More Don't Confuse Your Audience. Get Your Message Across

After my first listing of confusing words, here are more words that are commonly confused both in speaking and writing. I hope you find this list useful.

access  n. - ability to obtain or make use of
The student council president fought, unsuccessfully, to get Internet access in the cafeteria.
excess n.-- overload, overindulgence; extra
Jean partied to excess and had to miss the family reunion the next day.
 
affect v.- to produce an emotional response; to influence 
Manny was worried the movie would affect him. So he didn't go.
effect v.  to cause; to produce
Although many worried that the World Trade Center tragedy would drive people out of New York City, the terrorist attack did not effect this migration.
 
apathetic adj.- having little feeling emotion, or interest
Kara's joke made her mother fear that Kara was truly apathetic about poverty and hunger.
empathetic adj. -sympathetic; compassionate; understanding the feelings of others
Kenny showed just how empathetic he was when he donated all of his graduation money to the homeless center.
 
censor v. to examine in order to suppress or delete anything considered objectionable
The agency acted to censor the documents by crossing out several paragraphs.
censure v.  to find fault to criticize; to find blameworthy 
While Congress decided whether or not to censure the president, the reporters waited eagerly outside.
 
disassemble v. - to take apart
From a young age, Charles liked to disassemble his toys and then put them back together.
dissemble v - to pretend, disguise one's moods 
With his parents and the principal staring at him, Billy could only dissemble for so long.
 
discomfit  v. - to put into a state of embarrassment and humiliation
Darren liked to discomfit everyone with his dirty jokes, but one day a teacher overheard and sent him to detention.
discomfort  v. - to make uneasy; embarrass 
Sometimes the best books discomfort the reader, showing that person something about the world that he or she had new considered before.
 
duplicity n. - deception, dishonesty
The two girls claimed to be best friends, but their relationship was always being tested by duplicity.
duplication a - the act of making an exact copy of something
Henry used his artistic talents for duplication, and everyone was always impressed with his reproductions of famous paintings.


Again, refer to a good desktop college edition dictionary for the pronunciation of these words.


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