{"id":2438,"date":"2021-07-14T15:03:16","date_gmt":"2021-07-14T14:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.englishforums.com\/blog\/?p=2438"},"modified":"2021-07-14T15:03:16","modified_gmt":"2021-07-14T14:03:16","slug":"45-confusing-pairs-in-english-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.englishforward.com\/blog\/45-confusing-pairs-in-english-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"45 CONFUSING PAIRS IN ENGLISH – part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

After we checked the first part<\/a>, let\u2019s take a look at the second part of 45 confusing words in English.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. elder, eldest vs. older, oldest<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u2019Elder, eldest\u2019 is always used with a noun for family relationships (elder sister). On the other hand, \u2019older, oldest\u2019 is more general and can be used for things as well (the oldest building in the city).<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. who\u2019s vs. whose<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Who\u2019s means \u2019who is\u2019 (Who\u2019s ready?), while \u2019whose\u2019 is a possessive pronoun that means \u2019belonging to who\u2019(Whose phone is this?)<\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. fast vs. quick<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Fast usually refers to speed (fast car) while\u00a0 \u2019quick\u2019 refers to something happening in a short time (He did it quickly.)<\/span><\/p>\n

          \n
        1. passed vs. past<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          \u2019Passed\u2019 is the past tense of the verb \u2019pass\u2019,\u00a0 usually meaning \u2019move, hand in or succeed in a test\u2019. (She passed the exam.) On the other hand, \u2019past\u2019is an adverb that refers to a previous point in time. Notice the usage of \u2019past\u2019 in the first sentence here.<\/span><\/p>\n

            \n
          1. loose vs. lose<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Loose is an adjective that means \u2019not tight\u2019 (loose shirt), while \u2019lose\u2019is an adverb that means \u2019not have it anymore\u2019.<\/span>
            \n22.speak vs. talk<\/b>
            \n\u2019Speak\u2019 is usually used in a formal context and when a person has to say something important. (I need to speak to you about an urgent matter.) On the other hand,\u2019talk\u2019 is mainly used in informal situations and when the focus is on conversation, not the person speaking. (He spoke to me about the issue. \/ We were talking about the trip.)<\/span><\/p>\n

              \n
            1. say vs.tell<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              Another pair that has to do with conversation and that is very similar is \u2019say\u2019 and \u2019tell\u2019. \u2019Say\u2019 focuses on the words someone said, while \u2019tell\u2019 refers to the content. (She said \u2019hi\u2019. \/ She told me all about it.)<\/span><\/p>\n

                \n
              1. stationery vs. stationary<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                \u00a0In this very often mixed pair in writing, \u2019stationery\u2019 means \u2019office items\u2019 such as pens, paper etc, while \u2019stationary\u2019 means that something is not moving or changing (a stationary bike at the gym).A tip here is to associate \u2019e\u2019 in \u2019stationery\u2019 with \u2019eraser\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. high vs. tall<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                  When we talk about people we will always use \u2019tall\u2019. On the other hand, we use \u2019high\u2019 for things (high mountain), except when they are high and thin in shape, in which case we will use \u2019tall\u2019(tall building).<\/span>
                  \n26.any more vs. anymore<\/b>
                  \n\u00a0\u2019Any more\u2019 can mean \u2019some more\u2019 and is usually used in questions. (Would you like any more cake?) It also means \u2019no longer\u2019, in which case it is usually spelled \u2019anymore\u2019 in American English. (She doesn\u2019t play tennis professionally anymore.)<\/span><\/p>\n

                    \n
                  1. hard vs. hardly<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                    \u00a0Except for meaning \u2019difficult\u2019 or \u2019firm\u2019, \u2019hard\u2019 is also used to imply someone works or studies a lot. (He works hard.) Sometimes, this word is mixed with \u2019hardly\u2019 because it looks like a proper adverb. However, \u2019hardly\u2019 means \u2019almost not at all\u2019, in which case \u2019He hardly works.\u2019 has a completely opposite meaning.<\/span><\/p>\n

                      \n
                    1. maybe vs.perhaps<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                      While both words mean the same, \u2019perhaps\u2019 is slightly more formal than \u2019maybe\u2019.A point to bear in mind is that \u2019maybe\u2019 will never be used in the middle of a sentence. (As you are perhaps already familiar with…)<\/span><\/p>\n

                        \n
                      1. anyone vs. anybody<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                        These words are interchangeable as well, the only difference being about formality; \u2019anybody\u2019 is slightly more formal and therefore more used in writing.<\/span><\/p>\n

                          \n
                        1. apart from vs. except for\/except<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                          Both phrases mean \u2019excluding\u2019, however, \u2019apart from\u2019 can also mean \u2019including\u2019, depending on the context. (Apart from dancing, she also goes to yoga classes, meaning in addition to dancing. \/ Everyone came except Anne.)<\/span>
                          \n\u00a0<\/span>See you in part 3<\/a>!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                          After we checked the first part, let\u2019s take a look at the second part of 45 confusing words in English. elder, eldest vs. older, oldest … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2442,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_generate-full-width-content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[292,304],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.englishforward.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2438"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.englishforward.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.englishforward.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.englishforward.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.englishforward.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2438"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.englishforward.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2438\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.englishforward.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.englishforward.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.englishforward.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.englishforward.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}