There are several words that seem to perplex many, much of the time…
- Traveling or Travelling
- Canceled or Cancelled
- Adviser or Advisor
- All ready or Already
- I.E. or E.G.
- Awhile or A While
Let’s take a look at each set of words:grammar, grammar rule, english grammar, grammar check, grammar help
Traveling or Travelling? Seems that using one L is more acceptable in the US, but using two Ls is common abroad.
Canceled or Cancelled? Again, it seems we Americans are the efficient ones, using only one L. Oxord Concise Dictionary says cancelled, but Merriam-Webster says either way. MS Word didn’t squiggle either spelling!
grammar, grammar rule, english grammar, grammar check, grammar help
Adviser or Advisor? The Columbia Guide to Standard English says BOTH are correct noun forms of the word Advise.grammar, grammar rule, english grammar, grammar check, grammar help
All ready or Already? These are different words that are sometimes misused. Already is an adverb used to describe something that has happened before a certain time, as in “Are you coming? I’ve already got my jacket.” All ready is a phrase meaning completely prepared, as in “As soon as I put on my jacket, I’ll be all ready.”grammar, grammar rule, english grammar, grammar check, grammar help
I.Ee., or E.G., ? Again two separate meanings.
"I.e." means "that is," which is short for a Latin phrase. "I.e." is used in place of "in other words," or "it/that is."
"E.g." means "for example" and also comes from a Latin expression. "E.g." is normally used before an example.
Awhile or A While? Awhile is an adverb, which means "for a while," for example, “I walked awhile before I became tired.” A while is two words: the article “a” plus a noun, used primarily after the word “for,” for example, “I thought for a while before I answered.”
grammar, grammar rule, english grammar, grammar check, grammar help
