Words Easily Confused by ESL Learner

English Words and Phrases Frequently Confused and Misused

Writing is made up of words. Effective writing requires having a good stock of vocabulary, as well as selecting the most suitable words and phrases to express the  intended ideas.

Remember, words are neither effective nor ineffective; they just impart different meanings to the sentences in which they are used. It is the writer's effective use of words and phrases that makes sentences effective or ineffective.

The English language is made up of nearly a million words and phrases. A writer, especially one whose English is not his or her first language, may face two major problems in writing: not knowing "enough" words; and not knowing how to choose the "right" words. 

Right / Rightly

Right: immediately; rightly: justly, correctly.

e.g.  Don't wait! Do it right now!

e.g. You will get your money right away.

e.g. I rightly canceled the trip: a storm was coming

e.g. We refused the offer, and rightly so because it was a bad deal.

Mediate / Meditate

Mediate: act as a peacemaker; meditate: think deeply.

e.g. The Secretary of State is trying to mediate between the two warring nations.

e.g. He meditated revenge after he was insulted by his coworkers.

  

Stephen Lau

Words and Phrases Frequently Confused

The following words are frequently confused and misused by ESL learners:

Providing that / Provided that

Providing that is incorrect.

e.g. You can go out to play provided (that) you have finished your homework. (meaning: on condition that)

e.g. You can keep the book for another week providing that no one has reserved it (incorrect: provided that should be used instead)

e.g. The millionaire has helped the poor, providing many of them with food and shelter. (correct; meaning: giving or offering)

Indoor / Indoors

Indoor is an adjective; indoors is an adverb.

e.g. Bowling is an indoor game.

e.g. It's going to rain; let's go indoors.

Welcome / Welcomed

Welcome is an adjective or a verb; welcomed is a participle.

e.g. You are most welcome.

e.g. This is a welcome party for all newcomers.

e.g. I like to welcome all of you.

e.g. The guests were welcomed by all of us in front of the house.

Accountable to / Accountable for

Accountable to someone; accountable for something (meaning "responsible for").

e.g. The CEO is accountable to the Board; he has to be accountable for all his business decisions.

Pretense / Pretension

Pretense is to make believe; pretension is a claim

e.g. I make no pretense to like her (I do not pretend that I like her).

e.g. I made no pretension to that award. (I never said I got that award)

Ingenious / Ingenuous

Ingenious is clever; ingenuous is natural, free from deceit.

e.g. I must say that was an ingenious way to fund the project.

e.g. His response to the question was sincere and ingenuous.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

v>

Words Commonly Misused

Here are some of the words which are commonly misused:

Good and Well

Good is an adjective; well can be an adjective or an adverb.

e.g. The food looks good. (adjective: good taste)

e.g. This is good advice. (adjective)

e.g. You look well today. (adjective: in good health)

e.g.  The engine works well. (adverb: functions efficiently)

Human and Humane

Human refers to a person; humane means considerate and merciful.

e.g. This is profound human wisdom.

e.g. This is not a humane way of treating an animal

Common and Mutual

Common refers to many or all; mutual means “reciprocal.”

e.g. This is our common interest.

e.g. Our love and respect are mutual, and that is why we can get along.

Ability and Capacity

Ability is the power to do something; capacity is the power to hold or contain.

e.g. We have the ability to finish this project on time.

e.g. This room has the capacity for a few hundred people.

Genius and Genus

Genius means a talented person; genus refers to class or kind.

e.g. Albert Einstein was a genius.

e.g.  This bird belongs to an uncommon genus.

Healthful and Healthy

Healthful means making you healthy; healthy means possessing good health.

e.g. This food is healthful.

e.g. We are not living in a healthful environment.

e.g. You are healthy, and your dog is also healthy.

If and Whether . . or

If suggests a condition; whether . . . or suggests doubt.

e.g. If it rains, we will stay home.

e.g. I wondered whether the money was stolen or not.

Inferior than and Inferior to

Inferior to means not as good as; inferior than is not a standard idiom.

e.g. My performance was inferior to yours.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Understand Human Wisdom

The Complete TAO TE CHING in Plain English

TAO wisdom is the profound human wisdom from ancient China more than 2,600 years ago. It is expressed in TAO TE CHING, one of the most translated works in world literature.

There are many translations and interpretations of Lao Tzu’s ancient classic “Tao Te Ching.”  Given that the Chinese language is often capable of multiple meanings, following the exact Chinese translation may make the flow of the language uneven and even difficult to understand. 

