Tricky English Words

Tricky English Words By: Abdellatif BOUDIA

knew

past tense of know, as in: I knew I should have backed up my hard drive.

new

fresh, original, or not used before, as in: The World Wide Web is a good way for a business to get new customers.

know

recognise, be familiar with, understand, as in: A good designer for a business web site must know marketing as well as HTML.

no

not any, as in: A business with no customers doesn't stay in business for very long.

no one

nobody, as in: No one came to the party in costume.

none

not one, as in: None of the children finished lunch.

no body

no group, as in: No body of laws enacted by humans can be called perfect.

nobody

no person, as in: Nobody is mad at you.

official

authorised, as in: Later this afternoon the mayor will present an official statement.

officious

meddlesome or intrusive, as in: She was an officious busybody who made trouble for everyone.

one

single person or thing, as in: The store is located on a one-way street.

won

past tense of win, as in: Who won the basketball game?

ordinance

regulation or law, as in: The city council passed an ordinance against disturbing the peace.

ordnance

military weapons and equipment, as in: The ordnance was stored in bunkers near the airfield.

are

form of to be, as in: What are you doing tonight?

hour

sixty minutes, as in: It seemed like I waited an hour, but it was only twenty minutes.

our

belonging to us, as in: Please visit our Web site and see our new book reviews.

overdo

do too much or go too far, as in: If you overdo your exercise one day, you may be sore the next.

overdue

past the expected time, as in: The library books are overdue.

packed

crowded together, as in: The airport was packed with people trying to get home for vacation.

pact

agreement, as in: The two countries signed a mutual non-aggression pact.

pail

bucket with a handle, as in: The child filled his pail with sand at the seashore.

pale

lacking color, as in: When she heard the news, her cheeks turned pale.

pain

suffering, as in: He took a nap, and when he awoke the pain of his headache was gone.

pane

sheet of glass set in a window, as in: We had to buy a new pane of glass for the front window because the kids were playing ball in the house.

pair

two of a kind, as in: I need a new pair of shoes.

pare

trim the outer layer of, as in: Do you pare an apple when you eat it, or do you like it unpeeled?

pear

bell-shaped fruit, as in: She had a juicy pear for her lunch.

parameter

a variable or a factor, as in: The following parameters serve as guidelines for decison-making by the school site councils.

perimeter

the outer boundary, as in: He measured the perimeter of his property and bought enough fencing material to go around it.

partition

a divider, as in: They used bookshelves as a partition in the large living room.

petition

formal request, as in: She signed the petition to change the zoning law.

partially

to some extent, as in: The dog was partially blind in one eye.

partly

in some parts, as in: The movie was partly based on fact, but the rest was fiction.

passed

moved or proceeded, as in: The parade passed in front of the reviewers' stand.

past

having occurred in a time before now, as in: In the past, the pace of life seemed slower.

patience

ability to wait without complaining, as in: Teaching children requires a lot of patience .

patients

people undergoing medical care, as in: The doctor visits her patients in the hospital every morning.

peace

absence of war or troubles, as in: She works hard to make her home a place of rest and peace for her family.

piece

separate part of a whole, as in: May I have the last piece of pie?

peak

highest point, as in: They reached the peak of the mountain by midday.

peek

a quick look, as in: Peek in on the baby and see if she's still asleep, please.

pique

feeling of sharp anger or resentment, as in: She canceled the party in a fit of pique.

stimulate interest or curiosity, as in: If you want visitors to read the words on your website, you have to pique their interest in some manner.

peal

loud, prolonged sound, as in: The peal of the bells at midnight woke everyone in town.

peel

outer covering of a fruit or vegetable, as in: Where can I put my banana peel?

pedal

use a foot-operated lever, as in: As I get older, it's getting harder to pedal my bicycle up the hill.

peddle

go from place to place selling, as in: The farmer came to town to peddle his surplus tomatoes.

peer

an equal, as in: When it comes to playing the violin, he has no peer.

pier

landing place for ships, as in: We waved from the pier as the cruise ship sailed.

penultimate

next to last, as in: Y is the penultimate letter of the alphabet. According to the Random House Dictionary of 1966, penultimate means almost last, a contraction of the Latin phrase paene ultima. According to my old, old Roget's Thesaurus (1960), penultimate can mean last but one or last but two.

ultimate

last or final, as in: The ultimate cost of the project will be over one million dollars.

percent, also per cent

per one hundred, as in: The unemployment rate went down one per cent.

percentage

proportion in regard to the whole, as in: Only a small percentage of the people voted for a raise in taxes.

