صفحات ۱۱۰ تا ۱۲۰

466 Few and A Few.

(a) Few.

Don’t say: Although the question was easy, a few boys were able to answer it.

Say: Although the question was easy, few boys were able to answer it.

(b) A few.

Don’t say: Although the question was difficult, few boys were able to answer it.

Say: Although the question was difficult, a few boys were ablle to answer it.

Few means not many and emphasises the smallness of the number, It is distinguished from a few, which means at least some.

467 Little and A little.

(a) Little.

Don’t say: He took a little exercise and wasn’t Very fit.

Say: He took little exercise and wasn’t very fit.

(b) A little.

Don’t say: She took little exercise and felt much better.

Say: She took a little exercise and felt much better.

Little means not much and emphasises the smallness of the amount. It’s distinguished from a little which means at least some.

468 Each and Every.

(a) Each.

Don’t say: She gave an apple to every of the children. Say: She gave an apple to each of the children.

(b) Every.

Don’t say: Each child had an apple. Say: Every child had an apple.

Use each for one of two or more things, .taken one by one. Never use every for two, but always for more than two things, taken as a group. Each is more individual and specific, but every is the more emphatic word.

Note: Each and every are always singular: Each one of the twenty boys has a book.

469 His and Her.

(a) His.

Don’t say: John visits her aunt every Sunday. Say: John visits his aunt every Sunday.

(b) Her.

Don’t say: Ann Visits his uncle every Sunday.

Say: Ann Visits her uncle every Sunday.

In English, possessive adjectives (and pronouns) agree with the person who possesses, and not with the person or thing possessed. When the possessor is masculine, use his, and when the possessor is feminine, use her.

470 Older (oldest) and Elder (eldest).

(a) Older, Oldest.

Don’t say: This girl is elder than that one. This girl is the eldest of all.

Say: This girl is older than that one. This girl is the oldest of all.

(b) Elder, Eldest.

Don’t say: My older brother is called John. My oldest brother is not here. Say: My elder brother is called John. My eldest brother is not here.

Older and oldest are applied to both people and things, while elder and eldest are applied to people only, and most frequently to related people.

Note: Elder can’t be followed by than: Jane is older (not elder) than her sister.

471 Interesting and Interested.

(a) Interesting.

Don ‘t slay: I’ve read an interested story. Say: I’ve read an interesting story.

(b) Interested.

Don’t say: Are you interesting in your work? Say: Are you interested in your work?

Interesting refers to the thing which arouses interest, while interested refers to the person who takes an interest in the thing.

472 Wounded and Injured or Hurt.

Don’t say: Jack was wounded in a car accident. Say: Jack was injured in a car accident.

People are injured or hurt as a result of an accident or a fight, but people are wounded in wars and battles.

473 Farther and Further.

Don’t say: Turn the page for farther instructions. Say: Turn the page for further instructions.

Note: Use further to mean both greater distance and more of something.

We only use farther for distances: I live a bit farther away than you. Don’t use it to mean more. We use further for both meanings in modern English.

474 A for An.

Don’t say: A animal, a orange, a hour. Say: An animal, an orange, an hour.

Use an instead of a before a vowel or a silent h (as in hour, heir, honest). Before a long u or a syllable having the sound of you, we use a (not an): a union, a European (but an uncle).

475 One for A or An

Don’t say: Adam found one ring in the street. Say: Adam found a ring in the street.

Don’t use the numeral one instead of the indefinite article a or an. Use one only where the number is emphatic: He gave me one book instead of two.

476 Some for Any.

(a) Some.

Don’t say: Louis has got any milk. Say: Louis has got some milk.

(b) Any.

Don’t say: There aren’t some books on the shelf.

Say: There aren’t any books on the shelf.

We usually use some for affirmative phrases. She’s got some chicken, and any in negative and interrogative phrases: Ian hasn’t bought any food today. Have you bought any food? We sometimes use some in questions: Would you like some soup?

477 Less for Fewer.

Don’t say: They have less books than I have.

Say: They have fewer books than I have.

Less denotes amount, quantity, value, or degree, fewer denotes number.

We may have less water, less food, less money, less education, but fewer books, fewer letters, fewer friends.

Note: We say less than (five, six, etc.) pounds because the pounds are considered as a sum of money and not as a number of coins.

