Mistakes we make while speaking English Part-1

The girl next door is as cute as a button, but when she opens her mouth; her English is bad enough to get her
sent back to kindergarten! Well, it's a common enough problem today --

Almost everyone is mourning the lack of fluency in English among our school and college-going generation, as
well as in the new entrants into the work force.

Presented here are a few English bloopers sent in by our readers -- they are good lesson in the English
language!

1. ~ "It was a blunder mistake."

Correction, people! The word 'blunder' means mistake, so you could say:
~ "It was a blunder," or
~ "It was a big mistake."

2. ~ "It would have been more better."

The word 'better' itself implies that the option in question is superior -- the use of the word 'more' in the sentence is,
therefore both inappropriate and unnecessary. Thus the correct sentence would go as follows:

~ "It would have been better."

3. ~ "Why don't he get married?"

The term 'don't' applies when discussing a plural subject. For instance, "Why don't they get married?" The right way to
phrase that sentence would be:

~ "Why doesn't he get married?"

4. ~ "I want two Xeroxes of this card."

The term 'Xerox' is used in North American English as a verb. Actually, 'Xerox' is the name of a company that supplies
photocopiers! The correct thing to say, therefore, would be:

~ "I want two photocopies of this card."

5. ~ "Your hairs are looking silky today."

This is one of the most common Indian bloopers! The plural of 'hair' is 'hair'! Thus:

~ "Your hair is looking silky today."

We must realise that English is not the native language of Indians. Having said that, we should tell ourselves,
'Yeah, I could go wrong and I could make innumerable mistakes, but of course there is always room for
improvement.'"

Here are a few bloopers Nasreen has across often:

1. ~ Loose vs lose:

Many people make this mistake. They inevitably interchange the words 'loose' and 'lose' while writing. 'Lose' means to
'suffer a loss or defeat'. Thus, you would write:

~ 'I don't want to lose you," and not ' don't want to loose you.'

'Loose', on the other hand, means 'not firm' or 'not fitting.' In this context, you would write,

~ "My shirt is loose," not "My shirt is lose."

2. ~ "One of my friend lives in Kolkata."

This is one of the most common Indian English bloopers ever! The correct way of putting that is:

"One of my friends lives in Kolkata."

Why? Because the sentence implies that you have many friends who live in Kolkata, but you are referring to only one of
these friends.

3. ~ Tension-inducing tenses.

People often use the wrong tense in their sentences. For instance, someone might say:

~ "I didn't cried when I saw the movie."

Unfortunately, the word 'didn't' is never followed by a past tense verb, in this case 'cried'. The correct way of putting it
would be:

~ "I didn't cry when I saw the movie."

Mistakes we make while speaking English Part-2

English is considered one of the most difficult languages to learn. After all, you have to keep in mind all the
exceptions, rules, irregular tenses and other oddities.

Don't abandon hope if you're having trouble. Keep reading our reader-driven, English bloopers series, and
before long you'll be an expert!

Many people make mistakes with irregular nouns, especially when changing them into plural form. He provided
the following list:

~ I bought new furnitures for the bedroom.

~ Please bring along the film equipments!

~ Display the datas in a graph.

~ Did you see the deers in the forest?

~ There were many pretty womans at the party!

~ What were the different criterias for joining?

~ I'm interested in misunderstood phenomenas.

The common problem linking these bloopers is using the incorrect plural form of the noun. All of them have 's' added on
to the end when it is unnecessary. The correct version would be:

~ I bought new furniture for the bedroom. (Furniture is plural as well as singular.)
~ Please bring along the film equipment! (Equipment is plural as well as singular.)
~ Display the data in a graph. (Datum is singular; data is plural.)
~ Did you see the deer in the forest? (Deer is singular and plural.)
~ There were many pretty women at the party! (Woman is singular; women is plural.)
~ What were the different criteria for joining? (Criterion is singular; criteria is plural.)
~ I'm interested in misunderstood phenomena. (Phenomenon is singular; phenomena is plural.)

~ Every Sunday, I take headbath.

The correct version should be:

~ Every Sunday, I wash my hair.

~ I sended that parcel.

This is common mistake. English has many irregular verbs in the past tense. Sent is the past form of send.
~ I sent that parcel.
~ I will call you today night.

Just dissecting the word, to-day, shows the origin. It means during the day. Therefore, you should use to-night.

~ I will call you tonight

~ Can I have your name?

~ Can I go to the toilet?
~ Can I hold your hand?

This is one of the most common misuses of a word in the English language. Of course you *can* have someone's
name, just as easily as you *can* go the toilet or hold someone's hand. Can means whether or not you are able to do it.
May means whether or not you have permission to do it.

~ May I have your name?

~ May I go to the toilet?
~ May I hold your hand?

Mistakes we make while speaking English Part-3

Terrible grammar and error-riddled speech is frequently a problem for young adults.

Poor English makes you sound unprofessional and can lead to laughs at your expense! If you need to touch up
on your English, or just want a few giggles, read on!

~ Please return my book back.

~ Could you repeat that last line again?

In both cases, the final word is redundant. When you return a book, you give it back to the owner. When you repeat a
line, you're saying it again. They should read:

~ Please return my book.

~ Could you repeat that last line?

~ I, my sister and Deepa went to the mall

'I' and 'me' are always placed at the end of a list of names/ pronouns. The correct usage is:

~ My sister, Deepa and I went to the mall.

~ The fish aquarium is very large.

~ The dance ballet was lovely.

In both cases, the descriptive word is unnecessary. An aquarium houses fish and a ballet is always a dance! The
correct usage is simply:

~ The aquarium is very large.

~ The ballet was lovely.

~ I could not able to do it, sir.

In this case, either able should be removed or could should be replaced with was. Here are the two correct possibilities:

~ I could not do it, sir.

~ I was not able to do it, sir.

Mistakes we make while speaking English Part-4

The most humorous and head-scratching bloopers occur when many of us attempt to translate from our mother-
tongue directly into English. The results can be hard on the ears and embarrassing for the speaker.

~ "He said me to go."

This is the result of a direct translation. In English, direct commands and directions are given using the verb 'tell'. In this
case, we use the past tense of 'tell' -- told
~ "He told me to go"

~ "Please on the fan!"

In English 'on' is not an action verb in the traditional sense; the 'on' must be qualified with a verb!

~ "Please turn on the fan" or "Please switch on the fan"

~ "He is my cousin brother."

This is another mistake caused by a direct translation; it can be heard in all strata of society. English does not contain a
separation/ qualification for female or male cousins, so the correct way to use it would be:

~ "He is my cousin."

These include helping verbs, prepositions, modals, conjunctions and articles.

"He has eaten a mango yesterday."

When speaking of the past, helping verbs like have and has should not be used. Instead, the correct conjugation of the
verb, in this case 'ate', is required.

~ He ate a mango yesterday

~ "He is loving Sangita!"

The 'is' is unnecessary in these cases. When showing sustained or continuous action from a verb, the verb alone
suffices. This kind of error is the result of a direct translation from the mother tongue into English.

~ "He loves Sangita!"

Here's another common one:

~ "I am standing on the bus stop."

In English, the preposition 'on' signals being above, or literally on top of, something; it is rarely used as an indicator of
location. Instead, use the preposition 'at'.
~ "I am standing at the bus stop."

Mistakes we make while speaking English Part-5

Most of us are fairly comfortable speaking English informally, even if it is our second language. However, when
we have to put down something in writing, we panic!

This time, they all deal with English as a written language.

Wrong spelling Correct spelling

Pronounciation - Pronunciation
Ballon - Balloon
Grammer - Grammar
Recieved - Received
Occassion - Occasion
Vaccum - Vacuum

~ I am quiet certain that I paid the fee.

~ I could hear quite music in the distance.

While you may be certain that you paid the fee, no one will know if you remain 'quiet'. Likewise, 'quite' music makes no
sense. The authors mixed up the spellings of 'quite' (very) and 'quiet' (a soft sound).
The correct version would be:
~ I am quite certain that I paid the fee.
~ I could hear quiet music in the distance.

Here's another common error

~ Did you go their as well?
~ I gave you they're contact details in my last e-mail.
~ There going to the office tomorrow.

There/ they're/ their are used mistakenly all the time. Their is a possessive pronoun; while they're is a contraction of
'they are.'
So, if you were using the correct words, you would write:
~ Did you go there as well?
~ I gave you their contact details in my last e-mail.
~ They're going to the office tomorrow.

Here are some more common mistakes people make:

~ There are meetings at 2 pm and at 5 pm, with a brake in between.

~ Will changing jobs hurt my carrier?

Again, here, the wrong spelling has been used for similar sounding words. A 'brake' is a restraint used to stop a vehicle.
A carrier is someone or something that carries objects, like a carrier ship.
The correct words to use here would be:
~ There are meetings at 2 pm and at 5 pm, with a break in between.
~ Will changing jobs hurt my career?

Mistakes we make while speaking English Part-6

1. The concerned person is not there

Read literally, this means the worried person is not present. What the speaker actually meant to say is that the person
who is involved is not present. The correct way to say this would be:

~ The person concerned is not there.

2. We discussed about the project.

This is a blunder. Discussed is an action verb; therefore, it must be followed by the object. Adding 'about' is
unnecessary and improper. So it would be:

~ We discussed the project.

