{"id":22353,"date":"2014-03-21T12:23:58","date_gmt":"2014-03-21T17:23:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/?p=22353"},"modified":"2014-03-21T12:23:58","modified_gmt":"2014-03-21T17:23:58","slug":"commonly-confused-words-knowing-when-to-choose-the-right-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/2014\/03\/commonly-confused-words-knowing-when-to-choose-the-right-one\/","title":{"rendered":"Commonly Confused Words: Knowing When to Choose the Right One"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even as we add more official (and some might say questionable) words to our dictionaries\u2014like selfie, twerk, sexting, and LOL<\/a>\u2014we sometimes seem to have a difficult time knowing when to use some of the basic words that have been around forever. Below are some commonly confused words, their meanings, and their proper use.<\/p>\n

That\/Which\/Who<\/span> \u2013 Probably the<\/i> most commonly confused combination.\u00a0 Misuse of \u201cthat\u201d and \u201cwhich\u201d proliferate nearly every judicial opinion students read, which adds to the confusion.\u00a0 Also, of late, I\u2019ve noticed that students are dropping the use of \u201cwho\u201d altogether and using \u201cwhich\u201d instead in places that make their writing grammatically incorrect.\u00a0 So let\u2019s take a look at each of these words.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u201d is used for what we call restrictive clauses; that is, for clauses that are essential to the meaning of your sentence. The sentence would not mean the same thing if the clause was removed.\u00a0 For example, take my sentence above: \u201cThat\u201d is used for what we call restrictive clauses; that is, for clauses that are essential to the meaning of your sentence.<\/i> The clause \u201cthat are essential to the meaning of your sentence\u201d is essential to the meaning of my sentence.\u00a0 The sentence does not mean the same thing if I removed that clause.\u00a0 E.g.: \u201cThat\u201d is used for what we call restrictive clauses; that is, for clauses.<\/i>\u00a0 That is why I used \u201cthat\u201d and not \u201cwhich.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich\u201d is used for what we call non-restrictive clauses; that is, clauses that are not essential to the meaning of your sentence.\u00a0 You could remove the clause and the essential meaning of the sentences remains the same.\u00a0 For this reason, \u201cwhich\u201d is used with commas.\u00a0 As I tell my students, think of the commas as scoops; when you set off a clause with commas, you\u2019re telling the reader she could scoop that clause out of the sentence and the essential meaning wouldn\u2019t change.\u00a0 It is at these times that you use \u201cwhich.\u201d\u00a0 For example, The brief, which took Jim seven hours to write, was filed yesterday.\u00a0 <\/i>If I scooped out the \u201cwhich\u201d clause, the essential meaning of the sentence remains: The brief was filed yesterday.<\/i>\u00a0 That it took Jim seven hours to write it is, as written in this sentence, extra information.<\/p>\n

Now, if it is essential for the reader to know that Jim took seven hours to write the brief, the sentence would have to be rewritten with a \u201cthat\u201d clause (and no commas).\u00a0 Thus: The brief that took Jim seven hours to write was filed yesterday.<\/i><\/p>\n

While \u201cthat\u201d and \u201cwhich\u201d are used for things, \u201cwho\u201d is used for people.\u00a0 \u201cWho\u201d seems to show up in non-restrictive clauses, where the writer might use \u201cwhich.\u201d\u00a0 Thus, Jim, who is the firm\u2019s best writer, filed the brief yesterday.<\/i><\/p>\n

More than\/Over<\/span> \u2013 This combination is probably the next most frequently confused combination.\u00a0 Most people use \u201cover\u201d when they really should be using \u201cmore than.\u201d For example, you\u2019ve likely read or written a sentence such as this one: The conference drew over 120 attorneys from across the country.<\/i> That sentence is grammatically incorrect. \u201cOver\u201d is for spacial concepts\u2014like, That idea is over my head.<\/i>\u00a0 \u201cMore than\u201d is what the writer must use when addressing countable things, like lawyers at a conference.\u00a0 The sentence should read: The conference drew more than 120 attorneys from across the country.<\/i><\/p>\n

