STUDENT Learning Centre

FLINDERS UNIVERSITY

VOCABULARY COMMON ERRORS

Vocabulary is a large subject and it really requires a book to itself: in other words, a dictionary. In fact, a good monolingual English dictionary is the best book that you, as a student of English, can buy. Recommended ones, especially compiled for the student of English, are: Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary Collins COBUILD English Language Dictionary Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary Often a wrong word is used because a wrong choice has been made between similar words or synonyms. The choice of synonyms will often depend on usage or context, as much as on meaning. A good English dictionary will give examples of usage or context that will help you to choose the correct word. Some attention is given below to a few words which frequently cause difficulty to students. Read the information and examples carefully.

1. VERBS
a. Make and Do The basic meanings are: make: construct, produce, form, shape, create do: perform, carry out, act However, there are large numbers of idiomatic expressions containing these two verbs, many of which can be found in the dictionaries referred to above. Consider these examples: He found that he could not do the research. Many discoveries have been made this century. He made a number of attempts to finish the work. She had some difficulty in doing her homework. Considerable progress has been made with the experiment. b. Rise, Arise, Raise, Increase rise:

(intransitive, i.e. without a direct object) go up, get up, go higher Prices continue to rise. The cost of living index rose by 10% last year. The sun usually rises at 5 am in the summer.

STUDY SKILLS BROCHURE SLC/01/2007 CRICOS Registered Provider: The Flinders University of South Australia CRICOS Provider Number: 00114A

Note: Rise is also a noun, meaning an increase. There was a rise in prices caused by a rise in wages. arise: (intransitive) come into existence, appear A new problem has arisen in the college. An unexpected difficulty arose when he was analysing the results. (transitive, i.e. takes a direct object) lift up, make higher, cause to rise Bus fares were raised three times last year. The landlord said he was going to raise the rent. Also: 1. to bring up for discussion or attention He raised a new point in the seminar. 2. to manage to get; obtain He raised a loan. He tried to raise money for a new project. (transitive and intransitive) make or become greater in size, number, degree, etc. The Treasurer increased the tax on petrol in his last Budget. The population of the Chinese port city of Shenzhen increased from 30,000 in 1980 to 7 million in 2005. Note: 1. increase can sometimes be used instead of raise or rise. In the above two sentences raised could be used in the first and rose in the second. 2. increase is also a noun, meaning rise. There was a steady increase in population

raise:

increase:

2. PAIRS OF WORDS OFTEN CONFUSED

Noun practice advice effect choice Adjective loose Note: 1. Verb practise advise affect choose Verb lose Noun politics mathematics statistics logic economics Adjective political mathematical statistical logical economic

2. 3.

the adjective economical relates to saving money, not to the economy. My car is very economical. It hardly uses any petrol. Prices rose because of the economic downturn. two adjectives are often confused, partly because of spelling mistakes: later (late, later, latest) and the latter (the second of two things already mentioned; contrasted with the former, meaning the first of two). two adverbs are often confused: very (to give emphasis, e.g. very good) and too (excessively, e.g. too expensive).

STUDY SKILLS BROCHURE SLC/01/2007 CRICOS Registered Provider: The Flinders University of South Australia CRICOS Provider Number: 00114A

3. EXERCISE
In the spaces in the following sentences, write the correct form of the appropriate word in brackets. a. He _____________ a big effort to finish in time. (do/make) The painting was _______________ by a famous artist. (do/make) His supervisor _______________ him to prepare a talk. (tell/say) It is possible to _______________ four books at a time from the library. (lend/borrow) The oil crisis _______________ the price of petrol. (rise/arise/raise) Last year the price of food _______________ by 15%. (rise/arise/raise) Tutors often give good _______________ (advice/advise) but students sometimes _______________ (choice/choose) not to follow it. The former is, perhaps, more _______________ (logic/logical) than the _______________ (later/latter)

b.

c.

d.

e.

f.

g.

h.

