Table Of ContentБЕЛОРУССКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ
ФАКУЛЬТЕТ МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫХ ОТНОШЕНИЙ
Кафедра английского языка экономических специальностей
Г. И. Ахрименя, Н. И. Василевич, А. С. Тамарина
CONFUSING WORDS
ТРУДНОРАЗЛИЧАЕМЫЕ СЛОВА
Учебные материалы для студентов I–V курсов,
обучающихся по специальностям
1-96 01 01 «Таможенное дело»,
1-23 01 01 «Международные отношения»,
1-25 01 03 «Мировая экономика»
МИНСК
2015
УДК 811.111’276.6:33(075.8)
ББК 81.432.1-324я73
А95
Утверждено
на заседании кафедры английского языка
экономических специальностей
30 января 2015 г., протокол № 7
Рецензент
кандидат филологических наук, доцент А.Ф.Дрозд
Ахрименя, Г. И.
А95 Трудноразличаемые слова = Confusing Words : учеб. материалы /
Г. И. Ахрименя, Н. И. Василевич, А. С. Тамарина. – Минск : БГУ,
2015. – 62 с.
Цель представленных учебных материалов – систематизация знаний
лексики английского языка, развитие навыков использования слов, близких
по значению или звучанию, предупреждение ошибок в применении таких
слов.
Предназначено для студентов I–V курсов факультета международных
отношений, может быть использовано как в аудиторной работе, так и в
разных формах контролируемой самостоятельной работы.
УДК 811.111’276.6:33(075.8)
ББК 81.432.1-324я73
© БГУ, 2015
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PART I
CONFUSING WORDS
Study the meanings of the given confusing words. Pay attention to the
usage of these words in a particular meaning.
ADAPT / ADOPT
Adapt means to adjust ( приспособиться)
e.g. He had to adapt to life in South Africa.
Adopt means 1) to put into practice ( принять)
e.g. They adopted a new law.
2) to take responsibility for someone else’s child (усыновить)
e.g. They adopted a boy.
ADVICE / ADVISE
Advice means a recommended course of action. It’s a noun. (совет)
e.g. Give me some advice.
Advise means to make recommendations. It’s a verb. (советовать)
e.g. He advised us to come earlier.
AFFECT / EFFECT
Affect means to influence. It’s a verb. (влиять)
e.g. The cold weather affected his work.
Effect means result. It’s a noun. (результат, эффект)
e.g. have an effect on something, take effect
Effect means to achieve. It’s a verb.
e.g. They didn’t effect much improvement in sales last year.
AGO / BEFORE
Ago e.g. I met him three days ago.
Before e.g. I found out that we had met before.
Have you done the job before?
ALIKE / LIKE
Alike means 1) similar (похожи)
e.g. They are alike.
2) in the same or similar way. (одинаково)
e.g. Her books are enjoyed by adults and children alike.
Treat everybody exactly alike.
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Like means similar, resembling (похож, напоминать)
e.g. He is like his father.
But: He has 2 very similar-looking sons. (not alike sons)
ALL TOGETHER / ALTOGETHER
All together means doing smth as a group. Both words are stressed. (все
вместе)
e.g. Put the plates all together in the sink.
Altogether means completely, entirely, in total. (вполне, совершенно,
совсем, в целом, в общем, вообще, всего)
e.g. My new house isn’t altogether finished.
Altogether she decided marriage was a bit of a mistake.
That’s $ 50 altogether.
ALONE / LONE / LONELY
Alone (adjective and adverb) ( один, единственный) Alone is not used
directly before a noun.
e.g. She is alone in the flat.
Lonely ( adjective) can be used with the verbs be and feel.
e.g. She was very lonely when she moved to the island.
Lone (adjective) means without other people or things. (одинокий,
уединенный) Lone is used before a noun.
e.g. The lone policeman in the park had to call for reinforcement.
ALSO / AS WELL / TOO
Also (before the verb) e.g. She also plays the piano.
(at the beginning of the sentence) e.g. Also, I have to call them.
As well / too e.g. She plays the piano as well.
(at the end of the sentence) e.g. She plays the piano too.
(negative sentence) e.g. He is not here today either.
ANALYSIS / ANALYSES / ANALYSE / ANALYZE / ANALYST
Analysis (noun) means a detailed examination of smth.
Analyses (noun) plural form
Analyse / Analyze (verb means to examine carefully.
Analyses (verb, the third person singular)
Analyst (noun) means a person who analyses smth.
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ANYONE / ANY ONE
Anyone (pronoun) means any person.
e.g. Is anyone there?
