• Commonly confused words 1 From the Edanz "Academic

• Commonly confused words 2 English Writing" course

• Commonly misspelled words
• Common spellingand typing errors
• Spelling rules
• Language to avoid
• Common mistakes

Writing with
professionalism
learning.edanz.com by Dr. Trevor Lane
 Table of contents

1. Commonly confused words 1 3

2. Commonly confused words 2 5

3. Commonly misspelled words 6

4. Common spellingand typing errors 8

5. Spelling rules 12

6. Language to avoid 17

7. Common mistakes 19
 Commonly confused words
Below are commonly confused words, with their meaning and �ps to dis�nguish the words. Please
consult a good dic�onary for full meanings and examples of how to use the words. If you have any
ques�ons or require language or publishing support, please email japan@edanz.com.

Confused Meaning Memory aid

words
advice noun: helpful comment advice: ice is a noun
advise verb: to give advice advise: to help someone

affect verb: to influence affect: change the status; alter

effect verb: to bring about, cause to happen effect: enable to reach the end

affect noun: demeanor, affecta�on affect: appearance of face

effect noun: result, outcome effect: end result

boarder noun: pay to stay in lodgings/home boarder: pay to stay in class a place
border noun: edge, demarca�on line border: neat edges bring order

capital noun: uppercase le�er, main city capital: contains first le�er a
capitol noun: main government building capitol: has a dome, looks like o

complement verb: to match complement: completes

compliment verb: to say nice things compliment: i’m being nice

currant noun: dried berry currant: looks like an ant

current noun: electricity; adjec�ve: now current: electricity enters now

desert noun: dry place desert: sand

dessert noun: sweet course of meal dessert: sweets / spoons / sugars

discreet adjec�ve: unobtrusive, unno�ced discreet: the two es are together and
discrete adjec�ve: separate units not exposed; keep confiden�al
discrete: the two es are separated by t;
think of dis�nct concrete blocks

emigrate verb: to leave a country to live elsewhere emigrate: leave country for elsewhere
immigrate verb: to enter to live in another country immigrate: come into a country
immediately to live

eminent adjec�ve: famous eminent: eminem is famous

imminent adjec�ve: likely/about to happen, soon imminent: immediately in the future
immanent adjec�ve: inherent, inborn, within immanent: permanent feature

farther adjec�ve/adverb: greater distance away farther: go more far away

further adjec�ve/adverb*: greater degree, further: grow more fur; furthermore
extent, or quan�ty
*can also be verb

h�ps://learning.edanz.com/
https://learning.edanz.com/ © Edanz
© Edanz.
https://learning.edanz.com/courses/aew1b/ CCCC BY-NC-ND
BY-NC-ND
© Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND Page3 1ofof
Page 232
 hear verb: to listen hear: use your ear
here adverb: this place here: not there

its pronoun: belonging to “it” (possessive) its: the s belongs to “it”; no apostrophe
it’s contrac�on: it is / it has it’s: it + is/has

lay verb: to put someone/thing horizontal lay: place flat on table (past tense, laid)
lie verb: to become/be horizontal (on floor) lie: i lie down, i recline (past tense, lay)

lead noun*: type of metal (pronounced “led”) lead: metal, poisonous if used in paint;
led verb: past tense of verb “to lead”, pencil lead is really graphite
directed or guided from front led: the a in “lead” has been led away in
*can also be verb (rhymes with “bead”) the past tense

lose verb: opposite of find/win lose: lost the extra o of ‘loose’; you can
loose adjec�ve: not �ght find only one o
loose: oo are like two loops of rope; a
noose to catch a moose

oral adjec�ve: related to mouth/speech oral: mouth, shou�ng

aural adjec�ve: related to ear/hearing aural: audio for ears

precede verb: to come before precede: ‘pre’ means ‘before’, and

proceed verb: to go forward, con�nue le�ers go before all three es: precede
proceed: ‘pro’ means ‘forward’; the es
succeed to stay together, with one e
following another

principal noun: main person; adjec�ve: main principal: your main pal and friend
principle noun: theory/law, truth principle: please see the truth

right adverb*: appropriate or not le� right: hold right hand, not too tight
rite noun: custom, ceremony rite: event in religious site
write verb: to record text on paper/screen write: draw le�ers on white paper
Wright noun: person who builds (eg, with wood) Wright: the Wright brothers made
*can also be noun/verb/adjective airplanes

sta�onary adjec�ve: s�ll sta�onary: stay where you are

sta�onery noun: wri�ng supplies sta�onery: pens, pencils, envelopes

there adverb: away from here there: not here

their pronoun: belonging to them (possessive) their: belongs to an heir
they’re contrac�on: they are they’re: they are

weather noun: atmospheric condi�ons weather: check the weather at sea

whether conjunc�on: choice between alterna�ves whether: whether he or she

your pronoun: belonging to you (possessive) your: you + r; the r belongs to you
you’re contrac�on: you are you’re: you are
yore noun: long �me ago yore: your old �mes of before
yaw noun/verb: side-to-side movement yaw: i saw you move like a see-saw

