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Course: Praxis Core Writing > Unit 1
Lesson 2: Quick guides- Argumentative essay | Quick guide
- Source-based essay | Quick guide
- Revision in context | Quick guide
- Within-sentence punctuation | Quick guide
- Subordination and coordination | Quick guide
- Independent and dependent Clauses | Video lesson
- Parallel structure | Quick guide
- Modifier placement | Quick guide
- Shifts in verb tense | Quick guide
- Pronoun clarity | Quick guide
- Pronoun agreement | Quick guide
- Subject-verb agreement | Quick guide
- Noun agreement | Quick guide
- Frequently confused words | Quick guide
- Conventional expressions | Quick guide
- Logical comparison | Quick guide
- Concision | Quick guide
- Adjective/adverb confusion | Quick guide
- Negation | Quick guide
- Capitalization | Quick guide
- Apostrophe use | Quick guide
- Research skills | Quick guide
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Frequently confused words | Quick guide
What are frequently confused words?
Frequently confused words refers to pairs of words that either
- look and sound similar (e.g., “than” and “then”)
or
- have similar but distinct meanings (e.g., “fewer” and “less”).
Incorrect:
- The principle spoke at the school assembly.
Correct:
- The principal spoke at the school assembly.
Explanation: “Principle” means "a fundamental truth" or "something someone believes in"..
“Principal” can be an adjective meaning "main" or a noun meaning the "head of a school".
What's on the test?
Let’s look at some of the frequently confused words that are commonly tested on the Praxis Core Writing.
Familiarize yourself with this list!
- than/thenThan is used to compare things: A lion weighs more than a duck.Then means "after that": Sarah ate breakfast and then left for school.
- much/manyMuch describes an uncountable noun: How much snow fell last night?Many describes a countable noun: How many inches of snow fell last night?Explanation: We can't count "snow" (e.g., 1 snow, 2 snows, etc.). We can count "inches of snow" (e.g., 1 inch, 2 inches, etc.).
- less/fewerLess describes an uncountable noun: A cup of coffee costs less money than a car does.Fewer describes a countable noun: My piggy bank is filled with fewer coins than yours is.Explanation: We can't count "money" (e.g., 1 money, 2 money, etc.). We can count "coins" (e.g., 1 coin, 2 coins, etc.).
- affect/effectAffect is usually a verb: Exhaustion negatively affects one’s ability to drive.Effect is usually a noun: Exhaustion has a negative effect on one’s ability to drive.
- accept/exceptAccept is a verb which means "to agree, to believe, or to receive": I accepted the package from the delivery driver.Except is a preposition that means "other than": The store is open every day except national holidays.
- compliment/complementCompliment means "polite praise": Bella gave me a compliment on my new haircut.Complement means "to go well with, to improve, or to complete": The flavors of chocolate and peanut butter are known to complement one another.
- precede/proceedPrecede means "to come before": A foreword often precedes a novel.Proceed means "to continue forward": The car proceeded into the intersection.
What other word pairs might be tested?
No complete list exists of the words that might be tested, but we have collected a list of other words that may appear!
- it's/its It's is a contraction of "it is": Sunil hates to go outside when it's snowing.Its is a possessive determiner that shows something belongs to something else: The snake shed its skin.
- to/too/two To is a preposition that expresses a relationship in time and/or space: Milo went to the moon.Too is an adverb that can either mean "an abundance of something" or the word "also": There's no such thing as too much pie! OR Elsa's favorite movie, Back to the Future, is my favorite movie, too!Two is the number "2": Mario wants two scoops of ice cream.
- they're/there/their There signifies where something is located: You left your hat on that table over there.They're is a contraction of "they are": The Chen sisters love to play tennis; they're almost always on the court.Their is a possessive determiner that indicates something belongs to someone or a group: The cats meowed in delight at the sound of food filling their bowls.
