Advice 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 practiseAdventure journal
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Practice 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.
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