Writing Tip

Using Difficult and Ambiguous Words: Part 1 of 3 (A to F)

Difficulty Level: Basic

Recommendation: Pay special attention to difficult and ambiguous terms.

Accept, Except

These two are nearly phonologically identical (they sound the same). Accept is a verb that means to take or receive something or agree to something: The cradle accepts the handset. Except is a preposition meaning to the exclusion of: They were all canoeing except me.

Affect, Effect

In the vast majority of cases, distinguishing these two words is simple. Use affect as a verb (to influence or produce an effect or produce a change in something). For example, The ambient temperature affected the efficiency. Use effect as a noun (a result; something that is produced by a cause). For example, The ambient temperature had an effect on the efficiency. However, affect can also be a noun (a feeling or emotion, especially when it is evident in your expression), and effect can be used as a verb (to bring about or make happen). In our line of work, the last two uses of the words are rare.

Allow, Enable

Allow should be reserved for contexts wherein permission is intended: Do not allow unqualified personnel to enter the lab. On the other hand, enable means to make something able, possible, easy, or ready: An overcast sky enabled the photographer to take exceptional flora photographs.

Alternate, Alternative

Alternate means “in a constant state of succession or rotation,” whereas alternative means “affording a choice of two or more things.” As adjectives, they are used interchangeably but should not be. Alternate is typically preferred perhaps because it is easier to pronounce (three versus four syllables). However, more than likely it is the default use of the word that gets the user in trouble. When you think of alternative, you think of noun. When you think of alternate, you think of adjective. So, when it is time to use an adjective, you may pick the one that has an adjectival default use, even though both can be used as an adjective. An example of this misuse is the National Electrical Code, section 680.26, which provides for an “alternate means” of bonding a swimming pool, when clearly it intends “alternative.”

And, Or

When presenting items in a list, should you separate them by or or and? Use and when you want to 1) form a group from an expressed list of items, 2) emphasize their similarity, or 3) indicate a sequence. For example, “The technician clocked out after closing the electrical cabinet, locking it, and tagging it.” All three things have to happen in their stated order before the technician can clock out. Additionally, parts of a whole take and, such as when “grip, barrel, chamber, hammer, sights, and trigger” are grouped as parts of a gun.

Use or when counting choices, options, or alternatives or to indicate that only one item can be true or can be realized, such as, “The suspect was at the movies, the concert, or home two hours prior to the crime.” Only one location is possible. Consider: You can report the remaining voltage by percent or absolute voltage. Here, choice is involved (a key indicator of or). Use or when emphasizing uniqueness: The utility can install 1) a supplemental rod, 2) two supplemental rods, 3) one chemically enhanced supplemental rod, or 4) two chemically enhanced supplemental rods. Only one type of installation is possible. Also, or can be used to indicate at least one but possibly more, as in, “Have you seen or heard from Scott Joplin?” If you have talked to him on the phone, that’s one thing. But if you met him on the street, it will be both.

And/Or

“And/or” should always be joined by a forward slash (with no spaces). It is often used very successfully as a composite coordinating conjunction (like and, or, for, yet, and so on). Consider the following example: The engineer may bring a true-RMS voltmeter and/or a waveform analyzer. Its meaning is clearly logical as a shortcut for saying, “The engineer may bring a true-RMS voltmeter, a waveform analyzer, or both.”

Because, Since

Because and since are subordinating conjunctions. A subordinating conjunction joins a subordinate clause (also called a dependent clause) to a main clause. Such as: The resistor ran hot, although the current was below the device rating. The problem with because and since is that they operate in different domains, and yet since is often erroneously used instead of because.

Use these words within their primary domain to prevent ambiguity. Because is logical (cause and effect), whereas since is temporal (time). This rule of thumb is especially applicable when the conjunction starts a sentence, in which case the reader has no context to guess the proper operational domain of the conjunction. For example: Since the temperature dipped below the set point, the valve opened. Wrong! This example is decidedly cause-and-effect. Therefore, because should be used.

Can Not, Cannot

Both forms are recognized by dictionaries, but cannot is much more widely used than can not, so use the prevailing form.

Continuous, Continual

Continuous indicates activity without interruption over a period of time, as in, “The continuous whir of the fan caused the child to sleep.” Continual indicates intervallic (interval) activity over a period of time, as in, “The meter measured the voltage continually during the monitoring period.”

Criterion, Criteria

Criterion is singular; criteria is plural. Consider the singular version: The sole criterion for the test was surviving the surge. Consider the plural version: The criteria for a successful inspection were LEM duration, high elasticity, and low insertion loss.

Data

This singular/plural war has been waged for years: Does data take a singular or plural verb? Is it “data are” or “data is?” Data is a versatile word that can be used as either a singular or plural word, but mostly it should be used as a singular word—99.9% of the time. It inherits its number from the context in which it is employed.

NERD ALERT: The word data is the past perfect passive plural participle (the five Ps) of the Latin verb dằre, which means “to give.” Therefore, data literally means “things that have been given.” Everyone knows that plural nouns, such as data, take plural verbs, but data is an exception because there is no serviceable singular form of data. Phenomena has phenomenon, for example, but the literal singular form of data—datum—is used by only a handful of disciplines, such as surveying. When people talk about data, they typically mean “data set.” A single element of a data set is a data point, not a datum. As a general rule, use notional accord (formally called synesis) with this word and other similarly confusing words when it comes to subject/verb and pronoun/antecedent agreement. Ask yourself, “Is the intention—that is, the notion—of the subject or antecedent singular or plural?” In the case of data, the notion is singular, as in “data set,” which is the Anglicized notion of the word—one big container of things. Compare this treatment to collective nouns, which are often treated as plural for subject/verb agreement, even though they are grammatically singular (team, couple, crowd, and names of businesses). For example, “When Acme Industries files for bankruptcy, its stock will plummet,” or, “The Atlanta Falcons is a mediocre team,” versus, “The Altanta Falcons play well in the heat.”

Disk, Disc

I have researched these two terms and still have no idea what the heck is going on here. Both are used interchangeably to mean a flat, round object. The important thing is intra-consistency. So pick one and stick with it. For some reason that I don’t understand, I prefer disk.

Entitle, Title

When you want to convey the title of a document, you say that it is “titled.” “Entitled” means the same thing only in the second-order definition, so use “entitled” only when you mean to indicate someone’s right or claim.

Farther, Further

Farther refers to length or distance. It is the comparative form of the word far when referring to distance. Further means “to a greater degree,” “additional,” or “additionally.” The easy way to distinguish between these very similar words is to eliminate distance: If the meaning has nothing to do with inches, feet, miles, and so on, then use further.

From, Form

These words are not confusing in meaning, but you should be aware that one is sometimes typed when the other is desired. Fast touch-typing may contribute to this error. Microsoft Word spelling will not catch the mistake. When you read through a text with this error, your mind easily transposes the “or” and the “ro”—unless you are sensitive to it.