I’ve been reading a lot of fanfiction lately, and some mixed-up and misused words have been really jumping out at me, so today I thought I’d address a few.
Accept vs. Except
Accept means to receive; except means to exclude.
Example: I won’t accept your resignation, except in special circumstances.
Affect vs. Effect
Affect is a verb; effect is a noun. I really wish there were a simple mnemonic for this, but I don’t know of one.
Maybe this example will help: Jane affected a haughty demeanor, sniffing to enhance the effect.
Conscience v. Conscious
Conscious means to be awake or aware of something; conscience is the little voice that tells you that you might be doing something naughty.
Example usage: Billy had to be conscious to listen to his conscience.
Imply vs. Infer
To imply is to suggest or state something in a roundabout way. Hence, “Are you implying…?!”
To infer is to draw a conclusion, especially based on indirect communication. So: “I’m implying nothing of the sort. I have no control over what you may have inferred , however.”
Rogue vs. Rouge
Especially common in X-Men fanfiction, since one of their heroes is named Rogue. Unfortunately, this means that I haven’t read much X-Men fanfic, because every time the mix-up happens, it throws me out of the story.
A rogue is an unprincipled, deceitful person, or one who is playfully mischievous, or a vagrant.
Rouge is any makeup or cosmetic used for tinting the lips or cheeks, especially red.
Example usage: The rogue had rouged his face to help disguise his identity.
