Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Confused Words


Sore and Soar

Sore means painful, aching, stinging, injury, angry, annoyed, etc.
Soar means to fly, ascend, rise, climb, escalate, etc.

My feet were sore after the long walk.
She was sore over his sarcastic remark.
The eagle can soar high in the sky.
When the hospital offered free help, the poor couple’s spirits soared.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Confused Words


Roll and Role

Roll means to revolve, turn over, move, rotate, etc.
Role means function, task, responsibility, part, character, etc.

The lorry rolled down the hillside.
They rolled the injured guy on to his back to give him first aid.
Tom was sentenced for his role in the bank robbery.
He was given the lead role in the play.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Confused Words


Taut and Taught

Taut means tight, rigid, strained, firm, etc.
Taught means trained, educated, qualified, etc.

The rope was tied tautly.
His Uncle taught him to read and write.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Confused Words


Raise and Rise

Raise means to lift, elevate, move up, boost, improve, etc.
Rise means to arise, stand up, ascend, grow, etc.

An iron fence surrounding the mansion was raised.
Their hopes were raised after a few survivors were found.
Land prices are rising steeply with every passing day.
They all rose to greet the Mayor.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Confused Words


Soul and Sole

Soul means spirit, core, character, individual, etc.
Sole means single, lone, exclusive, unique, etc.

They all prayed for the departed soul.
His company has bagged the sole rights for telecasting the Golf championship.  

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Confused Nouns


Cause and Reason

Rule: Cause is that which produces a result; Reason is the cause to do something, it justifies the result.

Incorrect Usage: (a) You need to have a good cause to come here.
                                  (b) What was the reason of that accident?

Correct Usage: (a) You need to have a good reason to come here.
                                        (b) What was the cause of that accident?

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Confused Nouns


Shade and Shadow

Rule: Shade is the portion, which is sheltered from direct sunlight; Shadow is the form that is created when something comes in front of light.

Incorrect Usage: (a) They took rest in the shadow of a tree.
                                (b) He was afraid of his own shade.

Correct Usage: (a) They took rest in the shade of a tree.
                                             (b) He was afraid of his own shadow.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Confused Words


Teem and Team

Teem means swarm, abound, pour, etc.
Team means side, gang, squad, group, etc.

The river is teeming with fish.
The hockey team put up an impressive performance in the World Championship.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Confused Nouns


Floor and Ground

Rule: Floor is the surface of a room on which we walk; Ground is the surface of the earth outside a building.

Incorrect Usage: (a) His clothes were scattered on the ground of his room.
                             (b) That floor is not fit for building houses.

Correct Usage: (a) His clothes were scattered on the floor of his room.
                          (b) That ground is not fit for building houses.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Confused Words


Sale and Sail

Sale means selling, deal, trade, retailing, etc.
Sail means navigate, drift, flow, travel, etc.

That house is up for sale.
They sailed in the luxury liner.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Confused Words


Dying and Dyeing

Dying means death, demise, fading, vanishing, etc.
Dyeing means coloring, painting, etc.

He arrived in the early morning flight to meet his dying grandfather.
Thai bronzeware has become a dying art.
Tom had dyed his hair brown.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Confused Words


Hail and Hale

Hail means sleet, frozen rain, call, summon, greet, salute, acknowledge, etc.
Hale means sound, healthy, strong, fit, etc.

The sinking ship’s crew hailed a fishing boat for help.
It hailed all night.
The people hailed their new king.
Even at the age of sixty, that man is hale and hearty.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Confused Words


Between and Among

Between is used only for two.
Among is used for more than two.          
                                
A scuffle started between the two gangs.
The team members started quarrelling among themselves.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Confused Words


High and Tall

High is used for things like buildings, trees, hills, etc.
Tall is commonly used when referring to people.

That building is very high.
She is just four feet tall.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Confused Words


Strait and Straight

Strait means narrow, closed, passage, channel, canal, etc.
Straight means direct, upright, at once, right, plain, frank, without curves, etc.

The Strait of Gibraltar connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea.
After the party, they headed straight to the airport.
The road was long and straight.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Confused Words


Cast and Caste

Cast means to throw, toss, fling, emit, radiate, etc.
Caste means a particular class, social group, genre, etc.

A large and strong net was cast to catch the shark alive.
Caste discrimination should be severely condemned.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Confused Words


Duel and Dual

Duel means contest, fight, clash, etc.
Dual means double, twin, twofold, etc.

The two politicians were engaged in a verbal duel.
His abroad trip had a dual purpose.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Confused Words


Waist and Waste

Waist means middle, waistline, the part of human body below the ribs and above the hips.
Waste means spend, destroy, squander, lose, etc.

The river has waist-deep water.
We should not waste money on unnecessary things.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Confused Words


Decease and Disease

Decease means death, depart, pass away, die, etc.
Disease means sickness, illness, ailment, etc.

Her deceased parents had left for her an ancestral house.
Heart diseases have become very common nowadays.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Confused Words


Pray and Prey

Pray means to implore, plead, ask, beg, etc.
Prey means quarry, victim, etc.

They prayed God for Tom’s quick recovery.
The helpless deer became an easy prey for the lion.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Confused Words


Site and Sight

Site means an area, place, location, etc.
Sight means to view, see, observe, look, etc.

This is the proposed site of the new temple.
The lookout caught sight of the trespassers.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Confused Words


Personal and Personnel

Personal denotes individual, private, belonging to a particular person, etc.
Personnel denote workers, staff, employees, etc.

One should not poke nose in others’ personal matters.
The newly joined sales personnel have to undergo training for a week.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Confused Plurals


Advice
Rule: The word advice cannot be used in a plural sense.
Incorrect Usage: He needs some good advices.

Correct Usage: He needs some good advice.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Confused Words


Further and Farther

Further denotes both greater distance and to a greater degree.
Farther is used only for distances.

We are not going to tolerate his behavior further.
They could not walk farther.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Confused Words


Later and Latter

Later indicates a subsequent time or stage.
Latter indicates the physical order (it denotes the second of two things).

I will come later.
Both, France and Europe are great tourist places; but, the latter is more popular.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Confused Words


Beside and Besides

Beside means next to, by the side of, near, etc.
Besides means in addition to, also, apart from, etc.

I have kept your lunch and medicine on the table beside your bed.
Besides being a successful businessman, he was also a top golf player.