Vocabulary

Okay, let’s say we have already neutralized our accent. So does that mean we can already convey our messages clearly? Hold your horses! We still need to work on our vocabulary. Many people are misunderstood because of using words or expressions inappropriately. Below are some examples of the most commonly misused words in the English language. I hope you’ll find them helpful.

Accept versus Except

Accept is a verb which means “to receive”.
Ex. I accept your proposal.

Except is usually a preposition which means not included.
Ex. I eat all kinds of fruits except that one.

Also, except is a verb meaning to exclude.
Ex. Please except that vegetable from the grocery list.

Affect versus Effect
Usually, “affect” is a verb meaning to influence. Effect, on the other hand, is usually a noun meaning result.
Ex. Frequent drinking of alcohol affected his health.
Ex. One of the effects of illegal logging is flood.

Lend versus Borrow
Lend is a verb which means to let someone use or take something which will be returned later. Borrow, is a verb which means to use or take something from someone after asking for permission and returning the thing used or taken later.
Ex. Jane needed money, so she borrowed money from Ken. Ken lent Jane the money she needed.

Its versus It’s
“Its” is the possessive case of the pronoun “it”. “It’s”, on the other hand, is the contraction of the words, “it is”.
Ex. The airport changed its policy.
It's a very nice day today.

Loose versus Lose
Loose is an adjective. Lose is a verb.
Ex. If your shoelaces are too loose, you might trip and lose your balance.

Quiet versus Quite
Quiet is an adjective that means silence, and quite is an adverb that means to a great extent.
Ex. It’s very quiet in the library. The students are quite busy studying.

Raise versus Rise
They are both verbs. Raise means to cause something to move upward. Rise means to move upward or to get out of bed.
Ex. The student raised his hand to give his answer.
The sun usually rises before 6 am.