4. CONFUSING PAIRS AND FALSE FRIENDS CHECK YOUR ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR FCE

CHECK YOUR ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR FCE

4. CONFUSING PAIRS AND FALSE FRIENDS

Confusing pairs are two 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.

1	actually / now Please can we go home ________ ? It looks quite small, but ________ it is over 5 metres high.
2	advice / advise My grandfather gave me a very useful piece of ________ . I ________ you to put all your money into a deposit account.
3	affect / effect The cuts in spending will have a serious ________ on the hospital. The strike will seriously ________ the train service.
4	already / yet I haven’t seen her ________ this morning. I’ve ________ done my shopping.
5	afraid of / worried about I am ________ snakes. She’s ________ the baby; he doesn’t look very well.
6	avoid / prevent The police will ________ anyone from leaving the building. You should travel early to ________ the traffic jams.
7	beside / besides Come and sit down ________ me. ________ managing the shop, he also teaches in the evening.
8	bring / fetch It’s your turn to ________ the children from school. Don’t forget to ________ the books to school with you.
9	chance / possibility Our team has a good ________ of winning tonight. There is always the ________ that the plane will be early.
10	channel / canal You can take a boat trip around the ________s of Amsterdam. Can you switch the television to ________ 4 for the news? England and France are separated by the ________ .
11	conduct / direct Von Karajan will ________ the Berlin Symphonic Orchestra at the concert. It took two policemen to ________ the traffic.
12	continuous / continual She has been in ________ pain for three days. I am getting fed up with her ________ complaints.
13	driver / chauffeur The ________ brought the Rolls Royce to the hotel’s main entrance. He’s got a job as a bus ________ .
14	formidable / wonderful They had a ________ holiday by a lake in Sweden. The castle is surrounded by ________ walls and gates.
15	fun / funny I didn’t have much ________ on my birthday. He made ________ faces and made the children laugh.
16	go / play Shall we ________ jogging or swimming? Neither. Let’s ________ tennis.
17	come along with / follow Would you like to ________ me to the cinema tonight? Make sure the dog doesn’t ________ me to the shops.
18	harm / damage Don’t ________ my sunglasses if you borrow them. He didn’t mean to ________ your little girl.
19	invent / discover Did Alexander Fleming ________ penicillin? When did she ________ the new computer terminal?
20	job / work He goes to ________ every day on his bicycle. She’s got a ________ in the supermarket.
21	kind / sympathetic You should always be ________ to little children. I’m very ________ to her problems.
22	lay / lie I’m very tired; I’ll just go and ________ down for a few minutes. My father is going to ________ a new carpet in the dining room.
23	lend / borrow Can I ________ you car to go to the shops? He asked me if I would ________ him £5 till Monday.
24	nature / countryside We must try to protect ________ and the environment. The English ________ is beautiful in spring.
25	pass / take She had to ________ her driving test three times before she was able to ________.
26	practice / practise You need more ________ before you’re ready to take the exam. Don’t forget to ________ your phrasal verbs.
27	priceless / valueless Be very careful with that painting; it’s ________ . Her jewels were all imitations; they were quite ________ .
28	principal / principle She refuses to eat meat on ________ . The ________ wants to see you in her office. The country’s ________ products are paper and wood. We talked about the ________s of nuclear physics.
29	raise / rise Does the sun ________ in the east or the west? The airline are going to ________ their fares again next year.
30	recipe / receipt Goods cannot be exchanged unless a sales ________ is shown. I gave her an Indian ________ book for her birthday.
31	remember / remind Would you ________ me to finish early tonight? Did you ________ to switch off the kitchen light?
32	scenery / view I adore the beautiful ________ in the Lake District. You can get a good ________ of the sea from the church tower.
33	sensible / sensitive She’s very ________ and is easily upset. Staying indoors was a ________ thing to do in this terrible weather.
34	take / bring Can you ________ this cheque to the bank for me please? Can I ________ my girlfriend here for tea?

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