h�ps://learning.edanz.com/
https://learning.edanz.com/ © Edanz
© Edanz.
https://learning.edanz.com/courses/aew1b/ CCCC BY-NC-ND
BY-NC-ND
© Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND Page4 2ofof
Page 232
 Commonly confused words
Below are some commonly confused words, using US English. Look up the meanings in a good
dic�onary and try to learn the differences. If you have any ques�ons or require language or
publishing support, please email japan@edanz.com.
accept/except definite/defini�ve moral/morale
advice/advise dependant/dependent mucous/mucus
adverse/averse desert/dessert moot/mute
adop�ve/adopted discreet/discrete naval/navel
aid/aide disinterested/uninterested notable/no�ceable
aisle/isle/I’ll dual/duel oral/aural
affect/effect economic/economical obligated/obliged
allowed/aloud elude/allude pale�e/palate/pallet
allusion/illusion emigrate/immigrate passed/past
alterna�ve/alternate eminent/imminent/immanent pa�ence/pa�ents
altar/alter ensure/insure peace/piece
amoral/immoral elicit/illicit peak/peek/pique
angel/angle elude/allude pedal/peddle
appraise/apprise emigrate/immigrate personal/personnel
assistance/assistants enquiry/inquiry plain/plane
assure/ensure/insure envelop/envelope populace/populous
awe/oar/or/ore farther/further pore/pour/poor/paw
bare/bear fair/fare/fayre precede/proceed
bazaar/bizarre flair/flare precedent/president
bloc/block flier/flyer premise/premises
boarder/border foul/fowl prescribe/proscribe
bought/brought forth/fourth principle/principal
brake/break hanger/hangar/hunger prescribe/proscribe
breathe/breath hanged/hung quiet/quite/quit
broach/brooch hear/here rain/rein/reign
callous/callus heal/he’ll/heel raze/rays/raise/rise
canvas/canvass heroin/heroine ra�onal/ra�onale
capital/capitol idle/idol/idyll right/write/rite/wright
casual/causal illusion/allusion role/roll
censor/censure/sensor imply/infer saw/soar/sore
chili/chilly/Chile incidents/incidence sta�onary/sta�onery
choose/chose/choice incite/insight story/storey
cite/site/sight instance/instants than/then
climac�c/clima�c interes�ng/interested there/their/they’re
coarse/course its/it’s to/too/two
collectable/collec�ble law/lore tortuous/torturous
compliment/complement lay/lie vain/vane/vein
compose/comprise led/lead waist/waste
confident/confidant(e) lend/borrow wait/weight
conscience/conscious lightening/lightning ware/wear/where/were/we’re
council/counsel liquor/liqueur waver/waiver
course/coarse lose/loose weather/whether
currant/current male/mail which/witch
decent/descent/dissent lose/loose whose/who’s
defuse/diffuse male/mail your/you’re/yore/yaw

h�ps://learning.edanz.com/
https://learning.edanz.com/ ©©Edanz
https://learning.edanz.com/courses/aew1b/ CCCC
Edanz. BY-NC-ND
BY-NC-ND
© Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND Page5 1ofof
Page 231
 Commonly misspelled words
Below are some commonly misspelled words, using US English. If needed, look up the meanings of
the words and find examples of sentences using the words in a good dic�onary. Prac�ce recognizing
the correct spelling and keep a list of which words you s�ll need to learn. If you have any ques�ons
or require language or publishing support, please email japan@edanzgroup.com

abscess fluoride persistent

accelerate foresee personnel
accessible foreign persuade
accessory fulfill piece
accidentally gauge phenomenon
accommodate government pneumonia
accumulate grammar Portuguese
achieve grateful possession
acknowledgment grievous possible
acquaint guarantee preeminent
acquire guard preroga�ve
across handiwork privilege
address handkerchief pronuncia�on
aggressive harass protein
amateur heinous proverbial
anecdote hemorrhage publicly
anesthe�c hierarchy pursue
anomaly homogeneous pursuit
Antarc�c humorous quandary
apartment hygiene ques�onnaire
apparent hypocrisy queue
aqueduct idiosyncrasy quiet
archeology ignorance rarefied
Arc�c immediately receive
argument inadvertent recommend
artefact incidentally refrigerator
assessment independent relevant
asterisk indispensable relief
a�ach inedible religious
auxiliary innocuous remunera�on
bachelor inoculate rendezvous
believe insistent renowned
besiege installment repertoire
biased intercede restaurateur
blatant interrupt resuscitate
brief introvert rhyme
caffeine invigorate rhythm
camaraderie iridescent rigorous
cappuccino irrelevant sacrilegious
Caribbean irresis�ble seize
ceiling island seizure
category i�nerary separate
collaborate judgement (judgment [legal]) sergeant

