WHOSE vs WHO’S – learn the difference between these two commonly confused spellings.

WHOSE and WHO’S are easy to confuse. Though they sound the same – and both have their root in the word WHO – they have different meanings. These simple tips will help you learn the difference.

When to use whose

WHOSE is a possessive pronoun used to ask or tell whom something belongs to.

For example:

“Whose pencil is this?”
OR
“JK Rowling is an author whose books are loved by millions.”

When to use who’s

WHO’S is a contraction of who + is or who + has.

For example:

“Who’s coming with me?” = “Who is coming with me?”
OR
“Shall I see who’s gone with him?” = “Shall I see who has gone with him?”

In a nutshell, if you can replace the word you’re writing with either who is or who has, always use WHO’S.

I hope this guidance helps you remember the difference between whose and who’s. Let me know how you get on.

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HOARD and HORDE: which is which? Learn the difference between these identical-sounding words.

HOARD and HORDE are easy to confuse. The fact that the two words sound the same – they’re homophones – means people commonly mix them up.

Here, I outline the difference between HOARD and HORDE.

When to use hoard

HOARD is a verb meaning to never throw anything away.

For example:

“I love to hoard old magazines.”

When to use horde

HORDE is a noun, meaning a crowd of people. It’s often used by the tabloid press in a negative way. It’s a little tenuous, but you can use this knowledge to remember which spelling you need, if you think of the word ordeal:

For example:

“She was chased out of the building by a horde of angry people. It was quite an ordeal.”

Want more writing tips?

For more language love, join my Clever Copy Club and get monthly updates direct to your inbox. Alternatively, email me, follow me on Twitter, connect on LinkedIn or like my page on Facebook.

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Get more simple, memorable spelling tips in The Little Book of Confusables 1 + The Little Book of Confusables 2

My four-times award-winning books take the mystery out of misused words for just just £11.95. You’ll wonder how you managed without them!

MARINATE vs MARINADE – simple tips to remember the difference

MARINATE and MARINADE are easy to confuse. They may sound similar but they have different meanings. These simple tips will help you decide which word you need.

Marinate

MARINATE is a verb, meaning to soak food in a MARINADE to give it flavour and richness.

“Remember to marinate the chicken before you stick it on the barbecue!”

Marinade

MARINADE is a noun. It’s the sauce or liquid in which a dish is MARINATED, to provide flavour.

“Have you added chillis to the marinade?”

If you find it tricky to remember the difference, think of lemonADE to remember that marinADE is a liquid.

I hope this helps you to remember the difference between MARINATE and MARINADE.

Want more writing tips?

For more language love, join my Clever Copy Club and get monthly updates direct to your inbox. Alternatively, email me, follow me on Twitter, connect on LinkedIn or like my page on Facebook.

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My four-times award-winning books take the mystery out of misused words for just just £11.95. You’ll wonder how you managed without them!

PRINCIPAL or PRINCIPLE: which is which? Simple spelling tips to help you remember the difference.

PRINCIPAL or PRINCIPLE – two words with very different meanings. What do they mean – and how do you decide which spelling you need? It’s easy.

These spelling tips will help you decide whether you need to write PRINCIPAL or PRINCIPLE.

Principal

PRINCIPAL is a noun, meaning the head of a school or college, or the most important person within an organisation.

The easiest way to learn this is to remember that PAL is a noun: your PAL the princiPAL.

For example:

“Ms George is the college principal.”

Spelled this way, PRINCIPAL is also an adjective, meaning the chief or most important.

“Increasing turnover is our principal goal.”

Remember the A in principAl and the A in mAin.

Principle

PRINCIPLE is also a noun that describes a fundamental truth or belief.

For example:

“These are the principles of good grammar.”
OR
“I don’t agree with his principles.”

I hope this helps you to remember the difference between PRINCIPAL and PRINCIPLE.

Want more writing tips?

For more language love, join my Clever Copy Club and get monthly updates direct to your inbox. Alternatively, email me, follow me on Twitter, connect on LinkedIn or like my page on Facebook.

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Get more simple, memorable spelling tips in The Little Book of Confusables 1 + The Little Book of Confusables 2

My four-times award-winning books take the mystery out of misused words for just just £11.95. You’ll wonder how you managed without them!

Do you know when the word LETS needs an apostrophe and when it doesn’t? Let’s take a look at the difference (see what I did there?).

When to use LETS without an apostrophe

LETS and LET’S both have the same root word: LET, which means allow, or permit.

Without the apostrophe, LETS is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb LET.

Use it in sentences where LETS can be replaced with either ALLOWS or PERMITS.

For example:

The key LETS you unlock the door.

The app LETS you meet new people.

When to use LET’S with an apostrophe

LET’S with an apostrophe is a contraction of two words: LET and US.

Use it when you’re encouraging someone to do something.

For example:

LET’S go to the pub.

LET’S buy a drink.

LET’S do it.

LET’S go!

Of course, if you want to sound more formal, you might prefer to use LET US.

LET US go to the park.

Worth knowing…

The word LETS can also be used in a property sense (real estate, if you’re using American English) to describe a rented property.

For example:

The agent handles a number of property LETS in the local area.

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Get more simple, memorable spelling tips in The Little Book of Confusables 1 + The Little Book of Confusables 2

My four-times award-winning books take the mystery out of misused words for just just £11.95. You’ll wonder how you managed without them!