Greetings and farewells: hello and goodbye
A meeting begins with a greeting and a departure calls for a farewell. Compare two everyday expressions.
Read and practiseAdventure journal
English: Choosing between similar words
English: Distinguish easily confused meanings and constructions with contrasting contexts, clear boundaries and explained answers.
Adventure journal
English: Choosing between similar words
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Morning and evening in English
A greeting at breakfast and plans after dinner show how to talk about two different parts of the day.
Read and practiseInside or on a surface?
A bag, a table and a wall show how to choose the right preposition for containers and surfaces.
Read and practiseMan and woman: singular and plural
One adult or several? Compare the words for men and women and choose the right form in everyday sentences.
Read and practisePossession and being: your and you are
A bag belongs to you, while a sentence can describe you. Compare the possessive form with a subject and verb.
Read and practiseIndefinite article and number: a versus one
A single object can be introduced without counting it, or its quantity can be stressed. Compare the article and the number.
Read and practiseWords for children: boy and girl
A child can be called a boy or a girl. Compare these common words and their plural forms in simple sentences.
Read and practisePositive and negative answers in English
A simple question can receive an affirmative or negative answer. Compare two short responses and practise matching them to facts.
Read and practiseBring and take: directions in English
A parcel, a picnic and a visit show how the chosen point of view changes the verb for moving something.
Read and practiseComing and going in English
A visit to an office or a trip to the library shows how the reference point shapes your choice of verb.
Read and practiseGetting to a place and arriving
A station, a city and home show how to describe reaching a destination with the right preposition.
Read and practiseA job and a career: position or working life
A position at one workplace and a working life across many years are different ideas. Compare these two common nouns.
Read and practiseSalary and wage: ways to describe pay
A fixed annual amount and pay based on hours are two common ways to describe earnings from work. Compare them in context.
Read and practiseTrip and travel: counting journeys
A weekend visit can be counted, while the general activity of travelling is usually expressed with an uncountable noun.
Read and practiseTrip and journey: visit or route
A day out includes activities at the destination; the journey focuses on getting from one place to another. Compare their uses.
Read and practiseFun and funny: enjoyment or laughter
A pleasant activity and a joke that makes people laugh call for different words. Compare the two meanings in context.
Read and practiseActually and currently: truth and the present
A surprising fact and a situation happening now call for different adverbs. Compare their meanings in everyday sentences.
Read and practiseAppearance and qualities: two questions
A question about someone’s appearance and a question about their character use different expressions. See how each works.
Read and practiseKnowing someone and knowing about a subject
Personal familiarity and information about a topic use different patterns. Compare the meaning when the object is a person or subject.
Read and practiseWearing clothes and dressing a person
Having a coat on and putting clothes on a child describe different actions. Compare the verbs and their usual objects.
Read and practiseBringing and fetching: movement and return
A blanket for a picnic and keys from another room show two ways to describe moving an object. Compare the verbs in context.
Read and practiseWinning a contest and beating an opponent
A match, a prize and a rival call for different verbs: see how to choose the right one in English.
Read and practiseMiss or lose: catching and keeping
A missed bus and a lost key show how English distinguishes failing to catch something from no longer having it.
Read and practiseSpending and saving money and time
A lunch, a bicycle and a train journey show how spending and saving describe what happens to money and time.
Read and practiseBecoming or changing something
A yellow leaf, a new plan and a replacement bulb show how these two common verbs work in different sentences.
Read and practiseCreating things and doing activities
Soup, plans and homework illustrate common English combinations for producing something and carrying out an activity.
Read and practiseTalk and tell in everyday conversations
A chat about a trip and a story for a friend show when to use each verb and how to name the listener.
Read and practiseAsking and answering questions
A question to a guide and a reply to a teacher show how English distinguishes requesting information from responding.
Read and practiseBorrowing or renting: paying for temporary use
A free pencil from a neighbour and a hired car for the weekend illustrate two ways to use something temporarily.
Read and practiseBeginning an activity and opening a place
A lesson at nine and a library at ten show the difference between beginning an activity and making a place accessible.
Read and practiseWaiting and expecting: time or belief
A bus at the gate and rain in the forecast show the difference between spending time waiting and thinking something will happen.
Read and practiseHigh and tall: describing height
A tree beside a house and a shelf above a child illustrate common choices for vertical size and position.
Read and practiseAdvice and advise: noun and verb
A helpful recommendation and the act of recommending it need different spellings. See how the noun and verb work in context.
Read and practisePractice and practise across English varieties
The spelling changes with the word’s role in Britain, while American English uses one form for both the noun and the verb.
Read and practiseInfluence and results: affect and effect
A change in a journey or a garden can reveal whether you need the verb for influence or the noun for a result.
Read and practiseRaising something and rising
A hand moves upward and a river climbs: the object of the verb helps you choose the right form.
Read and practisePutting down or resting?
A coat on a chair and a person on a rug show how objects and time help you choose the right verb.
Read and practiseReclining and telling an untruth
The same present-tense verb takes different past forms when someone reclines and when someone says something untrue.
Read and practiseAccepting and excluding in English
An invitation, a payment and a closed museum day show how receiving or agreeing differs from leaving something out.
Read and practiseExpectations and hopes in English
A forecast and a wish can point to different outcomes: one expresses a belief about what will happen, the other a desired result.
