Arlene Miller's Blog, page 63

Confusing Words – End of the Series (two, too, to bad!)

Ah yes. . . all good things must come to an end. And here we are at the end of the alphabet for confusing words. Of course, the blog will continue, and if you have any more confusing words, please send them to me….as well as any ideas of things you would like to see in this blog. We are always open to ideas! So here we go. . .

1. Stationary/Stationery - The one that ends in -ary means “standing still.” You remember this by remembering that there is an a in place (standing in place). Yes, there is also an e in place, but it is silent! The one ending in -ery is the pretty paper. Does anyone use it anymore?

I just bought a stationary bike.

My stationery has pretty pink flowers on it.

2. Then/Than - Then is an adverb and refers to time. Than is used for comparison. Much of the time the wrong one indicates a typo.

Now and then I eat chocolate.

Chocolate is better than wheatgrass.

Please remember that then is not a conjunction, and you can’t connect sentences with it!

I ate dinner, then I watched TV. Wrong!

3. There/Their/They’re - Yes, this one is still sometimes written incorrectly!

There is a place: Go sit over there.

Their is possessive: I am their mother.

They’re is a contraction meaning they are. They’re with their mother over there.

4. Titles: Italics or quotes? Do you often wonder whether to use italics or quotes when you are writing book titles? Here is the general rule: Use italics (or underline if you are writing by hand) for big things. Use quotes for parts of those things.

Italics: Book titles, CD titles, movie titles, magazine and newspaper titles, play and opera titles, TV series titles.

Quotes: Chapter titles, song titles, poem titles, magazine and newspaper article titles, TV episode titles, titles of acts in plays.

Note that we are not talking about the title on the book cover itself. We are talking about what to do with titles when we write about them in text.

5. To/Too/Two - Yes, this one is still written incorrectly too!

To is a preposition that tells where: I am going to the store.

Too is an adverb that means either “also” or “overly”: I am going too. This is too salty.

Two is a number. I have two pencils.

Note that when you use too at the end of a sentence, you don’t need a comma before it, but when you use it in the middle of a sentence, it is set off in commas if it means also: I, too, am going, but I am going too.

6. Toward/Towards -  Use either one. They are the same, except Americans generally drop the s; the British use the s.

7. Try and/Try to -  The correct phrase is try to.

I will try to finish the cleaning this morning.

8. Warranty/Warrantee - A warranty is the agreement you get with an appliance that says it will work or else! A warrantee is the person who receives the warranty.

9. Whose/Who’s - Whose is possessive. Who’s is a contraction that means who is.

Whose package is this?

It belongs to the man who’s in the front row.

10. Your/You’re - Same as whose and who’s. Your is possessive. You’re is a contraction that means you are.

Is this your package?

Yes, you’re correct.

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Yes! Grammar books make great Father’s Day and graduation gifts, especially for those students continuing their educations or seeking employment.

The Best Grammar Workbook Ever is coming along and should be available by late summer or early fall!

Shall We? Will We?? More Confusing Words

Time for more confusing words….hope you are enjoying this series, which will regrettably (see below!) be finished soon!

1. Real/Really - Real is an adjective meaning “true” or “in fact. It is used to describe nouns. Really is an adverb (clue: Most, but not all, words ending in -ly are adverbs) meaning “to a great extent”; therefore, it is used to describe verbs. Hmmm….but adverbs can also be used to describe nouns or other adverbs.  What you really want to avoid is using real when you mean really.

Is this a real diamond?

Is she really going out with him?

I did really well. (really describes the adverb well)

This is really beautiful. (really describes the adjective beautiful).

I did real well. (Incorrect: adjectives don’t describe adverbs)

This is real pretty. (Incorrect…use really. Means to what extent? How pretty?)

2. Regretful/Regrettable – Regretful means full of regret. Regrettable means to be regretted. People are usually regretful, but  circumstances are regrettable. Here are some examples:

I am regretful that I didn’t study harder as a kid.

It is regrettable that I didn’t make better use of my education.

3.  Respectfully/Respectively – These two words are entirely different. Respectfully means full of respect. Respectively means in the order given.

Please respectfully stand when the national anthem is played.

My favorite colors are blue, green, and red, respectively. (Blue, and then green, and then red.)

4. Rise/Raise -  Refer back to lay and lie for this one.It is the same rule. Rise is intransitive and has no direct object. However, raise has a direct object. In other words, you must raise something:

Please raise the flag when I give the instructions.

