LESSON-TWO
MOST
COMMONLY CONFUSED WORDS
Amongst the
most common errors in usage are those which arise from confusing phrases or
sets of words. Speakers and writers use these words incorrectly because either
they bother to consult authentic dictionaries or have not learned their precise
meaning. The following words are among the ones most likely to present
difficulty in English usage.
- Able—capable
The word “able” refers to “having the
ability to perform a given act.” For example,
Suman
is able to carry a log.
The
word ‘capable’ means ‘having adequate capacity to do or to make’ or ‘having
adequate capacity to receive an
action.’ For example,
He is a capable leader.
This book is capable of being
translated.
A
common error arises from the attempt to use ‘able’ for ‘capable’ in the second
meaning listed above, i.e., situations in which the ‘capacity to receive an
action’ is involved.
Wrong This law is able to be evaded. (This sentence is wrong because the
capacity to receive to receive an action is involved.)
Right This law is capable of being
evaded.
Wrong This tanker is able to be restored.
Right This
tanker is capable of being restored.
- Ache—pain
A
continuous but not violent pain is
understood be ache. There are many forms of ache such as backache, headache,
stomachache, toothache etc. Headache is always countable, but other forms are
uncountable in UK English.
I have got a headache.
A
pain is a feeling of suffering or discomfort
in a particular part of your body. Unlike ache, pain is not used as a suffix.
We rather write a pain in my neck, in my shoulder, in my stomach, etc.
Prajita felt a sudden pain in her
back.
- Adequate—enough
Enough
indicates as many or much as is necessary.
They didn’t have enough money to buy
a car.
Adequate
indicates enough for the purpose, and no more.
Kathmandu’s water supply is no longer
adequate for its growing population.
- Agree—accept
When
you accept an invitation, offer or job, you say yes to something which is
offered. Accept is never followed by another verb.
They offered me the job and I
accepted it.
Wrong They
offered me the job and I accepted to take it.
When
you agree to do something, you say that you will do something which someone
asks you to do.
They offered me the job and I agreed
to take it.
- All day—one day
‘One
day’ is a phrase, which is used to talk about something you think will happen
in the future.
Everyone of you will be successful
one day.
‘All
day’ means ‘the whole day’. It is a period of a day.
I stayed in my best friend’s home all
day.
- Alone—lonely
Young
learners might have difficulty in drawing a difference between these two words.
These two might be used synonymously. Nevertheless, they are used in different
contexts. The word ‘alone’ means being without someone without feeling sad. For
example,
Arjun is alone because he doesn’t want to socialize
with everyone who he is not close with.
Sometimes, I like to be alone to
think.
Unlike
alone, ‘lonely’ means feeling sad because you are alone; there is nobody to
accompany you. Maybe you are missing someone you love. For example,
She has been very lonely since her
boyfriend has gone to the US. Usha is lonely because her husband died last
week.
- Argument—quarrel
An
argument is a serious verbal disagreement:
Many families have arguments over
money.
A
quarrel is an angry argument that may continue for a long time. You quarrel
with someone who is close to you or may be your family members.
After the quarrel my brother refused
to speak to each other.
- Army—soldier
Many
learners do not know that the word ‘army’ is a collective noun. It is a large
number of soldiers or a military force that is organized and equipped for
fighting on land:
The
two armies fought for control of the town. (Two groups not two soldiers)
A
soldier is a member of an army, especially one who is not an officer.
Wrong
My uncle is a British army.
Right My uncle is a British soldier or is in the
British army.
- Ashamed—embarrassed
Don’t
confuse ashamed and embarrassed. Use ‘ashamed’ when you have done something bad
and you feel sorry about what you have done. Use embarrassed when you feel that
other people are watching you, especially because you have said or done
something silly.
I have been so rude to our guests—I
feel really ashamed.
The teachers are supposed to teach us
about ‘safe sex’, but most of them are too embarrassed.
- Chat—talk
A
chat is an informal and often short conversation to exchange personal news.
I phoned Maya for a chat.
A
talk is also an informal speech to a small audience on a particular subject.
Jebin will give an illustrated talk
on his visit to the Philippines.
- Anxious—curious
These
two words are often substituted for each other. To some extent, they convey
quite similar meanings; however, they should be used in different context.
If
you are anxious, you are nervous and worried about something. For example,
Mani is very anxious about his
entrance exams.
If
you are curious, you want to know or learn about something. For example,
Shambhu
is curious about Bimal’s life in Australia.
- By—near
By
and near are prepositions of place. They practically convey the same meaning.
By
means ‘just at the side of; something that is by you may be closer than
something that is near you. Compare:
We live near the Bagmati River. (perhaps five kilometers away; we
cannot see the river from home.)
We live by the Bagmati River. (we can see the river from home.)
- Child—toddler—kid
A
young person who is not fully grown is called a child.
We’ve known each other since we were
children.
A child who has just learned to walk
is a toddler.
In
UK English, the word ‘kid’ is used as an informal word for children, whereas in
US English the word is used for all young people.
We met a group of college kids. (US English)
- Colourful—Coloured
Both
of these words are adjectives. However, they serve different purposes.
If
a thing is colourful, it is understood to be bright. For example,
I bought a colourful dress on the
occasion of my daughter’s 10th birthday.
‘Coloured’
is often used in compounds which means having the specified colour.
My teacher always brings coloured
chalks into our classroom.
