Commonly mistaken words:http://www.learnenglish.de/mistakes/CommonMistakes.htmThe 32 Most Commonly Misused Words and PhrasesThis list was compiled by the Oregon Press Women, Inc.
Above
Do not use to mean “more than.”
Affect
To affect is to influence
To effect is to produce (as in “he effected a change in policy”)
As a noun “effect” means result
Among
Use when more than two is meant (I split the cost among the five of us)
For two, use “between” (She split the last piece of cake between the two of them.)
Appreciate
Do not confuse with “value”
To appreciate is to appraise accurately or value justly
Avert vs. Avoid
To avert is to ward off (Harry averted the hex thrown by Malfoy.)
To avoid is to shun (Hermione avoided meeting Ron's eyes.)
Beside vs. Besides
Beside means by the side of (I was standing beside Harry's desk.)
Besides means in addition to (Besides the Potion's essay due tomorrow, there is still the Transfiguration test I have to study for.)
Capital vs. Capitol
The capital is Salem/Washington D.C.
The capitol is the building
Compare to vs. Compare with
Things of the same class are compared with each other
Things of different classes are compared to each other
Continual vs. Continuous
A continual action recurs or is constantly renewed
A continuous action is unbroken from beginning to end
Different from
Never use “than” after “different”
During
Implies duration
Implies within the limits of
Fewer
Refers to not as many items
Use with items that can be counted
“Less” is used with measured amounts
Following
Do not use where “after” is meant
Imply vs. Infer
Imply means to suggest (Are you implying that I hexed you on purpose?)
Infer means to draw a conclusion from someone else’s suggestion (After listening to your comments, I can infer that you are guilty.)
Majority vs. Plurality
A majority is one more than half
A plurality is the greatest number of votes, but not a majority
Neither vs. None
Neither is correct only when referring to one of two
If there are more than two, use none
Both neither and none take a singular verb
Over
Do not use to mean “more than”
Over means above (Peeves is flying over your head.)
More than means in excess of (There is more than enough brooms to go around.)
People vs. Persons
Use people to refer to populations, races, large groups. (The people of the Muggle world are clueless.)
Use persons to refer to individuals (Which persons were responsible for hexing Neville?)
Definitely and Defiantly
definitely-certainly: without a doubt
defiantly-disobedient: deliberately and openly disobedient
Your and You're
Your - of or belonging to the person being spoken to (taken from the Oxford English Dictionary)
You're - short form of YOU ARE
That / Which
That - indicates a dependent clause, contains important information.
Which - indicates a dependent clause, contains somewhat trivial information (set off with a comma)
Who / Whom
Who - usually made out as an appositive (separated by commas)
Whom - i.e. "To whom it may concern"
Its / It's
Its - Possessive form of it. Think of it as his or her, unlike Harry's or Ginny's
It's - Conjunction, it is.
Accept / except
Accept means: to consider something or someone as satisfactory
Except means: not including
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