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alternate   —   alternative   —   alternately   —   alternatively

“Alternate” as a verb and adjective implies ‘an order of two – by turns: first one, then the other in turn’,

e.g.

On Saturdays we alternate between visiting my parents and visiting my wife’s.

[i.e. on one Saturday we visit my parents, and on the next Saturday we visit my wife’s parents, and on the Saturday after next (the third week) we again visit my parents and so on]

We play chess and golf on alternate Sundays.

[i.e. on one Sunday we play chess and on the next we play golf and again on the Sunday after next we play chess and so on]

“Alternately” is the adverb of ‘alternate’ and is also used to mean ‘first one and then the other in sequence, referring to an order of two’,

e.g.

We revise History and Social Science alternately so that we will not be become bored with either subject.

“Alternative” as a noun and an adjective means ‘a choice between two things – either one or the other – not by turns; only one’,

e.g.

They returned by the alternative road.

[i.e. they went by one road, but while coming back, they used another one, perhaps, the road they went by might have been bad or closed or longer than the other one]

We have no alternative; we must fight.

[i.e. we have no choice; the only course of action we have is to fight, probably because the opponents have not accepted our peace offer or our terms of negotiations]

“Alternatively” is the adverb of ‘alternative’ and is also used to mean ‘a choice between two’,

e.g.

He may join the Air Force.  Alternatively, he may join the Navy.

Compare:

‘Airport and railway station are served by alternate buses.’  means ‘ the first bus goes to the airport and the second bus goes to the railway station; the third bus to the airport and the fourth one to the railway station and so on.  And, “If you don’t want to go to the airport, you can take the alternative (bus) to the railway station.” means ‘ you can take the second of the two choices, i.e. the bus that goes to the railway station.

1.  Strictly speaking, ‘alternative’ is ‘choice between two only’ and so you cannot have more than two alternatives, and after that what you have are “options”.  However, in the contemporary usage, its meaning has been widened to include a choice of several possibilities.

e.g.

He has so many alternatives that he is unable to make up his mind.

2.  In American English ‘alternate’ is used with the same meaning as “alternative”.

Common Errors:

1.  It was the only alternative open to me.  [wrong]

It was the only course of action open to me.  [right]

{because ‘alternative’ is ‘a choice between two or more – not just only one}

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