Tricky English Words
Tricky English Words By: Abdellatif BOUDIA
knew
past tense of know, as in: I knew I should have backed up my
hard drive.
new
fresh, original, or not used before, as in: The World Wide Web
is a good way for a business to get new customers.
know
recognise, be familiar with, understand, as in: A good designer
for a business web site must know marketing as well as HTML.
no
not any, as in: A business with no customers doesn't stay in
business for very long.
no one
nobody, as in: No one came to the party in costume.
none
not one, as in: None of the children finished lunch.
no body
no group, as in: No body of laws enacted by humans can be called
perfect.
nobody
no person, as in: Nobody is mad at you.
official
authorised, as in: Later this afternoon the mayor will present
an official statement.
officious
meddlesome or intrusive, as in: She was an officious busybody
who made trouble for everyone.
one
single person or thing, as in: The store is located on a one-way
street.
won
past tense of win, as in: Who won the basketball game?
ordinance
regulation or law, as in: The city council passed an ordinance
against disturbing the peace.
ordnance
military weapons and equipment, as in: The ordnance was stored
in bunkers near the airfield.
are
form of to be, as in: What are you doing tonight?
hour
sixty minutes, as in: It seemed like I waited an hour, but it
was only twenty minutes.
our
belonging to us, as in: Please visit our Web site and see our
new book reviews.
overdo
do too much or go too far, as in: If you overdo your exercise
one day, you may be sore the next.
overdue
past the expected time, as in: The library books are
overdue.
packed
crowded together, as in: The airport was packed with people
trying to get home for vacation.
pact
agreement, as in: The two countries signed a mutual
non-aggression pact.
pail
bucket with a handle, as in: The child filled his pail with sand
at the seashore.
pale
lacking color, as in: When she heard the news, her cheeks turned
pale.
pain
suffering, as in: He took a nap, and when he awoke the pain of
his headache was gone.
pane
sheet of glass set in a window, as in: We had to buy a new pane
of glass for the front window because the kids were playing ball in
the house.
pair
two of a kind, as in: I need a new pair of shoes.
pare
trim the outer layer of, as in: Do you pare an apple when you
eat it, or do you like it unpeeled?
pear
bell-shaped fruit, as in: She had a juicy pear for her
lunch.
parameter
a variable or a factor, as in: The following parameters serve as
guidelines for decison-making by the school site councils.
perimeter
the outer boundary, as in: He measured the perimeter of his
property and bought enough fencing material to go around it.
partition
a divider, as in: They used bookshelves as a partition in the
large living room.
petition
formal request, as in: She signed the petition to change the
zoning law.
partially
to some extent, as in: The dog was partially blind in one
eye.
partly
in some parts, as in: The movie was partly based on fact, but
the rest was fiction.
passed
moved or proceeded, as in: The parade passed in front of the
reviewers' stand.
past
having occurred in a time before now, as in: In the past, the
pace of life seemed slower.
patience
ability to wait without complaining, as in: Teaching children
requires a lot of patience .
patients
people undergoing medical care, as in: The doctor visits her
patients in the hospital every morning.
peace
absence of war or troubles, as in: She works hard to make her
home a place of rest and peace for her family.
piece
separate part of a whole, as in: May I have the last piece of
pie?
peak
highest point, as in: They reached the peak of the mountain by
midday.
peek
a quick look, as in: Peek in on the baby and see if she's still
asleep, please.
pique
feeling of sharp anger or resentment, as in: She canceled the
party in a fit of pique.
stimulate interest or curiosity, as in: If you want visitors to
read the words on your website, you have to pique their interest in
some manner.
peal
loud, prolonged sound, as in: The peal of the bells at midnight
woke everyone in town.
peel
outer covering of a fruit or vegetable, as in: Where can I put
my banana peel?
pedal
use a foot-operated lever, as in: As I get older, it's getting
harder to pedal my bicycle up the hill.
