Choose Your Words (Beginning With A, B)
Caught between words? Make the right choice.
AAAAAAA
abhorrent/ aberrant
Abhorrent describes something truly horrible like finding a dead rat in your soup, but something aberrant is just abnormal, like a cat in a pink fedora.
accept/ except
To accept is to receive, and except is to exclude, usually. Both are busy little words skipping around to different meanings, but they never run into each other.
ado/ adieu
An ado is a fuss, and adieu is French for farewell. They sound similar but aren't exactly twins. Ado sounds like "uh-doo" and adieu is like "a-dyoo," you know, in a cool French accent.
adopt/ adapt
"Adopt, adapt, and improve," says the thief in a Monty Python skit when he robs a lingerie shop instead of a bank. Adopt is to take something over, and to adapt is to change something to suit your needs. It’s helpful advice when you ask for money and get a pair of granny panties.
adverse/ averse
Adverse and averse are both turn-offs, but adverse is something harmful, and averse is a strong feeling of dislike. Rainstorms can cause adverse conditions, and many people are averse to rain.
affect/ effect
Choosing between affect and effect can be scary. Think of Edgar Allen Poe and his RAVEN: Remember Affect Verb Effect Noun. You can’t affect the creepy poem by reading it, but you can enjoy the effect of a talking bird.
afflict/ inflict
Both afflict and inflict cause pain, but afflict means to cause suffering or unhappiness, something a disease does, but inflict means to force pain or suffering, like if you smack someone upside the head.
aggravate/ irritate
Aggravate means to make something worse, and irritate is to annoy. But if you use aggravate to mean “annoy,” no one will notice. That battle has been lost in all but the most formal writing.
allude/ elude
Allude is coy, to allude is to refer to something in an indirect manner. But elude’s favorite thing to do is hide from the cops; it means to evade. Because the accent is on the second syllable in both words, it’s easy to get them mixed up.
allusion/ illusion/ delusion
Novelists, magicians, and other tricksters keep these words busy. Novelists love an allusion, an indirect reference to something like a secret treasure for the reader to find; magicians heart illusions, or fanciful fake-outs; but tricksters suffer from delusions, ideas that have no basis in reality.
alternate/ alternative
To alternate is to take turns; an alternative is an option. When you wear your checkered blazer, the black and white squares alternate. But if you’re not feeling like an ’80s guitar hero, the green plaid jacket is a nice alternative.
ambiguous/ ambivalent
Something ambiguous is unclear or vague, like the end of a short story that leaves you scratching your head. But if you're ambivalent about something, you can take it or leave it. Whatever.
amicable/ amiable
Amicable refers to a friendliness or goodwill between people or groups. Amiable refers to one person’s friendly disposition. A group might have an amicable meeting, because the people there are amiable.
amoral/ immoral
Both have to do with right and wrong, but amoral means having no sense of either, like a fish, but the evil immoral describes someone who knows the difference, doesn’t care, and says “mwah ha ha” while twirling a mustache.
amuse/ bemuse
People often use the word bemuse when they mean amuse, but to amuse is to entertain, and to bemuse is to confuse. In Alice in Wonderland, the White Rabbit amuses Alice as he frolics, but then the Cheshire Cat bemuses her when he tells her to go two directions at once.
anecdote/ antidote
An anecdote is a funny little story; an antidote counteracts poison. Tell someone an anecdote about your close encounter with a rattlesnake and how the cute park ranger had to get you the antidote for snake venom right away.
appraise/ apprise
To appraise is to estimate the value of something, but remove the second “a,” and you have apprise, which means “to tell.” If you hire someone to appraise your house, you might have to apprise your family of the fact that you now owe the bank more than your house is worth.
assume/ presume
Assume and presume both mean to believe something before it happens, but when you assume you're not really sure. If someone bangs on your door in the middle of the night, you might assume it's your crazy neighbor. If your neighbor knocks on your door every night at 6:30, at 6:29 you can presume she's coming over in a minute.
assure/ ensure/ insure
Although these three often show up at the same party, giving hugs, they’re not the same, thank you very much. To assure is to tell someone everything’s ok, to ensure is to make certain, and to insure is to protect financially. Have it straight now? Are you sure?
aural/ oral/ verbal
Aural refers to the ear or hearing, and oral to the mouth or speaking. Something verbal is expressed in words, either spoken or written. Listen to the aural sensations of songs from outer space when you’ve been gassed for your oral surgery. Then stay non-verbal because you can’t use words for a long time after the dentist wakes you up.
BBBBBBBBB
bare/ bear
Bare means naked, but to bear is to carry something. A bear is also a brown furry animal, but most people keep that one straight.
bazaar/ bizarre
Bazaar and bizarre might sound alike but a bazaar is a market and bizarre describes something kooky. There could be a bizarre bazaar run by monkeys selling people feet.
breach/ breech
If you break a contract, it's a breach. If you're talking about pantaloons, guns, or feet-first babies, use breech with a double "e."
bridal/ bridle
Bridal is related to a bride, but bridle refers to a part of a horse’s harness and what you do with it. Although the words sound the same, they run in different circles unless you’re getting a horse ready for her wedding.
.......................................................................
