TET/SET/NET ENGLISH MATERIALS
Friday 21 May 2021
Thursday 20 May 2021
Sunday 24 February 2019
Saturday 8 September 2018
Sunday 2 September 2018
TET Study notes
CONFUSED WORDS
Accept vs. Except
Accept (verb) - to
receive
- I accepted all my birthday gifts with gratitude.
Except (conjunction) -
apart from; otherwise than; were it not true
- When Susan travels, she packs everything except the
kitchen sink.
Affect vs. Effect
Affect (verb) - to have
an effect on; influence; produce a change in; to stir the emotions
- The dog's death affected his owners.
Effect (noun) - anything
brought about by a cause or agent; result
- The new speed limit law had little effect on the speed
of the motorists.
All Intensive Purposes
vs. All Intents and Purposes
"All intensive
purpose" is an incorrect use of the phrase "all intents and
purposes."
"All intents and
purposes" is a phrase that means "for all practical purposes" or
"under most usual situations."
- For all intents and purpose, she planned to buy the
refrigerator but still wanted to check the reviews.
A Lot vs. Allot
A lot (noun phrase)
-many
- A lot of people came to the party.
*"A lot" is
always two separate words. "Alot" is not a real word.
Allot (verb) - to
distribute, give or assign
- Fifteen minutes were allotted to each of the speakers
at the conference.
Allusion vs. Illusion
Allusion (noun) - an
indirect reference
- The Austin Powers movies often make
allusions to the James Bond films.
Illusion (noun) - a
false idea or conception; belief or opinion not in accord with the facts; an
unreal, deceptive, or misleading appearance or image
- The magician created the illusion that he was levitating.
Awhile vs. A While
Awhile (adverb) - for a
while; for a short time
- The guests planned to stay awhile.
A while (noun) - for a
short time; when while is used as the object of the preposition (for a while)
then the "a" is separated from the "while"
- The guests planned to stay for a while.
Bad vs. Badly
Bad (adjective) - not
good
- Your feet smell bad.
Badly (adverb) - not
well; in a bad manner; harmfully; incorrectly; wickedly; unpleasantly
- Charlotte plays tennis very badly.
- The people involved in the accident were badly hurt.
*Here, a note. Adjectives generally describe nouns, so even if you use the word “bad”
following a verb in a sentence, if it’s meant to describe the thing itself,
then use the adjective. “Bad” here means the same as “rotten,” “rancid” or
“stinky,” all of which are adjectives. If you can replace “bad” with another
adjective and still have a sentence that makes sense, then you know that “bad”
was the correct choice. Adverbs often describe the
manner in which something is done. To say, “your feet smell badly” is to say
that your feet are inhaling through the nose and perceiving odors, and that
they’re going about it all wrong.
Borrow vs. Lend
Borrow (verb) - to take
or accept something for a short time with the intention of returning it to its
rightful owner
- May I borrow a pencil, please?
Lend (verb) - to give
something for a short time with the intention of getting it back
- Would you please lend me a pencil?
Breath vs. Breathe
Breath (noun) - air
taken into the lungs and then let out
- Take a deep breath.
Breathe (verb) - to
inhale and exhale
- Just calm down and breathe.
Butt Naked vs. Buck
Naked
Butt Naked is a phrase
that means to be without clothes.
- The baby tore off his diaper and ran around the house
butt naked.
Buck Naked is a phrase
that also means to be naked and without clothing.
- The baby tore off his diaper and ran around the house
buck naked.
*Note - Neither of these
phrases is incorrect. The term buck naked may derive from the term buckskin,
that which hides are fashioned. However, neither term has much etymological
backing for one being more correct than another.
Cache vs. Cash
Cache (noun) - a safe
place to store supplies; anything stored or hidden in such a place
- The hikers found a cache with some cash and jewels.
Cash (noun) - money,
coins, bills; currency
- ATM machines dispense cash.
Chomp at the Bit vs.
Champ at the Bit
Chomp at the bit - an
over used and incorrect form of "champing at the bit"
Champ at the bit (idiom)
- ready or anxious; eager to be going or moving along.
- The kids were champing at the bit to see the
newest Harry Potter movie.
Complement vs.
Compliment
Complement (noun) - that
which completes or brings to perfection; (verb) - to make complete
- Red wine is a nice complement to a steak dinner.
Compliment (noun) -
something said in admiration, praise, or flattery; (verb) - to pay a compliment
to; congratulate
- She gave me a nice compliment when she said I looked
thin.
