| A v. An |
Rule: Use “a” when the first letter of the word following has the sound of a consonant. Keep in mind that some vowels sound like consonants when they’re sounded out as individual letters.
Examples:
- a finger
- a hotel
- a U-turn (pronounced Yoo-turn)
Rule: Use “an” when the first letter of the word following has the sound of a vowel. Remember that some consonants sound like vowels when they’re spoken as individual letters.
Examples:
- an FBI case (“F” is pronounced “ef” here)
- an honor (“H” is silent here)
- an unusual idea
Deciding whether to use “a” or “an” before abbreviations can be trickier. The abbreviation for “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)” causes confusion because it can be pronounced as a word (fak), or one letter at a time (F-A-Q). Using the guidelines above, one would say "a FAQ" when it is pronounced as one word, and "an FAQ" when it is pronounced one letter at a time.
Examples:
- an FBI agent (“F” is pronounced “ef” here)
- a FICA tax decrease
- an HMO plan (“H” is pronounced “aych” here)
- a HUD program
- an NAACP convention (“N” is pronounced “en” here)
- a NASA study
|
| Accept |
to agree |
| Except |
but, with the exception that |
| Ad |
Short for advertisement |
| Add |
Short for addition |
| Ades |
fruit drinks |
| Aids |
helps, assists |
| AIDS |
Acronym for Auto Immune Deficiency Syndrome |
| Aides |
People who help; assistants |
| Advice (noun) |
recommendation |
| Advise (verb) |
the act of giving a recommendation |
| Affect v. Effect |
Rule 1. Use “ effect” when you mean “ bring about” or “ brought about,” “ cause” or “ caused.”
Example: He effected a commotion in the crowd.
Meaning: He caused a commotion in the crowd.
Rule 2. Use “ effect” when you mean “ result.”
Example: What effect did that speech have?
Rule 3. Also use “ effect” whenever any of these words precede it: a, an, any, the, take, into, no
Note: These words may be separated from “ effect” by an adjective.
Example: That book had a long-lasting effect on my thinking.
Example: Has the medicine produced any noticeable effects?
Rule 4. Use the verb “ affect” when you mean “ to influence” rather than “ to cause.”
Example: How do the budget cuts affect your staffing?
Rule 5. “ Affect” is used as a noun to mean “ emotional expression.”
Example: She showed little affect when told she had won the lottery. |
| Ails |
illnesses |
| Ale |
beer |
| Air |
what we breathe |
| Err |
to make a mistake |
| Heir |
somewhat who inherits something |
| Aisle |
passageway |
| I’ll |
contraction for “I will” |
| Isle |
island |
| All |
entire, everything |
| Awl |
a tool |
| Allot |
to parcel out |
| A lot |
always two words meaning “many” |
| Allowed |
permitted |
| Aloud |
said out loud; spoken |
| All ready |
means all are ready.
Example: We are all ready to go. |
| Already |
refers to time
Example: Is it summer already? |
| All together |
refers to a group, all of us or all of them together
Example: It is wonderful to be all together to celebrate your birthday. |
| Altogether |
entirely
Example: It is not altogether his fault. |
| Altar |
pedestal, usually religious |
| Alter |
to change |
| Among |
involves three or more
Example: Who among us has not lied? |
| Between |
involves just two
Example: She couldn’t decide between Chinese and Thai food. |
| Ant |
a bug |
| Aunt |
a parent’s sister |
| Ante |
a bet placed before playing |
| Auntie |
affectionate term for a parent’s sister |
| Any more |
something additional or further
Example: It didn’t rain any more this year than last year. |
| Anymore |
any longer, nowadays
Example: Harry doesn’t travel anymore. |
| Arc |
arch, crescent, half moon |
| Ark |
a vessel or a refuge |
| Ascent (noun) |
climb up |
| Assent (noun or verb) |
agreement; to agree |
| Assistance (noun) |
help |
| Assistants (noun) |
people who help |
| Ate |
past tense of "eat" |
| Eight |
the number after "seven" |
| Aural |
having to do with hearing |
| Oral |
having to do with the mouth |
| Awed |
in a state of amazement |
| Odd |
unusual; opposite of “even” when referring to numbers |
| Bald |
having no hair |
| Bawled |
cried |
| Ball |
a sphere |
| Bawl |
to cry |
| Band |
a group, sometimes a group of musicians |
| Banned |
forbidden |
| Bare |
naked |
| Bear |
the animal |
| Base |
the bottom: vulgar |
| Bass |
low vocal or instrumental range; a type of fish |
| Based |
be dependent or supported |
| Baste |
to moisten; to criticize or lash out at |
| Bases (noun, verb) |
headquarters; builds on |
| Basis (noun) |
foundation; belief |
| Be |
to exist |
| Bee |
insect |
| Beach |
sandy area with water |
| Beech |
type of tree |
| Beat |
