which is the correct one in a given context. Hopefully the followinglist of pairs of commonly confused words will help you keep them straightenedout.Accept vs.ExceptAccept (verb)- to receive I accepted all my birthday gifts with gratitude.Except(conjunction) - apart from; otherwise than; were it not true When Susan travels, she packs everything except thekitchen sink.Affect vs.EffectAffect (verb)- to have an effect on; influence; produce a change in; to stir the emotions The dog's death affected his owners.Effect (noun)- anything brought about by a cause or agent; result The new speed limit law had little effect on thespeed of the motorists.A Lot vs.AllotA lot (nounphrase) -many A lot of people came to the party.*"Alot" is always two separate words. "Alot" is not a real word.Allot (verb)- to distribute, give or assign Fifteen minutes were allotted to each of thespeakers at the conference.Allusion vs.IllusionAllusion(noun) - an indirect reference The Austin Powers movies often make allusions to the James Bond films.Illusion(noun) - a false idea or conception; belief or opinion not in accord with thefacts; an unreal, deceptive, or misleading appearance or image The magician created the illusion that he was levitating.Awhile vs. AWhileAwhile(adverb) - for a while; for a short time The guests planned to stay awhile.A while(noun) - for a short time; when while is used as the object of the preposition(for a while) then the "a" is separated from the "while" The guests planned to stay for a while.Bad vs. BadlyBad(adjective) - not good Your feet smell bad.Badly(adverb) - not well; in a bad manner; harmfully; incorrectly; wickedly;unpleasantly Charlotte plays tennis very badly. The people involved in the accident were badlyhurt.*Here, anote. Adjectives generally describe nouns, so even if youuse the word bad following a verb in a sentence, if its meant to describethe thing itself, then use the adjective. Bad here means the same asrotten, rancid or stinky, all of which are adjectives. If you can replacebad with another adjective and still have a sentence that makes sense, thenyou know that bad was the correct choice. Adverbs often describe the manner in whichsomething is done. To say, your feet smell badly is to say that your feet areinhaling through the nose and perceiving odors, and that theyre going about itall wrong. Borrow vs.LendBorrow (verb)- to take or accept something for a short time with the intention of returningit to its rightful owner May I borrow a pencil, please?Lend (verb) -to give something for a short time with the intention of getting it back Would you please lend me a pencil?Breath vs.BreatheBreath (noun)- air taken into the lungs and then let out Take a deep breath.Breathe(verb) - to inhale and exhale Just calm down and breathe. Complementvs. ComplimentComplement(noun) - that which completes or brings to perfection; (verb) - to makecomplete Red wine is a nice complement to a steak dinner.Compliment(noun) - something said in admiration, praise, or flattery; (verb) - to pay acompliment to; congratulate She gave me a nice compliment when she said Ilooked thin.Comprise vs.ComposeComprise (verb) - to include; to contain; toconsist of; to be composed of The state of North