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Commonly misused words
The following is a list of words that are commonly confused or misused, even by native English speakers.
administer/administrate
To administrate means to manage or organize. A drug is administered, not administrated. Administration, however, is the noun of administer, which may lead to this common mistake.
avoid | Gastric ulcers were induced in rats by administrating 20% acetic acid. | |
better | Gastric ulcers were induced in rats by administering 20% acetic acid. |
avoid | IFN was self-administrated subcutaneously. | |
better | IFN was self-administered subcutaneously. |
affect/effect
As verbs: affectmeans to have an influence on; effectmeans to cause or bring about.
example:
“The addition of MX-68 to cultured rat cells affected polyglutamate formation” (ie, could have either induced, increased or decreased).
“The addition of MX-68 to cultured rat cells effected polyglutamate formation” (ie, induced, brought it about).
As nouns: affectmeans an emotional feeling, tone or mood; effectmeans result.
alteration/alternation