A.
Adjectives often confused
1. able, capable
These two words have almost the same meaning. ‘Able is followed by
an infinitive while ‘capable’ by ‘of + gerund’.
He is able to do it.
He is capable of doing it.
2. ashamed, shameful
‘Ashamed’ refers to someone who feels shame.
I felt ashamed of the things I’d said to him.
‘Shameful’ refers to something which causes shame.
To make fun of the disabled is a shameful act.
3. considerable, considerate
‘Considerable’ means ‘moderately great’.
The thieves stole a considerable amount
of jewellery.
‘Considerate’ means ‘thoughtful of others’.
She is always polite and considerate towards
her employees.
4. delighted, delightful
‘Delighted’ means ‘extremely pleased’.
I am delighted to hear that you are feeling
better.
‘Delightful’ means ‘giving great pleasure’.
Thank you for such a delightful evening.
Jill and I greatly enjoyed ourselves.
5. disinterested, uninterested
‘Disinterested’ means ‘not influenced by personal feelings or interests’.
A good judge should be a disinterested person.
‘Uninterested’ means ‘not interested’.
He is uninterested in his studies.
6. exhausted, exhausting,
exhaustive
‘Exhausted’ means ‘very tired’.
By the time they reached the castle, they were exhausted.
‘Exhausting’ means ‘causing tiredness’.
Pushing the car uphill was exhausting.
‘Exhaustive’ means ‘thorough or complete’.
An exhaustive investigation finally revealed the cause of the
accident.
7. favourable, favourite
‘Favourable’ means ‘suitable’, ‘advantageous’ or ‘showing approval’.
We shall go for a picnic if the weather is favourable.
‘Favourite’ means ‘preferred or liked above all others’.
What is your favourite TV programme?
8. few, a few
‘Few’ gives the idea of ‘hardly any’.
There were few people in the market, so the hawkers took a
rest.
‘A few’ means ‘some’, which is more than ‘few’.
I saw her a few days ago.
9. imaginary, imaginative
‘Imaginary’ means ‘existing only in the mind’.
The Equator is an imaginary line drawn across the earth to
divide it into two hemispheres.
‘Imaginative’ means ‘full of imagination’.
Shakespeare was an imaginative writer.
10. intense, intensive
‘Intense’ means ‘strong or very great’.
The President is under intense pressure to resign.
‘Intensive’ means ‘concentrated’.
After 6 months’ intensive training, she was ready to fly the helicopter.
The man has been in intensive care since the accident last
Sunday.
11. last, latest
‘Last’ means ‘final’ and is the opposite of ‘first’.
December is the last month of a year.
‘Last’ may also mean ‘immediately before’ and is the opposite of
‘next’.
I saw him last month.
‘Latest’ means ‘most recent’.
Have you heard the latest news?
12. little, a little
‘Little’ means ‘not much’ and stresses the smallness of the amount.
I cannot afford it as I have little money left.
‘A little’ means ‘some’ and is more positive in meaning than ‘little’.
He slept a little and felt better.
13. negligent, negligible
‘Negligent’ means ‘not taking or showing enough care’.
He was dismissed because he was negligent
in his duties.
‘Negligible’ means ‘can be neglected’ (because of little or no importance).
The additional charge was negligible.
14. satisfied, satisfying,
satisfactory
‘Satisfied’ means ‘feeling pleased or content’.
I was completely satisfied with the quality of her work.
‘Satisfying’ means ‘giving pleasure or contentment’.
It is a satisfying job.
‘Satisfactory’ means ‘good enough to be acceptable’.
His examination results were not satisfactory.
15. worth, worthy
‘Worth’ is used like a preposition, followed by a noun, pronoun or
number, or by the –ing form of a verb.
The museum is certainly worth a visit.
This ring is worth $1 million.
The book is worth reading.
‘Worthy’ is usually followed by ‘of’.
The idea is worthy of consideration.
B. Adverbs often confused
16. altogether, all together
‘Altogether’ means ‘completely’.