peddle
go from place to place selling, as in: The farmer came to town
to peddle his surplus tomatoes.
peer
an equal, as in: When it comes to playing the violin, he has no
peer.
pier
landing place for ships, as in: We waved from the pier as the
cruise ship sailed.
penultimate
next to last, as in: Y is the penultimate letter of the
alphabet. According to the Random House Dictionary of 1966,
penultimate means almost last, a contraction of the Latin phrase
paene ultima. According to my old, old Roget's Thesaurus (1960),
penultimate can mean last but one or last but two.
ultimate
last or final, as in: The ultimate cost of the project will be
over one million dollars.
percent, also per cent
per one hundred, as in: The unemployment rate went down one per
cent.
percentage
proportion in regard to the whole, as in: Only a small
percentage of the people voted for a raise in taxes.
perfect
free from defects or complete, as in: The sweater is a perfect
fit.
prefect
high-ranking official, as in: He made an appointment to
interview the prefect about the new policy.
perpetrate
perform or commit, as in: Only a depraved person could
perpetrate such a horrible crime.
perpetuate
preserve forever, as in: The statue will perpetuate the memory
of our hero.
perquisite
special privilege accorded a position or office, as in: A luxury
car is a perquisite reserved for top executives of that
company.
prerequisite
something required in advance, as in: The Principles of Business
class is a prerequisite for Marketing 22.
persecute
oppress or harass, as in: It is unlawful in the US to persecute
someone for his or her religious beliefs.
prosecute
conduct legal proceedings against, as in: This store will
prosecute anyone caught shoplifting.
personal
private, as in: She didn't want to discuss her personal affairs
in such a public place.
personnel
Human Resources Department of a company, as in: Please take your
resume to the Personnel Department.
perspective
point of view, as in: From his perspective, it looks unfair.
prospective
expected or future, as in: The prospective buyer went to the
company's Web site to learn about the new product.
peruse
read all the way through carefully, as in: The head of our
department set aside time to peruse the report before making a
decision.
pursue
chase or follow for a specific purpose, as in: You must be
willing to pursue your goal despite setbacks if you want to
succeed.
faze
scare or worry, as in: The flash-flood warnings didn't seem to
faze him at all.
phase
aspect or stage of development, as in: Two-year-olds go through
a rebellious phase.
physic
medicine, as in: Grandmother gave him a physic for his
stomachache.
physique
well-developed bodily structure, as in: Arnold Schwarzenegger
[Images] is an actor famous for his physique.
psychic
having extra-sensory mental powers, as in: A person would have
to be psychic to predict the outcome of that race!
fiscal
financial, as in: The fiscal year begins July 1.
physical
relating to the body or the material world, as in: I must make
an appointment with my doctor for a physical examination.
plain
(1) clear and distinct, as in: The facts are plain.
(2) flat, level ground, as in: A famous battle took place in
1759 between the French and English armies on a high plain
adjoining the city of Quebec, Canada [Images].
plane
(1) aircraft, as in: Have you ever flown on a plane?
(2) a level of development, as in: I've reached a higher plane
of mental clarity.
plaintiff
in a court case, the one suing, as in: The counsel for the
plaintiff made her opening statement.
plaintive
sad, as in: The abandoned dog let out a plaintive howl.
pleas
earnest requests or appeals, as in: His pleas for help brought
the rescuers quickly.
please
be agreeable to, as in: If it please the court, I would like to
ask for a recess at this time.
pole
long, slender, wooden rod, as in: He got his fishing pole and
went down to the lake.
poll
survey of public opinion, as in: The poll shows that your
candidate is taking the lead.
poor
not having wealth, as in: The family was poor, but they seemed
happy.
pore
to study attentively, as in: Before the presentation, she will
likely pore over her notes.
pour
cause to flow in a continuous stream, as in: Would you like me
to pour you some tea?
populace
all the inhabitants of a place, as in: The circus entertained
the populace with a huge parade through town.
populous
having many inhabitants, as in: India is a populous country.
