| A | B |
|---|
| disburse | to pay out - associate the "b" in "disburse" with "banks," which disburse money |
| disperse | to scatter or distribute - no "b" as in "disburse" so no disbursing money |
| toward | Why write the longer "towards" when you can get by with the shorter "toward"? |
| every day | every "single" day |
| everyday | ordinary - can't insert "single" between "every" and "day" |
| stationery | writing paper - associate "envelopes" with the "e" in "stationery" |
| stationary | not moving or permanent - no "e" in stationary so no "envelopes" |
| (usually) co, dis, pre, non, un, under, over, (usually) re prefixes | generally no hyphens follow |
| healthful | to promote good health - you aren't healthy yet, so you need to get "full" of health |
| healthy | to have good health - you ARE healthy, so you don't need to get "full" of it as in "healthful" |
| to | preposition or part of infinitive |
| too | also or to an excessive extent - you need another "o" because you are adding as in "also" or have more (excessive amount) |
| all right | You are either all right or all wrong but no alright! |
| alright | not a word - if you can't be alwrong, you can't be alright! |
| than | used to make comparisons - associate the "a" in "than" with the "a" in "compare" |
| then | at that time - no "a" because no comp"a"ring |
| less | use for amounts or quantities that can't be counted (e.g., milk, gas, water) |
| fewer | use for what can be counted (e.g., computers, cars, candy bars) |
| uninterested | "un" means "not" - not interested |
| disinterested | You may be "interested," but you can "dis"tance yourself and be impartial or unbiased. |
| beside | next to |
| besides | in addition to - since you have to add, add an "s" |
| embarrass | You're doubly embarrassed, so you need two of the letter "r" and "s." |
| capitol | a building in which governmental officials meet - think of the dome on top of the capitol, which looks like the letter "o" and associate with "capitol" |
| capital | town/city that is official seat of gov't or asset - associate the "a" in "asset" with the "a" in "capital" |
| desert | dry region - you don't want more than one; therefore, you have only one "s" |
| dessert | sweet meal course - you want two of these treats, so you have two of the letter "s" |
| it's | If you can say "it is," this is correct! Apostrophes show omission of letters or possession; in this case the letter "i" is missing. |
| its | possessive pronoun - you can't say "it is" with this one. |
| principal | head person or main - think of the principal at your school as the "main" person and you'll have both definitions! |
| principle | rule - associate the "le" at the end of "principle" with the "le" on "rule" |
| affect | a verb meaning "to influence" - it is never a noun; therefore, no adjectives can precede it. Substitute the word "influence" to see if it makes sense. |
| effect | result (n.) or bring about a result (v.) - substitute its definitions to see if it makes sense. If any kind of adjective precedes it (the), you know only adjectives describe nouns; therefore, "effect" is needed. |
| lie, sit, rise | all have a second letter of "i" and cannot have an object (noun/pronoun) after it and are "intransitive" verbs |
| lay, set, raise | no common "i" as the second letter and all require an object after |
| alot | Just as "alright" is not a word because you can't be "alwrong"; neither is "alot" a word! |
| discreet | showing good judgment - associate the double "oo" in "good" with the double "e" in "discreet" |
| discrete | separate or noncontinuous - "separate" the double "e" as in "discreet" with this one because of its definition |
| e.g. | for example - say the word "example" and you will have said "eggsample"; therefore, use its pronunciation to know that examples are preceded by "e.g." |
| i.e. | that is - you don't say "egg" here as you do in "example" for "e.g.," so use "i.e." instead |
| they're | they are - apostrophes show possession or omission; here the letter "a" is omitted |
| their | possessive pronoun - a noun must follow |
| there | at that place - no possession (their) and no omission (they're) |
| all ready | all prepared - say all "completely" ready; if it makes sense, use two words |
| already | previously - substitute "previously" and make sure you can't insert the word "completely" between "all" and "ready" or you need "all ready" |
| sometime | an indefinite time |
| some time | a period of time - since it is just that, stretch it out to two words |
| personal | private |
| personnel | refers to employees - think of the double "e" on "employees" with the double "n" on "personnel" |
| may be | verb form |
| maybe | perhaps - substitute the definition (perhaps) to see if you need it as one or two words |
| averse | distaste - you don't like something |
| adverse | hostile - associate the "d" in "adverse" with the "d" in "dangerous" |
| later | further advanced in time |
| latter | designates the second of two choices |
| insure | associate with "insurance" |
| ensure | to make secure from loss |
| apprise | to inform or notify - associate the "i" in "inform" with the "i" in "apprise" |
| appraise | to estimate (an asset) - think of the added "a" in "appraise" as an asset vs. no "a" in "apprise" |
| imply | to state directly |
| infer | to draw a conclusion or make a deduction based on facts - associate the "f" on "facts" with the "f" on "infer" - you need facts to draw a conclusion |
