COLEGIO SAN AGUSTIN

High School Department Adjective: I am all ready to listen to your report.

Academic-Year 2024-2025 Adverb: I have already made a decision.
8. all together, altogether All together means “all at
English 10 once.” Altogether means “completely” or “in all.”

Selected Common Usage Problems Examples: We will march all together in the rally.
You are altogether mistaken about this
Name: __________________________ motive.
Date: ________________ 10 - ____
9. among, between Among and between are both
1. accuse, allege Accuse means “to blame” or “to prepositions. Among always implies three or more.
bring a charge against.” Allege means “to claim Between is generally used with just two things.
something that has not been proved.”
Examples: There is a feeling of discontent among the
Examples: We mistakenly accused an innocent citizens.
bystander. Juan got between Carlos and me.
They allege that their employer ignored
regulations. 10. amount, number Use amount with quantities that
cannot be counted. Use number with things that can be
2. adapt, adopt Adapt, a verb, means “to counted.
change.” Adopt, a verb, means “to take as one’s own.”
Examples: a small amount of cream, a large amount of
Examples: We adapted our sleeping habits to the profit
short Arctic days. A number of empty bottles, a number of
They adopted the homeless waif. books

3. advice, advise Advice is a noun meaning “an 11. anxious Anxious means “worried,” “uneasy,” or
opinion.” Advise is a verb meaning “to give an opinion.” “fearful.” Do not use it as a substitute for eager.

Noun: I need your advice. Ambiguous: I am always anxious to meet new people.
Verb: Hikers are advised to take along a canteen of Clear: I am always eager to meet new people.
water. I am always anxious about meeting new
people for the first time.
4. affect, effect Affect is almost always a verb
meaning “to influence.” Effect, usually a noun, means 12. anyone, any one, everyone, every one
“result.” Occasionally, effect is a verb meaning “to bring Anyone and everyone mean “any person” and
about” or “to cause.” “every person.” Any one means “any single person (or
thing),” and every one means “every single person (or
Verb: The years spent in the mines affected his lungs. thing).”
Noun: One effect of her travels was a new open-
mindedness. Examples: Anyone may come to the meeting.
Verb: His administration effected changes in foreign Any one of these students could be elected.
policy. Everyone complained about the service.
Every one of the dishes was broken.
5. aggravate Aggravate means “to make
worse.” Avoid using this word to mean “to annoy.” 13. as Do not use this conjunction to mean
“because” or “since.”
Less acceptable: He was aggravated by their rude
manners. Less acceptable: We stayed home, as our mother was
Preferred: Scratching will only aggravate the mosquito sick, and prepared dinner.
bite. Preferred: We stayed home, since our mother was
sick, and prepared dinner.
6. allot, a lot, alot Allot, a verb, means “to divide in
parts” or “to give out in shares.” A lot is an informal 14. as to As to is awkward. Replace it with about.
expression meaning “a great many” or “a great
amount.” Avoid using it in formal writing. Alot is a non- Non-standard: Scientists have several theories as to
standard spelling and should never be used. how the continents were formed.
Correct: Scientists have several theories about how the
Verb: The funds were allotted equally among the continents were formed.
researchers.
Non-standard: She has alot of relatives. 15. at about Avoid using at with about. Simply
Informal: She has a lot of relatives. eliminate at or about.
Formal: She has many relatives. Less acceptable: We arrived at about lunch time.
Preferred: We arrived about lunch time.
7. all ready, already All ready is an expression
functioning as an adjective and meaning “ready.” 16. awhile, a while Awhile is an adverb, which in
Already is an adverb meaning “by or before this time” or itself means “for a while.” A while is an article and a
“even now.” noun and is usually used after a preposition.
 Correct: I can’t help wondering why you did not call
Adverb: Rest awhile before you leave. this morning.
Noun: Stay for a while and keep me company.
25. clipped words Avoid using clipped or shortened
17. beat, win Beat means “to overcome (an words, such as gym, phone, and photo, in formal
opponent).” Win means “to achieve victory in.” Do not writing.
use win in place of beat.
Informal: The plans for a new gym were approved.
Non-standard: The Dodgers won the Yankees in the The phone has been out of order all day.
World Series. Formal: The plans for a new gymnasium were
Correct: The Dodgers beat the Yankees in the World approved.
Series. The telephone has been out of order all day.

18. because Do not use because after the reason. 26. condemn, condone Condemn means “to
Say “the reason is … that” or reword the sentence. express strong disapproval of.” Condone means “to
pardon or overlook.”
Non-standard: The reason we left is because we got
tired. Examples: They condemned him for his neglect of the
Correct: The reason we left is that we got tired. baby.
We left because we got tired. I cannot condone such cruelty.

