDLESS

• Irregardless is a double negative and should not be used. • Regardless is the only correct usage.

 • Ex. The mouse tried to run across the room, regardless

of the cat.

THIS KIND, THESE KINDS

• Use this and that with singular words.• Use these and those with plural words.

 • Ex. This kind of metal won't rust.• These kinds of paints are lead-free.

LAY, LIE

• Lay, laid, and has laid mean "to put" or "to place.“

• Lie, lay, and has lain mean "to recline" or "to be positioned."

• Ex. Lay your cards on the table.• I laid my cards on the table.• I have laid my cards on the table.

• My dog likes to lie in the sunshine.• My dog lay in the sunshine yesterday.• My dog has lain in the sunshine many times.

LEARN, TEACH

• Learn means "to receive knowledge.“• Teach means "to give knowledge.“• Ex. You can't teach an old dog new tricks unless it's

willing to learn.

LIKE, AS, AS IF

• Like is a preposition and introduces a prepositional phrase. It can also be a verb that indicates something you enjoy.

• As and as if are often a subordinating conjunction and introduces a subordinate clause.

 • This roller coaster feels like a jet!• We won the game as the final buzzer sounded.• He ran as if his legs were broken.

LOOSE, LOSE

• Loose means "free" or "not fitting tightly." • Lose means "to have no longer" or "to fail to

win.“ LOSE the O in LOSE!

• Ex. These new shoes are too loose.• Don't lose your ticket.

PASSED, PAST

• Passed is the form and the past participle of the verb to pass. • Past may be an adjective, a preposition, an

adverb, or a noun.

• We passed this building an hour ago!• Have you eaten any pizza this past week?• We drove past this building an hour ago!

PRECEDE, PROCEED

• Precede means "to go or come before." • Proceed means "to continue" or "to move

along." 

• Ex. Which selection will precede Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony in tonight's program?

• You may proceed with your presentation.

RAISE, RISE

• Raise means "to cause to move upward." Rise means "to go up."

• Raise the flag at 7:30 A.M. sharp.• Does the sun rise over the eastern or western horizon?

REASON IS BECAUSE

• This expression is redundant and should not be used.

• The reason he left early is that he came down with a fever.

• He left early because he came down with a fever.

RESPECTFULLY, RESPECTIVELY

• Respectfully means "with respect." • Respectively means "in the order named."

 • Ex. Tim respectfully handed the ball back to the referee.• Blue and magenta are primary and secondary colors,

respectively.

SAYS, SAID

• Says is the third person singular of the verb say.• Said is the past tense of say.

• Ex. He always says he'll call.• He said he would call back tomorrow.

SIT, SET

• Sit means "to place oneself in a sitting position.“• Set means "to place" or "to put."

• Ex. You may sit at this table.• Please set the table with napkins.

THAN, THEN

• Than is a word used to make a comparison. • Then is an adverb that tells when.

• Cats are more agile than dogs.• Layna was a young girl then.

THIS HERE, THAT THERE

• Here and there shouldn't be used after this and that. This and that should be used alone.

• We like this song.• I don't like that color.

WHERE AT

• At is a preposition and should not be used after where.

 • Ex. Where is city hall?