Teaching Adults

Stationary vs Stationery

What Is the Difference Between Stationary and Stationery?

These two words are commonly confused as they both sound the same. Many learners are also unaware of the -ery ending to this word and use -ary for every situation. Stationary is an adjective that means to stay still or not move. Stationery is a noun that refers to office supplies such as pens, pencils, paper and envelopes etc.

Stationary Meaning

Stationary is an adjective that means to stay still or not move. It can also refer to something that remains unchanged in quantity (e.g. population).

e.g. The car was stationary.

e.g. The lorry ran into the back of a stationary vehicle.

Stationery Meaning

Stationery is a noun that describes office supplies such as pens, pencils, paper and envelopes etc, used in an office or school environment. The term is derived from the word ‘stationers,’ which refers to a business or shop that sells office supplies. The easiest way to remember the difference in the word ending, is to think of ‘e’ for envelope.

e.g. She locked the pads of paper in the stationery cupboard.

e.g. He needed to go out and buy some stationery items for the office.

Sources

  1. Alexander, L. G. (2004). Right Word, Wrong Word: Words and Structures Confused and Misused by Learners of English. Essex: Longman.
  2. Dowling, D. (2011). Wrong word dictionary: 2,500 Most Commonly Confused Words. Oak Park, IL: Marion Street Press.
  3. Straus, J., Stern, T., & Kaufman, L. (2014). The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation: An Easy-to-Use Guide with Clear Rules, Real-World Examples, and Reproducible Quizzes. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass A Wiley Brand.

Their vs There vs They’re

Blackboard showing their, there and they're, together with their meanings.
Their, There or They’re

What Is the Difference Between Their, There and They’re?

Their, There and They’re are frequently used in the wrong context. As homophones they all sound the same, but have different meanings. Their is a possessive pronoun indicating ownership or possession. There can be an adverb of place, or a pronoun used to start a sentence, and introduce the subject. They’re is a contraction of they are.

Their

Their is the possessive form of they, meaning that something belongs to them.

e.g. They all left their books in their lockers.

e.g. There wasn’t enough time to finish their essays in class.

There

There is the opposite of here. It is an adverb of place (over there). It describes where something is happening. There can also used as a pronoun to start a sentence and introduce the subject.

e.g. She left her bag over there. (Adverb)

e.g. Wait there while I fetch my keys. (Adverb)

e.g. There is no garlic bread left in the fridge. (Pronoun)

e.g. There’s a white van parked in the lane. (Pronoun)

They’re

They’re is a contraction of they are. If you are unsure of using contractions, always insert the uncontracted form, to check if the words make sense.

e.g. They’re going to miss their bus if they don’t hurry up.

e.g. They’re sorry they missed their bus.

How to Remember the Difference Between Their, There or They’re

If you are struggling to remember which one to use, there are clues to be found in the words themselves:

  • Their includes the word heir, which refers to someone who is entitled to ownership of property and possessions left to them.
  • There includes the word here. Think: There/Here for place.
  • They’re contains an apostrophe, which means it is a contraction. All you need to do is to replace they’re with they are to check if the sentence is correct.

e.g. The ball is over they’re. (Replace they’re with they are to check.)

e.g. The ball is over they are. (Wrong! This doesn’t make sense.)

e.g. The ball is over their. (Wrong! Their indicates possession and not place.)

e.g. The ball is over there. (Correct! There is an adverb of place – The ball is here or the ball is there.)

e.g. They’re running the half-marathon today. (Replace they’re with they are to check.)

e.g. They are running the half-marathon today. (Correct! This makes sense and they’re is the correct form to use.)

Sources

  1. Alexander, L. G. (2004). Right Word, Wrong Word: Words and Structures Confused and Misused by Learners of English. Essex: Longman.
  2. Dowling, D. (2011). Wrong word dictionary: 2,500 Most Commonly Confused Words. Oak Park, IL: Marion Street Press.
  3. Gooden, P. (2007). Who’s Whose?: A No-nonsense Guide to Easily Confused Words. London: A & C Black Publishers Ltd.