19. beside, besides As prepositions, these two words 27. continual, continuous Continual means
have different meanings and cannot be interchanged. “occurring again and again in succession.” Continuous
Beside means “at the side of” or “close to.” Besides means “occurring without interruption.”
means “in addition to.”
Examples: His continual coffee breaks caused his
Examples: The athletic field is beside the school. dismissal.
Who besides you will come to the play? His continuous absence caused his
dismissal.
20. bring, take Bring means “to carry from a
distant place to a nearer one.” Take means the 28. different from, different than Different from is
opposite: “to carry from a near place to a more distant preferred.
place.” Less acceptable: Your concept of fun is different than
mine.
Examples: Please bring your paper to me. Preferred: Your concept of fun is different from mine.
Will you take the dog to the veterinarian?
29. due to Due to means “caused by” and should
21. bunch Bunch means “a number of things of the be used only when the words caused by can logically be
same kind.” Avoid using this word to mean “group.” substituted.

Less acceptable: A bunch of us went downtown. Non-standard: She became blind due to a freak
Preferred: A group of us went downtown. accident.
She bought a bunch of grapes. Correct: Her blindness was due to a freak accident.

22. burst, bust, busted Burst is the 30. due to the fact that Replace this wordy
standard present, past, and past participle of the verb expression with since or because.
burst. Bust and busted are non-standard forms.
Less acceptable: Due to the fact that he was
Non-standard: I will bust if I take one more bite. undernourished, he easily became
He shouldn’t have busted the blister. sick.
Preferred: Since he was undernourished, he easily
Correct: I will burst if I take one more bite. became sick.
He shouldn’t have burst the blister.
31. emigrate, immigrate Emigrate means “to
23. can, may Use can to mean “to have the leave a country for a new residency.” Immigrate means
ability to.” Use may to mean “to have permission to” or “to enter a country to establish a residency.”
“to be possible or likely to.”
Examples: During the Potato Famine, many Irish
Ability: This scale can register up to five hundred people emigrated from Ireland.
pounds. Many Irish people immigrated to the United
Permission: Yes, you may leave. States.
Possibility: It may rain today.
32. farther, further Farther refers to distance.
24. can’t help but This is a non-standard Further means “additional” or “to a greater degree or
expression. Use can’t help plus a gerund instead. extent.”

Non-standard: I can’t help but wonder why you did Examples: The sun is much farther from us than the
not call this morning. moon.
 We want further information from the
committee about the new proposals. 42. lay, lie Lay means “to put or set
(something)down.” Its principal parts – lay, laying, laid,
33. fewer, less Use fewer with things that can and laid – are usually followed by a direct object. Lie
be counted. Use less with qualities and quantities that means “to recline.” Its principal parts – lie, lying, lay,
cannot be counted. and lain – are never followed by a direct object.

Examples: fewer complaints, fewer problems, fewer Lay: Lay your books on the desk.
diseases They are laying the carpet tomorrow morning.
Less coffee, less incentive, less trouble He gently laid the eggs in the basket.
She had laid forty slate slabs to form the
foundation of the walkway.
34. former, latter Former refers to the first of two
previously mentioned items. Latter refers to the second Lie: Lie down for an hour and rest.
of the two. The children are lying on the floor.
After I became tired, I lay down and rested.
Examples: The box contained hollyhocks and sweet The dog has lain there all afternoon.
williams. The former we planted along the
wall; the latter we thought would be more 43. leave, let Leave means “to allow to remain.” Let
suited for the rock garden. means “to permit.”

35. good, lovely, nice Whenever possible, replace Non-standard: Leave me do this myself.
these weak and overused words with a more specific Let the parakeet alone.
adjective. Correct: Let me do this by myself.
Leave the parakeet alone.
Weak: good description, lovely vacation, nice taste
Better: clear description, exotic vacation, refined taste 44. like Like is a preposition and should not be used
in place of the conjunction as.
36. hanged, hung Use hanged to mean “executed.”
Use hung to mean “suspended.” Non-standard: He is crafty like a fox is crafty.
Correct: He is crafty as a fox is crafty.
Examples: The revolutionary council hanged the He is crafty like a fox.
ministers of the former government.
Two beautiful spider plants hung from the 45. loose, lose Loose is usually an adjective or part of
high ceiling in the kitchen. such idioms as cut loose, turn loose, or break loose.
Lose is always a verb, generally meaning “to miss from
37. in, into In refers to position. Into suggests one’s possession.”
motion.
Examples: The door hinge was loose.
Position: Each piece of silverware is in the correct The goal broke loose from the pen.
place. Don’t lose this telephone number.
Motion: Put all the silverware into the drawer.
46. mad In formal usage, the adjective mad
38. irregardless Avoid this word. Use regardless. means “insane.” Used informally, mad means “angry.”

Non-standard: Irregardless of your advice, I voted for Informal: I am mad at you for ignoring me.
Bob. Formal: Jane Eyre learned that Rochester’s wife was
Correct: Regardless of your advice, I voted for Bob. mad.

