Commonly misused words Accept and except, all ready and already, all together and altogether, a lot, beside and besides, choose and chose, its and it’s, loose and lose, raise and rise, then and than, their, they’re, and there, to, too, and two, who’s and whose, witch and which, lay and lie

Accept and except Accept= to receive Except= other than Ships accept most cargo. Except= other than Ships move at a rapid speed except in storms.

All ready and already All ready= completely prepared The flight crew is all ready. Already= before or by this time The plane had already left when I arrived at the airport.

All together and altogether All together= in a group The wagons traveled all together for protection. Altogether= completely Wagons are altogether too slow.

A lot A lot= very much. A lot is two words. Sailors travel a lot.

Beside and Besides Beside= next to Besides= in addition to Railroad tracks are often run beside roads. Besides= in addition to Besides trains we ride buses.

Choose and chose Choose= to select Chose= selected Many people choose a window seat when they fly. Chose= selected I chose an aisle seat the last time I flew to New York.

Its and it’s Its= the possessive form of it (shows ownership) The ship is moving to its pier. It’s= the contraction of it is It’s hard to dock a ship.

Loose and lose Loose= not firmly attached Loose cargo is dangerous. Lose= to misplace or to fail to win You could lose your luggage.

Raise and rise Raise= to cause to move upward Rise= to move upward The sailors raise the anchors before the ships depart. Rise= to move upward The anchors rise slowly.

Then and than Then= at that time or soon after Raise the anchor and then sail. Than= introduces the second part of a comparison Ships are larger than boats.

Their, they’re, and there Their= the possessive form of they We like their fast trains. They’re= the contraction of they are They’re designed for speed. There= in or at that place The train station is over there.

To, too, and two To= in the direction of Trains carry coal to ports. Too= in addition to or excessively Coal is too bulky for planes. Two= the number after one The supertanker is as long as two football fields.

Who’s and whose Who’s= the contraction of who is I have a friend who’s a pilot. Whose= the possessive form of who Whose flight leaves first?

Witch and which Witch= someone who practice magic Which= what one? The witch scared all of the children on Halloween. Which= what one? Which of these do you want?

Lie=to recline or to be positioned Lay and lie Lay= to put or to place Sailors lay the ropes in coils. Lie=to recline or to be positioned Passengers lie in bunks.