(Chalks have a specified colour)
I saw a cream-coloured hanky lying
outside.
- Complain to—complain against
You
complain to someone who you think is an authority and can take legal action
against the culprit. For example,
Ranjan complained to his Principal. (Ranjan is not happy either with
his friend or teacher at school, so he wants to complain against them.)
You
complain against someone who you are not happy with or you are being mistreated
by them. For example,
Sita complained against Geeta because
Geeta accused Sita of theft without any evidence.
Hence,
we lodge complaint (noun) against someone about something.
- Ask—request
One
of the meanings of the word ‘request’ is ask. Many non-native speakers of
English use the word ‘request’ most frequently. We can use the word ‘request’
with a direct object of a verb. For example,
Santosh requested more information on
Limbus’ cultural practices.
But
if someone writes or says,
Amit requested Subhash to make a cup
of coffee. (This
sentence is wrong because we cannot the word ‘request’ is not followed by a non
direct object. In other words, it is better to write request +ing or something
not someone. Someone can write,
Aakash requested that Anu (should)
play the drum. Or,
request can be used in passive.
Bijay is requested to write an e-mail
right away.
- Beat—win
The word ‘win’ is used when someone
wins a game or competition. For example,
Manang
Marsyangdi Club won the Ncell Cup in 2014 at the Dasarath Stadium.
Three
Star Club beat Mahendra Police Club 2-0 in the final.
You beat someone, or a team you are
playing against.
- Boring—bored
The word ‘boring’ is used to describe
how someone feels about something.For
example,
Amrit
did not enjoy English lesson because he was bored.
If something or someone is boring, they
make you feel bored. For example,
The
novel I read yesterday was long and boring.
This story is bored as it is too long
to read. (Wrong
because the word ‘bored’ is used only with human beings.
- By foot—on foot
If
you go somewhere on foot, you walk. Like other fixed phrases, by bus, by plane,
by sea, etc, we cannot write or say ‘by foot’.
Wrong We
are going to Damak by foot.
Right We will go to Damak on foot as a political
party has called a strike.
- Care about someone—care for someone
If
you care about someone, you think someone is very important and feel interested
in them or worry about them. But, if you care for someone, you look after
someone, especially someone who is young, old or ill. Read the following
examples.
Your parents phone you every evening
because they care about you.
This little child’s parents are
abroad, so I have to care for him.
- Childlike—childish
These two words are synonymous. Let’s
have a look at the meanings of these two words.
Childish
behaviour is silly, like that of a small child. For example,
One may
say, ‘Don’t be so childish.’ Or, one may say in an angry tone, ‘Despite having
graduated, you have childish handwriting.’ This word is disapproving.
Likewise,
childlike people are like children in some positive ways, such as trusting
people immediately, eating too much chocolate, playing games on computer etc.
This word is approving. For example,
Today we played a game and had
childlike enjoyment.
- Copy—notebook
Most
of the teachers and students mistake the word ‘copy’ for ‘notebook’. Notebook
is a book with empty pages that you can write in. Rather, students can use the
word ‘copy-book’.
Amit
is writing answers in his notebook.
The
word ‘copy’ means a single book, newspaper, etc of which many have been
produced.
Four
million copies of the book were sold in the first year of the publication.
- Bring—fetch
The
word ‘bring’ should be used in situations where something is being moved toward
the speaker. For example,
Bring me that book.
The
word ‘fetch’ should be used in situations where someone goes somewhere to get
something or someone and bring them back. For example,
Can you fetch my glasses from the
bedroom?
- Bus station—bus stop
Generally,
station is used for trains. The train/railway station or the underground/tube
station
A
bus stop is used for buses.
Two passengers stood at the bus stop
for over half an hour.
A
bus station is a place where many buses start or end their journeys.
We will get off the bus at the bus
station.
- conservative—traditional
Conservative
people do not change their ideas about things—they hate modernity.
He is very conservative in his views
of women.
Traditional
things, opinions, beliefs, practices and customs are passed down from one
generation to another no matter how bad they are.
Bread and jam are the traditional
English breakfast.
- Continual—continuous
‘Continual’
means ‘happening again and again over a long period of time.’ In other words,
continual means happening something with occasional interruption. For example,
Bimal continually cried in the
classroom. (Bimal
cried for few minutes, then stopped and again started.)
‘Continuous’
means ‘happening or existing without stopping. In other words, continuous means
happening something without interruption.’ For example,
The machine worked continuously for a week.
- Cut the word—strike out the word
Many
learners use the word ‘cut’ if a word they write is wrong. Some say, ‘cancel
the word’. You do not cut a word but strike out the word. See the example
below:
Rakesh wrote a letter/ letters yesterday.
The word ‘letters’ in the sentence has to be crossed out or struck out because
it is wrong.
- Cut a tree—cut down a tree
When
you cut a tree with a sharp tool like a knife, axe, saw, etc, you just remove
part of something, or make a hole in it.
He cut the piece of wood in half.
When
you cut down a tree, you make the tree fall to the ground by cutting it near
the bottom.
- Dead—expired
The
adjective ‘dead’ can be used for both living beings and non-living things. The
meaning of the word is ‘not alive’.
Alka was shot dead by a masked
murderer. (human
being)
My cell phone suddenly went dead.
Therefore, I had to throw it.
(the cell phone did not work)
The
word ‘expired’ is associated with law. This word is used for only non-living
things or abstract. If a legal document or agreement is expired, you can no
longer use it.
