Week Six: Commonly Confused Words

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Commonly Confused Words

Now that we're at the end of this unit, I hope you've realized that although there is a lot of information, it's not that scary! Still, sometimes grammar gets the best of us and we make mistakes. Let's try to cut down on those mistakes by examining the most commonly misused words and modifying our misconceptions.

There are so many words in the English language that look and sound alike or that have similar meanings. So, it's easy to get confused! Let's look at some of the most commonly mixed up words.

  1. Accept vs. Except:
    • Accept: agree to receive something, or come to terms with an idea or point
    • Except: to exclude something from a group, or used as a conjunction that shows the statement is an exception to a prior statement.
      • Practice: Ron reached out to happily (accept/except) the object Dumbledore bequeathed him, (accept/except) he was confused as to why Dumbledore bequeathed him anything at all.
        • Harry had no choice (accept/except) to (accept/except) the snitch Dumbledore bequeathed him; he did not want (accept/except) it in front of Scrimgeour because he thought it might reveal a hidden message.
  2. Affect vs. Effect:
    • Affect is usually a verb, while effect is usually a noun
    • Affect: to influence something
    • Effect: a change that is the result of an action or cause
      • Practice: Professor Snape heavily (affected/effected) the course of the Second Wizarding War; the (affect/effect) of his actions as a secret agent were detrimental to Voldemort.
  3. Then vs. Than:
    • Then is usually an adverb that means "at that time"
    • Than is a conjunction used to compare two things.
      • Practice: The trio needed to first destroy all the horcruxes, (then/than) defeat Voldemort. Ron hated wondering aimlessly searching, rather (then/than) knowing exactly where to find each horcrux.
  4. Who vs. Whom:
    • Who is used if the person is the subject of the sentence.
    • Whom is used if the person is the object of the sentence.
      • Practice: Madame Maxine, (who/whom) is a giant, is also the headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy. Madame Maxine had a crush on Hagrid, (who/whom) reciprocated those feelings earnestly.
  5. Their vs. They're vs. There:
    • Their is the possessive form of they.
    • They're is the contraction of they are.
    • There refers to a place or the existence of something.
    • Practice: Harry, Ron, and Hermione pulled out (their/they're/there) wands. The dementors were coming closer, (their/they're/there) checking the train for Sirius Black even though he isn't (their/they're/there).
  6. Its vs. It's:
    • Its is used to show possession
    • It's is the contraction of It is.
    • If you can replace its/it's with "it is" then use it's, if you cannot then use its.
      • Practice: (Its/It's) always an exciting day when there is a quidditch match. The seekers are my favorite to watch because the snitch is so hard to catch; (its/it's) small, fast, and (its/it's) wings are translucent.
  7. Less vs. Fewer:
    • Fewer is used when discussing an object that can be easily counted
      • Less is used when discussing an object that cannot be easily counted
        • Practice: There were (fewer/less) students in Slytherin than Hufflepuff because Slytherin thought (fewer/less) of students who came from non-pureblood families.
    1. Further vs. Farther:
      • Farther is used when referencing literal, physical distance
      • Further is used about metaphorical or figurative distance
        • Practice: The tower where divination class is held is (farther/further) from the Gryffindor common room than any other class. The Gryffindors all thought that Professor Trelawney couldn't be (farther/further) from a true seer; everyone considered Trelawney a fraud.

    Answers to Practice:

    1. accept...except
      1. except...accept...accept
    2. affected...effect
    3. then...than
    4. who...whom
    5. their...they're...there
    6. it's...it's...its
    7. fewer...less
    8. farther...further

    That concludes Week 6 as well as our whole grammar unit! 

    You have all done great! Before taking your post assessment, feel free to review any concepts you still aren't sure about. There are extra practice worksheets here. If worksheets don't help you learn, consider playing some Jeopardy review games which you can find here.

    If you feel ready to take your Post Assessment, click here.


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