Those Tricky Words

I just don't have time to do all I want anymore. Or should that be any more? English loves to keep writers on their toes with words like these. For example, if I'm surprised that someone ate every blasted cookie I baked that morning, I huff into the room with the empty cookie jar and demand, “Clarence, how could you eat all of these already?" But what about all ready? 

Why couldn’t English be more logical and clearer?

The problem about English, well about human language in general, is nobody “designed” it. And maybe I shouldn’t call it a problem at all, because like humans, language has evolved and survived as a most fascinating part of our world. English is all about life and how it changes. We borrow from other languages when people immigrate, conquer their neighbors, and marry into different cultures. Our language changes because new ideas, new inventions, new ways of doing things come into existence. This process is irregular and unpredictable, so it’s no wonder we’re confused about something as simple as word choice. 

Then there’s the fact that spoken English changes far faster than the written form, so we hear the “wrong” word choice a long time before what is “wrong” to set down on the page becomes “right.” One thing grammarians and linguists agree on is that we must have rules, otherwise, we definitely won’t be able to communicate with the written word.  

To continue in the tradition of the rule makers and followers, here’s a quick reference for those tricky words. I hope this list of some of the most often confused words and how to use them will come in handy when you’re editing. 

Anymore	Refers to time	He doesn’t live here anymore.
Any more	Refers to quantities	I don’t have any more money.

Lying (Lie)	This verb doesn’t take an object.	Brutus was lying on the rug. /Brutus lies on the rug every night.
Laying (Lay)	This verb takes an object.	The hens are laying eggs like crazy./The hens lay eggs a lot these days.
Note: Just in case you forgot all that boring grammar, the object is the noun following the verb. In the sentences for laying/lay the object is “eggs.”

All ready	Describes being  completely prepared	Dinner is all ready.
Already	Describes something completed in time.	I’ve already done that.

Lose /lewz/	Present tense of to lose, a verb opposite of find	Did you lose your wallet?
Loose /lews/	An adjective meaning the opposite of tight.	I lost ten pounds, so my pants are loose around my waist.

Advice	A noun meaning something offered as helpful guidance in making decisions or taking action.	I should have taken your advice and not bought this car.
Advise	A verb meaning to offer someone guidance in making decisions or taking action.	I’d advise you not to buy that car.

Further	Distance, but in a metaphorical sense.	I want to further my career.
Farther	Distance in a physical sense.	I can walk any farther tonight.
Note: This one is a slippery eel for a couple of reasons: Each one can be an adverb, an adjective, or a verb. And what is metaphorical anyway? Is “I can’t write any further tonight” metaphorical or physical? Tough call. Writers who can’t make up their minds opt for farther, and most readers aren’t going to nail you because they’re not sure either. This pair of words has caused no end of linguistic issues. In conversation you seldom hear further, so it seems that farther might be the winner here eventually. In the meantime, in written English try to make the right choice whenever possible.

Eminent	A word used to describe someone famous.	Dr. Smoooze is an eminent surgeon.
Imminent	A word used to describe something about to happen.	The fire is very close, so evacuation from the area is imminent.
Note: If you can hear that the “E” in eminent sounds more like the one in “every,” and the “I” in imminent is higher as in “impossible” that might help distinguish these two totally unrelated words.

Fewer	If you can count it, use fewer.	I drank two glasses of wine last night, one fewer than the night before.
Less	If you can’t count it, use less.	I drank less wine last night.
Note: Spoken English disregards this rule entire. Careful writers don’t. Not yet.

Affect	A verb meaning to cause some change in someone or something. It’s a cause.	The loss of her beloved cat will seriously affect Prunella.
Effect	A noun meaning the result of some action or condition.	Noun: Prunella’s breakdown was the effect of the loss of her beloved cat. (I hope the example is helpful in spite of the terrible sentence.)
Note: Effect is sometimes a verb as in “to effect change.”

Principle	A noun meaning a basic rule or belief. Also chief.	Dinkle based his decision on the principle of do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Dinkle’s principle concern is honesty.
Principal	The head of a school.	Remember the princiPAL is your PAL.

Compliment	A noun or verb meaning something positive said or given to another.	I love getting compliments about my hair.  Let me compliment you on how lovely your hair looks.
Complement	A thing that completes or brings to perfection	That dress complements your complexion.
Note: These two sound exactly alike (homophones), but they are totally unrelated. It’s all about the spelling.

Destroy	A verb meaning to end something or someone completely.	The blast destroyed the outhouse. Cranky Mosley destroyed my self-confidence with his remarks.
Decimate	A verb meaning to reduce by ten percent.	The llamas were decimated by the storm. Fortunately, the other ninety percent are safe.

Envelop	A verb meaning to surround completely.	The neighborhood was enveloped by smoke.
Envelope	A noun meaning something made of paper to hold letters.	Don’t lick the envelope. Use the sponge.

Do you have other confusing words that send you off to the dictionary when you’re writing? If I’m seriously in doubt, I often avoid the tricky words and find another way to tell the story. 

Trouble with Words

To combine or not—that’s the question for today. In my latest story, my character was getting dressed and putting on make up. Or should it be make-up? Maybe even makeup.  I couldn’t remember. Usually, I’ll gloss over those sort of mistakes and leave them for my editor to weed out. But with this story, I am publishing it chapter by chapter on Wattpad without the help of a pro edit.

I decided I better check it out. Readers deserve the best quality read we can offer.  

The answer is…makeup. But only when it’s being used as synonymous noun. I need to put on my makeup. When it’s a verb, it’s make up. I need to make up a test. And to make it even more complicated, as an adjective, it’s make-up.  If you were sick you will need to take a make-up test.

A similar rule applies with work out. As a noun, it’s workout. That was a great workout. As a verb, it’s separate. I work out before lunch.

Pick up. It’s separated as a verb: Pick up the truck from the garage. As an adjective, it’s combined: I drive a pickup truck.  Or…The bar is a great pickup spot..

Get away. Adjective: I need a getaway car. Noun:  I could use a beach getaway. As a verb, it’s two words. Get away from the cookies.

Every day. Everyday is the adjective form. These are my everyday clothes. As opposed to: These are the clothes I wear every day. A good rule of thumb…if you can replace every with each, separate the words.

A lot. Alot is not a word, unless you are intending to divvy up portions, then you’re still spelling it wrong. Allot each player Gatorade. Vs. A lot of players drink Gatorade.  

All right vs. alright. Although alright is gaining ground, the rules for when it’s acceptable can be complicated, whereas all right is always all right. Being the sort of gal who likes to do the easy thing, I’m a fan of all right.

Lastly, here are a few problem words to keep in mind:

Ice cream. Remember, it’s a treat so special, it deserves two words.

High school. Like the cliques of that era, it’s never combined.

Heartache. Unless you’re describing active angina, it’s one word.


That's my list of trouble words. How about you? What words give you pause while writing?


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