3. Anyways, afterwards we went to the party.

Here, the word anyway has an 's' attached improperly. In US English, afterward is acceptable, but 'anyways' is NEVER
acceptable. The correct way to say this would be:

~ Anyway, afterwards we went to the party.

1. I practice cricket every morning.

2. Practise makes perfect.

Practice is a noun and practise is a verb. This also happens with advise/ advice. Here's the correct version.

~ I practise cricket every morning.

~ Practice makes perfect.

3. There was a tough contest among Australia and South Africa.

4. The prize will be divided between the three groups.

'Between' is used when there are two objects. 'Among' is used when there are more than two objects. Therefore, it
should be:

~ There was a tough contest between Australia and South Africa.

~ The prize will be divided among the three groups.

5. I haven't found it nowhere.

6. He didn't do nothing at office!

In both cases, the speaker uses the dreaded 'double-negative'. The second negative in English, unlike most languages,
cancels the effect of the first negative. The result is that the speaker is saying the exact opposite of what her or she
intends! It should be:

~ I haven't found it anywhere.

~ He didn't do anything at office.

7. The examinations are preponed.

We've received countless e-mails identifying this mistake. Preponed is supposed to be the opposite of postponed, only
there's a problem -- preponed isn't in the English dictionary! Instead, use advanced.

~ The examinations are advanced.

8. Have you removed tickets?

This is an exact translation from the Hindi/ Marathi version: 'Ticket nikala kya?'/ 'Ticket kaadhle kaa?' It should be:

~ Have you bought the tickets?

9. You are a doctor, no?

This is another common mistake, probably arising as a result of a direct translation from Hindi. We always add 'na' on to
the end of each sentence.! It should be:

~ Aren't you a doctor? OR Are you a doctor?

10. He is very heighted.

There is no such word as 'heighted' in the English language. You could say, 'he has height' but this would be awkward.
Instead, try:

~ He is very tall.

4. I went there, only.

Again, this is another common mistake. One hears it so frequently that it doesn't even sound like a mistake! It also
arises from literal translations of Hindi. Most of the time, 'only' can be cut from your speech.

~ I went there.

http://www.talktocanada.com

1. Writing “then” when you mean “than.” The first is a description of time – “I will go to the bank and
then I will stop at the store.” Than is used when making a comparison – “I am a faster runner than my
friend.”

2. Confusing “into” with “in to.” The word into is a preposition that answers the question, where? It
does not need to be a physical place. – “The doctor walked into the room to greet me” and “My sister
had gotten into graduate school.” In to is used as in a prepositional phrase – “I ran in to my best friend
at the zoo.” Notice the two words are written separately and they appear side by side.

3. Using “a/an” incorrectly. It is not “an banana” and “a apple”. Use the article “an” to precede words
in the English language that sound like a short vowel. Use the article a” before all other words. So “I
would like a banana and an apple for lunch.” Watch your articles – they are very important.

4. Using “centered around.” The correct phrase is “centered on” – “My science report is centered on
space exploration.” If the center is the middle point, then it can’t center around something.

5. Using “irregardless.” This word is often listed as “non-standard” in a dictionary. It is best to use the
word regardless to mean despite everything. “My dog will stay outside for hours regardless of the
weather” and “I will learn English regardless of how difficult it may be at times and how much time I
must invest in study.”

6. Using “could of,” “would of”, and “should of.” None of these expressions are proper English. You
need to use the verb have with each of the helping words could, would and should. I can assure you
that you will commonly hear people use of or a instead of the verb have as in the above examples:
could of and coulda, etc., but this is not correct grammar.

7. Using “I and somebody else.” This is a common error. You need to put the other people you are
referring to in your sentence before yourself. So instead of saying “I and my friend took the class”,
you need to say “My friend and I took the class”.

8. Using “that” instead of “who”. If you’re writing about people, always use who. You should say “The
students who study on-line English are working really hard” not “The students that study on-line
English are working really hard.”

9. Using “it’s” when you mean “its.” The contraction it’s stands for the words it and is. Whenever you
see this word, you can go back and reread the sentence to see if it is used correctly. You can also
reread the sentence to make sure its does not mean it is. For example, “The dog wagged its tail” (not
it is tail) and “It’s my turn to drive the car” (it is my turn…) are correct.

10. Using a random apostrophe. Often you will see an apostrophe used in a word that is plural like in
the example, “I bought three pizza’s for the party” or it is absent in the example, “Its October and the
weather has turned colder.” However, the apostrophe should be used to show possession as in “The
teacher’s briefcase was lost on the bus”. You can see that the teacher owns the briefcase. And in the
sentence about October and the weather, an apostrophe is needed to say “It is October…colder.”

11. Being redundant. For example, ATM stands for automated teller machine so you would not say,
“I am going to get some money from the ATM machine” and PIN stands for personal identification
number so you would not say, “I forgot my PIN number.” These are just two of the hundreds of
examples that illustrate this point.

12. Mixing up the words “accept/except”. You accept an apology and a gift, etc. The word except
means other than as in “Everyone feels well except for Mr. Jones”. In this sentence, Mr. Jones is not
feeling well.

13. When to use “ad/add”. You read an ad in the newspaper which is short for advertisement. You
add numbers or other items to make a larger group. This is easy to remember because the word add
is in the longer word addition, so you can be reminded that add means addition.
14. The distinction between “adapt/adopt”. These two words are often interchanged, but they have
different meanings. You can adapt to change and you can adapt to the weather. But you adopt a child
or you adopt a new way to exercise. The word adapt means to change something and the word adopt
means to take on or assume.

15. Listen carefully to the ending of “advise/advice”. The word advise is a verb and means to offer
suggestions and to give council, while advice is a noun and means the knowledge, recommendations
and guidance that is given. For example, “The professor will offer advice to the graduate students by
advising them on what courses to take to complete a degree.”

16. Using “affect/effect”. The pronunciation is different and the meanings are different, as well. Many
people use these words interchangeably. Affect is pronounced with a short “a” and means to have
an effect upon or to produce an influence. The sentence, “My father affected my strong character
because he taught me the importance of being honest and humble” shows the correct use of affect. In
the sentence, “The effect of the wildfire was devastating”, the word effect is pronounced with a short
“e” at the beginning of the word and means an event, condition, or state of affairs that is produced by
a cause.

17. The words “aid/aide”. These words are both pronounced the same, but they have different
meanings. Aid is a noun to mean the act of helping or it can be a verb to mean to help or
assist. However, aide is always a noun that means the person who is the assistant. So you have,
“The aide gave first aid to the patients in the hospital.”

18. Both “aloud/allowed” sound the same. Aloud means to be clearly heard as in “The manager of
the store read the announcement aloud to the customers.” And allowed is the past tense verb for
allow which means permitted as in the sentence “The student was allowed to take the English exam
on-line.”

19. Confusion with “all ready / already”. Both words sound similar, but if you listen carefully you will
notice that all ready has a slight pause between two single words. This is a signal to you in how the
words are used. For example, “The teacher was all ready for class.” This means
prepared. Whereas, already is an adverb that means before a certain time or by the time. An
example sentence is “Bob was already finished with his task.”

20. Confusion with “altogether / all together”. These words sound similar, too, but there is a slight
pause in all together used correctly in the sentence, “We sang the chorus all together.” This means
everyone sang as one unit. They were all in a group and all with each other. However, the word
altogether is an adverb that means completely and fully. The sentence, “It’s best to avoid the situation
altogether” means to avoid the situation completely.

21. Agreement with verb tenses. When you use English, the verb tenses need to be the same. This
is called “verb agreement”. For example, if you say, “I could have danced last night, but I done it”, or
“I could have danced last night, but I do it” , the verbs “done” and “do” are not in the same tense as
“could have danced”. The correct sentence would be, “I could have danced last night, but I did not.”
Always double-check your verbs to ensure they are in agreement within the same sentence.

22. The difference between “angle / angel”. Both words are nouns, but they are pronounced
differently and have different meanings. Angle is a mathematics term which is a figure formed by two
lines extending from the same point or it can mean a point of view. For example, “The equilateral
triangle has all three angles of the same degrees” and “The marketing department of the company
wanted to create a commercial with a new angle to attract more customers.” The word angel is a noun
for a heavenly being or something/someone who is lovely and good. For example, “Your children are
angels when they pick flowers for you.”
23. The two words: “attain/obtain”. Notice these are different words with different pronunciations and
meanings. Attain means to accomplish, achieve or arrive as in “The student attained his/her diploma.
Obtain means to win or earn with effort like in the sentence, “I obtained by B.A. degree in three years.”

24. The difference between “autobiography” and “biography”. An autobiography is a story written by
a person about his/her life because the prefix auto means self. In contrast, the word biography is a
story written about someone by someone else.

25. These words are not the same: “a way/away”. When you say the words a way you mean one
method or avenue as in, “I knew there was a way to solve the puzzle.” But, when you use the word
away, you refer to a distance or going from. An example of this word used correctly in a sentence is
“The birds flew away after eating from the bird feeder.”

26. One is a noun and one is a verb: “belief/believe”. “Your company has a belief (noun) and that is
what they believe (verb).” These words have different spellings, pronunciations and meanings.

