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7th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 6 of 13

Word Mix-Ups

Affect or effect? Its or it's?

What your child practices

Choosing correctly between commonly confused words: its/it's, their/there/they're, then/than, lose/loose, who's/whose, affect/effect, accept/except and more.

Maine Learning Results learning standard: Language 2; Language 3 · commonly confused words

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Test contractions with the long form: it’s = it is, they’re = they are, who’s = who is.
  2. Then compares time, than compares things. Lose means misplace, loose means not tight.
  3. Affect is usually a verb (to change). Effect is usually a noun (the result). Accept means receive, except means leaving out.

Example: “The weather can ___ your mood.” affect or effect? The blank needs a verb: to change something. Affect is the verb. Answer: affect

Word Mix-Ups in Maine

In the Maine Learning Results, this is unit 6 of 13 in 7th grade English Language Arts, after Modifiers & Parallelism and before Poetry Lab.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Maine Department of Education

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Which word correctly completes the sentence?

    I wonder _____ coming to the meeting.

    • whose
    • who's

  2. Question 2

    Which word correctly completes the sentence?

    Let me know when _____ your turn.

    • it's
    • its

  3. Question 3

    Which word correctly completes the sentence?

    If we _____ this game, we're out of the tournament.

    • lose
    • loose

  4. Question 4

    Which word correctly completes the sentence?

    Zoe is the student _____ painting won first prize.

    • who's
    • whose

  5. Question 5

    Which word correctly completes the sentence?

    I would rather walk _____ take the bus.

    • then
    • than

  6. Question 6

    Which word correctly completes the sentence?

    Finish your homework, and _____ you can play.

    • than
    • then

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