portend
indicate beforehand, as in: Those gray clouds do not portend a
sunny afternoon for our picnic.
pretend
give a false show of, as in: Most children like to dress up and
pretend they are adults.
apportion
divide up and distribute by shares, as in: I want to apportion
the money among all the children.
portion
an allotted amount of something, as in: He didn't eat his
portion of dessert.
proportion
ratio of one thing to another, as in: The proportion of women to
men using the Internet is increasing.
practicable
workable or feasible, as in: I do not believe your plan is at
all practicable.
practical
useful, based on past performance, as in: She is interested in
the practical applications of your idea.
pray
entreat or call upon a higher power, as in: Many people pray
before eating a meal.
prey
victimise, as in: Confidence men and women prey on unwary,
trusting people.
precede
to go or come before, as in: The bridesmaids will precede the
bride down the aisle at the wedding.
proceed
move ahead, as in: After a short intermisssion, we will proceed
with the show.
precedence
act of coming before, as in: The need for safety took precedence
over everything else.
precedents
actions that serve as patterns for future actions, as in: The
judge could find no precedents that would allow him to find the
defendant innocent.
preposition
part of speech that shows relationship between a noun or pronoun
and another word, as in: The word for is a preposition that
originally meant on account of, instead of, or because of.
proposition
proposal, offer, or suggestion, as in: We gave them our
proposition and they accepted it on the spot.
prescribe
give as a direction to be followed, as in: Perhaps the doctor
will prescribe a short period of rest for you.
proscribe
prohibit or condemn, as in: Most cultures proscribe
stealing.
presence
state of being at a specific place, as in: Your presence is
requested at the wedding of our daughter.
presents
gifts, as in: To show how happy she was, she bought presents for
all her friends.
presentiment
premonition, as in: He had a strong presentiment that the deal
was about to fall through.
presentment
offering of a note or bill of exchange for acceptance or
payment, as in: We will be happy to pay you upon presentment of a
properly signed bill of exchange.
presently
soon, as in: My father will come down presently.
at present
now, as in: I'm afraid that I don't have enough money at present
to make you a loan.
principal
head of a school, main person, or amount of money borrowed, as
in: Interest will be charged on the principal at the rate of 6.9
per cent.
principle
fundamental law or basic truth, as in: The Golden Rule is the
principle that you should treat other people the way you'd like to
be treated.
profit
amount left after all costs of a business are paid, as in: To
grant you a loan, the bank will want a Profit and Loss
statement.
prophet
one who foretells the future or interprets divine will, as in:
Jeremiah is a prophet named in the Bible who was persecuted for his
beliefs.
prophecy
prediction, as in: Constantly calling a child stupid can become
a self-fulfilling prophecy.
prophesy
tell beforehand what is going to happen, as in: No one can
prophesy with accuracy how the economy will be a year from now.
propose
suggest or plan, as in: I propose to increase revenue by 100 per
cent in three months.
purpose
result or goal that is desired, as in: The purpose of my call is
to tell you about our new product.
cue
signal to begin, as in: At the meeting, I won't say anything
until I get the cue from you.
queue
people in line, as in: We had to wait in the queue to get
tickets for the movie.
quiet
not noisy, as in: I need to find a quiet place to study.
quit
discontinue or resign, as in: She wants to quit her job but she
can't afford it.
quite
completely or to a considerable degree, as in: Are you quite
sure that the door is locked?
rain
water falling as drops from the sky, as in: The game had to be
canceled because of rain.
reign
rule as a monarch, as in: The US Declaration of Independence was
written during the reign of King George III of England
[Images].
rein
leather strap attached to the bridle of a horse, as in: To tell
the horse you want to turn right, give a gentle pull on the right
rein.
raise
lift or elevate, as in: She was so eager to give the answer, she
forgot to raise her hand.
rays
narrow beams of light, as in: The rays of sunlight through the
blinds woke me up early this morning.
