No matter what your expertise, be it math, science, or wordsmithing, there are sometimes bits of knowledge in your supposed field that will always be a little harder to retain than others. At least there are for me. For example, there are certain words I always have to look at hard before I know I’ve spelled them correctly, like “Michael” (I always want to put the e before the a), “weird,” (the classic “i before e except …” issue), “exercise” and “exacerbate” (I always suspect a c should join any x, for some reason).
In any case, I’ve decided to excerpt (there’s that c) four choice tidbits from a section I like to put into the style guides we do for clients: common usage and grammar issues. I love compiling this section, since it hammers in some applications I might otherwise have to look up. You may find you totally know these rules already, but in case they’re tricky for you…
Affect vs. Effect
The verb affect means (a) influence or change, (b) stir emotions, or (c) feign. For example:
- Her attitude affected the outcome.
- His departure affected the staff.
- She affects a certain nonchalance.
The verb effect means accomplish or carry out. For example:
- They effected changes in the rules.
As a noun, effect—synonymous with result or consequence—is used far more often than affect. For example:
- One effect of the protest was new legislation.
The rarely used noun, affect, means emotional response or feeling. It’s used mainly in psychological or medical contexts.
Alternative vs. Alternate
As an adjective, both alternative and alternate can refer to a choice between two things or among more than two. For example:
- We have to choose an alternate/alternative route.
Only alternate can mean every second one. For example:
- They met on alternate Wednesdays.
When you need a noun to mean a choice between two options, use alternative. For example:
- There are six alternatives to choose from.
Comprise, Consist, Compose
Use comprise, composed of, or consists of as per the examples below. As Fowler’s notes, “The special function of comprise is to introduce a list of the parts making up the whole that is its subject; that is, it means to consist of or to be composed of. All the parts compose the whole; the whole comprises all the parts.” Therefore:
- The book comprises eight chapters.
- Milk, honey, and nutmeg compose the sauce.
- The sauce comprises milk, honey, and nutmeg.
- The committee was composed of nine representatives.
- The lesson consists of four sections.
Impact vs. Influence
Do not use impact as a verb; use influence or affect instead. Both impact and influence are fine as nouns. For example:
- The newspaper article will influence/affect the board’s decision.
- We have felt the impact of the budget cuts.
- She wielded her influence in the courtroom.
Writer, editor, and cartoonist Sarah Leavitt covers some more excellent grammar and usage conundrums (e.g., I or me) in her editing and copywriting category.
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