Confusing Words: Alumnus (noun), Alumni (noun), Alumna (noun), and Alumnae (noun).
Meaning:
Alumnus (a graduate or former student of a particular school, college, or university.)
Alumni (a graduate or former student of a particular school, college, or university. – plural)
Alumna (a female graduate or former student of a particular school, college, or university.)
Alumnae (a female graduate or former student of a particular school, college, or university. -plural)
Clarification: All of these words refer to graduates with differences of male/female and singular/plural.

Alumnus, Alumni, Alumna and Alumnae – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?

English speakers and writers mostly get confused between two words. Today, we have a special case. We are going to face four different words that are close enough to create confusion among writers and speakers. The words are alumnus, alumni, alumna and alumnae.

I am sure that from the above four words, you have heard the word ‘alumni’ the most. Actually, all of these words are correct to use. Nothing is wrong with any of these words. Alumnus, alumni, alumna and alumnae are nouns that you can use within sentences. Two of them are plural nouns while rest of the two are singular nouns.

Now, I will let you know the definitions and the usage of these words. I will explain them one by one to give a more clear image. Moreover, you can read how to use these words in AP style.

Meanings and Examples of Alumnus, Alumni, Alumna and Alumnae:

The above confusing words are used to refer people and by people means ‘graduates’.

Alumnus

Alumnus is used to refer a graduate and it should be a male graduate. It is a singular noun. So, it means that this particular word is for a singular male graduate.

Alumnus means a male graduate.

1. My father is a Harvard alumnus.

2. As an alumnus of the school, Mark frequently donates to the scholarship fund.

3. After years of hard work, Sarah now stands as a distinguished alumnus of her law school.

Alumni

Unlike alumnus, alumni is a plural noun. So, it means that it does not refer to a single graduate. Actually, alumni is the plural of alumnus but it can alse be used to refer to a male and female graduate group. At one side, alumnus means a male group of graduates. On the other side, it can also mean a group in which there are male as well as female graduates.

Alumni cannot be used to refer only a group of female graduates.

1. The university organized a reunion for its alumni to celebrate their achievements.

2. Many successful entrepreneurs are alumni of the business school.

3. Alumni from various years attended the charity gala to raise funds for future students.

Alumna

This word is the opposite of alumnus. It is also a singular noun but unlike alumnus, alumna means a female graduate. You cannot use this word for a group or for a male graduate. Alumna is only used to refer a graduate who is, especially, a female.

1. My mother is a Harvard alumna.

2. As an accomplished alumna, she frequently mentors young women in her field.

3. Being an alumna of the school, she feels a deep connection to its ongoing success.

Alumnae

Unlike Alumna, alumnae is a plural noun. Though it is used to refer female but not a single female graduate. As, this word is a plural of alumnae, it means that alumnae means a group of female graduates. It is not like alumni; alumnae is only used for a female group who should be graduates of any institute.

1. The alumnae of the all-women’s college gathered for their 20th reunion this weekend.

2. Several alumnae have become leaders in the tech industry, inspiring current students.

3. A group of alumnae donated funds to renovate the university’s science building.

Do You Get The Difference?

I know it is a bit confusing to remember these words but it is very important to differentiate between these words i.e. alumnus vs. alumni vs. alumna vs. alumnae. Two of them are singular nouns (i.e. alumnus and alumna) whereas, two of them are plural nouns (i.e. alumni and alumnae).

Singular nouns = Alumnus & Alumna

Plural nouns = Alumni & Alumnae

What Did You Learn?

The four words alumnus, alumni, alumna and alumnae are used to refer graduates. Alumnus is a singular noun that means a male graduate. Alumni is a plural noun which is used to refer a group of male graduates or it can also be used to refer a group consisting of both male and female graduates.

Alumna is a singular noun used to refer a female former student or graduate. Alumnae, on the other hand, is the plural noun of alumna.

Confusing Words: Anymore (adverb) and Any more (determiner)
Meaning: “to any further extent; any longer.”
Anymore vs Any more Clarification: Anymore and any more have distinctions regarding their functions within the sentences although both of them carry the same meaning.

Anymore vs. Any more – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?

As we can see that there is a space between ‘any’ and ‘more’ whereas the other word ‘anymore’ is a complete word. The pronunciation is exactly the same. So, there will be no problem for the readers but the real problem is for the writers. Writers should use the correct word to make their writings efficient.

Most of the people use anymore in every context which is wrong because anymore and any more  should be used in different circumstances. Let us discuss these words one by one to come up with proper explanation. In this way, you will get the usage, meanings and the functions of both of these words.

