Writing Matters
| Publication year | 2021 |
| Pages | 0078 |
| Citation | Vol. 27 No. 1 Pg. 0078 |
You Keep Using That Word: I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means
As careful as legal writers can be, even the most diligent of writers can become tangled with these commonly confused words. Budget time for proofreading to minimize the likelihood that you confuse the reader by confusing these words.
BY DAVID HRICIK AND KAREN J. SNEDDON
The title of this installment of "Writing Matters" is just one of many famous lines from "The Princess Bride." This installment of "Writing Matters" shares 20 commonly confused, and so misused, words. It addresses confused words or expressions, including those caused by autocorrection, easily-missed typographical errors and writer error, which should help you avoid using the wrong word from the start.
The need to quickly create a document can lead to typographical mistakes, some of which may accidentally alter the meaning of a sentence or render it nonsensical. Consider how the inclusion or omission of an apostrophe can alter the meaning of its versus it's. And, we've all experienced autocorrect fails, particularly when using all capitalized words, shown by the use of "the Unites States" instead of "the United States" in the recent Senate impeachment proceedings, for example.
User and computer error aren't the only sources of the problems we discuss here. The complexity of the English language also creates confusion, particularly because of homonyms and homophones. Homonyms are two words that have the same pronunciation, and often the same spelling, but have different meanings. For example, the word tire can refer to a wheel on a car or to fatigue. Homophones are two words that have the same pronunciation but different spellings—and different meanings. For example, the word here sounds like the word hear, but they are spelled differently and have very different meanings.
1 Accept v. Except
The word accept is a verb that means to receive something, such as a job offer, a check or a gift. The word except is typically used as a preposition that means to exclude something. The buyer accepted the contract, which was perfect except for a typo on page three. Also, be careful not to unintentionally type expect when you mean except.
2 Advise v. Advice
The word advise is a verb that means to provide counsel or advice. In contrast, the word advice is a noun that refers to
an opinion or recommendation. A lawyer...
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