perfect

free from defects or complete, as in: The sweater is a perfect fit.

prefect

high-ranking official, as in: He made an appointment to interview the prefect about the new policy.

perpetrate

perform or commit, as in: Only a depraved person could perpetrate such a horrible crime.

perpetuate

preserve forever, as in: The statue will perpetuate the memory of our hero.

perquisite

special privilege accorded a position or office, as in: A luxury car is a perquisite reserved for top executives of that company.

prerequisite

something required in advance, as in: The Principles of Business class is a prerequisite for Marketing 22.

persecute

oppress or harass, as in: It is unlawful in the US to persecute someone for his or her religious beliefs.

prosecute

conduct legal proceedings against, as in: This store will prosecute anyone caught shoplifting.

personal

private, as in: She didn't want to discuss her personal affairs in such a public place.

personnel

Human Resources Department of a company, as in: Please take your resume to the Personnel Department.

perspective

point of view, as in: From his perspective, it looks unfair.

prospective

expected or future, as in: The prospective buyer went to the company's Web site to learn about the new product.

peruse

read all the way through carefully, as in: The head of our department set aside time to peruse the report before making a decision.

pursue

chase or follow for a specific purpose, as in: You must be willing to pursue your goal despite setbacks if you want to succeed.

faze

scare or worry, as in: The flash-flood warnings didn't seem to faze him at all.

phase

aspect or stage of development, as in: Two-year-olds go through a rebellious phase.

physic

medicine, as in: Grandmother gave him a physic for his stomachache.

physique

well-developed bodily structure, as in: Arnold Schwarzenegger [Images] is an actor famous for his physique.

psychic

having extra-sensory mental powers, as in: A person would have to be psychic to predict the outcome of that race!

fiscal

financial, as in: The fiscal year begins July 1.

physical

relating to the body or the material world, as in: I must make an appointment with my doctor for a physical examination.

plain

(1) clear and distinct, as in: The facts are plain.

(2) flat, level ground, as in: A famous battle took place in 1759 between the French and English armies on a high plain adjoining the city of Quebec, Canada [Images].

plane

(1) aircraft, as in: Have you ever flown on a plane?

(2) a level of development, as in: I've reached a higher plane of mental clarity.

plaintiff

in a court case, the one suing, as in: The counsel for the plaintiff made her opening statement.

plaintive

sad, as in: The abandoned dog let out a plaintive howl.

pleas

earnest requests or appeals, as in: His pleas for help brought the rescuers quickly.

please

be agreeable to, as in: If it please the court, I would like to ask for a recess at this time.

pole

long, slender, wooden rod, as in: He got his fishing pole and went down to the lake.

poll

survey of public opinion, as in: The poll shows that your candidate is taking the lead.

poor

not having wealth, as in: The family was poor, but they seemed happy.

pore

to study attentively, as in: Before the presentation, she will likely pore over her notes.

pour

cause to flow in a continuous stream, as in: Would you like me to pour you some tea?

populace

all the inhabitants of a place, as in: The circus entertained the populace with a huge parade through town.

populous

having many inhabitants, as in: India is a populous country.

portend

indicate beforehand, as in: Those gray clouds do not portend a sunny afternoon for our picnic.

pretend

give a false show of, as in: Most children like to dress up and pretend they are adults.

apportion

divide up and distribute by shares, as in: I want to apportion the money among all the children.

portion

an allotted amount of something, as in: He didn't eat his portion of dessert.

proportion

ratio of one thing to another, as in: The proportion of women to men using the Internet is increasing.

practicable

workable or feasible, as in: I do not believe your plan is at all practicable.

practical

useful, based on past performance, as in: She is interested in the practical applications of your idea.

pray

entreat or call upon a higher power, as in: Many people pray before eating a meal.

prey

victimise, as in: Confidence men and women prey on unwary, trusting people.

precede

to go or come before, as in: The bridesmaids will precede the bride down the aisle at the wedding.

proceed

move ahead, as in: After a short intermisssion, we will proceed with the show.

precedence

act of coming before, as in: The need for safety took precedence over everything else.

precedents

actions that serve as patterns for future actions, as in: The judge could find no precedents that would allow him to find the defendant innocent.

preposition

part of speech that shows relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word, as in: The word for is a preposition that originally meant on account of, instead of, or because of.

proposition

proposal, offer, or suggestion, as in: We gave them our proposition and they accepted it on the spot.

prescribe

give as a direction to be followed, as in: Perhaps the doctor will prescribe a short period of rest for you.

proscribe

prohibit or condemn, as in: Most cultures proscribe stealing.

