Another vs The other
another - another thing or person means an additional thing or person of the same type as one that already exists.
The other - the other thing or person means the only remaining thing or person except the existing one.
* Have another piece of cake.
* Please fetch another cup for me.
* That's quite another matter.
* Both my uncles are abroad, one in Paris and the other in New York.
* One of them is yours; the other is mine.
When we are given two options, we say one or the other.
When we are given more than two options, we say one or another.
Anyway vs Any way
anyway - ( in any case ) ( at any rate )
* Anyway, we can try.
* " I can give you a lift if you wait ". No, I'll walk. Thanks, anyway.
* I will not change my mind, anyway.
any way - any possible method
* If there is any way in which you can help me tide over the difficulties, let me know.
* He could not find the way to the village in any way.
* I cannot manage it any way.
Asleep vs Sleeping
asleep - someone who is asleep is sleeping.
Asleep is adj being placed in front of the verb to be. It cannot be used before a noun.
* Looking at the asleep baby. ( wrong )
* Looking at the sleeping baby. ( right )
sleeping - ( present participle of sleep )
Sleeping is adj that precedes a noun such as sleeping baby etc. While it is used after the verb to be, it is functioning as a verb.
* Who is that sleeping man ?
* Keep an eye on the sleeping baby.
* Let sleeping dogs lie.
accept vs except
accept - is a verb
* We accept your apology.
* Do you accept credit cards?
except - is a preposition.
* All of us failed the test except John.
* The museum is open daily except Mondays.
cross vs across
across - is a preposition
* I want to go across the road.
* They're building a new bridge across the river.
cross - is a verb
* I want to cross the road.
* Look both ways before you cross over
already vs all ready
already - means ' before the time specified '.
* We had already prepared lunch by noon.
* The concert had already begun by the time we arrived.
all ready - means ' completely prepared '.
* She is all ready to go.
* We are all ready to study English.
effect vs affect
affect - is a verb; it means ' to influence '.
* Smoking affects your health
* It's a disease which affects mainly older people.
effect - may be a verb or a noun. The verb effect means ' to cause to happen'. The noun effect means ' the result '.
* What are the effects of pollution ?
* The radiation leak has had a disastrous effect on the environment
beside vs besides
beside - means ' next to '.
* May I sit beside you ?
* Our school was built right beside a river.
besides - means ' in addition to '.
* Besides tennis, he is good at football.
* Do you play any other sports besides football and basketball?
boring vs bored
bored - is used to describe how we feel
* Staying at home all day makes me feel so bored.
* He was getting bored with the same thing every day.
boring - is used to describe the person or thing that makes us feel bored.
* The film was really boring.
* She finds opera boring.
compliment vs complement
compliment - is to praise.
* He complimented me for helping the poor family.
* I must compliment you on your handling of a very difficult situation.
complement - is to go well with another thing.
* The necklace complements the suit.
* The music complements her voice perfectly
elder vs older
elder - is used to compare the ages of people within a family.
* Let me introduce you to my elder sister.
* You should listen to the advice of your elders.
older - is used to show the difference in years.
* Carlos is a year older than Shabby
* He's a couple of years older than me
a few vs few
few - means ' not many '
* Few people live to a hundred years old.
* Few things in this world give me more pleasure than a long bath
a few - means ' some '.
* You will have to wait a few minutes.
* There are a few cakes left over from the party
little vs a little
little - means ' not much '
* He cannot help you because he has little knowledge of the subject.
* There's so little choice
a little - means ' some '.
* If you add a little salt to the soup it will taste better.
* He gave a little smile.
Altogether vs All together
All together - Used of a group whose members acted or were acted upon collectively
* At the class reunion, we sang the college song all together.
* The books lay all together in a heap.
Altogether - Entirely, with all included or counted, with everything considered
* The work is altogether unnecessary.
* It was not altogether her fault.
in the end vs at the end
At the end - at the time when something ends.
* I'm going away at the end of January.
* At the end of the concert, there was great applause.