Comprise vs. Compose
Comprise (verb) - to include; to contain; to consist of; to be
composed of
- The state of North Carolina comprises 100 counties.
Compose (verb) - to form
in combination; make up; constitute
- One hundred counties compose the state of North
Carolina.
Desert vs. Dessert
Desert (verb) - to
forsake or abandon; to leave without permission; to fail when needed
- Soldiers should not desert their posts.
Desert (noun) - dry,
barren, sandy region
- The largest desert in the world is the Sahara.
Dessert (noun) - a sweet
course served at the end of a meal
- Fruit makes a healthy dessert after lunch or dinner.
Done vs. Did
Done (adjective) -
completed; sufficiently cooked; socially acceptable
Done (verb) - the past
participle of do
- After an hour, the roast was done.
Did (verb) - past tense
of do
- The children did not want to leave the playground.
Elicit vs. Illicit
Elicit (verb) - to draw
forth; evoke
- The teacher elicited answers from the students.
Illicit (adjective) -
unlawful; illegal
- The teacher discovered illicit drugs in a student’s
desk.
Fair to Midland vs. Fair
to Middling
Fair to midland - an
incorrect use of the phrase "fair to middling"
Fair to middling
(phrase) - something that is moderate to average in quality
- The temperature was fair to middling today.
Had Bought vs. Had
Boughten
Had Bought (verb) - the
past perfect tense of the verb buy
- The teacher had bought Christmas presents for all of
students early in the year.
Had Boughten - incorrect
usage of the past perfect tense
Hone vs. Home
Hone (verb) - to
sharpen; to yearn or long for; to grumble or moan
- Practicing the piano daily is a good way to hone your
skills.
Home (noun) - dwelling;
place where a person lives
- After the long drive, we were all ready to be home and
asleep.
Idiosyncrasy vs.
Idiosyncracy
Idiosyncrasy (noun) -
any personal peculiarity or mannerism; individual reaction to food or drug.
- Twins have idiosyncrasies, which often help to
distinguish one from the other.
Idiosyncracy is a
misspelling of idiosyncrasy.
Imitated vs. Intimated
Imitated (verb) - past
tense of the verb imitate, which means to seek to follow the example of;
impersonate; mimic
- The toddler imitated the dog by crawling on hands and
knees and barking.
Intimated (verb) - to
make known indirectly; to hint or imply
- The pirate intimated that he knew where the treasure
was buried.
In a Sense vs. In
Essence
In a sense (idiom) - in
a way; in one way of looking at it
- In a sense, computers have been a boon to society.
In essence (idiom) - by
nature; essentially
- The cat is, in essence, quiet and timid.
In One Foul Swoop vs. In
One Fell Swoop
In one foul swoop - an
incorrect use of the phrase "in one fell swoop"
In one fell swoop - a
phrase meaning "all at once"
- In one fell swoop, the toy was demolished by the child.
Its vs. It’s
Its (possessive pronoun)
- of, belonging to, made by, or done by it
- The dog will only eat its food when I am also eating.
- It’s a very strange dog.
I Could Of vs. I Could
Have
I could of - an
incorrect use of the verb phrase could have; when written as a contraction
"could've" sounds like "could of."
I could have - is the
past perfect tense of the verb could
- I could have gone to the play, but I had to study that
night
I Should of vs. I Should
Have
I should of - an
incorrect use of the verb phrase should have; when written as a contraction
"should've" sounds like "should of."
I should have - is the
past perfect tense of the verb should
- I should have gone to the play instead of study because
I failed my test anyway.
I Would Of vs. I Would
Have
I would of - an
incorrect use of the verb phrase would have; when written as a contraction
"would've" sounds like "would of."
I would have - is the
past perfect tense of the verb would
- I would have gone to the play except my car wouldn't
start.
Lead vs. Led
Lead (noun) - a heavy,
soft, malleable, bluish-gray metallic chemical element used in batteries and in
numerous alloys and compounds
- I think it was Mrs. White in the billiard room with the
lead pipe.
Led (verb) - past tense
and past participle of the verb "to lead"
- The two coaches have each led their teams to numerous
championships.
Lose vs. Loose
Lose (verb) - to become
unable to find; to mislay; to fail to win or gain
- Did you lose your glasses again?
- How many games did your team lose last season?
Loose (adjective) - not
tight; giving enough room
- I’ve lost twenty pounds, and now these jeans are really
loose.
More/Most Importantly
vs. More/Most Important
More/most importantly -
a phrase used often in writing to show emphasis; however, many grammarians insist
that this is not correct usage. The adverbial ending of -ly is not needed.