raze
demolish, as in: The town council voted to raze the factory and
put in a park.
rap
knock or tap sharply, as in: Rap on the door again; I'm sure
someone's home.
wrap
to put a cover around something, as in: Be sure to wrap the baby
warmly in this cold weather.
rappel
technique used to descend a vertical surface by rope, the speed
being controlled by friction between the rope and a braking device,
as in: The coordination of arms and legs is essential in
rappel.
repel
ward off or keep away; drive back: as in: This garlic cream is
sure to repel insects and humans.
read
understand something written, as in: When all else fails, read
the instruction manual.
read
past tense of to read, as in: I read the letter again to make
sure I hadn't misunderstood.
reed
tall grass found in marshes or part of a musical instrument, as
in: I need to buy a new reed for my clarinet.
red
a color, as in: The teacher circled the mistakes with a red
pencil.
real
actual, true, or genuine, as in: I wonder if her necklace is
made of real pearls?
reel
wind up a line, as in: When the fish gets tired you can reel it
in.
really
actually or truly, as in: That was a great story, but now tell
me what really happened.
reality
fact, as in: He awoke from an unpleasant dream, happy to find it
wasn't reality.
realty
land and buildings on it, as in: We are going to the realty
office to look at listings for new homes.
receipt
written record of something received, as in: Here is a receipt
for the money you paid me.
recipe
ingredients and directions for making a food or drink item, as
in: I wish he would give me his recipe for meat loaf.
recent
just before now or of a time not long past, as in: The most
recent news I heard is that the deal will go through.
resent
feel bitterness toward, as in: I resent being called a
dummy.
reference
(1) a direction of attention to, as in: He made a brief
reference to your last letter.
(2) a book used for helpful information, as in: I hope you have
found this reference list useful.
reverence
deepest respect, as in: In many cultures, reverence is shown to
elderly people.
elapse
(of time) pass by, as in: Three minutes elapsed before her page
had completely loaded--too many graphics!
lapse
(1) to slip or fall, as in: When the announcement came, we all
lapsed into silence.
(2) to lose effect, as in: Your insurance policy will lapse if
you don't pay the premiums.
relapse
a slip backwards, as in: Just when we thought he was going to
get well, he suffered a relapse.
residence
place where one lives, as in: The suspect left his residence
around noon.
residents
inhabitants, as in: The residents of the little town were sad to
see the visitors leave.
respectably
properly and decently, as in: The two young ladies were very
respectably dressed.
respectfully
courteously and with respect, as in: I respectfully submit my
resignation.
respectively
in the same order as the preceding, as in: Jane Nguyen and Maria
Lopez are, respectively, the CEO and Chairman of the Board.
retch
to try to vomit, as in: The awful smell made me retch.
wretch
a pitiful or despised person, as in: I'd like to get my hands on
the wretch who robbed the blind old man.
right
correct or accurate, as in: Careful writers strive to use the
right word.
rite
customary and solemn ritual or ceremony, as in: The rite of
baptism is taken very seriously in many faiths.
wright
someone who makes or repairs something, usually in combinations,
as in: My grandfather was a shipwright and my grandson is a
playwright.
write
to mark letters or symbols on a surface with a tool, as in:
Class, I want you each to write your name on the top of your
paper.
role
position or function, as in: What will be my role in the new
company?
roll
(1) move by wheels, as in: Roll this car forwards.
(2) piece of bread, as in: I'd like a buttered roll with my
soup.
(3) list of names, as in: The teacher forgot to take roll
today.
en route
on the way, as in: En route to town to sell the cow, Jack traded
the cow for some magic beans.
root
(1) underground part of a plant, as in: A carrot is a root
vegetable.
(2) origin or source, as in: We can't solve this problem until
we get to its root.