478 This for That.

Don’t say: Look at this dog across the street! Say: Look at that dog across the street!

This is used to indicate something physically close to the speaker. In the case of abstract things we use this for things which are most immediately present: This is a lovely song! I’ll help you do it this time. When we talk about more than one thing we use this for the closer or more immediate and that for the further away or more remote in time. If we’re only talking about one thing we usually use that; What’s that noise? That’s a nice coat! Don’t do that!

479 Latter for Later.

Don’t say: She got to school latter than I did.

Say: She: got to school later than I did.

Later refers to time. Latter refers to order and means the second of two things just mentioned: Alexandria and Cairo are large cities. The latter has a population of over a million. The opposite of latter is former.

480 Last for Latter.

Don’t say: Sir Walter Scott and Charles Dickens are both excellent writers, but I prefer the last.

Say: Sir Walter Scott and Charles Dickens are both excellent writers, but I prefer the latter.

The latter rnieans the second of two people or things which have been mentioned. The last refers to a series of more than two.

481 Last for Latest.

Don’t say: What’s the last news from the Palace? Say: What’s the latest news from the Palace?

Latest is the last up to the present. Last is the final one: Z is the last letter of the alphabet.

482 Small, Big for Young, Old.

Don ‘t say: I’m two years smaller than you. She’s three years bigger than me. Say: I’m two years younger than you. She’s three years older than me.

If reference is to age, say young or old. Small and big usually refer to size: He is big (or small) for his age.

Note: Great refers to the importance of a person or thing: Napoleon was a great man, Homer’s Iliad is a great book. Use great with words like distance, height, length, depth: There is a great distance between the earth and the moon. Informally, use great to mean something nice or good: We watched agreat concert last night.

483 High for Tall.

Don’t say: My elder brother is six feet high. Say: My elder brother is six feet tall.

We generally use tall with people, and it’s the opposite of short. Use high when referring to trees, buildings, or mountains, and it’s the opposite of low.

484 Beautiful for Handsome or Good-looking.

Don’t say: He’s grown into a beautiful young man. Say: He’s grown into a handsome young man.

We usually say that a man is handsome or good-looking, and that a woman is beautiful, lovely, good looking or pretty.

485 Sick or Ill.

Don’t say: He’s been sick for over a year. Say: He’s been ill for over a year.

To be ill means to be In bad health. To be sick means to vomit. We sometimes use sick idiomatically to mean feeling ill: The smell made me sick.

Note: We can also use sick before certain nouns: The sick room, a sick note, sick leave. We use the plural noun the sick to mean ill people. Angela worked wirh the sick on the streets of Birmingham.

486 Clear for Clean.

Don’t say: You should keep your hands clear. Say: You should keep your hands clean.

Clean is the opposite of dirty Clear means transparent or unclouded: clear water, a clear sky.

487 Angry for Sorry.

Don’t say: I was angry to hear of her death. Say: I was sorry to hear of her death.

Sorry is the opposite of glad. Angry means annoyed or enraged: He was angry when a boy hit him in the face.

488 Nervous: for Angry.

Don’t say: Our teacher is very nervous today. Say: Our teacher is very angry today.

Nervous means to be easily frightened or upset and can be a temporary or permanent condition. Angry describes someones mood at a given moment.

Nouns often confused

489 House and Home.

Don’t say: You should go to your house now.

Say: You should go home now.

Take care not to say my house, his house, or your house when you should say home. A house is any building used for dwelling in, and home is the particular house in which someone is living.

Note: Home may also denote one’s own country. When an Englishman abroad says: I’m going home this summer he means going to England

490 Story and History.

(a) Story.

Don’n say: She told me an interesting history. Say: She told me an interesting story.

(b) History.

Don’t say: We study the story of the Romans. Say: We study the history of the Romans.

A story is an account of events which may or may not be true. History is a systematic record of past events.

491 Habit and Custom.

(a) Habit.

Don’t say: Telling lies is a very bad custom. Say: Telling lies is a very bad habit.

(b) Custom.

Don’t say: The Chinese have strange habits. Say: The Chinese have strange customs.

A habit belongs to the individual, but a custom belongs to a society or country.

492 Cause of and Reason for.

(a) Cause of.

Don’t say: What’s the reason for a sandstorm? Say: What’s the cause of a Sandstorm?

(b) Reason for.

