Important Confusing Words Series.....1
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Vijay sir
Posted on
03-May-2017 7:27:22 AM
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(1.) Like/As
like: A preposition meaning “resembling closely.”
EXAMPLE: The boy swam like a fish.
as: An adverb meaning “equally” that is used when making a comparison.
EXAMPLE: Bryce dressed up as a doctor for his presentation.
(2.) Imply/Infer
imply: A verb meaning “to suggest or state indirectly” that refers to the action of the speaker.
EXAMPLE: He implied that I wasn’t capable of completing the job.
infer: A verb meaning “to conclude” that refers to the action of the listener. EXAMPLE: I inferred there was trouble from the sight of the police cars.
(3.) Fewer/Less
fewer: An adjective meaning “a small number” that refers to things that can be counted.
EXAMPLE: Children have fewer teeth than adults.
less: An adjective meaning “little” that refers to a general amount or non-countable measurement
.
EXAMPLE: I prefer less salt on my popcorn.
(4.) Disinterested and Uninterested
Many native speakers use these two words with the same meaning – bored, or not interested. That’s certainly the meaning of uninterested, but it’s not the meaning of disinterested.
The real meaning of disinterested is impartial, objective or not taking a side in an argument.
A judge hearing a court case should be disinterested, but definitely not uninterested!
-The children wanted to play outside and were very uninterested in doing any studying.
-Sometimes a stranger can make a disinterested and fair decision more easily than a family member.
-These days, many people believe that disinterested can also mean uninterested. But it’s still helpful to know the difference.
(5.) stuff vs thing(s)
Stuff as a noun "stuff" can be used to describe any articles, material, or even activity.
For example: "He is so messy, he has left all his stuff lying around."
"I've got so much stuff to do, I'll never finish it all!"
As a verb "to stuff" means to fill something tightly.
For example: "We stuffed the chicken with sage and onion stuffing."
Thing can be used to refer to anything you don't want to, or can't give a specific name to.
For example "Where is that wooden thing I was using?"
The plural of thing is things.
For example: "They say those things will do all the work in the future, but I think I'll be retired by then."
Stuff can be things and things can be stuff, but stuff is uncountable, whereas things are countable. If you have so many things that you can't count them all, and you have to stuff them all into cupboards and boxes, you probably have too much stuff.
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