ANSWERS
a. b. c d. e. f. g. h. He made a big effort to finish on time. The painting was done by a famous artist. His supervisor told him to prepare a talk. It is possible to borrow four books at a time. The oil crisis raised the price of petrol. Last year the price of food rose by 15%. Tutors often give good advice but students sometimes choose not to follow it. The former is, perhaps, more logical than the latter.
STUDY SKILLS BROCHURE SLC/01/2007 CRICOS Registered Provider: The Flinders University of South Australia CRICOS Provider Number: 00114A

4. WORDS COMMONLY CONFUSED

1 Accede Exceed 2 Accept Except 3 Adapt Adept 4 Adherence Adherent (verb) to give one's consent or agreement e.g. They acceded to our request. (verb) to surpass; to go beyond the limit e.g. The car exceeded the speed limit. (verb) to agree to [take] something e.g. They accepted my research proposal. (preposition/conjunction) aside from; otherwise e.g. Everyone went except John. (verb) to make suitable The machine was adapted for indoor use. (adjective/noun) skilled, expert e.g. They are adept at their job. (noun) clinging quality e.g. The prime minister was known for his Strict adherence to the constitution. (noun/adjective) a person who clings to something, a supporter; sticking to e.g. Her life-like depiction of human subjects on canvas has gained her many adherents. (noun) quality of sticking together physically e.g. Although the operation was successful, he was left with adhesions. (adjective) unfavourable (thing) e.g. The adverse weather caused them to change their plans. (adjective) reluctant e.g. He is averse to going to the seaside. (verb) to influence or to pretend e.g. The weather will affect the outcome. e.g. He affected not to know what they were talking about. (noun) (used in psychology) a feeling or emotion e.g. Depression is a disorder of affect. (verb) to accomplish, to bring about a result e.g. Please effect the following changes. (noun) result e.g. Their criticism had a negative effect. (adjective) wealthy, e.g. The USA is an affluent nation. (noun) waste, outflow e.g. The effluent from the factories has polluted the Parramatta River. (verb) to make worse or to make someone annoyed e.g. The bad weather aggravated her rheumatism. e.g. What aggravates you most about your condition? (verb) to irritate, upset emotionally e.g. The bad weather annoyed him because he could not go swimming, and he was very angry. (verb) to upset emotionally and physically e.g. The constant noise irritated me and made me nervous. (determiner + adverb) all in one place or at one time e.g. We decided to go all together. (adverb) completely, without exception e.g. The view was altogether wonderful.

Adhesion 5 Adverse Averse 6 Affect Affect Effect Effect 7 Affluent Effluent 8 Aggravate Annoy Irritate 9 All together Altogether

STUDY SKILLS BROCHURE SLC/01/2007 CRICOS Registered Provider: The Flinders University of South Australia CRICOS Provider Number: 00114A

10

Already All ready

11

Allude (to) Elude

12

Allusion Illusion Delusion

13

Among Between

14

Amount Number

15

Any body Anybody

16

Assent Ascent

17

Assure Ensure Insure

18

Assurance

Insurance 19 Comparable Comparative

(adverb) by this time e.g. The sun had already begun to rise when they set out. (determiner + adjective) prepared, completely ready e.g. I was all ready to go when they arrived. (verb) to mention indirectly e.g. The lecturer did not tell the story directly but alluded to it in her talk. (verb) to avoid, escape e.g. The outlaws eluded the police for several days. (noun) an indirect reference e.g. He made an allusion to the story in his talk. (noun) unreal image; false impression e.g. The effect was not real; it was only an illusion. (noun) false belief, especially one held psychologically e.g. He suffered from the delusion that he was the king. (preposition) used when referring to more than two people or objects e.g. There were several left-handed candidates among the participants. (preposition) used when referring to two people or objects e.g. There is little difference between the two authors. (noun) used when referring to a quantity that cannot be counted e.g. There was a small amount of grain in the bag. (noun) used for the plural form of something that can be counted e.g. There was a small number of students in the room. (determiner + noun) any human form; any corpse; any group e.g. They looked in the tomb but they could not find any body. (noun/pronoun, used in questions and negatives) any single person e.g. They looked round the room but they could not see anybody there. e.g. Is anybody home? (noun or verb) agreement e.g. He gave a verbal assent. (noun) act of going up e.g. The ascent of Mt Everest is one of the worlds hardest climbs. (verb) to make something certain; to promise e.g. They assured him they would finish the assignment on time. (verb) to make sure or certain e.g. Their careful preparation ensured the success of the experiment. (verb) to protect against loss, or risk, by payment e.g. They had to insure their car against fire or theft. (noun) policy on life: life assurance (mainly British English); a promise; self-confidence e.g. Do you have a life assurance policy? e.g. The military commander requires an assurance that our forces will not attack. e.g. She is an excellent singer but she lacks assurance. (noun) policy on life; policy on material possessions e.g. Life insurance is a highly competitive industry in Australia. e.g. We have a musical instruments insurance policy. (adjective) capable of being compared; worthy of comparison e.g. Australia is hardly comparable with China. e.g. She is comparable to a rose. (adjective) something which relates to a standard e.g. The meeting was a comparative success.
STUDY SKILLS BROCHURE SLC/01/2007

