The next instalment in our ‘Commonly Confused Words’ series is ‘lay’ and ‘lie’. Am I going to lay down for a nap? Or lie down for a nap? This series aims to explain the difference between a few of the most misused or misunderstood words in academic writing. We’ll also give some examples to…

It’s one of the most common errors; many people genuinely do not know there is a difference between ‘its’ and ‘it’s’. These ‘Commonly Confused Words’ are the next in our series. In our ‘Commonly Confused Words’ series we set out to explain some of the most misunderstood and misused words…

This next instalment in our ‘Commonly Confused Words’ series aims to demystify ‘affect’ and ‘effect’. Often used interchangeably, ‘affect’ and ‘effect’ are widely misunderstood and misused. As always, we will provide definitions and helpful examples to clarify these terms. For our definitions, we use the Macquarie Dictionary—the authority on Australian English…

For Australians, American English is everywhere. It is in the books we read for pleasure and the material we read for university. It is in our magazines, advertisements and TV shows. And it is all over the internet. It is thus no wonder that many students writing in Australian universities are confused…

As covered in the article ‘Use—and Non-Use—Of Dashes and Hyphens’ Part 1 and Part 2, the hyphen joins words together and is thus essential for compound words, of which there are three types: Open (or spaced) compounds, written as separate words (e.g. printing press, car wash or chief of staff) Hyphenated compounds, wherein separate words…

Arguments over the use of ‘which’ and ‘that’ are endemic. This is due to the differences between British English and American English; British English is less proscriptive and—in some styles—allows writers freedom to choose as they please, while American English regularly undertakes ‘which hunts’ to root out the ‘whiches’ doing…

Many people, even seasoned writers, struggle to differentiate between ‘who’ and ‘whom’. Some people mistakenly believe that ‘whom’ is a more formal version of ‘who’; this is not the case. In this article, we will define these two terms and give you some tips to ensure you use them correctly.…

Welcome back to our series on ‘Commonly Confused Words’! This series aims to explain the difference between a few of the most misused or misunderstood words in academic writing. We’ve already covered the difference between ‘practice’ and ‘practise’, and ‘their’, ‘they’re’ and ‘there’. We’d love to hear from you: what…

We recently started a series, ‘Commonly Confused Words’. This series aims to explain the difference between a few of the most misused or misunderstood words in academic writing. In addition to providing definitions and examples, we will share tricks for remembering the difference between these words. You can follow this…

Welcome back to our ‘Commonly Confused Words’ series. We hope this series has been helpful and informative for you. If this is your first time reading a ‘Commonly Confused Words’ article, we encourage you to read our earlier instalments on practice and practise; alternate and alternative; their, they’re and there; lay and lie; and affect…