Can versus May We have been corrected for the usage of ‘Can’ and ‘May’ ever since we were in school. Remember your teacher or parent saying, “you can but you may not”. Well, here is the difference between Can versus May. Can It is used to show your ability to do something. It means whether a […]
Compliment versus Complement It is very easy to get confused between Compliment and Complement. Compliment versus Complement. These words are pronounced the same way and have a difference of only an I and an E but that is what makes them different. Compliment Compliment means to praise someone and offer admiration towards someone. E.g. The […]
Dairy versus Diary This is not a very difficult one to crack. Let us see the difference between Dairy versus Diary. An ‘I’ here and there makes all the difference but these two words not only have very different meanings but are also poles apart when it comes to pronunciation. Dairy It is a place […]
Do versus Make If you are new to the language and trying to learn it, these two words could really confuse you. Let us learn the difference between Do versus Make. Do It is used for finishing a task, actions, obligations or for a repetitive task. It is also used when talking about work or […]
Double negatives Double negatives occur when there are two forms of negatives in the same sentence or clause. They es usually have a negative verb, a negative pronoun, a negative adverb or a negative conjunction. They are regarded as non standard usage in formal English. They are very common in informal English. When there are […]
Each versus Every ‘Each’ and ‘every’ are determiners, words that are ‘used with singular nouns to indicate quantity’. These are the differences between Each versus Every: 1. ‘Each’ is used when there are two objects; here ‘every’ is not used. E.g. He wore multiple bracelets on each hand (note: singular noun). There were two of […]
Effect versus Affect ‘Effect’ and ‘Affect’ are the most frequently looked up terms in the dictionary till date. The confusion in Effect versus Affect is not surprising; it is a very common confusion since both these words can be used as both a noun and a verb. Their meanings overlap too and that is why […]
Have versus Has ‘Has’ and ‘Have’ are both perfect tenses. Let us look at the difference between Has versus Have. Have It has to do with possession, and to have something is to be in possession of it. E.g. I have a pencil I have the book Has It is the third person singular present […]
Hear versus Listen The important difference between listen and hear is that listening is deliberate, and hearing is not. Let us see the difference between hear versus listen. Hear It means that sounds come into your ears whether you want it or not, while listen means that you consciously pay attention to what you hear. E.g. […]
I versus Me ‘I and ‘Me’ are both personal and singular pronouns. They are both used by a person to refer to himself or herself. I It is used as a subjective pronoun; it is used as a subject of a verb. Here ‘I’ becomes the subject doing the verb. E.g. I am studying for […]