These two homonyms (words that sound the same) are frequently confused. So, which is which?

Discreet is the most used of the two words, meaning careful in one’s speech or actions, especially to avoid causing offense. It can also mean intentionally unobtrusive.

Example: She made discreet inquiries into her co-worker’s whereabouts.
Example: Her discreet cough made little sound.

Discrete, on the other hand, means distinct and separate from the rest.

Example: The cabinet looked like one integrated piece, but on closer examination, it was made of three discrete sections that could be moved or removed separately.
Example: To the trained ear, music can be separated into the sounds of each discrete instrument.

Now, how to remember this? In discrete, the T separates the two Es, and therefore means “separate.”

This one’s pretty easy, although a lot of people still manage to make the error in correct usage!

Here it is: “It’s” is only ever used for “it is” or “it has.” That’s it. Ever.

Yes, normally when you are trying to show possession, you put in an apostrophe, for example, “the girl’s baseball” or “Louis’ car.” However, “its” is the exception. When talking about a butterfly’s wing, you would say “its wing.”

"Lay" is a transitive verb, while "lie" is intransitive. "Lay" requires a direct object, while "lie" does not. Huh? Read on...

For example (lay): The sparrow lays an egg. In this example, "egg" is the direct object -- the object that the sparrow is laying.

For example (lie): The cat lies down. In this example, there is no direct object.

More examples: I lay the book on the table. I lie down on the floor.

In the first of these two examples, "book" is the direct object and indicates what object I am acting upon. In the second example, there is no direct object. (In both examples the prepositional phrases merely indicate where.)

If all that makes sense, here's the tricky part! The past tense of "lie" is "lay." For ease of use, here are the two verbs and their conjugations.

Lie – lay – lain – lying
Lay – laid – laid – laying

Whether to use less or fewer seems an easy thing to confuse, but there's also an easy way to remember which to use.

Less should be used when what you are talking about cannot be counted, often used with a singular noun like "time" or "money."

Fewer should be used when you are referring to something that can be counted, like "apples" or "books."

Examples:
♦ "It'll take me less time to finish sewing this seam than you think."
♦ "I'll be done in fewer than five minutes."

(Minutes can be counted; therefore, you would use "fewer." Time cannot be counted - it's a singular noun meaning the indefinite continued progress of existence and events from past, through present, to future - so you would use "less.")

♦ "He'll have a lot less money in the bank if he buys that 85" TV!"
♦ "She has even fewer dollars in her wallet than I have."

(Dollars can be counted; therefore, you would use "fewer." Money is a singular noun meaning a medium of exchange, so you would use "less.")

These are relatively simple to keep separate because they are different parts of speech, with one being an adjective and the other being a verb.

Loath is an adjective meaning reluctant or unwilling.

Loathe is a verb meaning to feel dislike or disgust.

To determine which is correct, simply replace loath/loathe with either "reluctant" or "dislike."  For example:

♦ "I am loath/loathe to leave her." Here, you would say, "I am reluctant to leave her," so loath would be the correct word.

♦ "I had a feeling I would loath/loathe her on sight." Here, you would say, "I had a feeling I would dislike her on sight," so loathe would be the correct word.

TIP:  To help keep them straight, think of the "e" at the end of loathe as signifying energy... therefore loathe is the verb!

Which of the following is the correct phraseology?

♦ "I wish I were she."
♦ "I wish I were her."

(Note: "Were" is used because you are not this other person and therefore are engaged in wishful thinking. For more information, see the "Was versus Were" tip.)

Answer: "I wish I were she."

Similarly, you should write, "This is he," rather than "This is him," and "It is I," rather than "It is me."

This phraseology may seem awkward, but only because the average person would not speak this way. Keep two things in mind: First, the spoken language often differs from the written (this tip is for written language). Second, remember that the average person is familiar with the store named "Toys R Us" (instead of the proper "Toys R We"), and do the (grammatical) math.