Index
Common Misspellings/Homophones
All right is a colloquialism for "It is all right." Alright is not an accepted spelling in Custom.
Its is ALWAYS possessive. It's is short for "it is, it has or it was."
- It's never okay to use a bear's tongue to wipe its paws.
You're = you are
- You're my best friend.
Your = possessive
- Don't forget your purse.
There
- Adverb: Stop right there.
- Pronoun: Hi there.
- Noun: Take it from there.
- Adjective: You're always there for me.
Their = possessive
- They took all their belongings with them.
They're = contraction, they are
- They're going to the movies later tonight.
Let's = let us
- Let's go see that movie about the witch cat tonight.
Lets = allows
- Her mom never lets her have sleepovers.
Nowhere is one word.
- We're going nowhere fast.
Anymore is one word IF it's being used as a unit of time. Otherwise, it is any more.
- If you don't have any more apples, I won't be coming here anymore.
- You don't have any more sense than a numb end of a dipstick.
- I'm scared. I don't want to do this anymore.
Everyday means common or plain as one word. Otherwise, every day should be used to describe a daily activity.
- Every day, somewhere in the English-speaking world, someone misuses common, everyday grammatical constructions.
Anytime is equivalent to "whenever." It's the most common usage.
- I'll take you on anytime, anyplace.
- Anytime I feed that witch cat salmon, she gets terrible gas.
Any time is far less common and is used to reference possession or availability of time:
- Oh, I'm sorry! You don't have any time left!
- I never have any time now that the witch cat moved in.
Effect/affect are commonly confused as they each have a variety of definitions both as nouns and verbs. Merriam-Webster Dictionary has this to say:
Effect and affect are often confused because of their similar spelling and pronunciation.
The verb affect often has to do with pretense.
- She affected a cheery disposition despite feeling down.
The more common verb affect denotes having an effect or influence.
- The weather affected everyone's mood.
The verb effect goes beyond mere influence. It refers to actual achievement of a final result.
- The new administration hopes to effect a peace settlement.
The uncommon noun affect, which has a meaning relating to psychology, is also sometimes mistakenly used for the very common effect.
- Positive affect encompasses all good emotions, such as joy, bliss, love, and contentment.
In ordinary use, the noun you will want is effect.
- They're waiting for the new law to take effect.
- The weather had an effect on everyone's mood.
RAVEN:
- Remember
- Affect =
- Verb
- Effect =
- Noun
Tip: If the word can be subbed out with "result," it's generally "effect." i.e. Cause and "result" means the same as cause and "effect."
Exceptions:
One can *effect change.*
A person can have a certain "affect" ie, personality, flamboyance, etc.
Roll = to move by turning over and over; roll call; number of food items; drum roll; on a roll
Role = a function, responsibility or character assigned or carried out
Racking up = acquiring, etc.
- This team is racking up points!
Nerve-racking = extremely trying on the nerves
- This soccer game is nerve-racking!
High five = noun
- Give me a high five.
High-five = verb
- I'm going to high-five you.
Roller coaster = noun
- This soccer game has been an emotional roller coaster.
Roller-coaster = adjective
- The witch cat has had quite a roller-coaster career.
Lightening = to make something lighter
- Bleach is a lightening agent.
Lightning = electricity from the sky
- Lightning seldom strikes twice.
Mist = fog, light spray
- The sun peered through the morning mist.
Midst = in the middle of something (forest), someone (group), or some action (change)
- We are in the midst of a terrible recession.
All together = a collection, a group
- We are all together here in harmony.
Altogether = in sum, in total
- How much was the cost of dinner altogether?
Reek = strong, offensive smell/vapor/fume
- Your breath reeks of onions.
Wreak = to cause or bring about or inflict
- We are here to raise heck and wreak havoc.
Elude = avoid, escape, defy
- The killer continued to elude capture.
Allude = make reference to
- Bob Dylan often alludes to famous historical figures and contemporaries in his song lyrics.
Palate = roof of your mouth / sense of taste
- The bitter tea left a strong aftertaste on the palate.
Palette = flat board an artist uses to mix paint/range of colors
- Bob Ross' palette was covered in gobs of colorful paint.
- The designer's palette consisted mostly of earth tones.
Pallet = a flat platform onto which goods are loaded/rarely, a sleeping mat/bed
- The pallets were loaded with many heavy crates and one very light sleeping witch cat.
Plum = fruit
- I picked a plum from the tree and took a bite.
Plumb = many uses
Adjective = aligned correctly, often used in construction, similar to terms "level" or "square"
- They ensured the walls were plumb before starting on the roof.
Verb = to examine minutely and critically
- We're plumbing the dusty tomes for forgotten knowledge.
Verb = to weight or seal with lead; to supply with or install as plumbing; to work as a plumber
Adverb = completely; absolutely
- I plumb forgot.
Plumber = fixes pipes
- Call a plumber when you've got a leak.
Reins = how you control a horse
- Pull up on the reins to slow the horse down.
Reigns = to rule over others; monarchy; empire
- The Holy Roman Empire reigned over much of Europe for a millennium.
Coral = grows in the ocean
- The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system.
Corral(s) = related noun and verb
- A livestock pen (noun): The kids rode the pony around a very small corral.
- to confine/gather together (verb): The sheep grazed in the field during the day but were corralled at night.
On board
- Aboard: I handed my over my ticket before stepping on board the train.
- In support of a particular objective: Senator Amidala needed more of her fellow senators on board in opposition of Palpatine's proposed military act.
- Onboard: carried within or occurring aboard a vehicle (such as a satellite or an automobile); an onboard computer; onboard recorders
Flier: frequent flier, one who flies, cheerleader/dancer
Flyer: an advertising paper / circular
Take a flier: do something risky
Uncommon Terms
Merriam-Webster Dictionary is our go-to for spellings after reference sheets and job instructions. If you're unsure whether a word is slang or a novel utterance, give it a quick look-up in Merriam-Webster. You might be surprised what you'll find. Here are a few examples:
- Pollyannish
- nother
- stick-to-itiveness
- gobbledygook
Interjections
In grammar, an interjection is a word used to express an emotion or sentiment on the part of the speaker. Interjections are always followed by a comma or other punctuation as appropriate. Below is a list of some common interjections.
| A-ha | Ah | Ahem |
| Aw | Eek | Ew |
| Ha-ha* | Hmm | Hmph |
| Holy moly | Huh | Jeez |
| Mm-hmm | Mm-kay | Oh |
| Ow | Phew | Psst |
| Right | Shh | Ta-da |
| Uh/Um** | Uh-huh | Un-uh |
| Well | Whew | Whoa |
| Woo | Woo-hoo | Wow |
Ha-ha is NOT used for any case of laughing. It is only used in instances where the character explicitly says ha-ha.
- Example: Ha-ha, that was so funny, I forgot to laugh.
Uh and um are both also nonfluencies for our purposes and may be omitted per job type or reference sheet.
- Example: Um, so, uh, yeah, that's the end of the, uh, presentation. VS So, yeah, that's the end of the presentation.
Use interruption marker to indicate other sounds/onomatopoeias.