Not sure which word is the right choice? Improve your vocabulary by reading this post on commonly confused words in English.
Accept and Except
Accept and except sound similar but have very different meanings. To accept means to take something offered or approve of something, and to except means to not include someone or something.
- He accepted her invitation to dinner.
- The manager excepted certain clients from the invitation list.
Except is often used as a preposition meaning not including.
- We have visited almost all of the main sites in Berlin, except the Olympia Stadium.
Affect and Effect
Affect and effect are famously confused words. It helps to remember that affect is mostly used as a verb and effect is more often used as a noun. However, both words have both noun and verb forms. The verb affect means to influence someone or something, and the noun effect is the result of something.
- The movie didn’t affect me at all; I didn’t think it lived up to the hype.
- The effect of her speech was so strong that it won her new supporters.
Assume and Presume
Assume and presume are very similar because they both mean to believe something before it happens. However, to assume means to believe something without a good reason or without proof. To presume something means that you believe something because it is highly probable or likely to be true.
- I assumed she knew him because they worked at the same company.
- I presume they should arrive shortly because they left the airport 30 minutes ago.
Assure and Ensure
Another set of confusing words is assure and ensure. To assure someone of something is to let them know things are ok in order to prevent worry or uncertainty, to ensure is to make something certain.
- The mother assured her daughter that she would do well on the test.
- To ensure that we leave on time, please have all of your things ready.
Complement and Compliment
Both complement and compliment are words that have positive meanings, though they are not the same. To complement something means to make it complete or to supplement it. To compliment someone means to say nice things to someone.
- This wine complements cheese perfectly.
- I complimented her on her good performance.
These are just a few examples of commonly confused words – always have a dictionary handy to consult so that you can ensure you’re using the right word choice!