70 words (and phrases) you’re probably using all wrong

Poisonous refers to something that is toxic if you eat it. Venomous describes something that is poisonous if it bites you. Snakes can be venomous; they cannot be poisonous.

If you’re using this word to mean amused, but in a detached sort of way, you’re using it incorrectly. What bemused really means is that you’re bewildered or confused. In fact, if you put the sounds of these two words together, they sound a bit like “bemused,” so perhaps that will help you remember? Or here is an example of correct usage that might help: “While she was mildly amused by the movie’s comedic antics, she was nevertheless bemused by the fact that he’d taken her to a comedy when she’d said she wanted to see a romantic comedy.”

If you’re trying to read between the lines to understand what your lover is trying to tell you, then you’re attempting to infer something that isn’t stated outright. Whatever your lover is saying in his vague and couched statements is not something he is inferring, but rather something he is implying. To imply is to strongly suggest or hint at something. You can infer what you will from what your lover implies. (We do hope it works out for you two.)

If you’re trying to decide which of two people or things you will pick, you are going to decide between them. Add a third, and “between” should become “among.” That said, the Oxford English Dictionary says that either “between” or “among” is appropriate in such a case, with the caveat that only among is appropriate if the people or things are regarded collectively rather than individually. For example: There was agreement among members that fees should not be raised (rather than between members).

A person only lies down. A person does not lay down, unless that person is laying down a thing, such as a book or another direct object. You can also lay down the law. And hens lay eggs.

There is an exception here, and that is if you’re talking about a person lying down in the past tense. If what you’re talking about is what you did last night, then you laid down. This is not to be confused with the past tense of the word “lie,” when used to refer to a non-truth, in which case the past tense is “lied” as in, “He told a lie. Therefore, he lied.”

If you’re talking about plunking your bottom in a chair, you want to use the word “sit.” If you’re talking about placing an object, it’s “set.”

These two words comprise a set of homophones: words pronounced alike that have different meanings and/or spellings. Homophones cause a great deal of confusion in the English language. And this here is a prime example.

The trick to keeping these two straight is to use “principal” in reference to a person and “principle” in reference to a standard, rule, or belief. Remember this: There’s a “pal” in “principal,” especially when the principal in question replaces detention with meditation.

Here is another set of homophones, and if you’re anything like us, you find yourself pausing and thinking whenever you have to choose between them (in writing, obviously, because when said aloud, they sound exactly the same). But we’re solving this once and for all:

Capitol refers to a building, and specifically, the building where legislators meet.

Capital is pretty much every other use. It refers to the most important city or the governmental seat of a country, county, state, or other region. It refers to an upper-case letter. And it refers to investment funds.

A compliment is something nice that you say. A complement is an addition, enhancement, or improvement. Here’s one way to remember the difference between this set of homophones: Both are nice, but only the one that contains the “I” is personal. Or you can remember this sentence: “I compliment you on the way your dress complements your figure.”

In yet another case of dastardly confusing homophones, we give you shone versus shown. Not only do they sound alike, they also refer to something you can see. But here’s the difference:

Shown is the past participle of the word “show,” which is a verb meaning to “exhibit” or “present.”

Shone is the past and past participle of the word “shine,” which is a verb meaning “to emit light.” Think of shone as a fancy way of saying “shined.” For example: “The moon shone brightly overhead.”

Hopefully, we’ve shown you the light, but if that’s the case, then you’ll want to say that a light was shone on your confusion. But wait, you’re probably wondering, when is it proper to use “shone” instead of “shined?” No worries, we’ve got answers-ish.