A visual aid is an instructional device (e.g., a photo, a chart) that appeals to vision to help you understand written or spoken information. Aid is often placed after an attributive noun or adjective (like “visual”) that describes the type of help provided.
“Visual aide” is incorrect.
“Log in” is a phrasal verb meaning “connect to an electronic device, system, or app.” The preposition “to” is often used directly after the verb; “in” and “to” should be written as two separate words (e.g., “log in to the app to update privacy settings”).
“Log into” is sometimes used instead of “log in to,” but this is generally considered incorrect (as is “login to”).
Some synonyms and near synonyms of the verb compose (meaning “to make up”) are:
People increasingly use “comprise” as a synonym of “compose.” However, this is normally still seen as a mistake, and we recommend avoiding it in your academic writing. “Comprise” traditionally means “to be made up of,” not “to make up.”
Some synonyms and near synonyms of the verb comprise are:
People increasingly use “comprise” interchangeably with “compose,” meaning that they consider words like “compose,” “constitute,” and “form” to be synonymous with “comprise.” However, this is still normally regarded as an error, and we advise against using these words interchangeably in academic writing.
Some synonyms and near synonyms for “whenever” include:
There are numerous synonyms and near synonyms for the two meanings of anytime:
| Whenever | You’re welcome |
|---|---|
| At any time | My pleasure |
| On any occasion | No problem |
Anyway (no “s”) is often used at the start of a sentence to transition between two different topics (e.g., “Anyway, let’s discuss the report”).
“Anyways” (with an “s”) is sometimes used in informal contexts to mean the same thing as “anyway.” However, it’s considered incorrect by most dictionaries and should be avoided in formal contexts.
Some synonyms and near synonyms of anyway include:
Some synonyms and near synonyms of continuously include:
Some synonyms and near synonyms of continually include:
Some synonyms and near synonyms for council include:
There are numerous synonyms and near synonyms for the two meanings of counsel:
| Advise (verb) | Advice (noun) |
|---|---|
| Direct | Direction |
| Guide | Guidance |
| Instruct | Instruction |
Rest assured is an expression meaning “you can be certain” (e.g., “Rest assured, I will find your cat”). “Assured” is the adjectival form of the verb assure, meaning “convince” or “persuade.”
Some synonyms and near synonyms of assure include:
Some synonyms and near synonyms of ensure include:
Find more words that mean the same thing as “ensure” with the help of the paraphrasing tool.
“Tune in” is a phrasal verb meaning “watch a TV show” or “listen to a radio show.” The preposition “to” often comes immediately after this phrase; “in” and “to” should be written as separate words when this happens (e.g., “Tune in to the final episode next week”).
“Tune into” is sometimes used instead of “tune in to,” but this is generally considered incorrect.
Though they’re pronounced the same, there’s a big difference in meaning between its and it’s.
Despite is a preposition used to mean “regardless of,” “notwithstanding,” or “even though.”
It’s used in a subordinate clause to contrast with information given in the main clause of a sentence (e.g., “Despite the stress, Joe loves his job”).
In spite of is a preposition used to mean “regardless of,” “notwithstanding,” or “even though.”
It’s always used in a subordinate clause to contrast with the information given in the main clause of a sentence (e.g., “Amy continued to watch TV, in spite of the time”).
Some synonyms and near synonyms of between include:
Using the paraphrasing tool, look for other words that mean the same thing as “between.”
Some synonyms and near synonyms of among include:
Immediately find new synonyms for “among’ with the paraphrasing tool.
Use to and used to are commonly confused words. In the case of “used to have”, the latter (with “d”) is correct, since you’re describing an action or state in the past.
A job aid is an instructional tool (e.g., a checklist, a cheat sheet) that helps you work efficiently. Aid is a noun meaning “assistance.” It’s often placed after an adjective or attributive noun (like “job”) that describes the specific type of help provided.
“Job aide” is incorrect.
Use to and used to are commonly confused words. In the case of “used to do”, the latter (with “d”) is correct, since you’re describing an action or state in the past.
Use to and used to are commonly confused words. In the case of “used to be”, the latter (with “d”) is correct, since you’re describing an action or state in the past.
Then and than are two commonly confused words. In the context of “better than”, you use “than” with an “a”.
Then and than are two commonly confused words with different meanings and grammatical roles.
| Examples: Then in a sentence | Examples: Than in a sentence |
|---|---|
| Mix the dry ingredients first, and then add the wet ingredients. | Max is a better saxophonist than you. |
| I was working as a teacher then. | I usually like coaching a team more than I like playing soccer myself. |
Its and it’s are often confused, but its (without apostrophe) is the possessive form of “it” (e.g., its tail, its argument, its wing). You use “its” instead of “his” and “her” for neuter, inanimate nouns.
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