Confusing words & false friends

CONFUSING WORDS

Confusing words are two or more words which have a similar meaning to each other but are used in a different way.

OR

Are related to the same topic, but have a different meaning.

OR

Look similar, but have a different meaning.

FALSE FRIENDS

False friends are words in English which have a similar-looking word in another language but which have a different meaning.

Complete the following sentences with the appropriate word.

1. action / activity

The police took immediate ________ when they realised the situation was getting out of hand. (vượt khỏi tầm tay)

Economic _______ stagnated (v-đình trệ) as the recession (tình trạng suy thoái) took hold.

2. advice (n) / advise (v)

Can you ______ me on the best course of action to take?

He offered me some excellent _______ .

3. affect (v) / effect (n)

Cuts in spending will have a serious ________ on the National Health Service.

The strike will seriously _______ train services.

4. appreciable (adj-thấy rõ, đáng kể) / appreciative (adj-đánh giá cao)

There is an ________ difference between manslaughter (n-tội ngộ sát) and murder (n-tội giết người).

She was very ________ of our efforts to help.

5. assumption (n-làm ra vẻ, giả bộ) / presumption (n-giả định, suy đoán)

They raised taxes on the ________ that it would help control spending. (kiểm soát chi tiêu)

It’s sheer (adj-đúng là) ________ for the government to suggest things have improved since they came to power. (cải thiện khi lên cầm quyền)

6. avoid (v-tránh) / prevent (v-ngăn cản)

Rapid government reforms (sự sửa đổi) managed to _________ a revolution taking place. (một cuộc cách mạng diễn ra)

He’s always trying to _________ taking a decision if he can help it. (tránh nhận quyết định)

7. beside (prep-bên cạnh) / besides (adv)

The office is just ________ the railway station.

_______ their regular daytime job, many people do extra work in the evening.

8. briefly (adv-vắn tắt) / shortly (adv-ngay khi)

_________ before the conflict began (xung đột bắt đầu), the army pulled down the border posts. (mốc biên giới)

The minister spoke _________ about the need for political reform (sự sửa đổi).

9. channel / canal

The television ________ received a formal complaint about the programme.

The Suez _________ was built in the second half (nữa sau) of the nineteenth century.

10. conscientious (adj-tận tâm, chu đáo) / conscious (adj-có ý thức, nhận ra)

Most people are ________ of the need to protect the environment.

_________ workers should be rewarded for their hard work.

11. continual (adj-tiên tục, liên miên) / continuous (adj-tiếp tục, ko ngừng)

A ________ trade embargo (lệnh cấm vận) has badly affected (ảnh hưởng xấu đến) the economic infrastructure.

The computer has given us ________ problems ever since we installed it.

12. control (v-kiểm soát) / inspect (v-kiểm tra)

Environmental health officers regularly _______ kitchens and other food preparation areas.

The government plans to ________ the price of meat to make sure it doesn’t go up too much.

13 criticism(s) (lời chỉ trích) / objection(s) (phản đối)

They didn’t raise any _________ when we insisted on (v-đòi, cố) inspecting the figures.

The government’s plan was met with severe (adj-khắc khe) _________ .

14. damage (thiệt hại) / injury (tổn thương) / harm (hại)

It was a severe _________ which needed immediate hospital treatment.

A lot of __________ was caused to buildings along the coast during the storm.

There’s no _________ in taking a break from your job now and then.

15. discover (v-khám phá) / invent (v-phát minh)

When did he _________ the telephone?

Did Alexander Fleming ________ penicillin?

16. during (trong) / for (cho) / while (trong khi)

Shops were closed _________ the duration of the conflict.

________ the transition from a dictatorship to democracy, the country experienced severe strikes and riots.

The bomb went off _________ the President was making his speech.

17. however (tuy nhiên) / moreover (hơn nữa)

The plan was good in theory. _________ , in practice it was extremely difficult to implement.

The plan was excellent. ________ , it was clear from the beginning that it was going to be a success.

18. inconsiderate (adj-khinh suất, thiếu thận trọng) / inconsiderable (adj-ko đáng kể)

An _________ amount of money was wasted.

