lundi 24 mars 2014

Frequently confused words

Al momento de escribir, elegir la palabra correcta es importante, al igual que el español, en el inglés algunas palabras también son muy fáciles de confundir. Palabras que suenan igual pero que se deletrean diferente se pueden utilizar por error por palabras adecuadas.


Toda persona que quiere escribir u expresar alguna idea impresa, deber comunicar con claridad, la consulta del diccionario siempre será necesario si no estás seguro del significado de una palabra. Aquí te dejo una pequeña lista con las palabras frecuentemente confundidas:

 

  • a, an: Use the article a before words that begin with consonant sounds and words that begin with a “yew” sound: a bag, a plan, a historic treaty, a union, a one‐armed man (one is pronounced as if it begins with a w). Use an before words that begin with a vowel sound: an advertisement, an hour (the h is silent), an NBC executive (NBC sounds as if it begins with e).
  • a lot, alot: A lot is a colloquial, vague expression meaning very much or very many; avoid using the phrase a lot in writing. Alot is a misspelling of a lot.
  • a while, awhile: These words mean essentially the same thing, but there is a distinction. While means period of time, and therefore it is correct to write He left for a while. However, awhile means for a period of time, with the for as part of the definition. Therefore, it is correct to write He waited awhile but not He waited for awhile.
  • accept, except: Accept means to receive or to agree with: I accept the gift. I accept your proposal. Except as a preposition means leaving out or (as a verb) to exclude: Everyone except you is invited. He was excepted from the requirement.
  • adapt, adopt, adept: When you adapt something, you change it to suit a purpose, such as adapting a novel for a screenplay, or adapting yourself to a new environment. When you adopt something, you take it as is and make it your own. For example, the local chapter of a club may adopt its national organization's constitution. Adept means highly skilled, an expert. She is an adept mountain climber.
  • adverse, averse: Adverse means unfavorable. Adverse conditions make a trip unlikely. Averse means disinclined or reluctant. The staff members are averse to taking a salary cut.
  • advice, advise: Advice is a noun. Take my advice. Advise is a verb. I advise you not to go.
  • affect, effect: The most common mistake here is to confuse the verb affect with the noun effect. The verb affect means to influence, while the noun effect means result. The decision to strike affects us all because the effect of a strike at this time will be devastating. (If you can put the in front of it, the word is effect.) Less frequently, effect is used as a verb meaning to bring about, to accomplish. Harris effected a change in company policy. Still less frequently, and with the accent on the first syllable, affect is used as a noun meaning an emotion or mood as a factor in behavior or a stimulus arousing an emotion or mood. The use of affect as a noun is limited to the field of psychology.
  • aid, aide: Aid means assistance (noun) and to assist (verb). The word aide means a person who is an assistant. Her aide spoke to the press.
  • all ready, already: All ready means all prepared. I am all ready to go on the picnic. Already means by or before the given or implied time. I was already aware that the plan wouldn't work.
  • all right, alright: All right, meaning good or okay, is correct. His performance was all right. Alright is an incorrect spelling.
  • all together, altogether: All together means all at one time or in one place. When we rescued the five men, they were all together on the ledge. Altogether means completely, in all. Altogether, we rescued five men.
  • allude, refer, elude: To allude to something is to speak of it indirectly, without specifically mentioning it. When he said his father was unable to care for himself, he was probably alluding to the filthy house and empty refrigerator. To refer to something is to mention it directly. He referred to the filthy house and empty refrigerator as evidence that his father couldn't live alone. To elude is to escape or avoid capture. He eluded his pursuers for a week.
  • allusion, illusion, delusion: An allusion is an indirect reference. When she spoke of Robert's listening to the ghost of his father, it was an allusion to Hamlet's behavior in Shakespeare's play. An illusion is a false idea or unreal image. The security system created an illusion of safety. A delusion is a false belief, usually pathological. Suffering from the delusion that he was Superman, he tried to fly.
  • altar, alter: The noun altar is a platform used for sacred purposes, while the verb alter means to change. Reverend Wolfe asked them not to alter the altar.
  • alternate, alternative; alternately, alternatively: Alternate as an adjective means every other. They meet on alternate Mondays. Alternative means providing a choice between things. The alternative plan is to meet on alternate Tuesdays. As adverbs, alternately means one after the other, whereas alternatively means one or the other. The day was alternately sunny and stormy. He could have decided to stay home or, alternatively, to dress lightly but carry a raincoat and umbrella.
  • among, between: In general, use between for two items or people and among for more than two items or people. The money was to be divided between Sophie and Jonathan. The money was to be divided among Sophie, Jonathan, and Brian. Among suggests a looser relationship than between. Therefore, when three or more things are brought into a close, reciprocal relationship, such as they would be with a treaty, between is better than among. The treaty between Germany, France, and Italy was never ratified.
  • amount, number: Amount refers to a bulk or mass. No amount of money would be enough. Number refers to individual countable items. He took a large number of stamps not He took a large amount of stamps.
  • any one, anyone: Use any one when you are referring to one particular person or thing. Any one of the three girls is qualified. Otherwise, use anyone. Anyone can pick up a free copy.
  • any way, anyway, anyways: Use any way as an adjective‐noun pair. I can't think of any way we can lose. Anyway is an adverb meaning in any case. Our star player was sick, but we won the game anyway. Anyways is incorrect, substandard usage.
  • avenge, revenge: To avenge is to punish a wrong with the idea of seeing justice done. Revenge is harsher and/or less concerned with justice than with retaliating by inflicting harm. Her father avenged her death by working to have the man arrested, tried, and convicted. Her boyfriend took revenge by killing the man's wife.
  • average, mean, median: Statistically, the average of a group of numbers is the result of dividing their sum by the number of quantities in the group. (For example, the average of 3, 4, 6, and 7 is 20 divided by 4, or 5.) Average is also used outside statistics to mean ordinary or typical. The mean is the same as the average. (For example, the mean temperature of a day whose low is 30 degrees and whose high is 60 degrees is 45 degrees—30 plus 60 is 90, which equals 45 when divided by 2.) The median is the point in a series of ascending or descending numbers where half the numbers in the series are on one side and half on the other. (For example, in the series 5, 7, 9, 12, and 16, the median is 9.)

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See also:

Common Errors Abz Grammar Top Tips
Common Phrasal Verbs Irregular Verbs List
Common misspellings Regular vs Irregular Verbs
Common Prepositions Thematic list of Idioms
Common Slangs Phrasal Verbs Particles list
Common Clichés Lista de Términos Gramaticales

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