CRICOS Registered Provider: The Flinders University of South Australia CRICOS Provider Number: 00114A

20

Compare

21 22

Contrast Complement

Compliment

23

Continual Continuous

24

Council Counsel

25

Credible Creditable Credulous

26

Dependent Dependant

27

Deprecate Depreciate Devaluate

28

Discreet Discrete

(verb) may be used in two ways: compare to points out resemblances where they are not apparent e.g. Life can be compared to an actor's role on the stage. compare with points out differences essentially of the same order e.g. Adelaide can be compared with Perth. (noun/verb) comparison of things which are unlike e.g. The pictures present a contrast. (noun) complete quantity e.g. The hotel had a full complement of staff. (verb) to provide completeness e.g. The written exam will complement the oral exam. (verb) to go well with e.g. Honey, lemon and jam all complement the flavour of the pancakes. (noun) approving comment e.g. The singers beautiful performance earned her many compliments. (verb) to praise e.g. Jim complimented Paul on his work. (adjective) always going on or recurring at short intervals e.g. Continual chatter annoys her. (adjective) incessant, with no break at all e.g. The continuous noise of the compressor was unrelenting. (noun) a group of people elected to govern a town or city e.g. Adelaide has a city council. (noun) advice e.g. Listen to an old man's counsel. (verb) to advise, e.g. They counselled him to continue with his studies. (adjective) believable e.g. It is hardly credible that a country as small as the Netherlands won 22 medals at the 2004 Olympics. (adjective) worthy of credit e.g. That was a creditable performance. (adjective) believing anything that is said e.g. Santa Claus does not really exist. You should not be so credulous. (adjective) reliant e.g. The project is dependent on finance. (noun) someone supported financially within a family e.g. He had two dependants: his aged mother and his young son. (verb) speak against e.g. We deprecate the actions of the rioters. (verb) fall in value e.g. Cars depreciate rapidly. (verb) reduce the value of something (usually devalue is used instead) e.g. The currency was devaluated/devalued. (adjective) tactful and judicious e.g. Fred Gee is not very discreet in his remarks. (adjective) separate, distinct e.g. I used several discrete steps to solve the problem.

STUDY SKILLS BROCHURE SLC/01/2007 CRICOS Registered Provider: The Flinders University of South Australia CRICOS Provider Number: 00114A

