Words Liable to Be Confused And Misused

Words Liable to Be Confused And Misused

1. Accept        :  To receive, 'If you will accept the last term,I shall accept the contract.

Except            :  To Exclude,leave out. 'He has many good qualities except one flaw.

2.Adapt          :  To make suitable; to adjust properly, 'We must adapt ourselves to                                     changing circumstances.'

   Adopt          :   To take a person into a new relationship. 'They adopted a girl whose                                parents died in an accident.

3.Advise          : (Verb). 'Please advise me what to do.'

   Advice          : (Noun). He follows his father's advice.

4.Affect          : (1) To influence. 'Bad weather affect her health.' (2) to pretend.                                        'Beginners often affect learning.'

  Effect           : (1) Verb. 'The prisoner effected (made his) escape.' (2) Noun. 'What will                         be the effect (result) of this?'

5.Altar            : A place for offerings. 'The pious old man bowed before the altar.'

   Alter            : Change. 'The tailor altered the shirt meticulously.

 '

6.Bail              : Security. 'He was released on bail.'

   Bale             : Bundle, 'Fifty bales of cotton were burnt.'

7.Berth            : a Sleeping place in a train or on a ship, 'I got a berth reserved for me in                            the first class compartment.'

   Birth             : 'She gave birth to a child.'

8.Bear             : endure. 'I cannot bear this insult.'

   Bare             : uncovered. "don't touch bare electric wires.'

9.Canvas         : a kind of coarse cloth. 'Shoes made of canvas are not durable.'

   Canvass       : Solicit votes. 'Will you canvass votes for me?'

10.Cite            :  to quote. 'He cited verses from the Bible.'

 Site                : a place chosen for some special purpose. 'The site for the school building                          was selected by the Headmaster.'

Sight               : view.'A horrible sight met our gaze.'

11.Coarse       : rough. 'He wears coarse clothes .'

    Course            : direction. 'She has taken a wrong course(path).'

12.Confidant   : one who is trusted with a secret. 'My confidant betrayed my secret.'

    Confident        : sure. 'She is confident of success.'

13.Council       : an assembly for conference or deliberation . 'He is a member of the                                 Social Welfare Council.'

    Counsel       :  (1) to advise and instruct. 'Fathers usually counsel their sons against                                excess.' (2)advise; a legal adviser or advocate. 'he has engaged a                                counsel to defend him in the High Court.'

14.Decent       : well-behave and respectable. 'She is a decent girl.'

    Descent      : derivation; Slope. 'Her descent from a noble family  was also taken                                   into account. 'The journey down the descent was easy.'

Dissent           : disagreement . 'Murmurs of dissent were heard at the meeting.'

15.Dual          : double. 'I do not  believe in this dual policy of the Government.'

    Duel               : a combat between two men. 'He fought a duel in his youth.'

16.Emigrant   : a person who leaves one country to take up residence in another. 'The                             Irish emigrants settled in Canada.'

     Immigrant  : one who comes to one country from another to live there                                                 permanently. 'Most of the Americans are English Immigrants.'

17.Farther    :  actual distance or extension in space. 'It is farther from Hyderabad to                               Adilabad than it is  from Hyderabad to Goa.'

  Further        : Something additional in Thought. 'They the matter further.'

18.Human    : relating to man. 'Human nature cannot stand such insults.'

     Humane       : sympathetic ;tender-hearted. 'The humane treatment of prisoners is                                  now advocated by all.'

19.Loose      : to unfasten 'Loose this knot, Please.'

Lose             : to part with something. 'Don't lose your purse.'

20.Practice   :  a thing done again and again. 'Practice makes a man perfect.' 'He is out of                        practice.'

Practise        : (Verb; carry out in action. 'Practise what  you preach.'

21.Precede   : to go before 'Study should precede teaching.'

     Proceed        : to continue. 'Let us proceed with the work.'

22.Principal   : chief of the college,important,main 'These are the principal languages of                         the world. 'The principal of the college delivered his speech in Hindi.' (a                           sum of money is     also called the principal as distinguished from the                                interest.)

    Principle        : law! Rule.;maxim. 'Our principal is a man of high principle.'

                         'Principle is everything'

23.Raise        :  to lift. 'She raised her heard to see what was happening.'

     Raze               : to level to the ground : to completely destroy. 'The building was razed to the ground.'

24.Route         : road;path;course. 'This was the route taken by the traveler.'

                          Rout: the defeat of an army. 'The Germans put the English army to                               rout(utterly defeated).'

     Root                :  source or origin. 'Love of money is the root of all evil.'

25.Stationary   :  fixed. 'The pole star is Stationary in the heavents.'

     Stationery         : writing-material . 'He deals in stationery.'

26.Team           : set of persons working together 'Our cricket team won the match.'

    Teem                : full of. 'Every leaf teems with life.'

27.Temper       :  disposition of mind. 'He is a man of fiery temper.'

    Tamper            : meddle with; make unauthorized changes in 'After his death, They                                tampered with his will.'

28.Continual   : implies breaks at intervals. 'These was continual rain.' 'We were                                      continually interrupted.'

    Continuous      : uninterrupted in time or sequence. 'He worked continuously from                                      morning till night.'

29. Honourable     : worthy of honour. 'The Prime Minister was an honourable man.'

     Honorary         : holding office without receiving any salary. 'He was an Honorary                                    Magistrate.'

30.Industrial      : relating to industry. 'There has been much industrial development in                                   India.

   Industrious    : hard-working. 'An industrious man cannot starve.'

31.Sensible        : of good sense;reasonable. 'No sensible man would abuse a girl. 'He was                           sensible(aware) of your kindness. 'That is very sensible of him.'

    Sensitive        : acutely affected by external impressions. 'She is very sensitive to both                              praise and blame.'