presence

state of being at a specific place, as in: Your presence is requested at the wedding of our daughter.

presents

gifts, as in: To show how happy she was, she bought presents for all her friends.

presentiment

premonition, as in: He had a strong presentiment that the deal was about to fall through.

presentment

offering of a note or bill of exchange for acceptance or payment, as in: We will be happy to pay you upon presentment of a properly signed bill of exchange.

presently

soon, as in: My father will come down presently.

at present

now, as in: I'm afraid that I don't have enough money at present to make you a loan.

principal

head of a school, main person, or amount of money borrowed, as in: Interest will be charged on the principal at the rate of 6.9 per cent.

principle

fundamental law or basic truth, as in: The Golden Rule is the principle that you should treat other people the way you'd like to be treated.

profit

amount left after all costs of a business are paid, as in: To grant you a loan, the bank will want a Profit and Loss statement.

prophet

one who foretells the future or interprets divine will, as in: Jeremiah is a prophet named in the Bible who was persecuted for his beliefs.

prophecy

prediction, as in: Constantly calling a child stupid can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

prophesy

tell beforehand what is going to happen, as in: No one can prophesy with accuracy how the economy will be a year from now.

propose

suggest or plan, as in: I propose to increase revenue by 100 per cent in three months.

purpose

result or goal that is desired, as in: The purpose of my call is to tell you about our new product.

cue

signal to begin, as in: At the meeting, I won't say anything until I get the cue from you.

queue

people in line, as in: We had to wait in the queue to get tickets for the movie.

quiet

not noisy, as in: I need to find a quiet place to study.

quit

discontinue or resign, as in: She wants to quit her job but she can't afford it.

quite

completely or to a considerable degree, as in: Are you quite sure that the door is locked?

rain

water falling as drops from the sky, as in: The game had to be canceled because of rain.

reign

rule as a monarch, as in: The US Declaration of Independence was written during the reign of King George III of England [Images].

rein

leather strap attached to the bridle of a horse, as in: To tell the horse you want to turn right, give a gentle pull on the right rein.

raise

lift or elevate, as in: She was so eager to give the answer, she forgot to raise her hand.

rays

narrow beams of light, as in: The rays of sunlight through the blinds woke me up early this morning.

raze

demolish, as in: The town council voted to raze the factory and put in a park.

rap

knock or tap sharply, as in: Rap on the door again; I'm sure someone's home.

wrap

to put a cover around something, as in: Be sure to wrap the baby warmly in this cold weather.

rappel

technique used to descend a vertical surface by rope, the speed being controlled by friction between the rope and a braking device, as in: The coordination of arms and legs is essential in rappel.

repel

ward off or keep away; drive back: as in: This garlic cream is sure to repel insects and humans.

read

understand something written, as in: When all else fails, read the instruction manual.

read

past tense of to read, as in: I read the letter again to make sure I hadn't misunderstood.

reed

tall grass found in marshes or part of a musical instrument, as in: I need to buy a new reed for my clarinet.

red

a color, as in: The teacher circled the mistakes with a red pencil.

real

actual, true, or genuine, as in: I wonder if her necklace is made of real pearls?

reel

wind up a line, as in: When the fish gets tired you can reel it in.

really

actually or truly, as in: That was a great story, but now tell me what really happened.

reality

fact, as in: He awoke from an unpleasant dream, happy to find it wasn't reality.

realty

land and buildings on it, as in: We are going to the realty office to look at listings for new homes.

receipt

written record of something received, as in: Here is a receipt for the money you paid me.

recipe

ingredients and directions for making a food or drink item, as in: I wish he would give me his recipe for meat loaf.

recent

just before now or of a time not long past, as in: The most recent news I heard is that the deal will go through.

resent

feel bitterness toward, as in: I resent being called a dummy.

reference

(1) a direction of attention to, as in: He made a brief reference to your last letter.

(2) a book used for helpful information, as in: I hope you have found this reference list useful.

reverence

deepest respect, as in: In many cultures, reverence is shown to elderly people.

elapse

(of time) pass by, as in: Three minutes elapsed before her page had completely loaded--too many graphics!

lapse

(1) to slip or fall, as in: When the announcement came, we all lapsed into silence.

