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Gavin could only wait (a, an) hour.
The horse ran so (slow, slowly) that Jacques lost his bet.
The doctor (who, that) created the monster was named Frankenstein.
The mad scientist put the spare brain (in, into) the jar.
This is the secret (which, that) Murielle told me: "Pete is bald!"
Never forget to (bring, take) your parachute when you fall from a plane.
Hank did (good, well) on the exam.
Neither a borrower (or, nor) a lender be, wrote Shakespeare.
The very bright text colors in Paltalk (affect, effect) diabetics adversely.
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So many girls asked Cecil to the party, that he wasn't sure which invitation to (accept, except).
| already--previously
I have already done my
homework. all ready--prepared Alexia is all ready for the dance. |
born--given life
The Boss was born in the
USA. borne--past tense of to bear (to endure) Her troubles were borne with grace. |
| altar-- a stand used for religious rites
The chalice was on the altar. alter--to change Don't alter anything in the essay you wrote. I like it just the way it is. |
brake--to stop or slow down, or a device that
does this
A brake is important to have on a
bicycle. break--to come apart, shatter If you drop that glass, it will break into 100 little pieces. |
| altogether--entirely, completely
Cody is
altogether against the new tax laws. all together--everyone present The class is all together for the first time. |
capital--the seat of government or money used to do business Des Moines is the capital of Iowa. capitol--a building in which a legislature meets (capitalized for a proper noun) Many strange laws are passed on Capitol Hill. |
| ascent--rise or climb
The ascent of Mt. Everest was
dangerous. assent--agreement or consent Clarise gave her assent to the engagement. |
clothes--garments
Anne just bought a lot of new
clothes. cloths--fabrics, woven textiles Zeb polished his Harley Davidson with clean cloths every week. |
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After Ole King Cole loses 50 pounds, he will have to (alter, altar) his clothes.
Ethan was (already, all ready) to leave, but couldn't find the car keys.
If Arthur doesn't arrive soon, my heart will (brake, break).
Bill Gates was successful in his (ascent, assent) to power.
Cassandra bought new (cloths, clothes) for her job interview.
Helen visited the (capital, capitol) of every state last year.
Adrian told Clara that bubble gum was not considered a (capital, capitol) expense in business.
A parent's work really begins after the baby is (born, borne).
Will has to replace the (brake, break) on his car.
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Cameron and his friends hadn't been (altogether, all together) for several weeks.
| coarse--rough, crude, or
unmannerly
Coarse gravel covered the
beach. course--path of action; part of a meal; group of studies Clarence enjoyed the dessert course most. |
complement--a thing that completes,
makes whole
The professor is needed to complement the
class. compliment--praise Winifred receives many compliments when she reads. |
| council, councilor--people assembled for a
conference or legislation
Monte attended the Council of Ministries last
month. counsel, counselor--advice or to advise Tom hired a good financial counselor to get out of debt. A foolish person gives foolish counsel. |
desert--('DES ert) a dry
land
They had to rescue the people who were lost in
the desert. desert--(de 'SERT) to abandon The boy deserted his tree-house when it became too cold to play there. dessert--last course (usually something sweet) of a meal Peter likes fruit for dessert, but Jennelle likes pie. |
| formally--dignified or by rigid
rules
Most people do not speak formally when with
friends. formerly--previously Grace was formerly a deep-sea diver before she became a lifeguard. |
its--possessive
form of
it
The ghost lost its chains, so it arrived
late for the Halloween party. it's--contraction for it is Which jacket is yours? It's the green one. |
| later--subsequently,
afterward
I'll help you with the laundry later. I
have to take a shower now. latter --the second of two things/groups, or the last of two things/groups Ariel had to choose between money or love. He chose the latter. (He chose love.) |
lead--(sounds like
led) a
heavy metal, or graphite in a pencil
There is a law against putting lead in gasoline
or paint. lead--(leed) to go first or to guide Will Carl lead Liza to the hidden treasure? led--past tense of lead The search party led the lost children out of the forest. |
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Jeff paid Angela a sweet (compliment, complement) that made her blush.
