Common Mistakes and Confusing Words in English P2

Hear vs listen hear is a verb that means to receive or become aware of a sound using your ears, so you don't have to make an effort in order to just hear something.

For example:-

She heard a noise outside.

listen is a verb that means to give attention to someone or something in order to hear them, so you make an make an effort in order to hear something properly.

For example:-

She listened to the noise and realised it was only a cat.

Note! In some circumstances we use hear when we listen to someone or something attentively or officially.

For example:-

I heard a really interesting speech on the radio this morning.
These people need to be heard.


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heroin vs heroine Heroin is a noun, it is a powerful illegal drug, obtained from morphine and is extremely addictive.

For example: "He was arrested for supplying heroin, a class A drug."

Heroine is a female person who is admired for having done something very brave or having achieved something great. The male equivalent is hero.

For example: "Grace Darling is one of England's best known heroines."

For Elfish

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he's vs his He's is the short form of 'he is' or 'he has'.

For example: " Don't be scared - he's very friendly."

His is a possesive pronoun, it is used to show something belonging to or connected with a man, boy or male animal that has just been mentioned.

For example: " Mark just phoned to say he'd left his coat behind. Do you know if this is his?"

See the grammar pages for more information on possessive pronouns.


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holiday vs weekend A holiday (noun), a time, often one or two weeks, when someone does not go to work or school but is free to do what they want, such as travel or relax. You usually have to book your holiday with your boss.

For example: "Where are you going on holiday this year? Somewhere nice I hope."

The weekend (noun) - the time from Saturday and Sunday, or Friday evening until Sunday night. It's the part of the week in which most paid workers living in the West do not go to work. It is a time for leisure and recreation, and/or for religious activities. ...

For example: "What are you doing this weekend? Anything nice?"

For 111wing on the forum.

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homework vs housework Homework (noun) - refers to tasks assigned to students by teachers to be completed mostly outside of class, and derives its name from the fact that most students do the majority of such work at home.

For example: "A lot of students in the UK get too much homework."

Housework (noun) - refers to domestic household chores such as cleaning and cooking.

For example: "I never seem to have enough time to do the housework. There's always something that needs dusting or polishing."

For Sovime on the forum.

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"How do you do?"
vs
"How are you?"
If I had a Euro for every time someone got this one wrong - I'd be a rich bunny!

How do you do?

This is not a question. It is another, very formal way of saying "Hello." It is also very British.

The correct response is; "Pleased to meet you." or "How do you do." or just "Hello."

We only really use it the first time we meet someone.

How are you?

This is a question.

A polite response is; "I'm fine thanks. And you?"

For more on this topic see here.


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I vs me Usually we choose the correct form by instinct.

For example;-

I am a teacher. (not me)

Give that to me. (not I)

There are other times when people make mistakes with these two pronouns. I/me is difficult when it is coupled with another pronoun or with a noun. This is when you have to think about the subject/object in a sentence.

For example;-

"It was I who did the homework," or "It was me who did the homework."

Make the statement simpler:-

"I did the homework." so "It was I who did the homework," is correct.

The teacher gave the homework to my friend and me. (Not I)

!If you don't understand why the above sentence is correct, simplify the sentence again.

Deal with the two people separately.

The teacher gave the homework to my friend.
+
The teacher gave the homework to me.

= The teacher gave the homework to my friend and me.


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interested vs interesting Interested is a past participle. When used as an adjective it says how someone feels.

For example: "I was very interested in the lesson."

Interesting is a present participle. When used as an adjective it describes the people or things that cause the feelings.

For example: "It was an interesting lesson ."




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lay vs lie Lay is an irregular transitive verb (lay / laid/ laid - laying). It needs a direct object. It means to put something or someone down (often in a horizontal postion).

For example: "Lay your head on the pillow."

Lie is an irregular intransitive verb (lie / lay / lain - lying). It does not take a direct object. It means to rest in a horizontal position1 or to be located somewhere2.

For example: "If you are tired lie here and have a rest."1
"Nottingham lies in the Midlands."2

!Lie also means to say something that isn't true but it takes the following form (lie / lied / lied - lying).



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lay down vs lie down Lay down has several different meanings.

If you lay something down it can mean you officially establish a rule, or officially state the way in which something should be done.