The meeting was altogether a failure.
‘All together’ means ‘with everybody’.
They were all together in the sitting room.
17. hard, hardly
The adverb from the adjective ‘hard’ is ‘hard’. It means ‘with
great effort’ or ‘heavily’.
I have to work hard this year.
It was raining hard outside.
‘Hardly’ is an adverb meaning ‘almost not’.
It was so dark that we could hardly see.
18. lastly, at last
‘Lastly’ is used to introduce the last in a list of things or the
final point you are making.
Lastly, add the lemon juice.
Lastly, I would like to thank my parents for all their support.
‘At last’ is used when something happens after a long time, especially
when there has been some difficulty or delay.
At last, after 20 hours on the boat, they arrived at the destination.
I'm pleased to hear that you are out of hospital at last.
19. late, lately
The opposite of ‘early’ is ‘late’, not ‘lately’.
He arrived home late last night.
‘Lately’ means ‘recently’.
Have you been to the cinema lately?
C. Nouns often confused
20. amount, number
‘Amount’ is used for uncountable nouns while ‘number’ for countable
ones.
That rich lady has a large amount of money.
Dr. Wong has a large number of books.
21. climate, weather
‘Climate’ means ‘the weather condition of a region throughout the
year’.
Hong Kong has a sub-tropical climate.
‘Weather’ refers to ‘the state of the atmosphere for a short time’.
What will the weather be like tomorrow?
22. complement, compliment
A ‘complement’ is something added to make a thing complete.
A good wine is a complement to a delicious meal.
A ‘compliment’ is an expression of praise.
The author received many compliments on his new book.
23. fare, fee, toll
Money spent on transportation is called ‘fare’.
Bus fares are going up again.
A ‘fee’ (usually ‘fees’) is a charge paid for professional services.
My parents couldn’t afford the school fees.
A ‘toll’ means ‘money paid to use a particular road or bridge’.
He has just got a job collecting tolls at the Tsing Ma Bridge.
24. floor, ground
‘Floor’ is indoor whereas ‘ground’ is outdoor.
When she entered the room, she saw his son lying on the floor.
A dog was knocked down by a car and laid on the ground.
25. instance, instant
‘Instance’ means ‘example’ or ‘fact’.
Spitting in public places is an instance of bad behaviour.
‘Instant’ means ‘moment’.
I'll be back in an instant.
26. moral, morals, morale
‘Moral’, as a noun, means ‘lesson learnt from a story or an experience’.
The moral of the story is that crime doesn't pay.
‘Morals’ refers to ‘standards or principles of good behaviour’.
The novel reflects the morals of the time.
‘Morale’ refers to ‘state of mind or attitude towards difficulties’.
The meeting raised everyone's morale, and the staff finished the job
on schedule.
27. noise, sound
‘Noise’ is usually loud and unpleasant. It can be countable or uncountable.
Try not to make so much noise.
What a terrible noise!
‘Sound’ is a countable noun and means something that you hear.
All she could hear was the sound of the waves.
28. outlook, look
‘Outlook’ is the way a person looks at life and the world --- or in
general, what is likely to happen in the future.
Her outlook on life is optimistic.
The outlook for the weekend is dry and sunny.
‘Look’ is the appearance of somebody or something.
I don't like the look of that guy.
29. produce, product
‘Produce’ refers to agricultural yields, crops, etc. It is an uncountable
noun and has no plural form.
Local farmers come to the market every day to sell their organic produce.
‘Product’ refers to things produced by industry. It is a countable
noun.
The products of that firm include computers, televisions and mobile
phones.
30. scene, scenery
A ‘scene’ refers to ‘what you see when you are in a particular place’
or ‘a place where something happens’.
Some of the scenes inside the concentration camp were too horrific to
describe.
The police hurried to the scene of the crime.
‘Scenery’ refers to ‘the natural features of the countryside’ and
is an uncountable noun.
Switzerland has some spectacular scenery.