Don’t say: You have a good cause of coming. Say: You have a good reason for coming.

A cause is that which produces a result. A reason is that which explains or justifies a result.

493 Scene and Scenery.

(a) Scene.

Don’t say: The TV crew arrived at the scenery. Say: The TV crew arrived at the scene.

(b) Scenery.

Don’t say: The scene in Cyprus is beautiful. Say: The scenery in Cyprus is beautiful.

A scene refers to one particular place, while scenery refers to the general appearance of the country.We don’t use scenery in the plural.

494 Centre and Middle.

(a) Centre.

Don’t say: Stand in the middle of the circle. Say: Stand in the centre of the circle.

(b) Middle.

Don’t say: He was in the centre of the street.

Say: He was in the middle of the street.

Centre is the pount that is equidistant from the edge of a circle. Middle is the area equidistant from two sides: middle of the road, middle of the room, middle of the page, etc

495 Shade or Shadow.

(a) Shade.

Don’t say: I like to sit in the shadow. Say: I lik.e to sit in the shade.

(b) Shad-ow.

Don’t say: The dog saw his shade in the water. Say: The dog saw his shadow in the water.

Shade is a place sheltered from the sun. Shadow is a shade of a distinct form, as of a tree, a man, a dog, etc.

496 Customer and Client.

(a) Customer.

Don’t say: That grocer has plenty of clients. Say: That grocer has plenty of customers.

(b) Client.

Don’t say: That lawyer has plenty of customers. Say: That lawyer has plenty of clients.

A person can be a customer at a shop, but a client of a lawyer, a bank, etc.

497 Stranger for Guest.

Don’t say: They had some strangers last night. Say: They had some guests last night.

A guest is usually a friend who comes to our house tor a visit, while a stranger is a person unknown to us.

Note: A foreigner is a person from another country and speaking a foreign language

Confused words

498 Travel for Journey.

Don’t say: Our travel to Wales was lovely.

Say: Our journey to Wales was lovely.

Travel is a verb, used to describe any type of movement from one place to another. Journey is the noun but we also use trip for having a short journey: We took a trip to the seaside last Sunday. We also use travelling as a noun: Tim loves travelling. We use a possessive pronoun wuth travels as an idiom: Jenny is off on her travels again.

Note: We use the noun travel (1) in a general sense. She loves travel. (2) in the plural: He has written a book about his travels

499 Foot for Leg.

Don’t say: I hurt my foot P if the injury is anywhere above the ankle.

Say: I hurt my leg.

Leg is the part of the body from the hip down to the ankle, and foot is the part below the ankle. (Hand must also be carefully distingunshed from arm.)

Note: The leg of a char, a table, a bed; the foot of a hall, a wall, a ladder, a page.

500 Finger for Toe.

Don’t say: I hurt a finger of my right foot. Say: I hurt a toe of my right foot.

Fingers are on the hand, and toes are on the foot.

501 Poetry for Poem.

Don’t say: I have a poetry to learn by heart. Say: I have a poem to learn by heart.

Poetry is the form of literature dealing with poems. A poem is one piece of poetry.

502 Theatre for Play.

Don’t say: Sarah is going to see a theatre tonight. Say: Sarah is going to see a play tonight.

A theatre is a building in which plays are acted, not the play itself.

503 Play for Game.

Don’t: say: They had a nice play of football. Say: They had a nice game of football.

Avoid using play in the sense game. Play means amusement. He is fond of play.

504 Dress for Suit.

Don’t say: My elder brother has a new dress. Say: My elder brother has a new suit.

Only girls and women wear dresses; anyone can wear suits (a Jacket with trousers or a skirt) Clothes is a general word: John (or Mary) is wearing new clothes.

Note: We say a man in full evening dress, or morning dress for traditional, formal clothes.

505 Individual for Person or People.

Don’t say: There were five individuals in the shop. Say: There were five people in the shop.

Use individual with a single person as opposed to the group: The individual must act for the good of the community.

506 Men for People.

Don’t say: All the streets were full of men. Say: All the streets were full of people.

Use people and not men when the reference is to human beings in general.

507 Woman for Wife.

Don’t use: The man took his woman with him. Say: The man took his wife with him.

In English, these two words are carefully distinguished: wife is the woman in a marriage. Both husbands and wives can be referred to as partners.