{"id":3420,"date":"2020-02-28T14:19:45","date_gmt":"2020-02-28T14:19:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/?p=3420"},"modified":"2024-04-20T20:57:39","modified_gmt":"2024-04-20T20:57:39","slug":"fun-facts-46-misused-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/blog\/2020\/02\/28\/fun-facts-46-misused-words\/","title":{"rendered":"Fun Facts About English #46 – Confused and Misused Words"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Donald's<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Below are a dozen pairs of words that are often confused and misused. Some may seem obvious and others may conjure up a familiar fog. Remember, language is a life-long and ever-changing adventure to be enjoyed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accept vs. Except<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Accept<\/em> means to receive something whereas except<\/em> signifies exclusion. More often than not, like sale<\/em> and sell<\/em>, similar-sounding pronunciation within some dialects can confuse the differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ex.<\/strong> I accept<\/em> visitors every day except<\/em> Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Affect vs. Effect<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Affect<\/em> means to influence something and effect<\/em> to accomplish something or, in the case of a noun, the result of something. If you’re unsure, simply replace affect<\/em> with the word influence<\/em> and effect<\/em> with result<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ex.<\/strong> The affect<\/em> of poverty on a community can be seen where homelessness is the most obvious effect<\/em>. (The influence<\/em> of poverty can be seen where homelessness is the most obvious result<\/em>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bemused vs. Amused<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bemused<\/em> means bewildered whereas amused<\/em> means to have enjoyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ex.<\/strong> The movie, with its twists and turns, left me bemused. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ex.<\/strong> His story about camping in the rain amused me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comprise vs. Compose<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Comprise<\/em> means to include and compose<\/em> to make up. Confusing? Think about the two words as parts versus the whole. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The whole is the subject<\/span> when you comprise<\/em>:
Ex.<\/strong> A school is comprised<\/em> of classrooms, teachers, and students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you compose<\/em>, the individual elements are the subject<\/span> of the sentence:
Ex.<\/strong> Three countries compose<\/em> North America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disinterested vs. Uninterested<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Disinterested<\/em> means unbiased and does NOT mean uninterested<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ex.<\/strong> The conflict was resolved by a disinterested<\/em> third party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ex.<\/strong> The young children were uninterested<\/em> in their father’s old story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enormity vs. Enormous<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Enormity<\/em> means extreme evil. Enormous<\/em> means large. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ex.<\/strong> The enormity<\/em> of the Holocaust is to be remembered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ex.<\/strong> I have an enormous<\/em> pimple on my nose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farther vs. Further<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Remember that farther<\/em> refers to physical distance (think far<\/em>). Further<\/em> refers to the degree of something and should be interchangeable with more<\/em> or additional<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ex.<\/strong> The old car would go no farther<\/em> and nothing further<\/em> could be done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fewer vs. Less<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is simply a matter of countable and uncountable nouns. Use fewer<\/em> when referring to countable items like apples, and less<\/em> when referencing uncountable nouns, like water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ex.<\/strong> This checkout lane is for 15 items or fewer<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ex.<\/strong> I have less<\/em> coffee than I thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ironic vs. Coincidental<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A coincidence<\/em> is an unexpected circumstance or event without causal connection. Irony<\/em>, either verbal or situational, is when a result is the opposite of what was expected. And, though I thought otherwise, ironical<\/em> is a real word, just old fashioned. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you unexpectedly run into your friend at the mall, it’s coincidental<\/em> that you are both in the same place at the same time. If a fire station burns down it’s ironic<\/em> as it is a site charged with fire fighting and fire prevention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imply vs. Infer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To imply<\/em> is to suggest something without saying it outright. To infer<\/em> is to draw a conclusion from what is implied<\/em>. Remember, a speaker or writer implies<\/em>, and a listener or reader infers<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ex.<\/strong> He implied<\/em> that his parents are dead and I can only infer<\/em> that he has no one to take care of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lie vs. Lay<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Remembering the present, past tense, and past participles is the heart of most confusion: lie<\/em>, lay<\/em>, lain<\/em> and lay<\/em>, laid<\/em>, laid<\/em>. Juggling the similarities can be better recalled by keeping a simple example in mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ex.<\/strong> Before I lie<\/em> down I lay<\/em> my glasses on the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ex.<\/strong> Before I lay<\/em> down I laid<\/em> my glasses on the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ex.<\/strong> Had I lain<\/em> down, I would have laid<\/em> my glasses on the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nauseous vs. Nauseated<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In a strict sense, nauseous<\/em> means causing nausea whereas nauseated<\/em> means experiencing nausea. Though “I feel nauseous<\/em>” is frequently used and currently acceptable, don’t be surprised if someone tries to reassure that you’re not as repulsive a personality as you may think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ex.<\/strong> I felt nauseated<\/em> while watching the film as there was a nauseous<\/em> smell in the theater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you enjoyed this post, you may also be interested in reading about contronym conundrums<\/a>, mondegreens<\/a> that will make you LOL, or the fascinating world of portmanteaux<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See the previous<\/a> or next<\/a> Fun Facts About English<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Donald's<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bingo is more than a game! Think of it as a review in disguise! Students young and old alike, love to play! With over forty games<\/a> to choose from, you’re sure to find a game that will suit your students’ needs!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Below are a dozen pairs of words that are often confused and misused. Some may seem obvious and others may conjure up a familiar fog. Remember, language is a life-long and ever-changing adventure to be enjoyed! Accept vs. Except Accept means to receive something whereas except signifies exclusion. More often than not, like sale and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3421,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[94],"tags":[1236,1252,1237,1250,1241,20,1249,171,1242,1246,1245,1244,1251,1239,11,1253,1240,1247,1254,1248,1238,1243],"class_list":["post-3420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fun-facts-about-english","tag-accept-vs-except","tag-affect-vs-effect","tag-commonly-confused-words","tag-comprise-vs-compose","tag-disinterested-vs-uninterested","tag-donalds-english-classroom","tag-educational-content","tag-english-language-learning","tag-farther-vs-further","tag-fewer-vs-less","tag-grammar-guide","tag-imply-vs-infer","tag-improve-writing-skills","tag-ironic-vs-coincidental","tag-kinney-brothers-publishing","tag-language-clarity","tag-language-tips","tag-lie-vs-lay","tag-mastering-english","tag-nauseous-vs-nauseated","tag-vocabulary-development","tag-word-usage","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8GlQB-Ta","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/046.jpg?fit=1252%2C1252&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3420"}],"version-history":[{"count":37,"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3420\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11041,"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3420\/revisions\/11041"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}