D. Verbs often confused
31. arouse, rouse
‘Arouse’ means ‘cause someone to have a particular feeling’.
Their comments about the movie aroused my interest.
To ‘rouse’ someone is to wake them up or make them more active.
The mini-bus driver roused the sleeping man.
32. assure, ensure
‘Assure’ means ‘tell someone with confidence’ and is followed by
a personal noun.
They assured him of their willingness to work hard.
I assured her that I could get a pass in the coming examination.
‘Ensure’ means ‘make sure’.
All the necessary steps have been taken to ensure their safety.
If you want to ensure that you catch the plane, take a taxi now.
33. avoid, prevent
‘Avoid (doing) something’ means ‘be careful not to do something’.
The best way to lose weight is to avoid eating fatty foods.
‘Prevent somebody/something (from doing something)’ means ‘stop someone
or something from doing something; stop something from happening’.
These new measures are intended to prevent the disease from spreading.
These new measures are intended to prevent the spread of the disease.
34. found, founded
The verb ‘found’ may either be the past tense and past participle
of the verb ‘find’ or be a present tense itself. If it is to mean
‘get back a lost person or thing’, its present tense is ‘find’,
past tense and past participle ‘found’.
I found my passport yesterday.
If it is to mean ‘establish’, its present tense is ‘found’, past
tense and past participle ‘founded’.
Our school was founded in 1966.
35. hanged, hung
If ‘hang’ refers to the way of killing a man, the past tense and past
participle are ‘hanged’.
In the 19th century, people were hanged for minor crimes.
If ‘hang’ has the meaning of ‘suspending from above’, the past tense
and past participle are ‘hung’.
It always rains when I've hung the washing on the line.
36. hurt, harm
‘Hurt’ means ‘cause / produce physical pain’.
I banged my arm against the door and hurt myself.
‘Harm’ means ‘do damage to’.
Does watching violence on TV harm children?
‘Harmful’ is an adjective.
The chemical is harmful to people with asthma.
37. lay, lie
‘Lay (laying, laid, laid)’ is a transitive verb and needs an object.
It means ‘produce’ or ‘put down’.
The turtle is laying its eggs in the sand.
She laid the money on the table in front of me.
When we are talking about the position of someone or something, we use
‘lie (lying, lay, lain)’ + adverbial.
We were so tired that we lay in bed all morning.
E. Confusion of parts of speech
38. affect (v.), effect (n.)
To ‘affect’ something is to have an ‘effect’ on it.
Smoking affects your health.
= Smoking has an effect on your health.
39. afraid (adj.), fear (v.)
‘Afraid’ is an adjective and is often followed by ‘of’.
I am afraid of cockroaches.
‘Fear’ is both a verb and a noun. As a verb, it takes no preposition.
I fear cockroaches.
40. hardworking (adj.), hard
work (n.)
‘Hardworking’ is an adjective.
She is a hardworking student.
‘Hard work’ is composed of ‘an adjective + a noun’.
The success was due to their hard work.
41. indoor (adj.), indoors
(adv.)
‘Indoor’ is an adjective whereas ‘indoors’ an adverb.
Bowling is an indoor game.
I'd rather stay indoors.
42. maybe (adv.), may be
(v.)
‘Maybe’ is an adverb meaning ‘perhaps’ or ‘possibly’.
Maybe you are right.
‘May be’ is a verb form.
You may be right.
43. next door (adv.), next-door
(adj.)
‘Next door’ is an adverbial phrase whereas ‘next-door’ an adjective.
They live next door.
They are my next-door neighbours.
44. passed (v.), past (adj.)
(adv.) (prep.) (n.)
‘Passed’ is the past tense and past participle of the verb ‘pass’.
He has passed his driving test.
‘Past’ is not used as a verb. It is
a. an adjective
They have had terrible experiences in the past few weeks.
b. an adverb
The bus went past.
c. a preposition
She walked past me very quickly.
d. a noun
He never speaks about his past.
