What's the difference between 'amount' and 'number'? Can we use them interchangeably?
Amount is used for ideas that abstract and uncountable.
Ex. He has a large amount of work to do today.
Number is used for ideas or things that are countable.
Ex. A number of people saw her when she stole an apple from the store.
I was asked a question before about when to use a singular or a plural verb for the word data. This is the answer.
Data is a plural noun, and it usually takes a plural verb. However, if it's used as a collective noun, when the group or quantity is regarded as a noun, it takes a singular verb (the data is convincing).
Is there a difference in meaning between the prefixes "ante" or "anti"? The answer is a big YES!
ANTE means before or front. Anti means against or opposite.
Ex.
Anteroom (a small room that leads into a larger room)
Antibiotic (a medicine that destroys micro-organisms )
So, we can't use "antiroom", because it would mean it's against the room. We also can't use "antebiotic", because it would mean before micro-organisms).^^
This month I plan to publish posts about the most misused words in English. I hope my posts could shed some light in the uses of some words you find confusing. To start it off, let's take the words "irregardless" and "regardless"...which one is correct? Do they have a difference in meaning? Actually, when people use the word "irregardless", what they actually mean is "regardless", thus they don't have any difference in meaning at all. Now, about the first question asked (Which one is correct?). "Regardless" is the right word to use, because "irregardless" is nonstandard. The latter word has the prefix "ir" which means "not" and the suffix "less" which means "without", hence making the word double negative and therefore, nonstandard. Thus, instead of using that word, "regardless" or "irrespective" can take its place.^^