27. The words “biweekly/semiweekly” both involve the number “2”. Biweekly means two times a month
and semiweekly means two times a week. These words are often mixed up and used incorrectly.
Publications like newsletters and magazines may come biweekly or semiweekly. You may do some
tasks biweekly or semiweekly, as well. It is important to keep these words straight so you understand
the person’s intent.

28. “Bologna/baloney” are two different words! Bologna is sausage and baloney is something that is
not true. Both are nouns but mean completely different things! Interesting to note is that you
pronounce them the same way. The last two letters “na” in bologna are pronounced “nee”, and the
middle “o” is a long “o” sound. This matches the long “o” in baloney. Maybe you have eaten a bologna
sandwich. And maybe you have heard the word baloney used before as in the sentence, “That’s a
bunch of baloney! I don’t believe that story.”

29. The words “breathe / breath” are often mispronounced, misspelled and misused. Breathe is a verb
and means to bring air into your lungs while breath is a noun that means the actual air that is taken
in your body. So you breathe the air and you take a breath of air.

30. The words “capital / capitol” vary slightly in pronunciation but are used in different ways. This pair
of words is tricky even for the native speaker. The word capital means the main city, having
accumulated wealth, a tall letter of the alphabet, excellent, or resulting in death (e.g. capital
punishment or capital crime). However the word capitol means the building in which the state
legislator meets.

31. You pronounce these two words the same: “carrot” and “karat / carat”. A carrot is a vegetable that
you eat on a salad or by itself. And a karat or carat (both are pronounced the same and mean the
same thing) is a unit of fineness of gold. So you can order carrots on your salad, and when you go to
a jewelry store, you can ask about the gold rings to see their worth in karats/carats.

32. The words: “censure / sensor”. Censure as noun means the act of blaming or as a verb means
to find fault with. These sentences show two meanings: “The newspapers were unanimous in their
censure of the columnist” and “The government will censure the Hollywood movies”. Whereas, the
word sensor means a device that responds to a physical stimulus. For example, “When a car is six
feet away from the garage door, a built-in sensor opens the door.”

33. The differences between “cite / site / sight”. All three words are pronounced the same. Let’s look
at what they mean. Cite is a verb that means to quote or to mention in support of. For example, “The
criminal cited his constitutional rights.” The word site is a noun that means the location or position of
something. It can also refer to computers like a computer site. So you might say, “The site of our
future cabin overlooks the lake.” Site as a verb means to locate as in the sentence, “The Army will
site the enemy’s cannon.”

34. How about “clothes / close”? The first clothes is a noun that refers to what you wear. The second
close is a verb that means to shut, to stop, or to block. For example, “You close the door”, “The
mailman closed the crate”, and “The student’s mind was closed when it came to studying calculus.”

35. When do you use “complement / compliment”? These words are similar in pronunciation except
for the second syllable. Complement as a noun means something that completes like “A good wine
is a complement to a meal.” The second syllable is pronounced “pluh”. When complement is used as
a verb, it means to complete and is pronounced the same way. An example sentence is, “A good
wine complemented the meal.” On the other hand, compliment – with a short “i” sound in the middle
– can be a noun to mean an expression of praise or a verb to mean to pay positive praise. Examples
include, “The boss gave a compliment to his secretary for her outstanding work” and “The boss
complimented the secretary on her outstanding work”.

36. “Confident or Confidant”? Confident with a short “e” sound in the last syllable is an adjective that
means feeling positive and self-assured. For example, “The student who studied hard was confident
that he did well on the TOEFL test.” Confidant – spelled with an “a” in the last syllable and pronounced
with a short “a” sound – is a noun meaning a person with whom one shares a secret or private
matter. A confidant could also be a close friend or the best friend. For example, “She kept no secrets
from her confidant.”

37. Which one is which: “costume / custom”? A costume as a noun means a set of clothes in a style
typical a particular country or time period. A costume as a verb means to dress in a particular set of
clothes. For example, “The clown wore a colorful costume for the parade” and “The clown group was
costumed in colorful clothing for the parade.” Custom as a noun means the practice of doing
something like it was custom for the man to give his seat on the bus to a lady. Custom as a noun can
also mean a duty or tax as in, “The government collected customs when the foreigners entered the
country.” Custom can also be an adjective as in made to order. For example, “The custom suit was
designed by the tailor.” And finally, custom can even be a verb to mean how something is made in a
particular order. For example, “She had her wedding gown customized with inlaid pearls.”

38. Call them two different words: “decent / descent”? Decent is an adjective that means acceptable
or good enough. You can describe many things as decent like food, clothing, work, and even
people. The word descent is accented on the second syllable as opposed to decent which has an
accent on the first syllable so the words are pronounced differently. Descent is a noun that means
the action of moving downward or falling like in the sentence, “The airplane has gone into a steep
descent.” Descent can also mean something completely different. It means the origin or background
of a person in terms of their family or nationality. For example, “My grandmother is of Swedish
descent.”

39. The words: “moral / morale”. These words are pronounced differently and mean different
things. Moral as a noun means the practical meaning like the moral of a fable or moral practices or
teaching. Moral can also be an adjective meaning righteous, noble, and ethical. Morale, on the other
hand, is a noun that means the mental and emotional attitude of an individual. For example, “The
soldiers had a positive morale all the way to the end of the battle.”

40. Which is which: “expound / expand”? Both words are verbs and are pronounced differently, but
they are pronounced exactly as how they look. Expound means to present and explain a theory or
idea in detail. For example, “Einstein expounded on the theory of relativity.” Expand means to
become or make larger or more extensive. For example, “The computer business expanded into
other third world countries.”

41. Should I use “exceptional / exceptionable”? Both words are adjectives. Exceptional means
unusual and not typical. For example, “Usain Bolt is an exceptional sprinter from
Jamaica.” Exceptionable means causing disapproval and open to objection. For example, “Lance
Armstrong’s continuous winning records were exceptionable especially after the accusations of
doping.”

42. What about “extend / extensive”? Extend is a verb that means to make longer or wider, to cover
a large area, or to hold out to someone. For example the sentences, “The city will extend the parking
time”, “Florida extends into the Gulf of Mexico”, and “The manager extended his hand to welcome me
to the new position”. Extensive means to affect a large area. For example, “Her reading was
extensive” and “The extensive farming techniques yielded a large crop.”

43. What is the difference between “feelings for / feelings about”? When you use a phrase “feelings
for”, the message is always positive. However, when you use the phrase “feelings about”, the
message can be positive or negative. For example, “I have a bad feeling about the test” not “I have
a bad feeling for the test.”

44. “Founder / flounder” – what should I use? Founder as a noun means one who begins or
establishes something like the founder of a city or company. Founder as a verb is not used
extensively but it can mean to experience failure or to fill with water and sink. Flounder is a completely
different word. As a noun, it is a type of marine fish. As a verb, it means to struggle to move or to
proceed ineffectively. For example, “The Company floundered in the midst of the stock market crash.”

45. Is it “for sale or on sale”? When something is for sale, it means the item is available for
purchase. For example, “The house is for sale” or “The car is for sale.” As a customer, you need to
ask what the price of the item is to buy. The phrase on sale means the item is reduced in price. In
other words, it is sales price and you will pay less for the item than its full price. Have you ever bought
something on sale?

46. Do you know the difference between “formally and formerly”? Noticed the words are spelled
differently and they are pronounced differently. In fact, they mean completely different things. You
must be careful how you say them and how you use them. Formally means in accordance with the
rules or officially. For example, “The Olympics were formally declared” means the Olympic
competition officially began. And when you receive an invitation that says “formally attired”, it means
to dress up. However, formerly means in the past or earlier times. For example, “The Company
formerly employed only two employees and now boasts a workforce of 100.”

47. These words are often confused: “garnish / garner”? They both can be verbs and nouns. Garnish
as a verb means to decorate like “You garnish a salad with orange slices.” It can also mean to hold
funds from like “The employee’s wages were garnished to pay back taxes.” As a noun, garnish means
something that decorates. For example, “Parsley is a garnish for a dinner plate.” Garner as a verb
means to gather or collect something especially information or approval. For example, “The police
garnered the evidence for the crime.” As a noun, garner means a storehouse of grains like a silo on
a farm.

48. “Lessen / lesson” both sound alike. Lessen is a verb that means to make or become less like “Her
savings lessened as she spent money for college tuition.” Lesson is a noun that means a period of
learning or teaching. For example, “She studies an English lesson online.”
49. “Gig/jig”? Jig is a lively dance or a device that holds a piece of work and guides tools to operate
on it. So, you can “dance a jig” or work in a factory with a “jig”.

50. A common mistake “went / gone”. Both words are verbs but, went is the past tense of “to
go”. Went never has a helping verb. You say, “I went to work” not “I have went to work”. Gone always
is used with a helping verb. For example, “She has gone to work”, “They have gone to work”, or “He
had gone to work.”

51. “Had better / ought to / should” what is the difference? These three verbs are all used to give
advice. Had better is strongest emphasis because it implies a negative consequence if the advice is
not followed. Another difference is that ought to and had better are not used with questions. For
example, “Should I ask my boss for a raise?” Not, “Ought I to ask my boss for a raise?” And not, “Had
I better ask my boss for a raise?”

