Confused Words

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Affect / Effect
          Affect as a verb means "to influence, act upon, or change sth or sme"
           The noise inside the stadium affected his performance.
          Effect is usually a noun (thing) meaning to have an impact on something or someone.
            His smile had a strange effect on me.
  Effect can also mean "the end result."
  Example: The drug has many adverse side effects.
Verb. To influence
Noun. The resulting emotion
Verb. To cause to happen
We were all affected by the drought.
The effect of the drought was an increase in food prices.
The drought effected an increase in price.

Amount / Number
         Amount is a noun referring to non count nouns
            Unfortunately, a huge amount of oil leaked out of the tank.
        Number is a noun referring to count nouns
            Though few in number, judges have much power in Greece.

Complimentary / Complementary
         Complimentary is an adjective which means "given freely, or giving praise"
           The teacher was very complimentary about my work.
         Complementary is an adjective, which means, "supplying needs"
            The complementary relationship of the bee and the flower is quite remarkable.

Different from / Different than
         Different from is a preposition, which precedes a noun phrase
           He is different from your average shop owner.
          Different than is a preposition which precedes a noun clause
    London isdifferent than we had imagined.

Enough
       Enough is an adverb, which precedes a noun and follows an adjective
He knows enough English to study in England.
She is fastenough to win the race.

Every so often / Ever so often
          Every so often is an adverb meaning "occasionally"
           They come every so often. I wish they could come more frequently.
         Ever so often is an adverb meaning "frequently"
They come ever so often. I wish they would stay home.

First / Former
         First as an adjective refers to three or more items
    The first five skiers fell.
         Former as an adjective refers to two or fewer items
    The former Secretary of State for the U.S., Colin Powel, was the first black to hold that position.

From / Since / For
        From is a preposition followed by a noun or noun phrase.
           As a time marker, it requires to or another preposition.
           From now on I will lead the way.
           From Monday to Friday, I work like a slave.
          Since is a subordinate conjunction followed by a clause.
It expresses "the time something began" or "the beginning of time"
           Since Wednesday, I have walked 6 miles a day.
          For is a preposition followed by a noun or noun phrase.
It expresses "the length of time (duration) something has lasted."
For two weeks I have walked to work every day.

Lie / Lay
          Lie is an intransitive verb meaning "to recline"
    He lies down for a nap after his lunch.
          Lay is a transitive verb which means "to put or place"
    He lay the book on the desk and left the room.

A Few / A little
        A few means "some / not many." Used with countable nouns.
           A few people were standing outside the shop waiting to get in.
   A littlemeans "some / not much." Used with non-count nouns.
        He gave me a little cheese to eat with my bread.

Passed / Past
         Passed is a transitive verb and past participle of the verb pass
    She barely passed the exam.
         Past is a preposition or adjective meaning "by"
    We will keep school open past June.
    She walked past without saying hello.

Raise / Rise
         Raise is a transitive verb meaning to move to a higher place.
           Tom raised his hand to answer a question.
         Rise is an intransitive verb meaning to go up or ascend.
    The sunrises in the morning.

Say / Tell
         Say is a transitive verb meaning to express in words
    I said that she should stay home tonight.
         Tell is an intransitive verb also meaning to express in words
            Itold him to stay home but he didn't listen.
(Never, never, NEVER told to him)

Sit / Set
          Sit is an intransitive verb meaning to rest on something.
    Sit on the bench and not on the grass.
         Set is a transitive verb meaning to place something.
    She set the soup and spoons on the table.

Speak / Speech
         Speak is a verb meaning "to say out loud"
    "Speak louder. I can't hear you!"
         Speech is a noun meaning "what is said aloud"
    Politicians give the same boring speech over and over again when running for political office.

Than / Then
        Than is a conjunction used in comparisons
           She is taller than her sister.
         Then as an adjective or adverbial conjunction relates to time
    First we will work; then we will go out for lunch.

Watch / See
         Watch is a transitive verb meaning "to look at or observe carefully"
    He watched his grand children playing in the yard
         See is a transitive verb meaning "to perceive with the eye"
    He saw the children go into the house.

