【本文選自眾文圖書之《美國老師教你寫出好英文》】

 

Below is a partial list of tricky words. Also, many of these have several meanings; I am just including the more common ones. Watch out for these words often confused:

以下列出某些容易混淆的字,其中很多字有幾個不同的意義,我只列出其最普遍的意義。要仔細分辨這些常令人混淆不清的字:

 

 

advice or advise?

advice (n.) counsel or guidance 忠告

●Can you please give me some advice?

 

advise (v.) to give advice, warning, or recommendation 建議

●I would advise you to stay home and study tonight; you have a test tomorrow!

 

 

affect or effect?

affect (v.) to produce an effect upon or influence someone or something 影響

●Smoking and drinking can affect your health.

 

effect (n.) something that follows a cause 效果,效應

●Many believe pollution causes the Greenhouse Effect.

 

 

among or between?

among (prep.) in the middle of or surrounded by; usually used when referring to two or more people or items 在…之中

●I feel comfortable when I am among my friends.

 

between (prep.) in the middle of (This is the preferred word when there are two items, but this is not an absolute rule.) 在…之間

●Joann sat between her mom and dad.

 

 

breath or breathe?

breath (n.) air expelled from the lungs 氣息

●Do you have any gum? I have bad breath today.

 

breathe (v.) to inhale and exhale 呼吸

●“Breathe deeply,” the doctor told her patient.

 

 

capital or capitol?

capital (n.) the capital city of a state or nation 首都

●Berlin is the capital of Germany.

(n.) money used to invest in business 資本

●The businesswoman needed more capital to open her florist shop.

 

capitol (n.) the primary government building of a state or nation 美國國會或州議會大廈

●The capitol in Washington D.C. is where the U.S. Congress meets.

 

 

conscience or conscious or conscientious?

conscience (n.) a sense of knowing right and wrong 良知

●If your conscience tells you not to do something, you should probably not do it.

 

conscious (adj.) capable of thought; being awake and alert 有意識的

●He was conscious even though he had a major heart attack.

 

conscientious (adj.) following your conscience; upright; careful 誠實的;勤勉的

●The boss always praised her conscientious employee for working hard.

 

 

definitely or defiantly?

definitely (adv.) without question or doubt 一定

●He told me he will definitely pay me the money tomorrow.

 

defiantly (adv.) acting with rebellion and disobedience 挑戰地

●The two-year-old defiantly kept crawling out of his bed.

 

 

dessert or desert?

dessert (n.) the sweet dish served after a meal 點心

“Would you like apple or pumpkin pie for dessert?” Grandma asked.

 

desert (n.) an area with little rainfall 沙漠

China’s Gobi Desert is huge.

(v.) to quit or flee from a duty 遺棄

●The soldiers were caught after they tried to desert from the army.

 

 

ensure or insure?

ensure (v.) to make sure or guarantee 保證

●Can you ensure that our hotel room will look as good as it does in the Internet pictures?

 

insure (v.) to buy insurance 投保

●Always insure your car before you drive it.

 

 

loose or lose or lost or loss?

loose (adj.) not tight 寬鬆的

●Since I went on a diet, all my clothes feel loose.

 

lose (v.) to not win 輸

●Nobody likes to lose a game, but that is a part of life.

 

lost (adj.) unable to find the way; out of sight; unsaved or no longer possessed 迷路的;遺失的

●We were lost for two hours until we finally found her home!

 

loss (n.) the act of losing; decrease in value, amount or magnitude 損失

●They sold their house at a great loss because they were in a hurry to sell and move.

 

 

passed or past?

passed (v., past tense of pass) to go by a place; to not fail in a test, to give somebody something 經過;通過;傳遞

●I have passed by here many times, but never knew you lived here!

●“I passed my math test,” Judi sighed with relief.

●“I’ve already passed you the catsup, why do you keep asking for it?” Kevin snapped.

 

past (adj.) ago; time gone by 過去的

●That store has been closed for the past few years.

(n.) time gone by; something that has already happened 過往

●“Learn from the past, but do not live there” is good advice.

 

 

principal or principle?

principal (n.) the leader of a school 校長

●The principal should be your “pal.” That’s a good way to remember how to spell it!

 

principle (n.) a rule or idea 準則

●Honesty is an important principle to live by, so others will trust you.

 

 

though or through or threw or thorough?

though (conj.) although, even though 儘管

●He is still going camping even though it is still raining!

 

through (prep.) to go in one side and out the other 穿過

●Ouch! I drove that nail through my finger!!

 

threw (v., past tense of throw) to pass or toss an object 丟

●He threw the ball so hard and it broke Mr. Chen’s window!

 

thorough (adj.) careful, detailed 徹底的

●“Make a thorough search for the child,” the king told his soldiers.

 

 

very or vary?

very (adj.) true, actual, real 正好是

●The train station is in the very heart of Taipei.

(adv.) truly, exceedingly 非常

●Taiwan can be very hot in the summer!

 

vary (v.) to change or modify 變化

Vary your sentence lengths and patterns, to keep your readers awake!

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