h�ps://learning.edanz.com/
https://learning.edanz.com/ ©©Edanz
https://learning.edanz.com/courses/aew1b/ CCCC
Edanz. BY-NC-ND
BY-NC-ND
© Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND Page6 1ofof
Page 232
 commemorate kernel shoulder
commitment knowledge siege
commi�ee laboratory sieve
compara�ve language skillful
competent library silhoue�e
concede leisure slaughter
conceive liaison solely
consensus lightning [storm] soliloquy
conscience liquefy speech
conscien�ous maintenance strength
consensus maneuver subtle
contemporary mayonnaise success
correspondence medicine successful
corollary medieval supersede
curriculum Mediterranean suppress
deceive memento surprise
definite millennium suscep�ble
descendant millionaire synonymous
desiccate miniature tariff
despair minuscule temperature
detach miscellaneous threshold
diarrhea mischievous tomorrow
dilapidated misspell tortuous
dilemma moreover tragedy
diphtheria necessary truly
diphthong nego�ate underrate
disappear niece undertake
disappoint non sequitur unforeseen
discipline no�ceable unnecessary
dissension nup�al un�l
duly occasion unwieldy
dysfunc�on occurrence usage
ecstasy offered vaccinate
embarrass omission vacillate
environment ophthalmology vacuous
exaggerate opportunity vacuum
excellent pageant vague
except parallel vegetable
excerpt parliament veterinary
exercise pas�me Wednesday
exhilarate pejora�ve weigh
experien�al penul�mate weird
extrovert people which
familiar perceive wield
February perennial willful
fiery permanent withhold
fluorescent perseverance yield

h�ps://learning.edanz.com/
https://learning.edanz.com/ ©©Edanz
https://learning.edanz.com/courses/aew1b/ CCCC
Edanz. BY-NC-ND
BY-NC-ND
© Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND Page7 2ofof
Page 232
 Common spelling/typing errors
Below are some commonly misspelled words, showing typical wrong spellings, the correct spelling,
spelling features to note, and �ps for remembering the correct spelling. Make a list of words you
tend to misspell and prac�ce spelling them using a memory aid. If you have any ques�ons or require
language or publishing support, please email japan@edanz.com.

Incorrect Correct Memory aid/s

x acheive achieve Use I before E, except a�er C*
(note: ‘ie’)
Hi Eve, achieve all you can!

x acomodate, accommodate My home can accommodate my two

accomodate, (note: double ‘c’, double ‘m’) cats and two mice
acommodate

x acuire, aquire, aqcuire acquire I see (C) the queue (Q) to acquire the
(note: c then q) new phone model

x amatur, amature, amateur A mate u r (you are), but s�ll an

amater, ameture (note: ending ‘eur’) amateur

x ar�c arc�c The Arc�c is the southern arc �p of

(note: middle ‘c’) the globe

x arguement, arguemant, argument ‘Argue” lost its ‘e’ in the argument

argumant (note: no ‘e’ from ‘argue’, among the men
ending ‘ment’)

x assesment, assesmant, assessment In an ‘assessment’, assess all four s’s

asessment, asessmant, (note: two double ‘s’s, ending are present
asesment, asesmant, ‘ment’)
assessmant

x axterisk, axterix asterisk Asterisk is a star with a high risk of

asterick, asterix, astrix (note: ‘st’, ending ‘sk’) being seen

x beleive believe Use I before E, except a�er C*

(note: ‘ie’)
Don’t believe the lie

x caribean, carribean, caribbean In the Caribbean, you can eat ribs

carribbean (note: single ‘r’, double ‘b’) with beans

x cieling ceiling Use I before E, except a�er C*

(note: ‘ei’)
Ceiling starts alphabe�cally: C-E-I-L

x commi�ment, commitment Commitment means Constantly

commi�mant (note: double ‘m’, single ‘t’, offering M&Ms in the morning,
comi�ment, comi�mant ending ‘ment’) evening, night time
comitment, comitmant

h�ps://learning.edanz.com/
https://learning.edanz.com/ ©©Edanz
https://learning.edanz.com/courses/aew1b/ CCCC
Edanz. BY-NC-ND
BY-NC-ND
© Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND Page8 1ofof
Page 234
 x comite, comi�e, commi�ee Come to my mee�ng: I’ll try to end
comitee, comi�ee (note: double ‘m’, ‘t’, ‘e’) early
commite, commi�e,
commitee There are three empty (M-T-E)
couples on the commi�ee

x concensus, concencus, consensus The consensus made sense to us

consencus (note: middle ‘s’)

x dilema, dillema, dilemma Emma has a dilemma about one ‘L’

dillemma (note: single ‘l’, double ‘m’)

x definately, definatly, definitely ‘Definitely’ has two ‘i’s in it

definitly (note: two ‘i’s)

x dispair, dispare, despair Des will despair if there’s no air

despare (note: ‘e’, ending ‘air’)

x embarass, embarras, embarrass You’ll be really red as strawberries if

embaras (note: double ‘r’ and ‘s’) you can’t spell embarrass

x enviroment environment The environment contains ‘iron’

