Common Usage Problems
about, around (time)
NOTES
LOIBNER-WAITKUS
abuse, misuse
accept, except
across, around
adopted, adoptive
adverse, averse
affect, effect
afterward, backward, forward, toward
aggravate, irritate
all ready, already
all right, alright
all together, altogether
allude, elude
although, while
1
NOTES
alumna, alumni, alumnus among, amongst among, between amoral, immoral amount, number and etc. and/or
annual anticipate, expect anxious, eager any more, anymore apparently, evidently assure, ensure, insure awhile, a while
2
NOTES
because, since beside, besides between, among biennial, biannual, semiannual blatant, flagrant bug, tap
capital, capitol
careen, career
cement, concrete
censor, censure
cheap, inexpensive collision, crash
compare to, compare with complement, compliment comprise, compose
3
NOTES
constant, continuous, continual contagious, infectious convince, persuade could care less, coundn’t care less could of, should of, would of criticism, critique currently, presently Daylight Saving Time
definite, definitive diagnosis, prognosis
dilemma
disinterested, uninterested
due to, because of each other, one another effective, efficient
4
eternity, infinity
NOTES
every day, everyday
every one, everyone farther, further fewer, less first, firstly
good, well hanged, hung
historic, historical illicit, elicit in, in to, into injured, wounded imply, infer
inflammable, flammable, nonflammable inside of, outside of, off of
5
is when, is where
NOTES
itch, scratch
leave alone, let alone
leery, wary, weary
lend, loan
libel, slander
lay, lie
like, such as
loose, lose
may, might, can, could
myself
OK, O.K., okay
on, about
oral, verbal
over, more than, under, less than
6
possible, probable
NOTES
principal, principle
prostate, prostrate
quote, quotation
real, really
rebut, refute, dispute
reluctant, reticent
respectfully, respectively
rob, burglarize, steal shall, will some time, sometime, sometimes stationary, stationery supposed to than, then that, who, which
7
till, until, ‘til
try and, try to unique unknown, unnamed, unidentified use, utilize used to wait on, wait for
well-known, widely known
what, which
who, whom wreck, wreak
8 thru
NOTES