Any one ( determiner + pronoun) means no matter which person or thing is
selected from a fixed number.
e.g. I would like any one of these chocolates.
ARISE / RISE
Arise means to appear, to occur
e.g. A new difficulty has arisen.
e.g. A discussion arose about the best way to pay.
Rise means to get higher
e.g. Prices are rising.
What time does the sun rise?
My hopes are rising.
BASIC / BASICS / BASIS / BASES / BASE
Basic (adjective) means forming an essential part
e.g. It is important to grasp the basic principles of science.
Basics (noun) means the most essential facts, ideas, etc.
e.g. It was a long time before he grasped the basics of mathematics.
Basis (noun) means principles that provide a foundation for smth
e.g. Love should be the basis of family life.
Bases (noun, plural form of basis)
Base (noun) 1) means the lowest part of smth
e.g. the base of the pillar/ spine
2) means a point from which smth is developed
e.g. She used her family’s history as a base for her novel.
3) means a place
e.g. After the attack they returned to base.
Bases (the plural of ‘base’ and ‘basis’)
(verb) means to select a specific location as the center for an activity.
e.g. The company is based in Brussels.
BATH / BATHE / BATHTUB
Bath 1) ( noun) means a long narrow container (ванна)
e.g. I have a nice bath.
2) (verb) means to wash someone else in a bath
e.g. Will you bath the boys tonight?
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Bathe (verb) 1) means to swim in a pool, river, lake or the sea
2) means to wash smth carefully e.g. bathe a wound, bathe your eyes
Bathtub (noun) is the same as bath. It is especially used in AE.
BEGIN / START
Begin is not used: e.g. Start a journey/trip The car won’t start. How do
you start the washing machine? It was those children who started the fire
(причина)
But : How do you usually start your working day?
How do you usually begin your working day?
BEET / BEAT / BEATEN
Beet (noun) is a type of plant.
e.g. Fields of sugar beet are found all over this part of the country.
Beat (verb) means to hit and defeat. The forms are beat /beat / beaten
e.g. He beat his wife.
The footballer said he was dead beat (to be exhausted)
(noun) means the main rhythm in music and the striking of something
e.g. They were all tapping out the beat with their feet.
The six beats on the drum was the signal they were waiting for.
His heart beat was very strong.
Beaten (verb) past participle
e.g. He was badly beaten up by a gang.
(adjective) e.g. off the beaten track.
BESIDE / BESIDES / EXCEPT/ APART FROM
Beside (preposition) means alongside or at the side of
e.g. The dog slept beside his master.
My car looks small beside yours ( to make physical comparisons)
Besides (adverb) 1) means in addition to
e.g. Bill is our youngest son, and we have three others besides.
2) except (following a negative sentence)
e.g. She has no living relations besides her aged aunt.
Except (preposition) means not including
e.g. The restaurant is open every day except Monday.
Apart from (preposition) 1) means except for
e.g. Apart from being a bit overweight he is quite healthy.
2) means in addition to / as well as
e.g. Who else was there apart from your parents?
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BETWEEN / AMONG
Between (two or more clearly separate people or things)
e.g. Q comes between P and R in the English alphabet.
She was sitting between Alice and Mary.
between you and me / between 5 and 6 o’clock
between the woods, the river and the village
between the wheels of the car (things on 2 sides)
(после слов divide/share и перед существительным в единственном
числе)
e.g. He divided his money between his wife, his daughter and sister.
What is the difference between between crows, rooks and jackdaws?
Among (a group or crowd)
e.g. She was standing among a crowd of children.
Her house was hidden among the trees.
(после слов divide/share и перед существительным во множественном
числе) e.g. I shared food among/between all my friends.
BRAKE / BREAK
Brake (noun) means the device top stop a vehicle
e.g. The boy managed to release the brake and the car started to roll towards
the main road.
(verb) means to stop something The forms are braked / braked
e.g. He braked hard as he saw a man on the road.
Break (noun) means a pause or interval
e.g. We will have a break in an hour.
(verb) means to destroy or disobey The forms are broke / broken
e.g. If you drop the cup it will break. Do not break the speed limit.
BREATH / BREATHE
Breath (noun) means the air coming into or out of the lungs or fresh air
e.g. Hold your breath.
Breathe (verb) means to inhale and exhale
e.g. It was so stuffy he felt that he couldn’t breathe.
BRING / TAKE
Bring (verb) 1) means move something or someone towards the speaker. The
forms are brought / brought.
e.g. Please bring the report to me.
