Transcript Document

UWF Writing Lab
Diction
from A to Z
by Ashley Massie
Revised February 18, 2013
Adapted from Grammar Shots
By Mamie Webb Hixon
“Things We Say Wrong”
an
a
a
a
an
an
a
an
an
a
a
an
an
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a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
an n
an o
ap
aq
an r
an s
at
au
av
aw
anx
ay
az
“May I have (a, an)
please.”
,
A vs. An
It’s not the initial letter of a word that determines whether
to use “a” or “an” preceding it; it’s the initial sound.
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a URL address
an e-mail address
a one-hundred-dollar bill
a university
a historic occasion
a history class
a Hispanic male
a PR glitch
an ER glitch
an HR glitch
an OR glitch
a standing room only
crowd
an SRO crowd
a Master of Business
Administration degree
an MBA degree
an STD
an NBC special
an MTV award
a European tour
an electronic device
Advice vs. Advise
good advice
advise students
Altogether vs. All Together
We are not altogether (entirely) certain
that we could bring the family all together
(everyone gathered) for the reunion.
Accept vs. Except
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Accept my apology.
Everyone except me
?
o Is this sign correct,
or should it read

NO CHECKS
Excepted
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A lot vs. Alot
Is it
alot
or
a lot?
Krystal Marquee, 1980:
EAT ALOT
FOR A LITTLE
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A lot is always two words,
just like all right. Alot is not
a word and should never be
used in formal writing.
Affect vs. Effect
o Special effects
o Positive effects
o Smoking affects your
health.
o The entire campus will
be affected by the
power outage.
o The president effected
a tax cut program.
o Thunderstorm warning
in effect until 6:00 PM.
The greenhouse effect affects everyone.
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Amount vs. Number
Use number for countable nouns: years, fingers, pens, etc.
Use amount with nouns that can’t be counted: water, land, etc.
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a small amount of work
a small number of work
the number of paper
the amount of paper
a large amount of classes
a large number of classes
the number of years
the amount of years
a small amount of students
a small number of students
the number of money
the amount of money
Because of vs. Due to
CLOSED DUE TO THE HURRICANE
CLOSED BECAUSE OF THE HURRICANE
As a result of
Because of
Caused by
Due to
His absence was due to his illness.
She lost her job due to downsizing.
She lost her job because of downsizing.
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Between vs. Among
BETWEEN—used for relationships
involving ONLY TWO people or things
Ex: Lois and Hattie had only fifty cents between
them.
EXCEPTION: Air Force One landed somewhere
between Atmore, Brewton, and Pensacola.
EXCEPTION: Use transitions between paragraphs in
a multi-paragraph essay.
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AMONG—used for relationships involving MORE THAN
TWO people or things
Ex: There is a silent closeness among the family
members.
Capital vs. Capitol
inside the state capitol
capital letters
capital punishment
the capital of Florida
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Is it Fewer or Less?
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Fewer vs. Less
Usage Note from The American Heritage Usage Board:
 Few and fewer are correctly used in writing only before a
plural noun: few cars, few of the books, fewer reasons.
 Less is used before a mass noun: less music, less
sugar.
 Less than is also used before a plural noun that denotes
a measure of time, amount, or distance: less than three
weeks, less than sixty years old, less than $400 dollars.
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Hopefully
Irregardless vs.
Regardless
Hopefully I’ll win the lottery.
I waited hopefully for the postman.
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irregardless of the weather
regardless of the weather
Lose vs. Loose
loose pants
lose your wallet
Different
Than vs. From
My car is different from her car.
The house is different than it used to be.
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Lend vs. Loan
I will lend you my pen.
I got a loan from the bank.
Lay vs. Lie
LIE—verb: to rest (LYING, LAY, [have] LAIN
• Ex: I lie on the couch every day.
• Ex: I lay on the couch for hours yesterday.
• Ex: The sweater is still lying on the couch.
LAY—verb: to put (LAYING, LAID, [have] LAID)
• Ex: Where did he lay my brush?
• Ex: I must have laid it down somewhere
yesterday.
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• Ex: I’m always laying things down and
forgetting where I laid them.
Principal vs. Principle
The ________ expelled the
(a)
student for three ________
(b)
reasons.
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2
3
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–
–
–
–
principal,
principal,
principle,
principle,
principle
principal
principle
principal
PRINCIPAL—noun: chief official;
adjective: foremost, major
PRINCIPLE—noun: axiom, rule
• Dr. King fought for the principle
of nonviolence.
• In my Business Communications
class, we are studying the
principles of writing.
How to remember which one to use: You can
stand on a principle and be respected for it, but
stand on a principal and you might be arrested
for assault.
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The Reason is…
That vs. Because
Rise
vs.
Raise
The reason I’m always right is
because I know everything.
The reason I’m always right is
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that I know everything.
She saw him raise his hand.
The water began to rise.
vs.
;
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Used to and Supposed to
Things my grandmother use to say
Things my grandmother used to say
What you’re suppose to know
What you’re supposed to know
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Is When and Is Where
Rendition is when prisoners are handed over to countries where
torture is allowed.
Rendition is handing over prisoners to countries where torture is
allowed.
A rip current is when water that comes ashore is channeled back
out to sea through a narrow passage.
A rip current occurs when water that comes ashore is channeled
back out to sea through a narrow passage.
Noon is when we will meet for lunch.
Outside the restaurant is where we will meet.
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