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Category Archives: Commonly Confused Words
Tips Library
On the right you have access to close to 150 brief posts from my blogging phase. They reflect my desire to clear up many of the common misunderstandings and commonly missed opportunities I see in workplace writing—without making you feel … Continue reading
The Moral of the Stories
No quiz this time; just two stories and a few add-ons. #1 Years ago, we heard about a small, independent bakery that sounded perfect for the cake we wanted for our daughter’s birthday party. The place was called Just Desserts, … Continue reading
Proceed with Caution
In these sentences, decide if one word is correct or both. 1. I felt (bad/badly) about giving Felix so little time to rehearse his role in our skit. 2. I was worried about Felix’s performance, but he did (good/well). The … Continue reading
Award-Winning Words II
Time to see if you can read my mind again. Come up with a word to replace the underlined section in #1 and another word for the underlined section in #2. (Hint: The words are the same except for the … Continue reading
Award-Winning Word
See if you can read my mind to come up with a basic yet invaluable word that improves both of the following. 1. (Not initially clear.) Since Kim’s family bought a summer home on the lake, we ought to see … Continue reading
Four-Letter Words
What minor repairs would you make in these sentences? 1. Smith might break out of his slump by reverting back to his old batting stance. 2. Did you know that Wilson was drafted right out of high school? 3. Johnson … Continue reading
Posted in Brevity, Commonly Confused Words, Flair & Finesse
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Gray Matters II
Now that you aced last week’s quiz, let’s see if you can replicate that feat. Again, in each sentence decide if both words are correct, only one is correct, or one is passable but the other is preferable. 1. When … Continue reading
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Gray Matters
We’re delving into a few gray areas this week and next. In each sentence decide if only one word is correct, both are acceptable but one is preferable, or both are correct. 1. Arnold was (disinterested/uninterested) in my vacation advice. … Continue reading
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Not So Fast
Feeling cocky because you’ve haven’t needed to slow down to get there, they’re, and their right since third grade? Good for you, but there’s more to that story. 1. You’d never write this, correct? There’s four all-stars on our team. Of course not, … Continue reading
“Opposites Attract”
On occasion we get lured into saying the opposite of what we mean. I was reminded of this a few days ago when I read the following sentence in an article extolling the many strengths of the hit TV show … Continue reading
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