Commonly Misused Words
There are a lot of
words in English that look or sound alike but have very different meanings.
Words that sound alike but are different in spelling, meaning or origin is
called homophone. Writers often confuse and misuse these words. It’s helpful to
use a dictionary to look up the meaning of the word in question. Here is the
example of commonly misused words with definition.
- Accept, Except:
Accept is a verb meaning to
receive;
Except is usually a
preposition meaning excluding;
v She will not accept the job offer.
v No one is allowed to
enter my room, except you.
- · Affect, Effect:
Affect is usually a verb meaning to influence;
Effect is usually a noun
meaning result;
v Certain foods
may affect our mood.
v She wanted to know the effect of television
on children.
- · To, Too, two:
To is a preposition;
Too is an adverb meaning also, axcessively
Two is a number;
v It is the bad
way to ask for help.
vHe likes swimming too.
v Only two cheese cakes left.
- · Hear, here:
Hear is to detect a sound with one's ears;
Here refers to one's immediate location;
v Do you want to hear a joke?
v Take off your shoes here
.
- · There, Their, They're:
There refers to the location of something;
Their means "belonging to them";
They're contraction of they are
v He is eating
lunch there.
v Their application is being validated.
vThey're my favorite chemical scientists.
- · Past, Passed:
Past refers to events that have previously occurred;
passed is the past tense of "to pass", whether in a
congressional action or a physical occurrence;
v Congress passed the bill limiting the powers
of the President.
v History is mainly concerned with the events of the past
.
- · Adverse, Averse:
Adverse means unfavorable, contrary or hostile;
Averse means
having a strong feeling of opposition, antipathy, or repugnance;
v They sailed despite adverse weather
conditions.
v He was averse to taking his medicine.
- · Alternately, Alternatively:
Alternately is an adverb that means in turn; one after the
other;
Alternatively is an adverb that means on the other hand; one
or the other;
v We
alternately spun the wheel in the game.
v You
can choose a large bookcase or, alternatively, you can buy two small
ones.
- · Assent, Ascend:
Assent is to agree;
Ascend means to go up or advance
from an original position;
v We need to reach assent on how to do this
project.
v I watched the balloon’s ascent into the sky.
- · By, Buy:
Buy means to purchase or spend money on something;
By is a
proposition meaning close to or indicating who did something;
v I want to buy a TV.
v My favorite novel is by Ursula Le Guin.
- · Mail, Male:
Mail
is correspondence;
Male
is Masculine;
v I’ve just received
your mail.
v Many
said that a male and
female brain are different in structures and chemicals.
Confusingly Related Words
There are
words that cause problems when the speaker is not able to distinguish between
them. They are similiar in meaning or pronounciation but can not be used
interchangeably. Here is the example of confusingly related words with
definition.
- · Remind, Remember:
Remind means of reminding (make people remember)
Remember mean remember something (remember a thing).
v Remind me to save some money every time i get salary.
v I remember to lock the door.
- · Ride, Drive:
Ride means driving by sitting on it.
Drive means driving by sitting inside the vehicle
v I can’t ride bicycle or motorcycle
v Can you drive a truck?
- · Choose, Select:
Choose used to choose between two things;
Select used to choose between a lot of things;
v Well, I choose the blue paper, not the black
one.
v Let’s select the most handsome man in
this party.
- · Speak, Talk:
Speak is used in formal situations;
Talk is used in informal situations;
v Sorry sir, I can’t speak French.
v Hey stop talking, Doctor Jones is giving a
speech.
- · Fit, Suit:
Fit means appropriate / suitable for any size or shape;
Suit is suitable or appropriate means to fashion and color;
v I think, these shoes
really fit me. Look it’s my size.
v I know blue blouse and white skirt really suit
my mom.
Referensi :
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