Common Mistakes and Confusing Words in English

[ام بسمه]

This is a nice and useful topic that I found and liked,while surfing the net . So, I thought of coping it to you here



advice vs advise | accept vs except | affect vs effect | a lot/alot/allot
all ready vs already | altogether vs all together | apart
been vs gone | bored vs boring | bought vs brought | borrow vs lend | by vs until
check vs control | complement vs compliment
don't have to vs mustn't
either vs too | every day vs everyday
fewer vs less | for vs since (time) | he's vs his
"How do you do?" vs "How are you?"
I vs me | interested vs interesting
lay vs lie | less vs fewer | look after vs look for | look at vs watch
me vs my | nor vs or
a part | personal vs personnel | practice vs practise
raise/rise | said vs told | see vs watch | so vs such | stationary vs stationery | to/too/two
there/their/they're | travel/trip/voyage/journey
used to vs used to do | what vs which

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Ex :


accept vs except

Accept is a verb, which means to agree to take something .

For example: "I always accept good advice."

Except is a preposition or conjunction, which means not including.

For example: "I teach every day except Sunday(s)."


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advice vs advise

Advice is a noun, which means an opinion that someone offers you about what you should do or how you should act in a particular situation.

For example: "I need someone to give me some advice."

Advise is a verb, which means to give information and suggest types of action.

For example: "I advise everybody to be nice to their teacher."

! Often in English the noun form ends in ...ice and the verb form ends in ...ise.

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affect vs effect

Affect and effect are two words that are commonly confused.

affect is usually a verb (action) - effect is usually a noun (thing)

Hint: If it's something you're going to do, use "affect." If it's something you've already done, use "effect."

To affect something or someone.

Meaning: to influence, act upon, or change something or someone.

For example: The noise outside affected my performance.

To have an effect on something or someone

Note: effect is followed by the preposition on and preceded by an article (an, the)

Meaning: to have an impact on something or someone.

For example: His smile had a strange effect on me.
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a lot / alot / allot

A lot can be used to modify a noun, meaning a large amount or number of people or things.

For example:-

"I need a lot of time to develop this web site."

It can also be used as an adverb, meaning very much or very often.

For example:-

"I look a lot like my sister."

It has become a common term in speech; and is increasingly used in writing.

Alot does not exist! There is no such word in the English language. If you write it this way - imagine me shouting at you - "No Such Word!"

Allot is a verb, which means to give (especially a share of something) for a particular purpose:-

For example: "We were allotted a desk each."
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ll ready vs already

All ready means "completely ready".

For example: "Are you all ready for the test?"

Alreadyis an adverb that means before the present time or earlier than the time expected.

For example: "I asked him to come to the cinema but he'd already seen the film."
Or
"Are you buying Christmas cards already? It's only September!"
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altogether vs
all together

All together (adv) means "together in a single group."

For example: The waiter asked if we were all together.

Altogether (adv) means "completely" or "in total ".

For example: She wrote less and less often, and eventually she stopped altogether.
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been vs gone

been is the past participle of be

gone is the past participle of go

Been is used to describe completed visits. So if you have been to England twice, you have travelled there and back twice. If you have gone to England, you have not yet returned.

! Now you've been and gone and done it!
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bored vs boring

bored is an adjective that describes when someone feels tired and unhappy because something is not interesting or because they have nothing to do.

For example: She was so bored that she fell asleep.

boring is an adjective that means something is not interesting or exciting.

For example: The lesson was so boring that she fell asleep.

Been is used to describe completed visits. So if you have been to England twice, you have travelled there and back twice. If you have gone to England, you have not yet returned.

!Note Most verbs which express emotions, such as to bore , may use either the present or the past participle as an adjective, but the meaning of the participles is often different.
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bought vs brought

bought past tense of the verb to buy
For example: "I bought a newspaper at the newsagents. "

brought past tense of the verb to bring
For example: "She brought her homework to the lesson."

! There is an 'r' in brought and an 'r' in bring = they belong together.
***
check (v)
vs
control (v)

To check means to examine. To make certain that something or someone is correct, safe or suitable by examining it or them quickly.

For example: "You should always check your oil, water and tyres before taking your car on a long trip."

To control means to order, limit, instruct or rule something, or someone's actions or behaviour.

For example: "If you can't control your dog, put it on a lead!"

What you shouldn't do is use the verb control in association with people and the work they do.

For example: "I check my students' homework, but I can't control what they do

[ACME]

Thanks So Much

[ام بسمه]

Thanks So Much

You're welcome. Pleased to see your quick response sir

[BloumagrieT]

Peace and blessings may be upon our sweet sister

Um Basma

Thank you for sharing these useful information with us here

May Allah the Almighty reward your efforts and kind intentions

[جاكوار2]

[M.o_o.N]

ام بسمه


thank you sweety

^_^

[مهـرة الـروح]

GReat lesson

very useful
thaanks (a lot(

may Allah bless u

[MboGm]

thank you very much

[الحبر الازرق]

والله مانى فاهم شى

[jazzaa]

Thank you

Great subject


Best regards

[The Soul Of hope]

Great effort and useful informations

thanx my sister ,, may Allah reward u

[a picky girl]

مشكوره ياام بسمه على الموضوع الحلو والمفيد
فهمت الفرق بين كل الكلمات
ماعدا الفرق بين check & control

[البـارع]

they seem complex
so, the explanations are very important

thank you

[S..S]

***Thanks***

[ام بسمه]

Peace and blessings may be upon our sweet sister

Um Basma

Thank you for sharing these useful information with us here

May Allah the Almighty reward your efforts and kind intentions

Thanks dear
I'm honored to see you here

[فلورندا]

thank u sooo much
it’s a great topic
Allah bless u

[modest]

thanx
great
my regards

[نوارة جدة]