English for Academic and Professional Purposes

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Correct Usage

Module 009 : Correct Usage

This module presents a glossary of words that are mistakenly used or

misspelled. You will learn to use appropriate words or phrases to
communicate your intended meaning. In addition to the misused words and
phrases, writing fails due to grammatical errors. Lesson 2 will cover the
following usage problems: fragment and run –on sentences, split
constructions, nonparallel constructions and problems with modifiers.

Objectives:
At the end of this module, you will be able to:

a. identify appropriate use of words in the sentence;

b. distinguish between correct grammatical construction and faulty
construction;
c. revise sentences conforming to the standard of
grammatical correctness.

The Right Word: Meaning And Usage

Accept , except
 To accept is to agree to something or to receive something
willingly.
 To except is to exclude or omit. As a preposition, except means
“but” or “ excluding.”

o Pearl accepted the job offer.

o We will except those who have already taken the test. (verb)
o Everyone except Mickey reported to camp. ( preposition)
Advice, advise
 Advise is a verb. Advice is a noun.
 You advise someone. What you give him is advice.
Affect, effect
 Affect is a verb meaning either to influence or to pretend. Effect is a
verb means to accomplish or to produce as a result.

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Agree to, agree on , agree with
 You agree to something such as a plan of action.
 You agree with someone else.
 You agree with others on a course of action.
Allusion, illusion, delusion
 An allusion is a reference to something.
 An illusion is a false idea or a faulty interpretation of the facts.
 A delusion is a belief in something that is contrary to fact.
Alumna, alumnus
 An alumna is a female graduate; the plural is alumnae.
 An alumnus is a male graduate; the plural is alumni
 Male and female graduates are referred to as alumni.
All right
 Alright is a misspelling and a substandard usage. The two words
are separated.
Altogether, all together
 Altogether means entirely or on the whole.
 All together means that all parts of the group are considered
together.
Although, though
 In most uses these words are interchangeable, but it may be best to
begin clauses with although, since it is more emphatic.
 use though to connect elements within a clause.

Example:
Although intelligent, he could not apply himself. She was born of poor though
well-educated parents.
Apt, likely, liable
 These three words have in common in meaning of probable. However,
they cannot be substituted for each other at random.
 With respect to probability, apt means “naturally inclined
 Liable means “ subject to something, usually something unpleasant.”
Assure, ensure, insure
 All three of these verbs mean to make secure or certain.
 Ensure and insure are interchangeable, except that insure is generally
used in the sense of guaranteeing life or property against risk.
 Assure is the only one of the three that has the sense of setting a
person’s mind at rest
 Awhile. Awhile is an adverb.
 While is a noun that often appears in the prepositional phrase for a
while (three words).

Example: I considered awhile, but I considered the matter for a while.

Because, since, as.
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Correct Usage

 Because is the most specific of the conjunctions used to express

reason or cause. It always indicates an unequivocal causal
relationship.
 Since is often a weak form of because. It also contains a notion of
duration over time that because does not.
 Use since when the meaning of what follows it is implied by what
precedes it.
 Use as to mean since or because is always feeble. It makes whatever
follows sound trivial. Avoid this misuse. Substitute for, since, or
because, except in those rare cases in which you want to tone down
the reason assigned.
 Do not use because to introduce a noun clause.
Example: Because I lost my way is the reason why I am late.
(awkward)
 I am late because I lost my way. (better)
Beside, besides
 Beside means at the side of.
 Besides means in addition to.
Between each
 Between cannot be followed by a singular noun

Example : Between each act, they went backstage. ( Awkward)

 Between acts, they went backstage.
Borrow, lend
 Both are verbs. You borrow from someone. You lend to someone.
 Borrow means to obtain or receive something on loan. Lend means to
give out or allow the use of something temporarily. You borrow from
but lend to. (In formal writing, always use lend rather than loan as a
verb.)
Bring, take
 Use bring to indicate movement toward the speaker. It implies come
(here) with.
 Use take to indicate movement away from the speaker. It implies go
(there) with.
 You take food to a picnic and bring home leftovers.
Examples:
 I will take these balloons to my cousins house. (away from here)
 Please bring me the book. ( toward me)

Compliment, Complement

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 A compliment is a remark spoken in praise.
 A complement is something needed to complete a whole.

