Scholastic teachables worksheets, lesson plans, learning games, and more. English esl confusing words worksheets most downloaded 36. On a separate sheet of paper, write one sentence for each set of words, underlining each commonly confused word. The worksheets below will help students learn the differences between commonly confused words. Each word pair is among a group of easily confused words. Some words sound so similar, its easy to confuse or misuse them when writing. An alphabetical list of commonly confused words words a. Differences between commonly confused words in english. Here is a list of easily confused words including homonyms and near homonyms. A great way to test your knowledge is to dive into this commonly confused worksheet. Sep 07, 2019 some commonly confused words are homonyms. Im quite excited that the students are quiet today so we can all write.
You need to note that english can be a very tricky language. The most common way of differentiating between the commonly confused verbs is to identify whether the verb is transitive or intransitive. Effect is most commonly a noun meaning the result of an action. An allusionrefers to implying or referring to something, especially in literature. Practice these easily confused words in this fun monkey game. Practise and improve your english grammar with our free grammar and vocabulary explanations, online exercises and quizzes. Commonly confused verbs in english a research guide for. Recently i started a discussion in pmp cert online study group on the topic commonly confused concepts for the pmp and capm certification exams. The hostess received glowing compliments on the dinner. Learn the correct way of writing these words and phrases. For each of the following sentences, circle the word or words that best complete the sentence correctly. The magician created the illusion of a disappearing coin. In the english language, many words either have same meanings, spellings or similar sounds.
Commonly confused words for esl students and classes. The cold weather had an adverse effect on my health. Help children build their vocabulary skills by differentiating between words that are easily confused. Common grammar mistakes confused words verbs often. An is an indefinite article that is used when the word that follows does begin with a vowel. In this activity students will be working with five sets of word pairs total of ten key words. Commonly confused words university of new hampshire. This worksheet will aid you in learning the correct meanings for these confusing words while learning how to correctly use them. In our daily lives, we may come across some words that might seem a little bit confusing.
This document should only be used as a reference and should not replace assignment guidelines. Everyone was having a good time at the party when all of a sudden the lights went out. Even the most erudite linguists falter while using words like lie and lay and fewer and less, let alone students who struggle to use their words correctly. This activity is designed to give students practice using pairs of easily confused words and discerning the subtleties of meaning in language.
This worksheet includes 10 fillintheblank sentences for practice spelling commonly confused words affect and effect, for example and 10 questions related to english words derived from french. Commonly confused words as much as the english language is a fun and enjoyable experience, its not completely devoid of elements of confusion and bewilderment. Buy our book smashing grammar 2019 written by the founder of grammar monster, smashing grammar includes a glossary of grammar essentials from apostrophes to zeugma and a chapter on easily confused words from affecteffect to whetherif. Commonly confused words basic grammar and punctuation. Home page for english grammar today on cambridge dictionary. Word usage worksheets commonly confused words worksheets. I hope that these activity sheets will help students to become more familiar with the words and their different definitions. You must be sure the word is the one with the meaning you intended, so you wont confuse your reader. You may write more than one sentence per set if needed. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Home commonly confused words in english lets face it, english can be a confusing language at times. They have to spend a lot of their time and energy while thinking and choosing the appropriate word out of two or more confusing words. Social activities may affect your grades, but the effect had better be small.
I say this because there are times when you are in a fix when trying to choose the most appropriate word in terms of spelling or meaning. Activity suggestion consider extending this exercise by having your learners compare their answers by reading them aloud in. First exercise is based on dictionary entries and the other. Certain words are easy to mix up, but these two commonly confused worksheets can help. Commonly confused words exercise get your dictionary out choose one of the words in brackets to fill the gap. Aug 12, 2018 this list of commonly confused words has been specifically developed for esl learners and contains the most commonly confused words. In our glossary of usage youll find more than 300 sets of commonly confused words with links to definitions, examples, usage notes, and practice exercises that should help you keep these words straight. Slider 200, 2703848209 every writer, every message, every point in the process welcome to the. Hung is the past of the verb to hang, most of the time.
Difference between commonly confused words in english. Confusion can arise for multiple reasons, but the most common one is the similarity of the words. Words that sound the same but are spelled differently are called homonyms. Many words look or sound similar use the right word so the reader knows your meaning incorrect words can be distracting. Other words look and sound different but are similar in meaning, and its hard to determine which is the correct one in a given context. There is used when you are referring to a place examples. Each entry starts with a simple explanation and basic examples before moving to reallife, entertaining examples. Below are the words beginning on a of a list of more than 250 words that speakers and writers of english often confuse.
Commonly confused word pairs for esl learners share flipboard email. This list includes pairs such as affect and effect, too and to, practice and practise, and complement and compliment. Dec 23, 2019 the english language has always been a complex one. When you are at crossroads, you dont know which verb is the most suitable for the context you are in or in terms of the meaning your sentence. A good editor, like one of the experts at scribendi, can ensure that you always use the right word. Definitions, explanations and examples of commonly confused words in the english language. They either look alike, sound alike or, worst of all, look and sound alike but have completely different meanings. Below are some of the most commonly confused and misused words in english. Commonly confused words printable version here words that sound alike or nearly alike but have different meanings often cause writers trouble. The difference between hanged and hung can be deadly. They have to spend a lot of their time and energy while thinking and choosing the. Includes common homophones like there, theyre and their. Top 30 commonly confused words homophones in english.