52. “If I was / if I were”? Both expressions mean the same thing in English. However, the phrase if I
was + (a hypothetical situation) is considered by many people to be grammatically incorrect. This is
not acceptable in more formal writing. For example, “If I were ten years younger, I would save more
money.” Notice that the first part of the sentence implies that you are ten years younger which really
cannot happen. Therefore, you use the expression, if I were. On the other hand, you say, “If I was
rude on the phone with you, I apologize.” This means that it could happen.

53. “Install / instill”? These words are both verbs. Install means to make ready or to put someone in
an important job. For example, “I will install the new software for the computer” and “The University
recently installed the new president.” Instill means to gradually cause someone to have an attitude,
feeling, etc. For example, “Martin Luther King instilled in his followers a dream to have racial equality.”

54. When do you use “instance/instant”? Instance is a noun which means an example of a type of
action or situation. It can also mean an occasion of something happening. For example, “The
confusion over the new procedure shows another instance of incompetence.” Instant can be a noun
to mean a short period of time or an adjective to mean happening or done without delay. For example,
“In an instant, my headache was gone when I took an aspirin.” Another example is “I sent an
application for a job, and I received an instant reply.”

55. “Last name/family name”- what to use? In western culture, a person’s last name is their family
name. However, in many other cultures, the family name might be placed before the first
name. Therefore, it might be confusing if you are asked “what is your last name”. In other words,
just remember your last name is your family name.

56. How do you use the words “former/latter”? Both words are adjectives. Former means previously
field a role or it can mean the first of two things or people mentioned. Someone could have a former
boss or former job. The word latter means occurring nearer to the end of something, like the latter
half of the 21st century. Latter is the opposite of former when it is used to mean the second of two
things or people mentioned.

57. How do use “lie/lay/laid”. Lie is an action you take to yourself, and lay is something you do to
something or someone. For example, “We were so tired last night that we had to lie down and rest”
and “Please lay down the books and listen to me.” Lay is the past tense of lie and Laid is the past
tense of lay. The examples are: “He lay in the shade to take a break” and “She laid her infant down
for a nap”.

58. When to use “let/leave”? Do not be confused with these two words as let means to permit or to
allow while the verb leave means to go away from or to put in a place. Examples: “We should never
let our disagreement destroy the friendship” and “Please leave them alone.”
59. “Led/lead”? The word lead has two specific meanings. As a noun (pronounced like bread), it is a
metallic element. It is labeled “Pb” on the periodic table and is sometimes found in old paint. It can
also be used as a verb, but then it is pronounced differently (pronounced like greed). In this case, it
means to guide or direct like a parent who leads their child through example. However, the word led
is a verb that means the past tense of the verb lead. If you can substitute the words “guided” or
“directed” into the sentence, then you know that you used the word led correctly.

60. When do you use each word: “many/much”? Both of these words mean a lot of. Usually, if a noun
is singular, you use the word much. And if a noun is plural, you use the word many. For example,
“You can have much work to do” and “You will invite many friends to the party.”

61. Is it “lightening / lightning”? The word lightening is a verb that means to make something lighter
in color as in “We lightened the dining room by painting it white.” Also, lightening refers to the process
of making something lighter in weight. The word lightning is a noun and means a phenomenon that
is followed by thunder.

62. When to use “loose/lose”? Loose is an adjective, the opposite of tight. For example, “These
shoes are too loose.” And, the word lose is a verb that means to miss from one’s possession. For
example, “Don’t lose that money.” The words are pronounced differently with loose rhyming with
moose and lose rhyming with choose.

63. “The majority is/majority are”? The word majority can be either singular or plural. If the word is
to be used for a collection of individuals, then the word majority should be treated as plural: “The
majority of students do not like when the tuition is raised.” If the word refers to a collective group,
then it should be treated singular: “A 75% majority agreed to the decision made by the president.”

64. “May / might”? May is used for the possibility: “You may leave now.” And the word might is used
when there is a limited possibility: “I think it might snow tomorrow.”

65. “Maybe / may be”? Maybe is a compound word that means “perhaps” or “possibly”, as this
sentence shows: “Maybe we will go to see the movie tonight.” On the other hand, may be is a verb
phrase that has the meaning “might be” or “could be” as in the sentence: “She may be going to the
park to see her friends.”

66. “Drown / sink”? Drown is a verb which means to die of suffocation by being underwater too
long: “Many migrating wilder beasts drown while they cross the fast flowing river.” The word sink is
to mean a process of being immersed: “The fishing line will sink with the bobber.”

67. “Mislead / misled”? Both words are verbs. Mislead is the present tense while misled is the past
tense. Mislead means to give someone false information as in “I believe that the company’s recent
comment was made to mislead the shareholders.” Misled is the past tense form of mislead as in “We
were misled by his deceiving statement.”

68. “Minute / minuet”? Minute is a unit of time equal to one sixtieth of an hour (60 seconds). Minuet
is a form of dance that is slow and graceful. This dance was popular in the 18th century.
69. When to use “overlook / oversee”? Overlook is to forget to check something either intentionally or
accidentally like when a teacher overlooks a small mistake in an essay and she wants to concentrate
on the intent of the essay. Oversee means to check or supervise as a manager or boss would do of
people’s work.

70. The difference between “parameter / perimeter”? Parameter is a limit like when your boss sets a
parameter for certain rules of using the internet on the job or a dress code, or even a quota you need
to reach. Perimeter is a noun that refers to the border of an enclosed space. You have a perimeter of
a room, your yard, etc. The words are pronounced differently as the first and second syllables contain
a short “a” sound (parameter) or a short “i” sound followed by a short “e” controlled “r” sound
(perimeter).

71. When to use “passed / past”? Passed is the past tense of pass. For example, “The student passed
the test” or “The train passed the intersection.” Past means time that is gone. For example, “In past
years, the computer was not as important as it is today.”

72. How about “patience / patient”? Patience is a noun and means the capacity, habit or fact of being
calm (or patient). Patient can be an adjective to mean showing self-control and calmness. It can also
be a noun to mean a person under medical care. You can see that the endings of the words are
different and, too, they are pronounced differently: one with a “c” sound and the other with a “t”.

73. What is the difference between “peasant / pheasant”? At first glance you can see that the word
pheasant has an added letter to the beginning of the word. The “ph” beginning blend sounds like an
“f” so you would pronounce the word as “fezent” with a short “e”. A pheasant is a long-tailed game
bird. The word peasant refers to the class or small landowners or laborers who work tilling the soil;
they are usually people of low social or cultural status.

74. How to use “perpetrate / perpetuate”? Perpetrate means to carry out or commit as in a harmful,
illegal or immoral action. For example, “There has been a robbery perpetrated by the street gang.
Perpetuate means to make something that is usually bad to continue indefinitely. For example,
“Please don’t perpetuate racism.”

75. When to use “persecute/prosecute”? Persecute, a verb, means to treat someone unfairly mostly
because of their race, religious views or political views. Prosecute, also a verb, means to follow to the
end as in prosecute a war or to bring legal action for punishment of a crime or violation of a law. “You
feel persecuted by others for your beliefs”, and “The attorney will prosecute the criminals”. The words
differ also in pronunciation with the first syllable: “per” in persecute and “pro” in prosecute.

76. What is the difference between “personal/personnel”? Personal relates to your person or body, or
it implies a sense of closeness. You might be a personal friend of someone, which means you are a
close friend. However, the word personnel refers to a group of people, usually people who work at a
company or in the military. The word personnel can also be used as the name of a department that
manages employees. It can also be used as an adjective to describe situations related to manage
employees. Personnel can be singular or plural. English language specialists suggest that when
personnel is plural, it means people, and when it is singular, it is a collective noun to mean staff or
board. For example, there could be a directive for all personnel to wear blue jeans on Friday so this
would be plural to mean people. Or you would say the most important aspect of a school district is
how much personnel is retained after the cuts. In this case, personnel is singular to mean staff. A clue
to help you remember the difference is that personal has one “n” and so it means one person; and
personnel has two “n’s to mean many people.

77. When do you use these words: “perspective / prospective”? Perspective is almost always used
as a noun to refer to a view or the angle from which something is viewed. The word prospective is an
adjective to mean likely to happen or likely to become. So you could say, “… from a fan’s perspective
the hockey team played better than ever.” And you would say, “It is a helpful suggestion to research
prospective employers before you interview for a position.”

78. What is the difference between “phantom/fathom”? A phantom is a ghost. The initial “ph” sounds
like the letter “f”. It is used as a noun. For example, you could say, “There might be a phantom in the
attic because sometimes I hear noises at night time coming from there.” But fathom is a nautical
measure of depth. When you don’t understand something and you can’t “get to the bottom of it”, you
would say, “I can’t fathom it.” I this case, it is used as a verb.

79. How to use “phenomenon/phenomena”? Phenomenon is singular and phenomena is plural. The
word means an observable fact(s). Example, “There are many phenomena in nature like floods,
hurricanes, rain, etc.”

80. When do you use “poisonous/venomous”? Many people use these terms interchangeably, but
they carry two different meanings. Poisonous creatures secret a toxin externally and so they are
dangerous to the touch or when they are ingested. Venomous creatures inject a toxin usually from an
internal gland.

81. How are these words different: “precedence/precedents”? Both words are nouns that are
pronounced the same. However, the word precedence means priority or a ceremonial order of rank,
as in “My children take precedence over my work.” Precedents refers to things done or said that can
be used as a model or example as in, “The precedents for young musicians having a hit single has
been set.”

