TIPS for English (e) Mistakes & Typos (1)

Common mistakes and ‘typos’ (1)

(My comment: Many people, even native speakers, make trivial mistakes!)

Regarding pronunciation, I underline and have bold the letter that needs to be stressed.

Amount

Content (vs) Context (not the same meaning!)

Stay - stayed

Bear (the pronunciation is beə(r))

Wonder (vs.) Wander

Wonder = desire or curious to know something, e.g., ‘How many times have I written that, I wonder?’/// Marvel, e.g., People stood by and wondered at such bravery.

Wander = walk or move in a leisurely, casual, or aimless way, e.g., He was wandering aimlessly

Worry - Worrying (e.g., Nowadays (= at the present time), cyberbullying is a worrying trend)

Aimlessly

Already (do not think all + ready)

Busy and business

Even though (not 1 word, but 2)

Nonsense (1 word)

The news is (as ‘news’ is an uncountable noun) good for Mary

Skeleton

Muay Thai (martial art)

Declare war on

‘I have gone on vacation.’// They have both come back from their vacations.

Vacation (= holiday) (vs) vacant (= empty; vacancy means an ‘empty’ post, i.e., an available post) (vs) vocation (= occupation)

Buy (= obtain in exchange for payment) (vs) (Good)bye

Buy – Buying

Politically correct/ political correctness

Politically incorrect (= non-politically correct)

Twilight (mnemonic crick = twi + light)  ((pronounced ˈtwaɪ.laɪt) = (in the evening) the soft glowing light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon, caused by the refraction and scattering of the sun’s rays from the atmosphere).

Write – writing – written (e.g., ''As it is written...'' (a common phrase in the Bible)) (mnemonic trick: write goes double ‘t’ only on ‘written’ (pp))

Grammar

Champagne is a sparkling/ fizzy/ effervescent (= bubbly) wine.

Rugby (game)

Plentifully

Passengers (remember ''pass'')

Stapled papers/// Stapler (device)

Separately

Sunday (mnemonic trick: sun + day)

Tomorrow

Wednesday

Difference

Recklessness (noun) – Reckless (adjective) (you may remember the TV soap ‘The Young and the Reckless’) e.g., Reckless driving.

Disapprove (mnemonic trick: dis + approve)

We double a single consonant letter at the end of any base where the preceding vowel is spelled with a single letter and stressed, e.g., bar – barred, beg – begged, occur – occurred, permit – permitted, patrol – patrolled; refer – referring/ referred; omit – omitting/ omitted; equip – equipping/ equipped.

Usually, there is NO doubling when the preceding vowel is unstressed (e.g., enter –  entering/entered; visit – visiting/visited; prohibit – prohibiting/ prohibited) or when the preceding vowel is written with two letters (e.g., dread – dreading/dreaded); cool – cooling/ cooled; squeal – squealing/ squealed (e.g., A pig squealing// The brakes squealed/ squeaked!)

Required (from Require; always think how we write the verb on the simple present)

Referred (from ‘refer’; always think how we write the verb on the simple present)

Omitted (from ‘omit’; always think how we write the verb on the simple present)

Equipped (from ‘equip’; always think how we write the verb on the simple present)

Chatting (from ‘chat’; always think how we write the verb on the simple present)

Quoted (from ‘quote’; always think how we write the verb on the simple present)

Prohibited (from ‘prohibit; always think how we write the verb on the simple present)

Promised (from ‘promise’; always think how we write the verb on the simple present)

Cooled (from ‘cool’; always think how we write the verb on the simple present)

Horizon

Holiday (do not think ‘holy’ + ‘day’ as a mnemonic trick)

Surf (e.g., I surf aimlessly on the internet) (not be confused with ‘serf’ = a land worker, something like a slave, in the medieval times)

Employee (pronounced ɪmˈplɔɪ.iː or ˌem.plɔɪˈiː in British English and ɪmˈplɔɪ.iː or ˌem.plɔɪˈiː in North American English) – Employees – Employment – Employer

Cyberbullying

Scheduled (a common typo)

Discussion

Judgement or Judgment

Committee (mnemonic trick: all consonants – apart from the first ‘c’ – are doubled; the ‘e’ at the end is also doubled!)

