1. Accept or Except?
Accept means "to receive." Except is usually a preposition meaning "but" or "leaving out." However, except can also be a verb meaning "to leave out." As verbs, accept and except are nearly antonyms, so the difference is important!
He accepted the gift. (He received it.)
Everyone except Bill. (All but Bill.)
2. A Lot or Allot?
A lot (two words) is an informal phrase meaning "many." Allot means "to distribute between or among." Alot does not exist as a word.
3. Farther vs. Further
Farther is used for physical distance; further for non-physical.
The farther we walked, the more tired I became.
I will give it further thought.
4. Could Of or Could Have?
Could of does not exist. Neither do should of, will of, or would of as verbs. Use could have, should have, will have, or would have.
5. Supposed To and Used To
The common expressions supposed to meaning "meant to" or "intended to" and used to meaning "formerly" are frequently misspelled or misunderstood.
We are supposed to meet at seven
We are suppose to meet at seven.
6. Than or Then?
Than is a conjunction used with comparisons. It rhymes with pan. Then is an adverb that refers to time. It rhymes with pen.
He likes you more than me.
First you do the shop, then you report it.
7. Disinterested or Uninterested?
Disinterested means "impartial" or "not taking sides." In other words, not having a personal interest at stake.
Uninterested means "not interested." In other words, not showing any interest.
8. Assure, ensure, insure
Assure means to guarantee
Ensure means to make sure
Insure means to protect against loss or damage
9. Later vs. Latter
Later means afterwards
Latter is the second of two things
The blue shirt and black slacks were nice, but the latter was less expensive
10. Passed vs Past
Passed is the past tense of pass. Past means a time that has gone.
The employee passed me without acknowledging me.
The employee walked past me without saying hello.
11. Difficult vs hard
Difficult describes tasks, while hard describes objects
The test was difficult.
The table is hard.
12. Use “try to” rather than “try and”
I will try to get that done today
I will try and get that done today.
13. Who vs. Whom
A simple test to see which is proper is to replace who/whom with he/him. If he sounds right, use who; if him is right, use whom.
Since he did it and not him did it, use who did it
Since we give something to him and not to he, use to whom.
14. Its or It’s
Its is a pronoun, and it's is a contraction meaning "it is"
A tree loses its leaves in the Fall.
It’s going to be a long time before I return to that store!