Transcript Easily Confused Words

Easily Confused Words
Easily Confused Words
• This Power Point show will help you
differentiate between words that are easily
confused.
• Some of these words are similar in
spelling, like “quiet” and “quite”.
• Some of these words are similar in
meaning, like “lie” and “lay”.
• Some of these words are similar in sound,
like “then” and “than”.
• Once you can remember the difference
between these groups of words, your
comprehension and writing will become
much better.
• The key is to memorize the definitions of
each word.
• Throughout this tutorial, you will have a
chance to test your knowledge of these
easily confused words.
Then, Than
• “Then” and “Than” are confusing because they
sound very similar. “Then” refers to time. On
the other hand, when you compare two or more
things, use the word, “than”.
1. We went to the zoo, and ____ we went home.
2. She was shorter ____ the giraffe.
• Which one is a comparison of two things? #2
Which one is about time? #1 So, the correct
sentences are as follows:
1. We went to the zoo, and then we went home.
2. She was shorter than the giraffe.
Who, That
• This next pair are often mixed up, but the
solution is easy, if you remember that “who”
refers to people and “that” refers to things.
1. She called her brother ____ was able to help.
2. He bought the surfboard ____ was on sale.
• Which one is about a person or people? #1
Which one is about an object or thing? #2
Therefore, the correct sentences are:
1. She called her brother who was able to help.
2. He bought the surfboard that was on sale.
I, Me
• One of these sentences below uses “I” and the other uses
“me”. How can you tell which sentence uses which word?
They gave the present to my sister and ___.
My father and ____ went to the movies.
•
Try reading or writing the sentence without the other person
and see if “I” or “me” sounds right.
They gave the present to I.
I went to the movies.
They gave the present to me.
Me went to the movies.
• So, the correct sentences are:
They gave the present to my sister and me.
My father and I went to the movies.
Practice
Click the word that belongs to the sentence. You will find a
word list at the bottom of the screen.
who doesn’t eat meat, eats veggie burgers and tofu instead.
My sister, ______
Because his legs were so much longerthan
____ hers, she could barely keep up
with him.
me
He gave the flowers to my mother and ____.
John drove to the bank and to the store, and then
____ came home to start dinner.
who was surprised that she
Joanna gave the gift to her friend, _____
remembered her birthday.
that got good ratings, didn’t do well at the box office.
The movie, the one _____
I
My husband and _________
went to Hawaii on our honeymoon.
that had really good gas mileage.
She owned a car ______
me
I
then
than
who
that
Go On
Thorough, Through, Though, Tough
• These words are very similar in spelling, so
you have to be careful when using them.
–
–
–
–
“Thorough” means complete or very carefully done.
“Through” means to go in one side and out the other.
“Though” means despite the fact, or “even if”.
“Tough” means hard, sturdy, rugged, or strong.
Thorough, Through, Though, Tough
She did a very _____ job on her report, and her boss
was pleased.
Can you figure out which word belongs to the sentence
by applying the meanings of the words?
Did she do a complete or careful job? (thorough)
Did she go in and out of something? (through)
Does it sound like she did the job despite something else happening? (though)
Did she do it in a strong or sturdy manner? (tough)
Click for answer
Because the definitions of the other words do not fit, the only word that
belongs is “thorough”. She did a complete or careful job.
She did a very thorough job on her report, and her boss was
pleased.
Click to go on
Thorough, Through, Though, Tough
The sunlight seemed so bright after we drove
_______ the tunnel.
Just like before, can you figure out which word belongs to
the sentence by applying the meanings of the words?
Does it sound like this is about a complete or careful occurrence? (thorough)
Did they go in and out of something? (through)
Does it sound like they were able to do something despite something else
happening? (though)
Does the sentence have anything to do with sturdiness or strength? (tough)
Click for answer
Because the definitions of the other words do not fit, the only word that belongs
is “through”. They went in and out of something.
The sunlight seemed so bright after we drove through the tunnel.
Click to go on
Thorough, Through, Though, Tough
He was a ______ competitor, and he rarely
lost a game.
Can you figure out which word belongs to the sentence by applying
the meanings of the words?
Was he a thorough competitor? (complete, careful, accurate)
Was he a through competitor? (going in and out of something)
Was he a though competitor? (doing something despite something else happening)
Was he a tough competitor? (strong, sturdy)
Click for
answer
Because the definitions of the other words do not fit, the only word that
belongs is “tough”. He was a strong and sturdy competitor.
