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Enrich Your Vocabulary

Lay or Lie

The difference between the verbs lay and lie is one of English’s thornier cases of confusion. Both words involve something or someone in a horizontal position, but where the two words deviate has to do with who or what is horizontal—the subject of the verb (the one doing the action) or the direct object (the person or thing being acted upon).

To lay means “to put or place in a horizontal position,” and is a transitive verb, meaning it requires a direct object (e.g. I lay the quilt on the couch. I lay the book on the table). To lie means “to be in a horizontal, recumbent, or prostrate position” and “to rest, remain, be situated, etc.” Lie is an intransitive verb, meaning it does not take a direct object (e.g. I lie on the couch). If you’re the one lying comfortably on your back you want the verb lie, but if you can replace the verb with “place” or “put” (e.g. I place the book on the table) then use the verb lay.

Presume or  assume

When do you presume, and when do you assume? These two words are often used interchangeably, likely because they come from the same Latin root and are used in similar contexts. However, there are subtle differences in meaning between the two. Today we put all assumptions aside, and get to the bottom presume and assume.

Both of these terms mean “to take for granted” or “suppose,” but presume conveys a little more confidence based on probability, reasonable grounds, or evidence. Assume is to take for granted without proof. In other words, something you presume is more likely to be true than something you assume.

Both terms derive from the Latin sūmere meaning “to take up.” The Latin assūmere means “to take to oneself; adopt.” Praesūmere, incorporating the prefix prae- meaning “before,” means “to take upon oneself beforehand; to anticipate.”

 

 Bring or Take

Do you bring food to a party, or do you take food to a party? The terms bring and take are often confused, and for good reason. Both words describe the movement of something from one location to another.

Bring describes the movement of something toward a specified location. According to this convention, you can bring food to a party, but not take food to a party. If Maria is having a potluck, her guests might ask her: Is there anything we can bring? or Can I bring a friend? Maria might tell her guests: Bring something to drink, and of course you can bring a friend. In this scenario, you are moving something (food or a friend) toward Maria’s house.

Take, on the other hand, generally describes the movement of something away from a location. Maria might say: I have to take the garbage out tonight. Or she might ask her guests: Do you want to take any leftovers home? In these example, the focus is on the fact that Maria or her guests are removing something (the leftovers or the garbage) from her house.

 

Affect or Effect

Affect and effect can be used as verbs and nouns, and their meanings overlap thematically. This slippery duo can send even experienced writers into a spiral of uncertainty.

Much of the confusion surrounding this pair is due to a shared linguistic ancestor: both words have roots in the Latin verb facere meaning “to do, make.” Affect derives from the Latin verb afficere meaning “to do something to, to have influence on.” Effect descends from the Latin verb efficere, “to make, carry out.”

All right and Alright

Are all right and alright interchangeable? All right has a range of meanings including “safe,” as in Are you all right? or “reliable; good,” as in That fellow is all right. As an adverb, it means “satisfactorily” as in His work is coming along all right, or “yes,” as in All right, I’ll go with you.

The form alright is a one-word spelling of the phrase all right. Alright is commonly used in written dialogue and informal writing, but all right is the only acceptable form in edited writing. Basically, it is not all right to use alright in place of all right in standard English.