Commonly confused words
ONCE AGAIN, a hearty welcome. This week, I will share with you a list of commonly confused words. Please note them carefully and avoid confusing them in your own writing.
COMMONLY CONFUSED WORDS AND SENTENCE EXAMPLES
Thought – the past tense of the verb ‘to think’ Taught – the past tense of the verb ‘to teach’. I thought you wanted to go to the movies. Mrs Spence taught my mother in primary school.
Simple – not difficult, easy to understand; made in a plain way.
Simply – used to emphasize what you are saying/only.
Elaine finds story writing to be quite simple. The design of her dress was simple. His performance was simply phenomenal. Some students lose marks simply because they don’t read the questions properly.
Weather – the state of the atmosphere at a particular place, temperature.
Whether – Used to express doubt or choice/used to say something will definitely happen, whether you approve or not.
The match was cancelled because of bad weather.
I will be going on vacation whether you like it or not.
My sister does not know whether she should wear the red shoes or the gold ones. Is – singular present tense of the verb ‘to be’. His – masculine pronoun showing ownership. He is not going to accept your explanation. His car needs to be washed soon.
Choose – (verb) to choose which one of several possibilities you want.
Choice – (noun) the state of having several things or people to choose from.
They always choose to spend their vacation in the Bahamas. You have no other choice but to agree to his proposal.
Lose – to stop having something that is important to you or that you need.
Loose – not fixed into place/not fastened together.
They were determined that they would not lose the race. Drunk drivers should lose their licence. His pants were loose.
Bored – the state of being tired and impatient because something is not interesting or you have nothing to do. Boring – not interesting in any way. Her face revealed that she was bored. She tried to hide how bored she was at the party but failed.
Carla thought the conversation was quite boring.
Interesting – exciting in a way that keeps your attention.
Interested – wanting to know about something or showing interest/attentiveness.
I found the art exhibition interesting and informative.
She was very interested in his offer. Except – other than, not including. Accept – receive willingly; agree to. Everybody can go to the party except you. We found it hard to accept her decision.
Practice – (noun) a regular occasion when people meet to improve their skill/when you do something often in order to get good at it.
Practise – (verb) to do something regularly in order to improve one’s skill. Choir practice was scheduled for Friday. Success in English A requires a great deal of practice.
She practises her dance routine every evening.
Belief – the feeling that something is definitely true or definitely exists.
Believe – to be sure that something is real, to accept as true. He had an unshakable belief in God. The police officers believe his alibi.
*Course – a series of lessons or a period of study in a particular subject/to flow quickly Coarse – rough and thick, not smooth or fine.
Tears coursed down her face when she heard the sad news.
Philosophy 101 is a very thoughtprovoking course.
Jessica found the blanket uncomfortably coarse.
Passed – to give something to someone else/ to go through, across, around, etc. something.
Past – (noun) period of time before the present; (adv) by, along. We passed through Mandeville last night. We must try to forget the bad things that happened in the past.
She cycled past us on her way to work.
Anger – (noun) feeling of fierce displeasure or annoyance; (verb) to make someone feel angry. Angry – full of anger.
Emily was filled with anger at the way she had been treated.
The court’s decision to free the accused angered the family.
Her mother was angry with her because she had lied. Heard – past tense of the verb ‘to hear’ Herd – group of animals living and eating together.
When she heard the news of her aunt’s passing, she fainted.
The herd of cows was grazing happily.
Through – from one side or end of something to the other/from the beginning to the end.
True – correct and based on facts, not invented/real. The train went through the tunnel. I have searched through all the papers, but I can’t find your certificate. Michael is a true friend to me. Is it true that you are moving to Portland? It’s – a contraction of ‘it is’. Its - shows ownership. It’s a beautiful day. The dog wagged its tail happily.
Been – the past participle of ‘be’ which is always used after the verb to have in any of its forms – has, have or had.
Being – the present participle of ‘to be’ and it is used as a helping verb after to be in any of its forms – is, was or were. It has been nice seeing you. Troy was being honest. The car is being serviced. Your – shows ownership You’re – a contraction of you are. Your bag is on the table over there. You’re looking especially beautiful today.
COMMONLY CONFUSED WORDS AND SENTENCE EXAMPLES
Their – shows ownership. There – in or to another place/used to say that something exists. They’re – a contraction of ‘they are’. Their bags are on the table. Tim’s car is over there. There is a bank over there. They’re clearly happy with his success. Were – past tense of ‘are’. We’re – contraction of we are. Where – in or which place. They were happy to see me yesterday. We’re planning to visit the museum. Where are you going? Quiet – not much noise. Quite – fairly or very, but not extremely. The classroom was quiet. She is quite tall for her age.
Advice – noun (guidance or recommendations).
Advise – verb (the act of offering recommendations to someone about the best
course of action to take. I value my mother’s advice. The pastor’s advice was appreciated. I will advise him as soon as possible.
He does not have the authority to advise you.
Try to be as familiar as possible with the differences highlighted in the tables above. This will aid you greatly in your use of language.
ACTIVITY 1
Underline the word in brackets that correctly completes each sentence.
1. (Whether, Weather) or not you want to admit it, she is the better dancer.
2. During the months of July and August, we usually experience hot (whether, weather).
3. Without a doubt, (your, you’re) the best person for the job.
4. When I touched (is, his) skin, I was surprised at how (course, coarse) it felt.
5. (It’s, Its) very clear that he has no intention of changing his mind.
6. Sheila found the lecture to be (quite, quiet) engrossing.
7. The concert was (quiet, quite) (boring, bored).
8. I could not believe he walked (passed, past) me without greeting me.
9. During her childhood, her family went (through, true) financial difficulties.
10. When she found out what he had done, the (anger, angry) she felt was indescribable. Answers to last week’s multiple choice: 1. D 2. D 3. B 4. A 5. D