CREATED BY KATHRYN REILLY
Ten Commonly Misused Words
Accept or Except?Than or Then?Lie or Lay?Capitol or Capital?
Ten Commonly Misused Words
Salutations! Thank you for viewing this slide show.
Each slide will identify the word’s part of speech, provide a definition, use it correctly in a sentence and give a helpful hint. Some words may also have picture associations. Please note: some words may be used as multiple parts of speech, however the most common form will be addressed in this packet.
Accept vs. Except
Part of Speech Verb
Meaning To receive
Examples Mary accepted the
promotion. She accepts your gift. I accept your apology.
Part of Speech Preposition or Conjunction
Meaning To exclude
Examples Everyone is going except
me. The castle is fortified,
except here along the wall.
Helpful Hint “Ex” can refer to a negative,
so remember that except means to be left out!
Affect vs. Effect
Part of Speech Verb
Meaning To alter or influence
Examples The rainy weather affected
her mood. Taking good notes can
positively affect quiz scores.
Helpful Hint Affect = Alter
Part of Speech Noun
Meaning A result
Examples The effect of too much sun
may be a sunburn. The movie’s special effects
made it more interesting to watch.
Capitol vs. Capital
Part of Speech Noun
Meaning A center of government or
leadership
Example Washington D.C. is the capitol
of the United States of America.
Helpful Hint Capitol and government
Part of Speech Noun, adjective
Meaning N – money A – main, important
Example We need to raise $500,000 in
capital before starting our new business
Compliment vs. Complement
Part of Speech Noun or verb
Meaning To praise
Examples Joe complimented Jane’s dress. I received many compliments
on my research paper.
Helpful Hint Everyone likes to receive praise, so
remember: I like to be complimented!
Part of Speech Noun or verb
Meaning To complete, to make perfect
Examples Her jewelry complements her
outfit. The complement to any good
dinner is a great dessert!
Helpful Hint Complement = complete
Desert vs. Dessert
Part of Speech Noun
Meaning An arid, dry place
Example Many lizards live in the
desert.
Part of Speech Noun
Meaning A sweet food
Example My favorite dessert is
chocolate cake!
Helpful Hint Everyone wants more
dessert, so it has two “s”s.
Farther vs. Further
Part of Speech Adjective or adverb
Meaning Distance
Examples Your home is farther from
school than mine.
Helpful Hint Far = distance
Part of Speech Adverb
Meaning More, to a greater degree
Examples Further investigation is
needed to determine a suspect.
Lie vs. Lay
Part of Speech Verb
Meaning To recline
Example If I feel exhausted, I like to lie
down and rest.
Helpful Hint Lie recline
Part of Speech Verb
Meaning To place or put
Example The friends lay flowers at the
grave.
Helpful Hint Lay place
Loose vs. Lose
Part of Speech Adjective
Meaning Not well secured Opposite of tight
Examples The dog’s collar was loose, so
he ran away. Many people’s pockets have
loose change.
Part of Speech Verb
Meaning To misplace Opposite of win
Examples I lost my keys! Do you think our team will
win or lose the championship game?
Helpful Hint Lose lost an “o”.
Precede vs. Proceed
Part of Speech Verb
Meaning To go before
Examples The letter A precedes the
letter B in the alphabet.
Helpful Hint Pre = is a prefix meaning
before
Part of Speech Verb
Meaning To continue, to go forward
Examples At graduation, seniors
proceed down the aisle.
Than vs. Then
Part of Speech Conjunction
Meaning Compares two things
Example I’d rather eat fruit than
vegetables.
Helpful Hint Than compares
Part of Speech Adverb
Meaning Shows order or time
Example I put on my shoes then tie
them.
Helpful Hint Then shows order or time