37 Most Common Misspelled Or Misused English Words!

Since we are all building our BRAND using Social Media these days, it's important that we SPELL correctly and use good Grammar!  I found this article and wanted to SHARE it with YOU... Be sure to share and post, as often as necessary!

Guy Kawasaki even has publicly admitted that no matter how many times you read your book or how many editors review it, chances are there will be a few errors that you miss.

It’s one thing to have a few errors here and there; it’s a completely different one to have a book trifled with obvious grammatical errors.

One of the biggest challenges for people who are writing books and who didn't go to writing or journalism school are words that sound alike, but have very different meaning.

The reality is that if you want to use a book as a way to boost your authority, credibility and influence, you’ll want to be careful of grammatical errors because they could turn off your audience.

Hiring an editor and a proofreader is essential if you want to publish a quality book as a self-published author. It’s true that if you get a book deal, your publisher will take care of getting your book professionally edited, but I still firmly believe that as authors, we need to master the basics of good written English.

As I was writing my books, I realized that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings and if you spend enough time on social media, you’ll notice that a lot of people aren't aware they’re misusing or misspelling words.

In order to help more self-published authors become better at editing their own books, I've compiled a list of 37 common misspelled or misused English words and added the correct spelling and a short explanation so as to give you more control on the quality of your writing!

37 Common Misspelled Or Misused Words:

1. Accept and Except

To “accept” is a verb. It has several meanings:

a. To hold something as true. Here’s an example: “I accept she may have been tired, but that’s still no excuse.”

b. To receive something willingly. Here’s an example: “I accept this award on behalf of the whole cast.”

The word “except” is most commonly seen as a preposition.  However, it can also be used a conjunction and very occasionally as a verb. Here’s a great quote that clearly shows how to properly use the word “except”: “I can resist everything except temptation.  (Oscar Wilde)

2. Affect vs. Effect

Affect is a verb that means, “to influence”.  A good example is: “your ability to deeply relate to your clients will affect your authority”

Effect has a completely different meaning. Effect is a noun and refers to “result” or “the result of.” A good example is: “the effect of junk foods on our youth is devastating”

Effect can also be a verb and in that case, it means “to bring about”, “to cause”, or “to achieve”. A good example is: “You will effect these changes on Monday.”

Here’s another example that puts both words in the same sentence: “A situation may AFFECT you, while someone might have a huge EFFECT on you”.

2. All Right vs. Alright

I’ll be honest and admit I didn't realize people misspelled “all right” and used “alright” instead. As I was doing this research, I found out that people use “alright” in their day-to-day conversations like so many people write on email as if they were texting. Alright is incorrect.

Alright is the lazy man’s all right. You should do your best to refrain from using “alright” in your day-to-day life in terms of writing. It’s and not widely accepted in the grammar world (even though it isn’t even corrected anymore with spell check). However, say it aloud however you like. It doesn’t really make much difference in that regard.

Easy way to remember: “Alright” is not all right.

3. A Lot or Alot

It’s simple, if you’re writing “alot” in a text, then you’re automatically making a mistake. It’s pretty much black & white.

The phrase “a lot” (when used as a noun) means “a large extent, a large amount, or a large number.” Even as an adverb, it means “to a great extent.”

This is a simple rule to remember, a lot is ALWAYS spelled in two words!

4. Anyway vs. Anyways

This is an easy one, there isn't a “s” at the end of “anyway”.

5. Assume vs. Presume

To “assume” something means that you suppose it to be true, especially without proof. When you “presume”, however, you are taking something for granted as being true because there is no evidence to the contrary.

Basically, you are smarter to “presume” than “assume”.

6. Appose vs. Oppose

These two spellings originally meant the same thing, but now they have different meanings:

a. “appose” means to place side by side or in close proximity

b. “oppose” means the following:

* be against; express opposition to

* fight against or resist strongly

* contrast with equal weight or force

* set into opposition or rivalry

7. Blond vs. Blonde

This word derives from French, which means it has masculine and feminine forms. Quite simply, “blond” refers to a man, and “blonde”refers to a woman.

8. Breath vs. Breathe

“Breath” is a noun referring to the air coming in or going out of the lungs.“Breathe” is a verb referring to “the act of inhaling and exhaling.” It’s not complicated, yet the two words are often confused with one another when written.

9. Capital vs. Capitol

“Capital” refers to money and “capitol” represents the buildings and monuments that represent the country.

