American Diploma · ACT · English: Usage
Commonly Confused Words
affect/effect, than/then, its/it's, their/there/they're, principal/principle, complement/compliment, allude/elude, precede/proceed and more — each with a memory trick, worked items and a 10-question ACT-style quiz.
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*Affect* or *effect*? *Than* or *then*? *Its* or *it's*? These pairs sound the same (or almost the same) but have different meanings, so spell-check will never catch them. The ACT puts them in essays because a writer who mixes them up looks careless. This lesson groups the most common pairs, gives each one a memory trick, and shows how to test the choice in seconds.
What this question type tests
Confused-word questions are part of Conventions of Standard English (38–43% of the 40 scored ACT English questions) when the choice is about the correct form, such as *its/it's* or *their/there/they're*, and part of Knowledge of Language (18–23%) when the choice is about the precise word, such as *eminent/imminent* or *allude/elude*. The format is the usual ACT English item: an underlined word, four choices, usually NO CHANGE first.
A vertical scan of the choices shows two or three words that look or sound alike, sometimes with an apostrophe moving around: its / it's / its'. When you see this, ask two questions: What part of speech does the sentence need here? and What does each word mean?
Group 1: Apostrophe twins (contraction vs possessive)
The rule that solves all of them: a word with an apostrophe here is a contraction — two words joined. Expand it. If the two full words make sense, keep the apostrophe; if not, you need the possessive, which has no apostrophe.
| Contraction (expand it) | Possessive (no apostrophe) | ✓ Examples |
|---|---|---|
| it's = it is / it has | its = belonging to it | It's raining. The tree lost its leaves. |
| they're = they are | their = belonging to them · there = a place / *there is* | They're late. Their bus broke down. Park there. |
| who's = who is / who has | whose = belonging to whom | Who's coming? The girl whose bag is red. |
| you're = you are | your = belonging to you | You're right. Is this your pen? |
- ✗ The company changed it's logo. → expand: *changed it is logo* ✗ → ✓ its logo.
- ✗ The museum, who's collection is famous… → *who is collection* ✗ → ✓ whose collection.
- ✗ Their going to win. → *They are going* ✓ → ✓ They're going to win.
- its' does not exist. Any choice with *its'* is wrong.
- Memory trick: *his, hers, its, theirs, whose* — possessive pronouns never take an apostrophe. If *his* has no apostrophe, neither does *its*.
- their / there: *their* contains heir (a person who inherits — owns something); *there* contains here (a place).
لما تشوف it's أو they're أو who's أو you're، فكّها لكلمتين: it is / they are / who is / you are. لو الجملة لسه مظبوطة يبقى الأبوستروف صح. لو مش مظبوطة يبقى عايز الملكية من غير أبوستروف: its / their / whose / your. و its' مالهاش وجود أصلًا.
Group 2: The big four of meaning
| Pair | Meaning and part of speech | ✓ Example | Memory trick |
|---|---|---|---|
| affect / effect | affect = verb (to influence) · effect = noun (a result) | The heat affected the crops. The heat had an effect on the crops. | RAVEN: Remember, Affect = Verb, Effect = Noun. After *a / an / the / any*, you need the noun effect. |
| than / then | than = comparison · then = time, next, *in that case* | taller than his father · First we ate; then we left. | than = comparison; then = when / next |
| accept / except | accept = verb (agree to receive) · except = preposition (not including) | She accepted the prize. Everyone came except Ali. | except = exclude |
| lose / loose | lose = verb (stop having, fail to win) · loose = adjective (not tight) | Don't lose your key. a loose button | *loose* has an extra o — it is too loose to hold it |
Advanced affect/effect: *effect* can also be a verb meaning *to bring about*: "The new manager effected real change" (= made change happen). *Affect* can be a noun in psychology. The ACT very rarely tests these; if the sentence needs "influence" choose *affect*, if it needs "a result" choose *effect*.