(note: silent ‘n’)

x exagerate exaggerate Gigi loves to exaggerate

exagerrate (note: double ‘g’, single ‘r’)

x exelent, exellent, excellent Be ‘excellent’, and see (C) the extra L

excelent (note: ‘c’, double ‘l’)

x goverment government Governments should govern well

(note: silent ‘n’)

x innoculate, inocculate, inoculate Inoculate with a single injec�on

innocculate (note: single ‘n’, single ‘c’)
Inoculate: drug goes in; oh (O), see
you (CU) later

x maintainence, maintenance The main tenants can spell

maintainance (note: middle ‘e’, ending ‘ance’) maintenance

x medi�eranean, mediterranean In the Mediterranean, you edit

mediteranean, (note: single ‘t’, double ‘r’) errors
medi�erranean

x miniscule minuscule Minuscule should be minus any hint

(note: middle ‘u’) of minis

x mispell, misspel, misspell Miss Pell taught me never to

missspell (note: double ‘s’) misspell ‘misspell’

h�ps://learning.edanz.com/
https://learning.edanz.com/ ©©Edanz
https://learning.edanz.com/courses/aew1b/ CCCC
Edanz. BY-NC-ND
BY-NC-ND
© Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND Page9 2ofof
Page 234
 x necesary, necesery necessary It’s necessary for one coat to have
neccesary, neccesery (note: single ‘c’, double ‘s’, two sleeves for the arms
neccessary, neccessery ending ‘ary’)
Never eat chocolate; eat six
strawberries and remain young

x occassion, ocasion, occasion You might need to sail over two seas
ocassion (note: double ‘c’, single ‘s’) (CC) for one special occasion

x occurrance, occurrence Finding two cats and two rats either

occurance, occurence, (note: double ‘c’, double ‘r’, side of you (U) is an endearing
ocurrance, ocurrence, ending ‘ence’) occurrence
ocurance, ocurence,

x pass�me, pas�me pastime My pastime is ea�ng pasta in Mexico

(note: single ‘s’, single ‘t’)

x peice piece Use I before E, except a�er C*

(note: ‘ie’)
A piece of pie

x peple, pepel, peopel, people People eat omelets; people like eggs
poeple, poepel (note: silent ‘o’, ending ‘le’’)

x priviledge, privelige, privilege Use your two eyes (I) to spell

privelege (note: two middle ‘i’s, no ‘d’, ‘privilege’ on your leg
ending ‘ege’)

x pronouncia�on pronuncia�on In ‘pronuncia�on’, you (U) don’t find

(note: middle ‘u’, not ‘ou’) ‘ou’

x publically publicly ‘Publicly’ is the adverb of public, not

(note: ending ‘ly’) ‘publical’

x recieve receive Use I before E, except a�er C*

(note: middle ‘ei’)
If I ‘receive’, I’ve also got to give

x rythm, rhthm, rhthym rhythm Rhythm helps your two hips move
(note: first silent ‘h’, middle ‘y’)

x seperate, separete, separate See Pa rate the two As with an R

seperete (verb or adjec�ve)
(note: two ‘a’s)

x supercede, superceed supersede Supersede your super sedentary

(note: middle ‘s’, not ‘c’) lifestyle with an ac�ve one

x suprise, suprize, surprise Be sure to rise and surprise me

supprise, supprize, (note: ‘r in ‘sur’’, ending ‘s’ not
surprize ‘z’)

h�ps://learning.edanz.com/
https://learning.edanz.com/ ©©Edanz
https://learning.edanz.com/courses/aew1b/ CCCC
Edanz. BY-NC-ND
BY-NC-ND
© Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND Page
Page 103of 4
of23
 x tommorrow, tomorrow Tomorrow, should I visit Tom or
tommorow (note: single ‘m’, double ‘r’) row?

x unecessary, unnecessary It’s unnecessary and not nice to

unecessery (note: double ‘n’, single ‘c’, throw my coat and two shoes away
double ‘s’, ending ‘ary’)

x un�ll un�l Write un�l you’ve wri�en one ‘l’,

(note: single ‘l’) not two

x Wensday wednesday Wednesday is We Do Not Eat Soup

(note: silent ‘d’) Day

Wednesday is for weddings, not

engagements, separa�ons, divorces

x wiegh weigh Use I before E, except a�er C, unless

(note: ‘ei’, silent ‘g’) it sounds like A*

We weigh eight eggs

x wich which Which hat is Candy’s hat?

(note: ‘wh’)

*Note:
“Use i before e, except after c,
Or when sounded like a, as in neighbor and weigh;
Also their, height, and seizure, weird, seize, and seizure.”

h�ps://learning.edanz.com/
https://learning.edanz.com/ ©©Edanz
https://learning.edanz.com/courses/aew1b/ CCCC
Edanz. BY-NC-ND
BY-NC-ND
© Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND Page114ofof23
Page 4
 Basic spelling rules
Below are some basic spelling rules in the English language, mainly for when endings (suffixes)
added. There are many other rules. However, note that there are also many excep�ons to the rules.
If needed, check spelling in a good dic�onary. Prac�ce recognizing the correct spelling, and keep a
list of which words you s�ll need to learn. If you have any ques�ons or require language or
publishing support, please email global@edanzgroup.com.