In the end - finally
* He got more and more angry. In the end he just walked out of the room.
* Jim couldn't decide where to go for his holidays. He didn't go anywhere in the end.
because vs because of
because - is a conjunction; it is followed by a clause.
* I took a taxi because I was late.
* We can't go to Julia's party because we're going away that weekend.
because of - is a preposition; it is followed by a noun or noun phrase.
* She failed the examination because of her laziness.
* The train was delayed because of bad weather.
bring vs take
bring - used for a movement from a further to a nearer place
* Bring your book to me.
* If you come to my house tomorrow, bring your friends with you.
take - used for a movement from a nearer to a further place
* He often takes his children to the beach.
* You can take my calculator with you, but you must bring it back when you have finished with it.
cloth vs clothes
cloth - material used for making clothes; a piece of garment
* He wiped up the mess with an old cloth.
* Get a cloth and wipe the table, please.
clothes - garments worn on the body
* His clothes are always beautifully ironed and so he looks very smart.
* It's time you bought some new clothes. You look very untidy these days.
character vs characteristic
character - moral nature; combination of qualities which distinguishes a person, place or thing
* London has a character of its own.
* In searching for a life partner, we must look for someone of good character.
characteristic - a quality, a trait
* His kindness is one of his most pleasing characteristics.
* One of the most important characteristics of a good student is diligence.
* His one negative characteristic was his very hot temper.
dissatisfied vs unsatisfied
dissatisfied - not satisfied with the quality of something
* I am dissatisfied with the quality of your work.
* We were very dissatisfied with the hotel so we complained to the manager
* I feel very dissatisfied with my new car. It isn't really going well at all
unsatisfied - not satisfied with the quantity of something
* The demand for Volvo in the U.K. is still unsatisfied.
* After two plates of rice and curry, his appetite was still unsatisfied.
disinterested vs uninterested
disinterested - unbiased, impartial
* Judges at all times must be disinterested in cases they are involved in.
* After their argument, they looked for a disinterested party to solve their dispute.
* Certain countries participated in wars for their own reasons. They were not totally disinterested.
uninterested - not interested, bored
* He was uninterested in the entire proceedings and just sat there reading a book.
* Very few people went to see the procession. The rest were totally uninterested.
elicit vs illicit
elicit - to draw out facts or information from someone
* the police finally managed to elicit the truth from the suspect.
* A good teacher is able to elicit information from his pupils.
illicit - illegal
* The sale of illicit drugs is a serious problem.
* He was involved in the illicit transportation of goods over the Thai-Malaysian border.
* The prosecuting lawyer was able to elicit a confession from the defendant regarding his illicit involvement in gambling.
principal vs principle
principal - chief, main; a head of college or organization; a sum of money
* My principal aim is to become a lawyer.
* After teaching for twenty years he became the principal of a private college.
* If you leave a principal of $50,000 on fixed deposit you will earn a good interest every month.
principle - a basic truth, a law of nature; a rule of behavior
* He based his life on a few simple principles.
* The underlying principle of his management style is compassion.
*This machine works on the same principle as the motor car engine.
lose vs loose
lose - to fail to keep or find; to be deprived of
* If you lose your book you must get a new one.
* If we lose another match we will not qualify for the finals.
loose - free; untied; not fastened; not controlled
* They dared not go in because the dog was loose.
* When the birds were let loose they flew immediately to the nearest tree.
* She has a very loose tongue. She told everyone my secret.
lie vs lay
lie - to rest; to recline
* If I lie down in the afternoon, I soon fall asleep.
* There were many other people who were lying in the park.
* When I came in she was lying on the sofa fast asleep.
lay - to place; to put in a certain position
* If you lay the table, I shall make the tea.
* She laid her book on the bedside table and went to sleep.
hanged vs hung
hanged - executed by hanging
* The prisoner was hanged at dawn today.
* In the days of the Wild West, men were hanged from the nearest tree by the lynch mob.
hung - suspended
* The picture was hung above the sideboard
* They hung the bags from the pegs on the wall of the changing room.