More/most important -
this phrase should be used instead
- The most important part of story is the ending.
Passed vs. Past
Passed (verb) - past
tense of the verb "to pass"
- I think we passed the store. Let’s turn around and go
back.
Past (adjective) - of a
former time; bygone; (noun) - the time that has gone by; days, months, or years
gone by
- In the past, I’ve gotten lost a lot, but this time I
know where we are.
Precede vs. Proceed
Precede (verb) - to be,
come, or go before in time, place, order, rank, or importance
- The election of a new president precedes his
inauguration.
Proceed (verb) - to
advance or go on, especially after stopping
- After your first assignment has been completed and
approved, you may proceed to the second one.
Principal vs. Principle
Principal (noun) - a
governing or presiding officer, specifically of a school; (adjective) - first
in rank, authority, importance, degree, etc.
- The student’s parents had to have a meeting with the
principal.
Principle (noun) - a
fundamental truth, law, doctrine, or motivating force, upon which others are
based
- The student’s parents thought that they had instilled
stronger moral principles in their son.
Seen vs. Saw
Seen (verb) - past participle
of the verb see; must be used with the verbs has, have, or had
- I have seen the movie three times.
- *Note: I seen the movie three times is not correct
though it is commonly used in spoken language.
Saw (verb) - past tense
of the verb see
- I saw the movie yesterday.
Sell vs. Sale
Sell (verb) - to give
up, deliver or exchange for money
- People who move often sell unwanted items instead of
packing them.
Sale (noun) - the act of
selling; the work, department, etc. of selling
- After Christmas sales always bring in the bargain
shoppers.
Site vs. Sight
Sight (noun) - something
seen, a view, field of vision
- She was a sight for sore eyes.
Site (noun) - a piece of
land considered for a specific purpose
- The corner lot was a perfect site for the new shopping
center.
Spitting Image vs.
Spirit and Image
"Spitting
image" is a phrase that means exactly like. The first known use in writing
of this phrase was in 1901.
- Karen is the spitting image of her mother.
"Spirit and
Image" - There is some speculation that the "spit" in the phrase
"spitting image" came from the word "spirit" in the phrase
"spirit and image." However, there is no etymological basis for this
belief since the phrase "spirit and image" used in reference to an
exact likeness is not found in writing. The terms "spit," "spit
and image," and "dead spit" have all been found to refer to a
likeness since the 1800's.
Stationary vs.
Stationery
Stationary (adjective) -
not moving or not movable; fixed or still
- I rode the stationary bike at the gym for an hour.
Stationery (noun) -
writing materials; specifically, paper and envelopes used for letters
- My grandmother has given me a lot of stationery over
the years. I think she wants me to use it to write her.
Taut vs Taunt
Taut (adjective) -
tightly stretched; showing strain; tidy or well-disciplined
- The taut rope held the luggage to the roof.
Taunt (verb) - to
reproach in scornful or sarcastic language; to drive or provoke
- The home team taunted the visitors with cheers every
time the visiting team made an error.
Than vs. Then
Than (conjunction) -
used to introduce the second element in a comparison
- My right foot is bigger than my left foot.
Then (adverb) - at that
time; next in order; (adjective) - of that time; (noun) - that time
- Take off all your clothes first. Then get in the
shower.
- Emily drove up to New York with her then boyfriend,
Nick.
- Let's wait until we're hungry; we can decide what we
want to eat then.
Their vs. There vs.
They’re
Their (adjective) - of, belonging to, made by, or done by them
- They were proud of their work.
There (noun) - that
place or point
- Just put it over there.
They’re (contraction) of
they + are
- They’re going out to dinner tonight.
To vs. Too vs. Two
To (preposition) - in
the direction of and reaching; as far as; to the extent of
- I’m going to Baltimore.
Too (adverb) - in
addition; as well; besides; also; more than enough; superfluously; overly; to a
regrettable extent; extremely
- I’m going to Baltimore, too.
- I'm too busy. I can't go to Baltimore.
Two (adjective) the
number 2
- I have two jobs.
Your vs. You're
Your (adjective) -
belonging to you
- Is this your dog?
You're (contraction) -
you are
- You're a great mother!
Who vs. Whom
Who (subject pronoun) -
what or which person or persons; the person or persons that, or a person that
(used to introduce a relative clause)
- Who is going to the party with you?
Whom (object pronoun) -
what or which person or persons; the person or persons that, or a person that
(used to introduce a relative clause)
- With whom are you going to the party?
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