Your job contract for 6 months is
already expired.
Wrong Your grandfather expired last week. (Because expiry is associated with
legal documents)
- Disinterested—uninterested
The
term ‘disinterested’ means not involved in a situation and so able to judge it
without supporting a particular side. Moreover, ‘disinterested’ means ‘not
influenced by personal or self-interest’. Uninterested means ‘not interested.’
For example,
Srijana is a disinterested party in the
case. (She is going to make a fair judgment.)
I am uninterested in the story. (The
story is boring to read.)
- Do one’s hair—make one’s hair
‘Do
one’s hair’ is a common fixed expression. This is why we say,
‘Please do your hair right away.’ (Her hair is not well-tied.)
Wrong Make
your hair.
- Do correction—make correction
We
Nepalese use the word ‘do’ more than other words. But native speakers of
English think that the word ‘do’ does not collocate with correction. So the
word that collocates with correction is ‘make’.
Wrong After reading his novel I did some correction.
Right after reading his novel I made some correction.
- Everyday—every day
Everyday
is an adjective meaning ‘ordinary’, ‘usual’, ‘routine’. It is not the same as
the adverbial expression every day. Compare:
In
everyday life, you do not often find an elephant in a supermarket.
Drawing is my everyday work. (routine)
You do not see elephants every day. (adverb of frequency)
- Fall—fall down
Most
of you say, ‘fall down.’ And you make this mistake unconsciously. It is a
universal truth that every object falls down. Is there any thing that falls up?
Of course, not. So, just say or write.
He fell. Or, he fell over a stone.
He fell to the ground.
But
when someone or something falls down, they start to roll from a high point on
something to a lower one.
A stone fell down the hill.
Aakriti fell down the stairs. But, if someone falls from a tree
or a bicycle, we have to say,
‘Aakriti fell off the tree/bicycle.
- Fat—large
When
describing people who have too much fat on their bodies, fat is the most usual
and direct word. In English it is not polite to say to someone that they are
fat.
Does this pull over make me look fat?
So,
you can use the word ‘large’ as a euphemism for fat. Or you can use plump to
suggest that someone is slightly fat in an attractive way.
She was a plump woman.
- Fewer—less
The
word ‘fewer’ should be used only when an actual count can be made (with
countable nouns), whereas the word ‘less’ should be used when referring to
quantity (with uncountable nouns). For example,
We have less money this year than we had
last year. (money—uncountable noun)
Anupama made fewer mistakes with the
new calculating machine. (mistakes—countable
noun)
Although
these words were used for different purposes in the past, now these two words
are becoming common.
- Fill ink—fill a pen with ink
Many
students ask me, ‘Excuse me sir? Can I fill my pen?’ I ask them, ‘What do you
want to fill ink with?’
We
fill a bucket with water, glass with juice, blank places with words and so on.
Therefore,
we have to say that we fill a pen with ink.
Wrong Can I fill ink?
Right Can I fill my pen with ink?
- Food—lodging
Many
Nepalese use two words ‘foodings and lodgings’ as a pair. Remember that the
word ‘fooding’ does not exist in any English dictionaries. You must write
‘foods and lodging’. Be careful. Do not say, ‘foods and lodges.’
Anuradha will be paid for foods and
lodging if she attends a training.
- Forget—leave
Many
Nepalese students say, ‘Sir, I forgot my book at home. Please forgive me.’ In
this sentence, forget means leave something somewhere. So we leave something
somewhere or forget to do something. Rather someone can say, ‘I forgot to keep
my book in the bag.’
Ram forgot his neighbour’s friend. (not to be able to remember)
Anjana left her handbag in the
kitchen. (not to
take)
- Fun—funny
The
fun can be a noun and an adjective. Its meaning is enjoyable or entertaining in
terms of adjective. Use ‘fun’ to talk about something which you enjoy doing.
There are lots of fun things to do
here.
Travelling is fun.
A
funny thing makes you smile or laugh. Use ‘funny’ to describe something which
makes you laugh.
The film I watched two days ago was
really funny.
This is a funny story.
- Get on a van—get into a van
It
is said that even native speakers of English are not good at the use of
prepositions. Some of the prepositions are fixed with words, which have to be
memorized by learners. There is no definite rule to follow. You always get into
or get out of a small means of transport like a taxi, van, small boat, care
etc, but you get on or get off a large means of transport such as bus, train,
plane, etc.
David should quickly get into the
van.
Sophiya quickly got out of the taxi
at the airport.
- A gold watch—golden watch
Generally
the noun simply names the material something made of, while the adjective has a
more metaphorical meaning. But in older English, the of-structure was common.
For example, a bridge of stone, a rod of iron, etc.
Right I bought a gold watch.
Wrong She bought a golden watch.
My friend bought a watch of gold. (not acceptable in modern English)
- Graceful—gracious
Graceful
means attractive or pleasant. We use it especially to describe the shape or
movements of a person or animal:
Shambhu is a graceful dancer.
I was enthralled by the graceful
movement of a deer.
But
we can also use it to describe people when they are sorry for something or are
accepting defeat:
He made a graceful apology.
We
use gracious to describe people’s manners. It suggests an important person
being polite to someone less important:
The queen thanked them graciously.
- Happen—occur
Happen
refers to accidental or unplanned events. Happen is also used to talk about one
event resulting from another:
What happened at the meeting last
night?