For example:-

Please follow the rules laid down by the administrator.

If you lay something down your weapons it means you stop fighting.

For example:-

They laid down their guns and surrendered.

If you lay wine down it means you are storing it for drinking in the future.

For example:-

I laid down this bottle in 1998, it should be perfect for drinking now.

Lie down means to move into a position in which your body is flat, usually in order to sleep or rest.

For example: "If you are tired lie down and have a rest."



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look after vs look for To look after; means to take care of or be in charge of something or someone.

For example: "I often ask my mother to look after the children."

To look for; means to try to find something or someone.

For example: "I am looking for my keys. Have you seen them?"


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look at vs watch In this context look is usually followed by the preposition at.

When you look at someone or something you are interested in the appearance.

Generally we look at things that are static.

For example:

Look at these photos, they're really good.
I went to the art gallery to look at the exhibition of paintings.

Watch is a verb.

When you watch someone or something you are interested in what happens.

Generally we watch things that move or change state.

For example:

I watch TV every night.
The security guard watched the shoplifter steal the clock.

!If I say to you "Look at him!" I mean for you to check out his appearance. But, if I say to you "Watch him!" I mean it as a warning.


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look forward / forwards vs look forward to If you look forward / forwards it simply means you are looking ahead of you.

Look forward to is a phrasal verb.

When you look forward to something, you feel happy and excited about something that is going to happen.

For example:-

I always look forward to seeing my family and friends when I travel to England.

For Hermine

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look over vs overlook Look over is a phrasal verb.

When you look over something or someone you quickly examine it or them.

For example:-

I asked my teacher to look over what I had written.

Overlook is a verb.

When you overlook someone or something you fail to notice or consider it or them.:

For example:

I think my teacher overlooked some of my mistakes.

!Look over is two separate words, overlook is one word.


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loose vs lose Loose is an adjective. If something isn't fixed properly or it doesn't fit, because it's too large, it's loose.

For example:-

My headphones weren't working, because a wire was loose.

Lose is a verb that means to no longer possess something because you do not know where it is, or because it has been taken away from you.

For example:

A lot of people will lose their job if there is a recession.



nor vs
or nor (conjunction) nor is always used in the negative, usually before the second or last of a set of negative possibilities, after 'neither'.

For example: He drinks neither wine nor beer.

or (conjunction) or is used to connect different possibilities.

For example: Is it Tuesday or Wednesday today?


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me vs my As in I vs me we usually choose the correct form by instinct.

Me is used as the object of a verb or preposition. You use me to refer to yourself.

In short answers, we usually use this form.

For example:-

Knock at the door - "Who's there?" ~ "It's me!"

"I want to buy that new DVD." ~ "Me too!"
My is a possessive adjective.

For example:-

My mother loves me.

Now consider the following sentences:-

"I'm going to me and Margaret's room." or "I'm going to my and Margaret's room."

Which is correct? Me or my?

Simplify the sentence by removing the second person:-

"I'm going to my room." So, "I'm going to my and Margaret's room," is correct.

A real point of confusion arises when considering the use of "my" or "me" as the "subject" of a gerund.

The teacher didn't like me telling jokes in class.

The teacher didn't like my telling jokes in class.

But which is correct? Well they both are - sort of, but the use of the possessive, "my telling jokes in class " serves to isolate the telling of jokes as the object of my teacher's anger. It's hopefully not "me" at whom she/he has become upset, but the telling of jokes. In the sentence, "me telling jokes in class", it might seem as though the teacher doesn't like me personally. The rule is that the subject of a gerund is supposed to be in the possessive case.

Remember though that this is a purists view. Both are now becoming acceptable through common usage. However, you can avoid any confusion by writing the sentence in a different way:-

"The teacher didn't like the way I told jokes in class."


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moan vs mourn Moan as a verb, means to make a complaint in an unhappy voice, usually about something which does not seem important to other people.

For example:-

The British always moan about the weather.

Mourn is a verb that means to feel or express great sadness, especially because of someone's death.

For example:

Many people in the UK mourned the death of Princess Diana.

For Xeb

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most vs the most Most without an article is usually used as an adjective, which means almost all.

For example:-

They ate most of the cake.

Most days I go for a jog.
It's also used to form the superlative where it goes in front of most adverbs.