Spelling General rule Examples

1. Adjec�ve –ic or –ic:
–ical ending
for nouns ending in:
–d/de/dy (drop the final –e or –y) acid→acidic, episode→episodic
–ot/ote (drop the final –e) despot→despotic, zygote→zygotic
–et/ete (drop the final –e) poet→poetic, athlete→athletic
–pathy (drop the final –y) myopathy→myopathic

–esia/esis (–es changes to –et; drop anesthesia→anesthetic

the final –ia or –is) kinesis→kinetic

–os/osis (–os changes to –ot; drop chaos→chaotic

the final –is) hypnosis→hypnotic

–ical:

for nouns ending in:

–ology (drop the final –y) psychology→psychological

–ic (replace with –ical) cynic→cynical

For some words, both –ic and –ical rhythmic(al): having rhythm
adjec�ve forms can occur, possibly with
different meanings electric: powered by electricity /
electrical: related to electricity

historic: important, making history /

historical: related to history

classic: quality, valued, tradi�onal /

classical: related to art and culture of
ancient Greece or Rome or 18th/19th
centuries

2. Adverb –ly Add –ly to an adjec�ve but: real→really, grateful→gratefully,

ending surprising→surprisingly

happy→happily, busy→busily,

www.edanzedi�ng.com
https://learning.edanz.com/ ©©Edanz
https://learning.edanz.com/courses/aew1b/ Group.
Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND
CC BY-NC-ND
© Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND Page121ofof23
Page 5
 change final –y to –ily day→daily
(but shy→shyly, sly→slyly)

able→ably, humble→humbly,
change final –le to –ly if there is a simple→simply
preceding consonant, but simply add sole→solely, agile→agilely
–ly if there is a preceding vowel (but whole→wholly)

phone�c→phonetically
change –ic to –ically (but public→publicly)

full→fully
change final –ll to –lly
true→truly, due→duly
change final –ue to –uly

3. Words ending Drop final –e of the base word hope→hoping, charge→charging

with –e when because the suffix begins with a (but UK spelling: ageing)
adding suffixes vowel note→notable
–ing, –able, (but UK spelling: likeable)
–ous, –ist, –ism, fame→famous
–ed, –er, –est race→racist, racism
like→liked, argue→argued
write→writer, white→whiter
white→whitest, blue→bluest

Keep final –e if words end in –ee, see→seeing, agree→agreeable

–oe, –ye, –e with “ee” sound canoe→canoeing
dye→dyeing
be→being

Keep final –e when adding –able or manage→manageable

–ous if words end in –ge (“j” sound) courage→courageous
or –ce (“s” sound) replace→replaceable
no�ce→noticeable

4. Words ending Keep final –e of the base word agree→agreement

with –e when because the ending suffix begins with excite→excitement
adding suffixes a consonant complete→completeness, completely
–ment, –ness for definite→definitely
nouns and
–ly for adverbs Drop final –e if words end in –ue or due→duly, true→truly
–ge (“j” sound) argue→argument
acknowledge→acknowledgment
(but UK spelling: acknowledgement)
5. Words ending Change –le to –il able→ability
in –le when possible→possibility
adding –ity for
nouns

www.edanzedi�ng.com
https://learning.edanz.com/ ©©Edanz
https://learning.edanz.com/courses/aew1b/ Group.
Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND
CC BY-NC-ND
© Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND Page
Page 132of 5
of23
 6. Words ending Change –t to –ss permit→permission
in –t when adding omit→omission
–ion for nouns
7. Words ending Double the final consonant if word is sit→si�ing
in a consonant one syllable and ends in one vowel + cut→cu�ing, cu�able, cu�er
when adding one consonant: –b, –d, –g, –l, –m, log→logged, logging, logger
suffixes –ing, –n,–p, –r, –t big→bigger, biggest
–able, –ed, (1:1:1 rule: 1 syllable, 1 vowel, 1
–er, –est consonant)

Double the final consonant if begin→beginning, beginner

mul�syllablic base word ends in a occur→occurring, occurred
stressed syllable of one vowel + one forget→forge�able
consonant: –b, –d, –g, –l, –m, –n,–p, control→controlled, controlling,
–r, –t controller
drop→dropped, dropping

Do not double the final consonant if:

o there are two vowels before the neat→neatest, pool→pooling, pooled,
consonant soil→soiled, soiling

o there are two final consonants fast→faster, sell→selling, sort→sorted

o the final syllable is not stressed target→targeted

open→opening
develop→developer
travel→traveled
(but UK spelling: travelled)
Note: focus→focussed/focused,
focussing/focusing
8. Words ending Add a –k mimic→mimicked
in –c when adding picnic→picnicker
suffixes traffic→trafficking, traffickable
–ing, –able, –ed,
–er
9. Words ending Change the –y to –i for suffixes such story→stories, berry→berries
in –y when adding as: marry→marries, married, marriage
suffixes –es, –ed, –age, –ness, –ous, –er, fury→furious
–est, –ly, –ful carry→carrier
beauty→beau�ful
ugly→uglier, ugliest
easy→easier, easiest, easiness, easily
busy→business, heavy→heaviness
happy→happiness, happier, happily
fly→flier (also flyer)
dry→drier, driest, dried, drily (but
dryness, dryer [machine]; also dryly)
(but sly→slyer, slyest, slyly, slyness)

