Affect / Effect
Affect, as a verb, means to influence.
Example: The winter weather negatively affected traffic.
Affect, as a noun, is used in psychology to describe an emotion.
Example: The student’s affect remained stoic as he was expelled from the university.
NOTE: Affect is rarely used as a noun.
Effect, as a verb, means to cause.
Example: Hiring new faculty effects changes in the curriculum.
NOTE: Effect is rarely used as a verb.
Effect, as a noun, means result.
Example: The effect of the poor test scores was a higher grade curve.
Due to
Use due to only when the phrase can be substituted with caused by.
Avoid using due to in place of because. If used in place of because, the phrase should follow a form of to be and must modify a noun.
Example: Instead of writing “He resigned due to personal problems,” write “His resignation was due to personal problems.”
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Farther / Further
Farther refers to a physical distance.
Example: She walked farther into the city.
Further refers to an extension of time or degree.
Example: He will further explore his degree options.
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i.e. / e.g.
i.e. is an abbreviation for “that is” and is always followed by a comma.
Example:Students who attend the evening lecture will receive extra credit, i.e., five points on the next exam.
e.g. is an abbreviation for “for example” and is always followed by a comma.
Example: There are many options for students interested in drawing (e.g., art, graphic design and architecture).
More Than / Over
Use more than when referring to numerals or amounts.
Example: More than 60 students failed the exam.
Use over when referring to spatial relationships
Example: The car drove over the bridge.
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That / Which
Use that in essential clauses—those that are important to the meaning of the sentence—without commas.
Example: Professor Smith returned the test that we took last week.
Use which with nonessential clauses and set off the clause with commas.
Example: Professor Smith administered a pop quiz today, which prompted groans from all of the students.
Who / Whom
Use who as a pronoun referencing humans and animals with a name. It is never the object of a sentence, phrase or clause.
Example: Who is the guest of honor at the award ceremony?
Hint: Use who when you could replace it with he or she: Who is the guest of honor? He is the guest of honor.
Use whom when someone is the object of a verb or preposition.
Example: With whom will you be attending the dinner?
Hint: Use whom when you could replace it with his or her: With whom will you be attending the dinner? I’ll attend the dinner with her.
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Trademark and Registered Marks
A trademark is associated with a brand, symbol or word; there is no legal registration required to use a trademark.
The federal registration symbol (the circle-r) is used with goods or services that are officially registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
When using the name of a federally registered item or service, use the circle-r (®) mark on first use.
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Questions, comments or suggestions?