Have you ever come across these “twin” words? It’s amazing how many times they are misused in a sentence. Keep an eye out for these pairings that often confuse business writers.
Adverse . . . . opposed, unfavorable
Averse. . . . . . unwilling, reluctant
(Especially when used with risk-averse, not risk-adverse)
Affect . . . .verb, to influence
Effect . . . .noun, outcome, result, also verb, to cause to happen (i.e. to effect change)
Altogether. . . . completely
All together . . .collectively
Beside . . . . alongside
Besides. . . . in addition to
Bring . . . . toward the speaker
Take. . . . . away from the speaker
Can . . . . capable
May . . . .asking permission
Cannot. . . . unable
Can not. . . . wrong spelling
Complement . . . . .noun, something that completes, also verb, to complete
Compliment . . . . noun, flatter, verb, to praise
Diffuse . . . .wordy, rambling
Defuse. . . . subdue, soften
Disinterested. . . . impartial
Uninterested . . . . bored
Elicit. . . . .draw forth
Illicit . . . . illegal
Eligible . . . . qualified
Illegible . . . . unreadable
Farther . . . . refers to physical distance
Further . . . . refers to degree or extent
Fewer . . . . individual, countable items (we had fewer cows)
Less . . . . . . bulk or quantity (and less milk)
Imply . . . .to suggest
Infer. . . . to deduce from evidence
Lay . . . .takes an object (lay the report on my desk)
Lie . . . . does not take an object (the report was lying on my desk)
Perspective . . . . noun, viewpoint
Prospective . . . .adjective, potential, probable
Principal . . . . main, chief
Principle . . . . rule, standard
Proscribe . . . . to prohibit, rule out, forbid
Prescribe . . . . impose authoritatively, lay down (base word for “prescription”)
Rein. . . . leather strap fastened to a horse’s bridle
Reign. . . .the period during which a royal figure occupies the throne
Stationary . . . . adjective, fixed in place
Stationery . . . . noun, writing paper
Than . . . . after a comparison, as
Then . . . . indicating time, next
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