Anymore

Anymore is used as an adverb. This word is related to time. Anymore means ‘any longer or still’. Anymore is mostly used in negative statements.

1. I do not feel good that is why I do not go there anymore.

2. I don’t design jewellery anymore because it takes too much time.

3. She doesn’t talk to me anymore.

If you observe the examples, you will see that all the statements are negative statements. As I mentioned above that anymore is mostly or always used in negative statements.

Any more

Any more (two words) is said to be a determiner. This particular word is related to quantities of something. Any more means an indefinite or can be the smallest amount or quantity of something. This word is always used in questions and negative statements. In these type of sentences, any more always used to refer to the quantities of something.

1. I don’t want any more lipsticks as I have about 78 lipsticks in my drawer.

2. Do you need any more colour pencils for your art competition?

3. I don’t want any more confusion regarding these two words.

You see in the above examples, there are two negative sentences and a question. Any more can be used in the statements like above.

However, in British English, some writers do say that any more can be used as an adverb too. But there is a clear distinction between anymore and any more.

Time has passed and this distinction is quite clear among British writers too. So now, it seems like they are clear about the distinction between anymore and any more and they do choose anymore as an adverb intead of any more.

Anymore = for Negative Statements

Anymore = Adverb

Any more = for Questions + Negative Statements

Any more = Determiner

Check Out: Difference Between Anyway and Anyways.

What Did You Learn?

Anymore and any more have distinctions regarding their functions within the sentences.

Any more is said to be a determiner which is used to refer the quantity of something.
Anymore, on the other hand, is used as an adverb that means any longer or still.

Confusing Words: Alot and A lot (combination of an article and a noun)
Meaning: (a large number or amount; a great deal.)
Alot vs A Lot Clarification: ‘Alot’ is said to be an incorrect spellings of ‘a lot’.

Alot vs A lot – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?

In most of the cases, people get confused of homonyms that sound same but have different meanings. Today, we are going to face the same confusion.

If you observe a lot (with a space between a and lot), you will come to know that this is not a single word. Actually, ‘a lot’ is a phrase and ‘alot’ is a word. The word ‘alot’ (with no space in between a and lot) is not true. You can see in dictionaries that the word ‘alot’ does not exist. The right word is ‘a lot’.

I ate Alot (False)

I ate A lot (True)

You can see the usage of this word ‘alot’, especially, in messages. It is a common mistake that mostly people are used to do.

Continue reading the post for more clarification. This confusion has to be solved because in official writing, you cannot repeat this mistake.

Meanings and Examples of A lot/Alot

So, we are cleared that a lot is the word that is correct. The dictionary supports ‘a lot’ not ‘alot’. Let us discuss the meaning of the correct word ‘a lot’.

A Lot

A lot is the combination of an article ‘a’ and a noun ‘lot’. This combination of an article and a noun makes it a phrase. The noun ‘lot’ means a great amount or plenty. A lot is also used as an adverb which means to a great degree or extent.

1. I have a lot of handmade jewellery which are actually made by me. (True)

• I have alot of handmade jewellery which are actually made by me. (False)

2. I am suffering from food poison just because I ate a lot last night. (True)

• I am suffering from food poison just because I ate alot last night. (False)

3. I do not have a lot of time to sleep. (True)

• I do not have alot of time to sleep. (False)

We have discussed the differences between a lot and alot which is quite clear now. In terms of their pronunciation, I have one more word, sounds like alot and a lot, that is often a source of confusion. The word is ‘allot’ which means ‘to assign or to distribute something to someone’. For instance, I will allot the projects to the students for a presentation’.

Allot has nothing to do with a lot. Though the pronunciation is similar to a lot but this is an unrelated word.

Check Out: The Difference Between Altogether and All Together.

What Did You Learn?

A lot and alot are homonyms that have same pronunciation.  A lot is a phrase which is the dictionary word. ‘Alot’ is said to be an incorrect spellings of ‘a lot’. So, it is necessary for everyone not to use alot in official writings because it is considered to be a wrong term.

A lot defines a great amount or a large quantity of something.

Confusing Words: Among (preposition) and Between (preposition/adverb)
Meaning:
Among (situated more or less centrally in relation to (several other things).)
Between (at, into, or across the space separating (two objects or regions).)
Among vs Between Clarification: The most common use for among is when something is in or with a group of a few, several, or many things. The most common use of between is when something is in the middle of two things or two groups of things.

Among vs. Between – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?

Among and between are not homonyms but still they are taken as confusing words. Even these words are not ineterchangeable. Both of these terms have different origins and functions within sentences.