Possess (mnemonic trick: all consonants – apart from the first ‘p’ – are doubled) (pronounced pəˈzes) = (verb with object) have as belonging to one; own; e.g., ‘I do not possess a television set’) – possession (noun)

Success (mnemonic trick: all consonants – apart from the first ‘s’ – are doubled) – Successful – Successfully

Awful (mnemonic trick: full is with double ‘l’ only in ‘full,’ not in other words that end with -full (i.e., as an ‘affix’) e.g., ''A dreadful (= extremely bad or serious) accident'' or ''A spoonful of sugar.'' // Skilful (skillful in North American English)

Address (as a noun and verb, it also means a formal speech delivered to an audience; e.g., The U.S. President addressed the nation) and Addressee (= The person to whom something, typically a letter or parcel (= package), is addressed)

Across (Mnemonic trick: a + cross)

Exaggerate (pronounced ɪɡˈzædʒ.ə.reɪt)

Programme (in North American English, it is ‘program’) (as a noun and as a verb, it is pronounced ˈprəʊ.ɡræm)

Apartment ((in British English, it is ‘flat’) (mnemonic trick: remember the word ‘apart’)

Fall = autumn in North American English (I think that 'fall' has prevailed over autumn)

Float - Floating

Aluminum (pronounced əˈlu·mə·nəm) in North American English and aluminium (pronounced ˌæl.jəˈmɪn.i.əm) in British English

Really

Reply

Altogether (1 word) (a common typo: do not think all + together as a mnemonic trick)

A pair of scissors

Baggage = luggage

Happy – Happiness

Pajamas (American English) (in British English, it is pyjamas) (e.g., A pair of pyjamas)

Disappointment (mnemonic trick: dis + appointment)

Additionally

Ascertain (pronounced ˌasəˈteɪn) (= find something out for certain; make sure of, e.g., An attempt to ascertain the cause of the accident)

Pronounce – Pronunciation (a common typo)

On special occasions (not ‘in special occasions’)

At the university/ school/ home/ the church (but we may be ‘in (inside) the church/ university/ school/ home

Neighbourhood – Neighbour (but in North American English it is Neighbor – neighborhood)

Laser (beam) (vs) Leisure (= free time e.g., Leisure activities)

Spaghetti

Omelette (in North American English, it is ‘omelet’)

Profession – Professor – Professional (mnemonic trick: the ‘s’ is the one that doubles, not the ‘f’)

Processed (process is pronounced ˈprəʊsɛs) food may contain preservatives and other additives (preservative is pronounced prɪˈzɜː.və.tɪv; for the spelling, remember ‘pre – servative’)) (not to be confused with ‘conservatives’ (pronounced kənˈsɜː.və.tɪvs) that is related to politics!)

Lightning (= the occurrence of natural electrical discharge of very short duration and high voltage between a cloud and the ground or within a cloud, accompanied by a bright flash and typically also thunder, e.g., A tremendous flash of lightning)

Staff (= personnel) (vs) Stuff (= things) (a common typo)

Abbreviation

Consequences

Territory

Sergeant (abbreviated Sgt; informally called ‘sarge’)

Forest

Until (vs) till (they are the same, but do not use ‘till’ in formal English, as it is informal)

Myself/herself (1 word)

Awkward (mnemonic trick: remember w-k-w)

Kindergarten (mnemonic trick: kinder (kid) + garten (like ‘garden; but with ‘d’ instead of ‘t’))

Agree – agreement

Government

Environment

Firefighters (1 word)/ Fire brigade

Agriculture

Hooligans – Hooliganism

Criticism – criticized for

Specialize in

Organize – Organization (organise and organisation in British English)

Insurance

bn (abbreviation) =billion

m (abbreviation; not to be confused with metre (‘meter’ in North American English) = million)

Insecticide/ Pesticide

Maze (= labyrinth) (vs) maize (= corn)

Wasteful – Wastefulness

Boss – bosses (plural)

Abnormal – abnormality

Route (= a way or course taken in getting from a starting point to a destination) should not be confused with ‘root’ (of a plant) or ‘rout’ (= (pronounced raʊt)(verb) to defeat an enemy completely and force them to run away; e.g., The Russian chess team has routed them (^^)./// (noun) A disorderly retreat of defeated troops; e.g., The retreat degenerated into a rout)

Obsession (mnemonic trick: s + ss)

The Philippines –but we say: Filipino language/ people/ president

The Netherlands = Holland (I think ‘The Netherlands’ is used more commonly than ‘Holland’). Dutch is relating to the Netherlands, its people, and its language.

