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Grammar & Usage Guides

Confused by two similar words? We explain the difference between commonly confused words — affect and effect, who and whom, fewer and less — with clear examples of when to use each.

Commonly Confused Words

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affect vs effect
"Affect" is almost always a verb meaning to influence or change something ("The rain affected our plans"). "Ef...
fewer vs less
Use "fewer" for countable things — items you could count one by one ("fewer apples", "fewer people"). Use "les...
who vs whom
Use "who" when it's the subject doing the action ("Who called you?" — he called). Use "whom" when it's the obj...
it's vs its
"It's" (with an apostrophe) is always a contraction of "it is" or "it has" — never possession. "Its" (no apost...
lay vs lie
"Lay" means to put or set something down and needs an object — you lay something ("lay the book down"). "Lie"...
then vs than
Use "than" for comparisons ("faster than", "better than"). Use "then" for time or sequence ("first this, then...
complement vs compliment
A "compliment" (with an I) is a nice thing you say to someone — praise. A "complement" (with an E) is somethin...
imply vs infer
The SPEAKER or writer implies — suggests something without saying it directly ("Her tone implied she was annoy...

Grammar Guides

; PARENTHESES Punctuation How to Use Parentheses (and Brackets) Put asides in parentheses ( ) and editorial insertions in square brackets [ ]. End punctua... vs IE EG Confused Words i.e. vs e.g. i.e. means "that is" (in other words); e.g. means "for example." Both keep their periods;... vs IMPLY INFER Confused Words Imply vs Infer The speaker implies; the listener infers. To imply is to hint at something without stating... vs INTO IN TO Confused Words Into vs In To Use 'into' (one word) for motion or change—'walked into the room.' Use 'in to' (two words)... vs ITS ITS Confused Words Its vs It’s It’s (with an apostrophe) always means “it is” or “it has”; its (no apostrophe) shows poss... vs LAY LIE Confused Words Lay vs Lie Lay means to put something down and takes an object; lie means to recline and takes none.... vs LOSE LOOSE Confused Words Lose vs Loose Lose is a verb meaning to misplace or not win; loose is an adjective meaning not tight. Lo... vs MAY MIGHT Confused Words May vs Might Use 'might have,' not 'may have,' for things that didn't happen; use 'may have' when the o... vs ME I Confused Words Me vs I (You and I vs You and Me) Use 'I' as the subject and 'me' as the object. In a pair, drop the other person: 'You and... vs PAST SIMPLE PRESENT PERFECT Confused Words Past Simple vs Present Perfect Use the past simple for finished time (I saw her yesterday); use the present perfect for u... vs PRINCIPAL PRINCIPLE Confused Words Principal vs Principle Principal means main or chief: a lead person, or a loan's original sum. Principle means a... ; MARKS RULES Punctuation Quotation Marks: The Rules In US style, commas and periods go inside the quotation marks and doubles are default; UK... vs SHALL WILL Confused Words Shall vs Will Use "will" for the plain future today; "shall" survives mainly in questions like "Shall we... Aa SINGULAR THEY Grammar Guide Singular "They": Is It Grammatically Correct? Yes — singular "they" for an unknown or unspecified person has been standard English for c... Aa SPLIT INFINITIVES Grammar Guide Split Infinitives: Are They Wrong? No — splitting an infinitive ("to boldly go") is not an error. The rule is a Victorian myt... vs STATIONARY STATIONERY Confused Words Stationary vs Stationery Stationary (with an a) means not moving; stationery (with an e) means writing paper and en... Aa VERB AGREEMENT Grammar Guide Subject-Verb Agreement: The Basics The subject and verb in a sentence must match in number — singular subjects take singular... vs THAN THEN Confused Words Than vs Then Use 'than' for comparisons (bigger than, rather than); use 'then' for time and sequence (b... vs THAT WHICH Confused Words That vs Which Use 'that' for essential (restrictive) clauses with no commas; use 'which' for extra detai... Aa TENSES EXPLAINED Grammar Guide The 12 English Verb Tenses, Explained English has 12 verb tenses — three times (past, present, future) in four aspects (simple,... ; OXFORD COMMA Punctuation The Oxford Comma, Explained The Oxford comma is the final comma before "and" in a list of three or more items. Here's... Aa THERE THEYRE Grammar Guide Their vs There vs They’re Their shows possession, there marks a place or existence, and they’re means “they are.” Sw... Aa TOO TWO Grammar Guide To vs Too vs Two Use 'to' for direction or before a verb, 'too' to mean also or excessively, and 'two' for... Aa WHAT CONJUNCTION Grammar Guide What Is a Conjunction? A conjunction links words, phrases, or clauses. The three types are coordinating (FANBOYS:...