Pain, ache, hurt: differences Let’s take a look at these confusing words for English learners. pain (as a noun) Pain is a sensation that is often described as unpleasant or uncomfortable. It can be caused by various things, such as an injury or illness. Pain can be acute, meaning it comes on suddenly and is more intense, or it can be chronic, meaning it persists over a longer period of time.... »
What’s the difference between fun and funny? A lot of learners confuse these two words. Try thinking of it like this: FUN means ‘enjoyment’ or ‘a good time’ and makes you SMILE. Something FUNNY makes you LAUGH. Fun Fun is a noun. I really enjoyed the trip to the amusement park – it was a lot of fun. Have fun on your birthday! Funny Funny is an adjective. When someone ... »
Stutter vs. stammer I’ve included the words stutter and stammer in this Confusing words section, but actually there’s nothing to be confused about: the two have the same meaning. People who stutter (or stammer, of course) speak with sudden pauses (involuntary) and they often repeat the first sounds of words. The flow of speech is interrupted, and the speaker gets ‘stuck’ on... »
For learners of English, the confusion between price and prize is often more connected to pronunciation than to the words’ meaning. That said, in some languages price and prize have just one equivalent word, so let’s look at the difference in meaning before we discuss pronunciation. Price The price of something is the amount of money you have to pay for it. Could you tell me the price of thi... »
Prohibit and forbid: the same meaning, but . . . Prohibit and forbid have the same meaning, but we use them differently. Examples Children are forbidden to chew gum at school. The dissident was forbidden to leave China. Prisoners are prohibited from smoking in their cells. The restaurant is prohibited from selling or serving alcoholic beverages to customers for one month. From + -ing Don’t forget ... »
Forget or leave something? We use forget to say we accidentally left something behind. We usually say leave if we mention the place. Oh no! I’ve forgotten my book. Oh no! I’ve left my book at school. Nice and simple, eh? Photo: m01229 »
Fell and felt are past simple forms of two different verbs. They are often confused because they sound (and look) very similar. Fell is the past simple form of fall. fall ⇒ fell ⇒ fallen Here are some examples: All the fruit fell from the tree during the strong winds. He slipped from the roof and fell three metres to the ground. Paul and Jemma fell in love at first sight. Michael fell off his bicy... »
We use forget something and leave something differently. Here are the important differences that English learners need to know: Forget something We use forget something to say that we accidentally left something behind. We don’t say where. I’ve forgotten my phone – I’ll have to go back home for it. He got wet because he forgot his waterproof jacket. Leave something We use l... »
We use tall to say that something is above average height. High means ‘having a large distance from top to bottom’ or ‘a long way above the ground’. We often use high when we speak about inanimate things (non-living things). If you’re not sure whether the adjective you need is high or tall, try thinking about the overall size of the object: We use tall mainly for thin... »
In this post I’m going to talk rubbish. Does that mean I’ll be talking nonsense? No, actually I’m going to look at vocabulary connected to rubbish in the sense of household waste, including synonyms and related words. So, rubbish is the stuff that we throw out of our homes. You may also have heard other words for the same thing: garbage, refuse, trash, litter, as well as words li... »