Confusing Words 15.01

6/6 HAS TO BE DONE

PROSECUTE

To prosecute is to officially charge somebody with a crime in court. Trespassers will be prosecuted.

PERSECUTE

To persecute is to treat somebody in a cruel and unfair way, especially because of their race or religion.

AS SOON AS

As soon as means as soon as possible/very shortly. We will get your order as soon as possible.

AS LONG AS

As long as means only if, on condition that. We’ll go as long as the weather is good.

SATISFACTORY

Satisfactory means only good enough, acceptable (but not really great) - zadowalający. Your work is satisfactory but not outstanding.

SATISFYING

Satisfying means giving pleasure because it provides sth you need or want – satysfakcjonujący. A satisfying meal/experience. It’s satisfying to play a game really well.

EXHAUSTIVE

Exhaustive means including everything possible; very careful or complete. This list of confusing words is not intended to be exhaustive!

EXHAUSTING

Exhausting is used about sth that makes you feel tired. I find some students exhausting – they never stop talking (Yes, I’m looking at you Ola!)

KNOW

To know sb is to be familiar with him/her and meet them personally.

KNOW OF

To know of sb means you have only heard about them but probably never met. I don’t know any surgeon in Białystok but I do know of one extremely good surgeon in Siemiatycze.

POLITICS

Poli – means many, ticks are little, visious, blood-sucking creatures – now you understand the full meaning of politicians!

POLITICIANS

What politicians do is politics (singular noun). Boris Johnson is still a major politician in British politics.

PAY/DRAW CATCH/GRAB ATTENTION

You pay attention to sth: English teachers pay attention to every mistake you make! You can draw sb’s attention to sth by making them focus on it: Today I want to draw your attention to the problem of racism. If sth is unique it can catch/get/grab your attention: The flashy colour of this bike certainly grabbed my attention.

COMMENTATE

Commentate (on sth) is to give a spoken description of an event as it happens, especially on television or radio. Who will be commentating on the game?

COMMENT

Comment is to express an opinion about someone or something. People were always commenting on his strange hats

INDUSTRIAL

Industrial is used of objects, places, processes, etc. and means ‘connected with industry or the manufacture of goods’: Industrial output remained high in the second quarter of the year.

INDUSTRIOUS

Industrious is used only of individuals or groups of people and means ‘diligent’, ‘hard-working’: Julia is the most industrious student in this group.

ACCIDENT

Accident refers to an unforeseen event (good or bad). A flawed design contributed to the Chernobyl accident.Incident refers to a minor or simple occurrence (esp. sth bad). The entire incident was recorded on video.

INCIDENT

Incident refers to a minor or simple occurrence (esp. sth bad). The entire incident was recorded on video.Mishap refers to a minor unfortunate occurrence. Though no one was hurt, a mishap occurred during the parade

MISHAP

Mishap refers to a minor unfortunate occurrence. Though no one was hurt, a mishap occurred during the parade.

BRAVADO

Like a cheap cracker, bravado goes off with a big bang to reveal nothing inside. Having the sense of a ‘display of bravery’, it shades into an ‘aggressive showing off ’: The main characteristic of teenage boys is bravado.

BRAVERY

Bravery is the genuine article, ‘courage’: the bravery of our firefighters…..

LATE

Late simply means świętej pamięci.

FORMER

If you want to refer to your former husband (the one you once had), don't call him your "late husband" unless he's dead.

CHILDISH

Childish is used about adults in a critical sense, and describes behaviour which is ‘non-adult’, ‘immature, ‘spoilt’. Even in his 30s he had childish tastes in food, preferring dishes that were bland or sweet.

CHILDLIKE

Childlike is also applied to adults but often in approval, as it describes qualities like simplicity and trust. Always retain that childlike curiosity and enthusiasm of yours. I love it.

OVERSEE

When you oversee the preparation of dinner, you take control, manage and supervise the operation closely.

OVERLOOK

But if you overlook the preparation of dinner you forget to prepare the meal entirely. You’d better order pizza now!

FORBID

Both these verbs mean to disallow something. Forbid is usually used in cases of more personal situations. Their coach forbids them from missing (or to miss) any Saturday practice.

PROHIBIT

Prohibit is usually used in cases of lawful situations. The school prohibits them from leaving the grounds at lunch.

PERSONAL

Personal means private. My date did not want to discuss personal matters.

PERSONNEL

Personnel /ˌpɜːsəˈnel/ means a group of people, usually all of whom are part of the same organization = stuff/crew. We have the qualified personnel to get the job done.