I watch the sun rise from my balcony every morning.

Note: The past tense of raise is raised. Past participle is has/have raised. The past tense of rise is rose. Part participle is has/have risen.

5. Say/Tell – Well, although it is difficult to describe, there is a difference that is pretty easy for those of us who are native English speakers. Saying is like speaking. Telling usually involves saying something to someone. Sometimes say doesn’t have a direct object. Tell generally does, and it often has an indirect object as well.

He told me a story. (He didn’t say me a story.) (Me is the indirect object, and story is the direct object.)

He said that he was going. (Said doesn’t really have a direct object; the whole clause the he was going is the object.)

Tell me the truth. (Don’t say me the truth. Me is the indirect object, and truth is the direct object.)

6. Shall/Will – Shall is pretty much gone from our language except in very formal writing. If you want to use shall, use it with first person pronouns only (I,we); use will for second (you) and third (he/she/it) person. In cases where you want to want to appear determined or for special emphasis, turn it around. Use will for first person and shall for second and third person.

I shall go to the movies. You will go to the movies. He will go to the movies.

I will overcome this obstacle. You shall overcome this obstacle. He shall overcome this obstacle.

For the colloquialism, shall we? or shall we dance?, however, we cannot use will. Imagine saying Will be dance? It has an entirely different meaning. Shall we dance means Let’s dance.

7. Shined/Shone – Both are acceptable past tenses of shine. However, shined is often used with a direct object and shone is not.

I shined my shoes.

The sun shone.

8. Sit/Set - Thesse two verbs are like lie/lay and rise/raise. One takes a direct object and the other does not. In this case, set needs a direct object. You must set something. Note also that set is the same in the past tense and the past participle (has or have set).

Set your book down on the table.

Sit in this chair.

9. Sole/Soul – There are several meanings for these words:

Sole is a fish – I ate fillet of sole.

Sole is he bottom of your foot –  My sole hurts in these shoes.

Sole means alone – She is the sole person living in this big house.

Soul means a person or the spiritual essence of a person: Don’t tell a soul! I love you with my heart and soul.

10. Sometimes/Sometime/Some Time - These three are all different, although slightly.

Sometimes means some of the time – Sometimes I like to eat candy all day.

Sometime means at some future time – You will have to come over to my house sometime  soon.

Some time means just what it says – I have some time to spend with you tomorrow afternoon.

 

Watch Out! The Workbook Is Coming!

 

 

I Put a “Spell” on You!

Charcuterie, collyrium, exochorion, hallenkirche, logodaedaly, chartula. Could you spell these words if your life depended on it?

As you may know, one of my jobs is teaching English to 7th graders. One of my students has been asking all year to have a spelling bee. Well, the school year is winding down, the students  are checking out for summer, and the books have been collected.  I decided to have the spelling bee this past week without realizing that, coincidentally, the 87th Scripps National Spelling Bee was also this week in National Harbor, Maryland.

While I was asking challenging words like misspell (which is one of the 100 most commonly misspelled words in the English language), accommodate, and chrysanthemum, the National Spelling Bee is asking words like charcuterie, collyrium, exochorion, hallenkirche, logodaedaly, and chartula. The bee is sponsored this year by Micosoft and is open to students up through 8th grade.

Eleven million students began the bee in schools all over the country.  Just 281 of those made it to the semifinals in the Washington DC area.  After a week of grueling semifinals activities, the field is narrowed to 12 finalists and then a winner. The finals were televised on ESPN, so I guess spelling is a sport (yay!).

How does the spelling bee work? In the finals, each of the 12 contestants gets up one at a time for each round. They are given the word with any alternate pronunciations. The contestants are allowed to ask the definition, the part of speech, the etymology (language of origin), and for the word to be used in a sentence.  They can ask these same questions as many times as they want, but they have two minutes to correctly spell the word. Contestants cannot start over again; if the spelling is incorrect, they hear the dreaded bell. When there are three contestants left, the bee moves to the Championship List of 25 words. If two spellers are left after those words are exhausted, they are declared co-champions, and that is exactly what happened this year. It is only the fourth time that there has been a tie, the last time 50 years ago.

