The grammatical rules of the English language sometimes contradict themselves. The rule I have found to be most commonly discussed would be "i before e except after c." Then, there are the intense examples of the rule: "i before e except when you run a feisty heist on a a weird beige foreign neighbor." I'm not sure why anyone would run any kind o a heist on their neighbor, especially a beige one; nonetheless, these unique sayings help the strangeness of the English language to be somewhat explained.

I could probably spend countless pages trying to unravel the frustrating conundrum that is English, but let's start with something small.

As students, or any functioning human being, it's important to distinguish between the meaning of two words that are strikingly similar in order to be on board with general vocabulary. To help all those who are still unable to decide between "there, their, and they're", here's some paired words that still continue to stump us.

Affect and Effect

Affect (v.) to make a difference to, or have an effect on.
Effect (n.) a change which is a result or consequence of an action or other cause.

Allusion and Illusion

Allusion (n.) an expression designed to cal something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect reference.
Illusion (n.) an instance of a wrong or misinterpreted perception of a sensory experience.

E.G. and I.E.

E.G. stands for the Latin, exempli gratia, meaning "for the sake of example".
I.E. stands for the Latin, id est, meaning "that is".

Forebear and Forbear

Forebear (n.) an ancestor.
Forbear (v.) to prevent oneself from saying or doing something.

Further and Farther

Further (adj., adv.) more, extra, or additional.
Farther (adv.) to a greater distance.

Lie and Lay

Lie (v.) to recline.
Lay (v.) to put or to place.

Loose and Lose

Loose (adj.) not firmly attached; not tight
Lose (v.) to be unable to find something; to be defeated

Passed and Past

Passed (v.) past tense of the verb "to pass", meaning to move or cause to move in a specified direction.
Past (adj.) gone by in time and no longer existing; (n.) the time before the moment of speaking or writing.

I am certain that there are many more of these paired words out there, but I thought these were the simplest and most commonly confused.

More writing tips and linguistic guidance to come!

Always,

Frances McKinley