You may also like 😊😊😊😊
Newspaper Vocabulary
Words of '-ism'
Barron's GRE
Fantastic 25 (Words)
A-E Vocabulary
F-L Vocabulary
M-Q Vocabulary
R-Z Vocabulary
Poetry Terms
AAAAAAA
abhorrent/ aberrant
Abhorrent describes something truly horrible like finding a dead rat in your soup, but something aberrant is just abnormal, like a cat in a pink fedora.
accept/ except
To accept is to receive, and except is to exclude, usually. Both are busy little words skipping around to different meanings, but they never run into each other.
ado/ adieu
An ado is a fuss, and adieu is French for farewell. They sound similar but aren't exactly twins. Ado sounds like "uh-doo" and adieu is like "a-dyoo," you know, in a cool French accent.
adopt/ adapt
"Adopt, adapt, and improve," says the thief in a Monty Python skit when he robs a lingerie shop instead of a bank. Adopt is to take something over, and to adapt is to change something to suit your needs. It’s helpful advice when you ask for money and get a pair of granny panties.
adverse/ averse
Adverse and averse are both turn-offs, but adverse is something harmful, and averse is a strong feeling of dislike. Rainstorms can cause adverse conditions, and many people are averse to rain.
affect/ effect
Choosing between affect and effect can be scary. Think of Edgar Allen Poe and his RAVEN: Remember Affect Verb Effect Noun. You can’t affect the creepy poem by reading it, but you can enjoy the effect of a talking bird.
afflict/ inflict
Both afflict and inflict cause pain, but afflict means to cause suffering or unhappiness, something a disease does, but inflict means to force pain or suffering, like if you smack someone upside the head.
aggravate/ irritate
Aggravate means to make something worse, and irritate is to annoy. But if you use aggravate to mean “annoy,” no one will notice. That battle has been lost in all but the most formal writing.
allude/ elude
Allude is coy, to allude is to refer to something in an indirect manner. But elude’s favorite thing to do is hide from the cops; it means to evade. Because the accent is on the second syllable in both words, it’s easy to get them mixed up.
allusion/ illusion/ delusion
Novelists, magicians, and other tricksters keep these words busy. Novelists love an allusion, an indirect reference to something like a secret treasure for the reader to find; magicians heart illusions, or fanciful fake-outs; but tricksters suffer from delusions, ideas that have no basis in reality.
alternate/ alternative
To alternate is to take turns; an alternative is an option. When you wear your checkered blazer, the black and white squares alternate. But if you’re not feeling like an ’80s guitar hero, the green plaid jacket is a nice alternative.
ambiguous/ ambivalent
Something ambiguous is unclear or vague, like the end of a short story that leaves you scratching your head. But if you're ambivalent about something, you can take it or leave it. Whatever.
amicable/ amiable
Amicable refers to a friendliness or goodwill between people or groups. Amiable refers to one person’s friendly disposition. A group might have an amicable meeting, because the people there are amiable.
amoral/ immoral
Both have to do with right and wrong, but amoral means having no sense of either, like a fish, but the evil immoral describes someone who knows the difference, doesn’t care, and says “mwah ha ha” while twirling a mustache.
amuse/ bemuse
People often use the word bemuse when they mean amuse, but to amuse is to entertain, and to bemuse is to confuse. In Alice in Wonderland, the White Rabbit amuses Alice as he frolics, but then the Cheshire Cat bemuses her when he tells her to go two directions at once.
anecdote/ antidote
An anecdote is a funny little story; an antidote counteracts poison. Tell someone an anecdote about your close encounter with a rattlesnake and how the cute park ranger had to get you the antidote for snake venom right away.
appraise/ apprise
To appraise is to estimate the value of something, but remove the second “a,” and you have apprise, which means “to tell.” If you hire someone to appraise your house, you might have to apprise your family of the fact that you now owe the bank more than your house is worth.
assume/ presume
Assume and presume both mean to believe something before it happens, but when you assume you're not really sure. If someone bangs on your door in the middle of the night, you might assume it's your crazy neighbor. If your neighbor knocks on your door every night at 6:30, at 6:29 you can presume she's coming over in a minute.
assure/ ensure/ insure
Although these three often show up at the same party, giving hugs, they’re not the same, thank you very much. To assure is to tell someone everything’s ok, to ensure is to make certain, and to insure is to protect financially. Have it straight now? Are you sure?
aural/ oral/ verbal
Aural refers to the ear or hearing, and oral to the mouth or speaking. Something verbal is expressed in words, either spoken or written. Listen to the aural sensations of songs from outer space when you’ve been gassed for your oral surgery. Then stay non-verbal because you can’t use words for a long time after the dentist wakes you up.
BBBBBBBBB
bare/ bear
Bare means naked, but to bear is to carry something. A bear is also a brown furry animal, but most people keep that one straight.
bazaar/ bizarre
Bazaar and bizarre might sound alike but a bazaar is a market and bizarre describes something kooky. There could be a bizarre bazaar run by monkeys selling people feet.
breach/ breech
If you break a contract, it's a breach. If you're talking about pantaloons, guns, or feet-first babies, use breech with a double "e."
bridal/ bridle
Bridal is related to a bride, but bridle refers to a part of a horse’s harness and what you do with it. Although the words sound the same, they run in different circles unless you’re getting a horse ready for her wedding.
.......................................................................
You may also like 😊😊😊😊
Newspaper Vocabulary
Words of '-ism'
Barron's GRE
Fantastic 25 (Words)
A-E Vocabulary
F-L Vocabulary
M-Q Vocabulary
R-Z Vocabulary
Poetry Terms
Comments
Post a Comment