- access/excess Access is a verb or a noun meaning "the ability to approach or enter a space": The sign said "no beach access", so we weren't able to climb down the hill to the ocean.Excess can be a noun or an adjective meaning "too much of something": When I have excess energy, I like to do jumping jacks.
- afflict/inflict Afflict means "to cause or become hurt": I wanted to go to Rosa's party, but I was afflicted with a fever.Inflict means "to impose on someone or something": The court inflicted a strict punishment on the defendant.
- alludes/eludes Allude means to hint at: Mr. Kim alluded to the fact that his students could expect a pop quiz on triangles the following day.Elude means to escape or avoid: The bear eluded capture by hiding behind an enormous tree.
- allusion/illusion An allusion is an indirect reference: Miguel made an allusion to Shakespeare when he approached his refrigerator at midnight and declared, "To eat or not to eat; that is the question!"An illusion is a mistaken idea or something that appears to be one thing when it's really another: The magician achieved the illusion of having pulled a bouquet of fresh flowers out of an empty top hat.
- conscience/conscious A conscience is a moral sense of right and wrong: Listen to your conscience—don't take a second slice of pizza before everyone has had a chance to eat!Conscious is an adjective meaning awake, alert, or informed: It takes a conscious effort to change one's ingrained habits.
- discreet/discrete Discreet means "careful" or "aiming to not cause offense": Kayla asked some discreet questions to find out how much money people made at the company she was applying to.Discrete means "individual or distinct": This course will be divided into several discrete parts.
- elicit/illicit Elicit is a verb meaning "to evoke or draw out": The movie's finale elicited tears from its viewers.Illicit is an adjective meaning "illegal or forbidden": The company had engaged in various illicit schemes in order to make more money.
- emigrate/immigrate Emigrate means to leave one's country to live in another: Rashida and her family emigrated from Canada.Immigrate means to move into a new country: We are immigrating to China.Top tip: Pay attention to the prepositions "to" and "from". If you see "from", it means coming from the original country, so you'd use "emigrate". If you see "to", it means going to the new country, so you'd use "immigrate".
- eminent/imminent Eminent means "esteemed or high-ranking": An eminent scientist won the Nobel Prize.Imminent means "about to happen" or "on the way": Luz felt nervous about the imminent start of her new job.
- patience/patients Patience is a noun meaning "restraint" or "willingness to endure": Puppy training requires a lot of patience.Patients are people who receive medical treatment: The dentist had a long line of patients he needed to see that day.
- perspective/prospective Perspective can mean "view or outlook" or "angle": From this perspective, it's possible to see the depth and beauty of the painting.Prospective means "anticipated" or "potential": Kyrie led a campus tour for prospective students.
- respectfully/respectively Respectfully is an adverb meaning "with deference and respect": We curtsied respectfully when the Queen entered.Respectively is an adverb meaning "in the order already mentioned": Marie and Sean bought a bicycle and an electric scooter, respectively. (In other words, Marie bought the bicycle and Sean bought the electric scooter.)
- site/sight/cite Site is a noun meaning "an area of ground on which something is built": The old used car lot on the corner of 4th and B streets is the site of a new office building to be constructed next year.Sight is a noun meaning "vision": People without sight use Braille to read.Cite is a verb meaning "to quote" or "to refer to": The Department of Parks and Recreation temporarily shut down Hunter's Trail, citing an increased number of rattlesnake attacks on hikers.
- wander/wonder Wander means "to roam around aimlessly": We wandered through the mall for hours but didn't buy anything.Wonder means "to think or be curious about": I wonder what it must have been like to live in the 14th century.
Tips and strategies
Top tip: Fix the common flaw
Word confusion is a fairly common error type. If you see frequently confused words used incorrectly, forget anything else that might seem weird to you about the sentence—the choice that focuses on this flaw will be the answer.
Want to join the conversation?
- What is a quick way to remember the definition of affect nad effect. I always mix them up.•(1 vote)