Here are some pairs of words that English learners get confused by. You can post any other words that you think they may confuse learners. fun and funny Both
Here are some pairs of Words that English learners get confused by.
You can post any other Words that you think they may confuse learners.
fun and funny
Both of these are positive adjectives. fun: something that is enjoyable. Something that we enjoy.
'Going to the park with friends is fun.' funny: something that makes us laugh is funny.
'The comedy I saw last night was really funny. I laughed and laughed.'
lose and loose
These two Words are often confused in written English. They have very different meanings. lose: is a present tense verb. The simple past and past participle forms are both lost. Lose has two meanings:
To no longer possess something because you do not know where it is.
'Try not to lose this key, it's the only one we have.'
Not to win or draw (tie) in a game or sport. To be beaten.
'I always lose when I play tennis against my sister. She's too good.' Loose: is an adjective which means the opposite of tight. Something which does not fit properly is loose.
'His shirt is too loose because he is so thin.'
advise and advice
Both of these have the same meaning. They mean recommend. Advice is the noun form. Advise is the verb form.
'She never listens to my advice.'
'I advise you to spend more time planning projects in the future.'
embarrassed and ashamed
The difference between these two adjectives is that ashamed is a much stronger word. It is used in very serious situations. Embarrassed: to feel uncomfortable in a social situation because of your actions or because of what someone has done to you.
'I felt embarrassed when I fell over in the street. Lots of people saw me fall. My face turned red.' Ashamed: to feel guilt or strong embarrassment over your actions.
'I am ashamed to tell you that i was arrested by the police '
lend and borrow
Both lend and borrow are verbs. Although they are used in the same situation, they are opposites. Lend: to give something to someone. They will give it back to you when they are finished with it.
'I will lend you my car while I am away on holiday.' Borrow: to receive or 'get' something from someone for a short period of time.
affect and effect
Affect: to influence, to pretend (verbs); feeling (noun)
'Her affect is always sour in the morning. ' Effect: a result; being in operation (nouns); to make happen (verb)
'The new state income tax was in effect last fall.'
its and it's
Its: belonging to it (possessive pronoun)
The dog wagged its tail. It's: it is (contraction)
The dog thinks it's fun to wag its tail.
your and you're
Your: belonging to you (possessive pronoun)
Is this your book? You're: contraction of you are
You're a smart guy
than and then
Than: used in comparison (conjunction)
My dad is stronger than your dad. Then: at that time; next in order of time (adverb)
We'll eat; then we'll go to the movie.
their and there
Their: belonging to them
The students got their results last week. There: that place, in that place
Is anybody there?