Group 3: Sound-alikes with different meanings
| Pair | Meaning | ✓ Example | Memory trick |
|---|---|---|---|
| principal / principle | principal = main; head of a school · principle = a rule, belief | The principal reason… / a moral principle | The principal is your pal; a principle is a rule. |
| complement / compliment | complement = complete or go well with · compliment = praise | The sauce complements the rice. She complimented my essay. | complement completes; compliment = "I like your…" |
| allude / elude | allude (to) = mention indirectly · elude = escape, avoid, be hard to understand | He alluded to his trip. The answer eluded me. | allude → a hint; elude → escape |
| allusion / illusion | allusion = indirect reference · illusion = false appearance | an allusion to Shakespeare / an optical illusion | illusion tricks the i |
| precede / proceed | precede = come before · proceed = go forward, continue | A short film preceded the talk. Please proceed to gate 4. | pre = before; pro = forward (progress) |
| elicit / illicit | elicit = draw out (a response) · illicit = illegal | to elicit an answer / illicit trade | illicit = illegal |
| cite / site / sight | cite = quote as evidence · site = a place · sight = vision, a view | cite a source · a building site · a beautiful sight | cite a claim; site = spot; sight → eyes |
| stationary / stationery | stationary = not moving · stationery = paper, envelopes | a stationary car / buy stationery | stationery = envelopes; stationary = stays |
| council / counsel | council = a group that governs · counsel = advice; to advise | the city council / legal counsel | council = a city group; counsel = to sell advice |
| desert / dessert | desert = dry land; to abandon · dessert = sweet course | the Western Desert / ice cream for dessert | dessert has two s's — you want second sweets |
| weather / whether | weather = rain, sun · whether = if | bad weather / I don't know whether to go. | — |
| passed / past | passed = verb (went by) · past = earlier time; beyond | The bus passed us. in the past / walked past the shop | If you need a verb, use passed. |
| quiet / quite | quiet = silent · quite = rather, completely | a quiet street / quite difficult | quiet ends like *silent* |
| conscience / conscious | conscience = moral sense (noun) · conscious = awake, aware (adjective) | a guilty conscience / conscious of the risk | con-science has *science* — a noun |
Group 4: Look-alikes in meaning (precision)
| Pair | Meaning | ✓ Example |
|---|---|---|
| eminent / imminent | eminent = famous, respected · imminent = about to happen | an eminent surgeon / an imminent storm |
| imply / infer | imply = suggest (the speaker) · infer = conclude (the listener) | Her tone implied doubt; I inferred that she disagreed. |
| adapt / adopt | adapt = change to fit · adopt = take as your own | Plants adapt to drought. The school adopted a new policy. |
| emigrate / immigrate | emigrate = leave a country · immigrate = enter a new country | She emigrated from Egypt and immigrated to Canada. |
| discreet / discrete | discreet = careful not to reveal · discrete = separate | a discreet question / three discrete stages |
| advice / advise | advice = noun · advise = verb | good advice / I advise you to rest. |
| breath / breathe | breath = noun · breathe = verb | take a deep breath / breathe slowly |
| personal / personnel | personal = private · personnel = staff | a personal letter / hospital personnel |
| lie / lay | lie = rest (no object): lie, lay, lain · lay = put (needs an object): lay, laid, laid | I lie down. She laid the map on the table. |
| every day / everyday | every day = each day (adverb phrase) · everyday = ordinary (adjective) | I walk every day. everyday clothes |
Also always wrong: *could of / should of / would of* (✓ could have), *alot* (✓ a lot), *irregardless* (✓ regardless).
affect فعل و effect اسم (بعد a أو the يبقى effect). than للمقارنة و then للوقت. principal ممكن يكون مدير المدرسة "صاحبك pal"، و principle قاعدة rule. complement يكمّل، و compliment مدح. precede يعني ييجي قبل (pre)، و proceed يعني يكمّل لقدّام (pro). elude يعني يهرب escape، و allude يلمّح.
Worked examples
Each example is a sentence from an ACT-style essay. The underlined portion is shown in bold.
Worked example 1 — its / it's. "Every spring the old sycamore in our courtyard drops it's seeds onto the stone path, and by summer tiny trees appear between the cracks."
Question: Choose the best version of the underlined portion. If the original is best, choose NO CHANGE.
- A) NO CHANGE
- B) its'
- C) it is
- D) its
Answer: D.
- D is correct. The seeds belong to the tree, so we need the possessive its (no apostrophe).
- A expands to *drops it is seeds* — nonsense. Trap: the apostrophe looks like a possessive.
- B *its'* does not exist in English.
- C is the expanded contraction, still meaningless here.
Worked example 2 — affect / effect. "The new timetable had a surprising affect on attendance: absences fell by almost a third."
Question: Choose the best version of the underlined portion. If the original is best, choose NO CHANGE.
- A) NO CHANGE
- B) effect
- C) affection
- D) effecting
Answer: B.
- B is correct. After *a surprising* we need a noun meaning *result*: effect.
- A *affect* is the verb. Trap: RAVEN — after an article, use the noun.
- C *affection* means love or warm feeling.
- D is a verb form and cannot follow *a surprising*.
Worked example 3 — precede / proceed. "Before the match began, the referee asked both captains to precede to the centre of the field."
Question: Choose the best version of the underlined portion. If the original is best, choose NO CHANGE.
- A) NO CHANGE
- B) preceed
- C) proceed
- D) proceeding
Answer: C.
- C is correct. The captains *go forward* to the centre: proceed (pro = forward).
- A *precede* means *come before something*; it needs an object (A speech preceded the match) and does not mean *go*.
- B is a misspelling.
- D is a participle, but after *asked … to* we need the base verb.
Worked example 4 — allude / elude. "For centuries, the exact purpose of the ancient stone circle alluded historians, who could only guess why it had been built."
