Word Choice Errors A Descriptive Linguistics Approach

American English has many word pairs and trios that are alike enough to be confusing. Word Choice Errors provides a novel way to empower writers of all levels to cut through the confusion to understand which word to use and why that?s the word to use. Written in a user-friendly style, grounded in descriptive linguistics methods, and eschewing memorization, this book trains writers to detect, interpret, and act on language clues ? with exercises, "wild idea" analytical tricks, and additional resources throughout. It is an excellent resource for instructors and students of grammar or writing/rhetoric, as well as for individuals looking to develop their language and writing skills.

Preface

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1. Introduction: Inaccurate Word Choices and Linguistic Criteria

1.1. Morpho-Syntactic Criterion

1.2. Syntactic Criterion

1.3. Semantic Criterion

Review Exercises: Linguistic Criteria

Chapter 1 Recap

Chapter 2. Commonly Confused Words: Affect/Effect – Cue/Queue

2.1. Affect/Effect

2.2. Allude/Elude

2.3. Breach/Breech

2.4. Cache/Cachet

2.5. Capital/Capitol

2.6. Censor/Censure/Sensor

2.7. Cite/Sight/Site

2.8. Colombia/Columbia

2.9. Complement/Compliment

2.10. Confident/Confidant/Confidante

2.11. Conscience/Conscientious/Conscious/Consciousness

2.12. Cue/Queue

Review Exercises: Affect/Effect – Cue/Queue

Chapter 2 Recap

Lesson Learned

Chapter 3. Commonly Confused Words: e .g./i.e – Hail/Hale

3.1. e.g./i.e.

3.2. Either … or/Neither … nor

3.3. Elicit/Illicit

3.4. Emulate/Imitate

3.5. Emigrate/Immigrate/Migrate

3.6. Ensure/Insure/Assure

3.7. Envelop/Envelope

3.8. Everyone/Every one

3.9. Farther/Further

3.10. Gild/Guild

3.11. Grill/Grille

3.12. Hail/Hale

Review Exercises: i.e./e.g. – Hail/Hale

Chapter 3 Recap

Lessons Learned

Chapter 4. Commonly Confused Words: It’s/Its – Right/Rite/Write

4.1. It’s/Its

4.2. Lay/Lie

4.3. Less/Fewer

4.4. Let’s/Lets

4.5. Loose/Lose

4.6. Moral/Morale

4.7. Onto/On to

4.8. Quiet/Quite

4.9 Principal/Principle

4.10. Raise/Raze

4.11. Rational/Rationale

4.12. Right/Rite/Write

Review Exercises: It’s/Its – Right/Right/Rite

Chapter 4 Recap

Lesson Learned

Chapter 5. Commonly Confused Words: Setup/Set up – Your/You’re

5.1. Setup/Set up

5.2. Shear/Sheer

5.3. Sic/Sick

5.4. Their/There/They’re

5.5. Than/Then

5.6. To/Too/Two

5.7. Vain/Vane/Vein

5.8. Well/Good

5.9. Weather/Whether

5.10. Were/We’re/Where

5.11. Wet/Whet

5.12. Which/Witch

5.13. Whose/Who’s

5.14. Your/You’re

Review Exercises: Setup/Set up – Your/You’re

Chapter 5 Recap

Lesson Learned

Chapter 6. Cumulative Application

Summary Points

Chapter 7. Conclusion

Answer Key for Fill-in-the-Blank Exercises

Consulted Works

Glossary

Index

Gülşat Aygen is Professor of Linguistics and a Distinguished Teaching Professor at Northern Illinois University, USA.

Sarah Eastlund is Assistant Professor of English at Brescia University, USA.