CONFUSING WORDS AND FALSE FRIENDS (Check your vocabulary for TOEFL)

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Check your vocabulary for TOEFL

CONFUSING WORDS AND FALSE FRIENDS

Confusing words are two or more words which have a similar meaning to each other but are used in a different way.

or
are related to the same topic, but have a different meaning

or
look similar, but have a different meaning

False friends are words in English which have a similar-looking word in another language but which have a different meaning.

Complete the following sentences with the appropriate word in bold.

1	action / activity The police took immediate ____________ when they realised the situation was getting out of hand. Economic ____________ stagnated as the recession took hold.
2	advice / advise Can you ____________ me on the best course of action to take? He offered me some excellent ____________ .
3	affect / effect Cuts in spending will have a serious ____________ on the healthcare services. The strike will seriously ____________ train services.
4	appreciable / appreciative There is an ____________ difference between manslaughter and murder. She was very ____________ of our efforts to help.
5	assumption / presumption They raised taxes on the ____________ that it would help control spending. It's sheer ____________ for the government to suggest things have improved since they came to power.
6	avoid / prevent Rapid government reforms managed to ____________ a revolution taking place. He's always trying to ____________ taking a decision if he can help it.
7	beside / besides The office is just ____________ the railway station. ____________ their regular daytime job, many people do extra work in the evening.
8	briefly / shortly ____________ before the conflict began, the army pulled down the border posts. The senator spoke ____________ about the need for political reform.
9	channel / canal The television ____________ received a formal complaint about the program. The Suez ____________ was built in the second half of the nineteenth century.
10	conscientious / conscious Most people are ____________ of the need to protect the environment. ____________ workers should be rewarded for their hard work.
11	continual / continuous A ____________ trade embargo has badly affected the economic infrastructure. The computer has given us ____________ problems ever since we installed it.
12	control / inspect Environmental health officers regularly ____________ kitchens and other food preparation areas. The government plans to ____________ the price of meat to make sure it doesn't go up too much.
13	criticism(s) / objection(s) They didn't raise any ____________ when we insisted on inspecting the figures. The government's plan was met with severe ____________.
14	damage / injury / harm It was a severe ____________ which needed immediate hospital treatment. A lot of ____________ was caused to buildings along the coast during the storm. There's no ____________ in taking a break from your job now and then.
15	discover / invent When did he ____________ the telephone? Did Alexander Fleming ____________ penicillin?
16	during / for / while Stores were closed ____________ the duration of the conflict. ____________ the transition from a dictatorship to democracy, the country experienced severe strikes and riots. The bomb went off ____________ the President was making his speech.
17	however / moreover The plan was good in theory. ____________, in practice it was extremely difficult to implement. The plan was excellent. ____________, it was clear from the beginning that it was going to be a success.
18	considerate / considerable He made a ____________ amount of money from his dotcom enterprise. She's a very ____________ person, so she would never intentionally upset anyone.
19	intolerable / intolerant I consider his behavior to be quite ____________. The government is ____________ of other political parties.
20	job / work Everybody has the right to a decent ____________ with good pay. Following the recession, many people are still looking for ____________.
21	lay(s) / lie(s) The city of Quito ____________ near the equator. The manager made it clear he intended to ____________ down some strict rules.
22	look at / watch We must ____________ the situation in Lugumba carefully, and be prepared to act if violence flares again. We need to ____________ the problem carefully and decide if there is anything we can do about it.
23	permission / permit I'm afraid we can't ____________ photography in here. They received ____________ to attend the sessions as long as they didn't interrupt.
24	possibility / chance There is always the ____________ that the government will reverse its decision. If we act now, we have a good ____________ of finding a cure for the disease.
25	priceless / worthless ____________ paintings by artists like Van Gogh should not be in the hands of private collectors. As inflation spiraled out of control, paper money suddenly became ____________.
26	principal(s) / principle(s) Many people refuse to eat meat on ____________. The ____________ of the college is an ardent non-smoker. The country's ____________ products are paper and wood. Not many people are familiar with the ____________ of nuclear physics.
27	process / procession The ____________ made its way down the avenue. Applying for a visa can be a long and frustrating ____________.
28	raise / rise As prices ____________, demand usually drops. In response to the current oil shortage, most airlines plan to ____________ their fares.
29	respectable / respectful The delegates listened in ____________ silence as the chairman spoke. They want to bring up their children in an area which is considered to be ____________.
30	treat / cure Hospitals are so understaffed that they find it almost impossible to ____________ patients with minor injuries. They were unable to ____________ the disease, and hundreds died as a result.
31	subjective / objective Your report should be as ____________ possible: just present the facts and try to avoid saying what you think about them. The newspaper article was extremely ____________: the journalist more or less forced his own views and ideas on his readership.
32	disinterested / uninterested In order to end the dispute, we need some impartial advice from a / an ____________ third party. I thought they would enjoy my talk, but they were completely ____________.
33	imply / infer From what you just said, can I ____________ that you think I'm interfering? I didn't mean to ____________ that you were interfering. I merely said that I needed a bit of time to myself.
34	complimentary / complementary In western societies, acupuncture and hypnosis are seen as ____________ medicines. All new students will receive a ____________ study pack and dictionary.

ANSWER KEY

1. action / activity 2. advise / advice 3. effect / affect 4. appreciable / appreciative 5. assumption / presumption 6. prevent / avoid 7. beside / besides 8. shortly / briefly 9. channel / canal 10. conscious / conscientious 11. continuous / continual 12. inspect / control 13. objections / criticism 14. injury / damage / harm 15. invent / discover 16. for / during / while 17. However / Moreover 18. considerable / considerate 19. intolerable / intolerant 20. job / work 21. lies / lay 22. watch / look at 23. permit / permission 24. possibility / chance 25. priceless / worthless 26. principle / principal / principal / principle 27. procession / process 28. rise / raise 29. respectful / respectable 30. treat / cure 31. subjective / objective 32. disinterested / uninterested or disinterested (it is a common misconception in English that disinterested cannot be used in the same way as uninterested when we want to say that someone does not find something interesting) 33. infer / imply 34. complementary / complimentary