He was a tough competitor, and he rarely lost a game.
Click to go on
Thorough, Through, Though, Tough
Even _______ the homework was hard,
she completed it on time.
Click for
answer
By now, you should know the meanings of Thorough, Through, Though, and
Tough. If you are still not sure which word fits in the sentence above, ask
yourself questions, as previous slides have done. That should show that the
only logical word that fits in the sentence is “though”.
Even though the homework was hard, she completed it on time.
Click to go on
Matching
Click on the word on the left that fits in the sentence.
We made it ______ the tunnel without running out of gas.
Thorough
The final exam for that class was awfully ______.
Through
The instructor did a ________ job reviewing for the midterm.
Though
Even ______ the tickets were free, parking cost $20.
Tough
He fought a ______ fight, but still lost in the end.
Thorough
She cut ______ the phone line when she dug the hole.
Through
He took his skis along, even ______ there was no snow.
Though
Because the directions were so ______, Justin put the
crib together easily.
Tough
Go On
Effect, Affect
• “Effect” is the end result of something
that happens.
What do you think the effect will be if children continue
to play violent video games?
• “Affect” means to touch the emotions of
something.
Studies have shown that three or more hugs a day can
affect our moods in positive ways.
Quiet, Quite
• “Quiet” refers to volume of sound.
She turned on the television because the
house was too quiet.
• “Quite” means actually or
completely.
He was quite certain that his coffee was
decaffeinated.
Accept, Except
• To accept something means that you
receive it.
Will you accept my offer and let me help you?
• “Except” means “other than” or
“excluding”.
They picked everyone for their team except me.
Match the word to the sentence. Choose
the words in numerical order. Go On
1
They snuck in the
room, as _____ as
mice.
5
What will the ____
be if we don’t get
any more rain?
3
Please _____ my
apology for my
rude behavior.
2
I’m _____ sure that
things will get
better this fall.
6
4
Foul weather can
______ my moods
in negative ways.
effect
accept
They bought pizza
for everyone ____
me.
affect
except
quiet
quite
Done, Finished
• While these words both mean the same
thing, their proper use is often a mystery.
• A person gets something finished.
“I’m finished with the painting,” the artist proclaimed.
• Something you cook gets done.
“Is the pot roast done?” She asked.
Suppose, Supposed
• Suppose means to assume or guess.
I suppose gas prices will continue to go up this summer.
• Supposed is the past tense of Suppose (assumed
or guessed).
She supposed that they would have ham on Easter.
• Supposed also means “ought to” or “should”. (It is
almost always followed by the word “to”.)
We are supposed to take hamburger buns to the pot-luck.
• Be careful that you don’t write “suppose” when you
mean “ought to” or “should”.
We are suppose to go camping during spring break. This is incorrect.
We are supposed to go camping during spring break.
A lot, All right
• These two words aren’t usually confused
with each other – but they are often
misused and misspelled.
• “Alot” and “Alright” are not actual words.
• The correct spelling of these words is “a
lot” and “all right”.
There are a lot of words that rhyme with the word
“you”.
He asked her father if it was all right for his
daughter to marry him.
Lose, Loose
• “Lose” means that you did not win or that
you have misplaced something.
I don’t want to lose the game, so I practice every
day.
If you don’t put your keys where they belong, you
will lose them.
• “Loose” means that something is ill-fitting.
If your pants are too loose, they will fall down.
Every time Frank eats an apple, his dentures come
loose.
Click on the correct word from the list at the
bottom of the screen.
Go On
all right
Would it be ______________
if I borrowed $50?
done
Please take the casserole out of the oven when it is ___________.
lose my keys because I have nowhere to put them at home.”
“I always ______
You are supposed
_________ to make an appointment to take your final exam.
finished with your homework, you may go surfing.
When you are _________
I ____________
suppose I will have to do a lot of laundry after we get home.
a lot of friends who live overseas.
Hector has ________
loose the television
Because the connection of the wires was ________,
reception was poor.
done
finished supposed
suppose
a lot
all right
loose
lose
Where, Wear
• The word “where” refers to a place. It is usually
used in a question.
“Where did you put your keys?”
“Do you know where the reception is?”
I don’t know where I put my keys.
