UWF Writing Lab Diction from A to Z by Ashley Massie Revised February 18, 2013 Adapted from Grammar Shots By Mamie Webb Hixon “Things We Say Wrong”

a n b o c p d q e r f s g t h u i v j w k x l y m z “May I have (a, an), please.” an aan a aanan a an a a a an an a 2

A vs. An a URL address an address a one-hundred-dollar bill a university a historic occasion a history class a Hispanic male a PR glitch an ER glitch an HR glitch an OR glitch a standing room only crowd an SRO crowd a Master of Business Administration degree an MBA degree an STD an NBC special an MTV award a European tour an electronic device 3 It’s not the initial letter of a word that determines whether to use “a” or “an” preceding it; it’s the initial sound.

4 good advice advise students Almost (nearly) everyone in my immediate family went to the reunion. Most (Many) of us went to the family reunion. Accept my apology. Everyone except me Advice vs. Advise Most vs. Almost Accept vs. Except

? NO CHECKS Excepted 5 o Is this sign correct, or should it read 

Krystal Marquee, 1980: EAT ALOT FOR A LITTLE 6 Is it alot or a lot? A lot is always two words, just like all right. Alot is not a word and should never be used in formal writing. A lot vs. Alot

o Special effects o Positive effects o Smoking affects your health. o The entire campus will be affected by the power outage. o The president effected a tax cut program. o Thunderstorm warning in effect until 6:00 PM. 7 Affect vs. Effect The greenhouse effect affects everyone.

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a small amount of work a small number of work a large amount of classes a large number of classes a small amount of students a small number of students the number of paper the amount of paper the number of years the amount of years the number of money the amount of money 9 Amount vs. Number Use number for countable nouns: years, fingers, pens, etc. Use amount with nouns that can’t be counted: water, land, etc. a small amount of work a small number of work a large amount of classes a large number of classes a small amount of students a small number of students the number of paper the amount of paper the number of years the amount of years the number of money the amount of money

Because of vs. Due to CLOSED DUE TO THE HURRICANE CLOSED BECAUSE OF THE HURRICANE As a result of Because of Caused by Due to His absence was due to his illness. She lost her job due to downsizing. She lost her job because of downsizing. 10

11 BETWEEN—used for relationships involving ONLY TWO people or things Ex: Lois and Hattie had only fifty cents between them. EXCEPTION: Air Force One landed somewhere between Atmore, Brewton, and Pensacola. EXCEPTION: Use transitions between paragraphs in a multi-paragraph essay. AMONG—used for relationships involving MORE THAN TWO people or things Ex: There is a silent closeness among the family members. Between vs. Among

Be sure to or Be sure and Try to or Try and Be sure and Try and

Capital vs. Capitol capital letters capital punishment the capital of Florida 13 inside the state capitol

coulda, woulda, shoulda could of, would of, should of could’ve, would’ve, should’ve could have, would have, should have 14 Of vs. Have Could, Would, & Should From vs. Than Different My car is different from her car. The house is different than it used to be.

Is it Fewer or Less? 15

Usage Note from The American Heritage Usage Board:  Few and fewer are correctly used in writing only before a plural noun: few cars, few of the books, fewer reasons.  Less is used before a mass noun: less music, less sugar.  Less than is also used before a plural noun that denotes a measure of time, amount, or distance: less than three weeks, less than sixty years old, less than $400 dollars. 16 Fewer vs. Less

Go Further With Ford?

18 irregardless of the weather regardless of the weather Irregardless vs. Regardless FARTHER—used to refer to distance: “far” ther FURTHER—used to refer to depth: “furthermore” Further vs. Farther

vs.

I will lend you my pen. I got a loan from the bank. 20 Lend vs. Loan Lay vs. Lie LIE—verb: to rest (LYING, LAY, [have] LAIN Ex: I lie on the couch every day. Ex: I lay on the couch for hours yesterday. Ex: The sweater is still lying on the couch. LAY—verb: to put (LAYING, LAID, [have] LAID) Ex: Where did he lay my brush? Ex: I must have laid it down somewhere yesterday. Ex: I’m always laying things down and forgetting where I laid them.

 LEAD AND LED—Lead (pronounced “leed”) means “to go first.” Its principal parts are lead, leads, led (rhymes with red), and (have) led.  Ex: Priests lead lives of celibacy.  Ex: The man led a life of celibacy before he became a priest. LEAD – the graphite at the end of a pencil  This homophone for led and homonym for lead is a noun.  Ex: The lead in this pencil is broken. 21 Lead vs. Lead

loose pants lose your wallet 22 It looks like it’s going to rain. It looks as if it’s going to rain. It looks like rain. Lose vs. Loose Like vs. As If

23 How to remember which one to use: You can stand on a principle and be respected for it, but stand on a principal and you might be arrested for assault. The ________ expelled the (a) student for three ________ (b) reasons. 1 – principal, principle 2 – principal, principal 3 – principle, principle 4 – principle, principal 2 – principal, principal PRINCIPLE—noun: axiom, rule Dr. King fought for the principle of nonviolence. In my Business Communications class, we are studying the principles of writing. PRINCIPAL—noun: chief official; adjective: foremost, major Principal vs. Principle

The reason I’m always right is because I know everything. The reason I’m always right is that I know everything. 24 That vs. Because The Reason is… Rise vs. Raise She saw him raise his hand. The water began to rise.

25 vs. ;

Used to and Supposed to Things my grandmother use to say Things my grandmother used to say What you’re suppose to know What you’re supposed to know 26

Rendition is when prisoners are handed over to countries where torture is allowed. Rendition is handing over prisoners to countries where torture is allowed. A rip current is when water that comes ashore is channeled back out to sea through a narrow passage. A rip current occurs when water that comes ashore is channeled back out to sea through a narrow passage. Noon is when we will meet for lunch. Outside the restaurant is where we will meet. 27 Is When and Is Where

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