39. judicial, judicious Judicial means “relating 47. maybe, may be Maybe is an adverb meaning
to the administration of justice.” Judicious means “perhaps.” May be is a helping verb and a verb.
“showing wisdom.”
Adverb: Maybe, I can investigate this matter myself.
Examples: The Supreme Court is our highest judicial Verb: You may be right.
tribunal.
Her judicious decision was applauded by all. 48. only Only should be placed in front of the
word it logically modifies.
40. just When just is used as an adverb meaning
“no more than,” it should be placed right before the Informal: Only Steve bought a balloon. (No one else
word it modifies. bought a balloon.)
Formal: Steve bought only a balloon. (Steve bought
Less acceptable: Just mow the backyard, not the nothing else.)
front.
Mow just the back yard, not the front. 49. outside of Do not use this expression to
mean “besides” or “except.”
41. kind of, sort of Do not use kind of and sort of to
mean “ rather” or “somewhat.” Non-standard: No one came to the party outside of
Non-standard: You look kind of pale. Dinah.
Correct: You look somewhat pale. Correct: No one came to the party except Dinah.
50. parameter This word is correctly used only Examples: Set the chair in this corner.
in mathematical contexts, in which it designates a Sit in a chair before you buy it.
variable. Do not use parameter to mean “boundary,”
“limit,” “scope,” “detail,” and so on. 58. shape The meaning of shape is “spatial form.”
In formal writing, avoid using shape to mean
Less acceptable: These are the parameters of the “condition.”
problem.
Preferred: These are the limits of the problem. Informal: The driver of the car is in serious shape.
Formal: The driver of the car is in serious condition.
51. persecute, prosecute Persecute means “to
subject to ill treatment.” Prosecute means “to bring a 59. slow, slowly Although slow can now be used
lawsuit against.” as either an adjective or an adverb, careful writers use it
as an adjective. Slowly is preferred as the adverb.
Examples: He was persecuted for his religious beliefs.
Jack is being prosecuted for libel. Less acceptable: Crawl slow along this ledge.
Preferred: Crawl slowly along this ledge.
52. plurals that do not end in –s The plurals of
certain nouns from Greek and Latin are formed as they 60. so So is a coordinating conjunction. It should be
were in their original languages. Words such as criteria, avoided when you mean “so that.”
media, and phenomena are plural and should not be Less acceptable: Move over so I can sit down.
treated as if they were singular (criterion, medium, Preferred: Move over so that I can sit down.
phenomenon).
61. that, which, who That refers to people or things;
which refers only to things; who refers only to people.
Incorrect: That criteria for selecting a winner is unfair.
The mass media is responsible for the last
Examples: I forgot the key that (or which) opens this
and accurate distribution of information.
door.
She is an actress that (or who) will do very
Correct: Those criteria for selecting a winner are well in the role of Lady Macbeth.
unfair.
The mass media are responsible for the fast 62. till, until These words are interchangeable. Be
and accurate distribution of information. careful, however, of spelling. Till should not be spelled til
or ‘til; until always ends in one l.
53. precede, proceed Precede means “to go
before.” Proceed means “to move or go forward.” Example: The children played till (or until) it was dark.

Examples: The preceding paragraph introduced the 63. unique Unique means “one of a kind.” It should
topic. not be used to mean “odd,” “interesting,” or “unusual.”
Proceed to the next step. Since the word means “one of a kind,” such expressions as
most unique, very unique, and extremely unique are
54. principal, principle As an adjective, principal illogical.
means “most important” or “chief”; as a noun, it means
“a person who has controlling authority.” Principle, Illogical: He enjoys a most unique life style.
always a noun, means “a fundamental law.” Correct: He enjoys a unique life style.

64. when, where Do not use when or where directly

Adjective: His principal goal is to make money.
after a linking verb. Do not use where as a substitute for
Noun: Mr. Clark is the school’s principal.
that.
Noun: “Thou shall not kill” is a principle of many
religions. Non-standard: A good memory was when my dad gave
me a pony.
55. raise, rise Raise usually takes a direct An automat is where food is dispensed by machines.
object. Rise never takes a direct object. I read where old coins are good investment.

Examples: Raise the flag at dawn. Correct: A good memory is of being given a pony by my
Smoke rises from the chimneys every dad.
morning. An automat is a cafeteria where food is
dispensed by machines.
56. real Real means “authentic.” The use of real I read that old coins are a good investment.
to mean “very” or “really” should be avoided in formal
writing. 65. –wise Avoid using this suffix to create new words
for a particular situation.
Informal: Dwight was real discouraged.
Formal: Dwight was very discouraged. Less acceptable: Energywise, this freezer is very
efficient.
57. set, sit Set means “to put (something) in a Preferred: This freezer is very energy-efficient.
certain place.” Its principal parts – set, setting, set, and
set – are usually followed by a direct object. Sit means • Taken from Prentice Hall Grammar and
“to be seated.” Its principal parts – sit, sitting, sat, and Composition 4 pp.259276
sat – are never followed by a direct object.