Page 143 - Merritt College Student Handbook and Planner 2021-2022

ENGLISISHH
Commonly Misspelled Words
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.
MLA Guidelines Cheat Sheet
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