Siguiendo con la lista de las palabras frecuentemente confundidas:
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bad, badly: Bad is an adjective modifying or describing a state of being, usually of the subject. Use bad after the verbs feel or look. Badly is an adverb describing the quality of the verb. She felt bad that the driver of the car was injured badly.
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beside, besides: Beside means next to, at the side of. Besides means in addition to. I don't want to spend my life living beside the dump. Besides its convenient office location, my new employer provides good health and retirement benefits.
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biannual, biennial: Biannual means twice a year; biennial means every two years.
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bimonthly, biweekly: Bimonthly can mean either every two months or twice a month. Biweekly can mean either every two weeks or twice a week. Because of these dual meanings, it is clearer to use terms such as twice a month or every two months instead.
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bloc, block: Use block except when referring to a coalition of people or nations. Then the word is bloc. The gun‐control bloc (not block) defeated the amendment.
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capital, capitol: Use capital when referring to the city that is the seat of a government. The capital of California is Sacramento. Use capitol when referring to the building where a legislature meets. When we arrived there, we toured the capitol and other government buildings.
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censor, censure: To censor something is to edit, remove, or prohibit it because it is judged objectionable. To censure someone is to strongly condemn him or her as wrong. The vice principal censured the class president for her fiery speech, but he didn't censor the text of her speech.
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cite, site, sight: Cite is a verb meaning to summon before a court of law, to mention by way of example, or to officially mention as meritorious. I am citing you for creating a public nuisance. The young officer was cited for bravery. Site is a noun meaning location or scene. We drove quickly to the site of the accident. Sight is also a noun, meaning the ability to see or something seen. From the hill, the stormy ocean was a beautiful sight.
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compare to, compare with; contrast to, contrast with: To compare things means to describe their similarities, differences, or both. To contrast means to point out differences only. Use compare to when stating a likeness between things. The final scene in the novel can be compared to the final scene in the play, since both show a reconciliation of opposing forces. Use compare with when showing similarities, differences, or both. Compared with what was budgeted for prisons, the amount budgeted for crime prevention was small, but both amounts were increased from last year. Use contrast to when showing things with opposite characteristics. The Garcias' peaceful marriage is in contrast to the Nelsons' bitter relationship. Use contrast with when juxtaposing things to illustrate their differences. They contrasted Mr. Headley's plan for bringing in new businesses with Ms. Friedman's proposal.
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complement, compliment: As a noun, complement means something that completes or perfects something else, and, as a verb, to accompany or complete something else. His creativity was the perfect complement to her determination. The dessert complemented the dinner. Compliment as a noun means something said in praise, and as a verb to praise. Her compliment about his dancing pleased him; he in turn complimented her on her gracefulness.
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compose, comprise: Compose means to make up. Two senators from each state compose the U.S. Senate. Comprise means to include. The U.S. Senate comprises two senators from each state. The most common mistake is to use comprise for compose. Remember that the whole comprises the parts, not the other way around. Also, don't use the phrase “is comprised of.”
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conscience, consciousness: Conscience is an inner voice, a sense of right and wrong; whereas consciousness is simply awareness, or the ability to think and feel. Consciousness of the woman's plight didn't seem to bother his conscience. The adjectival forms are conscientious, which means scrupulous, painstaking, or acting in accordance with conscience; and conscious, which means awake or aware.
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contemptible, contemptuous: Contemptible means deserving contempt, while contemptuous means showing or feeling contempt. We were contemptuous of their feeble explanation for their contemptible behavior toward the animals.
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continual, continuous: Something that is continual is repeated often. Something that is continuous goes on without interruption. I made continual requests for a seat change because of the baby's continuous crying.
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council, counsel: Council, a noun, is a committee or an administrative body. Counsel as a noun is advice, an exchange of ideas, or a lawyer or group of lawyers. Her counsel advised her that she should first seek counsel from an expert and then approach the town council. Council is never a verb. Counsel as a verb means to give advice. She counseled him to increase his investments in the stock market.
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denote, connote: Denote refers to the dictionary definition of a word. The noun “rose” denotes a particular flower. Connote means what a word may imply or suggest. For example, the noun rose can connote youth, beauty, the impermanence of beauty, freshness, etc. Connotations include all the suggestions and nuances that are beyond a word's dictionary definition.
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device, devise: A device (noun) is an instrument, either something concrete like a can opener or something abstract like a plan. Devise, a verb, means to create or fashion a device. They devised an ingenious device for pitting olives.
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different from, different than: When comparing two things, use different from: The movie is different from (not than) the book. My goals are different from (not than) yours. If different introduces a subordinate clause, use the subordinating conjunction than. The true story was different than I had believed.
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dilemma, problem: Don't use dilemma to mean problem. A dilemma means a choice between two unattractive alternatives. Her dilemma was whether to put up with her neighbor's noise or to give up the inexpensive apartment. A problem doesn't necessarily involve such a choice. The problem of how to provide universal health care plagued us, not The dilemma of how to provide universal health care plagued us.
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discreet, discrete: If you are discreet you are careful about what you do and say; you show prudence and good judgment. Discrete, however, means separate and distinct. It was discreet of the maid to divide the laundry into discrete piles, one of Rebecca's clothes and one of Toni's.
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disinterested, uninterested: Disinterested means impartial, and uninterested means lacking interest. A jury that is disinterested is desirable; a jury that is uninterested is not, because the members may doze off during the trial.
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e.g., i.e.,: The abbreviation e.g. (from the Latin exempli gratia) means for example. Do not confuse it with the abbreviation i.e. (from the Latin id est), which means that is (to say).Use e.g. when you are citing some but not all examples. He took camping equipment with him, e.g., a tent, a cooking stove, and a sleeping bag. Do not use etc. with e.g. because the idea of more examples than are being cited is already present in e.g. Use i.e. when you are presenting an equivalent of the preceding term. He will study the document, i.e., the committee's official confirmation. In a formal essay you should write out for example and that is rather than using the abbreviations.
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