USAGE

"Self words"

Must have an antecedent "I went to the park all by myself." Correct. wrong " becky, stacy,and himself." because theirs is no antecedent

sit/set

set, sit The verb set(set,setting) means "put in place, position, put down" and needs a direct object. The verb sit(sit,sat, sitting) means "be seated" and doesn't need a direct object. Substituting setfor sit, and the opposite, is nonstandard. ■ Susan set [not sat] the sandwiches beside the salad, made Spot sit [not set] down, and then sat [not set] on the sofa. shall, will, should Shall was once used with I and we f

Their/ there

their (pronoun) "belonging to them": Their values are not my values. there (adverb) "in that place": "The mouse is over there!" he screamed; (expletive)

Who's/ whose

who's Contraction of who is: Who's this sweating at the table? whose (pronoun) possessive form of who: He's the person whose tongue is burning from the chili peppers.

accept/except

accept (verb) "to take," "to receive": I accept the award gladly. except (preposition) "not counting": Except for the lack of plumbing, the apartment is perfect; (verb) "to leave out": Please except that package from the

between/ among

between is just two among it is 3 or more

hang/hung/hanged

hanged "killed by hanging": The victors hanged their enemies. hung "suspended": I hung my clothes out to dry. and H a n g e d is the past tense and the past participle of the verb hang meaning "to execute": In the nineteenth century, many petty criminals were hanged. H u n g is the past tense and past participle of the verb h a n g m e a n i n g "to fasten or suspend": The large decorations were hung on piano wire.

Fewer/less

if you can count it's fewer if you cant count less

your/you're

if you can say you are its you 're but if you cant its your

imply/infer

imply "to suggest indirectly": I don't mean to imply that you are wrong. infer "to draw a conclusion": You may have inferred from what I said that I love you.

its/ it's

its (possessive pronoun) "belonging to it": Its colors were iridescent. it's contraction for it is: It's a great day.

lie/lay

lay (verb + object) "to place something": He lay the book on the table. lie (verb + no object) "to assume or be in a reclining position": He went to his bedroom to lie down.

rise/raise

raise (verb + object) "to lift," "to grow": She raised her arms heavenward; (noun) "increase in salary." rise (verb + no object) "to get up": Hot air balloons, however, rise more slowly; (noun) "ascent," "hilltop": The rise in temperature was deadly.