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. They gave the present to me.I went to the movies. 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.

thenme I than thatwho

My sister, ______ doesn’t eat meat, eats veggie burgers and tofu instead.

Because his legs were so much longer ____ hers, she could barely keep up with him.

He gave the flowers to my mother and ____.

John drove to the bank and to the store, and ____ came home to start dinner.

The movie, the one _____ got good ratings, didn’t do well at the box office.

My husband and _________ went to Hawaii on our honeymoon.

me

then

I

than

who

that

Joanna gave the gift to her friend, _____ was surprised that she remembered her birthday.

who

She owned a car ______ had really good gas mileage.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, ToughShe 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)

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

Click for answer

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)

Thorough, Through, Though, Tough

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

Click for answer

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)

Thorough, Through, Though, Tough

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

Click for answer

Even _______ the homework was hard, she completed it on time.

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”.

Thorough, Through, Though, Tough

Even though the homework was hard, she completed it on time.

Click for answer

Click to go on

MatchingClick on the word on the left that fits in the sentence.

Thorough

Through

Though

Tough

Thorough

Through

Though

Tough

We made it ______ the tunnel without running out of gas.

The final exam for that class was awfully ______.

The instructor did a ________ job reviewing for the midterm.

Even ______ the tickets were free, parking cost $20.

He fought a ______ fight, but still lost in the end.

Because the directions were so ______, Justin put the crib together easily.

He took his skis along, even ______ there was no snow.

She cut ______ the phone line when she dug the hole.

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.

They snuck in the room, as _____ as mice.

They bought pizza for everyone ____ me.

I’m _____ sure that things will get better this fall.

What will the ____ be if we don’t get any more rain?

Please _____ my apology for my rude behavior.

Foul weather can ______ my moods in negative ways.

except

quite

quiet

affect

accept

effect1

2

3

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5

6

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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.

We are supposed to go camping during spring break.This is incorrect.

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.

When you are _________ with your homework, you may go surfing.

Please take the casserole out of the oven when it is ___________.

I ____________ I will have to do a lot of laundry after we get home.

You are _________ to make an appointment to take your final exam.

Hector has ________ of friends who live overseas.

Would it be ______________ if I borrowed $50?

Because the connection of the wires was ________, the television reception was poor.

“I always ______ my keys because I have nowhere to put them at home.”

done finished supposesupposed a lot all right loseloose

done

finished

suppose

a lot

loose

lose

all right

supposed

Go On

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.

P A S S E D

A

S

T

W

R

H

E

E A R

U E

D

A

I

S

E

U E

R

I

E

3

1

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2 4

P S

W

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ACROSS:

1. He _____ by the slower car.

2. Will you please _____ your fork when you eat?

3. I do not know what to _____ to the wedding.

4. She ______ to love walking in the park after dinner each night.

DOWN:

1. History is the study of things that happened in the _____.

2. We watched the sun _____ on the beach every morning that summer.

3. _______ did you put your clean socks?

4. “______ your hand if you have a question.”

WORD LIST

USE

USED

WHERE

WEAR

PAST

PASSED

RAISE

RISE

S

Click on the word that completes the sentence. Do the ACROSS column first, then the DOWN column.

Go On

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.

Lie

An inch is ___ unit of

measurement.

Set

They had ___ in the sun for way

too long.

Whom

Laid

It was ___ honor just to be

nominated.

A

Every night she likes to ___

down and read.

To ____ did you give the letter?

Lay

They ____ the blanket down on the sand.

Lain

Why don’t you ____ down and

take a nap?

Who

Sit

_____ the groceries down

on the table.

_____ wants to go to the zoo

with us today?

An

Last night, she __ down & went right to sleep.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Go On

Keep Practicing!

The more you study and practice using these easily confused words, the better your reading comprehension and writing will be!