In the business world, knowing how and when to use the right
word is very important. The following words are commonly misused word in
English language:
1.
Well and Good- People often use these words
synonymously, but they actually have distinct roles in grammar. Good is an adjective; well is an adverb. Typically, an
individual is well vs and an object is good. FYI: Adjectives describe nouns or pronouns
while an adverb modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb.
Example: Cynthia performed well on
her Accounting exam VS. Cynthia will be
a good accountant.
2.
Affect and Effect-Affect is as an action word (a
verb) and typically means to have an impact (effect) on something. Effect is a
noun, which is a change that results or a consequence of an action or
cause.
Example: The student lobbying
groups want to affect the business courses taught in the Business College vs.
The new change in the business courses was an effect of student lobbying
groups.
3.
Then and Than- Then is an adverb used to
describe timing or sequence of events while than is used for comparison.
Example: Susie performed better
than everyone else on the accounting test but then she did not perform as well
on the marketing test.
4.
Everyday and Every day- people also wrongly use
these interchangeably. Every day is an adverb and often describes a daily
occurrence while every-day as an adjective often used to describe a commonplace
occurrence, a mundane or ordinary activity.
Example: David attends his accounting
class every day, goes to his marketing club every day, and goes to his business
meetings every day. These are all David’s everyday school activities.
5.
Bring and Take- though two verbs have very
distinct meaning, they are often mistakenly misused. The distinction is in the
direction of the person speaking. To take
implies to move object away from the
speaker to another location. To bring
is to move object from one location
towards the speaker.
Example: Both Cynthia and David will bring
their accounting assignments with them to the meeting so they can take their
awards.
How
often misused words generated misleading thoughts. –Robert Spencer.