For example:-

He objected to the results of the election most strongly.

The most is usually used to form the superlative where it goes in front of longer adjectives.

For example:-

The Miss World competition is held every year to find the most beautiful woman in the world.

!Note - This is only a general rule - as ever there are exceptions.





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most vs mostly Most without an article is usually used as an adjective, which means almost all or the largest part.

For example:-

Most days I go for a jog.
They ate most of the cake.
It's also used to form the superlative where it goes in front of most adverbs.

For example:-

He objected to the results of the election most strongly.
Mostly is an adverb. It's not used very often. It means generally, mainly, chiefly, usually etc.

For example:-

They're mostly good people, although they have made a few mistakes.
For Hermine




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overtake vs takeover / take over Overtake is a verb.

It can mean to go beyond something by being better, or if you're driving to come from behind another vehicle or a person and move in front of it.

For example: You should always check your rear view mirror before you overtake another car.

Takeover as a noun is used when one organisation gains control of a company by buying most of its shares.

For example: In September 2006 Merck announced their takeover of Serono SA.

Take over as a phrasal verb means to get control of a company by buying most of its shares.

For example: Merck finally took Serono over in 2007.


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personal vs personnel Personal is an adjective.

It can mean relating to or belonging to someone.

For example: Your personal belongings are the things that belong to you.

It can relate to the private parts of someone's life, including their relationships and feelings.

For example: If you have personal problems, it means you have problems that are private and sensitive to you. Perhaps problems in a relationship.

It can also mean something that is designed for or used by one person.

For example: a personal computer or stereo.

And it can relate to your body

For example: when talk about personal hygiene.

!If you are rude about or offensive towards someone it could be said that you are being personal.

Personnel is a noun.

The people who work for an organisation are the personnel.

For example: military personnel are the members of an army.

The department of an organisation that deals with finding people to work there, keeping records about them, etc is the Personnel Department. The head of that department is the personnel manager.

For example: "I need to speak to someone in Personnel."

!Many businesses have renamed their Personnel Department to 'The Human Resources Department' or HRD for short.


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practice vs practise Practice is a noun

For example: We need to put these ideas into practice.

Practise is a verb

For example: To learn English well you have to practise.

!Note - This is only true in British English.

!Note - Often in British English the noun form ends in ...ice and the verb form ends in ...ise.


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precede vs proceed Precede is a verb that means to be or to go before something or someone in time or space.

For example: Ecological extinction caused by overfishing precedes other human disturbance to coastal ecosystems.

Proceed is a verb that means to continue as planned.

For example: The government has decided not to proceed with the legislation.

Thanks to Komala.


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principal vs principle Principal as an adjective means first in order of importance:

For example: The Mississippi is the principal river of the United States.

Principal as a noun can mean the head teacher in a school or college:

For example: The teacher sent the unruly student to see the principal.

Principal as a noun can also mean the original amount of a debt on which interest is calculated

For example: She lives off the interest and tries to keep the principal intact.

Principle is a noun which means a basic idea, standard of behaviour or rule that explains or controls how something happens or works:

For example: The country works on the principle that all citizens have equal rights.


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raise vs rise When used as a verb they both have the same general meaning of "to move upwards", the main difference is that rise is an intransitive verb (it does not take an object), while raise is a transitive verb (it requires an object):

As you can see from these examples, (nobody is pushing up the sun!), whereas (Mary moved her hand upwards/The government make laws to increase taxes).

rise (v) Something rises by itself

For example:-
The sun rises in the east.
The chairman always rises to the occasion.
I will rise tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. to walk the dog.
Rise is an irregular verb: rise / rose / risen

raise (v) Something else is needed to raise something.

For example:-
Lynne raised her hand.
The government is going to raise taxes.
They can't raise the Titanic.
Raise is a regular verb: raise / raised / raised


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remember vs remind To remember v. meaning to be able to bring back a piece of information into your mind, or to keep a piece of information in your memory.

For example:- I remember when every home had clotheslines in the back yard or garden.

To remind v. meaning to make someone aware of something they have forgotten or might have forgotten.

For example:- Could you remind me to check the forum?

!Note - If you remind someone of something, then they'll remember it.