(3) cheer for or wish success for, as in: Whom did you root for
in the Olympics [Images]?
rout
terrible defeat, as in: The Super Bowl turned out to be a
complete rout.
route
a path which is planned and followed regularly, as in: I'm
thinking of supplementing my salary with a newspaper route.
rote
unthinking routine, as in: Foreign languages used to be taught
by the rote method.
wrote
past tense of to write, as in: I wrote to the company last week
but I haven't received any answer yet.
sail
canvas sheet attached to a boat, as in: The sail caught the wind
and we went speeding across the lake.
sale
transfer of ownership for a price, as in: Everything on this
counter is for sale.
scene
place where something happened, as in: The detectives roped off
the scene of the crime.
seen
past participle of to see, as in: Have you seen today's
newspaper?
cent
one-hundredth of a monetary unit, as in: In the US, a penny is
worth one cent.
scent
odor, as in: The detective smelled the scent of almonds.
sent
past tense of send, as in: I sent you a letter yesterday.
cents
plural of cent, as in: His opinion is only worth two cents.
scents
uses the sense of smell, as in: A herd of zebras will flee if it
scents a predator.
sense
method of perception, as in: Ears provide us with the sense of
hearing.
ceiling
upper limit of a room, as in: A light-colored ceiling makes a
room seem brighter.
sealing
closing airtight, as in: Sealing the containers is important to
keep the contents fresh.
seam
line formed by joining two edges, as in: Every seam bulged when
he tried on his old army uniform.
seem
appear to be, as in: The children seem to be healthy.
cede
yield, as in: At the war's end, the loser had to cede the
disputed territory to the winner.
seed
beginning of a new plant, as in: The seed of an avocado can be
planted in soil or water.
cease
stop, as in: If someone violates your copyright, send them a
Cease and Desist letter immediately.
seize
grab, as in: The guerillas tried to seize control of the
town.
siege
prolonged period of trouble or annoyance, as in: Our family has
had a siege of bad colds this year.
cell
small room, as in: She will spend two months in a prison cell
for her mistake.
sell
offer for sale, as in: I will sell you my car.
cellar
underground room, as in : In our house, the cellar was always
damp.
seller
one who offers for sale, as in: Amazon.com is a seller of books
in an online storefront.
census
population count, as in: The last census showed an increase in
single-parent families.
senses
sound mental faculties, as in: Don't call me until you have come
to your senses.
serge
a kind of fabric, as in: I think I'll wear my navy blue serge
suit to the meeting.
surge
a strong forward movement, as in: When the doors opened there
was a surge in the crowd.
cereal
breakfast food prepared from grain, as in: My favorite cereal is
Corn Flakes.
serial
arranged in a series, as in: I hope they catch that serial
killer soon.
serve
take care of people, as in: Our mission is to serve clients by
designing a Web site their customers will like.
service
take care of equipment, as in: We will service your machine for
one whole year at no extra charge.
cession
act of ceding (surrendering) to another, as in: The treaty
included cession of all captured territories.
session
meeting or term, as in: I will take two classes during the
summer session.
set
place something somewhere, as in: You may set the package on the
counter.
sit
be seated, as in: Please, sit here by me and tell me about your
new job.
sew
stitch, as in: The ability to sew my own clothes has saved me a
lot of money.
so
in such a manner or very much, as in: I am so tired I must lie
down.
sow
scatter seed, as in: Farmers will reap the same type of crop
that they sow.
shear
cut off, as in: It is time for us to shear the wool from the
sheep.
sheer
(1) transparent, as in: Women usually wear sheer hosiery in warm
weather.
(2) pure, unmixed with anything else, as in: That was an act of
sheer stupidity!
shone
past tense of shine, as in: Yesterday, the sun shone, but today
it's rainy.
shown
past participle of show, as in: Smoking has been shown to be bad
for your health.
chute
slanted shaft from a higher level to a lower one, as in: The
gravel came rumbling down the chute.
shoot
to discharge a weapon, as in: Don't shoot! I'm unarmed.
cite
quote, as in: Your proposal will be more persuasive if you cite
results of a recent survey.
sight
vision, as in: Our eyes provide us with one sense of sight; our
imagination, another.
site
exact location, as in: Thank you for visiting my web site.
