25 September 2016 - EASILY CONFUSED WORDS

EASILY CONFUSED WORDS

G'day folks,

Here are some more of those words that sometimes trip people up.

discreet / discrete

Discreet is an adjective that means prudent, circumspect, or modest: “Their discreet comments about the negotiations led the reporters to expect an early settlement.” 

Discrete is an adjective that means separate or individually distinct: “Each company in the conglomerate operates as a discrete entity.”

disinterested / uninterested

Disinterested is an adjective that means unbiased or impartial: “We appealed to the disinterested mediator to facilitate the negotiations.” 

Uninterested is an adjective that means not interested or indifferent: “They seemed uninterested in our offer.”

dough / batter

Dough, a noun, is a thick mixture of flour, liquid, and other ingredients that is usually rolled or shaped into bread and other baked goods.

Batter, a noun, is a thinner mixture than dough and is made of flour and liquid. Batter can be poured into pans to make pancakes, biscuits, and cakes.

Earth / universe

Earth the planet on which we live, is the third planet from the sun in our solar system.

The universe includes everything that exists, including all the planets, the stars, and space.

emigrant / immigrant / migrant 

Emigrant is a noun that means one who leaves one's native country to settle in another: “The emigrants spent four weeks aboard ship before landing in Los Angeles.”

Immigrant is a noun that means one who enters and settles in a new country: “Most of the immigrants easily found jobs.” 

Migrant is a noun that means one who travels from one region to another, especially in search of work: “The migrants worked in the strawberry fields on the west coast, then traveled east to harvest wheat.”

envy / jealousy

Envy, a noun, is the desire to have something that another person has and the feelings of resentment or unhappiness at the person's having it. For example, you may feel envy when someone you know gets something you've always wanted.

Jealousy, a noun, is like envy but includes suspicion. Jealousy is often associated with competition, especially in love. Sometimes you may be jealous of a brother or sister because you think your parents love him or her more than they love you.

farther / further

Farther is an adjective and adverb that means to or at a more distant point: “We drove 50 miles today; tomorrow, we will travel 100 miles farther.”

Further is an adjective and adverb that means to or at a greater extent or degree: “We won't be able to suggest a solution until we are further along in our evaluation of the problem.” It can also mean in addition or moreover: “They stated further that they would not change the policy.”

few / less

Few is an adjective that means small in number. It is used with countable objects: “This department has few employees.”

Less is an adjective that means small in amount or degree. It is used with objects of indivisible mass: “Which jar holds less water?”

Clancy's comment: Yep, we all have problems with these lil blighters.

I'm ....