commonly confused words Archives

Advice vs. Advise

11JuneFour Eyes EditUsageAdvise, commonly confused words

Advice is a noun. It means a suggestion for a beneficial action or decision. A noun is a thing, so advice is the actual suggestion or idea you are offering to another person. An adviser, who is a person (also a noun), gives advice (idea, or suggestion), a noun. Example: The student received advice from

Extraneous vs. Superfluous

1DecemberFour Eyes EditUsagecommonly confused words, Grammar, writing

Extraneous which comes from the Latin term extraneus (related to strange in English; extraño in Spanish), means irrelevant or nonessential. Related words: Extravagant means beyond what is reasonable or appropriate, as in going beyond in cost or decoration, for example. Extrinsic, from a Latin word meaning from without, is a synonym of extraneous. Superfluous, which

Into vs. In To

18FebruaryFour Eyes EditUsagecommonly confused words, Grammar, writing advice

Into: preposition; expresses movement of something toward or inside something else. Examples: I made it into work a few minutes early today. I tucked my mittens into my pocket. In to: adverb in followed by the preposition to. Examples: The principal sat in to evaluate the new teacher. The tooth fairy came in to collect

Words that don’t sound alike but confuse us anyway

24JanuaryFour Eyes EditUsagecommonly confused words

Lie, Lay Lie is a verb meaning to recline or rest on a surface. Its principal parts are lie, lay, lain. Example: I lie down on the couch and watch TV. Lay is a verb meaning to put or place. Its principal parts are lay, laid. Examples: I lay the the keys on the table

Disassemble vs. Dissemble

21JulyFour Eyes EditUsagecommonly confused words, disassemble, disssemble

Disassemble means to take apart. You can break the word into the prefix dis– and the root assemble. Example: The children disassembled the castle they built with snap-on blocks.. Dissemble means to alter or change the appearance of in order to deceive or conceal; to misrepresent or pretend. Examples: Joan smiled, dissembling her true feelings of disappointment.

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Tag Archives: commonly confused words

Advice vs. Advise

Extraneous vs. Superfluous

Into vs. In To

Words that don’t sound alike but confuse us anyway

Disassemble vs. Dissemble