Who's/Whose on First?: Word Savvy's Quick & Easy Guide to Commonly Confused & Misused Words

WRITERS: Avoid Embarrassment! Don't Sabotage Your Chances for Success! Protect yourself from making the most common mistake of today's writers - USING THE WRONG WORD. Did you know that WRONG-WORD ERRORS have replaced SPELLING as the #1 WRITER'S BLUNDER? It's true. (Thanks, Spell-Check!) Unfortunately, Spell-Check can't prevent you from making wrong-word errors. In fact, it can even introduce a few of its own. (See chapter 1.) The truth is, when it comes to catching wrong-word errors, it's up to you. But don't despair. Help has arrived. In fact, it's at your fingertips. WHO'S/WHOSE ON FIRST? is the help you need, the tool that will prevent you from making embarrassing and costly wrong-word errors. How does it work? It's easy and it's fast. Whenever you suspect you are about to make a wrong-word error, do a quick check. Look up the suspect word in WHO'S/WHOSE ON FIRST? Here are some guidelines: * WHO'S/WHOSE ON FIRST? is set up like a dictionary. Entries are "commonly confused or misused" word pairs (or trios) and are alphabetized. Words are cross-indexed and are also included in an Index to make it easy to tell whether or not the word you're searching for has an entry. * Look up your suspect word. You'll see at a glance: (1) its part of speech; (2) definition; and (3) example sentences that illustrate its use and meaning. * Compare the entry for your suspect word with the entry for its companion word. (The word it is often confused with.) Decide which of the two words is the word you want to use. * To confirm your decision, check out "MORE EXAMPLES" at the bottom of the page to see how authors and celebrities have used the words. * Keep this book handy whenever you write. Its small size is designed for easy use and portability. Keep It near your computer. You'll find it's much easier and faster to look up a word in WHO'S/WHOSE ON FIRST? than to go to a different screen or site on your computer to check it out. * The more you use this book, the more you will sensitize yourself to words that commonly cause wrong-word errors. * Browse through the book occasionally, looking for words you might be using incorrectly without realizing it. The "More Examples" sentences from authors and celebrities as diverse as William Shakespeare and Donald Trump liven up this activity Q. What are some of the words included in WHO'S/WHOSE ON FIRST? A. Examples of confusing words: accept/except; affect/effect; all ready/already; assure/ensure/insure; capital/capitol; cite/sight/site; complement/compliment; emigrate/immigrate; elicit; illicit; foreword/forward; its/ it's; loose/lose; passed/past; principal/principle; stationary/stationery; than/then; their/there/they're; to/too/two; weather/whether; who's/whose; your/you're Examples of misused words: among/between; bad/badly; bring/take; compose/comprise; continual/continuous; disinterested/uninterested; e.g./i.e.; farther/further; fewer/less; good/well; historic/historical; I/me; lay/lie; leave/let; lend/loan; like/as/as if; may/might; set/sit; shall/will; was/were; who/which/that; who/whom Q. How will this book help me? A. The primary purpose of this book is to prevent you from making wrong-word errors. Wrong-word errors are serious. They can undermine your success and be hazardous to your wealth. No matter how well-educated you are, no matter how well-written, accurate, and well-researched is your writing, if you make a simple mistake (such as using then instead of than) your reader will begin to discount what you say. "Doesn't the writer know the difference between 'then' and 'than'? Or is it just a careless mistake? Either way, can I trust the rest of what the writer is saying?" Be a better writer. Use WHO'S/WHOSE ON FIRST? to avoid the wrong-word trap and to ensure that the quality of your writing helps you achieve your goals. You owe it to yourself. Include WHO'S/WHOSE ON FIRST? in your arsenal of writing tools. YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU DID!