1. ACCEPT vs. EXCEPT
These two words sound similar but have very different meanings. Accept means to receive something willingly: “His mom accepted his explanation” or “She accepted the gift graciously.” Except signifies exclusion: “I can attend every meeting except the one next week.” To help you remember, note that both except and exclusion begin with ex
2. AFFECT VS EFFECT
To make these words even more confusing than they already are, both can be used as either a noun or a verb. Let’s start with the verbs. Affect means to influence something or someone; effect means to accomplish something. “Your job was affected by the organizational restructuring” but “These changes will be effected on Monday.” As a noun, an effect is the result of something: “The sunny weather had a huge e ffect on sales.” It’s almost always the right choice because the noun affect refers to an emotional state and is rarely used outside of psychological circles: “The patient’s affect was flat.”
3. LIE vs. LAY
We’re all pretty clear on the lie that means an untruth. It’s the other usage that trips us up. Lie
also means to recline: “Why don’t you lie down and rest?” Lay requires an object: “ Lay the book on the table.” Lie is something you can do by yourself, but you need an object to lay . It’s more confusing in the past tense. The past tense of lie is—you guessed it— lay : “I lay down for an hour last night.” And the past tense of lay is laid: “I laid the book on the table.”
4. BRING vs. TAKE
Bring and take both describe transporting something or someone from one place to another, but the correct usage depends on the speaker’s point of view. Somebody brings something to you, but you take it to somewhere else: “ Bring me the mail, then take your shoes to your room.” Just remember, if the movement is toward you, use bring; if the movement is away from you, use take.
5. IRONIC vs. COINCIDENTAL
A lot of people get this wrong. If you break your leg the day before a ski trip, that’s not ironic —it’s coincidental (and bad luck). Ironic has several meanings, all of which include some type of reversal of what was expected. Verbal irony is when a person says one thing but clearly means another. Situational irony is when a result is the opposite of what was expected. O. Henry was a master of situational irony. In his famous short story The Gift of the Magi , Jim sells his watch to buy combs for his wife’s hair, and she sells her hair to buy a chain for Jim’s watch. Each character sold something precious to buy a gift for the other, but those gifts were intended for what the other person sold. That is true irony. If you break your leg the day before a ski trip, that’s coincidental. If you drive up to the mountains to ski, and there was more snow back at your house, that’s ironic.
6. IMPLY vs. INFER
To imply means to suggest something without saying it outright. To infer means to draw a conclusion from what someone else implies. As a general rule, the speaker/writer implies, and the listener/reader infers.
7. NAUSEOUS vs. NAUSEATED
Nauseous has been misused so often that the incorrect usage is accepted in some circles. Still, it’s important to note the difference. Nauseous means causing nausea; nauseated means experiencing nausea. So, if your circle includes ultra-particular grammar sticklers, never say “I’m
nauseous ” unless you want them to be snickering behind your back.
8. COMPRISE vs. COMPOSE
These are two of the most commonly misused words in the English language. Comprise means to include; compose means to make up. It all comes down to parts versus the whole. When you use
comprise , you put the whole first: “A soccer game comprises (includes) two halves.” When you use compose, you put the pieces first: “Fifty states compose (make up) the United States of America.”
9.FARTHER vs. FURTHER
Farther refers to physical distance, while further describes the degree or extent of an action or situation. “I can’t run any farther ,” but “I have nothing further to say.” If you can substitute “more” or “additional,” use further.
10.FEWER vs. LESS
Use fewer when you’re referring to separate items that can be counted; use less when referring to a whole: “You have fewer dollars, but less money.”
Bringing it all together
English grammar can be tricky, and, a lot of times, the words that sound right are actually wrong. With words such as those listed above , you just have to memorize the rules so that when you are about to use them, you’ll catch yourself in the act and know for certain that you’ve written or said the right one.Sunday, 24 January 2016
10 Misused English Words That Make Smart People Look Silly
1. ACCEPT vs. EXCEPT
These two words sound similar but have very different meanings. Accept means to receive something willingly: “His mom accepted his explanation” or “She accepted the gift graciously.” Except signifies exclusion: “I can attend every meeting except the one next week.” To help you remember, note that both except and exclusion begin with ex
2. AFFECT VS EFFECT
To make these words even more confusing than they already are, both can be used as either a noun or a verb. Let’s start with the verbs. Affect means to influence something or someone; effect means to accomplish something. “Your job was affected by the organizational restructuring” but “These changes will be effected on Monday.” As a noun, an effect is the result of something: “The sunny weather had a huge e ffect on sales.” It’s almost always the right choice because the noun affect refers to an emotional state and is rarely used outside of psychological circles: “The patient’s affect was flat.”
3. LIE vs. LAY
We’re all pretty clear on the lie that means an untruth. It’s the other usage that trips us up. Lie
also means to recline: “Why don’t you lie down and rest?” Lay requires an object: “ Lay the book on the table.” Lie is something you can do by yourself, but you need an object to lay . It’s more confusing in the past tense. The past tense of lie is—you guessed it— lay : “I lay down for an hour last night.” And the past tense of lay is laid: “I laid the book on the table.”
4. BRING vs. TAKE
Bring and take both describe transporting something or someone from one place to another, but the correct usage depends on the speaker’s point of view. Somebody brings something to you, but you take it to somewhere else: “ Bring me the mail, then take your shoes to your room.” Just remember, if the movement is toward you, use bring; if the movement is away from you, use take.
