op Misused Words Part IV

Freight Night - All of Your Fears Shipped First Class! Welcome back for another round of the top misused words in the English language, but first - let's talk proofreading. It's not the most glamorous part of article writing, but having a thoroughly proofread (and appropriately edited) article can make you look glamorous - or at least maintain your credibility. Keep your readers positively focused on you, instead of negatively focused on errors, by proofreading your articles... ...and don't forget these 5 most misused words in the English language: Fright vs. Freight fright - A sudden intense feeling of fear; an experience that causes someone to feel fear suddenly. Incorrect: Horror movies give me a freight! Correct: Horror movies give me a fright! freight - Goods transported (or to transport goods) in bulk by truck, train, ship, or aircraft. Incorrect: That ship carries fright rather than passengers. Correct: That ship carries freight rather than passengers. Bought vs. Brought bought - Obtain in exchange for payment; to purchase. Incorrect: I brought a new phone with my last paycheck. Correct: I bought a new phone with my last paycheck. brought - To come to a place with (someone or something); to cause (someone or something) to come to a place. Incorrect: I bought my friend Jackie to the party. Correct: I brought my friend Jackie to the party. Personal vs. Personnel personal - Of, affecting, or belonging to a particular person; an advertisement. Incorrect: Take care of your body with these personnel hygiene tips! Correct: Take care of your body with these personal hygiene tips! personnel - Staff, people employed in an organization. Incorrect: Use these methods when recruiting new personal into your organization. Correct: Use these methods when recruiting new personnel into your organization. Versus vs. Verses versus - Against; as opposed to; in contrast to. Incorrect: In a hypothetical fight of a gorilla verses a shark, I'd put money on the gorilla. Correct: In a hypothetical fight of a gorilla versus a shark, I'd put money on the gorilla. verses - Plural form of verse; writing arranged with a rhythm; a group of lines that form a unit of a poem or song, a stanza. Incorrect: The poem's versus didn't contain a rhyming scheme. Correct: The poem's verses didn't contain a rhyming scheme. Adapt vs. Adopt adapt - To make something suitable for a new use or purpose; to modify; to adjust to new conditions; to alter. Incorrect: The institution must change and therefore adopt to new conditions. Correct: The institution must change and therefore adapt to new conditions. adopt - To legally take a child (or pet) and raise it as one's own; to take up an idea or method; to take on or assume. Incorrect: "Adapt the pace of nature; her secret is patience." - Ralph Waldo Emerson Correct: "Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience." - Ralph Waldo Emerson We will have another grammar and spelling tips series coming up in the next few weeks, so stop by the Blog for the latest and greatest tips to error free articles. Remember: Prepare your articles with thorough proofreading to keep your audience focused on your message and your content, rather than blunders that could have been avoided! Did you miss our last edition of Top Misused Words? Check it out here!