English
Easily Confused Words
 

No.

Words

Meanings

Examples

1)

Accept
(v.)

to receive willingly, to be happy to receive 接受

We are happy to accept your invitation.

Except
(prep.)

“with the exception of” or “but” 除了

The shop is open every day except Sunday.

2)

Adoptive
(adj.)

parents are “adoptive”
收養的

Mary and Sue are the adoptive parents of Michael.

Adopted
(v.)

children are “adopted”
被收養的

Michael was adopted by Mary and Sue.

3)

Adverse

bad or unfavorable
逆向的/反向的

The ship sailed despite the adverse weather conditions.

Averse

to strongly dislike or be opposed to something
反對的/不願意

I am averse to all forms of violence.

4)

Advice
(n.)

guidance 忠告

The accountant provides tax advice which can help lower your tax commitments.

Advise
(v.)

to recommend or to offer guidance

I was advised not to buy that car as it has fuel consumption problems.

5)

Affect
(v.)

to cause a change or variation 影響

Although she is a bit wild it doesn’t affect her ability to study.

Effect
(n.)

an outcome or result

The effect of stopping smoking is that I am healthier and happier.

6)

All ready

totally prepared

I have packed my suitcases and am all ready to go.

Already

before or previously

I have already visited Japan.

7)

All together

all of the objects, or people are in a single group

We put the English speakers all together in the class.

Altogether

completely, usually “on the whole”

I am not altogether sure that I understand. They seem to be learning a different meaning altogether.

8)

Allot

A given period of time or quantity of something 分配

We were allotted one hour to visit the Louvre during our tour of Paris.

A lot

A large quantity of something 很多

There are a lot of paintings in the Louvre.

9)

Altar

an area, usually in the form of a table, where religious worship and sacrifices take place. 祭壇

The ancient Aztecs used to offer human sacrifices on their altars.

Alter

to change 改變

They altered the roads in the city center to make them pedestrian only.

10)

Among

preposition used with three or more persons or things

Among thirty candidates for the job, there were only three that were properly qualified.

Between

preposition used with two persons or things

Between Jill and her sister, there is a two-year age difference.

11)

Bad
(adj.)

not good or correct in any way

He spoke bad German.

Badly
(adv.)

the degree to which something is not done well

He spoke German very badly.

12)

Beside

at the side of

My friend was beside me during the entire drama.

Besides

in addition to

Besides two tourists from Uganda, nobody on the bus was hurt.

13)

Brake

to stop, or a mechanical device for stopping

When the driving instructor told him to brake, he put his foot down hard on the brake.

Break

irregular verb: to smash or to shatter

If you drop a glass, it will break.

14)

Breathe
(v.)

to draw air into the lungs and to exhale it

He was breathing when we found him but died later in the hospital.

Breath
(n.)

air filled with a fragrance or odor; the act of breathing

Because of a rotten tooth, he had really bad breath.

15)

Can

to be physically or mentally able to do something

He can still swim 100 meters in under a minute.

May

to have permission to do something

May we watch the late-night movie on TV tonight?

16)

Censure

express strong disapproval

The other committee members censured his statement regarding their chairman’s abilities.

Censor

suppress unacceptable parts

The film was censored by the government in 1997 and not allowed to be seen in the theatres until 2005.

17)

Cite

to quote as an example, authority or proof

The lawyers cited a judgment made in a similar case to support their arguments.

Site

location, place or scene of something

London will like to be the site of future Olympics.

18)

Clothes

to do with clothing(what people wear)

I have taken the clothes to wash.

Cloths

to do with fabric(what cloths are made of)

Marco Polo found the most superb silk cloths when he traveled to China.

19)

Compare

to examine two or more objects, people, states etc to determine similarities and/or difference.

The rainfall in July was heavy compared with the seasonal average.

Contrast

to present a difference

The relatively fertile landscape of south-eastern Australia is in marked contrast with the desert landscapes of the interior.

20)

Compare
 to

to talk about the similarities or the differences between two things

China has a huge population compared to Australia.

Compare with

to talk about both the similarities and the differences between two things.

She compared the various hotels in the brochure with each other before making her choice.

21)

Continuous

without interruption

Production was continuous as the factory operated twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Continual

happening frequently, with intervals between

I was continually forgetting to lock the door until the day we were burgled.

22)

Forth

going forward (not very often used in modern Eng)

Go forth and preach the world.

Fourth

after the third part or one quarter of something

He came fourth in the 100 meter sprint.

23)

Good
(adj.)

a degree of excellence

Peter speaks good German.

Well
(adv.)

a degree of excellence, the correct way to do something

Peter speaks German very well.

24)

Hear

to perceive sound

I can hear the wind blowing outside.

Here

in this location

I was born here.

25)

Hole

an empty space surrounded by matter

There was a hole in the roof which let the rain in.

Whole

entire; complete

George ate the whole cake.

26)

Hour

a defined time period; 60 minutes

They left one hour ago.

Our

possessive pronoun

That is our car over there.

27)

Imply

used by a speaker suggesting something

The President implied that the army had revolted against the government.

Infer

a listener understanding something from a speaker’s remarks

The journalist inferred from the President’s remarks that the army had taken control of the power.