MEPX
Chapter 10 of 11All chapters
  1. 1How to learn a word
  2. 2Roots and affixes
  3. 3Time and presence
  4. 4Attitude and stance
  5. 5Care and precision
  6. 6Honesty and openness
  7. 7Surplus and shortage
  8. 8Change and stability
  9. 9Importance and scale
  10. 10Pairs people mix up
  11. 11Register and tone

Chapter 10 of 11

Pairs people mix up

Words that look related and are not.

The frequent ones

Affect is usually the verb and effect the noun. Imply is what the speaker does and infer is what the listener does. Comprise means to contain, so the whole comprises the parts.

  • Principal is the main one or the head of a school. Principle is a rule.
  • Discreet means careful. Discrete means separate.

Literally

Literally means actually, without exaggeration. It is now used as an intensifier so often that the strict sense needs help from the sentence, which is a reason to use it sparingly.