What happened when you told him the
news? (What was
their reaction?)
Something suddenly occurred to me
while I was writing.
(I had an idea)
- Hard—hardly
When
you mean ‘with a lot of effort or force’, you should use the adverb hard, not
‘hardly’.
My brother worked very hard to pass
the SLC with flying colours.
Hardly
means ‘only a very small amount’.
I was so tired that I could hardly
walk.
Wrong I
kicked a ball hardly.
(Because a lot of effort has been applied.)
- Hear—listen to
Use
‘hear’ when you want to say that sounds, music, etc come to your ears. You can
hear something without wanting to.
Sandip could hear his music though
the wall.
Use
listen to when you want to say what it is that you are trying to hear.
The audience listened to the speaker. (The audience wanted to hear what
speaker was saying.)
- An herb—a herb
British
people pronounce the first letter, too. Therefore, they use ‘a’ with herb,
whereas the American drop ‘h’. So, they use an with herb. Whether you would like
to use a or an relies on which pronunciation you follow.
Aditya went to a herb garden for some
research. (UK
English)
Samyami went to an herb garden for
some research. (US
English)
- Historic—historical
Some
pairs of words ending in –ic and –ical have different meanings.
Historic
means ‘having a long history’ or ‘being remembered in history’, but historical
means ‘something that happened in the past’ or ‘relating to the study of
history’.
I took a photo in front of a historic
building.
I read a historical novel.
- House—home
Many
speakers of English use these two words synonymously; however, it is good to
use these words for different purposes.
A
house is a building where people live, usually one family or group but they
don’t have any emotional attachment. A house can also be a building where
commercial activities are held.
We went to my uncle’s house for
dinner.
A
home is a place where you live or feel you belong because you were born in the
place. You have emotional attachment.
He left home when he was only sixteen
because of the family quarrel.
- Illness—disease
Illness
is a general word for a period of not being in good health.
She died unexpectedly after a short
illness.
A
disease is a specific illness with a name:
Measles
is the most devastating of all the major childhood diseases. It can also be
used with certain organs of the body.
A healthy diet and regular exercises can
help prevent heart disease.
- Imply—infer
The
words ‘imply’ and ‘infer’ should not be used synonymously. ‘Imply’ should be
used by speakers and writers, whereas ‘infer’ should be used by listeners and
readers. Imply means to suggest or show something, without saying it directly.
For example,
You are implying that I am very fat.
My friends imply that I am little fussy.
(They just drop some hints about my choices.)
Infer
means to guess that something is true because of the information that you have.
For example,
One of my students inferred that the speaker
in the poem was a Democratic.
I inferred from the number of cups that he
was expecting visitors. (I guessed so because there were many cups.)
- Invent—discover
When
you invent something, you design or create something that has never existed
before.
We invented a new video game.
If
you discover something, you become the first person to find something.
Columbus discovered America. (America was not invented by Columbus.)
- In front of—in the front of
If
you are in front of a place, vehicle etc you are outside it.
We stood in front of her car so that
she couldn’t drive off.
If
you are in the front of a place, vehicle, etc you are inside.
Her husband was sitting in the front
of the car. He looked quite frightened.
- Job—task
‘Job’
is a general word and may be difficult or easy, pleasant or unpleasant:
My wife has a few jobs to do in the
house this morning.
‘Job’
can also mean an occupation:
She’s had the same job for five
years.
A
task is usually a small job which you may not enjoy, and may not want to do.
The teacher gave the children some
holiday tasks.
‘Task’
can also mean something important that must be done in order to achieve
something bigger in the future.
The police face a very difficult task
dealing with the increase in violent crime.
- Journey—trip
A
journey can be a long or a short distance; a journey is one particular movement
from one place to another.
A 500-mile journey is very fun.
A
trip is a journey to a particular place and back.
We took the kids on a trip to
Nagarkot.
- Keep—put
When
you keep a thing, you continue to have it with you or in a safer place and don’t
need to return to anyone else.
You can keep it; I don’t need it any
more.
When
you put a thing, you place or lay it in a particular place or position.
She put her bag down on the floor.
- Lastly—at last
Do
not confuse lastly and at last. Use ‘lastly’ when you are talking about several
things in order and you want to show that you have reached the final thing on
the list:
And lastly I would like to
congratulate Dipesh for winning an award.
Use
at last when you want to show that something has happened after a long time or
after a lot of waiting:
She tried repeatedly until at last
she succeeded.
When at last the rescuers found them,
two people had already died.
- Last month—the last month
Last
month is the month just before this one. If I am speaking in September, last
month was August. ‘The’ makes a big difference.
I bought this house last month.
The
last month is the period of thirty days up to the moment of speaking. On
September 12th 2014, the last month is the period from August 13th
to September 12th.
I have been ill for the last month. I
feel terrible.
- Lawful—legitimate
Legal
is the ordinary word for actions allowed by the law, and the general word for
things connected with the law.
Lawful
suggests that the law has moral or religious force:
Why don’t you value your lawful king?
Legitimate
means ‘accepted by law, custom or common belief’:
He claimed that bombing the town was
a legitimate act of war.
- Lead—guide
To
lead is to show the way and explain things:
You lead and we will follow.
To
guide is to go with someone somewhere who needs help, in order to show the way
and explain things.
He guided the tourists round the
castle.