Few(er)\/Less<\/span> \u2013 This combination is the flip of \u201cmore than\/over.\u201d And it doesn\u2019t help that nearly every grocery store has a check-out line for \u201c10 items or less,\u201d which furthers the confusion. Use \u201cfew\u201d for countable things.\u00a0 For example: The conference drew fewer than 120 attorneys from across the country<\/i>. (Or go to the check-out lane for \u201c10 or fewer items.\u201d) \u201cLess\u201d is used for things that cannot be counted. Thomas has less work to do on his brief than Kim does.<\/i><\/p>\n

Amount\/Number<\/span> \u2013 I saw this confusion creep into a number of student briefs this semester, and it was this confusion that has prompted this post.\u00a0 \u201cNumber\u201d is used, again, for countable things.\u00a0 Like student briefs that mixed up these words. \u201cAmount\u201d is used for things that can\u2019t be counted or measured. To write the following would be incorrect:\u00a0 The amount of briefs that mixed up these words was higher this year than in the past.<\/i>\u00a0 It should read: The number<\/i> of briefs that mixed up these words was higher this year than in the past.\u00a0 <\/i>I could count the briefs, if I wanted to.\u00a0 However, I cannot count how stressed students were about having to finish their briefs.\u00a0 Thus: The amount of stress the students felt in the days before the brief was due seemed to increase.<\/i><\/p>\n

Farther\/Further<\/span> \u2013 I still mix these up, but I\u2019ve come up with a mnemonic to help.\u00a0 \u201cFarther\u201d has to do with geographical distance \u2013 as in far away<\/i>.\u00a0 So, use \u201cfarther\u201d when you refer to geographical distance.\u00a0 For example:\u00a0 The new courthouse is farther north than the old one.<\/i>\u00a0 Use \u201cfurther\u201d for other additions. For example: Anne is further ahead in her reading than I am.<\/i><\/p>\n

Since\/Because\/As<\/span> \u2013 Writers use any or all of these to show cause-and-effect relationships. But not all of these words are best used for that purpose. \u201cSince\u201d can use be used for cause-and-effect relationships, but it also can carry a time component, as in, Since last week, we\u2019ve had more sun than snow.<\/i> \u201cAs\u201d can also be used for cause-and-effect relationships, but it can also be used to mean \u201cwhile,\u201d and as such can be ambiguous.<\/p>\n

Compare these:<\/p>\n

Since the defendant was negligent, she should compensate the plaintiff.<\/i><\/p>\n

Because the defendant was negligent, she should compensate the plaintiff.<\/i><\/p>\n

As the defendant was negligent, she should compensate the plaintiff.<\/i><\/p>\n

In all examples, the writer is meaning a cause-and-effect relationship between the negligence and the need to compensate the plaintiff.\u00a0 Only the second sentence most clearly shows that relationship.\u00a0 Therefore, use \u201csince\u201d for time-based ideas. \u201cBecause\u201d is your best bet for cause-and-effect relationships and, for that reason, it is likely the word you should use the most in your writing.\u00a0 Forget about \u201cas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among\/Between<\/span> \u2013 The distinction between \u201camong\u201d and \u201cbetween\u201d may be hard to tell, but choosing the correct term enhances not only the clarity of your writing, but also your ethos<\/a> as a credible and knowledgeable writer.\u00a0 As I demonstrated in the preceding sentence, \u201cbetween\u201d is used when discussing two concepts, objects, or people. You use \u201camong\u201d when discussing three or more concepts, objects, or people.\u00a0 For example: It was difficult to select a winner among the teams in my bracket.<\/i><\/p>\n

As Bill Walsh<\/a>, copy editor for The Washington Post, writes in his book The Elephants of Style: A Trunkload of Tips on the Big Issues and Gray Areas of Contemporary American English<\/a> <\/i>(2004), \u201cLanguage evolves, but at each instance in the evolution there will be ways of writing that will strike educated readers as ignorant.\u201d Lawyers, as educated readers and<\/i> writers, should know how to avoid coming across as ignorant in their professional work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Even as we add more official (and some might say questionable) words to our dictionaries\u2014like selfie, twerk, sexting, and LOL\u2014we sometimes seem to have a difficult time knowing when to use some of the basic words that have been around forever. Below are some commonly confused words, their meanings, and their proper use. That\/Which\/Who \u2013 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"","ocean_second_sidebar":"","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"","ocean_custom_header_template":"","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"","ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,122],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-legal-writing","category-public","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22353"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22353\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}