Vocabulary

Noisome or noisy?

Noisome means something that is offensive to the senses, particularly to the sense of smell. For instance, ‘noisome dumping ground’ It can also mean obnoxious or objectionable. Example may be ‘noisome taste [in clothes/makeup].’ This word has nothing to do with noisy.

Advance or advanced?

Both advance and advanced are adjectives. But they do not mean the same. Advance: provided or carried out in advance; prior Advanced: far on (or ahead) in time or course; beyond introductory stage COMPARE: Most reservations are confirmed with a 50% advanced deposit. X Most reservations are confirmed with a 50% advance deposit. √ He … Continue reading →

How to use ‘compose’ and ‘comprise’

The word ‘comprise’ means ‘to contain.’ For example: ‘The book comprises six sections.’ A rule of thumb for using comprise: if you replace comprise with ‘contain’ or ‘has’ and the sentence still makes sense, you have used it correctly. The word ‘compose’ means ‘to make up.’ Example: ‘Many ethnic groups compose this neighborhood.’ Now, the … Continue reading →

‘Darting’ or ‘pacing’? Words to describe ‘moving/walking quickly’

Dash: moving in a hurry, probably because the person is in a hurry or needs to do something urgently. I dashed to the shop before it closed. Dart: suddenly moving quickly. I saw a man darting behind the bushes. Stride: walking quickly with big steps, appearing to have a purpose. She strode up to his … Continue reading →

‘amused’ or ‘bemused’?

Amused = to be entertained Bemused = to be confused  

‘rebut’ or ‘refute’?

›Rebut = to argue in response to another argument Her lawyer tried to rebut the testimony that the witness gave. Refute = to deny an argument/claim She refuted the allegations against her.

‘Say’ or ‘tell’?

We use tell with an object (i.e., who is to be told):    Can you tell me where he has gone? Also, we use tell to mean to instruct or to inform: I told her to wait at home until I get there. (instructing) He told us about his experiences of teaching English in a … Continue reading →

Describing the sickeningly sweet

‘thankful’ or ‘grateful’?

Grateful is the normal word for people’s reactions to kindness, favours etc. Example: I’m very grateful for all your help. Thankful is used especially for feelings of relief at having avoided a danger or at having come through an unpleasant experience. Example: I’m thankful that we got home before the storm started.

Talk and Speak: collocations