- Lean—Slim
When
describing people with very little fat on their bodies, thin is the most usual
word. Many careful writers think slim is desirable. The word ‘slim’ is often
used to describe women who have controlled their weight by diet or exercise:
Sonakshi has a beautifully slim
figure.
She is slim.
Lean
is usually used to describe a man who is thin and muscular.
At 50, my father is lean and fit and
still very attractive.
- Like—as
If
you play football or any games like a professional, you play as well as a
professional.
He plays cricket like a professional.
If
you play cricket as a professional, you are a professional.
He plays cricket as a professional.
- Loose—lose
The
word ‘loose’ means ‘free, large, the opposite of tight.’ The word ‘lose’ means
to not be able to find someone or something.
Wrong: Anju doesn’t want to loose her purse.
Right: Anju doesn’t want to lose her purse.
Right: Subhash is wearing a loose sweater.
Maybe, he borrowed the sweater from his friend who is fatter than him.
- Made of—made from
We
usually say that something is made of a particular material.
Most things seem to be made of
plastic these days.
All our furniture is made of wood.
When
a material is changed into a completely different form to make something, we
often use make from.
Paper
is made from wood. When we talk about the process of manufacture, we can also
use out of.
Tuleshwor made all the window-frames
out of oak; it took a long time.
- Majority—plurality
The
term ‘majority’ means at least one more than half. The word ‘plurality’ means
the highest number within a greater number. For example, if 100 members of a
club vote in an election which has three candidates, one of them must receive
at least 51 votes to have a majority. If none of the candidates receives 51
votes, none has a majority. In such a situation, the candidate receiving the highest
number of votes is said to have a ‘plurality’. Thus, if A receives 46 votes, B
receives 42, and C receives 12, A has received the plurality.
Wrong:
Prime Minister Dr Baburam
Bhattarai was elected by the majority of the Nepalese voters. (This sentence is
wrong because Dr Bhattarai did not receive at least 51 per cent of the popular
vote.)
Right: Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai
was elected by a plurality vote.
- Meddle—interfere
When
you meddle in a situation, you try to influence people or change things that
are not your responsibility or you know little about.
Why do you always meddle in my
private business?
When
you interfere, you try to control or become involved in a situation, in a way
that is annoying.
You should not interfere in other
people’s business.
- Much money—a lot of money
Although
we use the word ‘much’ with uncountable nouns like sugar, water, ghee, etc, we
do not use say much money. But in interrogative sentences, much can collocate
with money.
How much money do you have at the moment?
Wrong I
have much money.
Right I
have a lot of money.
(Because it is a statement.)
- Murder—slay
When
someone is murdered, they are murdered intentionally and illegally.
They killed him. (He was simply stabbed or shot dead
without torture.)
When
someone is slain, they are killed in a very violent way. The word ‘slay’ is
rare in modern English.
Many soldiers were slain in battle. (Soldiers were killed very cruelly.)
- Nail-cutter—nail clippers
A
cutter is generally understood to be a tool for cutting something. So, many
learners make compound words on their own, for example a nail-cutter. But this
word does not exist in any English dictionaries.
The
correct word for trimming the nails of the fingers is nail clippers or nail
scissors.
Stop biting your nails. Buy nail
clippers and trim it.
- Notorious—famous
Famous
is like well-known but is a stronger word and means ‘known over a wide area’.
Ranjan is a well-known/famous
athlete.
Notorious
means famous for something bad. (Infamous is rather literary.)
Amrit was notorious for his evil
deeds.
- Occurred to me—happened to me
If
you say that something ‘occurred’ you mean that it happened:
The accident occurred whilst
passengers were waiting to board the plane.
But
if you say that something ‘occurred to you’ you mean that an idea came into
your mind:
Something suddenly occurred to me
while I was waiting for the plane.
Be
careful, therefore, no t to use this
expression if you mean that something happened which concerned you. Instead you
can say:
Something suddenly happened to me
whilst I was waiting for the plane.
- On Tuesday afternoon—in Tuesday afternoon
In
general we use ‘in’ with the word ‘afternoon’.
In the afternoon we went to a stadium
to see a match.
But
when afternoon is specified, we have to use ‘on’ with afternoon or any other
parts of a day.
I will phone you on Tuesday
afternoon.
Collect all stationery on the morning
of your exam.
- Outset—onset
The
onset is a beginning/starting, especially of something unpleasant.
From the onset of a nasty cold, he
has been ill.
Outset
is a very beginning of an event.
I have been involved with the project
from the outset.
- Party—person
One
of the meanings of the word ‘party’ is a political organization whose members
all have the same aims and beliefs, usually one that is trying to win elections
to parliament. There is another meaning which might cause confusion to
many.
The guilty party has promised to pay
Rs. 50, 000 in compensation.
(This is the person who has confessed his or her crime.)
A certain person told me that Binaya
voted for Subash Chandra Nembang.
- Pass an exam—pass in an exam
The
word ‘pass’ is a transitive verb. It always takes a direct object to make
complete sense. So the word ‘pass’ is not followed by a preposition. Many
Nepalese translate Nepali sentences into English without any modification.
Consequently, a common mistake is made.
Ma parikshyama pass bhaye. (‘ma’ a Nepali preposition)
Wrong I passed in an exam. (Because the word pass does not take
any prepositions.)
Right I
passed an exam.