At the correct moment

Wilful (willful in US English) (= (adjective) (of an immoral or illegal act or omission) intentional; deliberate, e.g., Willful acts of damage)

Inseparable (not 'unseparable')

Summarize

Careful – carefully

Argue – Arguing – Argument

Restaurant

Sentence (= set of words// conviction, e.g., Her husband is serving a four-year (with a hyphen) sentence for fraud)

Pollution

Predator

Caesar salad 

Deity (pronounced ˈdeɪ.ɪ.ti) = a god or goddess

Misogynist (pronounced mɪˈsɒdʒ.(ə)n.ɪst). (My comment: a ruder synonym is male chauvinist (not ‘chauvinistic’) pig!)

Saudi corruption purge (= an abrupt or violent removal of a group of people from an organization or place; pronounced pɜːdʒ) after the anti-corruption committee formed by a royal decree (= an official order issued by a legal authority’ pronounced dɪˈkriː) (from the media)

Singapore now uses driverless busses (from the media)

‘Origin’ is Dan Brown’s book about human’s quest (= a long or arduous (1) search for something that is difficult to find) for the origin of life. Dan Brown has been accused (by the Church) of (not accused for) undermining the key tenets (= doctrines) of faith. However, he never declared that he is an atheist! (from the media) 

((1) arduous (pronounced ˈɑː.dʒu.əst) = involving or requiring strenuous effort; difficult and tiring) 

Begin – beginning

Dried in the sun

Coop (= a cage where chickens live) (vs.) Coup (coup d’état) = a sudden, violent, and illegal seizure (1) of power from a government) 

(1) seizure = (here) the action of taking something by force or with legal authority (*)

Study – studying

Touch my body

Tough guy

Protester – Protesters (but you may also meet it as ‘protestor’ – I recommend using the form ‘protester’ that is more common)

Adviser (or Advisor)

Demonstrator

Interviewer – Interviewee

Attend a conference – Attendee

Salary

Narrow-mindedness (mnemonic trick: minded + ness)

Mosque

Shrine ((pronounced ʃrʌɪn) = a place for worship that is holy because of a connection with a holy person or object, e.g., Islam's most sacred shrine is at Mecca in Saudi Arabia (*))

Quebec (a city in Canada) (pronounced kwəˈbek in British English and ​ kwiːˈbek in North American English)  

Embassy – Ambassador (not ''embassador'')

Beijing (difficult for everyone to write it properly; mnemonic trick: Bei-jing)

The inauguration ((pronounced ɪˌnɔːɡjəˈreɪʃən) = the formal admission of someone to office (1)) of the new U.S. President 

(1) office = (here) a position of authority and responsibility in a government or other organization (*))

Jurisdiction (mnemonic trick: juris + diction) (= the official power to make legal decisions and judgments e.g., Federal courts had no jurisdiction over the case)

Melbourne (a city in Australia) (a common typo even for me, although an Australian!)

Depth (= how deep something is) (vs.) Dept (= dues, financial obligation)

Avalanche (= a mass of snow, ice, and rocks falling rapidly down a mountainside)

Bitter cold/ extreme cold/ frigid (= very cold in temperature)

Blockade (e.g., A humanitarian aid blockade in Yemen) (vs) Blockage (e.g., Artery blockage from a clot)

Heavy smog/ Heavy smoker

Church Service = sacrament (= an important religious ceremony in the Christian church)

Queue (UK English) (mnemonic trick: Q + ue + ue) = Line (US English)

Refugee (pronounced ˌref.juˈdʒiː) surge/ crisis

Harass (pronounced ˈhær.əs or həˈræs in British English and həˈræs or ˈher.əs in North American English) – harassment (pronounced ˈhær.əs.mənt or həˈræs.mənt in British English and ​həˈræs.mənt in American English)

Set on fire

Calais (a ferry port in France; pronounced ˈkaleɪ)

Jewellery (in North American English, it is jewelry)

Justin Bieber (a music star that started as a Youtuber!)

