Words Commonly Misused by ESL Learners

Here are some of the words which are commonly misused by ESL learners:

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

Singular or Plural Verbs?

Singular or Plural

The following sentences are correct, and they illustrate the uses of singular or plural verbs in some common expressions:

e.g. Fifty dollars is a lot of money to me (amount).

e.g. Two weeks of vacation is not enough (time).

e.g. One of the tables was badly damaged in the storm.

e.g. All coming and going after midnight is not allowed (a single idea)e.g. A number of books were checked out (many).

e.g. The number of students present was great (the figure).

e.g. The greater part of the land was cultivated.

e.g. The greater part of the oranges were bad.

e.g. More than one student was involved.

e.g. Screaming and shouting was heard even inside the house. (a single idea)

Majority is often confusing: it refers to number, not to the amount or quantity.

e.g. The majority of the people were women. (correct)

e.g. The majority of the eggs were bad. (correct)

e.g. The majority of the butter was bad. (incorrect)

e.g. Most of the butter was bad. (correct)

Compare the following:

e.g. The majority of children like sweets. (some do not like)

e.g. Most children like sweets. (children in general like sweets)

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

These Words May Be Confusing

Common / Commonplace

Common: shared or used by many; commonplace: ordinary and not very interesting.

e.g. Smoking in an enclosed area is common nuisance.

e.g. To be healthy and wealthy is a common New Year’s resolution.

e.g. Running may be a commonplace sport for many.

Approve / Approve of

Approve means pgive consent to; approve of means think well of.

e.g. Your proposal will not be approved by the committee.

e.g. We approve of our daughter’s marriage to that promising young man.

A few / Few

A few: not many with a more positive meaning; few: not many with a more negative meaning.

e.g. A few people might ask for your help (some, not too many).

e.g. We were disappointed that only few people showed up (hardly any).

Defuse / Diffuse

Defuse: decrease the danger, such as deactivate a bomb; diffuse: 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.

Read / Peruse

Read: look at and understand; peruse: read thoroughly.

e.g. Don’t just read through the document; you have to peruse it to see if there is any hidden code.

Masterful / Masterly

Masterful: determined, strong-willed, like a master; masterly means having good skills.

e.g. He has demonstrated that he is a masterful personality.

e.g. This is a masterly piece of performance

Afflict: cause someone to suffer; inflict: punish or put a burden on someone.

e.g. For years, he has been afflicted with muscle pain.

e.g. The tyrant had inflicted punishment on those who opposed him.

Farther / Further

Father:  refers to greater distance; further:  with more or greater intensity.

e.g. Our new house is farther from the lake than from the river.

e.g. The demonstration only led to further racial tension. 

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

The Correct Use of the Colon

Punctuation is a device in writing to help your readers understand better what you have expressed in your writing. There are certain punctuation rules you need to follow in order to make your meaning clear.

The Colon

The colon is a formal introduction.

e.g. One important factor is missing: honesty.

The colon is used to introduce a single word or phrase for emphasis or dramatic effect.

e.g. He had one thing to live for: his ambition to become the chairman of the company.

e.g. All her life she wanted one thing for her daughter: happiness.

The colon is used to substitute “as a result.”

e.g. He made some bad investments: he became bankrupt.

e.g. He worked very hard: soon he became the head of the section.

The colon separates two independent clauses when one explains the other.

e.g. You cannot trust him: he is a very dishonest person.

e.g. This project is very easy: you can do it in just a few hours.

The colon is NOT used after a linking verb or after a preposition.

e.g. The two sources of physical pain are injury and disease. (NO colon after the linking verb are)

e.g. There are two sources of physical pain: injury and disease. (colon here)

e.g. The man was guilty of stealing the money, abducting the child, and burning down the house. (NO colon after the preposition of; do not interrupt the normal flow of thought by adding a colon)

e.g. The man was guilty of several crimes: stealing the money, abducting the child, and burning down the house. (colon is used here to complete the flow of thought in the first part of the sentence)

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Prepositional Words and Phrases

The use of prepositions is one of the difficult aspects of learning English. A preposition is a functional word that appears before nouns and relates to some other constructions in the sentence.

A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb and one or more prepositions that functions as a single unit of meaning. Phrasal verbs are commonly used in writing. As an ESL learner, learn some prepositional phrases:

BRING

Bring about: cause something to happen.

e.g. The racial discrimination brought about the social unrest.

Bring off: achieve something difficult.

e.g. The research on DNA was difficult and unpredictable, but the scientists were able to bring it off.

Bring on: cause something to happen.

e.g. What brought the event on?

e.g. The riot was brought on by the Mayor's proposed policy.