The book contains not only the complete 81 chapters of Lao Tzu’s immortal classic but also the author’s own interpretations of the essentials of TAO  wisdom (which is the wisdom of Lao Tzu) for easier intuition and assimilation.

To get your digital copy, click here. 

Slang and Colloquial Expressions

Learning a language takes time and effort, especially if it is not your first language. Even if it is your mother tongue, you still need time and effort to master it. Language is forever changing. What is currently popular may be replaced by something else in years to come, and the use of slang is a strong testament to that. Colloquial expressions are often acceptable in informal writing. The more you learn, the more you will know when to use them or not to use them in your writing or speaking. 

Hell-bent on: very determined.

e.g. The team is hell-bent on winning the game tonight.

Not born yesterday: not as naive or foolish as you think.

e.g. Don't give me all that nonsense. I was not born yesterday.

Right you are: I agree.

e.g. "I think I'm going to accept this job." "Right you are."

All at sea: confused.

e.g. "What do you think of the proposal?" "I'm all at sea; I'm completely clueless."

Get cold feet: become anxious and fearful.

e.g. He got cold feet, and left without taking the challenge.

All hot and bothered: agitated, confused, or excited.

e.g. She was all hot and bothered when she heard the news of their divorce.

Poorly: sick or unwell.

e.g. What's the matter with you today? I say, you look poorly!

Saw you coming: realized your ignorance.

e.g. You gave him the money right away without asking any question; he saw you coming!

Pooped: exhausted.

e.g. I was pooped after working for nine hours in the yard.

Say one's piece: say what one ought to say.

e.g. I must say my piece: that was not a nice thing to say to your parents.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Choosing the Right Words

Adherence / Adhesion

Much more: especially in a positive sense; much less: not to mention in a negative sense.

e.g. I would help a stranger in need, much more if he is my son.

e.g. She wouldn't even look at me, much less talk to me.

Dutiable / Dutiful

Dutiable: subject to imported tax; dutiful: showing respect and obedience.

e.g. Tobacco is often dutiable in most countries.

e.g. He is my dutiful son.

Adherence: following faithfully (metaphorically); adhesion: sticking to (literally).

e.g. No matter what may happen, our company will demonstrate to our shareholders our adherence to the project.

e.g. You can use this glue to strengthen the adhesion of these two pieces of material.

Defer / Infer

Defer: give way or yield to; infer: conclude.

e.g. He is a good kid: he always defers to his parents' wishes.

e.g. We can infer from your statement that you don't like this policy.

Accountable to / Accountable for

Accountable to: responsible to someone; accountable for: responsible for something

e.g. The Manager has to be accountable to the Board; he has to be accountable for all his business decisions. 

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Confusing Words and Phrases

Common / Commonplace

Common: shared or used by many; commonplace: ordinary, not unusual.

e.g. English is a common language used in Europe.

e.g. Nowadays, carrying a gun is commonplace.

Habitable / Habitual

Right / Rightly

Right: immediately; rightly: justly, correctly.

e.g. Do it right now.

e.g. Do it right away.

e.g. I rightly canceled the trip.

e.g. We refused the offer, and rightly so.

Sensual / Sensuous

Sensual: related to the body; sensuous: related to the five senses.

e.g. It is difficult to be spiritual when one focuses too much on sensual pleasures.

e.g. The painter is able to provide some sensuous images in his painting.

Defer / Infer

Defer: give way or yield to; infer: conclude.

e.g. He is a good kid: he always defers to his parents' wishes.

e.g. We can infer from your statement that you don't like this policy.

Potent / Potential

Potent: strong, powerful; potential: power that could be, but is not yet.

e.g. He is a potent politician.

e.g. He has great potential in American politics.

Compare to / Compare with

Compare to: state a resemblance to; compare with: put side by side to find out the similarities and differences.

e.g. The poet compares living in this modern world to riding on a bullet train.

e.g. If you compare Plan A with Plan B, you will know that Plan B is much better than Plan A. 

Mediate / Meditate

Mediate means to act as a peacemaker; meditate means to think deeply.

e.g. The Secretary of State is trying to mediate between the two warring nations.

e.g. He meditated revenge after he was insulted by his coworkers.

  

Reverend / Reverent

Reverend: worthy of respect; reverent: showing respect.

e.g. Have you met the Rev. Mr. Johnson?

e.g. He gave a reverent speech on drug addiction.

In regard to / As regards

Both mean with reference to.

e.g. As regards your performance, I think you did a good job (no “to”).

e.g. She is very generous in regard to charity donation.

Effective Writing Made Simple

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau