Abu Ahmad81 Posted July 10, 2010 Share Posted July 10, 2010 Many pairs of words sound alike or nearly alike, but each has a different meaning. For example, affect means to influence something, while effect means the result of something. Words like these can be easily confused with each other. You must be careful to use the correct word from a pair of such confusing words when you are writing and speaking. If not, you may express something different than what you mean to express. For example, suppose you are writing about the importance of a good marriage. You write that martial bliss is a wonderful thing. The word martial refers to war. You should have written that marital bliss is a wonderful thing. The word marital refers to marriage. You wouldn't want to embarrass yourself by addressing a letter to the administrator of your school as "Dear Principle." The word principle means a fundamental truth. You should write "Dear Principal." The word principal refers to the head of a school. Here are some word pairs that are commonly confused. Learn the meanings of each of the words so that you use them correctly. Accept - to take something that is given to you Except - to leave out Altar - a raised place used in religious services Alter - to change Ascent - to climb Assent - to agree Brake - a device for stopping or slowing a vehicle Break - to come apart Cite - to document Site - a place Coarse - rough Course - moving from one point to the next Complement - something that makes a thing whole or perfect Compliment - to praise Conscience - a sense of right and wrong Conscious - state of being awake Confusing Pairs of Words, Desert Descent - coming from a higher place to a lower one Dissent - to disagree Desert - a dry, hot, sandy area Dessert - the sweet final part of a meal Device - something made for a certain purpose Devise - to invent something or develop a plan Elicit - to bring out Illicit - illegal Eminent - famous or well respected Imminent - about to happen Faint - weak Feint - a movement meant to deceive Confusing Pairs of Words, Dessert Forth - forward Fourth - an ordinal number Here - at or in a place Hear - to receive sound through one's ears Hoard - to save and store away Horde - a very large group Hole - an opening through something Whole - an entire thing Loath - reluctant Loathe - greatly dislike Palate - the roof of the mouth Palette - an artist's board for mixing paints Peace - absence of fighting Piece - a portion of something Plain - clearly seen, heard, or understood Plane - a flat surface Pore - a very small opening in the skin Pour - to cause something to flow Precede - to come before Proceed - to go forward Shear - to cut the wool off a sheep Sheer - so thin you can see through it Stationary - to stand still Stationery - writing paper Waist - the part of the human body between the ribs and the hips Waste - to use or spend carelessly Weak - without strength Week - a period of seven days Don't be CONFUSED! Learn the meanings of these words to use them correctly. Note : all the five posts I did on this section were taken from http://www.how-to-study.com/ thanks for reading this post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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