Compose, comprise
 Comprise expresses the relation of the larger to the smaller, not the
other way around (think of comprise as meaning to embrace or take
in).
 The whole comprises the parts;
 the whole is composed of its parts. The parts compose the whole and
are comprised in it. Do not use comprised of; instead, use compose,
constitute, or make up.
 Include is not a synonym for comprise, but comprise has the sense of
inclusion.
Convince, persuade
 Use convince with that or of; use persuade with to.
 You may be convinced that or of something; you must be persuaded to
do something.
Continual, continuous
 Continual means occurring repeatedly.
 Continuous means extending without interruption in space or time.

Examples:
o There were continual interruptions during the interview.
o A straight line in space is a continuous curving line.

Differ from, differ with

 One thing or person differs from another in characteristics.
 You differ with someone when you disagree with him.

Different from, different than

 In most situations different from is better usage than different than.

However, there are some situations in which than must be used to
avoid awkward expression.

Examples:

o Marcia’s hairdo is different from yours.

o Isla Higantes is mush different than it used to be.

Dilemma
 A dilemma is a situation that requires one to choose between two
equally balanced alternatives. If no suggestion of alternatives is
involved, use predicament or problem. Discover. Do not use discover
when you mean develop or invent. Something that was discovered already
existed but was unknown.

E.g., i.e.
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Correct Usage

 The abbreviation e.g. means for example (exempli gratia) and

introduces an illustrative instance or a short list of names or other
items.
 The abbreviation i.e. means that is (id est) and introduces a repetition
in different words of the ideas just discussed, or an amplification that
would be appropriate after an ordinary that is. The two expressions
are always set off by commas.

Etc., et al
 In strict usage, et cetera (and the rest) is neuter and so can refer only
to things.
 et alia (and others) can refer only to persons. Do not end a list of
persons with etc.; instead, use and others.
 Using etc. at the end of a list introduced by for example, such as, or a
similar expression is also incorrect. (Note: A comma is required after
etc. unless it ends the sentence. Also, et does not require a period, but
al. does; et is a word, al. is an abbreviation.)

Emigrate, immigrate
 To emigrate is to leave one’s homeland.
 To immigrate is to enter a country for the purpose of setting there.

Enthused, enthusiastic
 Enthuse, a back-formation from enthusiasm, is not considered
acceptable in formal writing. Instead, use enthusiastic. (A back-
formation is a word invented in the erroneous belief that an existing
word is derived from it.)

Farther, further
 Farther is best used to indicate distance.
 further to indicate degree.

Example:
He ran farther than she did.
We discussed the issue further.

Flammable, inflammable

 Both words mean easily ignitable and are interchangeable in their

literal sense. Use nonflammable or noncombustible to describe
something that does not burn

Hanged, hung

 Criminals are hanged.

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 Things are hung on the wall.
Examples:
o He was hanged by order of the Queen.
o The new paintings hang on the wall.
Historic, historical
 Use historic to describe what is important in or contributes to history
(historic walk on the moon; historic meeting of the Allied powers).
Use historical to refer more broadly to what is concerned with history
(historical play; historical artifacts). Use a, not an, with these words.

Hopefully

 It is best used to mean in a hopeful way, not it is to be hoped or let us

hope. Even though it is common in popular usage and conversation, it
is unacceptable to many critics and can be ambiguous. Careful writers
avoid this usage.

Imply, infer

 The distinction is as clear as that between give and take. Imply is a

word for the transmitting end and infer a word for the receiving end.
When you imply, you deliver; when you infer, you draw from.

Example:

o He implied that he didn’t want to go.

o From her manner, we inferred that she didn’t want to go.

Irregardless

 It should be regardless. The negative is expressed by -less; adding the

prefix ir- makes a double negative.

Latter
 Latter refers to the second of two things, not to the last of a series of
things. Repeat the necessary information or rewrite the sentence to
avoid using this expression; don’t expect your reader to look back to a
previous passage.

Less, fewer
 Less refers to quantity (less course work; fewer refers to number
(fewer courses).

Lie, Lay

 Lay means to put, place, or prepare.

 Lie means to recline or be situated. In senses involving what people
do with their bodies, use the forms lie (present), lay (past), lain (past
participle), lying (present participle). For what people do with objects,
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Correct Usage

use lay (present), laid (past), laid (past participle), laying (present
participle).
Like, as

 Use as to express in what capacity or role a deed is done;

 use like to introduce a comparison.

