GED Reasoning Through Language Arts
Commonly Confused Words
English keeps pairs of words that sound identical but mean different things — their/there/they're, affect/effect, than/then. The test plants the wrong twin in a sentence and asks you to catch it. Each pair has a one-second test.
The words first
- homophones
- words that sound alike but differ in spelling and meaning
- affect / effect
- affect = the verb (to influence); effect = the noun (the result)
- than / then
- than compares; then is about time
- accept / except
- accept = receive willingly; except = leave out
The method
THE BIG PAIRS AND THEIR ONE-SECOND TESTS
their / there / they're
their = ownership their car
there = a place over there
they're = they are expand it and listen
affect / effect
RAVEN: Remember — Affect Verb, Effect Noun
The rain AFFECTED the game. (verb)
The rain had an EFFECT. (noun — an/the sits in front)
than / then
comparing? → than taller THAN me
time/order? → then we ate, THEN we left
lose / loose
lose = misplace, be defeated don't lose the keys
loose = not tight a loose screw
your / you're who's / whose to / too / two
expand the apostrophe version; if it fits, use it
Worked all the way through
The problem
Fix every confused word: "The new schedule effected everyone more then expected, but most employees excepted the change."
- Step 1 — "effected": verb or noun here?It is doing an action (influenced everyone) — that is the VERB job, so affect: "affected everyone."
- Step 2 — "more then expected": comparing or time?Comparing amounts — than: "more than expected."
- Step 3 — "excepted the change": receiving or leaving out?Employees received the change willingly — accept: "accepted the change."
On the board
effected → affected
verb job (RAVEN)
then → than
it compares
excepted → accepted
received willingly
three twins, three swaps
Answer
The new schedule affected everyone more than expected, but most employees accepted the change.
A second one, in a different form
"(Your / You're) going to need (your / you're) umbrella."
expand blank 1: "you are going" ✓
you're
expand blank 2: "you are umbrella" ✗
your
You're … your ✓
Answer
You're going to need your umbrella.
The usual mistake
Trusting your ear. These pairs sound identical, so you must test them.
Check yourself
When any twin word appears in a test sentence, stop and run its one-second test — expand the apostrophe, check verb-vs-noun, check comparing-vs-time. Never trust that the sentence as printed used the right twin.
Practice it
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