ESL: Problem Partners

Words That Look Alike

Because English has taken so many different words from so many different cultures over a long period of time, one often encounters pairs of words which are confusing because they are close in spelling and/or pronunciation. In this exercise you can learn some of the most common such words. Choose the best word for each blank.

adverse / averse
1. When I suggested that he buy a cheaper car, he was _______________ to accepting my advice.
2. It’s difficult to study under _______________ conditions.

affect / effect
3. A good teacher can _______________ you in many different, beneficial ways.
4. A good politician can _______________ improvement in economic conditions.

aggravate / annoy
5. Her angry words _______________ an already difficult situation.
6. Her angry words _______________ me very much.

allusion / illusion
7. It was clear from his speech that he suffers from many _______________.
8. In his speech, he made many _______________ to the social problems of the distant past.

complement / compliment
9. That soccer team wins often because the players all _______________ each other.
10. One secret to success in life is to frequently _______________ people around you.

capital / capitol
11. Cairo is the _______________ of Egypt.
12. The _______________ in Washington is modeled on Greek and Roman architecture.

discreet / discrete
13. Learning English involves several _______________ areas of study.
14. Politicians try to be very _______________ in their public remarks.

disinterested / uninterested
15. I couldn’t understand why they were _______________ in my exciting experiment.
16. Journalists attempt to be _______________ at all times.

emigrate / immigrate
17. She _______________ to America last year.
18. He _______________ from Gabon last year.

elicit / illicit
19. All right, I’ll try again to _______________ a confession from the thief.
20. _______________ goods cross many international borders every day.

denote / connote
21. In English cultures, red _______________ danger or anger.
22. "Red" _______________ a color at the lower end of the
visible spectrum.

farther / further
23. They live _______________ from downtown than I do.
24. If you hope to solve this problem, you’ll have to study it _______________.

historic / historical
25. _______________ trends in economic development provide keys to understanding the present.
26. Neil Armstrong’s first step on the moon was a _______________ event.
MORE è

imply / infer
27. By studying the evidence, we can _______________ that dinosaurs once walked the earth.
28. The evidence _______________ that dinosaurs once walked the earth.

adapt / adopt
29. They want to _______________ a child.
30. When you come to a new country, you have to _______________ to the culture.

incredible / incredulous
31. His amazing and funny story was, unfortunately, _______________.
32. I was _______________ when I heard his amazing and funny story.

include / comprise
33. A book _______________ paper, ink, and ideas.
34. A book sometimes _______________ pictures.

ingenious / ingenuous
35. Edison was an extremely _______________ inventor.
36. His sweetly _______________ reply convinced me of his innocence.

insidious / invidious
37. Television advertising is often highly _______________.
38. The president’s opponent made an _______________ speech last night.

literally / figuratively
39. Millions of human beings are _______________ starving today.
40. _______________ children who receive inadequate schooling starve intellectually.

oral / verbal
41. TOEFL is a test of several types of _______________ skills.
42. TOEFL is not a test of _______________ skill.

prevaricate / procrastinate
43. If you make a habit of _______________ , you’ll never get your work finished.
44. If you make a habit of _______________ , you’ll never have any real friends.

pestilence / petulance
45. AIDS is the great _______________ of the end of the 20th century.
46. Her frequent _______________ is a result of immaturity.

prostrate / prostate
47. Worshippers in some religions must _______________ themselves daily.
48. Older men frequently have _______________ problems.

qualitative / quantitative
49. _______________ , there is a big difference between a Volkswagen and a Mercedes.
50. The _______________ relationship between education and income is indisputable.


Give yourself 2 points for each correct answer.

Maximum Score: 100.

Your Score: ______

BONUS!!!
Improve your score! Give yourself 5 points for each one of these you get correct:
imminent / eminent / immanent
Some thinkers believe that, because of computers, a revolution in human consciousness is _______________.
A deist is a person who believes that God is _______________.
Madonna is famous; Einstein was both famous and _______________.

Answers

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Index of All ESL Exercises

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