Writing
has to do with words, in particular, the choice of words. A good stock of
vocabulary is of course important. But other than that, you also need to know
the exact meaning of each word so that you will use it correctly. There are
many words that may sound similar, but they have different meanings, and thus
they are confusing.
Mellow / Melodious
Mellow:
mature; soft and pure; rich and full.
e.g.
As he continues to age, he become more mellow and compassionate.
Melodious:
tuneful; pleasant to the ear.
e.g.
He voice is melodious;
he should take up singing.
Reign / Rein
Reign means
to rule over; rein means
to control (e.g. an animal)
e.g.
The emperor reigned over
the country for decades.
e.g.
You must rein in
your hot temper.
e.g.
Beware of giving free rein to
your reason. (i.e. not release from any restraint).
Defuse / Diffuse
Defuse means
to decrease the danger, such as deactivate a bomb; diffuse means to spread over a
wide area.
e.g.
It is difficult to defuse the
conflicts in the Middle East .
e.g.
Once you open the bottle of fragrant herbs, their scents will diffuse.
Genteel / Gentle
Genteel: well-bred,
polite; imitating the lifestyle of the rich.
e.g.
Your friend is genteel.
Is he very rich?
e.g.
All along he has been living in genteel poverty.
He is not practical.
Faint / Feint
Faint (both
as a noun and a verb) means loss of consciousness; feint means a misleading attack.
e.g.
She fainted when she heard the bad news.
e.g.
The robber, who gave a feint, began
to attack the policeman.
Studio / Studious
Studio: a
place where pictures are taken, or films are made.
e.g.
The film was made in a Hollywood studio.
Studious:
fond of study; careful and thoughtful.
e.g.
To be a good scientist, you must be studious.
Hail / Hale
Hail means
to greet or salute; hale means
healthy and strong.
e.g.
"Hail Mary,
full of grace, the Lord is with thee."
e.g.
A man is hale when
his complexion is rosy.
e.g.
This dress is too loose for you (not tight enough).
Some
time / Sometime / Sometimes
Some
time means a period of time.
Sometime, as
an adverb, means approximately; as an adjective, means former or occasional.
Sometimes, as
an adverb, means now and then.
e.g.
We have been for the train for some
time.
e.g.
Why don't you visit me sometime?
e.g.
She was my sometime girlfriend.
e.g. Sometimes I like her, and sometimes I don't -- that's our
relationship.
Accountable
to / Accountable
for
Accountable
to means
responsible to someone; accountable for means responsible for something or
having to explain.
e.g.
The Manager has to be accountable to the Board; he has to be accountable
for all his
business decisions.
Lose / Loose
Lose means
being unable to find; loose means
to set free or to become less tight.
e.g.
Here is your ticket to the game; don't lose it.
e.g.
Don't lose your
temper (become angry).
e.g.
You are too loose with
your children (you have little or no control over them).
Impersonate / Personate
Impersonate is to copy or imitate a person
for fun; personate is to claim to be
another person with the purpose to cheat or deceive.
e.g.
The comedian impersonated the President to entertain the
audience.
e.g.
Someone personated the client, and took
the money.
Recourse
/ Resort
Recourse means turning to others or
something for help; resort means to turn to for help (both
noun and verb).
e.g. His only recourse was the police.
e.g. The police should not resort to violence to stop the peaceful
demonstration.
e.g. The army decided using violence
as the last resort.
Decorative / Decorous
Decorative:
having an artistic or showy effect.
e.g.
The ballroom with all the ribbons and flowers are very decorative.
Decorous:
showing good taste.
e.g.
The Princess looks decorous in
that simple but elegant dress.
Foul / Fowl
Foul means
dirty or offensive; fowl a fowl is
a bird, such as hen.
e.g.
The smoke from that factory fouls the
air. (as a verb)
e.g.
He always speak foul language,
even in the presence of ladies. (as an adjective)
e.g.
We are going to have a roast fowl for
Thanksgiving.
Admit /
Admit of
Admit means to confess an act; admit
of means
allow of or leave room for.
e.g. He did not admit taking the key without
permission.
e.g. The circumstance admits
of no
delay.
e.g. His
admission of guilt shows his honest personality.
e.g. There is no admittance
for
error.
Stephen
Lau
Copyright©
by Stephen Lau