Example:
o ‘She acts as a supervisor’, implies that she is a supervisor.
o She acts like a supervisor compares her to one.
Another clue:
 like governs nouns and pronouns;
 as introduces phrases and clauses. Comparisons involving a verb
should be introduced with as or as if

Example:

o I don’t sing as I once did, not I don’t sing like I once did. He
carried on as if he were crazy, not He carried on like he was
crazy.
Persons, people

 Use persons when you mean individuals with identities; use people
when you mean a large and anonymous mass.

Examples:

o People can be pushed only so far.

o She was one of those persons who can cope with pressure.

Presently

 In modern usage presently is best used to mean in a short time. Use at

present, now, or currently to mean at this time. Relatively. Use
relatively only when there is a clearly implied or expressed
comparison.

Respective, respectively.

 These words are meaningless unless they clarify a direct

correspondence between one series and another. Use them only when
necessary.

Example:
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 The departments are listed under their colleges, not The departments
are listed under their respective colleges.

Till
 Not an abbreviation of until, so never write ’til. Till is a word in its
own right.

Toward, towards
 Toward is preferred.

Type
 Avoid combining type with a noun to create a compound adjective
(hippie-type students). Use such a compound only when the reference
is technical or at least highly specific. (Note: In nontechnical writing,
use type to refer to specific categories and kind or sort to refer to
more general groupings: that type of therapy; that kind of problem.)
Underway, under way
 Always two words as an adverb (meaning in motion or operation;
started). Spelled as one word as an adjective, but its use as an
adjective (underway refueling) is extremely limited.
Unique
 Don’t use qualifiers (more, most, less) with unique. It means without
equal or the only one of its kind.
Utilize
 In most cases, use is preferable to utilize. Utilize suggests putting an
object or material to a new or expanded use.
Very

 Use this word sparingly. Instead, use words that are strong in
themselves.
Whether or not
 Usually you can omit the or not to advantage (or substitute if for the
whole phrase). If, however, your intention is to give equal stress to the
alternative, the or not is necessary.
Example:
o I will finish the project whether he gives his approval or not.
-wise

 Adding the suffix –wise to a word is almost never appropriate.

o Contentwise the class was interesting. (Avoid it.)
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Correct Usage

Words with similar in pronunciation or spelling but different in

meaning:

accept (receive) all ready (prepared)

except (exclude) already (previous)

allude (refer to indirectly) allusion (indirect mention)

elude (avoid) illusion (erroneous perception)

beside (next to or close to) capital (official seat of

besides (in addition to or except) government; wealth)
capitol (building)

casual (not planned; informal) complement (to complete)

causal (cause) compliment (to praise)

council (assembly of persons) eminent (prominent, conspicuous)

counsel (advice; lawyer) imminent (ready to take place)
consul (foreign service officer)

flounder (to move clumsily) flout (to show contempt for)

founder (to fail utterly; to collapse) flaunt (to show off)

foreword (preface, introductory note) loath (unwilling, reluctant)

forward (all other meanings) loathe (to hate)

mitigate (to moderate or soften) perpetrate (to be guilty of; to carry

militate (to have effect, for or against) out)
perpetuate (to prolong the
existence of)

perquisite (benefit expected as one’s due) pour (to make flow)

prerequisite (required as a prior condition) pore (to study carefully)

personal (one’s own) practical (useful, not theoretical)

personnel (employees) practicable (feasible)

precede (to come before) principle (basic truth)

proceed (to go forward) principal (foremost in importance;
chief or head)

prophecy (prediction) stationary (fixed)

prophesy (to predict) stationery (paper)

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 tortuous (winding; twisting)
torturous (related to pain or torture)

Spelling of words with irregular plurals:

Singular Plural

agendum (a single thing be done; agenda (list of things to be done)

an individual agenda item)

alumna alumnae
alumnus alumni
appendix appendixes (appendices in
scientific writing)
biennium bienniums (also biennia)
criterion criteria
curriculum curricula (also curriculums)
datum data (be sure to use plural
modifiers: many, these)
erratum (one error) errata (more than one error)
formula formulas (also formulae)
index indexes (also indices)
medium media (also mediums)
parenthesis parentheses
phenomenon phenomena
professor professors
emeritus emeriti
synopsis synopses
thesis theses
vita vitae

Problems in Grammatical Constructions

 Grammatical errors hinder writer’s thoughts and confuse readers .
Misused constructions may change the writer’s meaning. This section
explains how to avoid problems in grammatical constructions.

