Grammar was not everyone’s favorite subject in school, but unfortunately, it’s not one of those subjects that you can question whether you’ll be able to use it in the real world after you graduate. You might not need to diagram sentences at work, but you still have to make sure your subjects and verbs agree. Autocorrect can’t catch everything for you. Even if your English classes bored you to tears, it’s never too late to brush up on your skills.
Accept vs. Except
Accept means to receive a gift/item or to believe an idea. Except means to exclude something. Accept is used as a verb. Except can be used as a verb, conjunction, or a preposition. Very different meaning for these two words.
Adverse vs. Averse
Adverse means detrimental. Averse means disinclined. Someone cannot be adverse to your project, but they can be averse to your project, which can be adverse to future of your position.
Affect vs. Effect
These two sound similar and it can be tricky. Affect is a verb that means to influence something or someone. Effect is usually used as a noun and means the result or impact of something. When in doubt, try using impact – harder to mess up. For example: The budget cut affects our project timeline. / The budget cut will have an effect on our project timeline. You can switch out affect/effect for impact in both of those sentences, but you cannot use affect/effect interchangeably.
Appraise vs. Apprise.
Appraise means to ascertain the value of something. Apprise means to inform.
Bring vs. Take
Bring means to carry something (or someone) toward the speaker. Take means to carry something somewhere else. Think about the direction of your instruction. For example: Would you bring me the document on the printer? Please take this document back to your desk. It may seem silly, but the difference between the two words can be the difference between sounding smart or sounding uneducated.
Comprise vs. Compose
Comprise means to include or contain. Compose means to make up or form the basis of. Both terms communicate the whole versus the parts of something, but they are not the same word and are commonly misused. To keep it straight, ask yourself if you’re trying to describe something that is invented or included and remember that the whole comprises the parts while the parts composes the whole.
Farther vs. Further
Farther alludes to actual physical distance and further describes metaphorical or figurative distance.
Fewer vs. Less
Fewer is used when you’re discussing separate, countable items, but less is used when you’re talking about singular mass nouns. For example: While my client has less money to work with, he also has fewer requirements.
Hone vs. Home in on
Hone means to sharpen and does not mean to home in on or to converge upon. For example: You can hone your communication skills, but you home in on a solution.
Parameter vs. Perimeter
Parameter means a variable which has the same value in more than one equation. It does not mean a boundary. On the other hand, a perimeter does mean a border or line around an object. People often use the word parameter to mean border or limitation because it sounds more technical; however, those with an actual scientific or technical background will note the incorrect usage. If you want to talk about boundaries or limitations, just use those words.
Regardless vs. Irregardless
This one is simple. Just remember irregardless is not a word. Use regardless or even irrespective, but don’t merge the two words together.
Enormity vs. Enormousness
Enormity means extreme evil, while enormousness means great in size or number. Unless you are talking about a terrorist attack, you shouldn’t use the word enormity. If you’re talking about the amount of work you have to do, use enormousness.
It’s easy to get caught up in the quest to sound smart on project documentation or in every day correspondence. However, if you’re not careful, you wind up sounding a little silly or worse – dumb. None of us want to risk that, so choose your words carefully. If some trip you up, try to find alternate words that mean the same thing but are easier to use correctly.
