A lot or allot, affect or effect?

[Laina]

Hey guys,

I thought maybe we could discuss some common mistakes we make in writing. I'm not sure when you are suppose to use a lot or allot. Does anyone know? Does it even matter?

I had another question too, but can't think of it at the moment. I'll ask it later.

So if any of you have learned some things that would help out us newbies, I and I'm sure others would appreciate it.

Thanks so much! :)

[whitehawke]

Allot means to assign, apportion, or distribute.

"A lot" is used as in "much of the time" or "often" or "many" etc

You wouldn't say..."Assign of apples fell off the tree." You would say..."A lot of apples fell off the tree."

[Timber Wolf]

If you are a kindly person you may allot a lot of money to your favorite charity.
This would affect the charity. What are the the effects?

[Tarin]

Whitehawke nailed the matter concerning "a lot" vs. "allot." (Although don't forget that "alot" is also incorrect.)

"Affect" is a verb meaning to cause something to happen. "Effect" is a noun meaning a result.

[righter1]

I have problems remembering the difference between capital and capitol a lot of the time, usually have to look it up, unless I'm using it in the fiscal way, rather than the geography way. Then I remember... :rolleyes:

There's others, but for some reason, they've slipped my mind...

[Tommie Lyn]

"Affect" is, in most cases a verb, while "effect" is, in most cases, a noun.

The weather report will affect our decision to hold the picnic outdoors.

The effect of the expectation of rain will probably be cancellation.

Two words I have trouble keeping straight are "further" and "farther." I was told to use farther when referring to distance and further when referring to degree or extent. But I've encountered cases where that doesn't hold true....

[Laina]

Allot means to assign, apportion, or distribute.

"A lot" is used as in "much of the time" or "often" or "many" etc

You wouldn't say..."Assign of apples fell off the tree." You would say..."A lot of apples fell off the tree."

Thanks Whitehawk. That helps allot.........:D .........I meant a lot! lol I thought I remembered in school writing alot, but everytime I write that on word it tells me I'm wrong. So either we wrote it that way when I was young or my teachers didn't mark it as wrong and so I went on in school spelling it incorrectly the whole time. :o

[Laina]

Thanks Tommie, TW and Tarin. All great explanations.

Righter I think I will have to look those two up also whenever I use them. Same with further and farther Tommie. Do I say, "its further up the street" or "its farther up the street"?

[Laina]

I thought of another. Tonite and Tonight. Are they both interchangeable? I grew up with tonight, but I see tonite a lot.

[Tarin]

"Tonite" is just a slang spelling. It's never used in formal writing.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

I sometimes mix up affect, effect, but never allot, a lot.

[Timber Wolf]

Thanks Tommie, TW and Tarin. All great explanations.

Righter I think I will have to look those two up also whenever I use them. Same with further and farther Tommie. Do I say, "its further up the street" or "its farther up the street"?

Don't take this conversaton any further down that road.
Dad, how much farther? (Farther = Far)

[Zanzibar]

I have trouble with It's and Its. That one affects me a lot :D. I need to allot more time to remembering the difference. The effect is that I allot a lot of time to looking up the definition of 'It's' vs. 'Its.' Before I can go farther with my writing, I will need to spend further time memorizing these definitions.

[VLSmith]

"It's" and "its" is easy to remember if you think of it this way...If you can't replace the word with "it is" then use its, if you can, then use it's.

Example:

It is a cloudy day.

It's a cloudy.

[sweet-jay]

hey Laina! You're very right to bring up some of those confusing words e.g tonite...allot... Sometimes we don't notice when we misuse them until we are using an "intelligent" programme like word.

some other words are: ofcourse and of course; maybe and may be; in front and infront; sometimes and some times...
Nice day, GOD BLESS YOU!

[Laina]

I have trouble with It's and Its. That one affects me a lot :D. I need to allot more time to remembering the difference. The effect is that I allot a lot of time to looking up the definition of 'It's' vs. 'Its.' Before I can go farther with my writing, I will need to spend further time memorizing these definitions.

