Commonly Confused Words II

The following is a list of words that are often confused and misused in writing. Study each word and then complete the practice exercise.


All ready – prepared
Already – by this time

The teachers were all ready for the students to come on Monday.
We already have 30 students in this class, we can't take any more.



A part – to be joined with
Apart – to be separate

Please let me be a part of the team.
He tore the paper apart.



Capital – seat of government, assets available, wealth, first rate, uppercase
Capitol – a building occupied by a state legislature

What is the capital of Idaho?
How much capital were the investors able to raise?
The first word in a sentence needs to be capitalized
He is a capital fellow
We are heading up to the capitol building after lunch.



Lead – a type of metal, to guide somebody
Led – past tense of the verb 'to lead'.

Sarah is going to lead the expedition.
If you buy a house that was built in the 60s, you have to watch out for lead-based paint.
We were led astray by his deceptive practices.



Precede – to come before
proceed – to go forward

Pictures in the park will precede the wedding breakfast.
I'm sorry I stopped you, please proceed.



Stationary – standing still
Stationery – paper used in writing

The dog will remain stationary until his master calls him.
My parents gave me a nice stationery set, but I think I'll just e-mail them.
Last modified: Sunday, May 16, 2010, 6:23 PM