Bring to: revive; make it clear.

e.g. The man fainted, but was soon brought to with some smelling salt.

e.g. I hope this incident will bring you to your senses.

Bring to a close: end something.

e.g. I hope this verdict will finally bring the matter to a close.

Bring out emphasize.

e.g. That tragedy brought out the best of humanity: all the neighbors were caring and compassionate.

Bring up: raise; care for.

e.g. In this day and age, it is not easy to bring up children.

KEEP

Keep at: continue to do.

e.g. You must keep at it until it is done.

Keep down: prevent from advancing.

e.g His lack of an advanced degree will keep him down in his career.

Keep on: continue.

e.g. Keep on, and don't give up!

e.g. Keep on with your good work.

Keep up: maintain the pace.

e.g. Keep up and don't fall behind.

e.g. You have to work extra hard to keep up with the rest of the class.

DRESS

Dress down: scold severely.

e.g. The manager dressed him down right in front of all the employees.

Dress up: put clothes on; adorn.

e.g. Wow! Look at you! You really get dressed up for the party in this fancy dress!

CUT

Cut back: reduce the use or amount.

e.g. We should cut back our expenses on grocery.

Cut in: interrupt.

e.g. Don’t cut in when someone is talking; it is very rudeCut off: turn off of a road.

e.g. This is where you should cut off on the left and head straight for the highway.

e.g. You are not cut out to be a politician; you don’t have the temperament to be one.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Know Your Vocabulary

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. 

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  ded ideas.

There are many English words and phrases that are frequently confused and misused by ESL learners. This book provides hundreds of those words and phrases with examples to show how they should be used correctly, such as: advance and advancement; acceptance and acceptation; accountable to and accountable for; acquirement and acquisition, etc. 

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Better English for You

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The Use of the Semicolon

Punctuation is a device in writing to help your readers understand better what you have expressed in your writing. There are certain punctuation rules you need to follow in order to make your meaning clear.

The Semicolon

The semicolon is used between independent clauses (sentences that are complete and can stand alone) not joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet).

e.g. I was very tied; I did not want to go home.

The sentence would not be correct without the semicolon, which replaces the coordinating conjunction but)

e.g. After hours of walking on the shopping mall I was very tied; but I did not want to go home because I wanted to buy a handbag.

In the above sentence, you may use both the semicolon and the coordinating conjunction, instead of either, because the sentence is a bit long.

e.g. The police knocked at the door; everybody in the room became frightened. (correct)

e.g. The police knocked at the door, everybody in the room became frightened. (incorrect: no conjunction)

e.g. The police knocked at the door, then everybody in the room became frightened. (incorrect: then is not a conjunction)

e.g. The police knocked at the door, and then everybody in the room became frightened. (correct)

A semicolon or a coordinating conjunction is required to join two independent clauses or sentences; then is not a coordinating conjunction.

Modifiers, such as in fact, on the other hand, for example, in the first place, still require a semicolon between independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.

e.g. That was the best book he had ever written; in fact, it won him a book award.

e.g. That was the best book he had ever written, in fact, it won him a book award. (incorrect)

Remember this: the semicolon is a stronger break in a sentence than that of a comma, but weaker than that of a period.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Everyday American Idioms for ESL Learners

Act one’s age: behave maturely

e.g. Stop behaving like a teenager! Act your age.

Call someone on the carpet: scold or reprimand

e.g. If you late for work one more time, the manager will call you on the carpet.

Full of crap: talking nonsense all the time

e.g. I don’t like your friend; he’s full of crap.

Lead someone astray: cause someone to do something wrong or illegal

e.g. If you are always in the company of lawbreakers, you  may be easily be led astray.

Pass the hat: collect money for

e.g. He is always passing the hat for something.

No can do: impossible

e.g. He asked me for more money. I told him no can do.

Bag your face: shut up!

e.g. You and your loud mouth! Go and bag your face!

One’s days are numbered: about to die or to be dismissed

e.g. The manager doesn’t like her.  I would say her days are numbered.

Occur to someone: come to mind

e.g. It never occurred to me that I would fail my driving test.

Live beyond one’s means: spend more than one can earn

e.g. You are in debt because you are living beyond your means.

Pain in the neck: annoyance

e.g. You are pain in the neck, always complaining about this and that.

Over the hump: overcome the most difficult part

e.g. We are now over the hump; the rest may not be that difficult.

Pay the piper: receive the punishment due

e.g. You just can’t keep on spending without paying the piper.

Ball of fire: an energetic and enthusiastic person

e.g. We all want his presence; he is a ball of fire.

AMERICAN IDIOMS

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Better English for You