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...
What does each word mean? The verb infer refers to the act of correctly guessing or deducing something. Click here for the full Spellzone dictionary definition of the word. Here is infer used in some example sentences: She inferred from her friend’s tone that he wasn’t having fun. While it might be tempting infer from tabloid stories that crime is on the rise, it would be better to look at the statistics on the subject before jumping to any conclusions. Imply refers to the act of suggesting or expressing something indirectly and inviting someone to deduce what you mean. Click here for the full Spellzone dictionary definition of the word. Here is imply...
In Word for Wednesday blog this week, we’ll be clearing up a pair of words, which, in my experience, many people struggle with. The words in question are ‘imply’ and ‘infer’. The difference is subtle but marked – leading to their easy confusion and misuse. To imply, is a communicative device whereby one suggests or indicates something without explicitly stating it – in words or speech. Here’s an example: ‘John, you need to lay off the hamburgers’ Here, the speaker implies that John should lose some weight. However, it is left as an open statement. This allows John or the other people in the conversation to draw their own...
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