(2) to lose effect, as in: Your insurance policy will lapse if you don't pay the premiums.

relapse

a slip backwards, as in: Just when we thought he was going to get well, he suffered a relapse.

residence

place where one lives, as in: The suspect left his residence around noon.

residents

inhabitants, as in: The residents of the little town were sad to see the visitors leave.

respectably

properly and decently, as in: The two young ladies were very respectably dressed.

respectfully

courteously and with respect, as in: I respectfully submit my resignation.

respectively

in the same order as the preceding, as in: Jane Nguyen and Maria Lopez are, respectively, the CEO and Chairman of the Board.

retch

to try to vomit, as in: The awful smell made me retch.

wretch

a pitiful or despised person, as in: I'd like to get my hands on the wretch who robbed the blind old man.

right

correct or accurate, as in: Careful writers strive to use the right word.

rite

customary and solemn ritual or ceremony, as in: The rite of baptism is taken very seriously in many faiths.

wright

someone who makes or repairs something, usually in combinations, as in: My grandfather was a shipwright and my grandson is a playwright.

write

to mark letters or symbols on a surface with a tool, as in: Class, I want you each to write your name on the top of your paper.

role

position or function, as in: What will be my role in the new company?

roll

(1) move by wheels, as in: Roll this car forwards.

(2) piece of bread, as in: I'd like a buttered roll with my soup.

(3) list of names, as in: The teacher forgot to take roll today.

en route

on the way, as in: En route to town to sell the cow, Jack traded the cow for some magic beans.

root

(1) underground part of a plant, as in: A carrot is a root vegetable.

(2) origin or source, as in: We can't solve this problem until we get to its root.

(3) cheer for or wish success for, as in: Whom did you root for in the Olympics [Images]?

rout

terrible defeat, as in: The Super Bowl turned out to be a complete rout.

route

a path which is planned and followed regularly, as in: I'm thinking of supplementing my salary with a newspaper route.

rote

unthinking routine, as in: Foreign languages used to be taught by the rote method.

wrote

past tense of to write, as in: I wrote to the company last week but I haven't received any answer yet.

sail

canvas sheet attached to a boat, as in: The sail caught the wind and we went speeding across the lake.

sale

transfer of ownership for a price, as in: Everything on this counter is for sale.

scene

place where something happened, as in: The detectives roped off the scene of the crime.

seen

past participle of to see, as in: Have you seen today's newspaper?

cent

one-hundredth of a monetary unit, as in: In the US, a penny is worth one cent.

scent

odor, as in: The detective smelled the scent of almonds.

sent

past tense of send, as in: I sent you a letter yesterday.

cents

plural of cent, as in: His opinion is only worth two cents.

scents

uses the sense of smell, as in: A herd of zebras will flee if it scents a predator.

sense

method of perception, as in: Ears provide us with the sense of hearing.

ceiling

upper limit of a room, as in: A light-colored ceiling makes a room seem brighter.

sealing

closing airtight, as in: Sealing the containers is important to keep the contents fresh.

seam

line formed by joining two edges, as in: Every seam bulged when he tried on his old army uniform.

seem

appear to be, as in: The children seem to be healthy.

cede

yield, as in: At the war's end, the loser had to cede the disputed territory to the winner.

seed

beginning of a new plant, as in: The seed of an avocado can be planted in soil or water.

cease

stop, as in: If someone violates your copyright, send them a Cease and Desist letter immediately.

seize

grab, as in: The guerillas tried to seize control of the town.

siege

prolonged period of trouble or annoyance, as in: Our family has had a siege of bad colds this year.

cell

small room, as in: She will spend two months in a prison cell for her mistake.

sell

offer for sale, as in: I will sell you my car.

cellar

underground room, as in : In our house, the cellar was always damp.

seller

one who offers for sale, as in: Amazon.com is a seller of books in an online storefront.

census

population count, as in: The last census showed an increase in single-parent families.

senses

sound mental faculties, as in: Don't call me until you have come to your senses.

serge

a kind of fabric, as in: I think I'll wear my navy blue serge suit to the meeting.

surge

a strong forward movement, as in: When the doors opened there was a surge in the crowd.

cereal

breakfast food prepared from grain, as in: My favorite cereal is Corn Flakes.

serial

arranged in a series, as in: I hope they catch that serial killer soon.

serve

take care of people, as in: Our mission is to serve clients by designing a Web site their customers will like.

service

take care of equipment, as in: We will service your machine for one whole year at no extra charge.

cession

act of ceding (surrendering) to another, as in: The treaty included cession of all captured territories.

session

meeting or term, as in: I will take two classes during the summer session.

set

place something somewhere, as in: You may set the package on the counter.

sit

be seated, as in: Please, sit here by me and tell me about your new job.

sew

stitch, as in: The ability to sew my own clothes has saved me a lot of money.

so

in such a manner or very much, as in: I am so tired I must lie down.

sow

scatter seed, as in: Farmers will reap the same type of crop that they sow.

shear

cut off, as in: It is time for us to shear the wool from the sheep.

sheer

(1) transparent, as in: Women usually wear sheer hosiery in warm weather.