Here are some interesting facts and statistics about the bee:

The longest winning word (2004) was autochthonous (indigenous). Shortest winning word was luge (1984). 64 percent of past winning words were nouns,  18 percent adjectives, and 7 percent verbs. Since the bee began in 1925, there have been 48 girl winners and 41 boy winners.
This year, all 50 states  were represented as well as the Bahamas, Canada, China, Ghana, Jamaica, Japan, South Korea,  the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Department of Defense Schools in Europe.
Many of the contestants have been to the bee before, and some have siblings who have been finalists or have won before.
The youngest contestant this year was 8 years old!
The contestants have spelling coaches, sometimes their parents and sometimes not.
The winner(s) receives a cash prize of $30,000 and also some gifts.
One of the winning words in the final round this year was feuilleton.
Contestants have two minutes to spell the word. Once a letter is out of their mouths, it cannot be changed.
Contestants cannot write the word down, so you can often see them writing the word in the air. However, this year, many of them were typing the words on an imaginary keyboard.

Etymology: The origin of a word. Knowing the origin(s) of a word enable the spelling bee contestants to figure out the spelling even if  they have never seen the word before.  For example, if a word ends in a long a sound and is from the French, it may very well end in  -et (think of ballet and beret).

Orthography: The art of spelling words with the correct spelling

 

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“May” / “Might”—and More Confusing Words

A new week….must be time for more confusing words! Continue to enjoy and get unconfused!

1. Many/Much – Like fewer and less, one of this pair is for countable objects (usually plural nouns) and the other for things that can’t be counted (singular).

I don’t have many pencils (not much pencils), and I don’t have much paper.

2. May/Might – May implies permission or probability; might implies possibility. May and might meaning probability/possibility are very close and often interchangeable. However, it is accepted that may is used when something is more likely to happen than when might is used.

I might go to the play, but I probably will stay home.

If you had taken the other route, you might have had an accident!

You may take the rest of the pizza. (I give you permission.)

You may take the rest of the pizza. (probable, if you get hungry enough!)

3. More Important/More Importantly -More importantly is an adverb and used most often as a transition. More important is an adjective and usually used in a comparison.

I need to finish the reading for this course. More importantly, I need to get started on my project.

Getting started on my project is more important than going to the zoo today.

4. News/Mathematics/Physics and Other Such Singulars – Although these words end in -s, they are all singular and use singular verbs.

The news is good. (not are good)

Physics is a difficult subject for me.

5. None is/None are - This one can be tricky. None is one of the indefinite pronouns (other indefinite pronouns include someone, nobody, several, anything, and many more) that can be either singular or plural depending upon the noun to which it refers. That noun is often in a prepositional phrase that follows:

None of the cake is gone.

None of the people are here.

However, to confuse us more, none is singular when it means “not one” (and also in formal use).

None of the cookies has been eaten.  (Singular – means not one of the cookies has been eaten.)

The best thing to do is to say not one if that is what you mean — and use the singular verb. Otherwise, have the verb agree with the noun that is being referred to.

6. Only - I love this one, because  so much depends upon where you put it in the sentence. Only will generally go with the word it is closest to:

Only she punched her friend in the arm. (no one else did)

She only punched her friend in the arm. (she didn’t do anything else)

She punched only her friend in the arm. (no one else)

She punched her only friend in the arm. (no wonder!)

She punched her friend only in the arm. (nowhere else)

She punched her friend in her only arm. (too bad)

Usually, we don’t make mistakes in sentences like this, but there is a common mistake in the position of only:

We only have five dollars for the movie. (incorrect, but understandable)

We have only five dollars for the movie. (correct)

7. Passed/Past - Passed is the past tense of the verb to pass. Past is a preposition.

We passed the church on our way to school. (verb)

We went past the church on our way to school. (preposition)

8. Precede/Proceed -  Precede means “to come before” something else.  Proceed means “to continue along.”

The rally will precede the game.

The parade will proceed down Main Street.

9. Principal/Principle –  There are actually four meanings of these words: three of them are spelled principal, and only one is spelled principle.

There is a new principal of the high school. (head of a school)

I need to figure our the principal and interest of my mortgage. (financial meaning)

I received a principal role in the play. (the only adjective in the four; means the main one)

It is against my principles to lie. (rule or ethic)

“See” you next weekend for more confusing words!

Books make great graduation gifts (especially grammar books)….keep the learning going over the summer!

 

Graduate going off to college? A grammar book will really help with writing papers!

 

 

Lie/Lay and More Confusing Words

We’re back with more confusing words….maybe you will find one or more here that drive you nuts  Here we go….

