Affect vs. Effect

• “Affect” is a verb and “Effect” is a noun

1. The recession has affected many industries.
2. The effect of the recession was widespread.

Although vs. Even Though

• "Although" is used when the intitial condition is positive but the outcome is negative.

1. Although I practiced for the tournament, I did not play well.

• "Even Though" is used when the intitial condition is negative but the outcome is positive.

1. Even though I did not practice for the tournament, I won MVP.

Alternate vs. Alternative

• "Alternate" means to go back and forth between things

1. He alternated between playing golf and watching TV every Sunday.

• "Alternative" means other

1. I must think of alternative solutions to tackle the problem.

Among vs. Amongst

• There is no wrong choice. It is a question of style.
• The most detailed way to look at it is "amongst" is a bit more eloquent and is more appropriately used in a fantasy/poetic sense while "among" is better for a non-fiction piece.

Among vs. Between

• "Among" is used for similar things that are not distinct.

1. We had to choose from among various vegetables for our snack.

• "Between" is used for separate, distinct things.

1. We had to choose between carrots, celery or cucumbers for our snack.

Anticipate vs. Expect

• "Anticipate" is used to prepare for, or do, something in advance. You anticipate to deal with them but the event is not necessarily imminent.
• "Expect" is used when you think the event is imminent.

As vs. Like

• Use "as", not "like", for a conjunction. As a tip, never use a verb immediately after "like"

1. Incorrect: "This rental car drives like a luxury car should."
2. Correct: "This rental car drives as a luxury car should."

Assure vs. Ensure vs. Insure

• "Assure" is only used in reference to a person.

1. Incorrect: "Assure the car will run as expected."
2. Correct: "I can assure you that your car will run as expected."

• "Ensure" is used to make sure something happens
• "Insure" is used in the sense of insuring a company.

Continual vs. Continuous

• "Continual" indicates a repeated occurrence
• "Continuous" indicates means something that occurs without stopping

1. A person is "continually" working until retirement but is "continuously" breathing.

Disinterested vs. Uninterested

• "Disinterested" is used to express you are impartial.
• "Uninterested" means you do not care.

Each vs. Every

• "Each" is used for two or more of a thing while "every" is for three or more. The exception is that "each" is used for three or more of a thing when "each" is used as a pronoun. If you wanted to you "every" in this case, you would have to insert "one" before "of them".

1. "We had to buy 500 cookies. They cost $.20 each."
2. "We had to buy 500 cookies. Every one of them cost $.20 each."

• "Each" is used when we think of individual people while "every" is used for the collective

1. "Each of us gave the boy a cookie."
2. "Every child received a cookie."

• "Every" is used with adverbs

1. "Unfortunately, every store ran out of milk."

• "Every" is used for cyclical events

1. Incorrect: "Each 4th of July..."
2. Correct: "Every 4th of July..."
3. Correct: "Every day of the week.."

Eminent vs. Immanent vs. Imminent

• “Eminent” is used to express fame or prominence
• “Imminent” is used to express an event that is near. "Imminent" events can be good or bad.
• “Immanent” is used to express something inherent or integral to.

1. Gravity is an immanent component of the physical universe.

Enquire vs. Inquire

• You "enquire" about a person and you "inquire" for more formal things (e.g. a court case).

Envision vs. Invision

• "Envision" means to imagine
• "Invision" means lacking vision

Farther vs. Further

• Both refer to distance, but “farther” refers to physical distance while “further” is metaphorical.

1. I drove farther into town.
2. I dove further into my project.

Me vs. Myself

• "Me" is used when the verb is acting upon you. So "me" is used when you are the object of a sentence.

1. Incorrect: "The principal wanted to talk with my mother and myself."
2. Correct: "The principal wanted to talk with my mother and me."
3. Correct: "Buy me some cookies!"

• "Myself" is used with the subject pronoun "I". So "myself" is better used when you are the subject of a sentence.

1. "I cleaned up my room all by myself."

Then vs. Than

• “Then” refers to a subsequent event in time while “Than” is used to compare things

1. First we buy the ice cream, then we go home.
2. It is hotter than a desert today!

Which vs. Who vs. That

• "That" or "Which" refer to groups or things while "Who" refers to an individual.

• "That" is employed when for an independent clause while "Which" is employed for dependent clauses. An independent clause is a statement that is a complete sentence and can, if need be, stand on its own. A dependent clause, on its own, does not form a complete sentence and exists to further describe the independent clause. If "Which" is employed in a dependent clause, surround the dependent clause with commas. For example, "That car, which your mother bought you, is going to need a carwash."

1. Exception: You can use "Which" to introduce an independent clause if you have already employed "That/Those/These/This" in the same sentence. For example, "Those are the socks which we paid $10 for?"

While vs. Whilst

• There is no wrong choice, although "whilst" is a bit more eloquent. "Whilst" is also more in vogue in Britain than in America.

Who vs. Whom

• An easy way to figure out what to use is remember He = who, Him = whom. That is, when you would employ "him" in the sentence, whom is the correct pronoun. When "he" would be used, "who" is correct.

1. For example, would you buy the car for (him vs he)? You would buy it for "him", so the correct usage if asking a question would be, "For whom would I buy this car?"
2. The opposite would be if that same person is doing the act and you are the recipient. If "he" is buying the car for you, he is the subject and you are the object. Therefore the sentence would read "Who is buying the car for me?"

• Remember that "who" is used for the subject (the thing doing the act) of a sentence while "whom" is used for the object (the thing upon whom the act is being done) of a sentence.

1. For example, "For whom should I make this check out to?" Here, you are doing the action but we are using the pronoun for its recipient, i.e. the object of the sentence - so we use "whom". You can also ask yourself the he/him question.

Sources: Rutgers Guide to Grammar and Style; The Chicago Manual of Style; Elements of Style; OWL