Believe it or not, this isnt a comprehensive list of all the commonly confused words in the english language. For example, the word kind can mean both caring a kind person and type a kind of food, while the word book can both be a noun an interesting book and a verb i book a flight. Here are 10 of the most commonly confused words in english to watch out for. The meaning of the poem was immanent, and not easily recognized. Commonly confused words in english lets face it, english can be a confusing language at times. You might be wondering, what are these commonly confused verbs. Usually affect is a verb, meaning to influence, and effect is a noun, meaning result.
Other words look and sound different but are similar in meaning, and its hard to determine which is. Its also full of words that share similar but not identical meanings that are easy. Easily confused words and the gre the following easily confused words are likely to appear in the verbal sections of the gre. Its also full of words that share similar but not identical meanings that are easy to misuse. This list of commonly confused words has been specifically developed for esl learners and contains the most commonly confused words. Many writers are confused about words that sound and look alike. Learn more about types of sentences by practicing with our free commonly confused words worksheets below. I hung the painting on the wall and i hung my clothes on the clothes line. Commonly confused words affecteffect usually affect is a verb, meaning to influence, and effect is a noun, meaning result. Commonly confused words here is a list of several errors commonly made in students paper. An illusion refers to a misleading image, object, or idea that does not exist as it appears. If you commit some of these pairs and triplets to memory, youll be ahead of the crowd.
English is full of confusing words that sound alike but are spelled differently. I have taken a selection of those annoying words which have not only caused us all at some stage to hesitate before putting pen to paper, but also usually manage to escape the automatic spellcheck. The topic resonated really well with forum members and within couple days, we had 75. When you accept something, you agree to receive it. Affect is usually a verb meaning to act upon or influence. The mail carrier said, please accept my apology for being late.
Commonly confused words in english writing explained. Such words can easily confuse both the readers and writers. Hanged is the deadly exception, as its the past tense of hang in one very particular situation. Commonly confused words my hamilton hamilton college. In the meantime, weve compiled a list of commonly confused words and troublesome expressions to help you sort out these tricky terms. Start studying 100 commonly misused english word groups.
Here are a few of the most common pairs with correct definitions and examples. A is an indefinite article that is used when the word that follows does not begin with a vowel. Theres an explanation about commonly confused words before each printable worksheet, and the answers are provided in the pdf file. Easily confused words english grammar today cambridge. These are not homonyms words that are spelled the differently, have different meanings, but sound andor are spelled alike but have different meanings, such as theyre, their. Write the number of its homonym next to each word in column a. Commonly confused verbs in english what are commonly confused verbs. This worksheet will aid you in learning the correct meanings for these confusing words while learning how to.
These esl lesson plans and worksheets are in pdf format, which you will need to download adobe reader if you dont already have it installed. The case always seems to be that unless youre picking it up as a second language, you simply overlook all of the contradictions and overly difficult aspects of it an example of which is multiple varying words with either the same spelling or pronunciation with vastly different definitions. Commonly confused words in contrastive and dynamic dictionary. If you are a new user of this website, you can select the first exercise. A few is a phrase meaning not many, but more than one. Here, youll find an easily confused words worksheet for early learners and one for more advanced learners. Easily confused words grammar game sheppard software. If a cat falls of off the counter, it will land on its feet. Even if you are an excellent writer, you should read through this list. Commonly confused words worksheet education yourdictionary. The horse mentioned in the text is clearly an allusion to the trojan horse. English esl confusing words worksheets most downloaded. The highly flammable inflammable fuel was stored safely in a specially built tank.
Its easy to get them confused and most electronic spellcheckers wont be much help in this type of situation. Ss practise words which are easily confused concerning holidays and travel. Includes a handout of twenty commonly confused words that are often seen on state tests. For further information on these resources, contact margaret l.
Easily confused handout lec, updated 62707 km easily confused words worksheet usage there are many words that students often confuse for other words when they are writing. There are a lot of words in english that look or sound alike but have different meanings, such as affect and effect or cite and site. Illusion an allusion refers to implying or referring to something, especially in literature. Some other commonly confused words are homophones, and these. Commonly confused words worksheets as much as the english language is a fun and enjoyable experience, its not completely devoid of elements of confusion and bewilderment. Consider having your important documents edited or proofread by one of our professionals. Learn the difference between confusing words in english to improve and expand your vocabulary in english. Easily confused words english grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary. It will help clear up your doubts about how to use english words correctly, so that you can speak and write more confidently. Hurry up if you want yellow, because we only have a few left.
The english language has always been a complex one. Words that sound alike or look alike moralmorale often confuse students, especially those using spell checkers. Our commonly confused words worksheets are free to download and easy to access in pdf format. Choose one of the words in brackets to fill the gap. Students will be able to derive the different meanings of the list words by understanding their context. Utah valley university uvu does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation. Our commonly confused words worksheets may be used for a variety of grade levels. Register for free and gain access to additional teacher handouts.1313 176 1497 326 195 1157 853 1540 1436 1529 342 1410 170 698 973 645 57 1476 1030 444 501 1103 1462 190 1223 575 788 1201 474 594 984 1451 913 355 1211 330 1336