82. What differentiates these professionals: “psychologist / psychiatrist / psychotherapist”? There are
significant differences among these professionals. They tend to deal with different types of problems.
Psychology is the study of people and how they think, act, react and interact. Psychologists deal with
the way the mind works and they may specialize in mental health or educational psychology or
occupational psychology. They are not medical doctors, and many of them do not work with people.
Psychiatry is the study of mental disorders and their diagnosis, management and prevention.
Psychiatrists are medical doctors who see patients and may have a special area of expertise or
research. Psychotherapy is a talking therapy conducted with individuals, groups, couples and families.
Psychotherapists help people handle stress, troublesome habits, and emotional and relationship
problems. They may be another health professional like a psychologist or psychiatrist who has had
further specialist training in psychotherapy.

83. “Purposely / purposefully”? Purposely describes something done deliberately. If a young child
pushes another child’s wooden block tower down, he might do this purposely because he wants to
build something with the blocks or he might be jealous of the tall tower. Purposefully describes the
action or demeanor of a person who is determined. For example, if you wanted to run a 5-K race, you
would purposefully practice and be more conscious of healthy eating. 84. These words are often
confused: “quite/quiet/quit”. Quite is an adverb that means completely, totally, and absoulutely like,
“The lady is quite attractive with her new haircut” or “That job is quite attractive to me with the travel
and weekend perks”. Quiet means a state of calmness like the library was quiet or the lake was quiet
at dawn. Quit is a verb that means stop. If you quit smoking, you don’t smoke anymore. If you quit
your job, you don’t work there anymore. You have stopped smoking and you have stopped working.
85. Similar sounding words: “raise/raze/rise”. Raise and raze are pronounced the same with a long
“a” sound. Rise has a long “i” sound. They are all verbs. Raise usually means to lift, heighten or to
promote as in raising your hand or a flag. Or you are awarded a raise in salary. (However in England
the term rise is used for a salary increase). Raze means to destroy or demolish as in the house was
razed to make room for the new highway. Rise means to get up or increase. For example, there was
a rise in the price of fruits and vegetables because of the cooler weather. 86. How are these words
different: “rational/rationale”? The adjective rational means having the ability to reason; the noun
rationale refers to the explanation or reason. The words have different endings and are pronounced
differently. Examples include, “The debater’s argument was quite rational when he stated the rationale
for the problem.” 87. Two commonly used and misused words: “real/really”. Real is an adjective that
means true or factual and describes nouns and pronouns like, “The golden coin was made out of real
gold.” Really is an adverb that means actually, indeed or in reality. It modifies verbs, adjectives and
other adverbs, as in the sentence, “The temperatures this winter are really cold”. 88. “Resent/recent”?
The verb resent can be pronounced two different ways to mean two different things. The accent is on
the second syllable for both pronunciations, but if the “s” sounds like a “z”, resent means to feel
annoyed at like in the sentence, “The worker resented making minimum wage for all of the hard work
that he did.” If the “s” sounds like an “s” the word resent means to send back as in the case of someone
who resent an email. The other word, recent, is an adverb that means not long ago. For example, you
could say that you recently spoke to your friend or your resume has been updated recently. That is if
you spoke to your friend and updated your resume in the past few weeks. 89. I’ve heard both… what
do I use: “in regard to/in regards to”? The correct phrase is “in regard to” as in the sentence, “This
response is in regard to the position I saw posted on your website”. It means concerning, regarding,
with or in. Many people say “in regards to” but this is not correct English. 90. Which word is which:
“regime/regimen”? A regime is more often used as a form of government or administration, or a
government in power. For example, “The new regime seemed to be supported by the majority of the
working class.” A regimen is most often used to show a regulated system like a regimen for fitness
or a diet. For example, you could say that he practices yoga in the morning before work as part of
his daily regimen. 91. “Regretful/regrettable”? If someone is regretful, then this means that they are
full of regret and they are sorry. If something is regrettable, it means that the incident or situation is
causing regret. If you lose your job because you were late for work many times, you might say, “I feel
regretful that I did not take my job seriously enough to be on time in the mornings” and “Losing my
job because I was often late for work is a regrettable situation.” 92. “Rollover/roll over”? Rollover is a
noun or an adjective: “The rollover of the truck was caused by a reckless driving.” The two-word roll
over is a phrasal verb: “They can roll over their rollover funds when necessary.” 93. How to use the
words “sale/sell”? Sale is a noun and sell is a verb. Sale refers to a monetary exchange for
products. For example, “The sale of the old building was finalized when the counter offer was
accepted by the buyer.” Sell means to transfer a product or service in exchange for money. For
example, “You can sell groceries at a grocery store”. 94. How do you use “different/difference”? The
words different and difference have the same meaning. Difference is the noun form of
different. Different is an adjective and refers to the quality or quantity of not being the same. For
example, “There can be a difference in ages between the two friends because they are different ages.”
95. What about the words “seasonal/seasonable”? Seasonal, an adjective, implies happening during
a particular time or events during a certain time: “Hiring seasonal workers during the holiday season
needs to be discussed.” The adjective seasonable means normal, appropriate, or typical to the
season: “In North America, seeing the migrating birds in late fall is seasonable.” 96. When do you
use the words “unseasonable/unseasonal”? Unseasonable means not normal for the season as in
“The recent weather with the 60’s in temperature is unseasonable in North America.”; and Unseasonal
refers to not typical for labeling something that changes with the season as saying, “No holiday sales
in December is unseasonal.” Please note that the word unseasonal is not a standard form, while
seasonal is. When the word unseasonal is used, it usually is meant as unseasonable. 97. When to
use “see/saw”? See is the present tense and its past tense form is saw. You see a performance and
you saw the performance. 98. These are two different words: “since/sense”: Since and sense sound
similar but they have completely different meanings. Since means from then till now; and sense is a
collective term for five natural powers (touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing). For example, “Since
last year, you have earned over $35,000 dollars in bonuses. You have sensed success!” 99. When
do you use “shrunk/shrank”? Shrunk is the past participle form of “shrink” while shrank is the simple
past tense form. So, you would say, “I shrank the clothes” or “I have shrunk the clothes”. You would
not say, “I shrunk the clothes.” 100. When do you use “last/latest”? This is a very common mistake.
Many native speakers use these words incorrectly. Last means final; and latest means the most
recent. So the latest book I read was about the president, but it is not my last book to read. 101. Three
different words: “suit/suite/sweet”. Suit (pronounced “sewt”) is a noun that means many different
things: a costume, a set of garments, a claim in court, or a set of playing cards of the same
marking: Diamonds, Spades, Clovers and Hearts. The noun suite (pronounced “sweet”) means a
musical composition, a staff of attendants, a set of things like furniture from the same manufacturer
or from the same unit (all living room furniture that is grouped together), or several rooms connecting
at a hotel, apartment or dorm that share a bathroom. The adjective sweet means pleasing to the
taste and other senses. A candy bar is often sweet. Today the word sweet is used as a slang word
for cool or awesome, or something that meets your approval. 102. What’s the difference:
“suspect/suspicious”? The word suspect can be a noun to mean someone who is suspected of
something. It is a verb to mean to imagine, think, or to have mistrust. It can also be an adjective. Here
are some examples: “The burglar was suspect of the crime.” “I suspect that the dog ate the meat off
of the table.” “The suspect policy needs to be reviewed by the staff to see if it is the best for the
company.” Suspicious is an adjective that means having or showing mistrust. An example sentence
would be: “The little boy looked suspicious of taking the cookies when I saw cookie crumbs on his
mouth and his bulging pockets.” 103. When do you use “systematic/systemic”? Systematic refers to
things that are arranged or dealt with according to some system or organized method. For example,
“Jay systematically sorts his letters into piles: those that need immediate attention and those that can
wait.” If you need a synonym for “consistent”, then systematic is the word for you. Systemic is a more
rare scientific and technical term that refers to parts of a body or system. For example, “A systemic
disease affects many parts of the body.” So if you are talking about something happening to a system
or inside a system, then the correct word is “systemic”. 104. These words are often confused:
“taut/taunt”? The word taut means tight. And the word taunt means to tease. So, you can pull
something taut. And if someone teases someone, this is called taunting. 105. When to use “high/tall”?
The simple way to remember this is that tall expresses height and it is also used to compare items to
each other. For example, “The apartment complex is tall” or “My boss is tall.’ The word high is used
to express elevation. So if you said that the building is high, you mean it is raised from the ground.
Maybe it is on a hill or there are steps leading up to it. If you said that your boss was high, that would
mean he is in a good mood. 106. What is the difference between “though/thought”? These are two
different words that are pronounced differently, spelled differently and mean different things. Though
means however as in this sentence: “He got up early though he was still tired.” Thought is the process
of using your mind to consider something carefully. Thought is the past tense of thinking. For example,
“The teacher thought I did a great job in explaining the project.” 107. When do you use “went/gone”?
Went is the past tense of to go. It does not take a helping verb. For example, “My friends went to the
movies.” Gone is the past participle of to go. It is used with a helping verb: has, have, had, is, am,
are, was, were or be. Both words mean the same thing. For example, “My friends have gone to the
movies.” 108. Are these words the same: “we’re/were”? We’re a contraction for we are. And the word
were is the plural form of the verb are. It is a past tense verb as the action already happened. If you
talk about something in the present or in the future, use we’re. But remember you need to substitute
the words we are in the sentence in order to use the contraction we’re. To talk about something in the
past use the verb were. 109. “Worse/worser?” In many dictionaries, the word worser is listed as
“archaic”. This means that the word is seldom used today and it is no longer part of standard English.
So you can plan to use the word worse instead. It means below expectations or below standard and
having negative qualities. For example, “The damage from the flood is worse today than yesterday”
or “Even though I retook the test, my score was worse than before.” 110. How about 15 years old or
15 year old? This depends on what you want to say. For example, “My daughter is 15 years old and
she went shopping with a 15 year old.” This would tell you the age of your daughter and that she went
shopping with someone who just happened to be the same age. 111. When do you use “your/you’re”?
The word your is used to show ownership like your car or your school. Whereas, the contraction
you’re is used for the words you are as in the sentence, “You’re invited to my party this Saturday
night.” Both words are pronounced the same way. 112. Double negatives Do you catch yourself
saying double negatives like “She cannot go no where?” A double negative is using two negative
words or phrases in the same sentence. This sentence should be rephrased to read, “She cannot go
anywhere.” 113. When to use “between/among”? The word between is used when you have two items
or people in your sentence, while the word among is used for more than two items or people. These
sentences show you the correct way to use these words: “Mother placed the flowers between the
candles on the table” (this would mean there are only 2 candles); and “Mr. Jones reviewed the new
law case among other cases” (this would mean that Mr. Jones talked about the new case, as well as
more than 2 other cases). 114. “Arrived at/arrived to/arrived in”? You must pay particular attention to
what it is that you want to say and then match the preposition “at, to, or in” with the verb arrived. For
example, you would say that you “…arrived at such and such time.” You would say, “You arrived at
an audition or at the school.” And you would say, “You arrived in a certain place like New York.” 115.
What is the difference between “gender/sex”? Many people use these words interchangeably, but
they do have different meanings. Sex refers to male or female and their biological and physiological
characteristics. Gender refers to masculine or feminine and behaviors, roles, expectations and
activities in society. 116. “Beautiful or handsome”? Beautiful is an adjective that means aesthetically
appealing. It is generally used to describe the female beauty of softness, meekness and grace. Many
things are beautiful: the sunrise, the weather, children, a friendship, a Power Point presentation, etc.
Handsome is usually a form of beauty that is associated with a good-looking male of any age.
However, it can also be used to describe something that is large like a handsome wage (meaning a
good wage or lots of money). 117. “Since/because”? Since and because are both conjunctions. Since
generally refers to time like “I have not cleaned my house since Saturday.” In this case, if you
substituted the word because for since, the sentence would not make sense: “I have not cleaned by
house because Saturday.” On the other hand, the word because would be used in sentences to
explain a cause or reason of but not dealing with time: “The children played at the park with their
babysitter because their mother was gone shopping.” 118. “This morning/today morning”? You would
never use the expression today morning. Instead, say the word today at the beginning of your
sentence or this morning. For example, “Today the sunrise was beautiful” or “This morning the sunrise
was beautiful.” 119. “Scan/skim”? Many people use these words interchangeably, but they really
mean two different things. Both are verbs. Scanning is to search for something (a word, phrase,
diagram or other piece of information) within a book or other written material, possibly in an index or
table of contents. Skimming is used to gather quickly as much information as you can from browsing
the content, chapter titles, summaries, etc. You scan to find a specific detail; you skim to get an
overview. 120. When to use “off/of”? These are two different words with different spellings and
meanings. Off is the opposite of on. Of is a preposition used to mean the distance or direction from,
the source, the cause, or the contents. So you turn off the television and you read a table of contents.
121. How to use “gotten/got”? Got is the past tense form of get. Both got and gotten are past
participles for the word get. You would say, “We get tired from running each day”, “We have gotten
tired from running each day”. In informal conversations, many speakers use the word have got or got
to mean “have” or “must”. You should avoid this in your writing. Use have or must instead. 122. What
is correct: “till/’til/until”? When you are talking about a period of time that lapses before something
happens, the words till and until can be used. For example, “We ran till we were out of breath” or “We
ran until we were out of breath.” Til’ is an accepted form of until. 123. What is the difference between
“gray” and “grey”? Gray is the more common spelling in American English and grey is the preferred
spelling in British English. 124. “Mute or moot?” Moot is an adjective that generally means it is not
important or relevant anymore. Mute means a person without the power of speech or to soften the
sound of speech. These are two different words with different spellings, pronunciations and meanings.
125. Is it “burned or burnt”? Both of these words are acceptable for the past-tense forms of the verb
“burn”. However, burned is the more common form in the United States, and burnt is the more
common form in Britain. If you live in the United States, burnt is used as an adjective like the burnt
steak. 126. “Drag, dragged, drug”? “Dragged” is the past tense verb of “drag” when you mean to pull
something. However, some people use the word “drug” as the past tense of “drag”. It is noted that
this is a dialect common to people who live in southern United States. The standard meaning of “drug”
is pharmaceuticals so grammar experts suggest using dragged for the past tense of drag. 27. Are
these words used the same: “persuade/convince”? Persuade means to move by an argument to that
opinion or course of action usually through appeals to the emotions, moral sense or the will. So you
persuade someone who does not want to go to the movies to go after all. Maybe you tell them that
you will pay for the movie or that you will buy them popcorn. You might tell them that they deserve a
break or that the movie is a really good one to see. Convince means to bring by demonstration or
argument to a belief made to the intellect. You are convinced of a doctrine, belief or duty. You may
be convinced that human beings deserve equal rights.
128. What do these words mean: “preventive/preventative’? Both words mean the same thing: to
keep from happening. Preventive is the original adjective corresponding to the word to prevent. It is
used more often in common speech. You could have a preventive check-up which is a yearly physical
to check on your general health or preventative maintenance done on your car at so many miles so
your car stays running in the best condition and lasts a long time.

