CONFUSING WORDS IN ENGLISH (1)

No CONFUSING MEANINGS/NOTE EXAMPLES

WORDS

- EVERY DAY: each

1 EVERY DAY (adv)
EVERYDAY (adj)
2 TASTY (adj)
TASTEFUL (adj)
1. Most people now accept that computers are a part of
day EVERYDAY life.
- EVERYDAY: 2. You should try to go for a walk EVERY DAY.
ordinary, typical
3. There’s a wide range of TASTY snacks available at the
bar.
4. Her remarks were very TASTEFUL.

3 ASHAMED (adj) 5. I was EMBARRASSED about forgetting his name.

SHY (adj) 6. I’d love to talk to her but I’m too SHY to introduce
myself.
EMBARRASSED
(adj) 7. He’s extremely ASHAMED of his behavior last night.
8. She is terribly SHY with strangers.

4 RESPECTFUL (adj) 9. Go and make yourself look RESPECTFUL.

RESPECTABLE 10. Everyone was RESPECTFUL towards him,
(adj) listening carefully to his long explanations.
11. They achieved a RESPECTABLE score of 87
points.

5 AS (conj / prep) 12. They tried to treat their children ALIKE.

LIKE (prep / adj / v / 13. He looks nothing LIKE his father.
noun)
14. What’s his new girlfriend LIKE?
ALIKE (adv)
15. She may need some help AS she’s a newbie.
16. Try AS he might, he can’t open the window.
17. He likes rock, jazz and the LIKE
18. Great minds think ALIKE
 19. The bomb was disguised AS a package.
20. He ran LIKE the wind.
21. It sounds AS if you’re having a good time.
- SV, so SV
6 AS A RESULT - SV. Therefore, SV 22. He made one big mistake, and AS A RESULT he lost
his job.
THEREFORE - SV. S, therefore,
SV 23. He’s only 17. He is, THEREFORE, not eligible to
SO
vote.
- SV. As a result, SV
24. Nothing more was heard from him, SO we began to
- SV; as a
wonder if he was dead.
result/therefore, SV
Besides = in
addition/in addition to
7 BESIDE 25. We have lots in common BESIDES music.
= moreover
BESIDES 26. He sat BESIDE her all night.
Beside = next to
27. I didn’t want to go. BESIDES, it’s too late.

8 DEGREE 28. Everyone entering our country needs to show a

health CERTIFICATE
CERTIFICATE
29. As you graduate, you’ll receive a high school
DIPLOMA
DIPLOMA
30. She has a master’s DEGREE from Harvard.

9 SYLLABUS 31. As a teacher, she sticks rigidly to the course

SYLLABUS
CURRICULUM
32. The government is introducing a national
CURRICULUM for schools.

10 ADMIRABLE (adj) 33. Her dedication to her work was ADMIRABLE.

ADMIRING (adj) 34. She is used to receiving ADMIRING glances from
men.

CUSTOMER 35. Improving CUSTOMER satisfaction is a core

company strategy.
11 CLIENT
36. She had invited 6 GUESTS to dinner.
GUEST
 37. She's a well-known lawyer with many famous
CLIENTS.

12 DIGESTIVE (adj) 38. Present your report in DIGESTIBLE chunks.

DIGESTIBLE (adj) 39. The DIGESTIVE tract is a long twisting tube that
starts at the mouth and ends at the anus.
40. DIGESTIBLE food tend to be low in fiber.
EMIGRATE (v) 41. Many people who EMIGRATED experienced poverty
and racism when they arrived.
13 IMMIGRATE (v)
42. How do birds know when to MIGRATE?
MIGRATE (v)
43. Around 6.6 million people IMMIGRATED to the US in
the 1970s.

14 FAMILIAR WITH sth 44. The smell is very familiar TO everyone who lives
near a bakery.
FAMILIAR TO sb
45. Are you familiar WITH the computer software they
use?

15 FARE (n) 46. Children travel at half FARE.

FEE (n) 47. Many parents refuse to pay the school FEES in times
of pandemic.
FINE (n)
48. Offenders will be liable to a heavy FINE.

16 FORMERLY (adv) 49. I learnt that the house had FORMELY been an inn.
FORMALLY (adv) 50. Although not FORMALLY trained as an art historian,
he is widely respected for his knowledge of the period.

17 COMPLIMENTARY 51. The hotel offers a COMPLIMENTARY breakfast and

(adj) evening cocktails.
COMPLEMENTARY 52. Not all of his comments were COMPLIMENTARY .
(adj)
53. We provide a service that is essentially
COMPLEMENTARY to that of the banks.

18 REFUSE (v) 54. He flatly REFUSE to discuss the matter.

 DENY (V) 55. They were DENIED access to the information.
56. The demand for an apology was pointedly
REFUSED.
57. He has DENIED any involvement in the incident.
58. She REFUSED all knowledge of the incident.

19 RECOGNIZE (v) 59. I RECOGNIZED him as soon as he came in the

room.
REALIZE (v)
60. Most of us REALIZE the importance of diet.
61. These qualifications are RECOGNIZED throughout
the EU.
62. I finally came to REALIZE that he would never
change.
63. His services to the state were RECOGNIZED  with
the award of a knighthood.
64. We try to help all students REALIZE their full
potential 

20 IN THE END 65. He writes a report IN the end of the day.

AT THE END 66. He tried various jobs and AT the end became an
accountant.