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Table of Contents
Commonly Misused Words
Accept and Except
Accept is to allow something. EX- My application was accepted.
Except is to exclude something. EX- He said everything was good except the last part.
Affect and Effect
Affect is an action, as in something that changes or modifies something else. EX- The sound affected my concentration.
Effect is the result of an action on someone or something. EX- the effect of the sonic boom left me dazed.
Expand and Expend
Expand is to increase in size. EX- The balloon expanded until it popped.
Expend is to use up a resource. EX- He expended his energy and became tired.
They're, Their and There
They're - this is a contraction of the words they are. This is often used to show a group doing an action. EX- They're going to the store.
There - This, typically, is used to indicate position, like if someone were pointing and said “there”.
Their - This is used to show that something belongs to someone. EX- the truck is theirs, it belongs to them.
Then and Than
Then is used to show progression, from one action to the next or from one time to the next. EX- I went home then I got a drink.
Than is used to show comparison. EX- 2 is greater than 1.
Canon and Cannon
Canon is the core plot, characters and world central to one work/series created by one author (or for larger projects like videogames, one group). For example, Dante is a canon character to the Devil May Cry series created by Capcom.
Cannon is a heavy artillery weapon. Originally fired 4-10 pound balls of lead, steel or objects at targets from greater ranges than smaller firearms could hit. Currently a cannon refers to any large weapon (like a .50 Magnum revolver might be called a hand cannon.)