YOKE

Yoke is a crosspiece holding two things together (jarzmo). The ox with the plow has a wooden yoke around its neck.

YOLK

Yolk is the yellow part of an egg (żółtko). The yolk contains most of the protein..

PERSPECTIVE

Perspective is a point of view/opinion. From the teacher’s perspective, it is another way of learning.

PROSPECTIVE

Prospective means probable, potential. The prospective buyer went to the website to learn more.

ALLUDE

To allude is to mention indirectly or to hint at—to speak of something in a covert or round about way. Cyril suspected that the discussion of bad taste alluded to his loud pants.

REFER

To refer to something is to mention it directly. "They’re Levis!" said Gussie, referring to Cyril's trousers.

AS IF/AS THOUGH

These mean the same thing and can be used interchangeably. She sometimes behaves as if/as though she was the manager but she’s still an assistant manager!

ASSUME/PRESUME

They're not identical. Assume is closer to "suppose," or "take for granted"; the much stronger presume is closer to "believe," or "take too much for granted." I can only assume you are joking when you presume she could, one day, be your wife.

CONTINUALLY

Most people (and even many dictionaries) treat them the same. Continually implies repeatedly, with breaks in between

CONTINUOUSLY

Continuously implies without interruption, in an unbroken stream. Heidi has to wind the cuckoo clock continually to keep it running continuously

HISTORIC

If sth is important in history; likely to be thought of as important at some time in the future, it is historic; if sth has to do with the subject of history, it's historical.

HISTORICAL

There’s so much historical evidence that Lech Walesa’s historic signature at the Round Table paved the way for the collapse of communism in Europe.

ORAL

Oral means by mouth or by spoken word

VERBAL

Verbal means "by written or spoken word." That's why verbal is so easily misunderstood. What's a verbal contract? Written or spoken? It can be either. When it's important to make the distinction, use oral when you mean "spoken," and use written when you mean "written.

ALTAR

An altar is that platform at the front of a church or in a temple (ołtarz)

ALTER

To alter something is to change it. We must alter the position of the altar for the priest to be more visible from the sides of the church.

ANXIOUS

Most people use anxious interchangeably with eager, but its original meaning had to do with worrying, being full of anxiety

EAGER

Eager, for a change, talks about willingness, even enthusiasm. I’m anxious about my lungs scan. I’m always eager to help.

ANYWAY/ANYWAYS

Anyways at the beginning of a sentence usually indicates that the speaker has resumed a narrative thread: "Anyways, I told Matilda that guy was a lazy bum before she ever married him." It also occurs at the end of phrases and sentences, meaning "in any case": He wasn't all that good looking anyways. Anyway would also be correct in these sentences but it’s more formal. Neither expression is a good idea in formal written English.

APIECE

When you mean "each" the expression is apiece (na osobę): He gave them one apple apiece

A PIECE

But when "piece" actually refers to a piece of something, the required expression is a piece. This pizza is really expensive - they sell it by the slice for ten dollars a piece.

CITE/SITE

You cite the author in an endnote (cytować); you visit a Web site (strona internetowa) or the site of the crime (miejsce zbrodni)

SIGHT

And you sight your beloved dog running toward you in slow motion on the beach (dostrzegasz, zauważasz).

DEVICE

Device is a noun. A can opener is a device.

DEVISE

Devise is a verb and it means to invent/think up. You can devise a plan for opening a can with a sharp rock instead.

PRINCIPAL

Still can't keep these straight? A principal is a leading figure (the head of a school, for example).

PRINCIPLE

A principle, on the other hand, is a rule or standard. Here’s a tried-and-true memory aid: If you're good in school, the principal is your p-a-L

STATIONERY

Stationery (paper)

STATIONARY

stationary (fixed/still/motionless)

TRY TO DO

The preferred phrase, especially for formal occasions, is try to. Sir Winston insisted that the Lord High Chancellor try to improve the efficiency of the courts

TRY AND DO

But try and, which has been around for hundreds of years, is acceptable in casual writing and in conversation. "Try and make me, " said the Lord High Chancellor

ADDICTING/ADDICTIVE

Do you find beer nuts addicting or addictive? Addicting is a perfectly legitimate word, but much less common than addictive, and some people will scowl at you (patrzyć bykiem) if you use it. Anyway, the meaning is the same.

ADVISER/ADVISOR

Adviser and advisor are equally fine spellings. There is no distinction between them. If one of your clients has incontinence problems (nietrzymanie moczu), ask for help from a continence advisor/adviser or a community nurse

AISLE

An aisle is a narrow passageway, especially in a church, a store or on a plane;

ISLE

An isle is an island.