10. Compliment vs. Complement

“Compliment” is something nice someone one says about you to which you’d normally respond “thanks”.

“Complement” is something that adds to or supplements something else. A good example is: “this scarf complements the color of this dress”.

11. Could of vs.Could have

This is another tricky word combination because we usually pronounce “could of” as opposed to “could of” when we speak.

The problem is that when you’re writing, you need to use “could have” instead of  “could of”, as the latter is grammatically incorrect.

The same applies to should have (NOT should of) and would have (NOT would of), which are the correct ways of writing.

That said, you can legitimately contract these words. You can use could’ve, would’ve or should’ve!

12. Disinterested vs. Uninterested

If someone is disinterested, it means that they are “impartial or unbiased about something”. However, if they are uninterested, it means that they simply “have no interest in it.”

Here’s a good example: “A judge need be disinterested, but never uninterested”.

13. Definitely or Definately

Definitely doesn't have an “a”. You might pronounce it with an “a” when you speak, but when you write it there should be only two vowels: “e” and “i”!

14. e.g. vs. i.e.

Although neither of these are words, they are both used incorrectly quite often. “e.g.” stands for the Latin exempli gratia, or “for example”.“i.e.” is Latin for id est, meaning “that is.” Therefore, you only use it if you are giving the only example(s) to qualify your statement.

Here’s a good example: “The photo was signed by the last surviving ‘Golden Girl,’ i.e., Betty White”.

15. Elicit and Illicit

The verb “elicit” means to call forth or bring out. The adjective “illicit” means unlawful or not permitted.

Here’s a good example to understand the meaning of each word: “the song elicited deep emotions, but the illicit lyrics kept it from pop stardom.”

16. Farther vs. Further

The word farther refers to “a physical distance,” while further simply means “more”. You could also think of it as “an extension of time or degree”.

Here’s a good example:

“How much farther do we have to go?”

“It’s just a mile further.”

17. Fewer or Less

“Fewer” refers to quantities you can count, such as items in your shopping cart, while “less” refers to quantities you can’t count, such as a liquid.

Obviously, you can measure amounts of a liquid, but not if you are just drinking it out of a bottle.

For instance, you’d ask someone for “less” soda if they gave you too much, not “fewer” soda. On the flip side, you’d ask for “fewer” apples instead of “less” apples.

How to test? “10 items or less” should really be “10 items or fewer.” Don’t even get us started on “greater than or less than.”

18. Imply vs. Infer

To “imply” is to express something indirectly.

To “infer” is to surmise or conclude, especially from indirect evidence.

Here’s a good example to understand both:

Thus, what a writer may imply, a reader may infer.”

(Adrienne Robins, The Analytical Writer: A College Rhetoric, 2nd ed. Collegiate Press, 1996)

19. Insolate vs. Insulate

To “insulate” something means to enclose it in something that holds in heat, sound, or electricity. It can also mean to generally protect or isolate a person or thing.

To “insolate” something means to expose it to sunlight.

20. Irregardless

Please, stop using irregardless. Yes, it is technically in the dictionary, but it’s listed as non-standard, which means it’s in wide use, but not proper. You should be using “regardless of” instead.

21. Its vs. It’s

Its is possessive, much like “my” or “your.” It means “belonging to it.” A good example would be: “this course has its merit.”

It’s is a contraction for “it is” or “it has.” A good example would be: “it’s a chair”.

Here’s an easy way to remember the difference: If the word you are trying to say isn’t short for “it is” or “it has,” then the word is most likely “its” with no apostrophe.

22. Judgement or Judgment

Judgement is British spelling. Although, Brits were also using “judgment”, judgement has gained ground over the last couple of centuries and is now nearly as common as judgment.

Americans and Canadians tend to use judgment more.

23. Lay vs. Lie

The English verbs “lay” and “lie” are commonly confused by even native English speakers.

a. “Lay” is a transitive verb, which means that it must be used with a direct object. The past tense and the past participle of lay are both laid.

Here’s a good example: “Please lay the books on the table”.

b. “Lie” is an intransitive verb, which means it cannot have a direct object. The past tense of lie is lay and the past participle is lain.

Here’s a good example: “I just want to lie in bed all day”.

c. “Lie” (past tense lied) means to say something untrue.

Here’s a good example: “Don’t lie to me”.

24. Lose vs. Loose

This is another tricky combo.

