I see these common mistakes all the time in my editing work — I’m sure I’ve made some of them myself from time to time. Even those of you who don’t call yourselves a professional writer will want to know the correct way to use these in both speech and casual or personal writing. If we’re serious about connecting with others, it’s important to learn to be as articulate as possible and to use the right words for whatever you’re trying to convey.
This is a fun infographic from Jennifer Frost originally published HERE at grammarcheck.net.
Enjoy!
Source: www.grammarcheck.net
How great is this? I’ve printed it out to help me remember some of those tough ones. I finally got effect/affect, compliment/complement but still have a difficult time with the principal of the thing…or is it principle?? 🙂
Thanks, Pamela — I thought it was fun and really helpful too.
One thing they don’t mention in this is that principle is only a noun, but principal can be a noun OR an adjective. So while the principal of the elementary school may be a disciplinarian, laying down the important principles of conduct, his or her principal roles are those of shepherd and role model. 🙂
I’d admit there are a couple of these I still struggle with, and it annoys me that I can’t remember and have to look them up every time. Sometimes I just pick another word!
Me too, Karen — and it seems they should have mentioned that EFFECT can also be a verb meaning to bring about or cause (His action effected a change in the policy).