2) means to cause something
e.g. The cold weather will bring icy roads with it.
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Take (verb) implies movement away from the speaker or when someone
accompanies the speaker.
e.g. Please take this report back to the office.
I can take you home at 7.
BY / NEAR
By ( preposition) means just at the side of -something that is by you may be
closer than something that is near you.
e.g. We live by the sea. ( We can see it)
Near (preposition) means something that is farther than something that is by .
e.g. We live near the sea ( perhaps 5 kilometres away)
BY / WITH
By (preposition) 1) means what we do to get a result.
e.g. I killed the spider by hitting it.
2) shows an agent
e.g. The text was translated by the students.
Remember : by bus/car/train/plane/air/sea
With (preposition) shows a tool or other object what we use to get a result
e.g. I killed the spider with a shoe.
Compare: He was killed by a heavy stone. (A stone fell and killed him)
He was killed with a heavy stone (Somebody used a stone to kill him).
CANAL / CHANNEL
Canal (noun) means an artificial waterway for the passage of ships
e.g. The Suez Canal was nationalized by Egypt.
The word is also used medically - alimentary canal
Channel (noun) means a natural length of water that typically joins seas and
oceans.
e.g. The English Channel links the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.
The word is also used in the context of communications
e.g. You will need to find it through official channels.
CARE ABOUT / CARE FOR / TAKE CARE OF
Care about (verb) means to be interested in or concerned about somebody or
something
e.g. I don’t care about your opinion.
He didn’t care about other people.
I don’t care whether it rains. I couldn’t care less.
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Care for (verb) means to look after
e.g. He spent three years caring for his sick mother.
Would you care for a cup of coffee?
Would you care for some whisky?
Take care (less formal than care for) means to look after
e.g. Nurses take care of people in hospitals.
Take care (без предлога) means to be careful
e.g. Take care when you’re crossing the road.
Good-bye. Take care.
CAREFUL / CAUTIOUS
Careful (adjective) means paying attention or thought to an activity in order to
avoid damage or injury.
e.g. Be careful while crossing a road.
Cautious (adjective) means being ‘ careful’ about things that are said or
done to avoid mistakes.
e.g. When the reporter asked about the financial situation he was
deliberately cautious.
CHIPS / CRISPS
Chips (noun) means in BE fried potatoes
e.g. Fish and chips is one of the national dishes in Britain.
In AE chips are called ‘French fries’
Crisps (noun) is in BE water-thin potatoes fried and served as a snack.
e.g. They enjoyed a pint and a packet of crisps in the pub.
In AE crisps are called potato chips
CITE / SITE / SIGHT
Cite (verb) means to refer to or quote
e.g. He cited a famous passage from Hamlet.
Site (noun) means the area of ground where a building or town will be
located.
e.g. This is the site for the new laboratory.
(verb) means to locate
e.g. This is where they have planned to site the new office.
Sight (noun) refers to vision or the capacity to see something
e.g. The boat was just in sight near the harbour wall.
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CLASSIC / CLASSICAL
Classic (adjective) refers either to lasting high quality or to something that is
typical.
e.g. He was wearing a suit with a classic cut. This a classic example of this
phenomenon.
Classical (adjective) refers to certain historical genres or periods
e.g. I like classical music and literature
Films about ancient Rome and Greece are classical, Casablanca can be
described as classic
CLOCK / WATCH
Clock (noun) means an instrument for showing and measuring time that is
larger than a wristwatch
e.g. The kitchen clock says it’s half past 6.
They are working round the clock .
Watch means a smaller instrument for showing time that is worn on the wrist.
e.g. Could I borrow your watch for a while?
CLOTHES / CLOTHING / CLOTH
Clothes (noun, plural) means items that are worn to cover the body. (a
piece/article of clothing) e.g. Summer clothes are now in the shops.
Clothing (noun) means 1) clothes collectively
e.g. In BE the clothing industry is often informally called the rag trade.
2) specific types of clothes
e.g. Sportswear and outdoor clothing
Cloth (noun) means fabric made by weaving or similar processes.
e.g. His suit is made of the most expensive cloth.
Could you pass me a cloth. I’ve spilt milk on the floor.
CONFIDENT / CONFIDENTIAL
Confident (adjective) means 1) sure you can do something or deal with the
situation successfully
e.g. Joyce is very confident about using computers.
2) very sure that something is going to happen or that you will be able to do
something
e.g. We are confident that next year’s profits will be higher
Confidential (adjective) means spoken or written in secret and intended to be
kept secret
e.g. What I’m telling you is strictly confidential.
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