Accept vs Except

What Is the Difference Between Accept and Except?

Despite having contrary meanings, accept and except are frequently misused. Accept is a verb meaning to receive, acknowledge, admit or agree. Except can be a verb or a preposition. As a verb it means to exclude something or someone. As a preposition it means other than or with the exception of.

Accept

Accept is a verb meaning to receive, acknowledge, admit or agree. It is useful to remember the noun form of acceptance, when using this verb.

e.g. I accept your resignation with deep regret.

e.g. We accept your invitation to the wedding.

“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.“ ~ Benjamin Franklin (1706 – 1790)

Except

Except can be a verb or a preposition. As a verb it means to exclude something or someone. When recalling its meaning, you may find it helpful to think of the noun form exception. As a preposition it means other than or with the exception of. It states what is or has been excluded.

e.g. If you except April’s trading results, sales were up by 15%. (Verb)

e.g. Pack everything except for those china cups. (Preposition)

Sources

  1. Alexander, L. G. (2004). Right Word, Wrong Word: Words and Structures Confused and Misused by Learners of English. Essex: Longman.
  2. Dowling, D. (2011). Wrong word dictionary: 2,500 Most Commonly Confused Words. Oak Park, IL: Marion Street Press.
  3. Gooden, P. (2007). Who’s Whose?: A No-nonsense Guide to Easily Confused Words. London: A & C Black Publishers Ltd.

It’s vs Its

Blackboard showing it's or its, together with meaning.
It’s or Its

What Is the Difference Between It’s and Its?

Choosing between it’s and its can be challenging. Many English language learners instinctively insert an apostrophe. However, it’s is a contraction meaning it is or it has. Its is a possessive pronoun and never uses an apostrophe. The easiest way to check your writing is to replace it’s with it is or it has in your sentence. If it doesn’t make sense, then you need to replace it with the word its.

It’s

It’s is a contraction. It means it is or it has.

e.g. It’s nearly time to go.

e.g. It’s definitely warmer than yesterday.

Its

Its is a possessive pronoun and is never separated by an apostrophe. In simple terms it means that it shows ownership or belonging to something.

e.g. The horse has lost its jockey. (The jockey belonged to the horse)

e.g. That saucepan is missing its lid. (The lid belongs to the saucepan)

Sources

  1. Alexander, L. G. (2004). Right Word, Wrong Word: Words and Structures Confused and Misused by Learners of English. Essex: Longman.
  2. Dowling, D. (2011). Wrong word dictionary: 2,500 Most Commonly Confused Words. Oak Park, IL: Marion Street Press.
  3. Straus, J., Stern, T., & Kaufman, L. (2014). The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation: An Easy-to-Use Guide with Clear Rules, Real-World Examples, and Reproducible Quizzes. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass A Wiley Brand.

Who’s vs Whose

What Is the Difference Between Who’s and Whose?

Who’s and whose can be extremely confusing, especially as they sound alike. Who’s is a contraction meaning who is or who has. Whose is the possessive pronoun of who. The easiest way to check your writing is to replace who’s with who is or who has in your sentence. If it doesn’t make sense, then you need to use the word whose.

Who’s

Who’s is a contraction. It means who is or who has.

e.g. Who’s going to make the tea?

e.g. Who’s been using my laptop?

e.g. She’s the one who’s closing the ceremony.

Whose

Whose is the possessive form of who. It is a possessive pronoun. In simple terms this means that it shows ownership, belonging or association with something or someone.

e.g. Whose book is this?

e.g. He is a talented footballer whose passion is his sport.

e.g. Whose essay shows the greatest improvement?

Sources

  1. Straus, J., Stern, T., & Kaufman, L. (2014). The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation: An Easy-to-Use Guide with Clear Rules, Real-World Examples, and Reproducible Quizzes. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass A Wiley Brand.
  2. Dowling, D. (2011). Wrong word dictionary: 2,500 Most Commonly Confused Words. Oak Park, IL: Marion Street Press.

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