Week 1:

affect: (verb) means to influence. The flood will affect the harvest.
effect: (almost always a noun) means "result." The effect of the flood was frightening.
effect: (as a verb) means to cause. He will effect many changes in the agricultural rules.

allude: to make an indirect reference to something. President Clinton alluded to the problems of past Republican administrations when defending his record.
(Note: To refer to something means to mention it directly.)
elude: to escape or avoid detection. Newt Gingrich eluded the fashion police.

among: implies a "distribution" involving three or more persons or object that have no explicit relationship. The lottery money was divided among Oregon's five lucky winners.
between: refers to position or action of two persons or objects, and is also used if there is a "definite relation" between persons or objects. Between you and me, this building will never be completed. Negotiations have broken down between architects, builders and the owner.

anxious: afraid or worried. Sally was anxious about the championship game.
eager: excited. Sally was eager to play in the championship game.

Week 2:

accept: to receive. Gail Devers accepted the gold medal.
except: to exclude. Every swimmer received an Olympic medal except for Janet Evans.

aid: assistance. Students often ask their parents for aid.
aide: an assistant. A congressional aide said the senator was unavailable for comment.

because of: shows cause and effect. Because of a tuition increase, students were angry.
due to: use only with a linking verb. The riot at Johnson Hall was due to a tuition increase.

because: gives reason or cause for something. The bridge was closed because the river flooded.
since: denotes a period of time. The bridge has been closed since the river flooded.

compose: made up of other things, to create or put together (e.g., parts, ingredients). The car is composed of many mechanical and electrical systems.
comprise: takes in, includes or embraces other things, contains. The United States comprises 50 states.
Note: The whole comprises the parts -- the whole is never comprised of the parts.

Week 3:

compared to: to liken one thing to another type or category of things as in a metaphor. He compared playing goalie to being a drill sergeant.
compared with: to examine similarities and differences within the same type or category. We compared Big Macs with Whoppers.

convince: to be secure about a decision or principle. Jody Runge is convinced the Ducks will win the game.
persuade: to induce someone to do something or embrace an idea. Jody Runge persuaded the referee to call a foul.

complement: (noun or verb) denotes completeness or the process of supplementing something. Susan's Doc Marten's complement her leather jacket.
compliment: (noun or verb) denotes praise. Sean was proud of the compliments on his writing.

continual: a steady repetition. The senator's drinking was the source of continual rumors.
continuous: uninterrupted, unbroken. Ahead of them was a continuous stretch of desert.

discreet: prudent, circumspect. British royalty seem to have forgotten how to be discreet.
discrete: detached, separate. There have been six discrete incidents of plagiarism this year.

Week 4:

elicit: (verb) to bring out or draw forth. Her lecture on prison reform elicited a strong reaction.
illicit: (adjective) illegal or unlawful. Bob Packwood's illicit actions led to his downfall.

enormity: wickedness. The enormity of the crime was revealed in Technicolor.
enormousness: very great in size. The enormousness of the national debt boggles the mind.

fewer: refers to a number of indivdual items. Lisa made fewer free throws than Cindy.
less: refers to bulk, amount, sum, or period of time. Because of her injury, she had less time on the court than the other players

farther: physical distance. Sue kicked the soccer ball farther than any of her teammates.
further: extension of time or degree. The reporter will look further into the president's death.

hanged: (verb; conjugated hang, hanged and hanged) refers to people. The State of Oregon hanged the murderer for his crimes.
hung: (same verb; conjugated hang, hung and hung) refers to objects. The University of Oregon athletic department hung photos of women basketball players in the halls of Mac Court.

Week 5:

hangar: a building. The remnants of the plane are in the hangar.
hanger: something you hung your shirt on. There are never enough hangers in my closet.

if: a conjunction meaning "in the event that" or "on the condition that." If the Ducks keep playing well, they may play in post season games.
whether: a conjunction meaning "in case," "if it happens that" or "if it is so that." Bob Rodman asked whether the Ducks had won.

illusion: an unreal or false impression. The commercial created the illusion that the politician had told the truth about his past.
allusion: an indirect reference. Packwood made an allusion to his critics in Oregon.
elusive: tending to elude capture, perception or understanding. An informative, intelligent political commercial has proved elusive.

like: a preposition used to compare nouns or pronouns. Nicole runs like the wind.
as if: a conjunction used to introduce clauses. Nicole runs as if her life depends on it.

Week 6:

imply: to suggest or hint. Perot implied that he would run for president.
infer: to conclude from evidence. Reporters inferred that Perot would run as a third-party candidate.

media: (plural) in the sense of mass communication. The media are pressing for access to more government documents.
medium: (singular of media) AM radio may be the medium that has changed the most in the last five years.

more than: generally refers to relationships between figures and amounts. Tuition has increased more than 18 percent in the last two years.
over: generally refers to spatial relationships. The helicopter flew over the volcano.

notorious: to be widely and unfavorably known. Ted Bundy was a notorious killer.
famous: to be widely known. The Miami Dolphins signed the famous coach, Jimmy Johnson.

Week 7:

proven: use only as an adjective. This is a proven method to get good grades.
proved: past participle for the verb prove, which means to establish the truth of something. The game against Washington proved the Ducks' defense had a lot to learn.

regardless: without regard or unmindful. The couple hikes every weekend regardless of the weather.
irregardless: a dreaded double negative that has been snubbed by dictionaries nationwide.

reluctant: unwilling to act. Susan is reluctant to go to the dentist.
reticent: means unwilling to speak. Steven is reticent in public places.

to: a preposition meaning (among other things) as compared with. President Clinton compared the nation's debt to a swelling balloon.
with: a preposition meaning in the company of or alongside of. Susan went with her sister to the meeting.

Week 8:

towards: Don't even think about using this out-of-date word unless you're writing a poem in Olde English.
toward: This is the 20th Century word.

under way: two words in virtually all uses. Construction on Allen Hall is well under way.
underway: Use only as an adjective before a noun in the nautical sense. In other words, forget about it.

under: physically underneath. Several people sleep under the bridge at night.
less than: a lesser quantity or amount. I can go to the concert if the tickets are less than $5.00.



Sources: "Grammar for Journalists," E.L. Callihan
The American Heritage Dictionary
The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual
"When Words Collide," Kessler and McDonald.

To begin studying the parts of speeech, please turn the page.