F. Miscellaneous
examples
45. adapt (v.), adopt (v.),
adept (adj.)
‘Adapt’ means ‘change and make suitable for’.
I cannot adapt myself to the weather in Beijing.
‘Adopt’ means ‘start using a particular idea, plan or method’.
They adopted different approaches to the problem.
‘Adept’ means ‘skilful at doing something’.
He is very adept at dealing with the media.
46. another, the other
‘Another’ means ‘an additional one to the already-existed person
or thing’.
I don’t like this shirt. Please show me another.
‘The other’ is used to refer to the second one of the two persons
or things.
Of the two jackets, one is mine and the other is yours.
47. beside, besides
The preposition ‘beside’ means ‘next to’ or ‘at the side of’.
He sat beside her all night.
When ‘besides’ is used as a preposition, it means ‘in addition to’.
What other sports do you play besides basketball?
48. between…and, from…to
One cannot say ‘between…to…’ It must be either ‘between…and…’
or ‘from…to…’
Tomorrow's temperature will vary between 28° and 32°.
Temperatures will range from 28° to 32°.
49. each, every
a. ‘Each’ is used for two or more persons or things.
The pavement on each side is crowded with pedestrians.
‘Every’ is never used for two, but always for more than two persons
or things.
I enjoy every minute of the party.
b. When we use ‘each’, our attention is focused on the individual.
Each person has a special seat allocated to him.
When we use ‘every’, our attention is directed to the whole.
Every child knows it. (= All children know it.)
c. ‘Every’ cannot replace ‘each’ in such phrases as ‘they each’
or ‘each of them’.
They each have their own problems. (‘every’ is not possible)
Several men entered. Each of them was carrying a knife. (‘every’ is
not possible)
50. economic (adj.), economical
(adj.), economics (n.), economy (n.)
‘Economic’ means ‘concerning the economy’.
The USA has serious economic problems.
‘Economical’ means ‘not wasting money’.
There is increasing demand for cars which are more economical on fuel.
‘Economics’ is the study of how a society organizes its money, trade
and industry.
He studied economics at Oxford.
‘Economy’ means
(a) the financial and business system that exists
in a society: China’s economy has expanded rapidly in recent years.
(b) (used as a modifier) money-saving: Buy the giant economy size and
save money!
51. literal (adj.), literate
(adj.), literacy (n.), literary (adj.)
‘Literal’ means word for word, following the exact meaning.
The literal interpretation of a poem is often too narrow.
‘Literacy’ is the noun of ‘literate’, which means ‘able to read
and write’.
Over one-quarter of the adult population are not fully literate in India.
Literacy is necessary for most jobs.
‘Literary’ is an adjective meaning ‘of literature’.
These rhymes have no literary merit.
52. none, not one
‘No one’ cannot be followed by ‘of’. Either ‘none of’ or ‘not
one of’ is used instead.
None of his movies is a commercial success.
Not one of his movies is a commercial success.
(x No one of his movies …)
53. painful, in pain
‘Painful’ means ‘causing / giving pain’. The part of the body giving
the pain can be described as ‘painful’: an arm / leg / head / tooth,
etc. can be ‘painful’. And a cut, a wound or a fall can be ‘painful’.
My arm is very painful.
However, a person can’t be ‘painful’ unless he or she is giving pain
to others. Instead, a person can be ‘in pain’.
The old man is in a lot of pain.
54. personal (adj.), personnel
(n.)
‘Personal’ means ‘concerning or belonging to one person’.
It's a personal matter which I don't want to discuss.
‘Personnel’ refers to ‘all the people who work for an organization’.
All of that company’s personnel are pleasant to deal with.
55. some time, sometime (adv.),
sometimes (adv.)
‘Some time’ means ‘a long time’.
It will take some time to tell you the whole story.
‘Sometime’ means ‘at an unspecified time’.
The shop will open sometime next year.
‘Sometimes’ means ‘now and then; at times’.
The bus is sometimes full and I have to walk.
Ouiz
Notes |