alternate or alternative?
The adjective alternative is often used instead of alternate to mean "different from, and serving, or able to serve, as a substitute for something else," as in The band decided to go with the song's alternative title. Careful writers maintain a distinction between the two words, using alternative in its traditional, well-established sense, "of which only one can be true, or only one can be used or chosen, or take place at any one time," as in Scientists are examining two alternative theories as to the origin of the universe. An easy way to distinguish the separate meanings of these words is to remember that alternate means "backup," as in Let's take an alternate route to avoid the traffic jam, and that alternative means "mutually exclusive," as in This protocol is the sole alternative treatment for this type of infection. Note that, in strict use, alternative may only be used with "two" (two alternatives) and not "three" or "several."
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