29

Disinterested Uninterested

30 31

Due to Eminent Imminent

32

Farther Further

33

Formally Formerly

34

Honorary Honourable

35

Imply Infer

36

Incredulous Incredible

37

Ingenious Ingenuous

38

Irrelevant Irreverent

(adjective) impartial, unbiased e.g. Regarding current events in the Solomon Islands, Australia is by no means a disinterested observer. (adjective) not interested e.g. We were so uninterested in the result that we didnt bother to turn on the TV. (adjective, relates to a noun, a noun phrase, or an ing form, not a verb) because of e.g. Ben's accident was due to his drinking and driving. (adjective) distinguished e.g. Professor Wright was an eminent surgeon. (adjective) close at hand, threatening e.g. A storm is imminent. (adjective/adverb) a comparative form of far e.g. Wanganeen kicked the ball farther than McLeod. (adjective/adverb) a comparative form of far e.g. Many people live further from the city centre than they did in the 1960s. According to the Macquarie Dictionary (1997) further is used more in Australian English than farther. (adverb) according to accepted rules e.g. The chairperson conducted the meeting formally. (adverb) previously, in time gone by e.g. Bangladesh was formerly known as East Pakistan. (adjective) a position with no payment e.g. She was the honorary secretary. (adjective) worthy of honour or respect e.g. He is an honourable gentleman. Also, with capital 'H', a title, meaning a Member of Parliament who has held Cabinet rank e.g. Would the Honourable Member for Norwood please stand. (verb) to hint, to suggest, to indirectly indicate something e.g. The speaker implied that there were errors in the previous speech. (verb) to decide something is true, based on the information you have e.g. She inferred from what he said that he had been unwell for some time. (adjective) showing disbelief, sceptical e.g. When I said Santa Claus was real they were incredulous. (adjective) extremely or unusually good e.g. The radio reception was incredible. It was as if the presenter was in the same room. (adjective) clever e.g. The apple peeling machine is an ingenious device. (adjective) innocent, trusting e.g. He seemed too ingenuous to be a used car salesman. (adjective) not connected with what you are discussing or focusing on e.g. Age is irrelevant for this job; it's experience we need. (adjective) lacking in respect, especially for religion e.g. The comedian Dave Allen had an irreverent attitude to religion.

STUDY SKILLS BROCHURE SLC/01/2007 CRICOS Registered Provider: The Flinders University of South Australia CRICOS Provider Number: 00114A

39

Invaluable Valueless

40

Lay

Lie

41

Learn Teach

42

Lend Loan

43

Less

Fewer 44 May

Can

45

Official Officious

46

Passed

Past 47 Practicable Practical 48 Psychologist

(adjective) so valuable as to be beyond price e.g. Her advice about subject choices was invaluable to me. (adjective) having no value e.g. This antique is a valueless piece of junk. (verb) to produce (an egg) e.g. The hen laid an egg. (verb) to put in position e.g. She laid the book carefully on the table. (verb) to be in a horizontal position e.g. The patient was lying in bed. (verb) to tell untruths e.g. They deliberately lied in order to avoid the consequences of their actions. (verb) to gain knowledge e.g. A student learns many things at university. (verb) to give instructions to enable someone to do something e.g. A lecturer may teach several subjects. (verb) to give on condition of return e.g. He asked the bank to lend him $10 000. (noun) item borrowed or lent e.g. The Government loan is for $3 billion. (adverb) the comparative form of little; indicates a smaller amount of something (frequently also used incorrectly in Australia for a smaller number of people or things) e.g. The student would have preferred less noise in the flat. (adverb) comparative form of few e.g. James made fewer mistakes in this essay. (modal verb) indicates permission e.g. You may leave if you have finished. (modal verb) indicates possibility e.g. It may rain on the weekend. (modal verb) indicates permission e.g. You can leave now. (modal verb) indicates ability e.g. She can run faster than her brother. (adjective) approved by a person in authority e.g. A passport is an official document. (adjective) too eager to give orders or offer advice, e.g. He became such an officious person when he put his uniform on. (verb, past simple or past participle) to go by e.g. He passed the window. (verb, past simple or past participle) to succeed in an exam e.g. They both passed the music exam. (preposition Also: adjective/adverb/noun) further than e.g. Go past the post office and down the street. (adjective) able to be put into practice e.g. The Israelis proved it is practicable to grow crops in the desert. (adjective) useful, sensible e.g. This is a practical card-table which folds up and fits into the car boot. (noun) person who is trained in the knowledge of mental states and processes
STUDY SKILLS BROCHURE SLC/01/2007

CRICOS Registered Provider: The Flinders University of South Australia CRICOS Provider Number: 00114A

