When you draw in air, do you breath or breathe? If someone tells you what a great job you did, is this person paying you a complement or a compliment? Does lightning or lightening occur during a thunderstorm? When you are at that place, are you their, there, or they’re?
optical illusion, chessboard, tunnel, pixabay.com
affect, effect
Affect is a verb. It means to produce a change or influence something.
The history class he took affected the way he thought about current world events.
Effect is a noun. It means something that happens as a result of something else.
The effect of studying was an improvement in her grades.
allusion, illusion
An allusion is a casual or indirect reference.
The author’s allusion to her previously written books aroused the audience’s interest about them.
An illusion is a false reality.
Her life was filled with nothing but illusion.
breath, breathe
Breath is a noun. It is respiration. It also means a pause.
The shock took her breath away for a moment.
Breathe is a verb. It means to take oxygen into the lungs and then expel it.
In order to live, one must breathe.
western front of the U.S. Capitol, wikipedia
capital, capitol
I still have trouble with these two words.
One of the meanings of capital is the city of town that is the official seat of government in a country, state, etc.
Frankfort is the capital of Kentucky.
When capitalized, Capitol is the building in Washington, D.C., used by the congress of the U.S. for its sessions. When used for the building of the state legislature, capitol is not capitalized.
When I was in the sixth grade, I went on a tour of the Capitol.
complement, compliment
Complement is something that completes or makes perfect.
The wine complemented the simple meal.
A compliment is an expression of praise, commendation, or admiration.
The couple gave the waiter a compliment on his excellent service.
conscience, conscious
Your conscience is your inner sense of what is right and wrong.
Your conscience will sometimes deceive you.
To be conscious is to be aware of one’s own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, etc.; awake
Many people require coffee each morning to become fully conscious.
its, it’s
Even though many people seem to not realize it, its is the possessive form of “it”.
Drinking wine does have its benefits.
It’s is a contraction, not a possessive. This contraction is short for “it is”.
It’s going to be a windy day.
ear, wikimedia commons
hear, here
Hear means to learn by the ear or by being told.
Have you heard the latest news?
Here means in this place.
The graduation party is going to be held here.
lead, led
As a verb, lead means to be in front or guide. As an adjective or a noun, it is a metallic element.
It was Mr. Bronson’s job to lead the tour group through the haunted house at night.
Led is the past tense of “to lead”.
He led the tour group through the haunted house at night.
lightning, lightening
Lightning is a flash of light in the sky, usually during a thunderstorm.
The thunderstorm warning included a risk of heavy lightning.
Lightening happens towards the end of pregnancy. It is the descent of the uterus into the pelvic cavity. It also means making something brighter.
As soon as Megan realized that lightening had begun, she had her husband take her straight to the hospital.
lightning, oompa123.deviantart.com
lose, loose
When you lose something, you come to be without it. You misplace it and cannot find it.
Be careful not to lose your diploma.
To loose is to free from anything that binds or restrains. As an adjective, it means
lacking in reticence or power of restraint.
Her loose tongue is going to land her in deep trouble one of these days.
passed, past
When you have passed something or someone, you have completed the act of passing.
After staying up all night and studying for the math test, I passed it.
Past means gone by or having happened before the present time.
It was a shock to her when she found out about her past life.
than, then
Than is a conjunction. It is used, as after comparative adjectives and adverbs, to introduce the second member of an unequal comparison.
The first contestant is definitely more talented than the second one.
Then means immediately of soon afterward.
We will go to the museum then go out to dinner.
two pigeons, pdpics.com
their, there, they’re
Their is a possessive pronoun.
Their way is obviously the correct way.
There means in or at that place.
Her coat is laying over there.
They’re is the contraction for “they are”.
They’re going to tour the haunted mansion.
to, too, two
To is a preposition used for expressing motion or direction toward a point, person, place, or thing approached.
They’re on their way to the haunted mansion
Too means in addition; also; furthermore; moreover
Don’t forget to let the dog out too.
Two is a cardinal number, 1 plus 1.
You will have two new students added to your class next week.
wander, wonder
Wander means to ramble without a definite purpose or objective; roam, rove, or stray.
Not having a clue where she was, the girl wandered all around the strange town.
Wonder means to to think or speculate curiously.
Do you ever wonder about where you are?
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