Do not change –y to –i if: try→trying, bury→burying,

www.edanzedi�ng.com
https://learning.edanz.com/ ©©Edanz
https://learning.edanz.com/courses/aew1b/ Group.
Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND
CC BY-NC-ND
© Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND Page
Page 143of 5
of23
 o the suffix is –ing, –ism, –ish crony→cronyism, dry→dryish
buy→buyer
o there is a preceding vowel enjoy→enjoyed, enjoyment
play→played, player
gray→grayness
10. Words ending Change –ie to –y die→dying
in –ie when lie→lying
adding –ing �e→tying
11. Words Use –i before –e, except a�er –c believe, belief, chief, field, yield, relief,
containing –ei or reprieve
–ie with “ee” After c: ceiling, deceit, receive, receipt
sound
(but either, neither, seize, seizure,
leisure, codeine, protein, caffeine,
Raleigh, Keith)
12. Other words Use –i before –e, except a�er –c, Exceptions to “–i before –e”:
containing –ei or Or when sounded like A, as in neighbor “A”: neighbor, weigh, geisha, lei, veil,
–ie and weigh, vein, eight, reign, rein, freight, beige
Or when sounded like EYE, as in height “EYE”: height, sleight, seismic
and sleight, “IH”: forfeit, surfeit, foreign,
Or when sounded like IH, as in foreign counterfeit, sovereign
and forfeit, “AIR”: heir, their
Beware if –c sounds like SH, as in species “EH”: heifer, leisure (UK pronuncia�on)
and ancient,
Or if the stem was –cy, as in fancies and –i before –e, but even after –c:
fancied; C as “SH”: ancient, species, sufficient,
There’s also: their, heifer, and leisure, conscience, efficient, glacier (US
weird, seize, and seizure. pronuncia�on)
Stem was –cy: fancies, fancier, fancied,
icier, policies, legacies
Others: science, society, concierge

Other exceptions:
friend, weird

13. Plurals Add –s for words ending in a girl→girls

consonant other than –y, –s, –z, –x, cliff→cliffs
–ch, –sh, single –f

Add –es for words ending in –s, –x, boss→bosses, box→boxes,

–ch, –sh; also double the last watch→watches, wash→washes,
le�er for –z quiz→quizzes

Add –s for words ending in vowel + y play→plays, holiday→holidays

journey→journeys, key→keys
Change –y to –ies for words ending in boy→boys, alloy→alloys
consonant + y
baby→babies, family→families
Change –f or –fe to –ves study→studies, supply→supplies

calf→calves

www.edanzedi�ng.com
https://learning.edanz.com/ ©©Edanz
https://learning.edanz.com/courses/aew1b/ Group.
Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND
CC BY-NC-ND
© Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND Page
Page 154of 5
of23
 loaf→loaves
knife→knives
(but chief→chiefs)
Note: hoof→hoofs/hooves,
scarf→scarf/scarves
14. Final –e a�er a Silent ending –e usually lengthens the bit/bite, kit/kite, sit/site, spit/spite,
consonant for vowel and makes a new word spin/spine, rip/ripe, quit/quite,
one-syllable words strip/stripe

cut/cute, cub/cube, tub/tube

bar/bare, mar/mare, far/fare

mat/mate, plan/plane, scrap/scrape

can/cane, cap/cape, mad/made,
tap/tape, man/mane

rod/rode, cod/code, not/note,

hop/hope, rob/robe

www.edanzedi�ng.com
https://learning.edanz.com/ ©©Edanz
https://learning.edanz.com/courses/aew1b/ Group.
Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND
CC BY-NC-ND
© Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND Page
Page 165of 5
of23
 Language to avoid in research writing
Below are some types of language to avoid in research writing, with explanations and examples.
Practice recognizing such language and learn to edit and proofread your own work. If you have any
questions or require language or publishing support, please email global@edanzgroup.com.

Language type Explana�on Example

1. Spoken jargon Informal special terms used to Got flu jabbed = injected with an influenza vaccine
save time in specific
The patient coded name specific emergency or
professions
action, eg, required cardiopulmonary resuscitation
2. Colloquialisms Informal conversation, The level went through the roof = increased markedly
including contractions and
The interviewees didn’t have no clue did not respond
double negatives
/ said they did not know
Above board = legitimate; Shoddy = low quality
3. Impoliteness Too rude, personal; The authors of the study were clearly careless in their
4. Wordiness Using too many words
study design planning The study design was flawed
5. Spoken idioms Creative, humorous, or Like watching paint dry = boring
exaggerated phrases without By any stretch of the imagination = unbelievable
a literal meaning On the edge of their seat = interested, excited
6. Slang Terms used by people who Yeah = yes; Cash = money; Cool = good
know each other well, The kids chilled = the children relaxed
including swearing GOAT = greatest of all time (define abbreviations the
first time, if needed)
7. Clichés Overused imagery that has Avoid X like the plague = avoid X
lost its effect As brave as a lion = brave
Better late than never = late
8. Euphemisms Indirect, mild terms used in They were let go = fired; Kicked the bucket = died
an effort to be polite He was a little thin on top = balding
9. Connotation Negative or condescending
Wheelchair-bound handicapped wheelchair users
attitude, or insult implied
The poor victim went nuts the patient developed a
mental health problem
10. Bias Discriminatory terms
Man-hours staff hours; Cleaning lady cleaner
11. Sarcasm Saying the opposite to The policy was so useful = was not useful
criticize or mock That was a wise decision = an unwise decision
12. New technical New words that have not
The sample was cohortized assigned to cohorts
terms been widely accepted yet
Covidity % population testing positive for COVID-19
13. Overusing Imagery that is not necessary Straight from the horse’s mouth: no need to hold your
metaphors horses = authorities have given the go-ahead