Psychiatrist 49 Respectable Respectively Respectfully 50 Shall

Will

51

Should

52

Sight Site Cite

53

Stimulant

Stimulus

e.g. The parents took the child to a psychologist, who diagnosed ADHD. (noun) doctor trained in the study and treatment of disorders of the mind e.g. The psychiatrist treated the child with medication. (adjective) worthy of respect; showing character and standards approved by society e.g. The mayor was a very respectable person. (adverb) in the same order as the items mentioned e.g. Elisa and John won a gold and silver medal respectively. (i.e. Elisa won gold and John won silver) (adverb) courteously e.g. They answered the professor respectfully. (modal verb) used to make offers or suggestions or to ask for advice: I/we only e.g. Shall I buy the vegetables? (modal verb) used for an intention or promise, or when referring to something you believe is certain to happen (This use is not common in Australia.) e.g. We shall be arriving at 6 pm. (modal verb) used to make offers: you/he/she e.g. Will you have a cup of coffee? (modal verb) used to ask or tell someone to do something: you e.g. Will you email the pdf to me? (modal verb) used (like shall) for an intention or promise, or for something you believe is certain to happen: I/you/he/she/it/we/they e.g. They will come tomorrow. (modal verb) used for something you hope/believe is going to happen in the future e.g. The car will not be fixed until next month. (modal verb) expresses advice, obligation or advisability e.g. If you want to get there tonight you should leave soon. Would (modal verb) expresses a condition e.g. I would go if I could. (modal verb) used when offering something e.g. Would you like a chocolate? (modal verb) used when politely requesting something e.g. Could you tell me the time? (noun) something which is seen e.g. The view from Centrepoint Tower at night is a spectacular sight. (noun) place, location e.g. We visited an archaeological site during the holidays. (verb) to bring forward as proof, to quote an authority e.g. He cited a short clause in the contract to prove that the company was not responsible. (verb) to provide a citation (academic use) e.g. Unfortunately he failed to cite the author and date following the quote. (noun) agent which makes the body work faster, often by increasing the heart rate e.g. Avoid taking stimulants, such as coffee at night, or you may find it difficult to sleep. (noun) spur, incentive
STUDY SKILLS BROCHURE SLC/01/2007

CRICOS Registered Provider: The Flinders University of South Australia CRICOS Provider Number: 00114A

54

Story Storey

55

To

Too

Two 56 Weather Wether Whether

e.g. Devaluation proved a stimulus to overseas trade. (noun) tale, narrative e.g. They always told the children bedtime stories. (noun) floor of a building e.g. The office block had thirty storeys. (preposition, followed by noun, noun phrase or ing form) may indicate a destination e.g. We are going to the bank. e.g. They are looking forward to meeting you. (part of the infinitive, followed by verb) e.g. We have to plan carefully. (adverb) in addition e.g. I'm coming too. (adverb) more than enough e.g. That is too much. (noun, determiner, pronoun) number e.g. There are two types of photocopier in the faculty office. (noun) atmospheric conditions e.g. The weather is not like this in Lima. (noun) castrated ram e.g. The wether wears a bell and leads the flock. (conjunction) used to introduce alternatives e.g. I dont know whether to stay or go.

REFERENCES
Beisler, F, Scheeres H & Pinner D 1987, Communication skills, Pitman, Melbourne. Macquarie University 1997, The Macquarie dictionary, 3rd edn, The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd, NSW. Sinclair, J (ed.) 1995, Collins Cobuild English dictionary, Harper Collins, London.

STUDY SKILLS BROCHURE SLC/01/2007 CRICOS Registered Provider: The Flinders University of South Australia CRICOS Provider Number: 00114A

STUDENT LEARNING CENTRE STUDENT CENTRE, LEVEL ONE TELEPHONE: 61-8-8201 2518 FAX: 61-8-8201 3839 E-MAIL slc@flinders.edu.au INTERNET http://www.flinders.edu.au/SLC POSTAL PO BOX 2100, ADELAIDE, SA 5001

STUDY SKILLS BROCHURE SLC/01/2007 CRICOS Registered Provider: The Flinders University of South Australia CRICOS Provider Number: 00114A