These, gentlemen, are my bugaboos. Nay! My incubi. What words have you had a modicum of difficulty learning due to their fraternal resemblance to neighboring words? Also, what was the best way you found to overcome such encounters?
I am adverse to answering your questions and the best way to overcome such encounters is to avoid them. Writers who seriously want to communicate will be averse to being entrapped by the averse / adverse controversy...
Conversely, it was good of you to bring it up, albeit indirectly.
Posts: 6546 | Location: Kehena Beach, Hawaii, U.S.A.
One that I, personally, don't have much of a problem with but have noticed frequently in newspaper copy I edit is affect/effect. I once told the chief editor at one paper I was at that he could change affect to effect and vice versa in the copy turned in and he'd be making the right move 90 per cent of the time.
When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less. – Humpty Dumpty