(2) pure, unmixed with anything else, as in: That was an act of sheer stupidity!

shone

past tense of shine, as in: Yesterday, the sun shone, but today it's rainy.

shown

past participle of show, as in: Smoking has been shown to be bad for your health.

chute

slanted shaft from a higher level to a lower one, as in: The gravel came rumbling down the chute.

shoot

to discharge a weapon, as in: Don't shoot! I'm unarmed.

cite

quote, as in: Your proposal will be more persuasive if you cite results of a recent survey.

sight

vision, as in: Our eyes provide us with one sense of sight; our imagination, another.

site

exact location, as in: Thank you for visiting my web site. Please come back again.

simple

uncomplicated, as in: She likes to wear simple styles in beautiful colors and patterns.

simplistic

overly simplified, as in: The drug problem hasn't been solved by simplistic slogans like "Just say no".

sleight

skill and dexterity, as in: Magicians use sleight of hand to make illusions seem real.

slight

slender, as in: The weather forecaster predicted a slight chance of rain.

soar

fly upward, as in: We watched the eagle soar into the sky and disappear.

sore

painful, as in: I went for a long walk and came home with sore feet.

soared

flew upward or rose very high, as in: Their spirits soared when they heard about the award they received.

sword

a long, pointed weapon, as in: The knight buckled on his sword and went to the battle.

sole

(1) bottom part of the foot or shoe, as in: I have a hole in the sole of my shoe.

(2) only one, as in: She is the sole proprietor of her business.

soul

person, as in: Not a soul was in the office when I arrived this morning.

soluble

capable of being dissolved in another substance, as in: Salt is soluble in water.

solvable

capable of being solved or explained, as in: I'm sure this problem is solvable if we work on it as a team.

some

any part of, as in: Would you like some of my cookies?

sum

the total of, as in: The sum of one and one is two.

some one

any person in a named group, as in: Some one of the officers is going to have to tell her.

someone

somebody, as in: Someone is going to have to tell her.

some time

a period of time, as in: I will need some time to think over your offer.

sometime

at an unspecified time, as in: We must have lunch sometime.

sometimes

now and then, as in: I love my work, but sometimes I need a rest to restore my creativity.

son

male child, as in: He brought his son and daughter to work today to teach them about our industry.

sun

star that provides heat and light to the earth, as in: Too much exposure to the sun can damage skin.

spacious

roomy, as in: She invited me into her spacious living room.

specious

counterfeit, as in: Be careful, he is known for using specious arguments to back up his claims.

especially

standing apart uniquely from the rest, as in: The air quality where I live is especially bad.

specially

given unusual treatment, as in: Look in the specially-marked boxes for your entry blank.

staid

conservative or sedate, as in: She became increasingly staid as she grew older.

stayed

past tense of stay, as in: Her parents stayed by her side through all the trouble.

stair

a step, as in: The carpet is loose on that first stair.

stare

gaze fixedly, as in: I asked him what was wrong, but all I got in response was a vacant stare.

stake

strong stick or post, as in: A young tree may be tied to a stake for support.

steak

a slice of meat or fish, as in: We went out for dinner and he ordered steak.

stationary

in the same place, as in: In the ancient past, people believed the earth was stationary and that the sun revolved around it.

stationery

writing paper and envelopes, as in: A resume should be on fine stationery.

statue

carved or molded image, as in: There is a statue of a famous war hero in the town square.

stature

height or uprightness, as in: My father was a man of average stature.

statute

a law, as in: The statute of limitations has passed for that particular crime.

steal

commit a theft, as in: The burglars came to steal the diamond.

steel

alloy of iron noted for strength, as in: Superman is also called "the man of steel."

straight

not crooked, as in: The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

strait

narrow waterway, as in: To get from the state of Washington, in the US, to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, in Canada, we crossed the Juan De Fuca Strait by ferry.

straits

distressing situation, as in: If we don't get that bank loan, we will be in dire financial straits.

suit

(1) a legal action, as in: They brought a class-action suit against the tobacco companies.

(2) a matched set of clothes, as in: He bought a business suit.

(3) meet the requirements of, as in: This will suit our needs.

suite

matched furniture or connected rooms, as in: We made reservations for a suite of rooms at the hotel.

sweet

pleasant like sugar or honey, as in: I feel like having something sweet to eat-maybe I'll have some fruit.