Grammar difference between

List of "difference between" certain words and grammatical forms and rules

page to do:

• lie v. lay
• please v. may
• can v. may

affect and effect

the difference between affect and effect

• in general,
  • affect = a verb
  • effect = a noun
• however, both words can be either a verb or a noun
  • affect
    • verb =
      • to impact or cause
      • to have emotionally impact
      • to pretend or fake
    • noun =
      • a psychological impact or result of a psychological condition
        • as in "patient affects of the condition are serious"
      • the word "affectation" comes from the "affect" as a noun
  • effect
    • noun =
      • a result of, an outcome from
      • an impression of
      • materials gathered or to be used
        • as in "the hunter's effects included his rifle, a sleeping bag, and a mess kit"
      • the essence of, virtually, caused to be
        • "Their coordinated play was in effect all it took to win"
    • verb = to make happen
      • as in "The change in policies effected a new attitude"

although and though

the difference between although and though >> to do

• see: Although or though ? - Grammar - Cambridge Dictionary

assume and presume

the difference between assume and presume

• assume and presume both mean "to count on" or "to suppose"
• the difference between them is
  • assume = to count on something known will continue to be so in the future; also a logical deduction based on something known
  • presume = to count on something without any proof of it, or without investigating into it; also a logical or probably guess
• see: askanydifference.com

auxiliary verb and modal verb

the difference between auxiliary verb and modal verb

• auxiliary verbs = "helper verbs"
  • i.e., they assist or "help" another verb in order to indicate that verb's tense, voice or mood
    • I am going tomorrow
      • "am" = auxiliary verb to indicate present continuous tense of "to go" (going)
    • Joanna had thought about it
      • "had" = auxiliary verb to indicate past perfect tense of "to think" (thought)
• modal verbs = indicate "modality", or possibility, ability, permission, duty, correctness or obligation
  • I can go tomorrow
    • "can" = modal verb to indicate possibility of the infinitive "to go" (go)
  • Joanna should think about it
    • "should" = modal verb to indicate correctness of the infinitive verb "to think" (think)
• note that
  • auxiliary verbs change according to inflection (conjugation)
    • I am going
    • you are going
  • modal verbs do not change according to inflection (conjugation)
    • I should go
    • You should go
• see: https://pediaa.com/difference-between-modal-and-auxiliary-verbs

but and however

the difference between but and however:

• both words create a contrast
  • but creates a contrast and combines two sentences
  • however creates a contrast between ideas (created by a verb), not sentence parts
• but = coordinating conjunction
  • it combines independent clauses (with a comma)
  • (but can also be a preposition, but that's not for this entry)
• however = conjunctive adverb
  • it is an adverb because it modifies a predicate (verb + additional info)
  • it compares clauses, sentences or ideas
    • in this sense, however is synonymous with "nevertheless"

censure and censor / censorship

the difference between censure and censor/censorship

• censure = severe disapproval or rejection
• censor = an official who examines material to be published in order to "censor" or remove/suppress offensive content
• censorship = the act of official censoring of a publication or other form of speech

=="comma splice and "run-on sentence" the difference between "comma splice" and "run-on sentence"

• comma splice =
  • independent clauses combined by a comma and without a coordinating conjunction (i.e., "I ate, I slept" v. "I ate, and I slept")
• run-on sentence =
  • independent clauses combined without any punctuation (i.e., "I ate I slept" v. "I ate, and I slept")
  • note that "then" is an adverb, so "I ate, then I slept" is technically incorrect
    • correct: "I ate, and then I slept" or "I ate then slept"

few & "a few"

the difference between few & a few

• few
  • a determiner (adjective) indicating a small amount or quantity
  • it modifies a noun, as in "few people know the truth"
• a few
  • "a" = article, and "few" = adjective
  • a is an article that modifies "people"
  • few is a determiner that modifies people
  • however, by adding the article "a" we create a new meaning
• "a few" indicates "some" or "more than one"
  • thus emphasizes that the quantity is larger than one
• "few" indicates a small quantity or absence of much
  • thus emphasizes that the number or quantity small
• examples
  • "I have few ideas about that" v. "I have a few ideas about that"
  • few = negative, I don't know much
  • a few = positive, I know some things

like and as

the difference between like and as:

