Words Often Confused

feet: (to act upon or to pretend) The extreme cold affi .

I, MI h The culprit affected madness to esc11n.- pun· hmectedh1s
pea t • ,,... 1s ent
rf ct· (to bring about) Ashoka effected many re~orftla :
f,1,C ' uuo IQ the
countr)', '
i\d"e rse: (hostile) The officer
• h'
was not promoted bee
ause there
2, , 0 adverse report agamst 1m.
was a . . . .
J\\'erse: (harbounng d1shke to) He 1s averse to violent methods
What cat is averse to fish? •
Aecelerate: (to increase the s~) He Suddenly accelerated the
3, car; it shot forward and soon disappeared from view.
Expedite: (to assist and hasten the progress of) All steps were
taken to expedite the fonnation of the new State.
4_ Application: (the process of applying: enforcement) The
application of the tax measures will cause hardship especially to
the middle income group.
Implication: (meaning implied but not explictly stated) Toe
implications of his statement are far-reaching.
s. Ancient: (very old) Some people harp on the ancient glory of
Indian culture.
Antique: (old-fashioned; after the manner of the ancients). In the
museum we have some remarkable relics of antique sculpture.
6. Apprehend: (to grasp, to get a hold on the meaning of a thing).

323
324 CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH GRAMMAR STRUCTURES AND C0MPQs~

Comprehend: (to understand lfu!l~) Ibcanl apprehend the h.._

. . f the Theory of Re at1v1ty ut cannot con, VCll'C
pnnc1p1es o 'PYehe,,d
the full implications of that theory. .
7 Assent: (official concurre~ce or sanction) The bill, J>asscd
• the Parliament, has to obtam the royal assent (or the Pn:siden~
assent).
Ascent: (climbing up) The ascent of Everest by Tenzing and
Hillary was a great achievement. ..
S. Amiable: (lovable) His amiable qualities endear him to every_
body.
Amicable: (friendly) We have arrived at an amicable setletnent
of the dispute.
9. Adapt: (make something suitable to or for a purpose) sUCcess
often depends on your ability to adapt yourself to changing
circumstances.
Adopt: (to take a person into a new relatio~hip) The merchant
who had no children of his own adopted Arvind as his heir.
10. Apposite: (relevant, suitable) He illustrated his argument with
apposite quotations.
Opposite: (contrary) The two cars were speeding in opposite
directions.
11. Allusion: (reference) W. B. Yeats makes several allusions to
Indian mythology in his poems.
mu1lon: (falsenotion)Don'tbeunderthe illusion that any foreign
power will fight your battles for you.
12. Ab1tnct: (a brief summary) He gave an abstract of the whole
novel in about 300 words.
Ettnct: (a passage taken from a book, etc.) This is an extract
from Milton's Paradise Lost.
13. Avert: (to tum away, ward oft) We must make every effort to avert
a Third World War.
Invert: (to turn upside down) He inverted the bottle to show that
there was not a drop left.
14. (to make thin) The bill was actually ~sed in an
attenuated form becaute of the several amendments su ested
by the members. gg
l'loROS oFTEN CONFUSED 325
E1te~uate: ~to diminish,.lessen). It was a very vicious act and
there IS n~g but the cnminal's youth to extenuate it
15. Accept: (to receive with favom) I accepted their invitation.
E1cept: (toexclude, leave out) HewasexceNedfromthe eraJ
pardon. r gen
J6. Aught: (anything) For aught we know he may be innocent.
Ought: (should) We ought to support the United Nations.
t7. Advise: (Verb) I advised him to study law.
Advice: (Noun) His advice was most helpful.
ti. Affection: (love) He has great affection for his younger brother.
Affectadoa: (pretence or artificiality) I hate affectation in speech
or manner.
19. Artful: (cunning) He is a clever, artful rogue. !,I
Artlftclal: (not natural) These are artificial flowers.
20. Artist: (one who practises the fine arts, especially painting)
Leonardo da Vinci was a highly imaginative artist.
Artisan: (one who follows one of the useful crafts) Government
has a scheme to help the artisans-especially the weavers and
ivory workers-to find a market for their products.
21. Accede: (agree) The Principal acceded to the request of the
students and granted them a holiday.
Exceed: (be greater than) Balance your budget and see that your
expenditure does not exceed your income.
22. Beside: (by the side of) The castle stood beside the lake.
Besides: (in addition to) Besides my two sons my nephews too
have joined the anny.
23. Beneficial: (useful) Regular exercise is beneficial to health.
Beneficent: (kind, doing good) Ashoka was a beneficent ruler.
24. Bridal: (of bride or wedding) She looked lovely in her bridal
dress.
Bridle: (control) You must learn to bridle your tongue.
not violate the canons of
25. Canon: (a rule or principle) We must
law.
Cannon: (a heavy gun) Some of our cannon (the plural has the
same fonn as the singular) have arrange of over twenty miles.
326 CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH GRAMMAR STRUCTURES ANO CC>t.iPos