- Passage—aisle
Many
people are confused of these two words, who unknowingly misuse these words
while speaking and writing. The word ‘aisle’ means a passage between rows of
seats in a church, theatre, railway carriage, bus, aeroplane, etc. or between
rows of shelves in a shop or supermarket:
The bride and groom walked slowly
down the aisle (ie
after their wedding ceremony).
‘Passage’
or ‘passageway’ is a long, narrow space that connects one place to another:
There is a passage to the side of the
house, leading to the garden.
- People—peoples
The
word ‘people’ itself indicates a plural noun or more than one person, however,
we can use write peoples as a plural form of people.
Our school employs over 200 people. (more than one person)
Europe is made up of man different
peoples. (all the
people of a race)
- Plan—think
Do
you first think or plan? When you plan, you think and decide what you are going
to do or how you are going to do something in advance.
She is just planning her holidays.
When
you think, you consider an idea or a problem.
You should think about where you want
to live.
- Practicable—practical
The
word ‘practicable’ means ‘that which appears to be capable of being put into
practice; that which appears to be capable of being done.’ For example,
Kalpana’s
plan, I feel certain, is practicable.
The
word ‘practical’ means that something is ‘known to be workable or effective.’
For example,
All
of the participants got some really practical advice.
The parliament believes that Amar’s
plan, which has never been tried in any form, is practicable. (not practical because the plan has
never been implemented)
Note:
The word ‘practicable’ is never applied to persons. Only the word ‘practical’
when applied to persons, means ‘realistic’, calculating’, interested in actual
conditions rather than in unknown or imaginary practices.’
- Read—study
When
you study, you engage in the activity of learning, especially by serious
reading.
Apekshya is in her bedroom, studying
for the upcoming exam.
But
when you read, you look at words that are written and say them aloud for other
people to listen to.
I always read my children stories at
bedtime.
Wrong Which
class do you read in? (because
you learn about subjects at school)
Right Which
class do you study in?
- Refuse—deny
These
two words mean ‘not to accept’ in general. Nevertheless, they have different
clear-cut meanings.
When
you refuse, you say that you will not do or accept something.
Messi refuses to admit that he was
interested in leaving Barcelona.
When
you deny, you say that something is not true, especially that you are accused
of.
Sampada denied killing her friend at
the party.
- Remember—memorize
Remembering
is not possible without memorizing. You memorize something well so that you can
remember it exactly.
Akhil has memorized all his friends’
birthdays.
If
you remember a fact or something from the past, you keep it in your mind, or
bring it back into your mind.
I cannot remember the name of the
film I saw last month with my wife.
- Rent—hire
In
UK English you rent something for a long period of time.
Sikha has rent a 2-bedroom flat.
You
hire something for a short period of time.
My family hired a car for the
weekend.
In
US English the word rent is used in both situations.
- Ride—drive
You
ride a bike, cycle, horse. (small means of transport). When you ride these
vehicles, you control them; you are no longer a passenger.
I always ride my bike to work.
She taught me to ride a horse.
You
drive large means of transport like a bus, car or truck. (You control them.)
But you ride a bus to work. (as a passenger in US English.)
- For sale—on sale
For
sale means ‘things offered to anyone anywhere who wants to buy them.
There are three houses for sale near
us.
On
sale means ‘things are in the shops for people to buy’.
The latest model of this video
recorder is now on sale in your high street.
- Scene—view
A
view is the whole area that you see from somewhere, for example when you look
out of a window or down from a hill and see a beautiful place.
Simla had a great view from her
window across the park.
A
scene is what you see in a place, especially when you are describing a place
where something unusual or shocking is happening:
Farsha described the horrific scenes
which followed the bombing.
- Search for someone—search someone
Many
of the students in Nepal use the latter one. If you search a place or person,
you are looking for something in that place or on that person.
The police searched the man (looked in his clothes or frisked) for some illegal things at the airport.
If
you search for something or someone, you are looking for that person or thing
because you have something to do with them.
I am searching for Chiranjibi sir. (I want to talk to him.)
Students
call their teachers by title plus their surnames in the UK. For example,
Mrs Tamang, Mr Limbu, etc.
- Sensible—sensitive
Both
the words are adjectives to describe how someone is. The adjective sensitive
tells others how easily you feel or experience something.
Sambhu is a very sensitive man and
gets upset easily.
Sensible
is related to making decisions based on reasons rather than feelings and
imagination.
It would be more sensible to leave
before the traffic gets bad.
- Shade—shadow
Shade
is the protection from the sun, a darker, cooler area behind something, example
a building or a tree.
I am hot. Let’s find some shade to
sit in.
A
shadow is the ‘picture’ made by something that blocks out light. Moreover, a
dark area on a surface caused by an object standing between direct light and
that surface:
In the evening your shadow is longer
than you are.
The shadows lengthen as the sun go
down.
- Shift—move
‘Shift’
is one of the most frequently used words by the Nepalese. These two words have
almost same meaning; therefore, Nepalese writers/speakers make a blunder.
Compare their meanings:
If
you shift something, you move that from one place to another. Moreover, we
shift something that is movable and small enough to be transported.
We need to shift all these boxes into
the other room.
If
you move, either you change your position or go to a different place to live or
work.
We moved into a new apartment at New
Baneshwor. (to
change the living place)
We moved the chairs to another room. (to change place or position)
Wrong Our
family have shifted to Biratnagar.
Right Our
family have moved to Biratnagar.