A General Difference Between Among and Between

It is commonly said that the word ‘between’ can be used when there are two things to refer to. On the other hand, the word ‘among’ is used to refer when there are 3 or more than 3 items.

• Tell me the similarities between Sara and her daughter.

• I shall divide the cards among my four friends.

Seems like the above discussion is not enough for this case i.e. among vs. between. This is a general fact behind these words but there is a lot more that has to be cleared. I will now describe each term by giving proper definitions and functions.

Among

This particular word is used as a preposition. The meaning of among is ‘surrounded by or in the company of a group of people or things’. It means that this word is used to refer items or individuals that are usually found in a collective or massive form.

1. There began a serious discussion among the members of parliament.

2. She felt very awesome when she found herself among my friends.

3. Me and my friend were among the huge trees in the dark forest.

Between

This particular word is used as a preposition and an adverb within sentences. The meaning of between is ‘at or into the space’. This particular space is separating (usually) two items.

If these items, objects or regions are separate, distinguishable or distinct, then you can use ‘between’ in order to show the relationship. If the items are not distinct , then it is necessary to use ‘among’ rather than ‘between’.

1. There are minor differences between American English, British English and Canadian English.

2. There began a serious discussion between the Principal, the staff and the Head of Department.

3. The farm house is located between the river and the forest.

So, from the above discussion it is clear that among and between are two proper words to use. Both of these words are used as prepositions to show the relationships between or among the items to make a complete clause or sentence.

The word ‘between’ is used to refer the things that are distinct and separate. ‘Among’, on the other hand, is used to refer items that are not distinct or separate.

What Did You Learn?

Among vs. between is a slightly complicated case than the other words. Among is used to refer items that are usually found in a collective or massive form.

Unlike among, if the items are distinct and distinguishable, it is necessary to use between instead of among.

Confusing Words: Angel (noun) and Angle (noun/verb)
Meaning:
Angel (a spiritual being believed to act as an attendant, agent, or messenger of God, conventionally represented in human form with wings and a long robe.)
Angle (the space (usually measured in degrees) between two intersecting lines or surfaces at or close to the point where they meet.)
Angel vs Angle Clarification: The two words carry completely difference meanings and can not be used interchangeably.

Angel vs Angle – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?

Take a look at these words, angel and angle. It seems like one of these words has the correct spelling and the other one should be an error. So people think, is the correct word angel or angle?

Actually, both angel and angle are correct words to use. Their pronunciations are different; their functions are different; and their meanings are totally different. It means that both of these words are completely two different words of English vocabulary.

Angel is pronounced as /ain-jul/

Angle is pronounced as /ang-gul/

Now, I will define each term separately and give you some examples so that you will get enough idea about the usage and the meaning of angel and angle.

Angel

Angel is used as a noun. It is a divine or a spiritual term. Angel is used to refer a spiritual or a divine being who is not considered to be as a common man. This particular divine being can be found in various religions who is said to be a messenger from God. For example,

1. The Angel of Death.

2. The Angles are represented throughout the Bible as a body of spiritual beings intermediate between God and men. (New Advent)

Besides this religious term, angel is also used as a figurative term. It can be used for anyone who is so good and pure, or who has high moral values. For example,

1. You came to help me in this horrible situation. You are just like an angel to me.

2. ‘Come, little angel’, a mother said to her baby.

Babies are considered as angels because they are pure.

Angle

Unlike angel, angle is used as a noun or a verb. As a noun, it can be a mathematical concept that describes the area between two dividing or intersecting lines (measured in degrees). It can also mean someone’s point of view.

1. Find out the angle between lines A and B. (as a mathematical term)

2. A right angle is an angle which is equal to 90 degrees. (as a mathematical term)

3. My friends always find out the solution of every problem from a different angle. (as a view point)

As a verb, angle means to turn or direct at an angle.

1. Suddenly, the tree angled at 45 degrees to fell down.

Check Out: The Difference Between Aid and Aide.

Do You Get The Difference?

Remember the difference,

Angel is used as a noun (only)

Angle is uses as a noun or a verb (two functions)

You cannot use angel as a verb.

Angel is a spiritual or a divine being whereas angle, as a noun, is a mathematical term which is measured in degrees; or someone’s view point. Angle, as a verb, is to turn or to direct.

What Did You Learn?

Angel and angle are two separate words that are not interchangeable. Angel is always used as a noun which means a spiritual or a divine being or an extremely righteous or a pure person.

Angle, on the other hand, is used as noun which means the surface between two intersecting lines or someone’s point of view. Angle is also used as a verb that means to turn or to direct.