Commonly Confused Words for ESL Students and Classes

Commonly Confused Words for ESL Students and Classes Here are some of the most commonly confused English word pairs. They have been chosen especially for ESL learners. beside / besides beside: preposition meaning next to, at the side of Examples: I sit beside John in class.Could you get me that book? Its beside the lamp. besides: adverb meaning also, as well; preposition meaning in addition to Examples: (adverb) Hes responsible for sales, and a lot more besides.(preposition) Besides tennis, I play soccer and basketball. clothes / cloths clothes: something you wear - jeans, shirts, blouses, etc. Examples: Just a moment, let me change my clothes.Tommy, get your clothes on! cloths: pieces of material used for cleaning or other purposes. Examples: There are some cloths in the closet. Use those to clean the kitchen.I have a few pieces of cloth that I use. dead / died dead: adjective meaning not alive Examples: Unfortunately, our dog has been dead for a few months.Dont touch that bird. Its dead. died: past tense and past participle of the verb to die Examples: His grandfather died two years ago.A number of people have died in the accident. experience / experiment experience: noun meaning something that a person lives through, i.e. something that someone experiences. - also used as an uncountable noun meaning knowledge gained by doing something Examples: (first meaning)His experiences in Germany were rather depressing.(second meaning) Im afraid I dont have much sales experience. experiment: noun meaning something that you do to see the result. Often used when speaking about scientists and their studies. Examples: They did a number of experiments last week.Dont worry its just an experiment. Im not going to keep my beard. felt / fell felt: past tense and past participle of the verb to feel Examples: I felt better after I had a good dinner.He hasnt felt this well for a long time. fell: past tense of the verb to fall Examples: He fell from a tree and broke his leg.Unfortunately, I fell down and hurt myself. female / feminine female: the sex of a woman or animal Examples: The female of the species is very aggressive.The question female or male means are you a woman or a man. feminine: adjective describing a quality or type of behavior that is considered typical for a woman Examples: Hes an excellent boss with a feminine intuition.The house was decorated in a very feminine manner. its / its its: possessive determiner similar to my or your Examples: Its color is red.The dog didnt eat all of its food. its: Short form of it is or it has Examples: (it is) Its difficult to understand him.(it has) Its been a long time since I had a beer. last / latest last: adjective usually meaning final Examples: I took the last train to Memphis.This is the last test of the semester! latest:  adjective  meaning most recent or new Examples: His latest book is excellent.Have you seen his latest painting? lay / lie lay: verb meaning to put down flat - past tense - laid, past participle - laid Examples: He laid his pencil down and listened to the teacher.I usually lay my pies on the shelf to cool. lie: verb meaning to be down - past tense -lay (be careful!), past participle - lain Examples: The girl lay on the bed asleep.At the moment, hes lying on the bed. lose / loose lose: verb meaning to misplace Examples: I lost my watch!Have you ever lost anything valuable? loose: adjective meaning the opposite of tight Examples: Your trousers are very loose!I need to tighten this screw. Its loose. male / masculine male: the sex of a man or animal Examples: The male of the species is very lazy.The question female or male means are you a woman or a man. masculine:  adjective  describing a quality or type of  behavior  that is considered typical for a man Examples: Shes a very masculine woman.His opinions are just too masculine for me. price / prize price: noun - what you pay for something. Examples: The price was very cheap.Whats the price of this book? prize: noun - an award Examples: He won a prize as best actor.Have you ever won a prize in a competition? principal / principle principal: adjective meaning the most important Examples: The principal reason for my decision was the money.What are the principal  irregular verbs? principle: a rule (usually in science but also concerning morals) Examples: Its the first principle of aerodynamics.He has very loose principles. quite / quiet quite:  adverb  of degree meaning very or rather Examples: This test is quite difficult.He was quite exhausted after the long journey. quiet:  adjective  meaning the opposite of loud or noisy Examples: Could you please be quiet?!Shes a very quiet girl. sensible / sensitive sensible: adjective meaning having common sense i.e. not stupid Examples: I wish you would be more sensible about things.Im afraid you arent being very sensible. sensitive: adjective meaning to feel very deeply or to hurt easily Examples: You should be careful with David. Hes very sensitive.Mary is a very sensitive woman. shade / shadow shade: protection from the sun, a dark area outside on a sunny day. Examples: You should sit in the shade for a while.Its too hot. Im going to find some shade. shadow: the dark area created by something else on a sunny day. Examples: That tree casts a large shadow.Have you  every  noticed your shadow getting longer as it gets later in the day? some time / sometimes some time: refers to an indefinite time in the future Examples: Lets meet for coffee some time.I dont know when Ill do it - but I will do it some time. sometimes:  adverb of frequency  meaning occasionally Examples: He sometimes works late.Sometimes, I like eating Chinese food.