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say / said
vs
tell / told Said v. is the past simple and past participle of to say.
It can be used in direct speech:
For example: "I am sorry", said the criminal.
It can be used in indirect (reported) speech (followed by that).
For example: "The criminal said that he was sorry.

Said adj. is used before the name of a person or thing you have already mentioned:
For example: "The said party denied the charges"

Told v. is the past simple and past participle of to tell.
It is normally used in reported speech, i.e. it is used to talk about what people say (followed by an object + that:):
For example: I told him that I would be late.

When told has the meaning of "instruct", it can be followed by an object and an infinitive.
For example: He told me to leave.


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to see vs
to watch To see means to be aware of what is around you by using your eyes.

For example: "I can see the smoke from here."

To watch means to look at something for a period of time, especially something that is changing or moving.

For example: "I watched the cricket."

!Note - We watch things that move, such as TV, a film, sport. We look at static things, such as a photograph, a painting, the stars.


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shortage vs shortness Shortage is a noun meaning when there is not enough of something.

For example: There is a shortage of skilled workers in the industry.

Shortness is a also a noun meaning the condition of being short spatially.

For example: Shortness in children and young adults nearly always results from below-average growth in childhood.


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so vs such So when used as in front of an adjective or an adverb means very.
For example: "My English teacher is so patient. She teaches us so well."

Such when used as a determiner can be used in front of a noun or an adjective and a noun to show extremes, you can't use it in front of adverbs.

For example: "She is such a patient teacher."

!Note - Remember that without the noun you need to use "so."

such + a + patient + teacher

so + patient



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stationary vs stationery Stationary means standing still or not moving
For example: "The car was stationary."

Stationery means the items needed for writing, such as paper, pens, pencils and envelopes.
For example: "It is the secretary's job to order the stationery?"

!'e' is for envelopes 'a' is for automobiles.


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take care
vs
take care of Take care is used when saying goodbye to someone. It actually means "Take care of yourself."

For example: "Bye! Take care. "

Take care of means to look after someone or something:

For example: "You should take care of your new car, it cost a lot of money."


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that, which, who "Who" (or whom) is a pronoun, and is used as the subject or object of a verb to show which person you are referring to, or to add information about a person just mentioned. It is used for people, not things.

"Which" is a pronoun, and is used as the subject or object of a verb to show what thing or things you are referring to, or to add information about the thing just mentioned. It is used for things, not people.

"That" is a pronoun, and is used as the subject or object of a verb to show which person or thing you are referring to, or to add information about a person or thing just mentioned. It can be used for people and things. It can sometimes be omitted.

Example:

The girl who was hungry.
The boy whom I talked to.
The dog that wagged its tail.
The software ( that) I wrote.
The company, which / that hired me.




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there, their, they're There can be used as an adjective of place:-
For example: "The car is over there in the car park."

There can also be used as the introductory subject in sentences:-
For example: "There are some grammar pages on this web site."

They're is the a contraction of "they are".
For example: "They're always surfing the Internet."

Their is a possessive pronoun like "her" or "our".
For example: "Have they done their homework?"

Example: "There's a large family in this town. Look they're over there by their car."

!If you've written "they're," ask yourself whether you can substitute "they are." If not, you've made a mistake. There" has "here" inside it to remind you it refers to a place, while "their" has "heir" buried in it to remind you that it has to do with possession.


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trainee vs trainer A trainee is a person who is learning and practising the skills of a particular job.

For example: "There is a shortage of trainee dentists in the UK."

A trainer is a person who teaches skills for a particular job, activity or sport.

For example: "I like to think of myself as an English trainer, not an English teacher."


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to, too or two? To is the most common form. When to is used before a verb it forms part of the infiinitive:-

For example: to learn, to do, to be, to drink...
"I need to visit the dentist."

To is also a preposition, often used to indicate direction, which begins a prepositional phrase.

For example: to the limit, to hell and back
Example: "I need to go to the dentist."

Too is an adjective meaning "extra or more than necessary" - after all it has 2 Os - 1 too many?

For example: too much, too big, too small...
"The film was too long."

Too is also an adjective meaning "also"

For example: me too
"I thought it was too long, too."


Two is a number.

For example: one, two, three...
"I only drank two pints of beer."

