Commonly Confused Words

Set 1

Accept/Except

Accept- (v) receive willingly; agree toExcept- (v) omit; (prep) excluding; (conj) but

Examples:Everyone is going to the movies (except, accept) Carlos.A waitress will gladly (except, accept) a $20 tip.

Affect/Effect

Affect- (v) to influence; to produce an effectEffect- (n) produced by a cause; result

Examples:• The sad movie (effected, affected) me

and inspired me to volunteer more.• The movie had a lasting (effect, affect)

on me.

Capitol/Capital

Capitol- (n) a building occupied by a state legislatureCapital- (n) 1) uppercase letter; 2) city that is the official seat of government; 3) punishment regarding death; 4) money in a business.

Capitol/Capital (ctd)

The (capital, capitol) is found in Albany, which is the (capital, capitol) of New York.The (capital, capitol) that the man generously invested into my business, had the (effect, affect) he was looking to make—we were no longer in debt.

Principle/Principal

Principal- (adj) main; most importantPrinciple- (noun) personal rule; code of conduct

Examples:• The (principle/principal) dancer broke

her ankle.• She doesn’t date much because most

college boys don’t share her (principles/principals).

Stationary/Stationery

Stationary- (adj) to sit stillStationery- (n) paper on which to write a letter

Examples:The car sat (stationery/stationary) at the stop sign.I used the purple (stationery/ stationary) to write my thank you letters.

Allusion/Illusion

Allusion- (noun) a casual referenceIllusion- (noun) something that deceives by producing a false or misleading impression of reality.

Examples:• The novel made a clever (illusion/allusion)

to Shakespeare’s “star-crossed lovers.”• The (illusion/allusion) of water in the

desert tricked the thirsty, stranded man.

Compliment/Complement

Complement- (noun) something that completes or makes perfect (verb) to complete or make perfectCompliment- (noun) an expression of praise or admiration; (verb) to praiseExamples:The purple and gold earrings (complimented/complemented) her outfit.She (complimented/complemented) the choreography of the dance team.

Figurative Language Words

Looking Forward and Back

Foreshadowing - When an author gives hints about something that is going to happen later in the story.

Flashback – When an author tells a story from the character’s past in the middle of the on-going story.

Symbolism

When an object, event, character, or word is used to represent meaning beyond its literal meaning.

Examples:White is often symbolic of purity.A Red Rose is symbolic of love.The Raven was a symbol of death.

Allegory

A story in which the characters and events are symbolic of:. A political or historical situation(Ex: The Crucible can be seen as an allegory about the McCarthyTrials.)Human Character Traits(Ex: Good, Evil, Pride, Jealousy, etc.)

Archetype

A character or plot pattern that is a universal template. They are recognizable to readers because of their universal usage.

Examples:Star-crossed lovers, Coming of AgeThe hero, the apprentice, the sidekick, the damsel in distress, etc.