“Lose”means the opposite of winning or it can mean misplacing something. Here is a good example: “Did you lose your glasses?”

“Loose” means not tight enough. Here is a good example: “these jeans are too loose”.

25. Literally or Figuratively

We’ve gotten a little annoying as a society with the word literally.

Most people use “literally” in sentences when they should be using figuratively.

“Literally” means EXACTLY what you say is true.

So the next time you’re hungry and say “I could literally eat a whole cow”, that means you actually would eat a cow.The word we are looking for most of the time is figuratively, which means metaphorically or as a figure of speech.

Perhaps using “figuratively” might be a better way of saying it – “I could figuratively eat a whole cow”.

26. Maybe vs. May be

This is a common mistake made by people learning English and sometimes native speakers too!

The simplest explanation is:

Maybe = perhaps
May be = is possibly

Here’s an example combining both: “Maybe” it will stop raining soon and we “may be” able to have our picnic on the deck.

27. Me, Myself and I

To check if you should use “me” or “I” when you need a pronoun to complete a group, ask yourself if it sounds correct when you remove the other noun or pronoun.

Here are a few examples:

Ex. #1 Justin and me saw dolphins in Bahamas. (Incorrect)

This example is incorrect. If you removed Justin from the sentence, it would read “me” saw dolphins.

The sentence should read: Justin and “I” saw dolphins in Bahamas. (Correct)

Ex. #2 The Parker twins splashed water on Tina and I. (Incorrect)

This example is incorrect; you would not say the Parker twins water on “I”. “I” should be replaced by “me”.

Ex. #2 The Parker twins splashed water on Tina and me. (Correct)

“Myself” is only proper two ways:

28. Non-fiction, non fiction, nonfiction

You’ll notice “non fiction” written in 3 different ways on the Internet. I referred to my literary mentor on this one and the proper spelling is “non fiction” – two words and no hyphen.

29. Principal vs. Principle

“Principal” means the highest in rank. As an adjective it means the most important on a set.

“Principle” is a noun meaning a fundamental truth, law or standard.

30. Prospective vs. Perspective

“Prospective” is an adjective meaning 1. likely to happen, or 2. likely to become.

Here’s a great example: “Some of the best preparation for the interview occurs when you research the prospective employer”.

“Perspective” is almost always a noun. It refers to 1. a view, 2. the angle from which something is viewed, and 3. the proper appearance of objects in relation to each other.

Here’s a great example: “From a fan’s perspective, it was a great game to watch”.

31. Than vs. Then

As a rule, “then” is an adverb signifying time.

How to test?Then and when rhyme, and both refer to time.

“Than”is used to compare two things. A good example is: Tom is older than James.

32.Their, There, They’re and There’re

This is one of those really tricky ones for people learning to speak English and even for people who have been speaking English since birth.

Let’s break it down:

a. “Their” is possessive and often related to an object belonging to others. A good example would be: “I went to their house in Rome.”

How to test? Replace “their” with “our”.

b. “There” is referring to a location. A good example would be: “I’ll be there this afternoon.”

How to test? Replace “there” with “here”.

c. “They’re”is a contraction for “they are”. A good example would be: “They’re coming to the party later on.”

How to test? Replace “they’re” with “they are”.

d.“There’re” is another contraction of there are.

Here’s an example:

Q: “Do you have any towels?”

A: “Yes, there are some in the closet.”

Contraction: “Yes, there’re some in the closet.”

Easy way to remember: We don’t think you’ll forget. These words, particularly their and there, are just easily mixed up if typing too quickly. Just make sure to slow down and double check.

33. Through vs. Threw 

Threw is the past tense of the verb “throw”. Here’s a great example: “Gina threw the ball to her team-mate”.

Through is never used as a verb: Here’s a great example: “I can’t believe all that Dina has been through this year.”

34. To vs. Too

“Too” means also or a lot of something.Here’s an example: “the couch is too big to fit through the door.”

If you remember the meaning of “too,” then “to” becomes easier to distinguish.

35. Your vs. You’re

“Your” is possessive pronoun. You’d use it to express something belongs to you. A good example is: “your car”.

While You’re is a contraction for “you are.” A good example is: “you’re driving your car”.

36. Weather vs. Whether

“Weather” refers to the temperature. You turn on the television to determine the “weather”.

“Whether” introduces choices: I don’t know “whether” to laugh or cry.

