Confusing Words

1.                  What is its color? It's green. It's been a long, long time.
These come first, out of alphabetical order, because they're the champs, surely the most often confused words in English! Remember, it's means it is or it has! Use its to show possession.

2.                  The abhorrent individual was spurned by his fellow citizens because of his aberrant behavior.

3.                  With her speaking skills, she has the ability to fill the auditorium to its capacity.

4.                  The minister adjured his wayward congregation to abjure the sins of the flesh.

5.                  I would accept your excuse, except the part about losing the watch.

6.                  The number of students who wanted access to the computer labs was in excess of two hundred.

7.                  The government would often adopt policies that required people to adapt to a harsh regime.

8.                  The trouble with many adolescents is that they never seem to grow out of adolescence.

9.                  I need your advice. Please advise me on this.

10.              The teacher's aide more than once came to the aid of her supervisor. [AIDS, the acronym for Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome, is spelled in all caps.]

11.              She was confused, displaying ambivalent feelings about the ambiguous situation they'd gotten into.

12.              Sometimes it seems more shocking to be amoral than to be immoral .

13.              After we have the jeweler appraise the diamond, we will apprise you of its value.

14.              As (as opposed to like) — see like

15.              When they got the assent of the weather bureau, they allowed the enormous balloon to begin its ascent. [N.B. The word accent — what we hear in one's speech — has no "s."]

16.              Aural — see oral

17.              Awake — see wake

18.              I am averse to traveling in such adverse weather conditions.

19.              Afflict — see inflict

20.              We need a lot (two words!) of money. She will allot funds according to need.

21.              Are you all ready already, or do we have to wait for you?

22.              She would often allude to her childhood, when she would elude her brothers in a game of hide-and-seek.

23.              Allusion — see illusion

24.              In mock debates, we used to alternate sides, taking alternative positions.

25.              Government agencies tried to alleviate the effects of the depression. They attempted to ameliorate the job-seeking process.

26.              With amiable people like the Durwitzes, it's not unusual to have an amicable divorce.

27.              Among — see between

28.              The amount of money you make in a year depends on the number of deals you close.

29.              I am annoyed that my bad back seems to be aggravated by tension. [To aggravate means to make something worse which is already bad. I cannot be aggravated, but my injury can be.]

30.              It's difficult to anticipate [prepare oneself for] things that one doesn't expect.

31.              Juan is apt to do something silly, something that will likely get him in trouble, or even something that he may be liable for in a court of law.

32.              She wanted a good lawyer, so I told her about my attorney.

33.              I'll be back in a while. Can you wait awhile? (Awhile [one word] is an adverb that can modify a verb.)

34.              He told a funny anecdote about mixing up his soda with the snake-bite antidote.

35.              The eager audience awaited the anxious, sweating performer.

36.              She felt bad about his behaving badly at the conference. [Use the adjective form with linking verbs.]

37.              The man who sings bass in the choir once played third base for the New York Yankees and is also an expert bass fisherman.

38.              She was afraid of him after seeing his bizarre behavior at the county's annual bazaar.

39.              Besides my unphotogenic aunt and uncle, there were fourteen other people standing beside the train station.

40.              He has divided the money between Carlos and his daughter. He has divided the rest of his property among his three brothers. [This distinction is not as important as some people think. See the usage of both words in your dictionary.]