Common Mistakes in English

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accept vs except Accept is a verb, which means to agree to take something . For example: "I always accept good advice." Except is a preposition or conjunction, which means not including. For example: "I teach every day except Sunday(s)." advice vs advise Advice is a noun, which means an opinion that someone offers you about what you should do or how you should act in a particular situation. For example: "I need someone to give me some advice." Advise is a verb, which means to give information and suggest types of action. For example: "I advise everybody to be nice to their teacher." !Often in English the noun form ends in ...ice and the verb form ends in ...ise. affect vs effect Affect and effect are two words that are commonly confused. affect is usually a verb (action) - effect is usually a noun (thing) Hint: If it"s something you"re going to do, use "affect." If it"s something you"ve already done, use "effect." To affect something or someone. Meaning: to influence, act upon, or change something or someone. For example: The noise outside affected my performance. To have an effect on something or someone Note: effect is followed by the preposition on and preceded by an article (an, the) Meaning: to have an impact on something or someone. For example: His smile had a strange effect on me. !Effect can also mean "the end result". For example: The drug has many adverse side effects. a lot / alot / allot A lot, meaning a large amount or number of people or things, can be used to modify a noun. For example:- "I need a lot of time to develop this web site." It can also be used as an adverb, meaning very much or very often. For example:- "I look a lot like my sister." It has become a common term in speech; and is increasingly used in writing. Alot does not exist! There is no such word in the English language. If you write it this way - imagine me shouting at you - "No Such Word!" Allot is a verb, which means to give (especially a share of something) for a particular purpose:- For example: "We were allotted a desk each." all ready vs already All ready means "completely ready". For example: "Are you all ready for the test?" Alreadyis an adverb that means before the present time or earlier than the time expected. For example: "I asked him to come to the cinema but he"d already seen the film." Or "Are you buying Christmas cards already? It"s only September!"