As someone in the communication profession, I read a lot of writing. And edit a lot of writing. And do a lot of writing. Sometimes, even I get confused over which words to use, especially if I’ve been editing or writing for a long period of time. It happens to everyone, and in most cases, it can be easily fixed.
If you’re unsure about grammar usage or spelling, the best thing to do is Google it. In this technology-driven, fast-paced world, you can ask a question and find an answer much sooner than you can walk to your bookshelf, pull down a dictionary, flip to the T chapter, and find ‘that.’ Not that there is anything wrong with looking up words in the dictionary. But if you’re like me and aren’t certain where you put your dictionary, you’re better off using that laptop.
Unfortunately if you work constantly in a public forum your mistakes might get called out more quickly.
Although I know a thing or two about grammar and spelling, I still find myself looking up the difference between ‘affect’ and ‘effect’ occasionally. I know that ‘affect’ is a verb and ‘effect’ is a noun, but it’s easy to confuse the two in some sentences. Lucky for us, today’s handy infographic shows some of the more common misspelled or misused words.
The information below may affect the way you use some of these words, or at least clear up any confusion. However, if you don’t read it all the way through, it may have no effect on you at all. (See what I did there?)