MLA Guidelines Cheat Sheet
AFFECT
– (v.) To influence.
ex:
Do not let the pressure affect your judgment.
EFFECT
– (n.) An outcome, as in cause and effect; (v.) To bring about.
ex:
The film had many
special effects that were the result of powerful computer-generated images.
ex:
The only way to
effect true change is to enlist the help of many like-minded people.
ACCEPT
– (v.) To take or receive.
ex:
Never accept packages in the mail from unknown sources.
EXCEPT
– (prep.) With the exclusion of.
ex:
You may take anything you would like except my red
striped teddy bear.
ALLUSION
– (n.) In literature, a direct reference to another work of literature or art.
ex:
The teacher made an allusion to Homer’s
The Odyssey
in his lecture.
ILLUSION
– (n.) A false representation of something real.
ex:
When the clouds cleared away, the
sun’s rays created the illusion of many colors in the sky, known as a rainbow.
A LOT
(two words)
– (n.) Numerous in quantity.
ex.
I have a lot of nice books to read at home.
ALOT
(one word)
– Incorrect spelling; must be two words.
CITE
– (v.) To quote directly from a source.
ex:
My research paper cited over ten sources of information.
SIGHT
– (n.) Of or pertaining to vision.
ex:
The man’s sight had failed many years ago, and he
was now completely blind.
SITE
– (n.) The position or location.
ex:
The new building was erected on the site of the old city hall.
COMPLEMENT
– (n.) Something that completes; (v.) To complete.
ex:
The shirt and tie were a
nice complement to the business casual look he was going for.
COMPLIMENT
– (n.) Praise; (v.) To praise.
ex:
Amanda’s friends complimented her on her
willingness to be flexible.
ITS
– (possessive pronoun) Of or belonging to it.
ex:
The house was badly damaged in the blizzard
when its roof caved in under the heavy snow.
IT’S
– (contraction) Shortened form of “it is.”
ex:
It’s hard to tell you how I feel without hurting you.
LOSE
– (v.) To misplace; also, to be defeated.
ex:
We were all hoping that the Eagles would lose
their grip on first place.
LOOSE
– (adj.) Not tight; also, free from imprisonment.
ex:
The child’s tooth was loose enough
that we were able to wiggle it out easily.
ex:
The man accused of murder was set loose from jail
after he agreed to testify against another criminal.
Commonly Misspelled Words
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