WORDS OFTEN CONFUSED

WORDS OFTEN CONFUSED  

There are some words which are often confused with others because of their similarity in spelling, pronunciation and meaning. For clear communication it is necessary to understand their meaning and usage more precisely. Given below is a short list of such words which are in common use but are generally confused because they sound alike.

 

1.            Accept, Except

i)   His offer was readily accepted and he was asked to start working immediately. (agree to take)

ii)         Except Hari, all were present for the group discussion. (not including)

2.            Accede, Exceed

i)          The manager gladly acceded to my request. (agree)

ii)         The budget of our library exceeds Rs. 60,000 a year. (surpass)

3.            Access, Excess

iii)      I have an easy access to the Managing Director. (approach)

iv)      Excess of everything is bad. (a quantity that is more than expected or desired)

 

4.            Adopt, Adapt, Adept

i)          I like your methods of teaching and shall adopt them in my class. (take an idea, method, etc. and use it)

ii)         They had no children of their own; so they adopted a neighbour’s son. (take a child into one’s family and treat it as one’s own)

iii)        My Experiments with Truth has been adapted for use in schools. (change and make suitable for different use or for new conditions)

iv)       When you go to a foreign country, you must adapt yourself to the manners and customs of the people. (adjust)

v)        I am not adept at photography. (expert)

 

5.            Advance, Advancement

i)          Nothing could stop the advance of our soldiers into the enemy territory. (forward movement)

ii)         Science has made great advances during the last twenty years. (progress)

iii)        To meet the expenses in connection with his illness he has asked for an advance on his salary. (sum of money lent, or paid before it is due)

iv)       The aim of university should be the advancement of learning. (promotion) 

6.            Advice, Advise

i)          The advice of a legal expert is required in this case. (valued opinion, noun)

ii)         He advised me to seek your opinion. (give advice, verb)

 

7.             Adverse, Averse

i)          He faced the adverse circumstances cheerfully. (unfavourable)

ii)         Because of the adverse weather conditions, the aeroplane was diverted to another airport. How can he prosper if he is averse to hard work? (disinclined, opposed)

iii)        He is averse to criticism from friends. (having a dislike for)

 

8.            Affect, Effect

i)          My throat is quickly affected by cold. (cause a change, good or bad)

ii)         She was deeply affected by the sad spectacle that she began to cry. (be moved)

iii)        The X-ray examination shows that his right lung is affected. (damaged)

iv)       After a long discussion, a settlement of the dispute has been effected. (achieve, accomplish)

v)        The medicine did not have any effect on the patient. (result)

 

9.            All together, Altogether

i)          By working all together we can do the job well in time. (in company)

ii)         I think his story is altogether false. (entirely)

10.         Allusion, Illusion

i)          In his report Hari has made an allusion to the recent address of the General Manager. (reference)

ii)         Sheela cherishes the illusion that everyone admires her. (likes to believe)

iii)        I have no illusion about his ability as an administrator. (false beliefs)

11.         Already, All Ready

i)          The mail has already been delivered. (by this time)

ii)         He is all ready for the journey, (entirely prepared)

iii)        The Secretary has the information all ready for the meeting.

12.         Altar, Alter

i)          He made his offerings on the altar, (the place of sacrifice or worship in a temple, church, etc.)

ii)         When he comes to know of this, I think he will alter his plans. (change)

13.         Alternately, Alternatively

i)          Hari and Govind will work for me alternately. (by turns)

ii)         You have a choice: you may travel by rail or alternatively by road. (choice between two things)

 

14.         Ancient, Old

i)          He has specialized in the history of ancient India. (of times long past)

ii)         Sri Manmohan is an old employee of the firm. (of long standing)

iii)        Old habits die hard. (been in existence for a certain period of time).

15.         Ascent, Assent

i)          The ascent to the summit was difficult, (the act of going or climbing up)

ii)         The President gave his assent to the Bill (consent)

iii)        He assented to the changes made in the draft.

 

16.         Bad, Badly

i)          The officer felt bad about his error. (sorry, bothered)

ii)         Satish is dressed badly. (in a bad manner)

iii)        He needs a job badly. (very much)

 

17.         Beneficial, Beneficient

i)          Fresh air and fruit are beneficial to health. (helpful)

ii)         Sri Datta is a beneficient manager and that is why he is so popular among the           employees. (kind)                          

18.         Beside, Besides

i)          His house is beside the factory. (close to, near)

ii)         Besides helping me with money, he gave me advice. (in addition to, moreover)

 

19.         Calender, Calendar

i)          The calender has gone out of order. (roller machine for pressing and smoothing cloth or paper) Please consult the calendar and tell me on what day Deepawali falls. (list of days, weeks, months, of a particular year)

 

20.         Childish, Childlike

i)          The arguments in favour of his proposal were rather childish. (silly)

ii)         His childlike manners have won everybody’s heart. (simple and pure like that of a child)

21.         Clothes, Cloth

i)          Winter clothes are so costly that even middle class people find it difficult to buy them. (dress)

ii)         A book with a cloth binding would obviously be more expensive than the one bound in paper covers. (material made by weaving cotton, wool, silk, etc.)