Admission / Admittance
I went to the U.S. Consulate but was refused admittance.
No admission will be charge at the school concert.
There is no admittance into that country without a visa.

Air / Airs
There was air pollution near the factories.
I don't like people who put on airs.
There was an air of excitement when the match began.

Alone / Lonely
"Leave me alone", shouted John.
John felt lonely when she remained alone in the house.

Almost / Most / Mostly
She is the most intelligent student in the class.
The people in Hong-Kong are mostly Chinese.
Most of the students wish to have a rest after long hours of work.

As a whole / On the whole
Let us take the whole incident into consideration as a whole.
Jack is on the whole an industrious student.

Assure / Ensure / Insure
The manager assures us that the recorder would be repaired properly.
The owner of the goldsmith wants to insure against robbery.
You must check your work carefully to ensure that you do not make any mistakes.

Cause / Reason
What are the causes of their quarrel?
What is your reason for studying in this school?

Charge / Cost / Price / Value / Worth
These books cost a lot of money.
These books are worth a lot of money.
The price of the books has been raised recently.
An antique has no value if it is broken.
We did not need to pay any service charge after using the hall.

Clash / Crash
What a pity that the two meetings clash.
He saw a bus crash into the lamp post.
Ann and Mary often quarrel because their ideas often clash.

Cloth / Clothing / Clothes
John cleaned the table with a cloth.
He laid a cloth on the ground and put down some clothes.
Her clothes got wet after the rain.
I don't like wearing thick clothing in winter.

Compose / Comprise / Consist
The class club committee comprises eight members.
The class club committee consists of eight members.
The committee is composed of teachers and students.

Compare to / Compare with
You may compare your work with David's and see which is better.
Your work is nothing compared with David's.
Many poets like to compare life to morning dew.

Concern / Concerning / Concern
All the classmates are concerned about his health.
The topic is concerned with careless driving.
They are discussing something concerning the youth problem.

Continual / Continuous
The continual rain made us feel bored.
They enjoyed a continuous performance till midnight.

Copy / Imitate
You should not copy your neighbor's answers.
The teacher advised his students not to imitate him.

Credible / Credulous / Incredible
       That is really an incredible story. I don't think it's real one.
       He is such a credulous man that he often believes what you say.
            Did the committee find his statement credible?

Damage / Injure / Hurt / Wound
            He hurt his leg after jumping down from a tree.
       Many huts are damaged by the fire.
       A tall man hurt him with an axe.
       Many fire victims were injured and taken to hospital.

Disinterested / Uninterested
       A disinterested judge is said to make a fair judgment.
       He is uninterested in dancing.

Divide / Share
       John shared the books among themselves.
       The teacher divided the students into four groups.

Economic / Economical / Economics / Economy
       Mrs. Young is said to be an economical housekeeper.
       He is going to study economics in the university.
       Tourism plays an important part in the economy of Greece.
       The economic indicators say we are headed towards a depression.

Eligible / Legible
            She is eligible for promotion due to her hard work and dedication.
            Mr. Kontogeorgakis' handwriting is almost not legible.

Eminent / Imminent
            Dr. Chevereney is an eminent surgeon in our city.
            Most people were in a hurry to go home as a typhoon was imminent.

Equal / Identical / Similar
            The tow applicants are of equal ability.
            Your book is similar to the one that I lost last week.
            They are surprised to find that their shirts are identical.

Error / Mistake
            I took his book by mistake.
            An error of judgment can be disastrous.
            There are so many errors in this letter I don't understand it.

Crime / Sin/ Fault
       Don't punish him. It is not his fault.
       He confessed his sin to a priest.
       He is very careful man but he makes mistakes occasionally.
       His sentence was death because he committed a very heinous crime.

Exciting / Excited / Excitement
The boys became excited when they watched such an exciting basketball match.
When they heard that he had passed the examination, he jumped up and down out of excitement.

Everyday / Every Day
            What do you do every day?
            John seems to be very busy with everyday work.
            She writes ten letters every day.

Fare / Fee
            A student has to pay the fare when he takes a bus.
            The fare is more by taxi than by minibus.
            When will the students pay the school fee?