UNREQUIRED

Unrequired means unnecessary, not needed, not required or demanded. Wearing a tuxedo to this party is unrequired.

UNREQUITED

Unrequited, on the other hand, talks of love that is not returned

BORN/BORNE

This distinction is a bit tricky. When birth is being discussed, the past tense of "bear" is usually born: I was born in a trailer. Note that the form used here is passive but if the form is active, you need an "e" at the end of that word, as in: Our cat has borne another litter of kittens yesterday

CONSCIENCE

Your conscience (sumienie) makes you feel guilty when you do bad things.

CONSCIOUS

If you are awake, you are conscious (świadomy, przytomny).

CONSCIOUSNESS

But your consciousness is your awareness (świadomość).

ENQUIRE/INQUIRE

These are alternative spellings of the same word. Enquire is perhaps slightly more common in the UK, but either one is acceptable in the US

EXCEPTIONAL

Exceptional is much more common in English, applied to things that are out of the ordinary, usually in a positive way: These are exceptional Buffalo wings.

EXCEPTIONABLE

If you take exception to sth (= you’re offended by it), you find it exceptionable (offensive, obnoxious, repugnant).

FACT/FACTOID

The "oid" ending in English is normally added to a word to indicate that an item is not the real thing. A humanoid is not quite human. Originally factoid was an ironic term indicating that the "fact" was not actually factual (in Polish we have the term fakt medialny a więć coś co jest „faktem” tylko w mediach). However, CNN and other sources treat the "oid" as if it were a mere diminutive, however

FEARFUL

To be fearful is to be afraid

FEARSOME

To be fearsome is to cause fear in others. He has a fearsome reputation as a fighter.

FORMALLY

These two are often mixed up in speech. If you are doing something in a formal manner, you are behaving formally;

FORMERLY

But if you previously behaved differently, you did so formerly

INSTALL/INSTILL

People conjure up visions of themselves as upgradable robots when they write things like: My Aunt Tillie tried to install the spirit of giving in my heart. The word they are searching for is instill! You install equipment (= instalować), you instill feelings or attitudes in sb (= wdrażać, wpajać).

PERCENT/PER CENT

In the US the two-word spelling per cent is considered rather old-fashioned and is rarely used; but in the UK and countries influenced by it, per cent is still used though the use of "percent" is spreading fast even there. So if you like the US, use percent, if you want to find a job in the UK, use per cent.

MARITAL

Marital refers to marriage

Martial

Martial to war, whose ancient god was Mars. Also: karate, judo and BJJ are martial arts – if you practice these you’re a martial artist.

PRAY

If you want a miracle, pray to God.

PREY

If you're a criminal or a predator, you prey on your victims/other animals.

SARCASTIC/IRONIC

Not all ironic comments are sarcastic. Sarcasm is meant to mock or wound another person. Irony can be amusing without being maliciously aimed at hurting anyone. In other words, sarcasm is directed at people, irony is an observation about a funny contradiction about the world.

SIMPLISTIC

Simplistic means overly simple/crude/primitive and is always used negatively (uproszczony, prymitywny).

SIMPLE

Don’t substitute it when you just mean to say simple,which can have a positive meaning.

SORE

By far the more common word is sore which refers to aches, pains and wounds: sore feet, sore muscles, sores on your skin.

SOAR

Soar means to rise/go up sharply. Prices can soar. A bird can soar in the air. Just keep in mind that soar is always a verb, and sore can be either a noun (running sore – sącząca się rana) or an adjective (sore loser) but never a verb.

WEATHER/WETHER/WHETHER

The climate is made up of weather; whether (= if) it is nice out depends on whether it is raining or not. A wether is just a castrated sheep.

CONTAGIOUS

Contagious refers to diseases spread through physical contact. If you deal with contagious diseases, disinfect your hands well.

Infectious

Infectious refers to diseases spread through air, water, etc. Note: In figurative use, these words can be synonymous.

DISAPPROVE

Disapprove means to withhold approval of something. Do you disapprove of the way Lou is handling his job?

DISPROVE

Disprove means to prove the falsity of something. Even if you disprove Jim’s claim, he may file again.

DISINFORM

Disinformation refers to deliberately misleading information. The competition gave us disinformation about their products.

MISINFORM

Misinformation refers to incorrect information. The paper printed misinformation about the concert dates.

DISORGANISED

We have never seen a dormitory room so disorganised (= messy).