• The word “wear” refers to putting on an article of
clothing.
“You can wear your new shoes out of the store.”
Wear your red dress to the prom.
Passed, Past
• Passed means to move ahead or proceed.
When the parade passed by, the clowns made the
children laugh.
The faster cars passed the slower cars on the autobahn.
• The word “past” refers to something that
happened any time before this very
moment.
We study the past so we can improve our future.
Memories of past loves haunted the elderly lady.
Use, Used to
• To “use” something means that you put it
into action or implement it.
You can use your notes on the exam.
Use caution when opening the can of soda.
• When you are talking about something
you’re accustomed to, use the phrase
“used to”. (It can also mean “formerly”.)
We used to go fishing every summer at our cabin in
Tennessee.
Since she wasn’t used to the taste of liver, she made a face
when she took her first bite.
• Be careful! The correct usage of these words
are “use” or “used to”. Do not write “use to”.
Raise, Rise
• “Raise” means to lift something or to
move to a higher position.
Every morning we raise the American Flag and sing
The Star-Spangled Banner.
She hoped that this test score would raise her
average for the class.
• “Rise” means to get up by one’s own
power.
Each morning, we rise out of bed, brush our teeth,
and get dressed.
I like to watch the sun rise each morning.
Click on the word that completes the sentence. Do the ACROSS column first, then the DOWN column.
2
WORD LIST
3
R
W
I
H
4
E
A
Go On
R
USE
USED
A
1
WHERE
P
A
S
S
E
D
WEAR
I
4
A
PAST
E
R
U
S
E
D
2
PASSED
U
S
E
E
E
RAISE
RISE
T
ACROSS:
DOWN:
1. He _____ by the slower car.
1. History is the study of things that
happened in the _____.
2. Will you please _____ your fork
when you eat?
2. We watched the sun _____ on the
beach every morning that summer.
3. I do not know what to _____ to the
wedding.
3. _______ did you put your clean
socks?
4. She ______ to love walking in the
park after dinner each night.
4. “______ your hand if you have a
question.”
Lie, Lay, Laid, Lain
• “Lie” means to recline or to be at rest.
“I want to lie down before we go out tonight,” she said
wearily.
• “Lay” is the past tense of “lie”.
Last night, she lay in bed, counting sheep.
• “Laid” is the past participle of “lay”.
The hens laid the eggs in the nests in the hen house.
• “Lain” is the past participle of “lie”.
The carpet had lain on the living room floor for over
fifty years.
Who, Whom
It is often difficult to know whether to use “who” or
“whom” in a sentence. “Who” is the subject form of
the pronoun “who” and “whom” is the object form of
the pronoun “who”.
Who wants to go out to dinner? (“Who” is the subject.)
We were impressed by her fiancé, whom we met last
night at dinner. (“Whom” is not a part of the subject of the
sentence and is the pronoun that relates to the object
“fiancé”.)
A, an
“A” and “An” are articles that are used before nouns and
noun phrases that denote a single but unspecified person
or thing.
“A” is used before a word beginning with a consonant or a
consonant sound.
a woman, a house, a dog, a lamp, a ladder, a bunny
a uniform (the “u” in “uniform” is pronounced like the consonant “y”)
“An” is used before a word beginning with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u)
or silent “h”.
an apple, an alligator, an egg, an ice pop, an onion, an undershirt
an hour (the “h” in “hour” is silent).
Sit, Set
• “Sit” means to seat oneself.
I like to sit in the back row of the movie theater.
“Come and sit with me!” He called to his father.
• “Set” means to place or put something
down.
She set the vase of flowers on the coffee table.
“Set the table before dinner, please.”
Match the word to the sentence.
Work in numeric order.
1
Lie
To ____ did you
give the letter?
6
Who
Why don’t you
____ down and
take a nap?
An inch is ___
unit of
measurement.
4
2
It was ___
honor just to be
nominated.
7
They had ___ in
the sun for way
too long.
5
They ____ the
blanket down
on the sand.
3
Every night she
likes to ___
down and read.
Set
Whom
Laid
A
8
Lain
Lay
Go On
Last night, she
__ down & went
right to sleep.
9
An
_____ wants to
go to the zoo
with us today?
10
Sit
_____ the
groceries down
on the table.
Keep Practicing!
The more you study and practice using
these easily confused words, the better
your reading comprehension and writing
will be!