CREATED BY KATHRYN REILLY

Ten Commonly Misused Words

Accept or Except?Than or Then?Lie or Lay?Capitol or Capital?

Ten Commonly Misused Words

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Each slide will identify the word’s part of speech, provide a definition, use it correctly in a sentence and give a helpful hint. Some words may also have picture associations. Please note: some words may be used as multiple parts of speech, however the most common form will be addressed in this packet.

Accept vs. Except

Part of Speech Verb

Meaning To receive

Examples Mary accepted the

promotion. She accepts your gift. I accept your apology.

Part of Speech Preposition or Conjunction

Meaning To exclude

Examples Everyone is going except

me. The castle is fortified,

except here along the wall.

Helpful Hint “Ex” can refer to a negative,

so remember that except means to be left out!

Affect vs. Effect

Part of Speech Verb

Meaning To alter or influence

Examples The rainy weather affected

her mood. Taking good notes can

positively affect quiz scores.

Helpful Hint Affect = Alter

Part of Speech Noun

Meaning A result

Examples The effect of too much sun

may be a sunburn. The movie’s special effects

made it more interesting to watch.

Capitol vs. Capital

Part of Speech Noun

Meaning A center of government or

leadership

Example Washington D.C. is the capitol

of the United States of America.

Helpful Hint Capitol and government

Part of Speech Noun, adjective

Meaning N – money A – main, important

Example We need to raise $500,000 in

capital before starting our new business

Compliment vs. Complement

Part of Speech Noun or verb

Meaning To praise

Examples Joe complimented Jane’s dress. I received many compliments

on my research paper.

Helpful Hint Everyone likes to receive praise, so

remember: I like to be complimented!

Part of Speech Noun or verb

Meaning To complete, to make perfect

Examples Her jewelry complements her

outfit. The complement to any good

dinner is a great dessert!

Helpful Hint Complement = complete

Desert vs. Dessert

Part of Speech Noun

Meaning An arid, dry place

Example Many lizards live in the

desert.

Part of Speech Noun

Meaning A sweet food

Example My favorite dessert is

chocolate cake!

Helpful Hint Everyone wants more

dessert, so it has two “s”s.

Farther vs. Further

Part of Speech Adjective or adverb

Meaning Distance

Examples Your home is farther from

school than mine.

Helpful Hint Far = distance

Part of Speech Adverb

Meaning More, to a greater degree

Examples Further investigation is

needed to determine a suspect.

Lie vs. Lay

Part of Speech Verb

Meaning To recline

Example If I feel exhausted, I like to lie

down and rest.

Helpful Hint Lie recline

Part of Speech Verb

Meaning To place or put

Example The friends lay flowers at the

grave.

Helpful Hint Lay place

Loose vs. Lose

Part of Speech Adjective

Meaning Not well secured Opposite of tight

Examples The dog’s collar was loose, so

he ran away. Many people’s pockets have

loose change.

Part of Speech Verb

Meaning To misplace Opposite of win

Examples I lost my keys! Do you think our team will

win or lose the championship game?

Helpful Hint Lose lost an “o”.

Precede vs. Proceed

Part of Speech Verb

Meaning To go before

Examples The letter A precedes the

letter B in the alphabet.

Helpful Hint Pre = is a prefix meaning

before

Part of Speech Verb

Meaning To continue, to go forward

Examples At graduation, seniors

proceed down the aisle.

Than vs. Then

Part of Speech Conjunction

Meaning Compares two things

Example I’d rather eat fruit than

vegetables.

Helpful Hint Than compares

Part of Speech Adverb

Meaning Shows order or time

Example I put on my shoes then tie

them.

Helpful Hint Then shows order or time