Read and practiseHope and wish: possible or unreal?
A delayed parcel and a forgotten umbrella show how English expresses a possible outcome and an unreal situation.
Read and practiseRemembering and reminding in English
A birthday, a note and a song show the difference between recalling something yourself and helping someone else recall it.
Read and practiseRob and steal: choosing the object
A stolen phone and a robbed bank show how the object after each verb changes what the sentence means.
Read and practiseLooking for things and searching places
A lost object or a room to examine? The choice depends on whether the next words name the target or the place.
Read and practiseFun and pleasure: activities and enjoyment
A lively game and the quiet joy of reading can both bring enjoyment; compare everyday fun with pleasure and polite expressions.
Read and practiseChance and opportunity in English
A forecast, a workshop and a meeting show when a possibility differs from a favorable occasion to act.
Read and practiseReasons for choices and causes of events
A choice of transport and a broken pipe show how motives differ from the things that bring events about.
Read and practiseOutcomes and their effects in English
A test score, a closed road and a new park show how an outcome can be named or considered in terms of its effects.
Read and practiseProblems and issues in context
A broken lift and a meeting agenda show when a difficulty is a problem, when a topic is an issue, and where the words overlap.
Read and practiseCustomer and client in context
A purchase at a shop and a meeting with an adviser show how English names people who buy goods or receive services.
Read and practiseWork and career: activity or professional path
Tasks to be done and a professional path over many years are different ideas. Compare their meanings and use them in context.
Read and practiseMeeting or appointment: choosing the right word
A team discussion and a dentist visit call for different words, even though both are arranged for a particular time.
Read and practiseNews of an event or a message from a person
A festival in the news and an email from a cousin show two different ways to receive information.
Read and practiseAttendance and assistance in English
A concert audience and a helpful volunteer illustrate the difference between being present and giving help.
Read and practisePrevent and avoid: stopping or staying away
A lock stopping theft and a traveller avoiding a crowd show two distinct ways of dealing with unwanted things.
Read and practisePermission with allow and let
Visitors taking photos and a neighbour lending a ladder show how two permission verbs use different patterns.
Read and practiseSupplying and offering in English
A hotel supplies towels while a neighbour offers tomatoes: see how giving and proposing differ in English.
Read and practiseReaching and achieving: common objects
A station, a temperature and an aim reveal how English describes arriving at a point or accomplishing something.
Read and practiseJobs and tasks: positions and assignments
A bakery position, a painted fence and a checklist show how a job can contain several specific tasks.
Read and practiseOrdinary and usual: different kinds of normal
A plain stone and a familiar bus illustrate the difference between being unremarkable and happening regularly.
Read and practiseAdapting and adopting: change or take up
A recipe changed for a smaller oven and a new policy taken up by a school show two different actions.
Read and practiseDisapproval and analysis: criticize or critique
A complaint about a decision and a careful analysis of a design illustrate overlapping uses of two English verbs.
Read and practiseBelief and action: convincing and persuading
Evidence can change a belief, while an appeal may lead someone to act; explore the overlapping verbs and their patterns.
Read and practiseEstimating risk and judging value in English
A flood risk and a proposal judged against criteria show common emphases of two closely related English verbs.
Read and practiseAmount and number: choosing by noun
Rain and visitors reveal how the type of noun guides the choice between two common quantity expressions.
Read and practiseFewer vs less: what is the difference?
Count books and measure sugar: the choice changes with the noun, while totals of time or money often take less.
Read and practiseLater or latter: time and order
A delayed train and two choices show how a word for subsequent time differs from one for the second item mentioned.
Read and practiseHistoric and historical: significance and the past
A landmark victory and an archive of records show the difference between historical importance and a connection to the past.
Read and practiseClassic examples and classical arts
A familiar mistake, a vintage car and a Mozart sonata show how these two adjectives point to different qualities.
Read and practiseCredible and creditable: belief or praise?
A reliable account and a praiseworthy effort call for different adjectives, even when the words look almost alike.
Read and practiseEfficiency and results in English
A quicker route and a successful campaign show how saving resources differs from achieving a goal.
Read and practiseAssume and presume: degrees of certainty
An unchecked opening time and an office with its lights off show how two verbs express beliefs with different grounds.
Read and practiseSuggesting and concluding in English
A smile and a set of tracks reveal the difference between suggesting a meaning and drawing a conclusion.
Read and practiseMaking certain, reassuring and insuring
A locked door, a calm guest and a protected boat call for three different English verbs.
Read and practisePraise and completion: two similar spellings
A kind remark and a well-matched scarf reveal the difference between praise and a useful addition.
Read and practiseA leader, the main thing and a guiding rule
A school leader and a rule of fairness show how two similar spellings serve different purposes.
Read and practiseStillness and writing materials: two spellings
A stopped bus and a packet of paper reveal why two nearly identical English spellings have different meanings.
Read and practiseImpartial or simply not interested?
A judge with no stake and a bored spectator show how impartiality differs from a lack of interest.
Read and practiseJudgment and sensitivity in English
A practical decision and a reaction to sunlight illustrate two adjectives that learners often confuse.
Read and practiseEconomic or economical?
A report on inflation and a fuel-saving car show how two similar adjectives describe different things.
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