Phrasal verb: mix up

  1. mix something up
    Transitive/Intransitive, Separable
    Meaning: confuse two or more things
    Example: I always mix up the twins.  They are too similar!

    Many people often mix up the following words in English.  Be careful to understand the different meanings!

    Affect / Effect: “Affect” is a verb meaning to impact or influence, and “effect” is a noun.   To affect is to produce an effect.

    Farther / Further: Farther” is the comparative form of “far” referring to physical distance (ex. How much farther do we have to travel to get to your house?).  “Further” refers to metaphorical or figurative distance (ex. Can we discuss this further tomorrow?).

    Fewer / Less: Fewer is used for countable nouns and less is used for uncountable nouns.  (ex. There are fewer students in this class than in my last class.  There is less water in my glass than in your glass.)

    Its / It’s: “Its” refers to possession (ex. The bird spread its wings).  “It’s” is a contraction meaning “it is.

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