All right vs Alright

Recently, Nathan Bransford mentioned that his usage of ‘alright’ brought out the ‘all right’ police. Which one is the correct term?

Here is what Merriam-Webster has to say.

All right :

1. satisfactory,agreeable

2. safe, well

3. good, pleasing – often used as a generalised term of approval

Alright means the same thing, though the usage of it is questioned. Alright appeared around 75 years after all right reappeared (apparently it had gone out of usage). Some critics still hold that alright is not the correct usage, and my own spell checker (UK English) shows it as a spelling error.

However, alright remains in use by some people, and was used by, among others, Gertrude Stein, a poet and writer, so I think using it is fine either way. Unless your editor insists on changing it.

Breakdown:

All right – Used more often (and perhaps more in formal writing, I’m not sure).

Alright – Used less often, however it is common in fiction dialogue.

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Affect vs Effect

Affect and effect are sometimes used incorrectly. Here is what Merriam-Webster says:

Affect :

Noun:

the conscious subjective aspect of an emotion considered apart from bodily changes; also : a set of observable manifestations of a subjectively experienced emotion

Verb: 

1. to make a display of liking or using

2. to put on a pretense of

3. to tend toward

4. to produce an effect upon

Effect :

Noun:

1. something that inevitably follows an antecedent

2. an outward sign

3. power to bring about a result

4. movable property (plural : effects)

5. a distinctive impression or the creation of a desired impression

6. the quality or state of being operative

Verb: 

to cause to come into being

That’s a whole lot of definitions. I’m going to pretty much ignore most of them and focus on the most commonly used (and confused) meanings. Basically, affect has to do with pretence; or the creation of an influence or effect. On the other hand, effect has to do with accomplishing something; or the result of something.

Breakdown:

Affect – Doing something with pretence (e.g. I affected a happy mood despite being depressed); Bringing about an effect (e.g. My depression affected the moods of everyone else).

Effect – Achieving a final result (e.g. The board effected a change in the company); The result of a phenomenon (e.g. The change had a negative effect on the company’s profits).

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If vs Whether

The ‘whether’ and ‘if’ I’ll look up today is the conjunctions. Merriam-Webster’s definitions:

If:

1. a:in the event that

    b:allowing that

    c:on the assumption that

    d:on condition that 

2. WHETHER

The rest of the definitions are not related to the usage of whether.

Whether:

1. until the early 19th century a direct question involving alternatives

2. an indirect question involving stated or implied alternatives

3. alternative conditions or possibilities

Ergo, the two words do share a meaning in certain places. In general, both ‘if’ and ‘whether’ can be used to indicate alternatives, while ‘if’ is used to indicate possibilities. Also, when any of the two can be used, ‘whether’ is more appropriate for formal writing.

Breakdown:

If – Indicating possibility or alternative. (e.g. If I get there early, I’ll grab a beer ; I wonder if he’s going to do it)

Whether – Indicating an alternative, usually in choice. (e.g. I wonder whether he’s going to do it)

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Each other vs One another

Each other and one another is, as far as I know, a problem we all wondered about at least once. Here is what the smart people say:

Each other: 1. each of two or more in reciprocal action or relation

One another: 1. EACH OTHER

So, apparently, the two phrases share a meaning. However, the formally correct usage is using each other when referring to two, while using one another when referring to three or more.

Even so, writers have been using the two phrases interchangeably for a long time. So it’s probably okay to each either one.

Breakdown:

Each other – two things (can be used for three or more)

One another – three or more things (can be used for two)

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Lie vs Lay

To commemorate my discovery of Merriam-Webster dictionary, as well as an attempt to teach myself some of the things I mess up with, I’m going to make a post on a problematic usage of words or grammar every week.

The verbs lie and lay have always confused me somewhat.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary gives the following definitions that are relevant in this case :

1. to be or to stay at rest in a horizontal position

2. to assume a horizontal position

3. of an inanimate thing: to be or remain in a flat or horizontal position upon a broad support

4. to occupy a certain relative place or position

There are some others, but for now these will do.

As for lay, Merriam-Webster has the following (that is relevant):

1. to put or set down

2. to place (something immaterial) on something

Apparently ‘lay’ is getting more popular with people so this post may be obsolete by then. But carrying on, here is the difference and usage.

Lie is mostly used to speak of something already in a state of rest and for when something puts itself into a state of rest while lay is used to speak of the act of putting something into a state of rest.

To make everything even more confusing, the past tense of lie is lay.

Here’s a breakdown:

Lie, lay, lain – Something is in a state of rest. (e.g. The book had lain on the table.)

Lay, laid, laid – The act of putting something in a state of rest. (e.g. The man had laid the book on the table.)

I’ve used ‘lied’ for the past tense of ‘lie’ so many times before, it’s embarrassing. I’ll watch out for this one in the future.

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