5. IRONIC vs. COINCIDENTAL
A lot of people get this wrong. If you break your leg the day before a ski trip, that’s not ironic —it’s coincidental (and bad luck). Ironic has several meanings, all of which include some type of reversal of what was expected. Verbal irony is when a person says one thing but clearly means another. Situational irony is when a result is the opposite of what was expected. O. Henry was a master of situational irony. In his famous short story The Gift of the Magi , Jim sells his watch to buy combs for his wife’s hair, and she sells her hair to buy a chain for Jim’s watch. Each character sold something precious to buy a gift for the other, but those gifts were intended for what the other person sold. That is true irony. If you break your leg the day before a ski trip, that’s coincidental. If you drive up to the mountains to ski, and there was more snow back at your house, that’s ironic.
6. IMPLY vs. INFER
To imply means to suggest something without saying it outright. To infer means to draw a conclusion from what someone else implies. As a general rule, the speaker/writer implies, and the listener/reader infers.
7. NAUSEOUS vs. NAUSEATED
Nauseous has been misused so often that the incorrect usage is accepted in some circles. Still, it’s important to note the difference. Nauseous means causing nausea; nauseated means experiencing nausea. So, if your circle includes ultra-particular grammar sticklers, never say “I’m
nauseous ” unless you want them to be snickering behind your back.
8. COMPRISE vs. COMPOSE
These are two of the most commonly misused words in the English language. Comprise means to include; compose means to make up. It all comes down to parts versus the whole. When you use
comprise , you put the whole first: “A soccer game comprises (includes) two halves.” When you use compose, you put the pieces first: “Fifty states compose (make up) the United States of America.”
9.FARTHER vs. FURTHER
Farther refers to physical distance, while further describes the degree or extent of an action or situation. “I can’t run any farther ,” but “I have nothing further to say.” If you can substitute “more” or “additional,” use further.
10.FEWER vs. LESS
Use fewer when you’re referring to separate items that can be counted; use less when referring to a whole: “You have fewer dollars, but less money.”
Bringing it all together
English grammar can be tricky, and, a lot of times, the words that sound right are actually wrong. With words such as those listed above , you just have to memorize the rules so that when you are about to use them, you’ll catch yourself in the act and know for certain that you’ve written or said the right one.
Jose Mourinho Writes Manchester United, Wants To Become Club’s Next Manager
Jose Mourinho has undertaken a deep and detailed charm offensive to finally convince Manchester United he is the man to be their next manager, sources have told ESPN.
Conscious of opposition to his appointment among some of the Old Trafford hierarchy, Mourinho has written a six-page letter explaining how much he desires the job and would be willing to conform to club principles, as well as offering a detailed plan for the team, sources say.
United’s under-pressure manager Louis van Gaal lost his sixth league game of the season on Saturday, 1-0 at home against Southampton, and there is now a widespread feeling he will go in the summer, if not before then.
Mourinho, who sources said is “relaxed” about his future, was himself sacked by Chelsea in December after a dismal start to the season, but he immediately targeted United as his next job — one he has reportedly long desired.
His representatives got in touch with the Old Trafford hierarchy very quickly, but there is still existing opposition to hiring him, though some board members are more open to appointing him than when Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, sources say.
Some power-brokers at United still believe Mourinho’s history of controversy, defensive football and hesitance to promote academy players do not fit with the club’s ideals.
Mourinho is aware of this and sources say this is one reason he has taken the extraordinary step of writing a lengthy letter describing how much he wants the job, with forensic analysis of the team.Guy Promise To Kill Himself If He Proposes To Chidinma And She Declined
This is actually funny!!! LolSaturday, 23 January 2016
Not Afraid Of Lassa? See The Big Rat These Guys Killed, Roasted & Ate In Abuja (Photos)
Read according to the guy below…
Few minutes ago, While drinking water before I left a garden somewhere in Garki Abuja where I just had lunch.
I saw 3 young men holding a huge live rat they just caught in the garden.
Out of curiosity, I asked them if they were aware of Lassa fever and to my greatest surprise they knew nothing of such.
From a distance, I watched them slaughter the rat, smoke it and proceeded into the kitchen where the food I ate came from.
This is a clear evidence that the publicity and enlightenment campaign given to the disease is below sufficient.
I’m starting to believe what a caller on radio said some days back; that unlike Ebola, the poor are more vulnerable to Lassa fever hence the government won’t give it adequate attention.
Meanwhile, I just had lunch in this garden, and starting to get worried if I may have contacted the disease, and I’m picking up my daughter from school in another 2 hours.
Please guys can one get tested for Lassa fever like you get tested for HIV???
Must Read!! NYSC Notice To Part-Time Graduates
National Youth Service Corps, NYSC notice to part-time graduates as regards collection of exclusion certificates.
This is to inform all Part-Time Graduates that, for them to get NYSC exclusion certificates, they should go online to register like their full-time counterparts and print their letters of Exlusion Online.See What Basketmouth Just Found Inside An Airplane (Photo)
Nigeria comedian Bright Okpocha popularly known as Basketmouth shared this photo inside a plane showing how they used carton to to close the window of the plane as he was on his way to the US.
He also said anybody that can name the airline correctly will get a free ticket to watch Lord of the Ribs with Basketmouth Live at the Apollo London on February 14th.Singer Adele Breaks Youtube’s 1 Billion Highest View Record, Dethrone PSY’s Gangnam Style
“Seems like everyone is saying Hi to Adele’s Hello as the hit song has broken yet another record, this time on YouTube.
The streaming service announced that the video for the song garnered one billion views in 87 days breaking the record for Psy’s Gangnam style which needed 158 days, that’s a rate of about 11 million a day. With the new feat, Adele becomes the first artist to register one billion YouTube views within three months.
‘If anyone deserves it, it’s Adele and that song,’ said Susanne Daniels, the head of original programming at YouTube.
The news comes just weeks after Adele’s third album, 25, smashed global records with its chart success – beating the Fifa 16 computer game to become the UK’s biggest-selling home entertainment title of 2015.”
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