A. Sentence Fragment is an incomplete sentence. If you put a period at the

end of a phrase or a subordinate clause, you will have a fragment. Phrase and
subordinate clause cannot stand alone. You can correct a sentence fragment
by joining it to a sentence.
Examples:

FRAGMENT: After going to college for four years. I was ready to teach.
(Putting a period after a phrase is wrong because it does not
express a complete thought.)

CORRECT: After going to college for four years, I was ready to teach.
( A comma after the phrase is correct.)
FRAGMENT: Although I awoke earlier than usual. I was late for work.
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CORRECT: Although I awoke earlier than usual, I was late for work.

Sometimes you can add words or change the wording to make the fragment
a complete sentence in itself.

FRAGMENT : Watching the election results all night.

CORRECT: I was watching the election results all night.
FRAGMENT: One of my friends who lost her ring in the swimming pool.
CORRECT: One of my friends lost her ring in the swimming pool.

B. A run – on sentence is two or more sentences improperly joined together.

A comma alone cannot properly join sentences together. The
following are run-on sentences because only a comma appears
between the two clauses.

RUN –ON: The managers from the New York office toured the plant, they
made a favorable report.
RUN –ON: The board is scheduled to meet tomorrow, it has many matters
to discuss.
RUN –ON: Classes started on September 5, however, I did not register until
September 7.

Ways to correct run-on sentences:

1. Make two separate sentences.

Correct: The managers from the New York office toured the plant. They
made a favorable report.

2. Use a semi-colon between the clauses.

Correct: Classes started on September 5; however, I did not register until

September 7.

3. Use a comma and a conjunction between the clauses (such, as, and, but, or,
nor)

Correct: The managers from the New York office toured the plant, and they
made a favorable report.

4. Make one of the statements into a phrase or a subordinate clause.

Correct: Scheduled to meet tomorrow, the board has many matters to

discuss.

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 Another error as reflected by a run –on sentences is that sentences
combined with no punctuation between them. These run-on
sentences must be separated or properly connected.

Examples:

RUN- ON : I spent $50 for this dress I like the style.

CORRECT: I spent $50 for this dress. I like the style.
I spent $50 for this dress because I like the style.
I spent $50 for this dress; I like the style.

RUN –ON: Why are you leaving now wait I’ll walk home with you.
CORRECT: Why are you leaving now? Wait! I’ll walk home with you.
Why are you leaving now? Wait and I’ll walk home with you.

C . Split Constructions
1. Avoid split Infinitives. Putting other words between the preposition to
and the verb.
An infinitive consists of the preposition to + verb

Examples: to walk, to write, to dream, to see

Awkward: To be or to not be: that is the question.

Better: To be or not to be: that is the question.
Awkward: We had to without any preparation or warning pack
our belongings.
Better: We had to pack our belongings without any preparation
or warning.

 However, there are instances to consider split infinitives. It may be

preferable to split infinitives rather than to create awkward or unclear
sentences. In this case, the modifier or adverb should be placed in between
the preposition to and the verb it modifies.

Awkward: Jack seems gladly to take on the projects nobody else wants to
handle. (gladly does not modify the verb seems)
Better: Jack seems to gladly take on projects nobody else wants to handle.
( gladly modifies the verb take)
Awkward: I was unable fully to appreciate the program.
Better : I was unable to fully appreciate the program.

2. Avoid unnecessarily separating a subject and its verb and its object.
Keeping these basic sentence parts together usually makes your writing
clearer.

Awkward: Mary, in one bounding leap, cleared the fence. (subject and
verb separated)
Better: Mary cleared the fence in the bounding leap.
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Correct Usage

3. Do not separate a preposition from its object.

Awkward: He walked into, since he was in the neighborhood, the museum.

Better: Since he was in the neighborhood, he walked into the museum.

4. Do not separate the parts of a verb.

Awkward: Mary has, although you would not think so, been ill.
Better: Mary has been ill, although you would not think so.
Awkward: I might have, if you had not opposed me, bought the stocks.
Better: If you had not opposed me, I might have bought the stocks.