* The wet clothes were hung out to dry in the sun.
homework vs housework
homework - studies carried out at home in preparation for school
* He forgot to do his Maths homework.
* In addition to a full day's lessons. pupils have quite a lot of homework to do at night.
* She looks forward to the school holidays and a rest from lessons, teachers and homework.
housework - domestic work, household chores
* She doesn't mind doing all housework but ironing.
* It is not fair to let Mother do all the housework, so we try to help her when we can.
ensure vs assure
ensure - to make sure; to make sure something will happen
* The medicine will ensure you a good night's rest.
* You must always ensure that all doors and grilles are locked before going to bed.
assure - to inform confidently, to promise, to persuade
* I assure you the medicine will work.
* He hastened to assure the hotel guests that the water shortage would not affect them.
historic vs historical
historic - important in history
* Welcome to historic Melaka.
* Independence Day is a historic day for any nation.
* When man first landed on the moon it was considered a feat of historic importance.
historical - concerning history as a subject
* He is a member of the National Historical Society.
* She really loves reading historical novels about 18th century Europe.
formally vs formerly
formally - ceremonially, according to custom
* She was formally crowned Miss World last night.
* The exhibition was formally opened by the Minister of Education.
formerly - previously, in earlier times
* He was formerly the Prime Minister of Russia.
* East Timor was formerly part of Indonesia.
* Muhammad Ali was formerly known as Cassius Clay.
English vs The English
English - the English language
* English is chosen as one of the official languages to be used during meetings at the UN.
* English is also the official language in India.
* Hard Times is an English novel, written by Charles Dickens
The English - the English people
* The English have a wonderful sense of humor.
* The English belong to the white race.
Everyday vs Every day
Everyday - is an adjective used before a noun to mean "ordinary" or common
* Snatch thefts have become an everyday occurrence in our country.
* She has a few silk dresses for special occasions and many cotton dresses for everyday wear.
Every day - is an adverbial phrase meaning "without missing a day"
* The newspaper is delivered to his house every day.
* Older people can keep fit by walking briskly for half an hour every day.
indoor vs indoors
indoor - is an adjective
* Snooker is an indoor sport.
* The high percentage of death and disease is linked to indoor air pollution.
indoors - is an adverb.
* You should stay indoors if you are not well.
* Come indoors, it's cold outside.
mature vs matured
mature - fully grown and developed; ripe
* At sixteen he is not mature enough to live alone.
* University students are usually mature enough to manage their own lives.
* The picked the mature fruit from the tree and took it home.
matured - of wine, vinegar, etc; undergone the maturing process.
* The wine was matured in casks for six years.
* Before it is ready to drink the wine is matured in large barrels for several years.
price vs prize
price - cost, amount needed to buy something; loss or suffering to attain something
* The price of quality goods is high.
* What is the price of the pair of shoes in the window ?
* There is a price to pay when one is a famous film star.
prize - an award given for winning a competition, lottery, etc.
* She won the third prize in the essay competition.
* He spent all the prize money he won in the lottery on a new car.
stationery vs stationary
stationary - not moving
* He hit a motor-cyclist then collided with a stationary bus.
* When learning to shoot we begin with a stationary target before we try to hit a moving target.
stationery - writing materials
* I buy all my stationery from the bookstore next door.
* The manager was angry because his staff took office stationery for their personal use.
* If you need pens and pencils, you will find them in the stationery department.
weather vs whether
weather - climatic conditions
* If the weather is good we can go for a brisk walk.
* The weather in England at this time of the year is usually very cold.
whether - if
* I am not sure whether I will be able to come tomorrow.
* Contact me about whether you can come or not.
Wood vs Woods
Wood - material which forms the trunks and branches of trees.
* All the furniture here is made of wood.
* The wood is rotting.
* The woodcutter collected two bundles of wood.
Woods - area of lands covered with growing trees, or forest.
* We came upon a clearing in the woods.
* After dinner Alice slipped away for a walk in the woods with Artie.
Source:
http://www.englishdaily626.com/wd.php?021
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