More examples: We went to a football match. (preposition)

We like to watch a good film. (infinitive)

We ate too much. (meaning "excessively")

I like baseball, too. (meaning "also")

Six divided by three is two. (number)

They own two cars. (number)

! Many other words in English which reflect the number two are spelled with tw.

For example: twin, twice, twenty, between, tweezers, etc.

Try this famous song if you are still confused about to and too!


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travel, trip voyage or journey? Travel (v) is used in general terms as a verb - it usually means to change location. The word travel is very rarely used as a noun.

For example: I have to travel a lot for work.

Trip (n) is often substituted for the word 'holiday' when the travelling distance was short.

For example: How was your trip?

It is often used in connection with business.

For example: I have to travel a lot for work. I am off on another business trip next week.

Trip (v) has a totally different meaning. It means to nearly fall over.

For example: I tripped over the carpet and sprained my ankle.

Voyage (n) is usually a long journey by boat. The word voyage is very rarely used as a verb.

For example: The voyage to South Africa took over six weeks.

Journey (n) is used more in British English than American English. It means the 'piece' of travel between 2 or more points. The word journey is very rarely used as a verb.

For example: The journey from Darmstadt to Nottingham takes 12 hours.


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used to vs used to do Used to can be used as an adjective and we use it to talk about things that have become familiar, and are no longer strange or new.

For example: "I am used to mistakes now."

You can also be used to doing something.

For example: "I am used to making mistakes now."

More here

Used to do - If we say something used to happen we are talking about repeated events and actions in the past, usually things that happened a long time ago and are now finished.

For example: "I used to smoke."

More here


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wander vs wonder Wander (v) means to travel aimlessly.

For example: "I often wander through the woods, it helps me think."

Wonder (v) means to consider or question some issue.

For example: "People often wonder whether I really run this website alone ."

Wonder (n) means the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising.

For example: "The pyramids are a wonder to behold."

!Note - I have it on very good authority that wander and wonder are not homophones. ;)


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what vs which Which and what are both used in questions:-
What is used to ask a question when there are an unknown number or infinite possibilities for an answer. You know that there are many, many ways that exist to address your question, and you want to find out—from all those possibilities that you might not even know about—the best way.

For example: "What movie did you go to see?"

Which is used if you are choosing between two items, already defined, in a different sentence, like this:

For example: "Which shoes should I wear with this dress—my blue ones or my black ones?"

You can use which when you have a very small or limited field to choose from. Certainly use which, not what, when there are only two choices, or if both speaker and listener can visualize all the items under consideration:

For example: "Which foot did you break?"

Often, either which or what can be used for several choices, depending on what is in the speaker’s mind:

For example:-

a - "Which bus goes into the centre?"

b - "What bus shall I take?"

Both sentences are fine. The speaker is probably thinking about fewer buses in sentence (a) than in sentence (b).


who vs whom Who is used as the subject of a verb. Basically anytime "I", "she" or "he" 'feels' right, who can be used.

For example:-

She is the one who built that funny English website.

In questions who is used when asking which person or people did something, or when asking what someone's name is. In fact in informal writing and speech who is used most of the time.

For example:-

"Who is that girl over there?"
"Who let the dogs out?"
"She asked me if I knew who had got the job."

Whom is used in formal writing as the object of a verb or preposition.

For example:-

"He took out a photo of his son, whom he adores."
"There were 500 passengers, of whom 121 drowned."

!Note - Whom is rarely used in questions. For example:

"To whom do you wish to speak?" (This sounds very old-fashioned and stilted.)

! If in doubt, try the “he or him” test:-

Try rewriting the sentence using “he or him ”.

For example:

"He took out a photo of his son, whom he adores." - "He adores he" should 'feel"'wrong. So it must be "He adores him."

If you're still not sure, go with who, 99.9% of the time you'll be right.



wrong vs wrongly Wrong and wrongly are both adverbs.

Wrong can be used informally instead of wrongly after a verb. In fact it is taking over from the word wrongly.

However, when the adverb comes before the verb we use "wrongly".

For example:-

Sean Hodgson was wrongly convicted of murder.

I'm sorry if I've written anything wrong. / I'm sorry if I've written anything wrongly

According to Merriam Webster: "The best way to choose between wrong and wrongly is to rely on your own grasp of English idiom. The one that sounds correct, is correct. If they both sound correct then either one may be used."