26. Canvas: This tent is made ofcanvas.

Canvass: (to request votes) The candidates h~ve been vigoro
canvassing the support of the voters. Ualy
27. Council: (an assembly ofJeaders, ~is~, e!c.) Under Presiden ,
le the Governor carries on the aclrmmstration with tho h 1 t a
ru . e Pofa
council of advisers.
Counsel: (advice) Bacon's ai~ in writing his essays was to irnPart
moral and social counsel to his readers.
28. Corporal: (physical) ~e hoarders and blackmarketeers should
be given corporal punishment.
Corporate: (of or bel~nging to a body ~litic) We should try to
enrich the corporate hfe of ~e community by co-operating With
others for the welfare of society.
29. Continual: (frequent) The speaker was continually interrupted
by some back-benchers.
Continuous: (unceasing) There was continuous rain fortwll,days
and all the rivers in the area were flooded.
30. Childlike: (like a child) He has a childlike simplicity about him.
Childish: (immature) His conduct is extremely childish.
31. Conaenial: (suitable, agreeable) In congenial surroundings a
child's mind develops very well.
Congenital: (from birth) His bJinclrless is congenital.
32. Capture: (seize) He was captured by his enemies.
Captivate: (fascinate) He was captivated by her beauty.
33. Ceremonious: (observing formalities) The visitor was welcomed
ceremoniously and introduced to the Governor.
Ceremonial: (connected with a ceremony) The banqueting hall
is used only on ceremonial occasions.
34. Collision: (violent contact) Yesterday there was a collision between
a bus and a lorry.
Collusion: (secret understanding in order to deceive some-
body) The Engineer, in collusion with the contractor.' .cheated the
Government of a lot of money. .
35. CompHment: (expression of regard) Please, convey my compli- •
ments to your brother.
Complement: (full number required) The ship has its full
complement of sailors.
(That which completes) Find out the complement of the verb in
this sentence.
 r'f'EN CONFUSED
50r • 327
of{0
confident: (sure) I am confident of succeu thit time.
36• conftdendal: (trusted, secret) I shall tell you something,
but keep
it confidential.
He is the Manager's confidential clerk.
comprehensive: (exhaustive) This book gives a compreh
37• ensive
account of the new taxation laws.
comprehensible: (understandable) You must present you
r ideas
in a lucid and comprehensible manner.
Confirm: (ratify) The decisions ofthe Board were late
38• r confirmed
by the Counc1·1.
conform: (comply \\ith) This practice does not Conform
to the
rules laid down by the Committee.
39. Contagious: (spreading by contact) Leprosy is a con
tagious
disease.
Contiguous: (adjoining, bordering) China has claim
ed certain
Russian territories contiguous to her borders.
40. Dependent: (Adjective) He is depenlent upon his unc
le for his
educational expenses.
Dependant: (Noun) Besides his children be b3!; several depe
ndants
to take care of.
41. Destiny: (fate) It is character that decides our de sti ~o
t external
circumstances.
Destination: (goal) After walking through the jungle
for three
days, we reached our destination-a Santai village.
42. Dual: (double) He plays a dual role in the film.
Duel': (a combat between two persons) Fighting a duel with
one's
rival for the love of a lady was very common in Fran
ce in the
eighteenth century.
43. Disease: (illness) Smallpox is a terible disease.
Decease: (death) After his father's decease, Pratap sold
the house
and went abroad.
44. Distinct: (separate) These two words are quite distinct
, though
they sound alike. .
Dlsdnctive: (characteristic) What is distinctive of the Gur
kha in
his utter fearlessness.
 328 CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH GRAMMAR STRUCTURES AND COJ.t
Posrr1
45. Disposal: (sale, getting ~d of) These shop-soiled llticlea lltj
quick disposal at low pnces. 1ft far
Disposition: (arrangement) The disposition oftroops on the
is a military secret. '
_ Eligible: (qualified) You arc not eligible for the J>Ost.
46
Illegible: (unreadable) His hand-writing is illegible.
47. Elusive: (evading notice) He is a rather ellLfive l>Chon.
Illusive: (deceptive) The hope of striking oil in the new
. . Well
proved 1/lus1ve.
country with a view to scttling Ill
te: (to leave one's d' .
48. Emlora h • ,_.., a
foreign country) Several In ians ave em1gra1~ to Australia in
e

the last few years.

