course part of a meal; a school subject; direction coarse rough
At the movies, I tried to decide on a course of action that would put an end to the coarse language of the man behind me.
Fill in the blanks: Over the ________________of time, jagged, __________ rocks will be polished to smoothness by the pounding waves.
its belonging to it
it’s shortened form of “it is” or “it has”
The tall giraffe lowered its head (the head belonging to the giraffe) to the level of the car window and peered in at us.
It’s (it is) too late to sign up for the theater trip to New York.
Fill in the blanks: I decided not to take the course because ________________too easy; ___________ content offers no challenge whatever.
passed went by; succeeded in; handed to
past a time before the present; by, as in “I drove past the house”
As Yvonne passed exit six on the interstate, she knew she had gone past the correct turnoff.
Fill in the blanks: Lewis asked for a meeting with his boss to learn why he had been _________________ over for promotion twice in the __________ year.
peace calm piece apart
The best piece of advice she ever received was to maintain her own inner peace.
Fill in the blanks: Upon hearing that _________________ of music, my angry mood was gradually replaced by one of _________________.
plain simple plane aircraft
The plain box contained a very expensive model plane kit.
Fill in the blanks: After unsuccessfully trying to overcome her fear Selena finally admitted the _________________ truth: She was terrified of flying in a __________.
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principal main; a person in charge of a school principle a law or standard
If the principal ingredient in this stew is octopus, I’ll abandon my principle of trying everything at least once.
Fill in the blanks: Our __________________ insists that all students adhere to every school __________ regarding dress, tardiness, and smoking.
than used in comparisons then at that time
I made more money then, but I’ve never been happier than I am now.
Fill in the blanks: When I was in high school, I wanted a racy two-seater convertible more __________ anything else; but __________ my friends pointed out that only one person would be able to ride with me.
their belonging to them
there at that place; a neutral word used with verbs like is, are, was, were, have, and had they’re shortened form of “they are”
The tenants there are complaining because they’re being cheated by their landlord.
Fill in the blanks: The tomatoes I planted ______ in the back of the garden are finally ripening, but __________ bright red color will attract hungry raccoons, and I fear __________ going to be eaten.
weather atmospheric conditions whether if it happens that; in case; if
Although meteorologists are weather specialists, even they can’t predict whether a hurricane will change course.
Fill in the blanks: The gloomy __________ report in the paper this morning ended all discussion of _________________ to pack a picnic lunch for later.
whose belonging to whom
who’s shortened form of “who is” and “who has”
“Who’s the patient whose filling fell out?” the dentist’s assistant asked.
Fill in the blanks: __________________ the salesperson ___________ customers are always
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complaining about his high-pressure tactics?
your belonging to you
you’re shortened form of “you are”
You’re making a fool of yourself; your Elvis imitation isn’t funny.
Fill in the blanks: If __________ having trouble filling out _________________ tax return, why don’t you call the IRS’s toll-free hot line?
2. Other Words Frequently Confused
accept to receive; agree to except excluding; but
It was easy to accept the book’s plot, except for one unlikely coincidence at the very end.
Fill in the blanks: Ved would ________________the position, __________ that it would add twenty minutes to his daily commute.
advice noun meaning “an opinion”
advise verb meaning “to counsel, to give advice”
I have learned not to take my sister’s advice on straightening out my life. A counselor can advise you about the courses you’ll need next year.
Fill in the blanks: Karen is so troubled about losing her job that I will _________________ her to seek the _________________ of a professional counselor.
affect verb meaning “to influence”
effect verb meaning “to cause something”; noun meaning “result”
The bad weather will definitely affect the outcome of the election.
If we can effect a change in George’s attitude, he may do better in his courses. One effect of the strike will be dwindling supplies in the supermarkets.
Fill in the blanks: Scientists have studied the __________________ of large quantities of saccharine on lab animals but have yet to learn how similar amounts ________________ human beings.
among implies three or more
between implies only two
After the team of surgeons consulted among themselves, they decided that the bullet was lodged
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between two of the patient’s ribs.
Fill in the blanks: _________________ halves, one enthusiastic fan stood up _________________ his equally fanatic friends and took off his coat and shirt.
beside along the side of besides in addition to
Besides doing daily inventories, I have to stand beside the cashier whenever the store gets crowded.
Fill in the blanks: _________________those books on the table, I plan to use these magazines stacked _________________ me while doing my research paper.
fewer used with things that can be counted less refers to amount, value, or degree
I’ve taken fewer classes this semester, so I hope to have less trouble finding time to study.
Fill in the blanks: This beer advertises that it has _________________ calories and is ____________________ filling.
former refers to the first of two items named latter refers to the second of two items named
Sue yelled at her sons, Greg and John, when she got home; The former (Greg) had left the refrigerator open and the latter (John) had left wet towels all over the bathroom.
Fill in the blanks: Eddy collects coupons and parking tickets: The ______________ save him money and the _________________ are going to cost him a great deal of money some day.
loose /lu:s/ not fastened; not tight-fitting lose /lu:z/ to misplace; fail to win
In this strong wind, the house may lose some of its loose roof shingles.
Fill in the blanks: A __________________ wire in the television set was causing us to __________________ the picture.
quiet peaceful
quite entirely; really; rather
Jennifer seems quiet and demure, but she has quite a temper at times.
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Fill in the blanks: Most people think the library is ________________ a good place to study, but I find the extreme __________ distracting.
Exercises
I. Underline the two incorrect spellings in each sentence. Then spell the words correctly in the spaces provided.
__________ 1. “Its not a very good idea,” yelled Alexandra’s boss, “to tell you’re customer __________ that the striped dress she plans to buy makes her look like a pregnant tiger.” _________ 2. You’re long skirt got stuck in the car door, and now its sweeping the highway. _________ 3. When your young, their is a tendency to confuse a crush with true love.
_________ 4. After too hours of typing, Lin was to tired to type any longer.
_________ 5. It is unusual for a restaurant to lose it’s license, but this one had more mice _________ in its’ kitchen than cooks.
_________ 6. The vampires bought a knife sharpener in order too sharpen there teeth.
_________ 7. Your sometimes surprised by who you’re friends turn out to be in difficult __________ times.
_________ 8. When the children get to quiet, Clare knows their getting into trouble.
_________ 9. There friendship developed into love as the years passed, and now, in midlife, __________ their newlyweds.
_________ 10. There is no reason to panic if you get a bad grade or too. Its well known that __________ many successful people were not great students.
II. Underline the correct word in the parentheses. Rather than guessing, look back at the explanations of the words when necessary.
1. I (know, no) that several of the tenants have decided (to, too, two) take (their, there, they’re) case to court.
2. (Whose, Who’s) the author of that book about the (affects, effects) of eating (to, too, two) much protein?
3. In our supermarket is a counter (where, wear) (your, you’re) welcome to sit down and have free coffee and doughnuts.
4. (Its, It’s) possible to (loose, lose) friends by constantly giving out unwanted (advice, advise). 5. For a long time, I couldn’t (accept, except) the fact that my husband wanted a divorce; (then, than) I decided to stop being angry and get on with life. 6. I spent the (hole, whole) day browsing (threw, through) the chapters in my business textbook, but I didn’t really study them.
7. The newly appointed (principal, principle) is (quite, quiet) familiar with the problems (hear, here) at our school.
8. I found that our cat had (all ready, already) had her kittens (among, between) the weeds (beside, besides) the porch.
9. I (advice, advise) you not to take children to that movie; the special (affects, effects) are (to, too, two) frightening.
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