• as = conjunction
  • to a degree: high as a kite
  • comparison: one as big as the other
  • having or being the person or type: working as a cashier, as your friend...
  • simultaneously: walking as he texted
  • since, the reason for: The test is over as we ran out of time
  • even, though: Nice as he seems, he's really a jerk
• like = preposition or adverb
  • similar to, in the same way: working like a madman, a car like yours
  • taking on the characteristics of (adverb): acting like a child
  • for example: it's a place like home
• not to be confused with "like" as a verb, as in "I like cookies"
  • << note the use of "as" here
• examples of the difference between as and like:
  • He flew like a bird v. He flew as a bird
  • She lives like a millionaire v. She lives as millionaires do
  • That car is as fast as a Ferrari but rides like a bus
• see:
  • Difference Between Like and As
  • Like vs. As–Simple Rules to Know

like and "such as"

the difference between like and "such as":

• like = preposition or adverb
  • "like" details listed above under "difference between like and as"
• such as = preposition (adjective or adverb modifier)
  • as an example of: a good idea, such as yours
  • an instance of: Tropical mountain coffee such as Ugandan beans are hard to find
• the difference between "like" and "such as"
  • like compares or gives examples of things with similar characteristics
  • such as compares specific things, usually as an example of
• examples of the difference between like and such as:
  • I vacation at places like Verbier with lots of mountains and snow
  • I vacation at places with lots of mountains and snow, like Verbier
• "like" and "such as" may seem interchangeable when providing an example
  • but the key difference is that
    • like is used for "non-inclusive" examples,
      • i.e., something of a similar characteristic or category
      • The student dreams of a professional career like medicine
        • << could be any career that is similar to medicine
    • such as is used for "inclusive" examples,
    • The student dreams of a professional career such as medicine
      • << the student's list of careers includes medicine
• see:
  • Word Choice: Like vs. Such As | Proofed's Writing Tips

since & because and "because of" and "due to"

the difference between since and because and "because of" and "due to"

• since & because = the same (synonymous)
  • both are subordinating conjunctions (i.e., they combine a dependent or subordinate with an independent clause)
• because of is a preposition that modifies a verb (therefore creates an adverbial prepositional phrase)
• due to is a preposition that modifies a noun (which creates a modifying (like an adjective) phrase
• all of these words indicate causality (cause or effect)
  • since& because usually indicate cause
  • because of and due to indicate either cause or effect
  • = "for the reason"
  • since and because are synonyms
  • = subordinating conjunction
• due to
  • = "caused by" or "ascribable to", or "owed to"
  • = adjective
  • due to describes something or someone that caused something
    • as in, "Due to Steve's forgetfulness, he missed the appointment"
      • "forgetfulness" is a noun, and it is modified by "due to"
• due to is not synonymous with because of

, "because of", "in that", "owing to" >> to fix !!!

• see
  • https://www.dailywritingtips.com/because-of-and-due-to/

which & where

the difference between which and where

• "which" is a "relative pronouns"
  • relative pronouns add information to a clause
  • "which" indicates a specific reference to a prior-stated noun
    • the town in which I grew up
      • note the use of the preposition "in"

• "where" is an adverb or a conjunction
  • "where" indicates a general reference to the location of an action, event or thing
    • the town where I grew up
      • note absence of a preposition
• we would not say:
  • the town which I grew up
    • instead would be either
      • the town which I grew up in
      • the town in which I grew up
  • the town in where I grew up

• confusion arises in informal English in which "which" and "where" are used interchangeably
• confusion arises in informal English where "which" and "where" are used interchangeably

who & whom,

the difference between who and whom

• who and whom are both pronouns
  • i.e., they refer to another noun (in reference to a person or persons)
• who is the objective case
• whom is the subjective case

Pronoun	Subjective Case (subject-verb in bold)	Objective Case (recipient of an action)
who	Who is on first?
	I don't know who is going
whom		I'll give it to whomever needs it
whose

your and yours

the difference between your and yours

• your = 2nd person possessive adjective
  • it's your hat
• yours = 2nd person possessive pronoun
  • the hat is yours
• "yours" completes the predicate (verb phrase)
  • is yours
• your describes ownership as an adjective