15 Commonly Misused Words

And how you can avoid misusing them.

Your and You’re

Your is a possessive pronoun.

You're is a contraction of you are.

Examples: You're going to miss the bus if you don’t hurry. Your bus is going to leave without you.

Affect and Effect

Affect is usually a verb meaning to influence.

Effect is usually a noun meaning result.

Examples: The rain did not affect my mood. Cigarette smoking has been found to have several negative side effects.

Their, There and They’re

There is an adverb specifying place; it is also an expletive. Adverb: She was lying there asleep. Expletive: There are two beds in the room.

Their is a possessive pronoun. They're is a contraction of they are. Bill and John cheered for their team. They're happy they won.

Too, Two and To

To is a preposition; too is an adverb; two is a number.

Example: Too many people are going to see the movie, but at least tickets are only two dollars per person.

Lie and Lay

Lie is an intransitive verb meaning to recline or rest on a surface. Its principal parts are lie, lay, lain.

Lay is a transitive verb meaning to put or place. Its principal parts are lay, laid.

*Chickens lay eggs. I lie down when I am tired.*

Who, Which, That

Do not use which to refer to persons. Use who instead.

That, though generally used to refer to things, may be used to refer to a group or class of people. I just saw a boy who was wearing a yellow banana costume.*

I have to go to math next, which is my hardest class. Where is the book that I was reading?*

*Source: A Writer's Reference, by Diana Hacker

These are just a few commonly misused words. There are others and we’ll discuss them later. We hope these slides have been helpful!

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