22.         Compliment, Complement

i)          Soon after his arrival, he went to the Manager to pay his compliments. (regards, greetings)

ii)         This book forms the complement to the one published last month. (that which makes something complete)

23.         Considerable, Considerate

i)          He has made considerable progress in a short time. (a good deal of)

ii)         It was considerate of you not to press your point in the last meeting. (thoughtful)

 

24.         Contemptible, Contemptuous

i)          His behaviour is contemptible; for money he would stop to anything. (deserving contempt)

ii)         It is a pity that he is ill-mannered and contemptuous of his neighbours. (showing contempt)

 

25.         Continual, Continuous

i)          The speaker was continually interrupted. (constantly, recurring)

ii)         He has been speaking continuously for the last one hour. (without a break)

26.         Council, Counsel, Consul

i)          Preparations are being made for the ensuing elections to the Advisory Council (an assembly that deliberates on affairs)

ii)         I would counsel you not to act in haste in this matter. (give advice)

iii)        Sri Zahir Ahmed was the counsel in the murder case. (lawyer)

iv)       This letter of introduction to the Indian Consul in Paris will help you meet the business magnates. (a government official in a foreign country appointed to look after the interests of his country’s citizens there)

 

27.         Credible, Creditable, Credulous

i)          Nobody would sympathise with you because what you say in hardly credible. (believable)

ii)         It was certainly creditable for him to have bagged the first prize at this young age. (worthy of praise)

iii)        Clever people often exploit those who are credulous. (apt to believe without sufficient reason)

28.         Defective, Deficient

i)          You must immediately write to the manufacturer for replacement because the machine is defective. (faulty)

ii)         He is mentally deficient and that is why his performance in mathematics is so poor. (weak-minded)

iii)        He is deficient in courage and so he will not be able to undertake this task. (not having enough of)

29.         Discovery, Invention

i)          Columbus made the discovery of America. (finding out of something that existed before but which was unknown)

ii)         Wireless is the greatest invention of Marconi. (the act of devising or originating something new)

 

30.         Deny, Refuse

i)          The accused denied the charge. (say that something is not true)

ii)         As he did not have a pass, he was refused permission to enter the lecture hall. (show unwillingness to accept something offered or to do something one is asked to do)

 

31.         Deprecate, Depreciate

i)          The manager deprecated the hasty action of the salesman. (feel and express disapproval of)

ii)         The purchasing power of money has depreciated during the last ten years. (make or become less in value)

 

32.         Device, Devise

i)          The thief seems to have used a clever device to put the police off the scent. (plan, scheme, trick, noun)

ii)         It is essential to devise an effective scheme to save money for this project. (think out, plan, verb)

33.         Eligible, illegible

i)          When does one become eligible to vote? (fit, suitable to be chosen, having the right qualifications)

ii)         His handwriting is illegible, so I have advised him to type all his letters. (that which cannot be easily read)

 

34.         Eminent, Imminent

i)          He is an eminent scholar of Sanskrit. (of great repute) There is an imminent danger of the war breaking out. (events, specially dangers, likely to come or happen soon)

35.         Envious, Enviable

i)          Do not be envious of the good fortune of your friends. (feeling of disappointment, jealousy and ill-will)

ii)         The position that he occupies is enviable. (one that excites envy)

 

36.         Excite, Incite

i)          Everybody was excited by the news of India’s victory in the Fourth Test Match. (feel strongly, stir up the feeling of)

ii)         The Trade Union Leaders incited the workers to disobey the orders of the management. (arouse)

 

37.         Famous, Notorious

i)          Tansen was a famous musician. (well-known, in a complimentary sense)

ii)         All the notorious smugglers who were operating in this area have been arrested. (widely known, in a derogatory sense)

 

38.         Formally, Formerly

i)          The proposal has not yet been formally made. (in accordance with rules, customs, conventions)

ii)         Dr. Bhandari was formely a professor of electrical engineering. (previously)

 

39.         Honorary, Honourable

i)          Sri Govind Prasad is working as an Honorary Secretary of the Indian Chamber of Commerce. (holding office without remuneration)

ii)         He retired after rendering honourable service to the nation for 30 years. (worthy of respect)

