Some of the most abused words in the English language

The abuse of these words exasperates many a pedantic lover of English.

Affect, effect

Affect is usually a verb and effect is usually a noun.

The teacher hoped to affect the students’ results.
The teacher affected a look of disbelief when the school published the results. (Here, it means to pretend or imitate.)
Psychologists say that affect is the conscious experience or emotion. (Here, it is a noun that refers to feeling.)
The teacher had a profound effect on the results.
The new teacher effected many changes in the curriculum.

Alternate, alternative

Alternate is every other one or succeeding by turns and alternative means one of two choices or a substitute. The usage is becoming blurred, but it is worth sticking to the rules.

The nurse comes on alternate days.
The alternative is to shut it down.

Complement, compliment

Complement means to complete a whole and can be a verb or a noun. Compliment means to praise and can also be a verb or a noun.

Her presence complements that of the family.
A complement of 20 fire fighters attended the scene.
He compliments her on the report she has written.
His compliment was sincere.

Comprise

Comprise means made up of or to include; however, it is often confused with compose or used as synonym for constitute.
NOTE: Never say “comprised of”.

The organisation comprises three divisions. (Here, the three divisions are the whole organisation.)

But:

The organisation includes the Capital Growth Division. (Here, the Capital Growth Division is part of the organisation, but not all parts are mentioned.)

Fewer, less

Fewer modifies a plural noun and refers to units that can be expressed as a specific number. Less modifies a singular noun and refers to quantity or bulk and to comparisons that cannot be expressed numerically.

Eat less meat and you will consume less fat.
I have fewer dollars in my pocket than you have.

But:

I have less than twenty dollars in my pocket.

Stationary, stationery

Stationary is an adjective that means fixed in place. Stationery is a noun that means writing materials, pens, envelopes.

The train was stationary for 30 minutes.
Let’s buy the stationery at the supermarket.

Correct usage of bi and semi

You can dispel the confusion caused by bi and semi by remembering that bi means two and semi means half. 
Here’s what H.W. Fowler, the outraged pedant of abused English, says about bi:

“If it were not for bicentenary, which lacks a vernacular equivalent, there would be no reason why all the bi- hybrids should not be allowed to perish.” —H.W. Fowler, Fowler's Modern English Usage

However, if you must use bi and semi, here's the correct usage:

• semiweekly = twice a week
• biweekly = every two weeks 
• semimonthly = twice a month 
• bimonthly = every two months 
• semiannual = twice each year 
• biennial = every two years

Proper use of the apostrophe makes you look clever

Do you look stupid in print? Consider a class action against your old school. Or sue your English teacher. Better yet, sue your department of education. Sue them all.

What is it with apostrophe abuse?

I found the following plea for advice on the Internet. The writer wants to know what is ailing her, but quite honestly, I would have to add some apostrophes before I tell her. Then I would have to rewrite the whole thing.

Sinceearly in the school year, i've been having severe nonstop headaches that dont go away, no matter what i take. i have stomach aches that feel neither like cramps, like im going to throw up, or anything ive ever felt. i get dizzy frequently, the room will spin, i black out, and feel like im going to pass out. this is daily. it always feels like theres so much pressure in my head that its going to explode.

Why apostrophe abuse hurts so much

I don’t care how much you jump up and down screaming, “I hate bloody apostrophes”, seeing them omitted or used improperly makes me get out my pen and start editing. The truth is, you can write how you like to your friends via private SMS and emails, but when it comes to writing for the public, standard grammar still applies. So, if you want your readers to take notice, write proper English.
The apostrophe has two jobs: to indicate a possessive and to indicate omitted letters. That’s all.
To indicate the possessive

The DVD’s cover is missing (singular). The DVDs’ covers are missing (plural).

The TV’s remote control is broken (singular). The TVs’ remote controls are missing (plural).

The girl’s hat blew away (singular). The girls’ hats blew away (plural).

But, if you can’t say “it is”, ditch the apostrophe.

Its cover is broken. (It does not make sense to say: It is cover is broken.)

To replace omitted letters and form one word

I have eaten my lunch already. I’ve eaten my lunch already. (The apostrophe takes the place of ha.)

We have seen the light. We’ve seen the light. (The apostrophe takes the place of ha.)

Let us see how far we can go. Let’s see how far we can go. (The apostrophe takes the place of u.)

It's raining again. (It is raining again.)

Here’s the above paragraph with corrections:

Sincerely, in the school year, I've been having severe nonstop headaches that don’t go away, no matter what I take. I have stomach aches that feel neither like cramps, like I’m going to throw up, or anything I’ve ever felt. I get dizzy frequently, the room will spin, I black out, and feel like I’m going to pass out. This is daily. It always feels like there’s so much pressure in my head that it’s going to explode.

Now, isn’t that better? The other grammatical errors are for another blog.
See the Shire Web Writer website for writing help.