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Lesson 49 – Confusing Words

We’ve already looked at a few pairs of confusing words, like end and finish, big and large, or fast and quick. Here are some additional verbs that are frequently confused by English learners, with their different collocations explained.

close / shut

Close and shut are the same for doors, windows, mouths, and eyes.

Close the door / Shut the door so that the mosquitoes don’t get in.

It’s cold in here; could you please close the window / shut the window ?

She shut her eyes / closed her eyes as she began to meditate.

Dan’s mouth was closed / shut.

Note: The word “shut” can be used with a word that implies the action was noisy: She slammed the door shut.

The wind made the gate bang shut.

Note: The phrase “Shut your mouth!” is a rude way to tell somebody to stop talking.

Close (not shut) is used for shops, banks, etc. as well as for airports and roads that are not open or available at a particular time:

What time does the bank close?

The roads are closed due to construction.

The shop is closing in 30 minutes.

We use expressions with “close” to refer to the end of an event or process: Let’s bring this meeting to a close.

It appears that the economic crisis is drawing to a close / coming to a close.

Messi scored a goal in the closing moments of the game.

gain / win / earn

The word win means to be 1 in a competition, or to receive an award.

My soccer team won the game 3-1.

I want to win the lottery!

John won a prize in the science competition.

You can win a game, win a race, win a competition, or win the lottery. You can also win a medal (like in the Olympics), a prize, or an award. In conflicts, you can win an argument, win a battle or win the war.

The word earn means to get something in exchange for your work or effort.

Sarah is a famous lawyer; she earns a lot of money.

I’m not rich, but I earn a decent salary.

My bank account earns 2% interest per month.

The salesman earns a 10% commission on every sale he makes.

The word gain means to receive/obtain or to increase (it may or may not be the result of work or effort).

I’ve gained weight ever since I stopped exercising.

Jack’s car gained speed as he drove down the mountain.

This training has helped me gain insight into modern educational methods.

In my last job, I gained a lot of experience.

He has gained a reputation for complete honesty in his business dealings.

save / keep

Save is used for conserving something – you can save energy, save time, or save space. It can also be used for rescuing, as in the expression “save someone’s life.” The expression “save money” has two meanings - to conserve money by paying less, for example: “Coupons help me save money at the supermarket.” It also means to keep money for a long time, for example: “I’m saving money for my vacation in December.” In this second case, we often say “saving up money.”

The word keep means to maintain something in your possession – for example, if someone gives you a jacket, and you try to return it, but the other person tells you to keep it. There are various other expressions using keep in the sense of maintaining or continuing: keep trying = continue trying

keep an eye on / keep track of = continue to observe/monitor a situation keep in mind = continue being aware of something

keep in touch = maintain contact with a person

keep something clean/safe, keep someone happy/quiet = maintain the object or person in that state

keep a promise = do the action that you promised to do keep a secret = maintain a secret hidden, not tell it to anybody spend / pay

You spend money and time:

I spent $100 on tickets to the baseball game.

We spent three hours waiting in line to buy the tickets!

You can also spend a period of time like the morning, afternoon, night, weekend, week, etc.

I spent the weekend making repairs to the house.

The students spent the afternoon volunteering at the animal shelter.

You pay the request, bill, or demand for the money: pay rent, pay a fine, pay your bills, pay your taxes It’s also possible to use pay with quantities of money, but we use a different preposition: I spent $100 on the tickets.

I paid $100 for the tickets.