google.com, pub-9220471781781135, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 Learn to speak English: February 2010

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Some words that confuse

  • Affect: make a difference to
    Effect: a result
  • Appraise: assess
    Apprise: inform

  • Censure: express strong disapproval of
    Censor: suppress unacceptable parts of
  • Complement: a thing that enhances something by contributing extra features
    Compliment: an expression of praise or politely congratulate
  • Council: an administrative or advisory body
    Counsel: advice or guidance
  • Councilor: a member of a council
    Counselor: someone who gives guidance on personal or psychological problems
  • Desert: a waterless area
    Dessert: the sweet course
  • Discreet: careful and not to attract attention or give offence
    Discrete: separate or distinct
  • Envelop: wrap up, cover or surround completely
    Envelope: a paper container used to enclose a letter or document
  • Loath: reluctant or unwilling
    Loathe: dislike greatly
  • Loose: unfasten or set free
    Lose: cease to have or become unable to find
  • Ordinance: an authoritative order
    Ordnance: guns, weapons or ammunition
  • Palate: the roof of the mouth
    Palette: an artist's board for mixing colours
  • People: group of men and women
    Pupil: student
  • Principal: first in order of importance or main
    Principle: chiefly a basis of a system of thought or belief

  • Stationary: not moving
    Stationery: writing materials
  • Story: tale or account
    Storey: a floor of a building

Sunday, February 21, 2010

British spellings and American spellings

  • aeroplane [UK] - airplane, aero plane [US]
  • analyse, analyze [UK] - analyze [US]
  • analysed, analyzed [UK] - analyzed [US]
  • behaviour [UK] - behavior [US]
  • catalogue [UK] - catalog [US]
  • categorise, categorize [UK] - categorize [US]
  • categorisation, categorization [UK] - categorization [US]
  • categorised, categorized [UK] - categorized [US]
  • centre [UK] - center [US]
  • cheque [UK] - check [US]
  • colour [UK] - color [US]
  • doughnut [UK] - donut [US]
  • earnt, earned [UK] - earned [US]
  • equalling [UK] - equaling [US]
  • favour [UK] - favor [US]
  • grey [UK] - gray [US]
  • hiccough, hiccup [UK] - hiccup [US]
  • labour [UK] - labor [US]
  • license (verb), licence (noun) [UK] - license [US]
  • manoeuvre [UK] - maneuver [US]
  • metre [UK] - meter [US]
  • neighbour [UK] - neighbor [US]
  • programme [UK] - program [US]
  • pyjamas [UK] - pajamas [US]
  • practise (verb), practice (noun) [UK] - practice [US]
  • recognise, recognize [UK] - recognize [US]
  • specialised, specialized [UK] - specialized [US]
  • specialising, specializing [UK] - specializing [US]
  • standardise, standardize [UK] - standardize [US]
  • standardised, standardized [UK] - standardized [US]
  • tyres [UK] - tires [US]
  • travelled [UK] - traveled [US]
  • travelling [UK] - traveling [US]

Friday, February 19, 2010

Prepone is not an antonym of postpone

Indians commonly use the word “prepone” to mean “to move forward in time.”

Example: The football match planned to be conducted on April 29 has been preponed to March 26.

Some antonyms for postpone are “bring forward, move up, advance.”

Example: The eight o’clock program has been moved forward to seven.

The word prepone sounds strange.

May I know your opinion please?

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Easy and simple Synonyms

Synonym is a word with the same meaning or nearly the same meaning as another word. Let’s go through some easy and simple Synonyms.

  • Admit - confess
  • Alive - lively
  • also - too
  • amount - quantity
  • ask - inquire
  • assembly - gathering
  • bad -evil
  • beg - implore
  • begin - commence
  • behaviour - conduct
  • big - large
  • blamed - accused
  • blank - empty
  • bottom - foot
  • brave - daring
  • bright - shinning
  • broad - wide
  • buy - purchase
  • careful - cautious
  • catch - capture
  • centre - middle
  • change - alter
  • cheat - deceive
  • choose - select
  • clergyman - minister
  • close - near
  • clothes - dress
  • copy - imitate
  • correct - accurate
  • cunning - sly
  • cure - remedy
  • damp - moist
  • dangerous - risky
  • deadly - fatal
  • dear - expensive
  • decrease - reduce
  • disease - sickness
  • disorder - chaos
  • dull - gloomy
  • dumb - mute
  • eatable - edible
  • ebb - recede
  • end - conclusion
  • enemy - foe
  • enough - sufficient
  • escape - elude
  • fable - myth
  • fall - drop
  • false - untrue
  • far - distant
  • feather - plume
  • fertile - fruitful
  • fierce - ferocious
  • fight - battle
  • float - drift
  • force - compel
  • foretell - predict
  • free - release
  • friend - ally
  • gain - profit
  • game - recreation
  • gather - collect
  • gay - cheerful
  • general - common
  • glad - happy
  • glaring - dazzling
  • habit - custom
  • hard - difficult
  • hate - detest
  • height - altitude
  • help - assist
  • hide - conceal
  • high - tall
  • home - residence
  • hug - embrace
  • huge - enormous
  • industrious - hardworking
  • inside - interior
  • join - unite
  • jump - leap
  • just - fair
  • king - emperor
  • lazy - indolent
  • least - minimum
  • leave - abandon
  • listen - hear
  • little - small
  • look - see
  • loving - fond
  • loyal - true
  • mad - insane
  • margin - edge
  • mistake - error
  • most - maximum
  • new - modern
  • noisy - rowdy
  • noted - well-known
  • obey - submit
  • old - ancient
  • omen - sign
  • oral - verbal
  • outside - exterior
  • part - portion
  • polite - courteous
  • poor - destitute
  • port - harbour
  • praise - compliment
  • pretty - beautiful
  • protect - guard
  • push - thrust
  • queen - empress
  • quick - rapid
  • quiet - peaceful
  • rare - scarce
  • read - peruse
  • ready - alert
  • real - genuine
  • reckless - rash
  • rich -wealthy
  • riot - revolt
  • roam - wander
  • rough - coarse
  • round - circular
  • rude - impolite
  • rule - govern
  • sad - unhappy
  • safe - secure
  • scatter - disperse
  • seldom - rarely
  • separate - sever
  • short - brief
  • shorten - abbreviate
  • show - exhibit
  • sleepy - drowsy
  • slim - slender
  • smell - scent
  • steed - horse
  • stern - strict
  • stick - adhere
  • stop - halt
  • strong - powerful
  • style - fashion
  • surprise - astonishment
  • surrender - yield
  • surround - encircle
  • swamp - marsh
  • talk - conversation
  • teach - educate
  • tested - tried
  • thief - burglar
  • thin -lean
  • top - summit
  • trick - hoax
  • trust - believe
  • try - attempt
  • understand - comprehend
  • usually - generally
  • vacant - empty
  • value - worth
  • victory - triumph
  • weak - feeble
  • whole - entire
  • wonder - amazement
  • yearly - annually
  • young - youthful