https://learning.edanz.com/ © Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND Page 17 of 23

14. Mixing Confusing imagery There are plenty of fish in the sea, even though the
metaphors
ship has sailed and the horse has bolted there are
other opportunities
15. Giving human qualities to
The clouds were so upset that they cried it rained
Anthropo-morphis non-human things
m The insects flew eagerly to X flew to X
16. Fillers and Spoken terms to allow more It goes without saying… And so on and so forth…
extensions thinking time or to be vague
Etcetera etcetera… Blah blah blah delete these
17. Overhedging Being too careful, redundant It might possibly perhaps be that X could… = X may…
18. Addressing Directly referring to or You may already know that… Now turn to page 5…
readers questioning the reader
Why is this, you may ask? delete these

https://learning.edanz.com/ © Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND Page 18 of 23

 Common mistakes
Below are some common grammar and punctua�on errors, with correc�ons and explana�ons.
Prac�ce recognizing such errors in your wri�ng and learn to edit and proofread your own work. If
you have any ques�ons or require language or publishing support, please email
global@edanzgroup.com.

Mistake Example Correc�on

1. Survey was mailed to 500 A survey was mailed to 500 households. The
Missing/wrong households. A survey contained survey contained ques�ons on…
ar�cles ques�ons on…
[Use “a” when introducing something new to
your audience; then, use “the” when
referring to the same thing again later.]
2. “A” versus An university… An US government A university… A US government official… An
“An” official… A umbrella… umbrella…

[Use “a” before a “you” sound; use “an”

before an “uh” sound.]
3. Count A silver was used in this test. Silver / A piece of silver / A silver coin was
versus used in this test.
noncount
nouns [No article is used if only the material is
mentioned (silver); use an article if a
quantity-noun is mentioned first (a
piece/gram/sheet of…) or if the material is
an adjective that comes before the name of
a physical object (…coin/sample/sheet).]

4. Dangling Being rare, we did not use gold. Being rare, gold was not used. /
modifier Because it is rare, we did not use gold. /
Because of its rareness, we did not use gold.

[The original sentence sounds like “we” are

“rare”; place the correct subject after the
comma of an introductory phrase or rewrite
the sentence.]
5. Misplaced We only tested the gold man’s We tested only the man’s gold watch.
modifier watch.
[The original sentence says “only tested” and
a “gold man”, so move “only” and “gold”
closer to the word or phrase that they
modify]

6. Subject-verb The history of the two main The history of the two main characters in
disagreement characters in the series have not the series has not been reported before.
been reported before.

www.edanzedi�ng.com
https://learning.edanz.com/ ©©Edanz Group.
Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND
CC BY-NC-ND Page
Page 191of 5
of23
 Either the team members or the Either the team members or the leader was
leader were interviewed. interviewed. / Either the leader or the team
members were interviewed.

The samples were mixed and their The samples were mixed and their op�cal
op�cal density measured. density was measured. /
The samples were mixed and their op�cal
densi�es measured.

[The verb must agree with the subject, even

if it is far away in the sentence. In paired
constructions (either/or, neither/nor), the
verb agrees with the closest subject. In the
last example, do not “share” verbs
incorrectly (the original says “…their optical
density [were] measured”); use separate
singular/plural forms or make all subjects
either singular or plural to agree with the
shared verb.]

7. Wrong The interviewee said she The interviewee said she had a�ended
tense or tense a�ended college. college.
form/spelling
The children were aware that The children were aware that water usually
water usually boiled at 100oC. boils at 100oC.

The pa�ent choosed to end The pa�ent chose to end treatment early.
treatment early.
[In reported speech, past events move back
in time, so past simple verbs change to the
past perfect (pluperfect) tense. For general
truths, use the present simple tense. Note if
verb forms are irregular for any tenses.]
8. Unclear The sample was placed in the The sample was placed in the tube. The
referents of tube. It was then boiled. sample was then boiled. /
pronouns The sample was placed in the tube and was
then boiled.

[In the original text, the “It” could refer to

the sample or the tube; clarify by naming the
subject or joining sentences so they share
the same subject.]
9. People like reading, cooking and People like reading, cooking, and playing
Nonparallelism to play sports. sports.