Hang / Hanged / Hung
            Last night the criminal was hanged to death.
            John hung a picture on the wall a few minutes ago.

Handed / Hand
            He took her by the hand to cross the street.
            John was handed an award for being on time all semester long.

Hard / Hardly
            Hardly had he finished his work when the bell rang.
            He could hardly see in darkness.
            He tried hard to improve himself.

Hire / Let / Rent
            This house is not to let.
            The young couple rented a flat in the building.
                They hired a truck to take the furniture to their new flat.

Hope / Expect / Wish
            I don't expect to see him at the airport next Monday.
            What do you expect him to do?
            I wish I could help you to solve the problem.
            She hopes she will be admitted to the university.

Imaginary / Imagination / Imaginative
            This story was about an imaginary situation.
            Why does John have so much imagination?
            He's got an imaginative mind.

Migrate / Immigrant
            Where do the birds migrate when winter comes?
            Too many immigrants may lead to various social problems.

Interesting / Interested / Interest
            These story books do not seem to interest the students.
            He is very interested in taking photographs.
            You can never find this book interesting if you don't read it.

Insist / Persist
            John insisted on going for a walk despite the heavy rain outside.
            The boy persisted in his plan though it was not very practical.

Intense / Intensive
       Most of the onlookers felt hot because of the intense heat.
       Last year I took an intensive course in Japanese.

Journey / Voyage / Tour / Trip
            We shall take a trip to Vienna on Sunday.
            Mr. Chan had a tour in Europe during the summer vacation.
            How long does a journey from Chicago to New York take?
            One of the tourists caught a cold on the voyage.

Late / Lately / Later / Latter / Latest / Last
       I haven't seen Mary lately.
 Both John and Jack are hardworking students, but the latter was   more active at school.
 Mary is always fascinated by the latest fashion.
 Read the last line of the third paragraph carefully.
            Jane is always late for school.

Loud / Loudly / Aloud
            Would you mind not talking so loud?
 You have to speak aloud; otherwise your classmates can't hear what you say.
 It's impolite to speak in a loud voice.
 A woman shouted loudly that her handbag was stolen.

Maybe / May Be
            Maybe he is unable to solve the problem himself.
            David may be doing his work now.

Memorize / Memory / Memorial / Memorable / Remember
                I shall never forget taking part in such a memorable occasion.
               I remembered seeing him read a newspaper a few minutes ago.
              I do not take history because there are too many facts to memorize.
            My uncle has bad memory for dates.
            A memorial school is built for the chairman of the association.

Movable / Portable
            The large cupboard in the kitchen is not movable.
You may bring along your portable cassette recorder when you go for the picnic.

Neglect / Negligent / Negligible
            Good parents never neglect their children.
            It was said that John was rather negligent in his work.
            He was dismissed because he was negligent of his duties.
The manager did not report the burglary to the police because the amount of money stolen was negligible.

Noise / Sound
            Don't make any noise; otherwise you'll be punished.
            Some strange sounds were made by the wild bird.

Personal / Personnel
            It is only my personal opinion. What's yours?
The personnel manager of the firm interviewed all the candidates   for the job.

Respectable / Respectful / Respective / Respectively
The candidates went to their respective classrooms when the bell rang.
He belongs to the respectable upper classes.
The crowd stood at a respectful distance from the governor.
Our principal is a respectable man.
The students went back to their classrooms respectively after the assembly.

Presently / Recently
A new metro will be built in Thessaloniki presently.
John has made much improvement recently.

Raise / Rise / Arouse / Arise
Many problems arise after the government announced the new taxation policy.
You may raise your hands if you have questions.
The minibus drivers usually raise the fare when a typhoon comes.
The food price has risen a lot recently.
Two young men wearing sunglasses arouse the policemen's suspicion.

Refuse / Reject / Decline
He refused to help us organize the annual carnival.
He was disappointed to hear that this application was rejected again.
He was so busy that he declined his friend's invitation to dinner.
The committee had considered carefully before rejecting his proposal.
Mr. Wright refused to discuss his plan with his colleagues.

