English 178 Grammar Quiz 4 COMMONLY CONFUSED WORDS Please print this out and complete the exercise

at the end. In English there are several words that sound similar or are spelt similarly, and which people often confuse with each other. It is important to know the right usage of these commonly confused words, so you can avoid careless mistakes in your writing. Their/ There/ They're There = a place word They went there after church. Their = a possessive pronoun It is their dog. Theyre = a contraction of 'they are' Theyre very happy. (They are very happy) Its/ It's Its = possessive pronoun The dog is chasing its tail. Its = a contraction of 'it is' Its a nice day. (It is a nice day) He's/ His Hes = a contraction of 'he is'. Hes standing over there. (He is standing over there.) His = possessive pronoun, used for males This is his book. Woman/ Women Woman = one female person Women = many female persons Five women were mean to that woman. Loose/ lose Loose = not tight The shirt is very loose so it does not fit me properly. Lose = not win/ mislay If you do not run fast enough, you will lose the race. Make sure you do not lose your earrings.

Your/ You're Your = indicates possession Is this your book? Youre = a contraction of 'you are'. Youre acting very silly. (You are acting very silly.) Affect/ effect Effect = a result. ('Effect' is a noun) The effect of taking the aspirin was immediate my headache is gone! Affect = to influence ('Affect' is a verb) The drug did not affect me in any way. Weather/ Whether Weather = refers to the way things are outside, for instance, sunny, rainy, cloudy. This sunny weather is perfect for a picnic. Whether = a conjunction, introduces possibilities and alternatives It all depends on whether she will agree. Then/Than Then = a time word She will be arriving then. Than = a comparative word She is prettier than me. A lot = two words She ate a lot of cake. NOT: She ate alot of cake .x 'Should of' or 'Could of' is not correct He could of been a star athlete.x He could have been a star athlete. She should of come to the party. x She should have come to the party.

Task: Please circle the correct word in brackets. 1. (Their/Theyre/There) going to the amusement park tomorrow. 2. The sugar had a negative (effect/affect) on the science experiment. 3. John scored higher on the exam (then/than) I did. 4. The book is on the table over (their/there/theyre). 5. The (weather/whether) greatly (effected/affected) the outcome of the race. 6. (Their/Theyre/There) books are on the bottom shelf. 7. Kelly ordered her lunch, and (then/than) she went back to work. 8. Put the box over (their, there, theyre). 9. I need (your, youre) telephone number. 10. The toy has lost (its, its) batteries. 11. (Their, There, Theyre) going to be here soon. 12. (Its, Its) time to go. 13. (Your, Youre) going to be late. 14. My pants are too (lose, loose). 15. Most drugs have side (affects, effects). 16. I practice so I wont (lose, loose) the game. 17. The politician's actions might (affect, effect) the outcome of the elections. 18. (Their/Theyre) waiting for us. 19. Dont (loose/lose) your bag. 20. The (affect/effect) of his actions was felt for a long time. Tip: Remember, if you are even slightly unsure of the spelling or meaning of a word, look it up in a dictionary.