[Make all items in a list the same

grammatical form; in the corrected
sentence, items have been made parallel, in
the gerund form.]
10. Fragments Although dependent clauses Dependent clauses cannot be stand-alone
cannot be stand-alone sentences. sentences. /

www.edanzedi�ng.com
https://learning.edanz.com/ ©©Edanz Group.
Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND
CC BY-NC-ND 202ofof23
Page
Page 5
 Clauses can be independent or dependent,
although dependent clauses cannot be
stand-alone sentences. /
Although dependent clauses cannot be
stand-alone sentences, they can be
combined with independent clauses.

[Dependent (eg, relative and subordinating)

clauses need an independent clause for
completion or should be converted into
independent sentences.]
11. Comma Clauses can be independent, Clauses can be independent, but commas
splices commas cannot join these cannot join these together. /
together. Clauses can be independent; commas
cannot join these together. /
Clauses can be independent. Commas
cannot join these together.

[Commas cannot join sentences; add a

conjunction or semicolon, or start a new
sentence.]
12. Missing A�er an introductory phrase a A�er an introductory phrase, a comma
comma a�er comma should be inserted to help should be inserted to help the reader.
introductory the reader.
phrase
Because the reagents had Because the reagents had degraded, the
degraded the test needed to be test needed to be repeated.
repeated.
[Avoid unclear or misleading sentences by
adding a comma after introductory phrases
or dependent clauses.]

13. Incorrect The students liked: reading, The students liked the following: reading,
use of colon cooking, and playing sports. cooking, and playing sports. /
The students liked three ac�vi�es: reading,
cooking, and playing sports.

[Colons can introduce lists, reasons, or

explanations after an independent clause.]

14. Incorrect Many people have hobbies, Many people have hobbies; however,… /
punctua�on however many people do not. Many people have hobbies. However,…/
with Many people have hobbies. Many people do
connec�ng not, however./
adverbs Many people have hobbies. Many people,
however, do not.

[Connecting adverbs need to follow a

semicolon or start a new sentence, and be
followed by a comma. The word “however”
can also go at the end of a sentence after a

www.edanzedi�ng.com
https://learning.edanz.com/ ©©Edanz Group.
Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND
CC BY-NC-ND Page213ofof23
Page 5
 comma or be embedded in a sentence within
a pair of commas.]

15. Missing She drew her parents, Superman She drew her parents, Superman, and
commas in and Wonderwoman. Wonderwoman.
lists
[Use commas after each item in a list of
three or more items to avoid confusion; a
single comma may be misinterpreted as
indicating a definition (similar to a colon).]

16. Unclear The details included name, home The details included name and home and
lists and work telephone numbers. work telephone numbers.

The recorded �mes were 8 The recorded �mes were 8 minutes and 3
minutes, 3 minutes and 30 minutes and 30 seconds. [=two list items] /
seconds. The recorded �mes were 8 minutes, 3
minutes, and 30 seconds. [=three list items]

The ci�es comprised Tokyo, The ci�es comprised Tokyo, Japan; London,
Japan, London, UK, and Paris, UK; and Paris, France.
France.
[Check the logic and hierarchy of lists, as
well as the number of items or subitems; use
semicolons to separate items if needed.]

17. Unclear The propor�ons achieving grades The propor�ons achieving grades of A, B,
parallel lists of A, B, and C were 25%, 50%, and and C were 25%, 50%, and 75%,
75%. respec�vely.

The propor�ons of students The propor�ons of students achieving an A

achieving an A were 35.25%, ½, were 35%, 50%, and 70%.
and seven-tenths.
[Use the word “respectively” after a comma
if you present two parallel lists; keep data
formats parallel.]

18. Unclear The bacteria that were treated The bacteria that were treated with A grew
comparisons with A grew faster. faster than the untreated bacteria. /
The bacteria that were treated with A grew
faster than those treated with B.

The efficiency of process A was The efficiency of process A was low

low compared to process B. compared with that of process B. /
The efficiency of process A was lower than
that of process B.

[Always name the comparison group/s;

compare parallel groups by using “compared
with” or a comparative adjective + “than”,

www.edanzedi�ng.com
https://learning.edanz.com/ ©©Edanz Group.
Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND
CC BY-NC-ND 224ofof23
Page
Page 5
 and insert “that of” or “those of” if needed.]

19. Unclear While many people read e-books, Although/Whereas many people read e-
use of �me some s�ll prefer real books. books, some s�ll prefer real books.
words
The pa�ent had no appe�te since The pa�ent had no appe�te because she
she had eaten breakfast. had eaten breakfast.

The plants were harvested as they The plants were harvested because/a�er
flowered. they had flowered.

[Be careful of time words that can have two

meanings (eg, while, since, as); clarify with
appropriate conjunctions of contrast,
reason, or sequence.]

20. Wrong The box and it’s contents were The box and its contents were removed.
possessive removed.
form [“Its” does not take an apostrophe to
indicate possession; “it’s” means “it is” or “it
has”.]

www.edanzedi�ng.com
https://learning.edanz.com/ ©©Edanz Group.
Edanz. CC BY-NC-ND
CC BY-NC-ND 235of
Page
Page 5
of23