Watch These Words - Page 2

Reading on the Internet can drive an editor crazy. So many words are misused that it makes me wish my monitor could provide a spelling and grammar checker to correct the mistakes before I attempt to read it.

Many words sound alike but have different meanings and spellings. This is where a common spell checker will not help. The words may be correctly spelled, but they are simply misused.

There are several that are common on the Internet. They, along with their primary meanings, are:

• Then and than: Then means at that time in the past or future. Example: Then it was time to come home. Than is used to compare two or more items. Example: I'd rather go home now than later.
• Accept and except: Accept means to agree to take something. Example: I accept your offer. Except means to not include something. Example: I like your offer except for the interest rate.
• Their, there, and they're: Their means it belongs to them. Example: I like their uniforms. There means in that place. Example: They like to go there. They're is a contraction for the words "they are." Example: They're going to go home.
• It's and its: It's is a contraction for "it is." Example: It's a good thing you read this. Its is a word that is used to determine something. Example: The dog needs its medicine.
• To, too, and two: To is used before a verb as an infinitive. Example: I need to go home. Too is a word meaning also. Example: I hope to go home, too. Two means the number 2. Example: I have two dogs and two cats (in fact, I had three cats until one of them played chicken with a pickup this past week).
• Allude and elude: Allude means to refer to something. Example: You can allude to your creative writing style. Elude means to escape. Example: He was able to elude the police officer.
• Set up and setup: Set up refers to an activity. Example: Help me set up the Christmas tree. Setup is used as an adjective or noun. Example: The program's setup was easy.
• Affect and effect: Affect is a verb meaning to produce change. Effect means the result of an action.
• Utilize and use: Utilize means to put to use; use means to put into service. Both are technically correct, but the word use is preferred. I think Dick Vitale, who broadcasts basketball games on television, is a great guy, but he drives me nuts using the word utilize 100 times a game.
• Insure, ensure, and assure: Insure means to issue an insurance policy. Ensure means to make certain something happens. Assure means to make someone confident of something.
• Anxious and eager: Anxious means you are nervous about something. Eager means you want it to happen soon.
• Stationary and stationery: Stationary means something is standing still. Stationery is something upon which you write.

There are many other words that get confused more often than not, so use a dictionary. Using the wrong term can change the meaning of the sentence to either the wrong thing or something that is nonsense. Either way, the Web site's owner loses.

A good source for information regarding proper usage of words and phrases is William Strunk's Elements of Style at http://www.bartleby.com/141/.

Readability on the Internet
A Variety Of Potential Errors To Avoid - Page 3