Confusing words in English

Grammar Clinic: The REAL Difference Between CANVASS and CANVAS

1 Comment / Grammar Clinic / Busola Ojumu

These two words are pronounced the same way and they have similar stress pattern. They also have almost the same derivatives. A. CANVASS (verb) canvass; 3rd person present: canvasses; past tense: canvassed; past participle:canvassed; gerund or present participle: canvassing 1a. Solicit votes from (electors or members). Example: In each ward, two workers canvassed some 2,000 voters

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Grammar Clinic: The REAL difference between WHO and WHOM

6 Comments / Grammar Clinic / Busola Ojumu

These two words are often confused. One way to resolve the confusion on using who vs. whom is to remember that who is always used for the subject and whom is used for the object. In particular, there are two scenarios that lead to a confusion between who and whom: When introducing a question, and

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Grammar Clinic: The REAL difference between REMEMBER and REMIND

6 Comments / Grammar Clinic / Busola Ojumu

Remember and remind have similar meanings but there is a very important difference in how they are used. Remember Remember is when you think of a memory (a past experience): I remember the first time I came to this school. Do you remember what happened when Oyin forgot to buy a present for his best friend

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Grammar Clinic: The REAL difference between BEEN and BEING

53 Comments / Grammar Clinic / Busola Ojumu

Been and Being are two words that students often confuse with each other. Both words are classified as participles. Being is specifically identified as the present participle, while been is the past participle. BEEN 1. The word been can only be used after have (in any form, e.g., has, had, will have, would have, etc). Examples I have been there She

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Grammar Clinic: The REAL difference between LIE IN BED and LIE ON THE BED

10 Comments / Grammar Clinic / Tony Ali

“Lie in bed” literally means to sleep; it means to lie under the covers between the top sheet and the bottom sheet. It is generally about the usual bed one sleeps in. Example: All he does is to lie in bed all day. Doesn’t he get bored? It’s possible to “lie on the bed,” too.

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Grammar Clinic: The REAL Difference Between LATER and LATTER

Leave a Comment / Grammar Clinic / Ali Hanifah

These two words are sometimes interchanged by students, but they are two different words that have different meanings. 1a. LATER (adverb) Comparative of late meaning after a particular period of time, the present time or the time being discussed Examples: Let’s talk about that later.

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Grammar Clinic: The REAL difference between EVERYDAY and EVERY DAY

Leave a Comment / Grammar Clinic / Tony Ali

‘Everyday’ and ‘Every day’ are two different words that are often confused and used interchangeably, however, they are different from each other and have different implications. Everyday as a single word is an adjective (a descriptor) — it means ordinary or commonplace. Every day — two separate words — means “each day.” Examples Here are

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Grammar Clinic: The REAL difference between YEAR-OLD and YEARS OLD

5 Comments / Grammar Clinic / Tony Ali

If you use a noun as an adjective, it must be singular You can say, “She is ten years old.” But if you use that phrase as an adjective, it becomes, “She is a ten-year-old girl.” The ceiling is ten feet high. The room has a ten-foot ceiling. My 16-year-old sister is so brilliant. A

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Grammar Clinic: The REAL difference between ACCIDENT and INCIDENT

2 Comments / Grammar Clinic / Tony Ali

Accident and incident are two different words that are often confused and used interchangeably, however, these words are different from each other and have different implications. Incident refers to an event or occurrence. An incident may apply to a minor happening: Errors are inescapable incidents in the course of scientific research. She reported the incident

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Grammar Clinic: The REAL difference between LOSE and LOOSE

2 Comments / Grammar Clinic / Tony Ali

There is often confusion over the words loose and lose. Lose refers to a loss. It means to fail to keep (either physically or in an abstract sense), to misplace or fail to make money in a business. I can lose my keys, or lose a game of tennis, or lose my mind; or lose

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