129. When to use: “entitled/titled”? Major dictionaries and grammar guides state that the words
entitled and titled are synonyms. They do feel that the word titled is often a better choice to use as it
is a simpler term. You could say the book titled ___ is new novel I want to read.

130. What is the difference: “healthy/healthful”? Healthy describes someone who is fit, trim and not
sick. It describes someone or something that enjoys good health. For example, “Healthy forests are
built to withstand severe natural disturbances.” Healthful means something that will create good
health. So it’s correct English to have a healthy snack or a healthful one. But if you are referring to
the person who is enjoying good health, then healthy is the better choice as in, “The physical trainer
at the gym is very healthy.

131. When do you use “raised/reared”? Today these words are both used to mean to help bring up
children as in raising your children or rearing your children. However, the word raised is only used
with crops as in, “The farmer raised the corn crop on the 100 acre farm.” You would not say someone
has “reared” crops.

132. What is “half-boiled/soft-boiled”? These two words mean the same thing. The opposite of a half-
boiled or soft-boiled egg is a hard-boiled egg. Usually when you boil an egg to make it half-boiled/soft-
boiled, you boil it for 3 minutes. To make a hard yolk, the egg is boiled longer. So the next time you
eat breakfast out at a restaurant you can order your eggs how you like. What do you prefer: half-
/soft-boiled or hard-boiled?

133. “Saloon/salon”? These are two different words with different meanings. Saloon is spelled with
“oo” like “moon”. Salon is spelled with one “o” like “on”. A saloon is usually used for a place that sells
liquor like a barroom. A salon is a fashionable shop like a beauty salon.

