WORD WATCHERS!

Some words sound alike but have very different meanings. Be sure to use the words that you mean.

Cite/site/sight

Cite refers to giving reference: You must cite each article you read for this research paper.

Site refers to a place: This corner is the site of the accident

Sight refers to vision: John Milton lost his sight before he wrote Paradise Lost.

Complement/compliment

Remember the vowels to keep these straight.

Complement means to complete and the spelling is similar: Your purse really complements your outfit.

To compliment – with an i – means to say something nice about someone: I like to get a compliment.
Thanks for paying without compliment.

Continuous/continual

When something is continuous, it goes without a break: The dog’s continuous barking disturbed the
entire neighborhood.

Something that is continual happens regularly and frequently, but not necessarily continuously: His
continual interruptions angered the instructor.

Emigrate/ immigrate

Remember the vowels. People emigrate (exit) FROM a country; people immigrate (go into) TO their
new country: The O’Rourkes emigrated from Ireland in 1988. Thousands of people immigrate to the
United States each year.

Farther/further

Farther refers to distance: They farther away than they used to.
Further refers to quantity or degree: I do not wish to discuss this topic any further.