________ behaviour makes life unpleasant for everybody.

19. intolerable (adj-quá quắt) / intolerant (adj-cố chấp, ko dung thứ)

I consider his behaviour to be quite ________ .

The government is _______ of other political parties.

20. job / work

Everybody has the right to a decent (adj-tốt, tử tế) _________ with good pay.

Following the recession (tình trạng suy thoái), many people are still looking for _________ .

21. lay(s) (v-để, xếp, sắp đặt) / lie(s) (v-nằm)

The city of Quito _________ near the equator (đường xích đạo).

The manager made it clear he intended to __________ down some strict rules.

22. look at / watch

We must _________ the situation in Lugumba carefully, and be prepared to act if violence flares (v-bùng phát) again.

We need to _________ the problem carefully and decide if there is anything we can do about it.

23. permission (n) / permit (v)

I’m afraid we can’t ________ photography in here.

They received _________ to attend the sessions as long as they didn’t interrupt.

24. possibility (khả năng) / chance (cơ hội)

There is always the _________ that the government will reverse (v-đảo ngược) its decision.

If we act now, we have a good _________ of finding a cure (n-liều thuốc) for the disease.

25. practise (v) / practice (n)

It’s important to ________ your English whenever possible.

You need more ________ before you take the exam.

26. priceless (vô giá) / worthless (vô giá trị)

________ paintings by artists like Van Gogh should not be in the hands of private collectors.

As inflation spiralled (v- di chuyển liên tục) out of control, paper money suddenly became ______ .

27. principal(s) (hiệu trưởng; chủ yếu) / principle(s) (nguyên tắc, nguyên lý)

Many people refuse to eat meat on _______ .

The _______ of the college is an ardent non-smoker.

The country’s ________ products are paper and wood.

Not many people are familiar with the _______ of nuclear physics.

28. process (n-quy trình) / procession (n-đám diễu hành)

The ________ made its way down the avenue.

Applying for a visa can be a long and frustrating ________ .

29. raise (v-tăng lên) / rise (v-lên cao, lên)

As prices _______ , demand usually drops. (giảm xuống)

In response to the current oil shortage, most airlines plan to ______ their fares.

30. respectable (adj-đáng trọng, đứng đắn) / respectful (adj-lễ phép, kính cẩn)

The delegates (n-các đại biểu) listened in _______ silence as the chairman spoke.

They want to bring up their children in an area which is considered to be ________ .

31. treat (v-điều trị) / cure (v-chữa bệnh)

Hospitals are so understaffed (adj-thiếu nhân viên) that they find it almost impossible to ______ patients with minor injuries.

They were unable to ________ the disease, and hundreds died as a result.

Answers:

1. action / activity 2. advise / advice 3. effect / affect 4. appreciable / appreciative 5. assumption / presumption 6. prevent / avoid 7. beside / besides 8. shortly / briefly 9. channel / canal 10. conscious / conscientious 11. continuous / continual 12. inspect / control 13. objections / criticism 14. injury / damage / harm 15. invent / discover 16. for / during / while 17. However / Moreover 18. inconsiderable / inconsiderate 19. intolerable / intolerant 20. job / work 21. lies / lay 22. watch / look at 23. permit / permission 24. possibility / chance 25. practise / practice 26. priceless / worthless (we can also say valueless) 27. principle / principal / principal / principle 28. procession / process 29. rise / raise 30. respectful / respectable 31. treat / cure

Note: some of these words have more than one meaning. For example, a television channel and a channel of water between two land masses. Use a dictionary to check for other meanings.

Other confusing words / false friends include:

actually - now / already - yet / afraid of - worried about / bring - fetch / conduct - direct / consequences - sequences driver - chauffeur / formidable - wonderful / fun - funny / go - play (for sports and games) / come along with - follow kind - sympathetic / lend - borrow / nature - countryside / overcome - overtake / pass - take (an exam) / recipe - receipt remember - remind / scenery - view / sensible - sensitive / special - especially / take - bring