Commonly Confused Words

Your vs. You’re  Your (adj)- the possessive form of you that indicates ownership  Ex. Please place all of your books on the floor before we begin the test.  You’re- contraction of you are  There is no question that you’re going to do well in the debate.

Practice 1. Call me when ________ home safely. 2. If ________ still working on ________ project, raise your hand. 3. The race is over and ________ the fastest. 4. ________ parked in the wrong spot; ________ car will get towed away. 5. My parents are friends with ________ parents.

Its vs. It’s  Its (pronoun)- owned by; belonging to  Ex. A horse uses its tail to swat flies and other insects.  It’s- contraction of it is (or it has )  Ex. I don’t want to go into any more detail about your birthday present; it’s a secret.

Practice 1. Its color is deep red, almost burgundy. 2. I’m glad to see you; _____ been a long time. 3. It was _____ first time out of the cage. 4. _____ feet were covered with sand. 5. Get up, _____ time for school.

There vs. Their vs. They’re  There (adv)- of or at a place; to, into, or toward a place  Ex. There are several reasons why I don’t want to dance.  Ex. Over there is the door the president will walk through.  They’re- contraction of they are  Ex. They’re supposed to give you the answer before we proceed with the project. Their (pronoun)- the possessive case of the pronoun they, indicating ownership; usually used as an adjective * Ex. Grant and Hunter gave their best performance on the second night of the play.

Practice 1. They always take __________dog with them on holiday. 2. Let's wait _________ alongside the entrance. 3. Ask them if _________ coming tomorrow. 4. My parents won't be coming as _________ both working on Saturday. 5. The teacher told them to leave ______ books on her desk.

Than vs. Then  Than (conj)- used for comparisons; used to introduce the second element or clause of a comparison of inequality  Ex. You are far more intelligent than you think.  Then (adv)- at that time in the past; next in time, order, or space; at another time in the future; in that case; in addition; besides; yet; on the other hand  Ex. Let’s go to the movies and then go out to eat.

Practice 1. Even at the age of twelve she was taller _______ me. 2. _______, out of nowhere, she started to dance. 3. Swiss cheese is much better ________ cheddar. 4. I want to go to a restaurant _______to the party. 5. I loved the movie The Notebook, but ________, I love sappy movies.

Affect vs. Effect  Affect (vb)- to influence  Ex. Your criticism affects people in a negative way.  Effect (n)- the result of some action  Ex. New Englanders have felt the effect of Mother Nature this winter.

Practice 1. The __________ of the preacher's words on the young boy's life was astounding. 2.Sheila was surprised that her book could __________ people so profoundly. 3. Meditation had an obvious __________ on Mandy's general behavior. 4. Patty realized her criticism had no __________ on Roger's poor work. 5. Patty's harsh words didn't __________ Roger as much as he had anticipated.

Accept vs. Except  Accept (vb)- to receive willingly  Ex. John accepted the trophy on behalf of the entire team.  Except (preposition)- but; excluding  Ex. Everyone except Beth went out for pizza after the dance.

Practice 1. ____ for this application, the rest meet the requirements for the job. 2. It is often difficult for other cultures to _____ each other. 3. Even though it is late, I will still _____ the assignment. 4. I enjoy all of her books _____ her most recent novel. 5. Joni worked hard to be ______ed into the honors society.

Farther vs. Further  Farther (adv)- at or to a greater distance (used to refer to a measurable distance)  Ex. Texas is farther west than Louisiana.  Further (adj or adv)- greater in time, degree, or extent; additionally  Ex. Frankly, I have no further interest in arguing with you over such trivia.

Practice 1. The _________ you go in the study of psychology, the more fascinating it becomes. 2. I walk _________ to work than I do to the ballpark for Sunday’s softball games. 3. I rode my bicycle _______ down the road than Maggie did. 4. There is no question we need _________ review to be ready for the exam. 5. The evidence was extensive and offered ________ proof of the defendant’s guilt.

Whose vs. Who’s  Whose (adj, pronoun)- the possessive form of who that indicates ownership  Ex. I don’t care whose book this is; it needs to be covered.  Who’s- contraction of who is  Who’s the winner of the raffle?

Practice 1. Mary, ________ raincoat was missing, got soaked on the first day of school. 2. This is my brother, ________ an accountant. 3. _________ the president of the United States? 4. _________ not done with his or her assignments? 5. _________ drink is this on the counter?