to hit; a police officer’s route |
| Beet |
an edible root |
| Beau |
boyfriend |
| Bow (verb, noun) |
bend; comply; aid; boat front; part of a set with arrows |
| Been |
form of “be” used with “has” or “have” |
| Bin |
container |
| Bell |
chime or alarm; a signal |
| Belle |
beautiful or charming woman |
| Berth |
a boat dock; bedroom or bed |
| Birth |
being born; beginning |
| Better |
superior |
| Bettor |
someone who bets |
| Bite |
to use one’s teeth to tear food |
| Byte |
computer term for eight bits of information |
| Billed |
charged a fee |
| Build |
to construct |
| Blew |
past tense of “blow” |
| Blue |
the color |
| Bloc |
a group united for a particular purpose |
| Block |
city street; a square object |
| Boar |
wild pig |
| Bore |
someone or something not interesting |
| Board |
piece of wood; a group of people |
| Bored |
not interested |
| Boarder |
someone who pays for room and food |
| Border |
perimeter |
| Bode |
predict |
| Bowed |
bent |
| Bold |
daring |
| Bowled |
to have gone bowling; knocked over |
| Bolder |
more daring |
| Boulder |
large rock |
| Boos |
sounds made by disapproving audience |
| Booze |
alcohol |
| Bough (as in “owl”) |
branch of a tree |
| Bow (as in “owl”) |
a male’s form of a curtsy, bending at the waist |
| Buoy |
a naval beacon or marker |
| Boy |
male child |
| Brake |
stop |
| Break |
separate into pieces |
| Bread |
a food; slang for “money” |
| Bred |
past tense of “breed”; raised |
| Brewed |
intoxicating, fermented |
| Brood (verb, noun) |
mull over; a cluster or family |
| Brews |
ferments |
| Bruise |
a black-and-blue mark, contusion |
| Bridal |
relating to brides |
| Bridle |
a harness, usually for a horse |
| Broach |
to raise a topic |
| Brooch |
a bauble; a piece of jewelry |
| Brows |
the hairs in the arch above the eyes |
| Browse |
search for, peruse |
| But |
except |
| Butt (noun/verb) |
bottom; joke object; to ram |
| Buy |
purchase |
| By |
near |
| Bye |
short for “goodbye” |
| Cache |
hidden stash |
| Cash |
money |
| Calendar |
chart of days and months |
| Colander |
sieve to drain off liquids |
| Cannon |
large, mounted gun |
| Canon |
rule, commandment |
| Canvas |
awning cloth, tarp |
| Canvass |
to poll; a poll |
| Capital |
assets; essential; main city |
| Capitol |
statehouse |
| Carat |
unit of weight in gemstones |
| Caret |
a proofreading mark to show insertion (^) |
| Carrot |
edible root |
| Karat |
a unit for measuring the fineness of gold |
| Cast (noun, verb) |
group of actors; to throw |
| Caste |
a social class |
| Cay |
a small, low island (also spelled “key”) |
| Key |
a small, low island; instrument for opening locks |
| Quay (pronounced “key”) |
wharf |
| Cede |
to surrender |
| Seed |
reproductive germ |
| Cell |
prison room; basic structural unit of an organism |
| Sell |
exchange for money |
| Censor (verb, noun) |
disallow; faultfinder |
| Sensor |
alarm warning |
| Cent |
a penny |
| Scent |
a smell, aroma |
| Sent |
transmitted |
| Cereal |
breakfast food |
| Serial |
a series or array |
| Chance |
accident(al) |
| Chants |
chorus, melody |
| Chased |
went after |
| Chaste |
pure, virginal |
| Chews |
how one eats food with teeth |
| Choose |
to pick |
Chile
|
a country in South America |
| Chili |
a type of pepper; a dish with peppers in it |
| Chilly |
cold, brisk |
| Choral |
a cappella, singing without instruments |
| Coral |
material that makes up reefs; orange color |
| Chorale |
a hymn, a choir |
| Corral |
horse pen |
| Cored |
to remove a piece of something |
| Chute |
an inclined shaft |
| Shoot |
to discharge from a weapon; a stem |
| Cite |
to assert; to quote from; to subpoena |
| Site |
a location |
| Sight |
vision |
| Clause |
in grammar, a group of words containing a subject and verb; part of a contract
|
| Claws |
an animal’s nails |
| Click |
a sound |
| Clique |
a group |
| Close (verb, adjective) |
to shut; nearby |
| Clothes |
apparel |
| Coarse |
rough |
| Course |
a class; a path |
| Colonel |
an officer in the military |
| Kernel |
a seed |
| Complement |
completing part of an order |
| Compliment |
praise |
| Core |
center or crucial part |
| Corps (sounds like “core”) |
trained group |
| Corpse |
dead body |
| Cosign |
to sign along with |
| Cosine |
a trigonometry term |
| Council |
a group of people meeting for a purpose |
| Counsel (verb, noun) |
advise; advice; an attorney |
| Creak |
sound |
| Creek |
a small stream |
| Crews |
many groups |
| Cruise |
a trip or vacation by sea |
| Cue |
a signal |
| Queue |
a line of people waiting |
| Currant |
type of small berry |
| Current |
up to date |
| Curser |
someone who swears |
| Cursor |
an on-screen indicator of position |
