spelling

“It’s” or “its” — which is correct?

Which is correct?
Maintaining an appropriate ambient temperature for hardware is essential to ____ performance and longevity.
a. it’s
b. its

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Any more or anymore?

Which is correct? So many products include tracking capabilities that soon it won’t be possible to get lost ________. a. any more b. anymore

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Web site or website?

Which is correct?
According to COPPA, _________ must require parental consent for the collection or use of any personal information of young site users.
a. Web sites
b. websites
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Procedes or proceeds?

Which is correct?
RDC is unlikely to ever be as secure as the traditional deposit method, in which the bank must receive the physical check before it _______ to deposit funds to the customer’s account.
a. procedes
b. proceeds
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All right or alright?

Which is correct?
I had a lot of success with distance learning, so I felt _______ about missing out on the social aspects of school.
a. alright
b. all right

Answer: b

Explanation:
Alright is not a word — which is a little confusing because there are similar compound words with all, such as altogether and already.

Bob Dylan gets full marks on this one with “Don’t Think Twice, it’s All Right” but the Who fails with “The Kids are Alright.” The kids may be all right but their spelling is all wrong.

Grammar Girl Mignon Fogarty has a good post about all right vs. alright.

Follow us on Twitter @tao_of_grammar

More so or moreso?

Which is correct? The ability to process huge quantities of data is important now and will only become _______ in the future. a. more so b. moreso

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Anymore or any more?

Which is correct? The music industry is in flux because so many people don’t buy music on CDs ________. a. any more b. anymore

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Anyway vs. any way

Which is correct? The need for regulatory compliance makes business owners want to track operations in _______ they can. a. any way b. anyway

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Which is correct — alterior or ulterior?

Which is correct? Although ISPs promote DNS redirection as a service to customers, customers typically think the ISPs have _______ motives. a. alterior b. ulterior

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Which is correct — moot or mute?

Which is correct? No matter how important your message is, if you don’t choose the right delivery channel, the point is ____. a. mute b. moot

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