Siguiendo con la lista de las palabras frecuentemente confundidas:
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imply, infer: Imply means to suggest something indirectly. Infer means to conclude from facts or indications. If I imply by yawning that I'm tired, you might infer that I want you to leave. Think of implying as done by the actor, inferring as done by the receiver. The most common error is to use infer when imply is correct. To influence the buyer, the owner implied (not inferred) that the property would increase in value within a few months. All the reports implied (not inferred) that the death was a suicide.
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incredible, incredulous: Incredible means unbelievable or so astonishing as to seem unbelievable, whereas incredulous means skeptical or unbelieving: We were incredulous as we listened to his incredible story about being abducted by aliens. Avoid the colloquial (imprecise) overuse of incredible to mean striking or very, as in That's an incredible dress you're wearing or I was incredibly sad.
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inflammable, flammable: Inflammable and flammable both mean easily set on fire, will burn readily. Because people might think inflammable means not easily set on fire (as inactive means not active, incoherent means not coherent, etc.), those who deal with fires and fire safety argue that flammable should be used for warning signs and labels.
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irregardless, regardless: Although irregardless is widely used, it is never correct. The word should be regardless. Regardless of what you think, the changes will be made.
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its, it's: Its is the possessive of it: The tree lost its leaves. It's is a contraction of it is: It's too bad we can't come.
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lay, lie: These verbs cause trouble for many people. If you mean recline, use lie. If you mean set, place, or put, use lay. An easy way to remember which one to use is to recognize that lie does not take an object and lay does: I lie down for a nap every day. The dog lies by the fire. I lay the paper on the table. Chickens lay eggs. The past tense and the past participles of lie are lay and lain. I lay down for a nap yesterday. I have lain down every afternoon this week. The past and past participle of lay are laid and laid. I laid the paper on the table yesterday. I have laid it in the same spot for years.
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lead, led (verbs): Led is the past tense of lead. Last week he led the choir rehearsal; I usually lead the choir, but I was ill.
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like, as: Both as and like can be used as prepositions. He sleeps like a baby. We see this as an alternative. But only as is a subordinating conjunction; so when you are introducing a clause, don't use like. The storm started after lunch, just as (not like) I said it would. Do not use like to refer to speaking, thinking, or a state of being. And I'm like, “It's okay with me.”
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lightning, lightening: Lightning is a flash of light. Lightening means becoming lighter.
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literally, figuratively: Literally means true to the meaning of the words, or precisely as stated. It is often misused to mean almost or definitely, as in I literally died when he chose me. If you literally died, you would be talking from beyond the grave. In the sentence I literally died when he chose me, died is being used not literally but figuratively, as a metaphor for the overwhelming reaction you experienced. To convey this emotion you could say, I almost died when he chose me. Use literally only when referring to the meaning precisely as stated. By blocking the door, he literally refused to let anyone leave the room. The literal subject of the poem is the flowers, but the poet is using them figuratively to represent the impermanence of beauty.
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loath, loathe: Loath is an adjective meaning reluctant. Loathe is a verb meaning to despise. I am loath to admit that I loathe David.
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lose, loose: Lose means to be unable to find. Loose, an adjective, means unrestrained or inexact. I often lose the loose change I keep in my pocket. The poem loses its power in such a loose translation. Loose is used less frequently as a verb. It means to set free or make less tight. She loosed the bird into the air. He loosed (more commonly, loosened) the victim's clothing.
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much, many: Much is a noun meaning large in number, size, or quantity. We have much to get done before 5:00. Many is an adjective indicating a large, indefinite number. Many students wait to begin their research until the night before a paper is due.
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nauseated, nauseous: When you're sick to your stomach, you're nauseated. The thing that made you sick—for example, rotten meat—is nauseous. Twirling the baby and throwing him up in the air makes him nauseated (not nauseous). The baby would be nauseous only if the sight of him made someone else feel nauseated.
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oral, verbal, written: Oral means uttered, spoken. Verbal means of, in, or by means of words, whether the words are spoken or written. An oral agreement is an unwritten agreement. A verbal agreement can be either a spoken or written agreement. To avoid confusion, use oral or written instead of the ambiguous verbal. Reserve verbal for situations in which you are distinguishing communication in words from other types of communication, such as sign language and body movements.
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passed, past: Passed is a verb. I passed the test. We passed the old barn on our way here. Past is either a noun, an adjective, or a preposition—but never a verb The past haunts us. His past sins caught up with him. We drove past the frozen lake.
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people, person: Use people rather than persons to refer to a group of human beings. I wish more people appreciated his artwork. He picked four people (not four persons) for the management team. Use person to refer to one human being. She is a person of integrity. A group of people sharing a culture can be referred to as a people. The Lakota are a people of the plains.
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personal, personnel: Personal means private or individual; personnel pertains to staff, workers, a company's employees. The human resources director must keep some personal contact information about all company personnel.
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