Words Often Confused

1. Abstain-- to avoid a thing: You should try to abstain from strong drinks a lead a moderate life. 

Refrain-- to avoid an action: If you refrain from speaking ill of others, you will remain in a positive frame of mind. sand

2. Accept-- to agree, to take: He refused to accept my invitation. 

Except-- exempt, save. All the members except Mr Gupta attended the meeting 

3. Access-- approach: This system offers you easy access to all the information you need.

Excess-more than enough: Getting anything in excess creates problems

4. Accident-- an unexpected happening usually tragic in nature: The train accident took a heavy toll of life. 

Incident--a minor event: He related to us some interesting incidents of his life.

5. Adapt -- to suit, to adjust: Those animals who could not adapt themselves to their environment became extinct. 

Adept-- skilled: Being adept in the art of flattery is considered to be a passport to success.

Adopt -- to take up: We need to adopt a different strategy to tackle terrorism.

-a child: Since they could not have children of their own, they decided to adopt a child.

6. Adverse-- contrary, hostile: Most of us cannot tolerate adverse criticism. 

Averse-- unwilling, reluctant: I am quite averse to non-vegetarian dishes. 

7. Affect-- to pretend: In order to escape the wrath of his father, he affected ignorance of the whole affair.

-to impact negatively: Global warming is going to affect the climate of the whole region. 

Effect--n. result: We are studying the effect of noise pollution on human brain.

-v. to produce or accomplish: I have effected the necessary changes in the timetable.

8. Air-- Fresh air, though essential for health, has become a rare commodity.

Ere-- before: He got engaged to Nandita ere his departure to England. 

Heir-- one who inherits: Usually when a king died, his eldest son became the heir to the throne.

9. Allude -- to make an indirect reference: In his speech, the Prime Minister alluded to some uncharitable criticism of his government made by the members of the Opposition.

Elude -- to escape, evade: She always played well but the gold medal continued to elude her. 

10. Allusion-- indirect reference: There are too many literary allusions in the poetry of T.S. Eliot.

Illusion a deceptive appearance: Many Indian philosophers believe life to be an illusion. 

11. Altar -- place of worship: He knelt before the altar and confessed his sins.

Alter-- to change: We had to alter some of our plans. 

12. Alternate -- by turns: I go to a dance class on alternate days. 

Alternative -- other choice: You have no alternative but to abide by these laws.

13. Alteration-- change: The legislative assembly suggested alterations in the bill.

Altercation-- quarrel: There was an altercation among members of Parliament over the Government's Kashmir policy. 

14. Amiable-- lovable, sweet: The mood of the meeting was smooth and amiable.

Amicable-- friendly: Since neighbours cannot be changed, it is prudent that they live on amicable terms.

15. Annual-- coming every year: Our annual examinations begin in the first week of March.

Annul-- to make null; to reduce to nothing: All the decisions taken at the earlier meeting were annulled.

16. Answer-- we answer a question: In the examination, your answers should be brief and relevant. 

Reply-- we reply to a mail, an assertion or a statement: He is very lazy in replying to the mails I send to him.

17. Antipathy-- strong dislike: Any racial antipathy against the minorities will not be tolerated. 

Apathy-- indifference: Voter apathy adversely affects the functioning of a democractic government.