Often, life offers us options. So do commonly confused words. You can practice getting those words right by playing "Would You Rather" with a partner:
- Questioner: Would you rather have fewer possessions or less money?
- Responder: Considering how much stuff I have, I could get by with fewer possessions, but I need my money!
- Questioner: Would you rather be a superhero figuratively or literally?
- Responder: If I were figuratively a superhero, I could be a movie star who plays one, so that's what I'd choose. Being literally a superhero requires fighting supervillains all the time. No thanks!
Your Turn For each pair of commonly confused words, write a "Would you rather . . ." question. Find a partner and ask the person your first question. Your partner should choose an option and give a reason. After all of your questions, switch roles and answer your partner's questions..
- adapt/adopt
- affect/effect
- bad/badly
- bring/take
- continual/continuous
- explicit/implicit
- ingenious/ingenuous
- lend/borrow
- personal/personnel
- vain/vein