37. Weird or “Wierd”

The best way to remember how to spell weird, is to remember the order of the alphabet –“e” come before “i”!

...courtesy of www.NakiaEvans.com and 

http://www.bookpromotionhub.com/6074/37-most-common-misspelled-or-misused-english-words/ 

How to Price Your eBook

How to Price Your eBook

You've written and compiled an eBook. Now you have to decide how much to charge for it. Finding the right price is essential to the success of your product. If you charge too little, people will think it's of little value, and they won't purchase it, or even it they do buy your book, you will have to sell thousands of copies to get to the point where you can begin to see a profit. If you price it too high when compared with your competition, you will find yourself steadily lowering the price, which will cause you all kinds of new problems in the future. For example, if you sell your eBook at first for  $29.99, and later reduce it to $14.95, don't you think the people who bought it for $29.99 are going to be upset?

Choosing the right price for your eBook is one of the most critical parts of the marketing process. The first rule of pricing eBooks is to never underprice.  Determine the highest price your audience can afford, and then if you find your book isn’t selling, you can always reduce the price. Before you take that step, make sure you are promoting your book like crazy on the Internet and on websites. The price should be aimed at bringing in profits, but you should never forget that price is one of the factors that people use in judging the value of your eBook, before they buy it. So always start with the highest price, and then launch a mega-marketing campaign.

Pricing an eBook is particularly difficult because eBooks are a fairly new commodity. Since they are digital, the value of an eBook is as confusing as the understanding of what digital actually is to the average layperson. This means that we must look at eBooks in a different light in order to determine their actual worth in this brave, new cyber world.

Let's look at the difference between a book in print and an eBook. A printed book is an object you can hold in your hand, store on your bookshelf, even hand down to the next generation. It is priced on factors such as paper stock, design and production costs, and marketing.

But the fact that unites eBooks and print books is that they are composed of ideas. It is the ideas in these books that have the ability to change, or possibly transform, people's lives.

What do you think an idea is worth when evaluated against the cost of paper and ink?

It is the IDEAS that are valuable! That is how you determine the cost of your eBook.  What should I charge for my ideas?

There are all different formulas and methods for determining the correct price for your eBook. Let's begin with honing in on your ultimate goals.

Decide if your goal is to get wide distribution and maximum exposure. This goal is aimed at drawing customers to your business or service, or to establishing the credibility of your reputation. If this is your main goal, you should aim to keep your price on the low side. Some authors have even priced

their eBooks at a profit loss to draw a high number of new customers. The key is to find a price that maximizes your profits and the number of books you sell.

This is an excellent pricing strategy if you are looking to acquire long-term customers. Long-term customers are extremely likely to buy from you again and again ? as long as the first eBook they buy is of exceptional quality and beneficial to the customer.

However, if your book contains valuable content and more importantly NEW information, references, or techniques, then you should aim to price it on the high end.

After you figure out your goal, you must figure out what your audience's need is for your eBook. For example, does your book solve a particular problem? If it does, and solves it in a way that hasn't been written about in one hundred other eBooks, you will be able to achieve high sales at a high price. If your book solves a problem or answers questions in a new and unique way, you should price your book as high as you can go. You will achieve larger profits this way, but bring in fewer customers. Just make sure the question or problem that your book solves is one that is important and relevant to the majority of your market audience. If your ideas are not common knowledge, or you are presenting a brand new technique, you will be able to sell books at a high price. Just be prepared for your competition to undercut you on price as soon as they hear about your book.

Keep in mind that the above pricing strategy is temporary. Eventually, you will cease to sell books at this high price. So figure out in advance how long you plan to offer your eBook at this high price, and when that time is up, change your pricing strategy.

If you want to see large profits over customer draw, aim for an audience that is looking for easy solutions to their problems at a low price. If your book is aimed at solving one particular problem rather than general advice, then you can charge more. Start at the highest price the market will bear to bring in the largest profits, and plan to discount the book a number of times throughout the year.

Marketing Strategies

The key that unlocks the sales potential of your eBook is to find a single sentence that becomes your selling handle. This sentence states what question or problem your book answers and the benefits your eBook can provide. Then be sure to use that sentence in every piece of sales and promotional material, and every time anyone asks you about your eBook.

Besides promoting your books assiduously online, there are several other strategies that can help you sell more books.