- Sick—ill
The
word ‘sick’ should not be used broadly as a synonym for ‘ill.’ although they
bear almost the same meaning, a careful speaker or writer must not misused
these words.
In
UK English to be sick is to bring food up from the stomach. Another way of
saying this is the word ‘vomit’. For example,
Aakash doesn’t want to eat anything
because he has been sick since morning.
The
word ‘ill’ means ‘not feeling well or suffering from a disease’.
Ramesh has been feeling ill for a
couple of weeks.
- Sleep—go to bed
Nobody
knows what time they exactly sleep because as soon as we lie in bed, we do not
sleep. Hence, we sleep at approximate time.
Right I sleep at
around 10 pm.
Wrong I sleep at 10 pm sharp.
Many
native speakers of English prefer to ask, ‘What time do you go to bed?
I always go to bed at 10 pm. (I sleep at around 10:05.)
- Small—little
Small
simply refers to size. It is the opposite of big or large.
You are too small to be a soldier.
The
adjective little usually expresses some kind of emotion. It is an emotive word.
My relatives have bought a pretty
little house at Swindon, the UK.
He is a funny little man.
- Some time—sometime—sometimes
Some
time (with two stresses) means ‘quite a long time’.
I am afraid it will take some time to
fix your car.
Sometime
refers to an indefinite time, usually in the future; it often means ‘one day’.
Let’s have dinner together sometime
next week.
Sometimes
is an adverb of frequency. It means ‘on some occasions, ‘more than once’.
Sometimes, in the long winter
evenings, I just sit and think about life.
- Speak English—speak in English—talk English
Speaking
English means ‘to be able to communicate in English.
Do you speak English?
We
always speak a language, but we write in a language. Therefore, you write
something in a language.
Right Can you
write a short paragraph in French?
Wrong Can you speak in French?
When
you talk, you say something to someone. You talk politics or business ( a
particular subject/issue). But you do not talk a language.
- Stamp your feet—bang your feet
The
words ‘stamp’ and ‘bang’ are, to some extent, synonymous and associated with
annoyance and sound. However, a conscious speaker or learner is suggested to
carefully use these two words in different contexts:
You
may bang a part of your body by accident or deliberately to express your anger
or get attention. For example,
Ram banged on the wall angrily. (deliberately)
Dipesh banged his head when he dived
into the pool.
(unknowingly)
You
stamp your feet to express anger or produce a sound; it is done deliberately.
They walked up and down, stamping
their feet to keep warm.
- Stand first—come first
When
we have to talk or write about the positions/ ranks we have to be careful to
select a word that collocate with the words like first, second and third.
Manisha came first in the art
competition.
Geeta finished the race in second
position.
Dhan Bahadur stood first in the
singing competition.
(The word stand does not collocate with ordinal numbers like first, second and
so on.)
- Stop doing something—stop to do something
Stop
doing something means ‘not continue with an activity’.
Suddenly, everyone stopped talking in
the classroom.
Stop
to do something means ‘stop one activity so that you can do something else’.
All of the staff stopped to have
their lunch. (They
were working, but they stopped as it was lunchtime.)
- Surprised at—surprised by
By
is used after passive verbs to introduce the agent (the person or thing that
does the action).
My little sister was surprised at the
gift.
After
past participle (was/were+v3) that are like adjectives, we prefer other
prepositions. Compare:
The burglar was surprised by the
family coming home unexpectedly.
(Surprised
is part of a passive verb referring to an action.)
I am surprised at your attitude.
(Surprised
is an adjective referring to a state of mind.)
- Surroundings—environment
Surroundings
(always plural) are an area that a place or person is in, such as the buildings
or the countryside—use this to say whether a place is pleasant or unpleasant.
The hotel is in beautiful
surroundings on the edge of a lake.
Environment
means all the things, people and ideas among which you live and which make you
the person you are:
His political beliefs were influenced
by the environment he grew up in.
- Sympathize—empathize
When
you sympathize with someone, you understand and care about their problems.
It is a really bad situation—I do
sympathize with her.
If
you empathize with someone, you will have the ability to imagine what it must
be like to be in someone’s situation. In other words, empathizing with someone
is being in someone’s shoes.
I find it difficult to empathize with
a working mother of three small children.
- Take exam—give exam
Many
students in Nepal think that they give exams because they go to school, write
in paper and submit the paper to the invigilators.
Santosh went to school to take an
exam. (Santosh is a
student.)
But
it is teachers who give exams to students because they provide students with
stationery, question papers and other assistance in need.
Sunita ma’am is giving an exam to her
students. (She is a
teacher.)
- Thankful—grateful
Grateful
is the normal word for people’s reaction to kindness, favours, etc.
I am very grateful for all your help. (I am grateful to you.)
Thankful
is used especially for feelings of relief at having avoided a danger, or at
having come through an unpleasant experience.
We feel very thankful that she didn’t
marry a politician after all.
(We ourselves are happy; we are not thankful to anyone.)
- Think about—think of doing
Think
about someone or something means to have thoughts in your mind about a person
or thing, or to consider them.
I thought about the question before
answering.
Think
of doing something means to consider the possibility of doing something.
My pals are thinking of having a part
at my home.
- Tired from—tired of
If
you are tired of something or of doing something, you are bored or annoyed by
it.
I am tired of hearing his awful
jokes.
But
if you are tired from something, you want to rest because of it.
I am tired from the long journey.