Easy And Simple Antonyms

Antonym is a word opposite in meaning to another. Let’s go through some easy and simple antonyms.

  • Above X below
  • abroad X home
  • absent X present
  • accept X refuse
  • active X passive
  • add X subtract
  • admit X deny
  • adult X child
  • alive X dead
  • asleep X awake
  • back X front
  • backward X forward
  • bad X good
  • barren X fertile
  • beautiful X ugly
  • before X after
  • begin X end
  • bent X straight
  • better X worse
  • big X small
  • black X white
  • bless X curse
  • blunt X sharp
  • bold X timid
  • bravery X cowardice
  • bright X dull
  • broad X narrow
  • busy X idle
  • buy X sell
  • capture X release
  • catch X throw
  • cheap X dear
  • clean X dirty
  • clever X foolish
  • cloudy X clear
  • coarse X fine
  • cold X hot
  • come X go
  • common X rare
  • contract X expand
  • cool X warm
  • coward X hero
  • cry X laugh
  • daily X nightly
  • danger X safety
  • dark X bright
  • dawn X dusk
  • day X night
  • deep X shallow
  • depth X height
  • die X live
  • difficult X easy
  • divide X multiply
  • drunk X sober
  • dry X wet
  • dwarf X giant
  • early X late
  • east X west
  • ebb X flow
  • empty X full
  • enemy X friend
  • enjoy X dislike
  • evening X morning
  • ever X never
  • everybody X nobody
  • everywhere X nowhere
  • exit X entrance
  • failure X success
  • fair X dark
  • far X near
  • fat X thin
  • few X many
  • find X lose
  • finish X start
  • first X last
  • foolish X wise
  • foreign X local
  • forget X remember
  • found X lost
  • fresh X stale
  • future X past
  • generous X selfish
  • give X take
  • guilty X innocent
  • happy X sad
  • hard X soft
  • head X tail
  • heavy X light
  • hell X heaven
  • help X hinder
  • here X there
  • hide X show
  • high X low
  • hill X valley
  • humble X proud
  • in X out
  • increase X decrease
  • inner X outer
  • inside X outside
  • interesting X dull
  • joy X sorrow
  • junior X senior
  • kind X cruel
  • knowledge X ignorance
  • lazy X industrious
  • lead X follow
  • least X greatest
  • lend X borrow
  • level X steep
  • life X death
  • liquid X solid
  • long X short
  • loss X gain
  • loud X soft
  • love X hate
  • masculine X feminine
  • master X servant
  • miser X spendthrift
  • modern X ancient
  • motorist X pedestrian
  • mountain X valley
  • natural X artificial
  • never X always
  • noise X silence
  • noisy X quiet
  • normal X abnormal
  • north X south
  • obey X command
  • often X seldom
  • old X new
  • open X shut/close
  • order X chaos
  • pardon X punish
  • peace X war
  • plural X singular
  • polite X rude
  • poor X rich
  • powerful X weak
  • praise X blame
  • public X private
  • purchase X sell
  • push X pull
  • question X answer
  • quick X slow
  • raw X cooked
  • real X imaginary
  • right X left
  • rise X fall
  • rough X smooth
  • safe X dangerous
  • same X different
  • separate X join
  • smile X frown
  • straight X crooked
  • strong X weak
  • summer X winter
  • sweet X sour
  • talk X listen
  • tall X short
  • tame X wild
  • teach X learn
  • these X those
  • thick X thin
  • this X that
  • tight X loose
  • tiny X huge
  • top X bottom
  • true X false
  • truth X lie
  • under X over
  • up X down
  • vacant X occupied
  • victory X defeat
  • wide X narrow
  • win X lose
  • within X without
  • work X rest
  • wrong X right
  • yes X no
  • young X old

Summary of Paradise Lost Book 4 by John Milton

Satan lands atop Mount Niphates, just north of Paradise, the Garden of Eden. He becomes gripped with doubt about the task in front of him; s...