Sarah would never (desert, dessert) her friends in their time of need.
Carl couldn't make up his mind, so he left the decision until (later, latter).
You can (lead, led) Daniel to water, but you can't make him wash his hands.
(Formerly, Formally), James was a mortician before he became a tap dancer.
Robin said she couldn't write the answers because the (lead, led) in her pencil broke.
Isadore is never (course, coarse) in the way he speaks to the ladies.
(It's, Its) never too late to apologize for hurting someone's feelings.
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In matters of the heart, Bonita gives wise (counsel, council).
| loose--free, not tight
Harry's pants were too loose, so he needed a
belt. lose--(looz) to suffer a loss The loss of my car meant that I had to walk. |
meet--to
encounter by chance or plan; to join; to be introduced to; (several
more!)
Let's meet at noon. I will be happy to
meet your parents.
meat--food we eat from slaughtered animals (sounds like meet) A meal of meat and potatoes is what most men like to eat for dinner. |
| moral--a lesson taught by a
story; virtue
Aesop's Fables teaches us
morals. morale--spirit or feelings When Brazil won the World Cup, morale was high in Sâo Paulo. |
miner--worker in a mine
A coal miner has a dirty, dangerous
job. minor--less important; opposite of major; under legal age Chet had a minor problem, but he solved it. |
| personal--individual or private
Ron doesn't share his personal address book with
anyone. personnel--the employees of a business The personnel of Scrooge Inc. went on strike at Christmas. |
peace--calm; no war
Ironically, one sometimes has to fight for
peace. piece--a portion of Rocky had a big piece of cake, and then finished all of it ! |
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CC was lucky that she didn't (lose, loose) any of her possessions during the move from Georgia.
Gene went on and on with his story, until the (moral, morale) of the tale was completely lost.
Gigi changed his nickname for (personal, personnel) reasons.
Rod spilled soup on my sweater, but it was a (miner, minor) problem compared to the flood in the basement.
Jon wanted a bigger (piece, peace) of the pie but was too polite to ask.
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The class will not (meet, meat) on Mondays.
| plain--unadorned; clear (understandable;
obvious) large area of flat land.
Bison roam the Great Plains. plane--flat surface; airplane; a tool to smooth wood Bob planed the door so it would close properly. |
principal--head of a school; most
important
The principal industry of Hollywood is making
films. principle--basic truth; rule of behavior Livvy taught the children the basic principles of fair play. |
| quiet--silent or not moving
Sometimes English Mistakes is not a quiet
class! quite--entirely, completely; very He was quite calm after he put out the fire. quit--to stop; to permanently leave one's place of employment Warren quit his job in January. |
rout--to put to flight; a disorderly exit
or leaving
When rude people enter our class, Miss Cole puts them
to rout. route--the road or way to travel Captain Morris never gets lost because he plans the best route beforehand. |
| stationary--fixed in place; non-moving
Oswald exercises on a stationary bicycle.
stationery--writing paper Kent bought new stationery for the office. |
straight--direct; not crooked or curved
Annie can't draw a straight line without a
ruler. strait--a narrow channel of water between two large bodies of water; distress or difficulty Without money or a job, one can be in dire straits. |
| than--a conjunction used mostly in
comparisons, preferences
Hal is younger than Jana. then--adverb meaning at that time; soon after; a time other than now Will lived in the country, and then moved to Brasilia. |
there--at that place
I will always be there when you come
home. their--possessive for they Chuck and Artie can't remember the names of all their girlfriends. they're--contraction for they are They're not leaving without me! |
| to--preposition showing direction,
degree, connection; used to form the infinitive verb form.
