| 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.
!Effect can also mean "the end result".
For example: The drug has many adverse side effects. |
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| alone / lonely |
Alone, can be used as an adjective or adverb. Either use means without other people or on your own.
For example: "He likes living alone."
"I think we're alone now." = There are just the two of us here.
Lonely is an adjective which means you are unhappy because you are not with other people.
For example: "The house feels lonely now that all the children have left home." |
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| a lot / alot / allot |
A lot, meaning a large amount or number of people or things, can be used to modify a noun.
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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| all 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.
!To be in the altogether is an old-fashioned term for being naked! |
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apart vs
a part |
Apart (adv) separated by distance or time.
For example: I always feel so lonely when we're apart.
A part (noun) a piece of something that forms the whole of something.
For example: They made me feel like I was a part of the family. |
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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.
!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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| borrow vs lend |
To lend:
Meaning: to hand out usually for a certain length of time.
Banks lend money.
Libraries lend books.
For example: "My mother lent me some money, and I must pay her back soon."
To borrow:
Meaning: to take with permission usually for a certain length of time.
You can borrow money from a bank to buy a house or a car.
You can borrow books for up to 4 weeks from libraries in England.
For example: "I borrowed some money off my mother, and I must pay her back soon."
! For a happy life - Never a borrower nor a lender be. |
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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. |
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| by vs until |
Both until and by indicate “any time before, but not later than.”
Until tells us how long a situation continues. If something happens until a particular time, you stop doing it at that time.
For example:
They lived in a small house until September 2003.
(They stopped living there in September.)
I will be away until Wednesday.
(I will be back on Wednesday.)
We also use until in negative sentences.
For example:
Details will not be available until January.
(January is the earliest you can expect to receive the details.)
If something happens by a particular time, it happens at or before that time. It is often used to indicate a deadline.
For example:
You have to finish by August 31.
(August 31 is the last day you can finish; you may finish before this date.)
We also use by when asking questions.
For example:
Will the details be available by December?
(This asks if they will be ready no later than December.)
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