Question: Choose the best version of the underlined portion. If the original is best, choose NO CHANGE.
- A) NO CHANGE
- B) illuded
- C) alluded to
- D) eluded
Answer: D.
- D is correct. The purpose *escaped* the historians' understanding: eluded (e = escape). The second part of the sentence (they could only guess) confirms it.
- A *allude* means *mention indirectly*; a purpose cannot hint at historians.
- B is not a word.
- C adds *to*, which makes the idiom correct for *allude* but the meaning is still wrong. Trap: fixing the grammar without fixing the meaning.
Worked example 5 — complement / compliment. "The bright blue tiles in the café compliment the white walls, making the small room feel open and fresh."
Question: Choose the best version of the underlined portion. If the original is best, choose NO CHANGE.
- A) NO CHANGE
- B) complement
- C) complemented by
- D) compliments
Answer: B.
- B is correct. The tiles *go well with* the walls: complement (the word *completes* the look). *Tiles* is plural, so the plural verb form complement agrees.
- A *compliment* means *praise*; tiles cannot praise walls. Trap: one letter changes the meaning.
- C creates a passive phrase that leaves the sentence without a main verb.
- D has the wrong meaning and a singular verb with the plural subject *tiles*.
- The apostrophe trap: it's / who's / they're / you're for possession — expand the contraction to test it.
- its' and their's: never correct.
- affect after an article: a/an/the + *effect* (noun).
- then in a comparison: better then → better than.
- One-letter twins: lose/loose, quiet/quite, principal/principle, complement/compliment, precede/proceed.
- Fixing grammar but not meaning: *alluded to historians* is grammatical but still means *hinted at*.
- could of / should of: always have.
- Apostrophe in the choices? Expand it. If the full words do not fit, choose the form with no apostrophe.
- Ask what part of speech the slot needs: noun (effect, advice), verb (affect, advise, breathe), adjective (loose, conscious).
- Say a short definition of each word in your head and put it in the sentence.
- Use the context clue in the rest of the sentence ("could only guess" → eluded).
- Eliminate any misspelling (preceed, its', alot) at once.
- Revise the memory tricks on this page the week before the test.
Practice
Two short ACT-style essays with 5 questions each. The numbers in brackets match the question numbers. Every question tests commonly confused words.
- Expand every contraction: it's = it is, they're = they are, who's = who is, you're = you are. Possessives (its, their, whose, your) have no apostrophe.
- RAVEN: affect = verb, effect = noun. than = comparison, then = time.
- accept = receive, except = not including; lose = misplace, loose = not tight.
- principal = main/pal, principle = rule; complement = complete, compliment = praise; precede = before, proceed = forward; allude = hint, elude = escape.
- Check the part of speech and the meaning in context — spelling alone will not save you.
All pages in this course
ACT English
- The Enhanced ACT: Complete Overview
- How to Attack ACT English
- ACT Commas: Every Correct Use and Every Trap
- ACT Semicolons: Joining Sentences and the List Rule
- ACT Colons: Lists, Explanations and the Traps
- ACT Dashes: Pairs, Single Dashes and Choosing the Right Mark
- ACT Apostrophes: Possession, Contractions and Plurals
- ACT Unnecessary Punctuation: When No Mark Is Correct
- Sentence Fragments
- Run-ons and Comma Splices
- Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers
- Parallel Structure
- Faulty Comparisons
- Unnecessary Shifts: Tense, Point of View, Voice and Mood
- ACT Subject–Verb Agreement: Find the True Subject
- ACT Pronoun Case: I or Me, Who or Whom
- ACT Pronoun Agreement and Clear Reference
- ACT Verb Tense and Verb Forms
- Adjectives vs Adverbs
- Comparatives and Superlatives
- Idioms and Prepositions
- Commonly Confused Words
- Transitions: Choosing the Right Linking Word
- Organisation: Sentence Placement, Paragraph Order, Introductions and Conclusions
- Add or Delete: Should the Writer Make This Change?
- Writer's Goal: Choosing Content That Meets a Purpose
- Concision and Redundancy
- Word Choice and Tone
- ACT English — Practice Test 1
- ACT English — Practice Test 2
ACT Reading
- The Enhanced ACT: Complete Overview
- ACT Reading Strategy: Read Fast, Answer Smart
- Main Idea and Summary Questions
- Detail Questions: "According to the Passage"
- Relationships: Sequence, Cause–Effect and Comparison
- Inference Questions: "It Can Reasonably Be Inferred"
- Words and Phrases in Context
- Purpose, Function and Text Structure
- Point of View, Tone and Perspective
- Paired Passages: Comparing Two Authors
- Passages with Charts, Tables and Graphs
- Evaluating Arguments: Claims, Evidence and Reasoning
- ACT Reading — Practice Test 1
- ACT Reading — Practice Test 2