Accept vs. Except If you accept something you agree to receive or do it. If you except something you exclude it. Bought vs. Brought Brought is the past tense of bring, while bought is the past tense of buy. Cereal vs. Serial Cereal is a type of grain (and a type of breakfast food made from grain), while serial refers to something that occurs in sequence. Desert vs. Dessert Desert can refer to either the act of abandoning someone or something or to an arid stretch of land with little vegetation. A dessert is a sweet course at the end of a meal. Effect vs. Affect An effect is a consequence. If you affect something you make a differen...
The words effect and affect are perhaps two of the most confused words in the English language. Oxford Dictionary Online reports that the most-searched word each month is ‘affect’. So if you have struggled with these words in the past, you are certainly not alone! Interestingly, the words themselves actually have entirely different meanings and functions… ‘Effect’ usually functions as a noun: ‘You will be banned from the tournament with immediate effect’ in this context effect is a noun, the state of something being in effect. ‘Being banned from the tournament had a terrible effect on your results’ So a good definition for...
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