D . Parallel Construction

 Involves expressing two or more related ideas in the same grammatical

form. To make a pair of ideas parallel, state both ideas in the same
structure – in the same kinds of words, phrases or clauses.
 Use parallel structure in a series of items joined by and or or.

 Here are the examples of Parallel Structure:

WORDS: Working and playing are both important. (Both gerund)

PHRASES: Both at home and at the office, she is well organized. (Both
prepositional phrase)
CLAUSES: I will cut the grass when my back is better and when the mower is
repaired.

 Examples of nonparallel constructions, along with some ways to

correct them.

Nonparallel : To write was easier to her than talking. (Infinitive and

Gerund)
Parallel: Writing was easier for her than talking. (Both Gerund)

Nonparallel: having checked our bags and since we had said good-by, we
boarded the plane.
( The sentence begins with participial phrase and a clause .)
Parallel: Since we had checked our bags and had said good-by, we
boarded the plane.

Nonparallel: The homeowners association maintains the entrances and is

conducting a mosquito abatement program.
( Verbs are in simple present tense and present continuous tense).

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 Parallel: The homeowners association maintains the entrances and
conducts a mosquito abatement program. (Verbs are both in
simple present tense).

In using modifying words, phrases, and clauses, the relationship

between the modifier and the word it modifies should be clear.
Avoid the common problems of dangling and misplaced modifiers.

E - Dangling Modifiers
 Are adjective phrases and clauses that are not connected to any word
or phrase in the sentence. These danglers cause confusion; the reader does
not understand what they modify.
 Here are example of dangling modifiers along with some ways to
correct them.

Dangling: Hanging the curtains, the rod slipped and hit him on the head.
( The phrase ‘hanging the curtains’ does not modify either the rod or
him).
Correct: When he was hanging the curtains , the rod slipped and hit him on
the head.
Dangling: Young and alone, the city can be a frightening place.
Correct: Young and alone, she was frightened by the city.
Young and alone, a person can be frightened by the city.

F – Misplaced Modifiers

 These are phrases or clauses that that are not placed close enough to
the word they modify. Thus they may appear to modify some word other than
the one they intended to modify.

Examples:

Misplaced: Mary admitted to her mother with a sad face that she had failed
the chemistry examination. (seems to modify the mother)

Clear: With a sad face, Mary admitted to her mother that she had
failed the chemistry examination.
Misplaced: He keeps the awards he won at school in his bedroom.
(Which is kept in his bedroom: the school or the award?)
Clear: The awards he won at school are kept in his bedroom.
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Correct Usage

A single modifier usually precedes the noun it

modifies.

Glossary

Dangling Modifier – a word, phrase or clause that functions as modifier but

does not clearly modify a word in a sentence.
Faulty Parallelism – ideas and words are not parallel, thus causing faulty
construction or error in grammatical form.

Misplaced Modifier – a word, phrase or clause that function as modifier

but not placed close to the word it modifies.

References

Book
Brantley, C. and Miller, M. ( 2007) Effective Communication for Colleges.
Singapore. Thomson South Western

The World Book of Word Power (1992). Grygel, J.(ed.). Chicago. World Book
Inc. Vol. 1

Online Supplementary Reading Materials

Commonly Misspelled Words in English.
study.com/academy/lesson/commonly-misspelled-words-in-
english.html.Retrieved on 26 July 2017.
What are Misplaced Modifiers and Dangling Modifiers?
study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-a-misplaced-modifier- and -dangling-
modifier.html. Retrieved 26 July 2017.

Parallelism: How to Write and Identify Parallel Sentences

study.com/academy/lesson/parallelism-how-to-write-and-identify-parallel-
sentences.html. Retrieved on 26 July 2017

Online Instructional Videos

Commonly Confused Words in English

Course Module
study.com/academy/lesson/commonly-confused-words-in-
english.html.Retrieved 26 July 2017

Commonly Misused Words & Phrases

study.com/academy/lesson/commonly-misused-words-&-phrases-in-
english.html. Retrieved 26 July 2017

Examples of Parallel Structures in Technical Writing

Study.com/academy/lesson/example-of-parallel-structures- in-technical-
writing.html.