Commonly confused words
English can be a messy thing, and the ACT loves to take advantage of that. It wants to test you and make sure that you know what you’re talking about. Many words in the English language sound the same as others or are spelled the same but have different meanings. We have compiled a short list below of words that the ACT may try to confuse you with. Luckily, you’ll be ready for the task if you get these straightened out. They’re listed in order of most likely to come up.
Its/It’s
This one is common enough that we devoted a chapter to it. Check out It’s and its.
While we would encourage you to read the chapter, here’s an abbreviated summary:
- It’s = it is
- Its = possessive form of “it.”
- Its’ = this does not exist in the English language. You’ll see it on the ACT though as “grammatically incorrect.”
EXAMPLE
It’s = it is
It’s cold outside!
Its = possessive form of “it.”
The honey badger is protective of its food.
Who/Whom
The difference between these words is the exact same difference between she/her and he/him. In grammatical terms, whenever it’s being used as a subject, we go with “who/he/she” but when the word is being used as an object, we go with “whom/him/her.” In simpler terms, whenever the word is doing things, we use “who/he/she” and whenever things are being done to or by or towards them, we use “whom/him/her.”
Example
Who/whom said that and to who/whom were they speaking?
Let’s look. The first one comes at the beginning of the sentence. Let’s replace the word “who/whom” with “he/him.” Would we say “He said that” or “Him said that”? While we don’t normally want to go by what "sounds right,” it’s pretty clear that we want “he” over “him” in this case. “Who” is aligned with “He,” so we want “Who” in the above example, not “whom.” This makes sense because in this sentence, the first word in question is doing things, not having things done to them.
Exercise
I’m sorry, but you spoke to who on the phone?
A. NO CHANGE
B. to whom, on the phone?
C. to who, on the phone?
D. to whom on the phone?
The comma is thrown in simply as a distraction for the wrong answer choices. Hopefully, you recognized that no comma is needed because there’s just no rule here that says we need one (we don’t go by what “sounds right,” remember?). That leaves us with answer choices A and D. Well… would we say that I “spoke to her” on the phone or “spoke to she” on the phone? Definitely “her.” “Her” is associated with “whom” as opposed to “who,” so we want to answer choice D here.
Remember:
- Who = he or she = Someone doing something
- Whom = him or her = Something happening towards, at, or to someone
Affect/Effect
This one confuses everyone but is super easy once you learn the rule. It is as simple as this:
- Affect = usually, but not always, a verb
- Effect = usually, but not always, a noun
There you go! Never get confused again! If you need some reminders about identifying nouns and verbs, see the chapter on Parts of speech.
Examples
While the words of the speech were stirring, they didn’t affect me as much as the delivery.
Here, of course, the word is being used as the verb to the subject “they.” Hence, the verb form.
While the words of the speech were stirring, they didn’t have as great an effect on me as her delivery.
And now it’s used as a noun, so we go with “effect.”
Their/They’re/There
Definitely one of the most common language errors in the ACT and in real life, these words all mean distinctly different things, even though they sound the same.
- Their = Possessive form of the word “they.” When “they” own something, it’s “their” books.
- They’re = Shortened form of “they are.” That’s it. It really is that simple.
- There = In technical terms, this is called a demonstrative pronoun. All that really means is that we use it to refer to a place. You know, over “there.” It is also used in metaphorical ways, like, “There is the real problem” or “There are many good ideas in this discussion.”
Example
This isn’t exactly like an ACT question, but it will give you good practice in an efficient way that will address anything the ACT will throw at you related to these words.
The students were told that there are things there young minds need to know before there pushed off into the “real world.”
For each of the three underlined words above, pick the correct choice:
A. NO CHANGE
B. their
C. they’re
Can you find the answers? Answer all three questions as best as you can. Then, you can look at the spoiler below to see if you answered them correctly
- A
- B
- C
The first one, as you may have figured out, is A: No change. Here, the “there” is functioning in the catch-all way described above, kind of like a metaphorical version of the demonstrative pronoun.
Number two is B: there. This is because the word in question is trying to express ownership; the students possess, i.e., own, the young minds. They are “their” young minds.
Number three is C: they’re. If we read the sentence with “they are” substituted in, we’ll find it makes perfect sense: “The students were told that there are things their young minds need to know before they are pushed off into the ‘real world.’”
Then/Than
This is another close pairing the ACT will try to slip by you. They are only one letter off from each other, which makes it easier to go unnoticed. Just remember this:
- Then = a moment in time
- Than = used to compare
Example
I finished my work, and then I went for a walk in the park.
In this sentence, the word “then” is used to refer to a moment in time. Meaning, after I finished my work, I went to the park.
Margaret is taller than her younger sister.
“Than” is used here to compare Margaret’s height to that of her young sister’s. Hence the need for a comparison word like “than.”
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