1. Its/It’s - Most of us know this one by now (?). But if you should have a moment of confusion, as we all do, it’s easy. All contractions have apostrophes: I’m, can’t, don’t, won’t, she’ll, etc. Well, so does it’s! It means it is, shortened to a contraction. So when it’s means it is, it is like all other contractions: written with an apostrophe. On the other hand, its without the apostrophe is possessive. And like all the other possessive pronouns (yours, ours, theirs, his), it has no apostrophe.

2. These/Those – These and those are plural. So don’t use them to describe singular nouns:

Correct: These kinds of apples / this kind of apple

Incorrect: These kind of apples

3. Lay/Lie – If you are going to use lay, you need an object. In other words, you need to lay something.

I am going to lie on the sofa.

I am going to lay my purse on the sofa.

It gets more confusing in the other tenses:

Yesterday, I lay on the sofa.

Yesterday, I laid my purse on the sofa.

Every day this week, I have lain on the sofa.

Every day this week, I have laid my purse on the sofa.

4. Lead/Led – The only type of lead that has an a in it is the lead in your pencil. The verb to lead is spelled led in the past tense.

He leads the band.

He led the band.

5. Leave/Let – This one doesn’t seem to be confused too often any longer. To let is to allow. We leave someone alone. We don’t let him alone. But you might let him be alone.

6.  Lend/Loan - Technically, lend is a verb and loan is a noun. You lend someone money. You give them a loan; you don’t loan them money.

7. Less /Fewer – Less is used with singular nouns or things you cannot count. Fewer is used with plural nouns and things you can count.

I have less money than you do. I have fewer dimes than you do.

I ate less pizza than you did. I ate fewer pieces of pizza than you did.

8. Libel /Slander - You don’t want to be accused of either libel or slander. And you don’t want to be the victim of either! Both will ruin your reputation. Libel is writing something negative and untrue about someone. Slander is speaking it.

9. Like/As if -  These are both used for comparison. Like is used for a simple comparison, usually followed by a noun. As if is used when a noun and verb follow.

She acts like a queen.

She acts as if she were a queen.

10. Lose /Loose:  If you lose too much weight you will lose your pants because they will be too loose. Nuff said.

 

Grammar books make great graduation gifts!
You can buy my grammar books on Amazon or download the PDFs!
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by JoJo Baker

Giveaway ends May 25, 2014.

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Happy Mother’s Day from The Grammar Diva!

Mother…..Mom….Ma….Mum….Mumsy…..Mama…..Mommy…..Mummy…..Baby Mama…..Mam…..Mamadukes……

Whatever we call her, everyone has a mother (in body or in spirit), is a mother, or knows a mother….

Here are some different ways to say Mother:

Arabic – Ahm

Bulgarian – Majka

Czech – Abatyse

Dutch – Moeder

French – Maman

German – Mutter

Greek – Mana

Hungarian – Anya

Hawaiian – Makuahine

Japanese – Okaasan

Latin – Mater

Maltese – Omm

Persian – Madr

Polish – Matka

Romanian – Maica

Samoan – Tina

Urdu – Ammee

Yiddish – Muter

———————————————————

Only mothers can think of the future – because they give birth to it in their children.

-Maxim Gorky

All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.

-Abraham Lincoln

Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.

-Robert Browning

The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.

-Theodore Hesburgh

A mother’s happiness is like a beacon, lighting up the future but reflected also on the past in the guise of fond memories.

-Honore de Balzac

Life began with waking up and loving my mother’s face.

-George Eliot

Mother’s love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved.

-Erich Fromm

 

Happy Mother’s Day from The Grammar Diva!

 

 

 

Hung? Hanged? Huh? Confusing Words Part 5

The more confusing words I write about, the more confusing words appear! Today, we tackle another ten. ENJOY!

1. alter/altar: To alter something is to change it in some way. The altar is at church.

2. got/have: Let’s say my birthday was last week. Let’s say I got some gifts. Now I have those gifts.  I don’t got them. I have something. In the past I had something.  I get something. In the past I got it. Got is not a present tense verb, so to say I don’t got any isn’t correct. It also sounds crummy.

3. hanged/hung: Let’s say that today I am hanging a picture. Yesterday, I hung a picture. Yesterday, I also hung the laundry out to dry (Oh, yes, we all have dryers these days….well, a bunch of years ago.) But yesterday, they hanged a man. Hanged is used as the past tense of hang only when there is a noose involved.