When Elton plays music, we all start to
dance. too--adverb meaning also or more than enough Monte can sing. He can dance too. He served us too much food, and no one could finish all of it. two--1+1; second in a series of numbers There are two (2) nails missing from this package. |
waist--the middle of the human body
If you eat too much sweet food, your waist will
soon be larger than your chest. waste--useless or unused It's a waste of time and brains to come to a learning room and just sit quietly. |
1. It's (plain, plane) to Lisa that Rodney is a serious businessman.
2. Sarah wants a suede coat, a diamond ring, and a Rolls Royce (to, too).
3. Art separated all the curved puzzle pieces from the (strait, straight) ones.
4. Nick came to pick up his car and (than, then) brought it to the carwash.
5. CC gets suspicious when the room is too (quiet, quite, quit).
6. The Queen Mary is a (stationary, stationery) tourist attraction.
7. "(Waste, Waist) not, want not," my dear old mother used to say.
8. It's (there, they're, their) problem, not mine.
9. The (rout, route) to Hell is paved with good intentions. My mother said that a lot too.
10. The disgraced politician still had a (principle, principal) or two, but no one believed him.
| weather--climate, atmospheric conditions
The Rain in Spain is not really a song about the weather. whether--conjunction showing an alternate Ellen couldn't decide on whether or not to attend the staff party. |
who's--contraction of
who is
Who's going to tell Jean that they're giving the
test today instead of tomorrow ? whose--possessive of who Whose laptop computer is this? |
| your--possessive of you
You left your keys in the kitchen.
you're--contraction of you are You're the first person to drive my new car. |
lye--a caustic substance
Lye on the skin will burn it.
lie--an untruth; to recline If you tell a lie, you will surely have to tell another one. |
| conscious--adjective (awake,
aware) Don't give an injured person water unless they
are conscious. conscience--the sense of obligation to say and do the right thing Shirley always follows her conscience when she has difficult decisions to make. |
we're--contraction of
we are
We're all part of the human
family. where--location Where did Eve go? were--past tense of the verb be You were delightful to talk to yesterday. |
| idea--belief, thought
It was Charley's idea to teach all
night. ideal--thing or person that embodies perfection; also used as an adjective What is the ideal weight for a woman who is tall and small-boned? |
advise--verb--suggest, recommend,
counsel
The policeman advised Greg to drive
slower. advice--noun--opinion, suggestion Take my advice--don't see that movie! |
|
vice--an immoral or
obsessive habit (also acting for another-----or person whose job has less
importance/power than the chief/owner/boss ( Vice President)
Des has one vice--chocolate! vise--a clamping device to hold something in an immovable position, used in carpentry or metalworking; a strong, tight grip Daren used a vise after he glued the two pieces of wood together. |
holy--sacred, worthy of worship or reverence
Every religion has days throughout the year that
are for holy ceremonies. wholly--entirely, completely Donald was wholly in agreement with the idea of taking a spring vacation. holey--full of holes; deep places in a body of water; an animals burrow Magda saved her good jeans, and wore the holey ones when she washed her car. |
| very--extremely, to a high degree; truly
We were all very happy to see Patty! The
class was very quiet without her. vary--to make changes, to alter, to modify You may vary the ingredients in some recipes. |
whole--complete, entire
Tony did the whole job without anyone's
help. hole--an excavation, a void, an opening. Scientists discovered "black holes" in space. |
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Susan asked (whether, weather) or not the picnic would take place on Sunday.
Doc gives (advise, advice) to the people who ask him for it.
Janna burned a good pair of gloves with (lye, lie).
The (vice, vise) cop arrested him for gambling in public.
St. Herman's relic was (holy, holey).
Harold had a very good (idea, ideal) for a new invention.
(Were, We're) those pink jeans Liza was wearing?
(Who's, Whose) making all the anonymous telephone calls to the police station?
After she stole the candy, she had a guilty (conscious, conscience) .
(Your, You're) the newly-elected treasurer.
Peter likes Angela (very, vary) much.
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We want the truth, the (hole, whole) truth, and nothing but the truth!