Immigrate: (to come into a country to settle there) Britain is .
to check the immigration of colo ~ people into that COuntry~
49. Eminent: (illustrious) A. K. Roy 1s the most eminent lawyer in
Kolkata.
I
Imminent: (about to happen) Another confrontation between the
Jews and the Arabs is imminent.
50. Estimate: (calculation) Before starting any work one must prq,are
an estimate of the expenditure involved.
arc
Estimation: (opinion) In my estimation, the Chinese not likely
to precipitate a war in the near future.
Esteem: (respect) I hold Nehru in high esteem.
51. Facllltate: (make easy) Audio-visual aids will facilitate the
teaching of science subjects in particular.
Fellcltate: (congratulate) We held a meeting ro felicitate Niranjun
De on his getting the Padma Bhushan. •
52. Fain: (gladly) I would/ain oblige you in this matter but there are
insuperable difficulties in doing so.
Feign: (pretend) He feigned madness to escape punishment.
!J. Flagrant: (glaring, scandalous) It was aflagrant violation of the
terms of the agreement.
Fragrant: (sweet-smelling) The air was fragrant with the odour
of a thousand flowers.
S4. Graceful: (full of grace) She was channing and graceful.
Gracious: (full of kindness) The princess was verv gracious and
readily agreed to preside over the Women's Conference.
 oFTEN CONFUSED
~o~D 5

55. 321
(not.real) ~e to wony over Imaginary
tm•&ln•tlve: (gifted with fears.
unagination) W,-.a-.orth
;,naginatlve poet. vi ua w wu a very
56 . Industrial: (pertaining to industry) India's in
in recent yean bas been re dtutrlal development
markable.
Induttrioal: (bard-w
orking) lndustrimu stud
encouraged and rewarded. ents should be
51 . Ingenuous: (frank, open) His ingenu
popular. ow nature has made him
Ingenious: (clever) H
e bas
making sugar out of coal. invented an ingenious device for
58. Judicial: (legal) He
is working in the Judicial D
Judlclou: (prudent) He m epartment
ade ajudicious selection
as we\\ asthought-provoking ones oflight essays
to be included in the book
59. Junction: (meetin .
g-place) We stopped at
enquiries. the junction to make
Juncture: (grave situation) \
At this juncture I am unab
le to give
1
you any su
ch guarantee as you ask
60. Luxurious: (given for.
to luxury) He is living
city, neglecting bis old pa a luxurious life in the
rents in the village.
Luxuriant: (rich in grow
th) The growth of paddy
after the application offer was luxuriant
tilizers.
61. Momentary: (lasti
ng for a moment) I experie
pang as I heard the sad ne nced/ momentary
ws. .
Momentous: (very impo
rtant) In 1942 the C$n
Committee took the gress Working
momentous decision that
movement should be sta a Qui t India
rted.
61. Masterful: (imperious) H
e was very masterful an
a\\ow any argument or d would not
protest
Muterly: (skilful) He ga
ve a masterly analysis of
facing the country. the situation
63. Metal: (substance like iro
n, gold, etc.) Iron is perh
useful of metals. aps the most
Mettle: (quality, courage)
He proved his mettle by .
. t' with supreme ta facmg the
S\ tu a 10 n ct and confidence.
64 OfflclaI: (perta1'ning to an office) The minister pat'd an o• R; • 1
• visit to Delhi to take part 'JJ.c,a
in a conference.
330 CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH GRAMMAR STRUCTURES ANO COM
Posrr,o~
Officious: (offering service that is not wanted) When I stayed ,
Guest House { found the caretaker too officious and llleddl tn the
l
65. Popular: (hked by the people) Nehru was a very popularesoine.
Populous· (thickly inhabited) Kolkata is a very po,pu' ICader.
• . . . . ,ous city
66. Principal: (chief) Cotton 1s the prmc1pa/ export from Murn •.
Dr. Mukherji is the Principal of the college. bat.
Principle: (general law as guide to action) We must follow c .
moral principles. (Fun~en tal truth) Everyone should :;a•n
the principles of economics. ow
67. Reverend: (worthy ofreverence) He was a reverend old gent}
with a tall stature and a flowering beard. Cinan
Reverent: (feeling reverence) We entered the Ashram in a v
reverent mood. ery
68. Stationary: (motionless) In the olden days people believed that
the earth was stationary.
Stationery: (writing materials) I want to buy some good stationery
for the office.
69. Sanguine: (hopeful) I am not very sanguine about getting their
support in this matter..
Sanguinary: (bloody) It was a sanguinary fight and many of our
men were killed.
70. Verbal: (relating to words) This is only a verbal distinction without
any real difference in meaning.
Verbose: (wordy, prolix) His style of writing is too verbose.
71. Wave: (brandish) The robber waved a pistol and threatened the
passengers.
Waive: (relinquish) I shall not waive my right to this hou.se, unless
you promise to allot a bigger one to me later.