Prescribe vs proscribe We should be very careful while using either one of these words, because they are opposites.

Prescribemeans 'to advise or order (the use of)', e.g. the books prescribed for study on this course. Proscribe, on the other hand, means 'to condemn or prohibit', e.g. This book was formerly proscribed by the Church.

flashy

/ fl i/ adjective

comparative and superlative forms: flashier; flashiest Status: usually disapproving

: bright or fancy in a way that is meant to attract attention : gaudy rich young men who drive flashy cars flashy glamour flashycolors/clothes a flashy dresser flashy ads flashily / fl li/ adverb flashily dressed flashiness / fl in s/ noun [noncount]

Insure vs ensure vs assure All words are confusing because they sound similar, however, they have almost nothing in common. Insure means 'to arrange for the payment of a sum of money in the event of the loss', e.g. He insured his life for 20,000$. Ensure is a rather formal word, which means 'to make sure', e.g. You should ensure that your television set is switched off at night. Assure means 'to cause to feel sure or certain; convince', e.g. I assured him that the house was empty or I assured him of my support.

compelling

/k m p l / adjective

comparative and superlative forms: more compelling; most compelling

1 : very interesting : able to capture and hold your attention The novel was so compelling that I couldnt put it down. 2 : capable of causing someone to believe or agree compellingevidence He made a compelling argument. 3 : strong and forceful : causing you to feel that you must do something I would need a very compelling reason to leave my job. She had a compelling need to share what she had heard. acompelling desire compellingly adverb The novel was compellingly written.

Fewer vs less They cannot be used alternatively. Fewer should be used with countable nouns in the plural form, e.g. Fewer boys than girls want to become nurses. Less is used when we talk about amounts, usually with nouns in the singular form, e.g. He earns less than 500$ per week.

aid

/ e d/ verb

inflected forms: aids; aided; aiding

: to provide what is useful or necessary : help [with object] They gave money in order to aid the cause. She aided them in their efforts. He jumped into the water to aid the drowning child. His position was aided [=strengthened] by the fact that he was right. a home run that was aided by the wind aiding the poor Sheaided the governmentin the attempt to fight illiteracy. She is charged with aiding and abetting [=helping and encouraging] the thief in his getaway. [no object] usually followed by in Sheaided in the attempt to fight illiteracy. His research aided in the discovery of a new treatment for cancer. The research aided inestablishing new theories.

Learn about aid as a noun.