Correct English

Do you write "definately" or "definitely"? "who" or "whom"? "its" or "it's"?

This section focuses on correctness in English writing — spelling, word forms, and commonly confused words. These are small details, but they make a big difference in how clear and accurate your writing is.

Common misspellings

Some words are misspelled very often and should be memorised carefully:

definitely (not "definately")
separate (not "seperate")
necessary (one C, two Ss)
accommodate (double C, double M)
occurrence (double C, double R)

Tip: break words into parts or use memory tricks to remember difficult spellings.

IE and EI patterns

A common guideline is:

“I before E, except after C”

believe, piece (IE)
receive, ceiling (EI after C)

However, there are many exceptions:

weird, foreign, leisure

So this rule helps, but does not always apply.

Compound words (together or separate?)

One word:
someone, everything, homework, toothbrush

Two words:
a lot (never "alot"), high school, ice cream

Hyphenated (often before nouns):
a well-known author, a five-year-old child

Spelling often depends on how the words are used.

Contractions and apostrophes

A contraction shortens two words:

I am → I'm, you are → you're, do not → don't

The apostrophe replaces missing letters.

Important distinction:

it's = it is / it has
its = possessive (no apostrophe)

The dog wagged its tail. It's happy.

Who vs whom

Use who as the subject (like he/she):

Who called?

Use whom as the object (like him/her):

Whom did you call?

Quick test:

he → who
him → whom

In everyday speech, "whom" is often avoided, but it is still important in formal writing.

Plurals

Most nouns add -s:

cats, books

Add -es after s, x, ch, sh:

buses, boxes, dishes

Y → I + es (after consonant):
city → cities

Irregular plurals:
man → men, child → children, mouse → mice

Commonly confused words

affect / effect
affect = verb
effect = noun

then / than
then = time
than = comparison

lose / loose
lose = misplace
loose = not tight

fewer / less
fewer = countable
less = uncountable

How to improve accuracy

• Pay attention to patterns, not just individual words
• Check your writing for common mistakes
• Read regularly — correct forms become familiar

Key idea

Accuracy in small details builds clear and confident writing.

The goal is not perfection, but consistency and awareness.