Easily Confused Words
principle
A _____ is a standard, typically high. He has good _____.
principal
A _____ is the lead administrator at a school. The school is led by our _____
raise
A direct object comes after ______ Example: Our landlord _____ the rent every year.
besides
Besides means "in addition to." Who is going besides me?
loose
Loose means "baggy, not tight." This belt is really ____.
amount
Use ____ to refer to a singular word; The library has a large _____ of resource material on the Civil War.
whether
Use _____ as in the phrase "whether or not" I don't know _____ I want pizza or fries for lunch.
less
Use _____ for quantities that cannot be counted. _____ homework
fewer
Use _____ for things that can be counted. _____ calories
weather
Use _____ when referring to atmospheric or climatic conditions. I hate rainy _____.
to
___ is a preposition that means "in the direction of." Take the basket _____ Grammy's house.
capital
____ is the correct spelling for other meanings of the word other than for a governmental building. What is the _____ of Colorado? Begin a sentence with a _____ letter.
they're
_____ is a contraction meaning "they are." _____ my best friends.
their
_____ is a possessive pronoun, The girls lost _____ purses.
there
_____ is an adverb or expletive at the beginning of a sentence _____ is my bike! It is over there!
capitol
_____ is the spelling used for the government building We could see the _____ from our hotel building.
sit
_____ means " to be seated." _____ down!
further
_____ means "additional" or "to a greater extent." I need _____ advice.
past
_____ means "time that has gone by" You can't repeat the _____.
passed
_____ means "to die or go by." His grandfather _____ away yesterday. The car _____ me on the freeway.
set
_____ means "to put something in a certain place." _____ the books on the desk.
rise
_____ never has a direct object. The hot air balloons _____ above the trees.
farther
_____ refers to distance, My house is _____ away than yours.
two
a number I have ____ wishes left.
among
always implies three or more. The dog sat ____ the flowers.
than
is a comparison word. Mark is taller ____ me.
it's
is a contraction for "it is." ____ going to be a nice day today.
illusion
is a mistaken idea or a misleading appearance. Make-up can be used to create an _____.
advice
is a noun meaning "opinion." I asked my friend for ____ about my boyfriend.
its
is a possessive form of the word. The cat licked ____ paws.
advise
is a verb meaning "to give an opinion to." She ____ me to talk to him directly.
affect
is a verb meaning "to influence." The President's speech deeply ____ me.
too
is an adverb that means "extremely, overly" and "also." Leo has _____ many fish in his tank. I want to go _____!
allusion
is an indirect reference to something; In her stories, Flannery O'Connor makes numerous _____ to the Bible. The writer _____ to mistakes made by the editor when explaining his rejection letter.
between
is generally used with only two. The judge split the money ____ the two of us.
can
means "able to do something." ____ you swim across the lake?
beside
means "at the side of" or "close to." The garden is ____ the house.
altogether
means "completely" or "in all." The old television flickered once or twice then broke ____.
lose
means "to be defeated." The Raiders will ____ the game.
immigrate
means "to come into a country to live." My family _____ to the United States from Germany.
emigrate
means "to leave a country to live somewhere else." My family left and _____ from Germany
lay
means "to put" or "to place" and always has a direct object. Example: _____ the map on the table. Gretchen laid the map on the table.
lie
means "to rest" or "to be in a lying position." ____ never takes a direct object. NOTE: The past tense of lie is lay. _____ down and go to sleep. Olivia ____ down and kept quiet.
all together
means "together as a group." Let's sing the song ____.
allowed
means you are given permission.
aloud
out loud
then
signals time or order; I am going to the store and ____ home.
number
use _____ to refer to plural words. The library has a large _____ of magazines on the racks.
may
used when asking permission. Mom, _____ I go swimming?
effect
usually a noun, means "result." Occasionally, it's a verb meaning "to bring about" or "to cause." The ____ of pollution can be deadly.