4. healthful/healthy: If you whip up a wheatgrass and kale smoothie (no thanks…I’ll pass), you will be healthy. However, the smoothie is healthful. People are healthy. Dogs too. But when something provides you with good health, it is healthful.

5. however/therefore: These are technically not confusing words as far as when to use them. However, it can be confusing to know whether you can put commas around these words or whether you need a semicolon (or a period). Look at these examples.

I think, therefore, that I am right and you are wrong.

I study, therefore, I do well on my tests.

Here is what you do: take out however or therefore, and read the sentence without it. If you have a good sentence, the comma is fine. However, if you are left with a run-on sentence, you need a period or a semicolon.  In the first example, the commas are fine; the sentence, without therefore, reads…”I think that I am right and you are wrong.” In the second sentence, if you take out therefore, you get…”I study, I do well on my tests.” Since that is a run on, you need a semicolon or a period before therefore. You can also add a conjunction and keep the commas. (I study and, therefore, I do well on my tests.)

6. I could care less: Yes, this one is still around. Now think about it. If you could care less, you care some and you probably wouldn’t be talking about this at all.  You are making the comment because you don’t care at all. Therefore, you couldn’t care any less than you already care, because you already care zero!

7. if/whether: If is often used when whether should be used. If is conditional; whether implies a choice. Here are examples:

If it rains, we won’t go hiking

I don’t know whether I should go hiking today. (not I don’t know if I should go hiking today.)

When or not appears in the sentence, use whether.

I don’t know whether I should go or not.

8. into/in to: Usually, there is not a problem with making this one word or two. But sometimes, it really matters!

I turned my car into the shopping mall. This implies that some magic was done! (…in to the shopping mall)

I turned my book into the library. Another magic trick! (…in to the library)

Most of the time into as one word will work fine!

9. irregardless: This one is still around too! It is a nonstandard word, and it is best not to use it. It contains two negatives: ir- and -less. The correct word is simply regardless. Often followed by of, it means without regard to or in spite of.

We are going regardless of the weather.

10. imply/infer: These two words are sort of opposites and go in different directions. Imply means to suggest or hint at something without coming right out and saying it. So you might imply by your smile that you are happy. Someone looking at you would see your smile and infer that you are happy. So implying is sending the information out, and inferring is taking the information in.

 

Need a grammar book? Lesson planning book? Some light reading? Check out my books! You can get them all in PDF for for just $20!

 

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Trashy Novel
by JoJo Baker

Giveaway ends May 25, 2014.

See the giveaway details

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Does Earth Start with a Capital “E” ? Confusing Words Part 4

This post is the fourth in our series of confusing words. I hope you are enjoying the series and that it is clearing up some word problems for you!

Here are this week’s ten problematic words/word pairs:

1. Earth/earth: Does earth begin with a capital E? Usually it does not. The only time you begin earth with a capital E is when you are using it in the same sentence or context with other heavenly bodies that are capitalized. The names of the other planets are capitalized, but the sun and the moon are not. Examples:

Recycling is just one of the ways in which we can take care of the earth.
Both Jupiter and Saturn are larger than Earth.
 

2. Emigrate/Immigrate: Emigrate has the prefix -e, which means out. So to emigrate means to leave  a country. To immigrate is to go to a country.

They emigrated from Russia to the United States.
They left Russia and immigrated to the United States.
 

3.  Eminent/Imminent: These two words are completely unrelated. Eminent means well-known or renowned in one’s field.  Imminent means about to happen.

Dr. Ray is an eminent scientist in the field of cosmology.
Looking at the dark sky, I would say a storm is imminent .
 

4. Everyone/Every one: Sometimes everyone is one word; other times it is two. It depends on how you are using it. When it should be two words, you will probably find yourself pausing slightly.

Everyone on the list is coming to the party. (meaning everybody)
Every one of the cakes arrived safely at the party. (meaning every single one of them)
 

5. Fewer/Less: This pair of words is really not that confusing. Use fewer with plurals, and use less with singulars or things that cannot be counted.

There are fewer cookies on this plate than on the other one.
There is less cake on this plate.
 

6. Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly, Lastly: As transition words, use first, second, third, and last instead of adding the -ly at the end. And please don’t use first off!

First, add sugar. Second, add butter. Third, cream them together. Last, add the flour.
 

