Welcome back.
In this lesson, we’re going to look at ten commonly confused pairs of words.
I will show you how to avoid the confusion and use all of these correctly without making
mistakes.
There are two quizzes in this lesson – one in the middle and one in the end – for you
to check your understanding.
So let’s jump in.
The first pair of words are ‘lose’ and ‘loose’.
The word ‘lose’ with a single ‘o’ is a verb.
The most common meaning of this verb is ‘to not have something because you can’t find
it’.
For example: “I don’t take my watch when I go swimming so that I don’t lose it.”
Notice that the last sound in this word is /z/ - /lu:z/.
Another meaning is ‘to fail to win a competition’ as in: “The team will be out of the tournament
if it loses this match.”
‘Loose’ with two ‘o’s is an adjective that means ‘not fixed or not attached strongly’.
For example: “It looks like you have a loose button on your shirt.”
Here, the last sound is /s/ - /lu:s/” One of my teeth is loose.
I think it’s going to fall off.”
To recap the pronunciation, ‘lose’ has a /z/ sound at the end and ‘loose’ has
a ‘s’ sound at the end – ‘lose’, ‘loose’.
Number two is the pair of ‘every day’ and ‘everyday’.
The difference in spelling between these forms is the space.
When we write ‘every day’ with a space, it’s an adverb phrase that simply means
‘each day’.
In most situations, this is the form you should use.
For example: “I get up at 7 am every day.”
“He goes to the gym every day.”
and so on.
When it’s written without a space, ‘everyday’ is an adjective that means ‘common or ordinary’.
“I need to buy a pair of jeans for everyday wear.”
(meaning for daily use.)
“The best teachers explain difficult concepts using simple, everyday language.”
That means using ordinary language.
So remember that ‘every day’ with a space means ‘each day’ and without a space,
it means ‘common or ordinary’.
Next up are the words ‘maybe’ and ‘may be’.
Again, the difference is the space.
These words are very close in meaning.
Both of them are used to make guesses or talk about possibility.
When we write ‘maybe’ as a single word, it’s an adverb.
Take this sentence: “It will rain tomorrow” – here, the main verb is ‘rain’ and
there’s the helping verb ‘will’ – this is a modal verb used to make predictions about
the future.
So this sentence sounds like I’m confident that it will rain tomorrow.
But if I’m not so sure, I can say: “Maybe it will rain tomorrow.”
So the maybe at the beginning makes it a little softer – I’m not so confident.
Instead, we can also say “It may rain tomorrow.”
or “It might rain tomorrow.”
Here, we have used the modal verb ‘may’ or ‘might’ (same meaning) to make a weak
prediction or guess about the future.
Here’s another example: let’s say that a baby is crying.
Someone asks, “Why is the baby crying?” and the answer is “She is hungry.”
That sounds like we’re very sure that that’s why the baby is crying.
But what if we’re not so sure?
Simple: add ‘maybe’ to the beginning of the sentence.
But I have a question for you: what is the main verb in this sentence?
It’s ‘is’ which is a present tense form of ‘be’.
There’s no helping verb here because we don’t need one in the present tense.
So here’s another way we can say this: “She may be hungry.”
Here, ‘may’ is a modal verb and ‘be’ is the main verb in the sentence.
This is always true when we write ‘may’ and ‘be’ as separate words: ‘may’
is a modal verb that shows uncertainty and ‘be’ is the main verb.
One last example: “I forgot to get my brother a birthday present.
Maybe that is why he’s angry with me.”
You can also say, “That may be why he is angry with me.”
If you want, stop the video, read all of this and make sure you understand.
Then play the video again and continue.
Number four is the pair of ‘Desert’ and ‘dessert’.
‘Desert’ (with only one ‘s’) is a noun refers to an area covered with sand where
there’s no water or plant life.
For example, “The Sahara is the largest desert in the world.”
The word ‘dessert’ refers to something sweet that’s eaten at the end of a meal.
Like cake, pie or ice cream.
So, after you have dinner at a friend’s place, you can ask: “What’s for dessert?”
Now, as for me, “I love having chocolate cake for dessert.”
Notice the way that we pronounce these words.
Both of them have a /z/ sound in the middle.
The difference is in how we say the first vowel: ‘desert’ (with an /eh/ sound and
with the stress on the first syllable – ‘desert’), ‘dessert’ (with an ‘i’ sound and with
the stress on the second syllable – ‘dessert’).
It’s really simple but there’s one little exception.
The word with the single ‘s’ can also be pronounced /dessert/ in one situation – when
it’s used as a verb.
And it means to leave someone without help.
“Darling, I promise I’ll never desert you.
I’ll always be by your side.”
A very romantic line.
But, if this is confusing for you, don’t worry.
This use is not so important.
Just remember that ‘desert’ is an area covered with sand and with no water or plant
life, and ‘dessert’ is something sweet that’s eaten of a meal.
Number five are ‘Principal’ and ‘principle’ which both sound the same.
‘Principal’ (spelled with ‘al’ at the end) is an adjective that means ‘main
or most important’.
For example: “The principal aim of this channel is to bring free English lessons to
all learners.”
‘Principal aim’ means the ‘main aim’.
‘Principal’ can also be a noun that means the head of a school (because he or she is
the most important person in the school): “I think you’re in trouble.
The principal wants to see you.”
The word ‘principle’ (spelled with ‘le’ at the end) is a noun that means a theory
or a rule.