One is to give something away for free with your book, such as a valuable bonus item. Or bundle several eBooks under one price, which lowers the price for each eBook if they were sold separately.

An effective technique for figuring out a price is to send out a survey to your current customers. If these customers have already bought an eBook from you, ask for their opinion in terms of price. Do this by creating a sales page for the new book, but don't include a price on that page. Instead, add a number of links to survey questions that ask pointed questions to aid you in assigning a price to your eBook.

Another strategy is to test out prices by creating a number of duplicate sales pages with different prices on each page. Make sure your sales copy is exactly the same on every page, and includes your selling-handle sentence. Then figure out for each page the conversion ratio between visitors to your site and sales of your book. This will tell you what your optimum price is.

Ultimately, if you've written a book that solves a problem or presents a new technique, your book will bring in both traffic and profits. So be sure to write that selling-handle sentence that sums up what problem your book solves and what the benefits of your book will be to the customers who purchase it. And then watch your market come to you!

*This Report is courtesy of Nakia Evans, author of 8 Steps to Quickly Build Your Direct Sales Business.  My eBook is currently published and marketed online with Amazon Kindle for $8.  You can visit my “squeeze page” at http://www.DirectSalesIn8Steps.com and order your copy online via paypal. 

 

Please visit my Blog, and enter your email address in the Follow by email box.  You will receive an email notice when I post helpful business information and release other reports to help you Brand Your Business. Thank you!

How to write a 30-second TV commercial script

We use YOUTUBE to broadcast our "commercials". YouTube videos are just like TV Commercials....in my opinion.
TV commercials are not like other media, such as print or websites.A reader browsing a website has plenty of time to absorb information and can even reread copy that is interesting or informative.However, TV commercials happen in real time. Most local spots run 30 seconds. That’s all the time you have to tell the viewer about whatever you’re selling. When it’s over, it’s over. ....click below to read more:

How to write a 30-second TV commercial script

Five Social Media Mistakes to Avoid

Five Social Media Mistakes to Avoid
Written By:
Lucy Welton, iContact Social Media Marketing Coordinator

What’s the one thing that every single person is guaranteed to do? Make mistakes! Some of us make more than others, but we can all learn from them. (Trust me, been there, done that!) As the social media marketing coordinator for iContact, I spend a great deal of my time on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus each day. I recently got to thinking about common mistakes that people and businesses make on social media channels and thought I would share what I’ve learned.
Click below to read the five easy-to-fix mistakes.

Five Social Media Mistakes to Avoid

The Four Pillars of Business Success

Business success is built on a strong foundation and four pillars.  Just like any good structure, each of these is built strong and each is essential to the overall structure.

The four pillars of business success include:
--Pillar #1: Vision, Strategy & Implementation
--Pillar #2: Marketing
--Pillar #3: Operations
--Pillar #4: Products and Services: Creating Multiple Streams of Income   

All on a FOUNDATION of Life Balance/ Life Health.

Pillar # 1 • Vision, Strategy & Implementation: (I have found in all my work with clients that this is the best place to start.  What is the vision of the future?) Strategy is what gets you to that vision.  AND, Implementation -- This is where so many small businesses fall short.  Great ideas, great plans and lack of follow through.
 
Pillar #2 • Marketing: Dreaded by many but a cornerstone of all successful businesses.  Effective marketing is essential. As a small business you need a comprehensive marketing plan.  A plan that you can implement and a plan that produces consistent and reliable results.  Some of these components are:

Lead Generation Strategies
An effective follow-up system so that those leads convert to business
An effective web presence
Brand and Identity
And much, much more.

Pillar #3 • Operations:  Each business needs to have it's own unique way of doing business. It is part of your brand, part of who you are.  By creating operational systems you document that part of your business.  This in itself makes your business more valuable.  Even if you are a one person show you need to have operational systems.

Pillar # 4 • Products and Services: Your products and services are what make you a business.  Your products and services make your business.  It is vital to keep evaluating what you are offering and whether it is what your customers want.

The Foundation of it all is your work/life balance.  Creating a business that you love and one that fits into your lifestyle.  I will share with you some keys for building that balance into your business and into your life.  When you put all of these together and work on them each consistently you are able to build a strong and effective business.  Business success happens with work on the business and not just working in the business.  When you take the time to focus on the four pillars of business success you are more likely to increase your success.



ps. Don't forget to Grab a copy of your Bizology.Biz Membership!  (click the link)