Please come back again.
simple
uncomplicated, as in: She likes to wear simple styles in
beautiful colors and patterns.
simplistic
overly simplified, as in: The drug problem hasn't been solved by
simplistic slogans like "Just say no".
sleight
skill and dexterity, as in: Magicians use sleight of hand to
make illusions seem real.
slight
slender, as in: The weather forecaster predicted a slight chance
of rain.
soar
fly upward, as in: We watched the eagle soar into the sky and
disappear.
sore
painful, as in: I went for a long walk and came home with sore
feet.
soared
flew upward or rose very high, as in: Their spirits soared when
they heard about the award they received.
sword
a long, pointed weapon, as in: The knight buckled on his sword
and went to the battle.
sole
(1) bottom part of the foot or shoe, as in: I have a hole in the
sole of my shoe.
(2) only one, as in: She is the sole proprietor of her
business.
soul
person, as in: Not a soul was in the office when I arrived this
morning.
soluble
capable of being dissolved in another substance, as in: Salt is
soluble in water.
solvable
capable of being solved or explained, as in: I'm sure this
problem is solvable if we work on it as a team.
some
any part of, as in: Would you like some of my cookies?
sum
the total of, as in: The sum of one and one is two.
some one
any person in a named group, as in: Some one of the officers is
going to have to tell her.
someone
somebody, as in: Someone is going to have to tell her.
some time
a period of time, as in: I will need some time to think over
your offer.
sometime
at an unspecified time, as in: We must have lunch sometime.
sometimes
now and then, as in: I love my work, but sometimes I need a rest
to restore my creativity.
son
male child, as in: He brought his son and daughter to work today
to teach them about our industry.
sun
star that provides heat and light to the earth, as in: Too much
exposure to the sun can damage skin.
spacious
roomy, as in: She invited me into her spacious living room.
specious
counterfeit, as in: Be careful, he is known for using specious
arguments to back up his claims.
especially
standing apart uniquely from the rest, as in: The air quality
where I live is especially bad.
specially
given unusual treatment, as in: Look in the specially-marked
boxes for your entry blank.
staid
conservative or sedate, as in: She became increasingly staid as
she grew older.
stayed
past tense of stay, as in: Her parents stayed by her side
through all the trouble.
stair
a step, as in: The carpet is loose on that first stair.
stare
gaze fixedly, as in: I asked him what was wrong, but all I got
in response was a vacant stare.
stake
strong stick or post, as in: A young tree may be tied to a stake
for support.
steak
a slice of meat or fish, as in: We went out for dinner and he
ordered steak.
stationary
in the same place, as in: In the ancient past, people believed
the earth was stationary and that the sun revolved around it.
stationery
writing paper and envelopes, as in: A resume should be on fine
stationery.
statue
carved or molded image, as in: There is a statue of a famous war
hero in the town square.
stature
height or uprightness, as in: My father was a man of average
stature.
statute
a law, as in: The statute of limitations has passed for that
particular crime.
steal
commit a theft, as in: The burglars came to steal the
diamond.
steel
alloy of iron noted for strength, as in: Superman is also called
"the man of steel."
straight
not crooked, as in: The shortest distance between two points is
a straight line.
strait
narrow waterway, as in: To get from the state of Washington, in
the US, to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, in Canada, we
crossed the Juan De Fuca Strait by ferry.
straits
distressing situation, as in: If we don't get that bank loan, we
will be in dire financial straits.
suit
(1) a legal action, as in: They brought a class-action suit
against the tobacco companies.
(2) a matched set of clothes, as in: He bought a business
suit.
(3) meet the requirements of, as in: This will suit our
needs.
suite
matched furniture or connected rooms, as in: We made
reservations for a suite of rooms at the hotel.
sweet
pleasant like sugar or honey, as in: I feel like having
something sweet to eat-maybe I'll have some fruit.