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Day 222: 3 pairs of commonly confused words

Compose vs. Comprise

Comprise means to join multiple parts into a single whole. A good synonym is assemble. (“The neighborhood association comprised people from many professions.”) Notice that comprise is not followed by of.Compose means to make a whole by putting together multiple parts. A good synonym is create. (“The neighborhood association was composed of various residents.”) Notice that compose is generally followed by of.

I.E. vs. E.G.

I.E. is an abbreviation of the Latin term id est and roughly translates as meaning. Use i.e. to re-name, restate, or to clarify, as in, “He fell out of the window, i.e., down.”E.G. is an abbreviation of the Latin term exempli gratia and roughly translates as for example. Use e.g., to provide examples, as in, “He liked falling from heights, e.g., out of windows, from airplanes, off of ladders.”Both are followed by a comma when used.

Like vs. Such as

Use like to show similarities. Example: “He was falling like a rotten tomato that missed the stage.”Use such as to provide examples. Example: “Everything falls at times, such as tomatoes and bodies from windows.” You can use e.g., to replace such as in most cases. Also, such as is generally preceded by a comma when used in this way.