- Today morning—this morning
Morning
is the earlier part of the day. It gives a sense of past action. Therefore, it
is wrong to say today morning.
Right
I had delicious breakfast this morning.
Wrong We had delicious breakfast today morning.
- Too—very
‘Too’ usually suggests something bad or
unsuitable.
It’s
too cold today (so I
do not go out).
Very suggests that something is
neither good nor bad:
It’s
very cold today (but
I have a warm coat, so the temperature is no problem).
We
can use ‘too’ before adjectives on their own.
This
coffee is too sweet.
102.
Yours faithfully—yours sincerely
Yours
faithfully is used to end a formal letter to someone whose name you do not
know.
Yours
faithfully is used at the end of formal letters where you know the name of the
person you are writing to.
103.
Wake up—get up
When you get up or get someone up,
you get out of bed or make someone do this.
I
had to get up at five o’clock this morning.
‘Wake up’ means to stop sleeping or
make someone else stop sleeping.
You
woke me up making so much noise.
104.
Water—waters
Water
is a liquid without colour, smell or taste that falls as rain is in lakes,
rivers and seas, and is used for drinking, washing, etc. It is uncountable.
Fish
live in the water
(not in the waters).
‘Water’ means the mass of water in a
lake, river, sea, etc.
I
love watching the clear blue waters of the Mediterranean.
105.
Which—what
We use ‘which’ when the choice is from
a particular group of things or people.
Which
colour do you want, red or blue?
We use ‘what’ when the choice is from
unknown number of things or people:
What
colour would you like your motorbike to be?
Which can be followed by of, but what
cannot be followed by of:
Which
of these two boys do you like best?
106.
Wide—broad
Wide
is the most general word but broad is used to describe parts of the body.
He
has got broad shoulders. It is sometimes used in more formal or literary
language, to describe features of the countryside, etc.
I took a photo of a
broad stretch of meadowland.
The
word ‘wide’ is used to show the measurement from side to side, not narrow.
For
example,
The gap in the fence
was just wide.
107.
Work—works
Work,
in general, is the use of physical strength or mental power in order to do or
make something. It is an uncountable noun. For example,
His
success was due to sheer hard work.
But,
My
brother is lazy; he doesn’t do a stroke of work.
‘Work’
can be used as a countable noun if it is understood to be a painting, book,
piece of music, etc.
The
exhibition includes works by Shakespeare.
108.
Write in pencil—write with a pencil
A pencil is a tool or an instrument
to write in. So, we write in pencil, ink or pen.
Wrong Students like writing with a pencil.
Right
Students like writing in
pencil.
109.
What is your sign of the zodiac—what
sign of the zodiac are you?
It is wrong to say that that your sign of the
zodiac is a Gemini. You are a Gemini.
110.
Yours faithfully—yours sincerely
‘Yours
faithfully’ is used to end a formal letter to someone whose name you do not
know.
‘Yours
sincerely’ is used at the end of formal letters where you know the name of the
person you are writing to.
SELF-TEST
Read
the sentences below and make corrections wherever necessary. If any sentences
you think are incorrect, please correct them. Each sentence carries 1 mark.
There are a total of 45 sentences. A handful of sentences are correct. This
test paper was handed over to participants in a workshop. The highest score was
15. Don’t you want to be the next highest scorer?
ü There are many adult people at the
conference.
ü Anita threw water at him mistakely.
ü Please don’t do such mistakes.
ü All of the participants are
discouraged to write their answers in ink.
ü Make your line straight
ü Walk slowly or else you’ll fall down.
ü Would you mind speaking in English
here?
ü Bow down your head; it’s the time for
Morning Prayer.
ü Bobbie returned back my novel.
ü An 8.5 Richter earthquake came last
night.
ü I’m an honest student of GEMS school.
ü More than 90 per cent of the students
have passed in English paper.
ü I go to the grocer’s once a week.
ü Amar married with an American girl.
ü I would like to request all of the
English teachers to be frank.
ü My friends suggested me to do a lot
of reading.
ü Anupama’s books fell from the stairs.
ü Tuleshwor stood first in the
marathon.
ü How much mark have I scored?
ü Class 5 girls need to do their hair
properly.
ü Many of the schoolchildren like
purple colour very much.
ü Mr Magar’s family shifted to a new
apartment in Kathmandu.
ü Only seven students have been permitted
to sit the re-examination.
ü Thank your Mr Tamang for taking our
class.
ü The school management are discussing
about the promotion of teachers.
ü Could you please close the fan?
ü Srijana hasn’t covered her copy
properly.
ü Anju is taking IELTS this July for
abroad study.
ü Have you ever gone to Pokhara?
ü Participants talked educational
issues at the conference last week.
ü Mr Lamichhane needs some thumbtacks
in order to put this paper on the board.
ü Class X students hereby are informed
to cut their hair in a proper manner.
ü Can you all look in front for a
while?
ü A guardian lodged a compalain against
an English teacher.
ü Aslesha said that she forgot her
grammar book.
ü Dipti has got many homeworks for the
summer break.
ü I saw an accident today morning.
ü When will you do correction on paper?
ü Bimal always breaks the line.
ü Anajan also didn’t talk nonsense.
ü Two pupils are searching Mr Bin.
ü Two grade X students are making noise
backside in the school bus.
ü I told you to complete all of the
assignments yesterday, isn’t it?
ü Samridhi studies in class 5. She is a
talent student.
ü My uncle lives in the Philippines.
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