00000004.gif Common Mistakes and Tricky  Choices

Sometimes we need to make word choices. Sometimes we misuse words or phrases in standard English. This section includes many of the most common problems.

Alphabet Grid

In the actual Grammar Slammer Windows program and with many browsers, you may click on a letter on this grid to find the term or word you are looking for. If this does not work with your browser, you may scroll down the alphabetical list to find the word you need or click on the text letter below.

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J-K|L|M|N-O|P|Q-R|S|T|U-V|W-Z|


A

A/An

Absolute Modifiers

Accept/Except

Accuse/Allege

Across/Acrossed/Cross

Adapt/Adopt

Administer/Administrate

Aggravate/Irritate

Ain't

A hold/Ahold

A lot/Allot/Alot

Already/All Ready

Alright/All Right

Alternate(ly)/Alternative(ly)

Altogether/All Together

Always/All Ways

American Grammar vs. British Grammar

Among/Between

Amount/Number

Ante-/Anti-

Anxious/Eager

Anymore

Anyone/Any One

Anyway/Any Way

Anyways

Anywheres

Apart/A part

As/Like

As To

Assume/Presume

At after Where

A Ways

Awhile/A While

B

Bad/Badly

Because after Reason

Being As or Being That

Beside/Besides

Between/Among

Blatant/Flagrant

Blond/Blonde

Bring/Take

British Grammar vs. American Grammar

Burst/Bust/Busted

C

Can/May

Can't Help But

Clipped Words

Compose/Comprise

Continual/Continuous

Convince/Persuade

Could Have/Could Of

Credible/Credulous/Creditable

Cross/Across/Acrossed

Cult/Occult

D

Decisive/Incisive

Definite/Definitive

Different From/Different Than

Diffuse/Defuse

Disinterested/Uninterested

Done as Verb

Doesn't/Don't

Due To

Due To the Fact That

E

Economic/Economical

Emigrate/Immigrate

Enthused/Enthusiastic

Envious/Jealous/Suspicious

Equivocal/Equivocable

Especial(ly)/Special(ly)

Everyone/Every One

Everywheres

Exalt/Exult

Except/Accept

F

Farther/Further

Fewer/Less

Flagrant/Blatant

For Free

Fortunate/Fortuitous

G

Gone/Went

Good/Well

H

Hanged/Hung

Have or Had plus Ought

Have after Could, Would, Should, or Will

Healthful/Healthy

Height or Heighth

Hers/Her's

Historic/Historical

Hopefully

Hypo-/Hyper-

Hypocritical/Hypercritical

I

I Hope/Hopefully

Immigrate/Emigrate

Imply/Infer

In after Want

Incisive/Decisive

Incredible/Incredulous

Indeterminate/Indeterminable

Irregardless/Regardless

Irritate/Aggravate

Its/It's

J

Jealous/Envious/Suspicious

Jiggle/Joggle/Juggle

Judicious/Judicial/Juridical

Just, Use of

K

Kind Of, Use of

L

Lay/Lie

Leave/Let

Lend/Loan

Less/Fewer

Less/Littler (More Little)

Like/As

Lie/Lay

Literal(ly)

Littlest/Least

Loath/Loathe

Luxuriant/Luxurious

M

Macro-/Micro-

Magnificent/Munificent

Manic/Maniac

May/Can

Maybe/May Be

Morale/Moral

N

Nowheres

Number/Amount

O

Occult/Cult

Of, Use of

Of after Would, Could, Should, or Will

Official/Officious

Orient/Orientate

Only, Use of

Ought with Have or Had

P

Parameter/Perimeter

Perimeter/Parameter

Persecute/Prosecute/Prosecution

Perspective/Prospective

Persuade/Convince

"Prepositions Ending Sentences"

Prescribe/Proscribe/Prescription

Presume/Assume

Proscribe/Prescribe/Prescription

Prosecute/Persecute/Prosecution

Prospective/Perspective

Q

Quash/Squash

Quote/Quotation/Quotation Mark

R

Raise/Rise

Real/Really

Reason with Because

Regardless/Irregardless

Renown/Reknown

S

Says/Said

Seen/Saw

Sensual/Sensuous

Set/Sit

Should Have/Should Of

Single/Singular

Solid/Stolid

Somewheres

Sort Of

Special(ly)/Especial(ly)

"Split Infinitives"

Squash/Quash

Strategy/Tactics

Supposed to/Suppose to

Sure/Surely

Suspicious/Jealous/Envious

T

Tactics/Strategy

Take/Bring

Tenet/Tenant

Than/Then

That/Where

That There and This Here

That/Which/Who

Them/Those

Then/Than

There/Their/They're

There's/Theirs/Their's

To/Too/Two

Tortuous/Torturous/Tortured

Try And/Try To

Turbid/Turgid

U

Unequivocal/Unequivocable

Uninterested/Disinterested

Unique (and Other Absolute Modifiers)

Used to/Use to

W

Want followed by In, Out, Off, Down, or Up

Warranty/Warrantee/Warrant

Ways after A

Well/Good

Went/Gone

Where Followed by At

Where/That

Who/Which/That

Who/Whom

Who's/Whose

Will Have/Will Of

-Wise (Suffix)

Would Have/Would Of


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