Writing clearly and persuasively is still as important as ever. According to the PEW Research Center, writing and communication skills account for two of the most important skills that students need to succeed in the modern world and the modern workplace.
A hallmark of good, solid writing is clarity and precision. One cannot be a good communicator if one is not a clear communicator, and being a clear communicator requires one to choose his or her words with purpose.
It is for this reason that I have assembled a list of commonly confused English words. English, as with any language, has no shortage of confusing words in its lexicon, and I will do my best to guide you through these thorny words with style, humor, and examples.
What is the difference between affect and effect? What about principle and principal? How can we sort out these words, so that we don’t make any future writing mistakes?
I hope this page will be a guide for good usage and that each article will serve as a resource you can reference whenever you have a question about the word at hand.
Lastly, if you have any suggestions for additions to this page, shoot me an email, and I would be happy to add it to my list.