Who vs. Whom, Could vs. Couldn’t, May vs. Might And many more! Confusing Words Who vs. Whom, Could vs. Couldn’t, May vs. Might And many more!

Who vs. Whom Who is used as the subject. Whom is used as an object to the verb.   A really simple way of remembering is to substitute it with a regular pronoun.  

In a statement: I wonder (who/whom) will be at baseball practice today. He will be at baseball practice. Him will be at baseball practice. Since HE works, the sentence should be "I wonder who will be at practice today."   Plus, who is the subject, not the object. In this sentence the object is baseball practice.

In a question With (who/whom) are you going to the dance? I am going with she to the dance. I am going with her to the dance. Since HER works better, the sentence should be "With whom are you going to the dance?"   Here, you is the implied subject ... "You are going to the dance with whom?"

Who, Which, That WHO-pronoun, referring to a person or persons Jane wondered how Jack, who is so smart, could be having difficulties in Calculus.
 WHICH-pronoun, replacing a singular or plural thing(s); not used to refer to persons Which section of history did you get into?
 THAT-used to refer to things or a group or class of people I lost the book that I bought last week.

Could vs. Couldn’t Q: Every time I say, "I could care less," my husband stops me and says, "It's 'I couldn't care less.'" But everyone I know says it the same way I do. Which is correct?—Anonymous So which is it?

When taken literally, the two phrases have opposite meanings: "I couldn't care less" means that it's impossible for me to care any less about the subject at hand than I already do. If I say, "I couldn't care less about hockey," I mean that on a scale of one to 10—with 10 suggesting that I'm the most enthusiastic hockey fan this side of Canada, and one meaning I don't give a flip about the sport—I'm a one. I don't care about hockey at all.

Stick with "I couldn't care less." On the other hand: "I could care less" literally means "I care more than I might seem to." If you could care less, you're saying that you care some, which is the opposite of not caring at all. Now, some folks will argue that "could care less" is intended to be sarcastic and therefore shouldn't be taken literally. But it's hard to convey that in print, so it just looks like unpolished writing. Stick with "I couldn't care less."

May vs. Might Q: "I may go to the store." "I might go to the store." Is there a difference between these two sentences? I've always been confused as to when to use "may" and when to use "might"? —Joe A.

"May" indicates that you are more likely to do something. I may go to the store means I probably will go to the store. "Might" suggests that you are less likely to do something. I might go to the store means it's unlikely that I'll go to the store. So while I may play around on facebook tonight (something I do most nights); I might hang up my clean clothes in my closet (something I often find difficult to find time to do).

Although this rule seems pretty cut-and-dried, it has a few exceptions worth noting. According to Garner's Modern American Usage, you should never use "may" in a negative hypothetical because the reader could read it to mean the person "does not have permission." For example, saying "I may not go to the store" could be misread as "I am not allowed to go to the store." In this case, you always use "might": I might not go to the store.

EXCEPT - to take or leave out. ACCEPT - to receive. He accepts defeat well. EXCEPT - to take or leave out. Please take all the books off the shelf except for the red one. AFFECT-to influence Lack of sleep affects the quality of your work. EFFECT - n., result, v., to accomplish The subtle effect of the lighting made the room look ominous. Can the university effect such a change without disrupting classes? CITE-to quote or document I cited ten quotes from the same author in my paper. SIGHT-vision The sight of the American flag arouses different emotions in different parts of the world. SITE-position or place The new office building was built on the site of a cemetery.

LIE-to lie down (a person or animal. hint: people can tell lies) I have a headache, so I'm going to lie down for a while. (Also lying, lay, has/have lain--The dog has lain in the shade all day; yesterday, the dog lay there for twelve hours). LAY-to lay an object down. "Lay down that shotgun, Pappy!" The sheriff demanded of the crazed moonshiner. The town lay at the foot of the mountain. (Also laying, laid, has/have laid-- At that point, Pappy laid the shotgun on the ground). LOSE--verb, to misplace or not win Mom glared at Mike. "If you lose that new lunchbox, don't even think of coming home!” LOOSE--adjective, to not be tight; verb (rarely used)--to release The burglar's pants were so loose that he was sure to lose the race with the cop chasing him. While awaiting trial, he was never set loose from jail because no one would post his bail.

PASSED-verb, past tense of "to pass," to have moved The tornado passed through the city quickly, but it caused great damage. PAST-belonging to a former time or place Go past the fire station and turn right. ITS-of or belonging to it The baby will scream as soon as its mother walks out of the room. IT'S-contraction for it is It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. SUPPOSED TO-correct form for "to be obligated to" or "presumed to" NOT "suppose to” When is our plane supposed to arrive? SUPPOSE-to guess or make a conjecture Do you suppose we will get to the airport on time? Using Both We are supposed to check our bags before we board, but I suppose we could do that at the curb and save time.

THAN-use with comparisons THEN-at that time, or next I would rather go out to eat than eat at the dining hall. THEN-at that time, or next I studied for my exam for seven hours, and then I went to bed. THEIR-possessive form of they Their house is at the end of the block. THERE-indicates location (hint: think of "here and there”) There goes my chance of winning the lottery! THEY'RE-contraction for "they are” They're in Europe for the summer--again! TO-toward I went to the University of Richmond. TOO-also, or excessively He drank too many screwdrivers and was unable to drive home. TWO-a number Only two students did not turn in the assignment.

THROUGH-by means of; finished; into or out of He plowed right through the other team's defensive line. THREW-past tense of throw She threw away his love letters. THOROUGH-careful or complete John thoroughly cleaned his room; there was not even a speck of dust when he finished. THOUGH-however; nevertheless He's really a sweetheart though he looks tough on the outside. THRU-abbreviated slang for through; not appropriate in standard writing We're thru for the day!