 

40.         Human, Humane

i)          To err is human. (pertaining to man)

ii)         The abolition of bonded labour is a humane measure. (kind, benevolent)

 

41.         Imply, Infer

i)          Silence sometimes implies consent. (suggest, hint at)

ii)         You have rightly inferred from this letter that the firm wants an extension of time for completing the job. (conclude from, deduce from)

 

42.         Industrial, Industrious

i)          Ahmedabad is an industrial town. (relating to industry)

ii)         Sri Aggarwal is both industrious and honest. (hardworking)

 

43.         Judicial, Judicious

i)          This matter should be referred to the judicial authorities. (pertaining to courts of justice)

ii)         He has made a very judicious choice of books; most of them will be useful to the young trainess next year also. (wise)

 

44.         Later, Latter

i)          I am busy at present, please see me later. (after some time)

ii)         Both Hari and Rashid are my friends; the former is a painter and the latter is a singer. (the second of two things or persons already mentioned)

iii)        During the latter half of the year, the production went up considerably. (belong to the end of a period)

 

45.         Lay, Laid

i)          A bricklayer is a man who lays bricks. (put down in a certain position)

ii)         The foundation-stone of this building was laid by the Chairman in January, 1977. (past tense and past participle form of lay)

 

46.         Lie, Lay, Lain

i)          You are tired; lie down and rest. (place oneself flat on a horizontal surface or in a resting position)

ii)         He lay on the beach enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. (past tense form of lie)

iii)        He has lain in bed all morning, reading a detective novel. (past participle form of lie, now rarely used in ordinary speech)

 

47.         Lie, Lied

i)          He has lied to me several times in the past and so I do not accept any of his statements without verification. (past tense and past participle form of lie, make a statement that one knowns to be untrue)

 

48.         Loose, Lose

i)          The dog is too dangerous to be left loose. (free, not held)

ii)         He likes wearing loose trousers. (not close-fitting)

iii)        If you are not alert, you will lose the chance. (no longer have)

 

49.         Momentary, Momentous

i)          Many decisions taken in life are of only momentary importance. (lasting for a moment, short-lived)

ii)         The Chairman said that at the next meeting some momentous decisions would be taken and so he would like all members to be present. (of great importance)

50.         Official, Officious

i)          The official version is that about 28 persons died in the train accident near Bhavnagar. (said or done with authority)

ii)         His officious behaviour has annoyed all his colleagues. (too eager to give advice or use authority)

 

51.         Prosecute, Persecute

i)          After his father’s death he could not prosecute his studies further. (continue with)

ii)         He was prosecuted for exceeding the speed limit. (start legal proceedings against)

iii)        In a truly democratic country, no community suffers persecution for its religious beliefs. (cruel treatment, punishment)

 

52.         Practical, Practicable

i)          They should try to overcome the practical difficulties in the implementation of the proposal. (concerned with or relating to practice)

ii)         The methods you suggest are practicable and will yield results. (that can be put into practice)

 

53.         Principle, Principal

i)          A man of sound principles succeeds in life in the long run. (rules of conduct)

ii)         The principal food of the people of Bengal is rice. (highest in order of importance, chief)

 

54.         Proceed, precede

i)          You must proceed with your work if you want to finish it before lunch. (go on, continue)

ii)         This point has already been discussed in the preceding paragraph. (previous, going before)

 

55.         Respectful, Respectable, Respective

i)          We must be respectful to our parents and teachers. (showing respect to)

ii)         She is poor but quite respectable. (worthy of respect)

iii)        After the function, we left for our respective homes. (belonging to each of those persons, things in questions)

 

56.         Social, Sociable

i)          Man is a social animal. (living in groups)

ii)         Sri Harcharan Singh is sociable and that is why he is so popular among his colleagues. (fond of company)

57.         Spacious, Specious

i)          This room is spacious enough to accommodate 150 persons. (having ample space)

ii)         The arguments of the lawyer were specious and hence, they failed to convince the judge. (seeming right or true, but not really so)

 

58.         Stationery, Stationary

i)          The office manager occasionally carries out a physical verification of stationery items in stock. (articles used in connection with writing)

ii)         The sun is stationary body and the earth revolves round it. (not moving, fixed)

59.         Verbal, Verbose

i)          He sent me a verbal message that he will reach the office half an hour before the meeting. (spoken, not written)

ii)         A verbose style leads to vagueness in communication. (using more words than necessary)

60.         Zealous, Jealous

i)          For rural development we need an army of zealous workers. (full of enthusiasm)

ii)         He is jealous of his colleague’s promotion. (full of envy)