134. What is correct: “seven twenty o’clock or seven twenty”? The correct way to tell time is to say,
“It’s seven twenty” or “It’s twenty (minutes) after seven.” You would never say, “It’s seven twenty
o’clock.” You use the expression “o’clock” only with time on the hour like, “Seven o’clock”. 135. What
do you say: “broken coat/torn coat”? Broken and torn are used in different ways. You might use these
words for the same reason like saying your heart is broken or your heart is torn if your boyfriend or
girlfriend breaks up with you, if someone dies, etc. But in most other cases, broken is used for things
that are glass, metal, wood, etc. Clothing is never broken. If the clothing is torn, then the clothing is
ripped. Consequently, glass and metal and wood cannot be torn. 136. “Make a fault/make a mistake”?
Something can be your fault or someone else’s fault, but you can’t make a fault. You make a mistake.
Fault means a weakness in character. Mistake means a wrong action or statement; an error. 137.
“Would you mind helping me with this project?” “Yes, certainly” or “no”. This is a common error. When
someone asks you a question like, “Would you help me with this project?” then it is easy to say, “Yes,
I will” or “No, I am sorry that I don’t have time.” But notice the question that was asked for #137 and
the use of the word “mind”… This expression changes the meaning of the sentence so now if you
answer, “Yes, certainly” that would mean that you are certain that you do not want to help. And if you
reply with “no” that would mean that you do not mind helping with the project. The best thing you can
do is to listen to see how the question is phrased, and then respond. Another suggestion is to answer
with a different response rather than “yes” or “no”. Simply say, Sure, I would be glad to help out!” if
you can. Otherwise, say, “I’m sorry that I can’t help you…” 138. Is it “bright outside/light outside”?
Although both expressions are grammatically correct, you probably would only say the first expression
“bright outside” if it is generally around noon time and it is very sunny. Other than that, most people
say that it is light outside to refer to early morning and the sun coming up or right before it is dark at
night. 139. What’s the difference between “alone/lonely”? Alone is calm and being somewhere with
nothing other than your own thoughts. Lonely is wanting someone or something else to be with you.
You can be all alone at home and enjoying a good book, your favorite music, or a walk in the park,
etc. But if you are lonely reading that book, listening to music or walking in the park, you really want
someone else there to listen to you, share the experience, or be in your presence. 140. When are
these words used: “around/round”? Around means in the area or vicinity like, “The friends enjoyed
hanging around my house to talk.” Round means having a circular shape, or to express a number
that is close to a certain unit and not the exact number. So “wheels are round” and “…the contractor
gave me a quote in round numbers for the new house addition.” 141. “Assume or know”? Assume
means to take as granted although it is not approved; know means to have understanding or to be
aware of the truth. Assumptions are not always true, but knowledge is the truth. If you assume you
will get a good grade in that language class, then it means you think or believe you will get the A;
however, you are not certain. If you know that you are going to get an A, then you have knowledge in
some way that you are going to get that grade. Maybe you have a list of your graded assignments
that average to an A or maybe the professor talked to you about your grade, or maybe you saw his/her
grade book. 142. “Astrology/astronomy”? Many people are unsure of what these words mean and
they often get them mixed up. Astrology interprets the influence that the Sun and Moon have while
they are in a specialized zodiacal sign. Astrology is based on the concept of the 12 signs of the zodiac,
measuring 30 degrees each along the astrological circle. Astronomy is the scientific interpretation of
matter in space. The daily horoscope is written by someone who understands astrology while a
scientist who discovers a new moon or planet may be an astronomer. 143. “Bored or boring”? You
need to be careful with this one. If you say that you are bored with something like a lecture or book,
or that you are just bored because you have nothing to do, then that means you are tired or
uninterested. But if you say you are boring, that means you are dull. If someone asks you, how you
are? And you can’t be positive about it, don’t say you are boring. You are bored. 144. What is the
difference between “come over/overcome”? The verbal phrase come over can mean to move from
one place to another as in “come over here”. It can also mean to seem to be a particular type of
person as in “movie actors and actresses come over as being dramatic”. Overcome means something
different. It can mean to conquer as “he overcame the obstacle and reached success in his business”
or it can mean to reach a stage that engulfs you like “overcome with sadness”, “overcome with
disbelief”, “overcome with gratitude”, etc. 145. What is the correct word: “bachelor’s degree, bachelors
degree, or bachelor degree”? When a degree from a university or college is awarded to someone at
the undergraduate level, this is called a bachelor’s degree. The same is true for an advanced degree.
You would say “a master’s degree.” To help you remember the correct way to write this, think of the
degree belonging to the person who is either a bachelor or a master. 146. Do these words mean the
same thing: “curious and interesting”? If someone is curious, it means they are interested in learning
about what is around them. For example, “The student was curious to find out how many people used
his brother’s website.” If something is curious, it means it is unusual, odd or strange. So it might be
curious that the 85-year-old lady still can walk on the balance beam and complete a gymnastics
routine. If someone or something is interesting, it means that it gets your attention because it is
unusual or strange, exciting, etc. You could find a book, trip, person, etc. interesting. Interesting does
not always mean curious. However, usually something curious is interesting.

147. “Defrost or melt”? Defrost is a verb that means to cause to become free or to cause to become
no longer frozen. For example, “You defrost the freezer when you unplug the refrigerator and clean
it.” Melt is a verb to means to turn something that is in a solid form into something soft or a liquid. For
example, “The snowman melted in the 40 degree temperatures.” Notice, that you don’t melt the
freezer when you unplug the refrigerator and a snowman does not defrost.

148. “Could care less or couldn’t care less”? To say you could care less means that you have a little
bit of caring left which is probably not what the person intended to mean. It is best to use the phrase
“couldn’t care less” as in “The mailman couldn’t care less if his shift was shortened on Saturdays as
he wanted to have more free time.” 149. The use of the word “none” as singular and plural: A mass
noun uses the word “none” and it is followed by a singular verb as in, “None of the water was safe to
drink”. Sometimes the word none has a sense of plurality and therefore it takes a plural verb as in,
“The teacher talked to the students, and none of them were able to help out at the fundraiser.” 150.
“Dress up/dressed”: You dress up for a party, an interview or something special. When you get
dressed, this expression means you put on any type of clothing. So if you are dressed up, it means
you are wearing fancy clothing and if you are dressed, it means you are ready for the day and you
are not in your pajamas or bathrobe. 151. “Do/make”? Both of these are verbs, but you use them with
different objects. You can do your hair and do your makeup. And you can do your best. You can make
all sorts of things. This verb is often used with creative outlets like cooking, writing or artwork as in
“making dinner”, making a story or play” or “making a picture or a sculpture”. You do sports but you
don’t make them. But you make a home run in baseball or a goal in hockey. You make friends. Listen
to the conversations around you and see if you can pick up some more ways these two verbs are
used.

152. “Look at / watch”: The expression look at means to view something specific like if someone tells
you to look at the sunset or a rainbow. If someone says to watch, it would mean to look over like in
watching your children if you were gone to an appointment; or a watchman at night who stands guard
to protect a company, etc. I can look at an essay to edit or look at the television guide and pick out a
show to watch. But I would watch the show or a performance.

153. “Downside / underside”: Downside is a noun that means the disadvantage of a situation. For
example, the downside of living up north at the cottage is that it is very cold and isolated in the winter
time. Underside is a noun that means the side of something nearest the ground. For example you
could find a worm on the “underside” of a leaf. And the underside of your computer might have details
about the type of computer you have, a serial number, etc.

154. “Don’t have to / mustn’t”: Mustn’t is the stronger of the two words to mean something is
prohibited. Don’t have to is used to express responsibility or necessity. For example, “You don’t have
to do the report by Tuesday means it does not have to be finished by Tuesday. You mustn’t be late
for the appointment means you can’t and shouldn’t be late.

155. “Driving test / test drive”: When you take a driving test, you are driving a car with a licensing
agent to see if you can pass the requirements to get a license. When you take a car for a test drive,
you are probably driving the car for a trial basis at a dealership prior to purchasing that car. You might
even test drive a few different kinds of vehicles so you can have a better idea of how they feel to drive
before making a purchase.

156. “Extra / surplus”: These words might mean the same thing but they are used differently. If you
have an extra jacket or an extra sandwich, it means you have more than one or maybe more than
you need. If you have a surplus of goods, you have more than you need. You would not say that you
have a surplus of a jacket or sandwich.

157. “Going out / outgoing”: Going out means to leave your house and physically “go out”. This would
mean to a party, out to dinner, having a date, etc. If someone is outgoing, this means they like to talk
to people and to be around them. Going out is a verb phrase and outgoing is an adjective.

158. “How do you do? / How are you?”: These two questions are different. The first is used to greet
someone that you are introduced to. The second one asks how you personally are… the answer to
the first one would be “Nice to meet you, so and so…” The reply to the second one would be “Fine”,
“So-so”, “Fair”, “Great…how about you?”
159. “Learn / teach”: To learn means to gain knowledge, understanding, skill or experience. To teach
means to show how, to guide and to impart knowledge. Someone teaches you and you learn or you
teach someone and they learn.

160. Is it correct to say “anyways” to someone? The correct word is “anyone” so you should not say,
“Anyways, call me later”. The correct response is to say “anyway, call me later”. And I don’t like
exercising, but I do it anyway.

161. What’s the difference: “pass away / pass out / pass over”? Pass away means to die. Pass out
means to faint. Pass over means to ignore. This is how you would use each phrase in a sentence:
Your grandfather passes away and you attend the funeral. The marathon runner passed out in the
heat. And you were passed over for a raise by your boss.

162. How do you use “of course / off course”? Of course means yes. Off course means to not follow
an intended path, course or route. So you can answer “of course” if you want to do something. You
are off course if an airplane does not follow the normal route or you are not on target of meeting your
goal.

163. “People or persons”? People is almost always the better choice when you refer to more than one
person. The dictionaries that include persons mention that this word is uncommon and archaic. It is
going out of style. For example, “There are many people who take the subway to work.” Use the word
people for the plural of person.

164. What about “him / her” and “he / she”? Oftentimes, it is difficult to use the correct gender for the
people you are speaking about. This happens especially with native speakers who do not have this
distinction in their own language. Try to pay particular attention to who someone or yourself is talking
about, and put the correct pronoun at the forefront of your thoughts. This might help you to more
easily retrieve the word you need to use.

165. What is the difference between “overtake / takeover”? Overtake means to pass as in a vehicle
passing another vehicle on the highway. Takeover means to get control of a company by buying most
of its shares. For example, the company that my neighbor works for was recently taken over. It was
involved in a takeover this past month.

166. “Some time, sometime or sometimes”? Sometime means at some unspecified time like, “Let’s
go biking again sometime.” Some time means quite a while. For example, “He spends some time
sailing every day.” Sometimes means now and then; occasionally like, “Sometimes I like to ride my
bicycle up the bluff.”

167. “Tenet and tenant”? A tenet is a belief that someone holds. A tenant is someone who holds an
apartment or rents a house. Your tenet could be, “… to do unto others as you want them to do unto
you.” Perhaps you are a tenant and you pay rent to a landlord for a place to live.

