Grammar

Confusing words - matching exercises based on two top ten lists

Among the growing number of 'Top 10 lists' at Merriam-Webster online dictionary are two sets on confusing words. Here are a couple of exercises based on them.

Merriam-Webster Top 10 confusing words - Set 1

Try the exercise without looking at the dictionary first, but if you need help, clicking on the MW symbol will take you to the relevant page. I've added one or two extra expressions to muddy the waters a bit.

Exercise 1 - Choose the correct options to fill the gaps.
Click and Drop - Click on an option then on the relevant box.

1.	flouts, floats, flaunts MW
	She her rich new boyfriend to all her friends.
	He openly the law by using his mobile while driving..
	He's into birdwatching. Well, whatever your boat, I suppose.

2.	affect, effect MW
	How do you think this will our future.
	The cold weather has had a negative on farm production.
	The government are trying to a change in the way we use energy.

3.	desserts, deserts MW
	The Sahara is one of the largest in the world.
	The robber got his just when he was given a long prison sentence.
	In restaurants they call them , but at home we say puddings.

4.	station, stationery, stationary MW
	A vehicle is one that is not moving.
	A wagon is the American term for what we call an estate car in the UK.
	You can buy office stuff, like paper and pens, in a shop.

5.	flack, flak, fleck MW
	You've got a of something on your jacket.
	The company has been taking a lot of from the press.
	He works in PR; he's some kind of for a record company.

6.	it's, its MW
	The seaside town has lost some of Edwardian splendour.
	Well, been a lovely day, hasn't it?
	You do know her birthday today, don't you?

7.	poor, pore, pour MW
	He likes to sit in his armchair and over the newspaper.
	Would you like me to you some more wine?
	You need to avoid spelling in your essays.

8.	fewer, less MW
	There were than ten people there.
	It's than ten miles to the airport. Eight and a half at the most.
	We've got than one bag of sugar left. We better get some more.

9.	floundered, founded, foundered MW
	They around, trying to make their way through the thick mud.
	The ship on the rocks during the heavy storm.
	The firm was in the 19th century.

10.	principal, principle MW
	The reason we moved here is the stunning scenery around the house.
	I'm sorry, but I never work on 1st May. It's a matter of .
	Her husband has just been made of the school.

Notes - Show my comments

flak / flack

The word flack is mainly used in American English. (I wasn't aware of this word before now)

affect / effect

The standard explanation is that affect is the verb and effect is the noun, and for the vast majority of occasions this will do. But be aware that there is also a verb to effect, meaning to make something happen. It is used especially with words like cure, change and recovery. It is not very common and quite formal.

fewer / less

With countable nouns use fewer
With uncountable nouns use less
With distances, amounts etc where the main unit can be subdivided, use less.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), less has been used with countable nouns almost from the dawn of English. It was only in 1770 that a certain Robert Baker suggested that less be used only with uncountables. Only later was the third rule about distances and amounts allowed.

However, in informal language many of us often use less with countables such as people, pages etc. - There were less than twenty people there and I've less than 100 pages to go, for example, sound more natural to me than There were fewer than twenty people there and I've fewer than 100 pages to go.

You can read the whole (detailed) story at the Merriam-Webster Dictionary of English Usage at Google Books.

Merriam-Webster Top 10 confusing words - Set 2

Try again first without looking at the Top 10 words entries. But if you need help, you can click on any pair of words in the boxes to go directly to the Merriam-Webster explanation.

Exercise 2a - Here are some confusing pairs of verbs. Use them in the correct form to fill the gaps.

flesh out / flush out · compliment / complement · proceed / precede
accept / except · persecute / prosecute

He felt they were him for being different from the others.
2.	We need to with caution here, there could be dangers ahead.
3.	The soldiers went from house to house, trying to any remaining terrorists.
4.	The college her into the top class due to her outstanding grades.
5.	The Queen always her husband out of the room.
6.	This full-bodied red wine the steak perfectly.
7.	OK, it looks as if we have the basis of a deal. We can the details later.
8.	He has been from attending the class this week because of family problems.
9.	He her on how well she had done in her exams.
10.	He was for driving without due care and attention.

Exercise 2b - Here are some confusing pairs of words. Use them to fill the gaps.

than / then · imminent / eminent · tortuous / torturous
discrete / discreet · lose / loose

We waited expectantly for the scientist to start his talk.
2.	He could hear barking. They were apparently going to the dogs on him.
3.	Climbing the jagged and vertical rock face was a truly experience.
4.	He looked first at her at her sister.
5.	We can divide the process of making whisky into several steps.
6.	He waded into the river. That way he hoped the dogs would his scent.
7.	They slowly climbed the track up the mountain.
8.	We could see from the dark sky that a storm was .
9.	I hope you'll be about this; I don't want anyone else to know.
10.	He thought perhaps she was even more beautiful her sister.

Notes - Show my comments

tortuous / torturous

The word torturous is not in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. In fact the definitions for the two words in the main dictionary entries in Merriam-Webster are quite similar, especially as regards being difficult and slow.

tortuous: marked by repeated twists, bends, or turns; marked by devious or indirect tactics
a tortuous path up the mountain
a tortuous mountain road marked by numerous hairpin turns
torturous: causing torture, very unpleasant or painful, painfully difficult or slow
the torturous course of the negotiations
relatives had to make the torturous decision to disconnect the patient's life-support system

lose / loose

Loose as a verb is not very common and is mainly used in expressions like:

To loose the dogs - set free
To loose a a hail of bullets / a volley of fire - to discharge, let fly

When we want to say 'make something looser', we usually use the verb loosen:

He loosened his tie and rolled up his sleeves.
She loosened the screws, one by one.

Merriam-Webster Online

When you've finished, I recommend that you go to Merriam-Webster and cycle through the two sets:

Confusuing words - Volume 1
Confusuing words - Volume 2

You can also see a complete catalogue of their 'Top 10 lists' here. And if you're feeling particularly brave, you could try their vocabulary quiz.

My other posts based on Merriam-Webster Top 10 lists

Simple but intelligent words
More simple but intelligent words
MW's favourite British words
More favourite British words

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