7. Formally/Formerly: Formally involves tuxedos and gowns and is from the word formal. Formerly is what happened before, from the word former.

You need to dress formally for the wedding.
Jane Smith was formerly known as Jane Mills before she got married.
 

8. Former/Latter: If you have mentioned two things, the former is the first one you mentioned, and the latter is the second.

I have two dogs, a chihuahua and a Great Dane. The former is named Tiny, and the latter is named Big Boy.
 

9. Farther/Further: Farther has to do with distance. Further means any more.

I live farther away from the college than you do.
I cannot talk about this any further today.

10. Good/well: Good is an adjective; well is an adverb. Adjectives are used to describe nouns, usually. Adverbs are used to describe action verbs, usually. Adjectives, however, are used after linking verbs (for example, the verb to be, look, taste, feel, etc.). Note that even though it is an adverb, well can be used after the to be verb to indicate a state of health. (See example below.)

He plays tennis well .
I did well on the test.
I feel good today.
That cake looks good.
I feel well. 
 
Next week: more confusing words
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by JoJo Baker

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Here Come Another Ten: Confusing Words Part 3

You all seem to like the Confusing Words series of blog posts, so here is number 3! Here are ten more words or word pairs that can be problematic.

Confusing Words

1. Continual/Continuous: These words have slightly different meanings. Continual means happening over and over again, usually in rapid succession. Continuous, however, means without stopping. Examples:

We have had continuous rain all day; it hasn’t stopped for even a minute.

The continual snowstorms this year have made clearing all the snow really difficult.

2. Could of/Would of/Should of: You’re right! These are wrong!  It is could have, would have, and should have! You can use could’ve, should’ve, and would’ve if you want, but I don’t really like the contraction when the word being shortened is have. Obviously, woulda, shoulda, and coulda are unacceptable!

3. Criteria/Data: These two words don’t have anything to do with one another except for the fact that they are actually plural forms. The singular form of criteria is criterion, and the singular form of data is actually datum.

When you are talking about one criterion, use the singular. If you are taking about more than one, use criteria. Sometimes, people will use criteria to mean just one.

Data,  however, is usually considered to be singular, and datum is rarely used at all.

Examples:

You need to meet one more criterion before you can be considered for the promotion.

These are the four criteria for getting into the advanced class.

The data is in, and it shows that our profit has increased this year. (You could say data are, but you probably wouldn’t.)

4. Desert/Dessert: There are three of these to confuse. There is the sweet one, the dry one, and the lonely one. Here they are, used correctly:

I want chocolate cake for dessert.

It is too hot for me in the desert.

If you desert your fellow soldiers, you will be in big trouble. (Pronounced that same as the sweet one.)

5. Discrete/Discreet: Many of us don’t even realize there are two different words here, and that they have completely different meanings.

Discreet is the one having to do with keeping a secret.

Discrete means separate.

I am telling you this secret because I know you will be discreet.

Please put these folders into three discrete piles by date of creation.

6. Disinterested/Uninterested:  If you don’t like watching baseball or football, you are probably uninterested in sports (not interested). If you are judging a competition, we hope you are disinterested (impartial, having no interest in who wins.)

I am uninterested in reading about history.

We need a disinterested person to decide which team will go first.

7. Dived/Dove: These two words are both perfectly fine past tenses of the verb dive. Use whichever you wish, but be consistent in the same piece of writing.

He dove into the pool. He dived into the pool. You pick!

8. Duel/Dual: The ones with the guns or swords is called a duel. The one that simply means two is dual.

The cowboys decided who was boss with a duel.

This dual-purpose machine both grinds and brews the coffee.

9. e.g./i.e.:  These abbreviations come from Latin.

e.g. means exempli gratis, or for example.

i.e., means id est, or that is.

You can always forget about the abbreviation and just spell out that is or for example. Either way, use commas before and after the expression.

Long-haired dogs, e.g., poodles, don’t shed or cause allergies. Long-haired dogs, for example, poodles, don’t shed.

The shortest month of the year, i.e., February, has only 28 days. The shortest month of the year, that is, February has only 28 days.

10. etc.: This abbreviation means and the others, not to be confused with the two abbreviations in #9. It is usually used at the end of the sentence and is preceded by a comma.

Music genres include jazz, rock, pop, classical, country, rap, etc.

 

Stay tuned for more confused words in future posts!

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