HA HA!!!

Another things along these lines is - isn't it better to use simple language in your writing. Shouldn't we use more common words rather than words that readers would have to look up in a dictionary?

As I read various forms of fiction, some authors use words that I have to get the dictionary out if I want to know what the meaning is.

Thanks all for your help! :)

[Timber Wolf]

HA HA!!!

Another things along these lines is - isn't it better to use simple language in your writing. Shouldn't we use more common words rather than words that readers would have to look up in a dictionary?

....



I hope not.
I like dictionaries (and thesarusi,and encyclopedias, and reference books, well you get the idea).

[paulchernoch]

For me, it is rifle and riffle.

A rifle is a gun. When a bullet proceeds down the barrel, grooves cause the bullet to spin so it will shoot straighter. Those grooves are called rifling.

On the other handle, you riffle though pages or shuffle (riffle) a deck of cards.

- Paul

[Laina]

I hope not.
I like dictionaries (and thesarusi,and encyclopedias, and reference books, well you get the idea).

Hey TW,

I don't mean that we can't use words that sometimes makes the reader think. And maybe once in a while the reader will need to look up a word.

But there are writer's who seem to purposely place a more difficult word when a more common one would do just as well or even sound better. Or those who use them in every or every other sentence.

How many, when they are in bed for a good late night read, want to get out of there bed to find a dictionary. Or for those who use resources on the i-net, they would have to get on their web dictionary.

Maybe it's just me, but when I find an author like this I tend to steer clear of them in the future.

Here's another. Awhile or a while?

[whitehawke]

Thanks Whitehawk. That helps allot.........:D .........I meant a lot! lol I thought I remembered in school writing alot, but everytime I write that on word it tells me I'm wrong. So either we wrote it that way when I was young or my teachers didn't mark it as wrong and so I went on in school spelling it incorrectly the whole time. :o
The English language is a weird language. lol ;) And if anyone disagrees, just ask them why we have bear, bare and beer. lol

[Lookin^Up]

Okay ... "tonite" is primarily an advertising word. Everywhere else it should be "tonight".

Never heard of making "of course" or "in front" a single word. I have seen some use "and moreso," which is equally wrong. Each of these is always two separate words, and that's all right (never alright).

Is there any way (adverb+noun) to do this easier, anyway (adverb)?

Somebody (pronoun) once told me I had some body (adjective+noun).

Maybe (adverb) you should consider how things may be (verb form) shaping up.

There are some times (adjective+noun) when you have to do the right thing. Sometimes (adverb), however, that's not easy.

Have you noticed how many of these involve those pesky adverbs?

[Tarin]

I don't mean that we can't use words that sometimes makes the reader think. And maybe once in a while the reader will need to look up a word.

But there are writer's who seem to purposely place a more difficult word when a more common one would do just as well or even sound better. Or those who use them in every or every other sentence.

How many, when they are in bed for a good late night read, want to get out of there bed to find a dictionary. Or for those who use resources on the i-net, they would have to get on their web dictionary.

I love the English language. I love its variety and its obtuseness. Personally, I think it's a crying shame that the average vocabulary has shrunk so noticeably in the last 100 years. :(

Here's another. Awhile or a while?

My Encarta dictionary provides the following explanation:

awhile or a while?

Both expressions are derived from the word while, but they have different roles in sentences. Awhile is an adverb: Let us wait awhile [not for awhile]. A while - written as two words - is a noun phrase and is normally preceded by for: I'm going to be away for a while. Sometimes, however, the word for is left out, making a while look more like an adverbial phrase, though it is still strictly a noun phrase: We had to wait quite a while. This use is fairly easy to identify because while is qualified in some way, for example, quite a while or a long while.

[Lookin^Up]

Eh ... to me it seems like a toss-up. I've always used "awhile". I only separate it if an adjective is called for: "a long while".

[whitehawke]

If it comes after the word "for" you never have it as one word. It should be...for a while.

[Lookin^Up]

Oh, I see. "For" makes the difference. Thank you for explaining it, I shall reconsider.