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When you're sick, do you
have a temperature or a fever? Do you put jam or jelly on your toast? It
isn't always easy to know which word to use. Although the words in these
questions are often used for each other, they mean different things. A
temperature is the degree of heat or cold measured by a thermometer. A
fever in a person is a body temperature above 98.6°F. Jelly is a
combination of fruit juice and sugar; jam is boiled fruit pulp and
sugar. Many words in our language are similar but not the same.
allusion / illusion
Allusion
is a noun that means an indirect reference: “The speech made allusions
to the final report.”
Illusion
is a noun that means a misconception: “The policy is designed to give
an illusion of reform.”
alternately /
alternatively
alternately is an adjetive
the means an alternating sequence or position; "They were deglycerolized by alternately centrifuging and mixing"; "he planted fir and pine trees
alternately."
Alternatively
is an adverb that means on the other hand; one or the other: “You can
choose a large bookcase or, alternatively, you can buy two small ones.”
amusement park / theme
park
An amusement
park, a noun, is a place where people go to have fun. It has
games, food, rides, and shows for entertainment.
A theme
park, a noun, is an amusement park with a theme, a subject that
everything in the park has in common. The rides, games, and shows all
deal with this subject in some way. At Disney World, a famous theme park,
everything has some connection to the Disney characters.
beside / besides
Beside
is a preposition that means next to: “Stand here beside me. ”
Besides
is an adverb that means also: “Besides, I need to tell you about the
new products my company offers.”
bimonthly / semimonthly
Bimonthly
is an adjective that means every two months: “I brought the cake for
the bimonthly office party.” Bimonthly is also a noun that means a
publication issued every two months: “The bimonthly magazine will soon
become a monthly publication.”
Semimonthly
is an adjective that means happening twice a month: “We have
semimonthly meetings on the 1st and the 15th.”
cite / site
Cite
is a verb that means to quote as an authority or example: “I cited
several eminent scholars in my study of water resources.” It also
means to recognize formally: “The public official was cited for
service to the city.” It can also mean to summon before a court of law: “Last year the company was cited for pollution
violations.”
Site
is a noun meaning location: “They chose a new site for the factory
just outside town.”
cologne / perfume
Cologne,
a noun, is a scented liquid made from alcohol and fragrant oils.
Perfume,
a noun, is a quickly evaporating scented oil either obtained from
flowers or manmade. It is more concentrated (stronger) and much more
expensive than cologne.
complement / compliment
Complement
is a noun or verb that means something that completes or makes up a
whole: “The red sweater is a perfect complement to the outfit.”
Compliment
is a noun or verb that means an expression of praise or admiration: “I
received many compliments about my new outfit.”
concurrent / consecutive
Concurrent
is an adjective that means simultaneous or happening at the same time as
something else: “The concurrent strikes of several unions crippled the
economy.”
Consecutive
means successive or following one after the other: “The union called
three consecutive strikes in one year.”
connote / denote
Connote
is a verb that means to imply or suggest: “The word ‘espionage’
connotes mystery and intrigue.”
Denote
is a verb that means to indicate or refer to specifically: “The symbol
for ‘pi’ denotes the number 3.14159.”
dinner / supper
Dinner,
a noun, is always the main meal of the day, whether it is eaten at noon
or in the evening.
Supper,
a noun, is eaten only in the evening, whether it is a large or small
meal.
discreet / discrete
Discreet
is an adjective that means prudent, circumspect, or modest: “Their
discreet comments about the negotiations led the reporters to expect an
early settlement.”
Discrete
is an adjective that means separate or individually distinct: “Each
company in the conglomerate operates as a discrete entity.”
disinterested /
uninterested
Disinterested
is an adjective that means unbiased or impartial: “We appealed to the
disinterested mediator to facilitate the negotiations.”
Uninterested
is an adjective that means not interested or indifferent: “They seemed
uninterested in our offer.”
dough / batter
Dough,
a noun, is a thick mixture of flour, liquid, and other ingredients that
is usually rolled or shaped into bread and other baked goods.
Batter,
a noun, is a thinner mixture than dough and is made of flour and liquid.
Batter can be poured into pans to make pancakes, biscuits, and cakes.
Earth / universe
Earth
the planet on which we live, is the third planet from the sun in our
solar system.