168. Is “momento” a word? Momento is not a word. The correct word is memento which means a
keepsake, a reminder of an event or a person. You would more than likely have a memento from your
trip.

169. “Much thanks / many thanks”: The word “thanks” is plural so “many thanks” is the correct way to
show your appreciation. In the English language, the word “many” is used with plural count nouns
and “much” is used with mass nouns. Example, “I send you many thanks. I have much gratitude.”

170. What is the difference between “a while and awhile”? A while is a time. For example, in “In a
while I will take the dogs for a walk.” Notice the pause between the two words: “a” and “while”. Awhile
is one word. It is an adverb that means “for a time”. For example, “Mother told the children to go and
play awhile.”

171. What is the difference between “precede / proceed”? Both words are verbs. To precede means
to come before (usually in time). To proceed means to go forwards or to continue. For example,
“There are previews of future shows that precede the main movie” and “The project needs to proceed
so it is finished on time.”

172. “Principal / principle”: Both words are pronounced the same. However they have different
meanings. Principal is a noun meaning a person like the principal of a school. It is an adjective that
means main or the highest rank or importance. For example, “My mother’s principal complaint is that
the music is too loud from the neighboring apartment.” Principal can also be an adverb as in the word
principally which means for the most part. An example would be: My father was principally an oil
painter.” The word principle means a moral rule or belief that helps you know what is right or wrong.
This may influence your actions. It can be a basic truth or theory. It may be a law or a fact of nature
that explains how something works. Examples would be “You live by a guiding principle to be nice to
your neighbors” and “There are principles of motion”.

173. What’s the difference between: “regard / regardless / regards”? Regard as a verb usually means
to have an opinion about something or someone. For example, Oscar Wilde said, “I regard the theater
as the greatest of all art forms.” Regard can also mean to look carefully at something or someone.
For example, “The children regard the principal with great respect.” Regardless as an adverb means
not being affected by something as in “I took the driving test regardless of my limited practice driving
on the highway.” Regards is simply a greeting. For example, “Please give my regards to your parents”
would mean to say “hello” to them.

174. “Remainder/reminder”: Both words are nouns. A remainder is what is left over like a remainder
when you divide something and it does not come out equally. It is a remaining number, item, or group.
A reminder is what is told to someone something so they are more apt to remember. There can be
written, visual or aural reminders.

175. “Remember/remind”: Both words are verbs. Remember means to have memory of. For example,
“My mother remembers growing up on a farm” or “Remember what the weather was like last week”.
Remind means to tell someone something so they are more apt to remember.

176. Are these different words: “replay/reply”? Both words are verbs. Replay means to play again or
to play over. You cold replay a game or you could replay a video game. Reply means to answer. You
can reply to an invitation or you can reply to a question.

177. Is it “run over/overrun”? Run over is to collide with, knock down by, or pass over like “The horses
will run over the barricade.” The word overrun is to defeat decisively and seize the positions of. For
example, “The front line of defense was overrun by the massive enemy attack.”

178. “Said/told”? These two words have similar meanings, but they are used differently. Said is the
past tense and the past participle of say. The difference between said and told is that words are said
while told is associated with information being told. Told must have an object. For example, “I
couldn’t hear what you said (does not need an object)” and “She told us everything about the plan
(needs an object).”

179. “Say/talk”? Say and talk have slightly different definitions. Say is associated with an actual
pronunciation of words or an expression in words. For example, “We always have to say, ‘Good
morning’ every morning” or “Say what you are thinking.” Talk is when you say words to someone. For
example, “Let’s talk about the plan.”
180. “Scared/scary”? The verb scared is a condition or a feeling of being afraid. For example, “We
were scared at the thunderous sound coming out of the woods.” But, the word scary, an adjective, is
the reason for the feeling of being afraid as in “The man with a mask was scary.”

181. What is the difference between “shortage / shortness”? Shortage is a noun that means there is
not enough of something like, “There is water shortage after 3 months of drought.” Shortness is also
a noun that describes the condition of being short as in “Did you have any shortness of breath when
you were running fast?”

182. “Stuff / things”: Stuff is used to call the material or substance that form(s) something. Sometimes
it is used as a collective term. For example, “Bring your music stuff to school tomorrow.” Things can
be entities, ideas, or items. For example, “He enjoys making things out of wood.”

183. “Stationary / stationery”: These two words sound identical but have very different
meanings. Stationary spelled with “ary” means not moving or being still. For example, “You have to
wait in a stationary position for your turn.” Stationery spelled with “ery” means office supplies such
as pencils, envelopes, or paper. Maybe you have visited a stationery store.

184. “Take care / take care of”: Take care is an expression you say to someone often at the end of
conversation which really means “Take care of yourself.” On the other hand, take care of is used
when you look after someone or something as in “I am taking care of my neighbor’s dog”.

185. When to use the words “travel / trip / voyage / journey”? The word travel means going from one
location to another. It can be a verb, a noun, or an adjective: “I travel a lot to my work”, “It was a long
travel going up north”, or “A travel agency is moving into the 2nd floor of this building.” Trip is used
for a short journey for a certain purpose: “My family just took a 2-week trip to Montreal, Canada.” The
word voyage usually is used to describe a long journey by sea or in space: “A spacecraft was built to
take the four astronauts on a voyage to the Mars.” Journey refers to the implied travelling distance
between two places: “The long journey to San Francisco will be finally over in just two hours.”

186. What is the difference between: “worn / warn”? Worn is the past participle of wear and also an
adjective that means to be damaged by using or wearing something over a long period. For example,
“I chose to wear worn clothes for the yard work yesterday.” Warn is a verb that means to inform or
notify someone in advance of a possible problem, complication, or negative situation. For example,
“I warn you not to tell them a lie.”

187. “Shade / shadow”? Shade is an area where sun is blocked thus creating partial darkness. For
example, “The farmer sat in the shade under the oak tree to take a break.” The word shadow is a
dark shape that appears on a surface when something is placed or moves between the surface and
a source of light. For example, “The shadows created in the woods at nightfall were spooky.”

188. “Customer / client”? Both words are sometimes used interchangeably but the conventional
definitions are different. A customer buys products or services from a company, store or individual
while a client engages necessary services of a professional.

189. Do you say “arrived to” or “arrived at”? The correct English is “arrived at”. For example, I arrived
at the airport or I arrived at work (or any other place). You haven’t arrived to (any place).

190. “Stranger / guest”? Stranger is a noun that means someone who is not known: “Don’t be a
stranger.” Guest is also a noun that describes someone who receives the hospitality at another
person’s home or table: “She is our special guest tonight.” More than likely, you know the guest or if
you don’t know them personally, you know of them.
191. “Ground / floor”? Ground is the surface of the earth or position / viewpoint whereas floor is the
surface of a room on which you stand. For example: “He sat on the ground for a picnic”, “We held our
ground despite arguments presented by some shareholders”, or “The entire floor of the house needs
to be repaired.”

192. “Grow / grow up”? Grow, a verb, has several meanings: To increase in size in “The trees are
growing”, to expand as in “Our group is growing larger and larger”, or to cause to grow like “She grows
tulips.” Grow up is a phrasal verb that means to become an adult. For example, “What do you want
to be when you grow up?”

193. “Pick / pick up”? Pick is a verb with the meaning of choose, gather, or provoke: “We picked the
best runner”, “We went apple picking yesterday”, and “He picked a fight with them.” It can also be a
musical term: “The musician just bought a pick for his guitar.” The phrasal verb pick up means to take
up something as in “I picked up a book from the library”, to collect like “We picked up lot of seashells
at the beach”, or to clean up as saying, “Please pick up the room.”

194. “Borrow / lend”? The words borrow and lend have opposite meanings. Borrow is to take
something from someone with permission and intention of returning it. Lend, however, is to give
something to someone with the expectation of getting it back.

195. “Past / passed”? Past has several meanings and it can be an adjective, an adverb, a noun, or a
preposition: “The teacher just walked past me”, “Let’s forget the past and focus on the future”, and
“The past three weeks have been very hard for the injured players.” Passed is the past tense and
past participle of pass: “I just passed the bar exam yesterday” and “He has passed the physical
regiment test.”

196. “Discover / invent”? The word discover means to find something previously unknown like, “We
discovered the secret path to the top of the clock tower.” And invent means to make something that
never existed. For example, “Thomas Edison invented many devices that had great impact on the
modern world.”

197. “Take place / take part”? Take place means to happen as in “The game will take place next
week.” Take part is an idiom that means to participate in like “We all must take part in tomorrow’s
fundraising drive.”

198. “Win / earn”? Win is frequently associated with success in carrying out a certain task or gaining
awards for your efforts. For example, “You work hard to win your next game.” Earn refers to obtaining
something from your action or efforts. For example, “You should earn a college degree to find a higher
paying job.”

199. When should I say “won / beat”? Won (the past tense form of win) and beat both deal with
individual games and sports. But they are used in different ways. Won is used to describe the
achievement and can be used without an object like “We won.” But you can also win a prize, an award
or competition. You beat an opponent to win. You do not beat a prize, award or competition.

200. When do you use “bring / take”? The words bring and take are both verbs that refer to carrying
something. In most cases, bring implies action or movement toward the speaker like “Bring that book
to me.” But, take suggests action or movement away from the speaker like “Take these clothes to
your sister.”