Scene / Scenery
They were fascinated by the scenery of the countryside.
That soldier never forgets the scene of a great battle.
The drama consists of five scenes.

Sometime / Sometimes / Some time
He will leave for Scotland sometime next year.
Sometimes I watch television till midnight.
We haven't seen Amy for some time.

Successive / Succession / Success / Successful
They were busy with their work in five successive days.
They did not give up in spite of a succession of defeats.
It is said that John will be in succession to his father's property.
Congratulations! Your plan is really a treat success.

Thorough / Through
The police carried out thorough investigation into the murder case.
That window is too narrow to get through.
I wondered how he got through his examination.

Tired / Tiresome
He felt tired after Working for a long time.
The tiresome students made the teacher very angry.

Valuable / Invaluable / Priceless / Worthless

I would like to thank Sergeant Alexander for his invaluable service to us.
This is really a very valuable gift.
She was given a priceless diamond ring for her wedding anniversary.
Nobody will take care of a worthless old car.

Wake / Awake / Awaken / Waken
Mary got up late this morning because her mother forgot to wake her up.
It is difficult to make him awake to the problem.
The accident awakens him to the danger of careless driving.
Is the patient awake or asleep?

         He woke up at half past six yesterday.

 
 
Commonly Confused Words

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Accept / Except / Expect
        Accept is a verb that means to "receive or take" or "to give a positive answer to a proposition or offer."
           "Do you accept travelers' checks?" (receive, take)
  Susan accepted his offer of a job.  (gave a positive answer)
           The club accepted three new members.  (received)
        Except as a preposition, meaning "with the exception of." (Commonly used)
            "Everybody except John went to the party." (John didn't go)
        Except as a verb means, "to exclude," "to keep out." (Rarely used)
 The boys excepted Frank from their club. 
(They did not accept   him)
        Expect is a verb that means, "waiting for sth to happen" or "believed to be the state of sth"
She expected her husband home from work at any minute.
"I expect you are hungry after such a long trip?"

Advice / Advise (note spelling differences between British English and American English)
        Advise is a verb.
The doctor advised her to quit smoking.
        Advice is a noun.
She gave me some good advice.

All ready / Already
        All ready is an adjective phrase meaning "completely ready."
We were all ready to leave at eight o'clock.
        Alreadyis an adverb of time meaning "by or before a specific time."
They had already left by three o'clock.
He had already eaten when I arrived. (before I arrived)

Altogether / All Together
Altogether is an adverb meaning "completely."
"I am altogether upset with you."
All together is an adjective phrase meaning "in a group."
The children sang a song all together.

Besides / Beside
        The preposition besides means "except."
           Everyone besides Jane went to the party.
        The preposition beside means "next to."
           Jane was standing beside me."  (NOT: besides me)

Cloth / Clothes
        Cloth is a noun (usually as a non-count noun) that means "material or fabric."
           She bought some cloth to make a new dress.
        Clothes is a plural count noun meaning "garments used to cover the body."
           She bought a lot of clothes in Paris.
           I feel nice when I wear new clothes.

Desert / Dessert
        A desert is "a dry area with little vegetation and rainfall."
            The Sahara desert in Africa is the largest in the world.     
        A dessert is "sweet food usually eaten after a meal."
           We had chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert.

Differ from / Differ with
        To differ from is "to be dissimilar."
           Men differ from women physically.
        To differ with is "to disagree with."
           I differ with you on this issue. (I disagree with you)

Emigrate / Immigrate
        To emigrate means, "to leave one country to live in another."
           My grandfather emigrated from Europe to the USA in 1864.
        To immigrate means, "to move to a new country."
            Many immigrants living in Greece work on farms and in construction.
       
       *It's probably easiest to remember that to emigrate means to leave a country while immigrate means to enter to live.

Farther / Further
        Farther means "towards a more distant point in space." (actual distance)
           The beach is a few miles farther away.
      Further means "towards a more distant point in time, degree, or quantity." (figurative distance)
           Let us consider this problem a bit further. (time)
           We should do further research on this matter. (quantity)
           Be careful not to excite the children any further. (degree)
Formally / Formerly
        Formally means "in a formal way."
           He was formally charged with the crime.
      Formerly means "previously," or "at an earlier time."
           She was formerly a dancer in a club.

