Like a lot of heavy readers, I learned about both elicit and illicit from reading, which meant learning about them through context. And like a lot of readers, the context of Elicit vs. Illicit relied heavily on the types of books I was reading. True story: I didn’t even realize they were two different words […]
Elicit vs. Illicit: Unveiling the Illicit Intrigue Read More »
The goose is on the loose, oh my!Flapping wings, aiming for the sky.The goose is on the loose, it’s true,Watch out now, it just might chase you! I can still hear my first grade teacher, Mrs Mosely, singing these words at the top of her lungs to try to tell us how to remember that
Homophones can be tricky, and “to,” “too,” and “two” are no exception. Let’s dive into the nuances of these words and clear up any confusion you may have. To, too, and two are homophones that sound alike but have different meanings and uses. The word “to” is a preposition that refers to a place, direction,
The usage of Irregardless vs. Regardless has long been a topic of contention among language enthusiasts. I mean, rarely have I seen a word rile up a group of linguists into rage and terror the way “irregardless” seems to rile them up. Personally, I don’t like to use the word “irregardless” and I will usually
Irregardless vs. Regardless: The Battle of ‘Regardless’ Read More »
She stares at the bracelet a moment, releasing a sign before she lay lies put it down on the table. Every freaking time. When it comes to the proper use of Lie vs. Lay, no matter how confident I think I am in my choice, I can get myself so confused with just one second-guess.
Lie vs. Lay: Laying Down the Rules for Proper Use Read More »
I cannot quite explain it, but for a few years back in my early 20s, I was obsessed with trying to discern the differences between effect vs. affect. It bothered me so much whenever I second-guessed whether or not I had used the right one and I would flip back and forth and back and
I’ll be honest, Its vs. It’s is such a conundrum, this pair of words contradicts so many rules… it’s no wonder people get them mixed up. In fact, some of the most brilliant people I’ve ever met still have to pause and sound out the words “it is” just to remember which is which. In
When I first started editing, I was shocked at how often these two words got mixed up inside the manuscripts I was reading through. Advice vs. Advise always seemed like a pretty easy distinction to me that it never dawned on me that some people might have a hard time telling when to use which
Advice vs. Advise: Distinguishing Noun from Verb Read More »
It’s one of the mistakes I see the most often, in books and online, people using “then” when they should be using “than.” The weird part is, no one seems to make the mistake the other way around… When it comes to Than vs. Then, people seem to forget that than is even a word
It’s a pet peeve so widespread and so universally hated that it has become the focus of memes and dating jokes alike: people not knowing the difference between their, they’re, and there. These three words are commonly confused due to their similar pronunciations but distinct meanings. Understanding the differences between their, they’re, and there is
