Thursday, August 7, 2014

Easily confused words in English


English has many words that are similar, and this can be confusing for both native and non-native speakers.  Examples are accept vs except,  advise vs advice, insure vs ensure, corps vs corpse and many more. The problem comes when a writer sends a document or e-mail to a person who knows the difference between the right and the wrong word.
To improve your knowledge of easily confused words, start with a list of them. There are many such lists of easily confused words online. One to start with is http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/confused_words_english.html  .
Choose 5 word pairs that you yourself often use and confuse, write them down where you can see them, and study them briefly twice a day. When you have learned them, choose 5 more pairs. It's important to choose words that you are likely to say or write, so you will learn them faster and get more benefit out of this effort.
Great communication requires the choice of the proper words to convey your meanings. Make up your list of easily confused words today!

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