Healthful  / Healthy
        Healthful means "good for ones health."
           Vegetables and fruits are healthful foods.
      Healthy means "in a good condition of health."
           Due to their outdoor lifestyle, all of his children are healthy.

Illusion  / Allusion
        An illusion is "a false idea" or "unreal image."
            The magician's illusion convinced the crowd that he was flying.
        An allusion is "an indirect reference."
           The professor made an allusion to modern art.

Imply / Infer
        To imply is "to suggest without saying directly." A speaker or writer can imply.
            Susan implied that she was not happy with her studies.
        To infer is to "to make a conclusion based on evidence not stated."
           Only a listener or reader can infer.
           I inferred from the report that our taxes would be raised again.

Its / It's
        Its is the singular possessive pronoun for things.
           The car had its tires stolen last night.
      It's is the contraction for "it is."
           It's a nice day today.  (It is a nice day today.)

Leave  / Let
        To leave means, "to go away from."
           He leaves work at five o'clock every day.
        To let means, "to permit."
           Jane let me borrow her bike.

Loose / Lose
        The adjective loose means "not tight."
           This shirt is too loose. I need a smaller size.
        To lose is a verb meaning "to leave (forget) behind by accident"
           I often lose my house keys.

Most  / Almost
        The adjective most is the superlative of many or much; meaning "largest number/ amount."
           Most coffee comes from Brazil.
        Almost is an adverb meaning "not quite," or "very nearly" or "nearly all"
           Almost all the students are here.
           He is almost ready to leave.
           He almost won the race.

Plane / Plain
        The noun plane usually means "airplane."
           His plane arrives in New York at 9:00am.
        The adjective plain means "simple," "not fancy."
           Her dress was very plain.

Principal / Principle
        The adjective principal means "chief" or "very important."
        The noun principal means "chief official."
            The principal reason for his failure was lack of support.
            I am the principal of this school.
       The noun principle means "fundamental truth."
           He is studying the principles of accounting.

Quiet / Quite
        Quietis an adjective meaning "not noisy."
           It was a very quite party."
      Quite is an adverb meaning "completely" or "to a degree."
           He is quite upset today.
           He is quite short.

Respectfully / Respectively
        Respectfully means "with respect."
           The audience rose respectfully when the President entered.
      Respectively means "in the order given."
           The Suttons lived in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York respectively.

So / So that
        So is a conjunction joining a clause of result to a main clause.
            It rained a lot last year, so there were lots of wildflowers to enjoy.
           (result)
      So that joins a clause of purpose to a main clause.
          We wore raincoats so that we would not get our clothes wet.
          (purpose)

Stationary / Stationery
        Stationary means "in a fixed position."
            The car was stationary parked in the driveway.
        Stationeryrefers to writing supplies.
          That stationery store sells writing paper, envelopes and office supplies.

Their / There / They're
        Their is the third-person plural possessive pronoun.
             They sold their car last week.
       There is (1) an adverb of place or (2) an expletive that tells of existence.
           "Your package is there on the counter."
           "There are fifty states in United States."
       There're is the contraction of "they are".
           "They're ready to see you now."

To / Too / Two
        To is (1) part of the infinitive form or (2) a preposition.
           "I like to walk in the snow."
           "I walked to the park on Saturday."
       Too is an adverb indicating an excess.
           "It is too cold to go swimming."
       Two is a number (2).
           "I have two cats; one named kitty and one called whiskers."

Weather / Whether
        Weather is a noun meaning "atmospheric conditions."
           "The weather was not nice enough to go out."
       Whether is a conjunction meaning "if."
           "I don't know whether he will stay at home or not."

Who's / Whose
        Who's is the contraction for who is.
           "I don't know who's coming tonight."
       Whose is (1) a question word or (2) a possessive relative pronoun.
           "Whose pen is this?"
           "I met the man whose child scored the winning goal."