Mixing up Words That Sound the Same

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Mixing up Words That Sound the Same
C
HAPTER
8
Mixing up Words
That Sound the Same
169
One of the great things about the English language is its
extraordinary depth. It has so many words that there seems to
be one assigned to every possible sliver of an idea; every shade
or nuance of meaning is covered. The difficulty with this, how-
ever, is that many of these nuances escape us, and we mistake
one word for another—we make usage errors. In the next three
chapters, we’ll take a magnifying glass to pairs of words that
are often confused and identify their precise meanings so that
you’ll know when and how to use them correctly.
This chapter will consider words that we mix up because
they sound almost the same. One little letter can make a big
difference!
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When Bad Grammar Happens to Good People
82. Accept vs. Except
Don’t Say: All the men wore ties accept for Louis.
Say Instead: All the men wore ties except for Louis.
Here’s Why:
“Accept” means to receive something or to
agree to it as valid. “Except” means to exclude. In this sentence
we are talking about excluding Louis from the group of men who
wore ties, not receiving him, so “except” is correct. Additional

correct examples are:
We accept your invitation.
Sally
accepted all the applause.
Jerry came with all his former wives,
except Marie.
Stuart was
excepted from the meeting because he
couldn’t be trusted.
83. Advice vs. Advise
Don’t Say: My advise to you is to stop eating Maureen’s
Irish chili.
Say Instead: My advice to you is to stop eating Maureen’s
Irish chili.
Here’s Why:
“Advise” is a verb, meaning the action of
providing someone with counsel or suggestions on how she
should behave. “Advice” is the noun meaning the suggestions
themselves. You advise a person to do something. That some-
thing is the advice you offer. In this sentence, we’re referring
not to the action of offering a suggestion, but to the suggestion
itself, namely that no more of this chili should be eaten. So the
noun “advice” is right. Additional correct examples are:
Take my advice.
Problem students were
advised by Mrs. Stanley.
As a first-year law student, Peter’s legal
advice wasn’t
all that trustworthy.
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Mixing up Words That Sound the Same
How dare you advise me to quit the same job you
made me take!
84. Affect vs. Effect
Don’t Say: Larry was deeply effected by the new rule
forbidding beef jerky on the job.
Say Instead: Larry was deeply affected by the new rule
forbidding beef jerky on the job.
Here’s Why:
The verb “affect” means to influence or to
touch the feelings of someone, which is clearly what happened
in this sentence with poor Larry. The verb “effect” is incorrect
here because it means to bring something about, to cause some-
thing. “Effect” can also be a noun used to identify the result,
the thing that has been brought about, as in The effects of
smoking are bad. Here are some additional correct examples
featuring “affect” and “effect”:
Jane effected major design changes when she took
over.
(Jane brought the changes about.)
Jane’s new decor affected us all.
(The decor influenced or touched everyone.)
His stories affect me very deeply.
(They influence or touch me.)
The effects of this spending cut are unknown.
(Here “effects” is a noun, meaning the results.)
85. Amoral vs. Immoral
Don’t Say: Her amoral behavior was a bad influence on
the children.

Say Instead: Her immoral behavior was a bad influence
on the children.
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When Bad Grammar Happens to Good People
Here’s Why:
“Amoral” means to be completely outside
the question of morality, neither good nor bad. “Immoral” means
to be inside the boundaries, but to choose the wrong side. It
means behavior that is not moral. In the example sentence, the
meaning is that the mother’s behavior is bad, so “immoral” is
the word we want. Here are more correct examples:
Babies are amoral when they’re born.
She thought her charitable donations compensated
for her
immoral acts.
Does Bobby’s autism make him
amoral, or does he
understand the concepts of right and wrong?
He seems too kind to have done such an
immoral
thing.
86. Averse vs. Adverse
Don’t Say: The pills made him green, but had no other
averse effects.
Say Instead: The pills made him green, but had no other
adverse effects.
Here’s Why:
“Averse” means to be in opposition. “Ad-
verse” means unfavorable or bad. If it helps you, think of “bad”

rhyming with the first syllable of “adverse.” In this case, where
we’re talking about bad side effects, the word we want is “ad-
verse.” Additional correct examples are:
She was averse to all his opinions.
The pilot landed the plane under
adverse conditions.
The court seems
averse to that interpretation of the
law.
He stopped writing after all the
adverse criticism of
his first book.
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Mixing up Words That Sound the Same
87. Beside vs. Besides
Don’t Say: Hey, others beside you want to get through
this checkout line.
Say Instead: Hey, others besides you want to get through
this checkout line.
Here’s Why:
“Beside” without an “s” means to be at the
side of. “Besides” with an “s” means in addition to, or more-
over, as in our sentence here, where the idea is that others in
addition to the person being rebuked would like to get through
the line. Here are more correct examples:
He’s smart and handsome and rich besides.
Well, I’ll sit
beside him, but I don’t have to like it.
Besides Lynn, there will be four people going today.

Please put the sofa down
beside the chair, or maybe
beside the table, or wait—maybe beside the window.
88. Biannually vs. Biennially
Don’t Say: The PTA elections were held biannually—in
even numbered years.
Say Instead: The PTA elections were held biennially—in
even numbered years.
Here’s Why:
This one’s tricky: Both words begin with the
prefix “bi-,” which means two. But “biennially” means every
two years, and “biannually” means twice a year. If it helps you,
think of the “annual” in “biannually” as a reminder that you’re
talking about a single year’s worth of time. Here are two other
correct examples:
The biannual status report comes out each January
and June.
Enjoy these blooms now—they’re
biennials, so they
won’t be here next spring.
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