COMMONLY MISUNDERSTOOD WORDS AND PHRASES

“COMMONLY MISUNDERSTOOD WORDS AND PHRASES”
"Affect" and "Effect"
1.EFFECT
● "Effect" is a noun referring to something that happens as a result of something else. E.g., "The antibiotic had little effect on the illness."
● "Effect" is also a verb meaning to bring something about. E.g., "I have decided to effect a change in the scope of this article."

2.AFFECT
● The verb "affect" means to change something in some way. E.g., "His steady gaze affected my ability to breathe."
● The noun "affect" is used fairly rarely. It refers to a display of an inner state of mind. E.g., "Her affect is subdued this evening."

"Anxious" and "Eager"
1.ANXIOUS
○ When followed by a gerund (the "–ing" verb form), anxiousness refers to anxiety, not pleasant feelings such as enthusiasm or excitement.
■ Ex. “He was anxious about becoming the President." (He had an uncomfortable feeling about it.)
○ When followed with an infinitive ("to" and the verb), anxiousness refers to eager desire.
■ Ex. “He was anxious to become the President."

2.EAGER
○ Eagerness conveys enthusiasm and is followed with an infinitive.
○ Ex. “He was eager to become the President." (He was happy about it.)

"Convince" and "Persuade"
1. CONVINCE
○ Convince a person of the truth or validity of an idea.
○ Follow “convince” with "that" or "of."
○ Ex. "The teacher convinced her students that good grammar could aid in communication." 2.PERSUADE
○ Persuade a person to take action.
○ Follow "persuade" with an infinitive (“to” and the verb).
○ Ex. "The teacher persuaded her students to use good grammar."

"Could of" and "Could have"
1. Use “could” with “have.” In fact, all modals ("could," "would," "should," "may,"
"might," "must") use the auxiliary verb "have."
○ “Have” can be contracted as "'ve" (as in "could've" and "couldn't've").
○ Correct: "She could have (or "could've") done it."
2. Do not use “could” with “of.”
○ The same applies to all other modals.
○ Incorrect: "She could of done it."

"Decimate" and "Devastate"
1.