The universe
includes everything that exists, including all the planets, the stars,
and space.
emigrant / immigrant /
migrant
Emigrant
is a noun that means one who leaves one's native country to settle in
another: “The emigrants spent four weeks aboard ship before landing in
Los Angeles.”
Immigrant
is a noun that means one who enters and settles in a new country: “Most
of the immigrants easily found jobs.”
Migrant
is a noun that means one who travels from one region to another,
especially in search of work: “The migrants worked in the strawberry
fields on the west coast, then traveled east to harvest wheat.”
envy / jealousy
Envy,
a noun, is the desire to have something that another person has and the
feelings of resentment or unhappiness at the person's having it. For
example, you may feel envy when someone you know gets something you've
always wanted.
Jealousy,
a noun, is like envy but includes suspicion. Jealousy is often
associated with competition, especially in love. Sometimes you may be
jealous of a brother or sister because you think your parents love him
or her more than they love you.
farther / further
Farther
is an adjective and adverb that means to or at a more distant point: “We
drove 50 miles today; tomorrow, we will travel 100 miles farther.”
Further
is an adjective and adverb that means to or at a greater extent or
degree: “We won't be able to suggest a solution until we are further
along in our evaluation of the problem.” It can also mean in addition
or moreover: “They stated further that they would not change the
policy.”
few / less
Few
is an adjective that means small in number. It is used with countable
objects: “This department has few employees.”
Less
is an adjective that means small in amount or degree. It is used with
objects of indivisible mass: “Which jar holds less water?”
figuratively / literally
Figuratively
is an adverb that means metaphorically or symbolically: “Happening
upon the shadowy figure, they figuratively jumped out of their shoes.”
Literally
is an adverb that means word for word or according to the exact meaning
of the words: “I translated the Latin passage literally.”
foreword / forward
Foreword
is a noun that means an introductory note or preface: “In my foreword
I explained my reasons for writing the book.”
Forward
is an adjective or adverb that means toward the front: “I sat in the
forward section of the bus. Please step forward when your name is
called.” Forward is also a verb that means to send on: “Forward the
letter to the customer's new address.”
hanged / hung
Hanged
is the past tense and past participle of hang when the meaning is to
execute by suspending by the neck: “They hanged the prisoner for
treason.” “The convicted killer was hanged at dawn.”
Hung
is the past tense and participle of hang when the meaning is to suspend
from above with no support from below: “I hung the painting on the
wall.” “The painting was hung at a crooked angle.”
information / knowledge
Information,
a noun, is a fact or knowledge about a specific event or subject.
Knowledge,
a noun, means having information and understanding it through experience.
it's / its
It's
is a contraction for it is, whereas its is
the possessive form of it: “It's a shame that we cannot talk about its
size.”
laid / lain / lay
Laid
is the past tense and the past participle of the verb lay and not the
past tense of lie.
Lay
is the past tense of the verb lie and lain is
the past participle: “He laid his books down and lay down on the
couch, where he has lain for an hour.”
melody / tune
A melody,
which is a noun, is a group of notes in a certain order that results in
a sweet or agreeable sound.
A tune,
a which is a noun, is an easily remembered melody.
part / portion
Part,
a noun, is piece of something that has been divided. When all the pieces
are put together, they equal a whole.
A portion,
a noun, is a share or part used or given in a specific way.
passport / visa
A passport,
which is a noun, is a document, usually a booklet, that states a person's
official identity and citizenship and allows that person to visit
another country.
A visa,
which is a noun, is stamped on a passport. It shows that the passport
has been examined by the officials of a country and permits entry into
that country.
principal / principle
Principal
is a noun that means a person who holds a high position or plays an
important role: “The school principal has 20 years of teaching
experience. The principals in the negotiations will meet tomorrow at 10
o'clock.” It also means a sum of money on which interest accrues: “The
depositors were guaranteed they would not lose their principal.”
Principal is also an adjective that means chief or leading: “The
necessity of moving to another city was the principal reason I turned
down the job offer.”
Principle
is a noun that means a rule or standard: “They refused to compromise
their principles.”
soap / detergent
Soap,
a noun, is a cleansing agent that comes from natural fats and oils.
Detergent,
a noun, is a cleansing agent that is usually made from synthetic, or
manmade, products.
stationary / stationery
Stationary
is an adjective that means fixed or unmoving: “They maneuvered around
the stationary barrier in the road.”
Stationery
is a noun that means writing materials: “We printed the letters on
company stationery.”
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