“To be a good musician, you should learn the basic principles of music theory.”
It can also mean a moral rule – that is, a rule for good behavior: “I never cheat
on exams because it goes against my principles.”
So ‘principal’ with ‘al’ is means ‘main, most important’, or ‘the head
of a school’ and ‘principle’ (with ‘le’) is a theory or rule.
Alright, now it’s time for the first exercise.
This will help us to practice the first five pairs of words that we just discussed.
There are ten sentences on the screen.
In each one, I want you to choose the correct word.
Stop the video, think about your answers, then play the video again and check.
OK, here are the answers.
If you want, stop the video and check them with your answers.
Alright, let’s now turn to number six – ‘compliment’ and ‘complement’.
The difference in spelling between these two words is the one letter in the middle – ‘i’
or ‘e’.
But both words are pronounced the exact same way.
The word ‘compliment’ with an ‘i’ is a verb that means to praise someone for
something.
For example: “I must compliment you on your English.
It’s excellent!”
So I’m praising you for your English skills.
With the same meaning, it can also be used as a noun that means ‘a comment or expression
of praise’.
“Please give my compliments to the chef.”
It’s common to say this to a waiter in a restaurant when you really enjoyed the meal.
When someone pays you a compliment, that is someone praises you, you can say: “Thank
you for the compliment.”
The word ‘complement’ with an ‘e’ is normally a verb that means ‘to make something
better, complete or perfect’.
So if we say that A complements B, it means that A makes B better or complete.
For example: “Her scarf complements her sweater perfectly.”
It means that the scarf makes the sweater look complete or more attractive.
And with the same meaning, ‘complement’ can be a used as a noun that means ‘a thing
that improves or completes something else.’
“Vanilla ice cream provides the best complement to apple pie.”
That means it tastes great if you eat vanilla ice cream when you also eat apple pie.
So, ‘compliment’ with an ‘i’ means ‘to praise someone for something’ and
with an ‘e’ it means to ‘make something better, complete or perfect.”
Next up are ‘ensure’ and ‘insure’ which are usually pronounced the same way.
‘Ensure’ (spelled with an ‘e’ at the beginning) means the same thing as ‘make
sure’.
You say it when you want to tell someone to definitely do something.
As in: “Before signing any contract, ensure that you read and fully understand it.”
“We must ensure that this doesn’t happen again.”
In both these sentences, we can use ‘make sure’ in the place of ensure and the meaning
would be the same.
The word ‘insure’ (with ‘i’ at the beginning) is also a verb and it means to
purchase insurance for something.
For example: “We’ve just insured our car against theft.”
That means, if our car gets stolen, the insurance company will pay us some amount of money.
People sometimes get strange types of insurance: “The famous actor insured his nose for a
million dollars.”
That means if something happens to his nose by accident, then he might not look so handsome
and may not be able to get acting jobs.
So, the insurance company will have to pay him a million dollars.
So remember, ‘ensure’ (with an ‘e’) means ‘to make sure’ and ‘insure’
(with an ‘i’) means to purchase insurance for something.
Number eight is ‘Affect’ and ‘effect’.
These two words are related.
‘Affect’ is a verb and it means ‘to create a change in someone or something’.
It’s generally used in a negative sense.
For example: “Glaucoma is a disease that affects the eyes.”
“Many large cities are badly affected by pollution.”
‘Effect’ is a noun, and it means ‘the result or the change caused by something’.
“Too much homework can have negative effects on children.”
“Are you sure this medicine has no side effects?”
Side-effects means any negative effects that the medicine might produce apart from the
main, positive effect.
So, ‘affect’ is a verb that means to create a change, and ‘effect’ is the change or
the result.
Up next are ‘break’ and ‘brake’.
These two words are pronounced exactly the same way.
But they mean different things.
‘Break’ (spelled with ‘eak’) is usually a verb that means ‘to damage something’.
For example: “Be careful not to break that glass!”
In some situations, this word can be a noun which means ‘a short period when an activity
is stopped’.
As in: “Let’s take a short break now.
Please be back in 10 minutes.”
We usually talk about lunch breaks, coffee breaks, etc.
The word ‘brake’ (spelled with ‘ake’) is a noun that refers to a device that’s
used to stop a vehicle (like your car, motorbike etc.): “I slammed on the brakes when I saw
the old lady walk onto the road.”
“Slammed on the brakes” means I applied the brakes suddenly.
And finally, number ten is the pair of ‘breath’ and ‘breathe’.
‘Breath’ (without the ‘e’) is a noun.
It refers to the air that we take into and leave out from our lungs.
For example: “Are you drunk?
Your breath smells of alcohol.”
Notice that the last sound in this word is ‘th’ like in ‘thing’.
“Take a deep breath and relax.”
‘Breathe’ is the verb; that is, it’s the action of taking air into the lungs and
then leaving it out.
“It’s hard to breathe in here.
Can we open one of the windows?”
Here, notice that the last sound is ‘dh’ like in ‘this’ or ‘that’.
“Divers use oxygen masks to breathe underwater.”
So remember that ‘breath’ is the noun and ‘breathe’ is the verb.
Alright, now it’s time for the second and final quiz.
Once again, I want you to choose the correct word in each sentence.
Stop the video, think about your answers, then play the video again and check.
OK, here are the answers.
Let me know how many you got right in the comments section below.
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Happy learning, and I will see you in another lesson soon.