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Writing Center

Commonly Confused Words


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Affect/Effect
Usually affect is a verb, meaning "to influence," and effect is a noun, meaning "result."
Social activities may affect your grades, but the effect had better be small!
Its/It's
It's means 'it is." Its, on the other hand, indicates possession.
"It's a wise dog that scratches its own fleas"(Strunk and White, 1).

Farther/Further
Farther refers to additional distance, and further refers to additional time, amount, or other abstract matters.
You may be further from an "A" than you think, so when you study, go no farther than the best place to concentrate.
Less/Fewer
Less refers to bulk amounts, whereas fewer refers to separate (countable) items.
Those with less knowledge receive fewer high grades.

Feel/Think
In common usage, feel means to sense, to be emotionally affected by something, or to have a general or thorough conviction of something. Think means to use reason or to examine with the intellect.
I think that you can write better than you have, but I feel encouraged by the improvements in your writing.

Between/Among
Between is used when two are concerned, whereas among is used when more than two are concerned.
Between you and me, these mistakes are common among all of us.

Which/That
Use that in non-restrictive clauses, clauses that provide non-essential, parenthetical informationin restrictive clauses, clauses that provide essential, identifying information. Use which.

A non­restrictive which clause has commas around it; a that clause has none.
Assume you own two cars; the green one runs, the blue one doesn't, and you wish to differentiate between the two.

You write, "My car that works is a great car"; "that works" is essential, restrictive information because it identifies a specific car.

You might also write, "My car that works, which is green, is a great car"; "which is green" is nonessential, non-restrictive information.

If unsure whether a clause is restrictive or not, try omitting it. Omitting a restrictive clause will change the core meaning of your sentence.
A technique that can improve your writing is proofreading, which can show you unintentional errors.

Since/Because
Since is often used to mean because: "Since you ask, I'll tell you."Its primary meaning, however, relates to time: "I've been waiting since Tuesday for the letter." Most people now accept since in place of because; however, when since is ambiguous and may also refer to time ("Since she went to college, he found another girlfriend"), it is better to say because or after, depending on which you mean. 
Because you are intelligent and careful, your writing has improved since the beginning of this course. 

Works Cited

Strunk, William, Jr., and E.B. White. The Elements of Style. Needham Heights: Allyn & Bacon, 2000.

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TO SCHEDULE, CANCEL, OR INQUIRE ABOUT A WRITING CONFERENCE:
Call (315) 859-4363 or stop by the Writing Center
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  • To email your draft: wcpapers@hamilton.edu
  • Drafts longer than six pages should be submitted 24 hours in advance.