My own confusion with words commonly misused and words commonly confused

No wonder I had to dig for my copy of ’’A Pocket Style Manual’’ by Diana Hacker! English 1A is back! I had to take some time to review some of the common mistakes that most people make. Unfortunately, many of us make them around here too. For sure, I know the ones that have been my pet peeves. And my opinions can attest to the veracity of this statement. That’s why, as much as possible, I update my reviews whenever I spot a mistake.

anxious and eager

I am eager to complete this review. I hope to impart some knowledge. Most people tend to use ’’anxious’’ interchangeably.

beside and besides

As a preposition, besides means ’’at the side of’’ or ’’next to.’’ Besides is a preposition meaning ’’except’’ or ’’in addition to.’’ Your wife sits beside you in the truck. I don’t like correcting other people’s mistakes; besides, I am not a grammar and spelling policeman on this site. I make mistakes too! Quite a lesson in humility!

Different from and different than: Example: Your weekend plans are different from those of your parents. Of course, your parents’ plans are different than yours when they were your age.

its and it’s

Its is a possessive pronoun while it’s is the contraction of it is. Example: The race horse hurt its legs. It’s a serious matter.

Datum, criterion, medium, phenomenon, have their plural form as Data, criteria, media, phenomena

your and you’re while your is a possessive pronoun, you’re is the contraction of you are. Example, you’re the manager of your grand-father’s business.

Who’s and Whose

Who’s in the closet, John? Whose coat is this any way? Who is is the contraction of Who is while whose is a possessive pronoun.

To, too, two Who wants to write a good review? John has two good ones. I want to have one too.

Could of, should of, may of, must of and might of are nonstandard. They should be could have, should have, may have, must have and might have.

There, their, they’re. Let’s go over there. John and Jane are traveling to Seattle. They want to take their dog. They’re so attached to it. There is an adverb that indicates a place; their is a possessive pronoun; they’re is a contraction of they are. They are so attached to it.

There’s and theirs

There’s an energy crisis in California right now. Rich has a white cat. Joe and Charles have a black one. Theirs is leaner than Rich’s.

than, then: Than is used in comparisons such as Your truck guzzles more gas than mine. Then, denoting time, is used like this: You hated that comment, then everybody quit talking about your truck.

affect and effect: Affect as a verb means ’’to influence’’ while effect is a noun meaning ’’result.’’ As a verb, it means to bring about. Example Her parents’ divorce proceedings affect her emotional state and her studies. She took counseling that effected her new lifestyle. (She took counseling that brought about the adoption of her new lifestyle. I guess affect and effect can make sense here. It all depends on the contests. We talk about the side effects of medications for example.)

advice and advise Example: Advice is the noun while advise, the verb. I hope you heed my advice because I want to advise you from the bottom of my heart. I have nothing to gain other than seeing your great reviews.