4. Choosing the Right Word

absolutely

absolutely means 'definitely,' 'entirely,' or 'unquestionably' and should not be used to mean 'very' or 'much.'

accept/except

accept is a verb meaning 'consent to' or 'admit willingly;' except is normally a preposition meaning 'other than,' or 'excluding.'

accumulative/cumulative

accumulative and cumulative are synonyms that mean 'massed' or 'added up over a period of time.' Accumulative is rarely used.

advice/advise

advice is a noun that means 'counsel' or 'suggestion;' advise is a verb that means 'give advice.'

affect/effect

affect is a verb that means 'influence;' effect can either be a verb that means 'cause' or as a noun that means 'result.' However, it's best to use a less formal word than effect.

all together/altogether

all together means 'all in one place' or 'all acting together.' Altogether means 'entirely' or 'completely.'

allude/elude/refer

allude means to make an indirect reference to something not specifically mentioned; elude means to escape notice or detection; refer is used to indicate a direct reference to something.

and/or

and/or means that either both circumstances are possible; however we recommend not using this, because it confuses the reader.

almost/most

Do not use most as a substitute for almost.

amount/number

amount is used with things thought of in bulk; number is used with things that can be counted as individual items.

between/among

between is used to relate two items or persons; among is used to relate to more than two.

can/may

can refers to capability; may refers to possibility or permission.

compare/contrast

When you compare something, you point out similarities or both similarities and differences of an item. When you contrast something, you point out only the differences.

data/datum

With most computer writing, data is considered a collective singular. However, in formal scientific and scholarly writing, data is considered the plural, and datum the singular.

definite/definitive

definite and definitive both apply to what is 'precisely defined,' but definitive more often refers to what is complete and definitive.

e.g./i.e.

e.g. and i.e. are abbreviations for the Latin words "for example" and "that is." Usually, you will not need to use these abbreviations unless you need to save space in notes or figures.

explicit/implicit>

An explicit statement is one expressed directly; an implicit meaning is one not directly expressed.

fewer/less

fewer refers to items that can be counted; less refers to mass quantities or amounts.

foreword/forward

foreword is an introductory statement at the beginning of a document; forward means 'at or toward the front.'

Illegal/illicit

Something that is illegal is prohibited by law; illicit behavior may not be illegal, but does violate custom or moral codes.

imply/infer

To imply something means that you hint or suggest it; to infer something means you reach a conclusion based on evidence.

insure/ensure/assure

insure, ensure, and assure all mean 'make sure or certain.' Assure refers to persons; ensure and insure also mean 'make secure from harm.' Insure also is used to mean 'guaranteeing the value of life or property.

notable/noticeable

notable, which means 'worthy of notice,' sometimes gets confused with noticeable, which means 'readily observed.'

per cent/percent/percentage

percent, is used instead of per cent, or the symbol (%) in all manuals; percentage, which is never used with numbers, indicates a general size.

that/which/who

that and which refer to animals and things; who refers to people.

there/their/they're

there is an expletive or adverb; their is the possessive form of they; they're is a contraction of they are.