Haiti (country)

Theresa (name)

A rescue worker in Raqqa(h) (a city in Syria)

Robber – robbery

Sex – sexes (plural)

Sky – skies (plural)

Atlas – atlases (plural)

Milwaukee (a city in Wisconsin, in the U.S.)

Clint Eastwood (actor)

Munich (a city in southern Germany; pronounced ˈmjuː.nɪk)

Baghdad (Mnemonic trick: g–h–d)

Pennsylvania

Muhammad (a common Muslim name)

A Sikh (pronounced siːk) man (from India) wears his turban (pronounced ˈtɜːbən)

The Louvre (Louver in North American English) (pronounced ˈluː.və(r) (British English) and ˈluː.vɚ (US English)) museum

Nil [= (noun) zero, especially as a score in certain games, e.g., They beat us three-nil./// (adjective) Nonexistent, e.g., His chances of survival were slim, almost nil]

Beat - beat - beaten or (US English) beat

Bavaria (a state in Germany)

Arnold Schwarzenegger (actor and former governor of California)

A cute hedgehog (Mnemonic trick: hedge–hog). See https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Igel.JPG

Cruise ship

Yacht

Skydiving (1 word).// Scuba diving (2 words)

Missile

Supposedly

Species (kinds; pronounced ˈspiː.ʃiːz) (vs) spices (like pepper! Spice is pronounced spaɪs. Similar meanings have the words ''seasoning'' and ''condiment,'' referring to substances adding flavor to food)

Aircraft carrier (ship)

Handkerchief (mnemonic trick: hand + ker + chief)

A swashbuckler/ A swashbuckling pirate/ hero (swashbuckling = (adjective) engage in daring and romantic adventures with bravado (1) or flamboyance (2)) 

(1) bravado (pronounced brəˈvɑː.dəʊ) = a bold manner or a show of boldness intended to impress or intimidate) 

(2) flamboyance = the quality of being very confident in your behavior and liking to be noticed by other people, for example, because of the way you dress or talk (*))

Triune ((pronounced trʌɪjuːn) = consisting of three in one (used especially concerning the Trinity)) e.g., The triune Godhead.

Truck (= a wheeled vehicle) (vs) track (= a rough path or minor road, typically one beaten by use rather than constructed.// A continuous line of rails on a railroad.// A music recording)

‘The die (not ‘dice’; ‘die’ here is the singular of ‘dice’) is cast’ (= (phrase) An event has happened, or a decision has been made that cannot be changed).

Nominee

Investor

The only common verbs with ‘ie’ are relieve, believe, and achieve. The others are with ‘ei’, e.g., perceive, receive, etc.

At work/ in the workplace

Exercise on the beach

Unnecessary (adjective; = not necessary) – Unnecessarily (adverb)

Excellent

Garage (pronounced ˈɡær.ɑːʒ (or ˈɡær.ɪdʒ) in British English and ɡəˈrɑːʒ in North American English)

Midday = noon = twelve o'clock in the middle of the day (*)

‘In the end (= eventually or on reflection), they took pity on me’

Thai – Thailand

Wage paid (not ‘payed’) annually

I have graduated in biology (not ‘I graduated biology’). The studies should match (not ‘match to’) the student's interest (not ‘interests’). They say that only with medical, IT (= information technology), and law studies will someone (not ''someone will'') stand a chance of finding (not ‘to find) a job. Apparently, when someone studies something that they do (not ‘does’) not like, with the only incentive (= motivation) to have increased chances to find a job, it means that he/she (or ‘he or she’ or ''they'') will practice an occupation that may not fit his/her (or their) interests (not ‘interest’).

The battle of Dunkirk

Andrew (name)

Stealing cars (not ‘car stealing’)/ Car theft increased dramatically in Sweden.

Confined to a wheelchair

Contrary to the past/ On the contrary, the family’s role is less important today. The family (not ‘Family’ without ‘the’; here, ‘the family’ is regarded as an institution) played a significant role in society throughout history. Family supports the children financially until adulthood (not ‘their adulthood’). However, it often intervenes in people’s lives (not ‘in peoples' life’), causing indignation (= resentment, anger) and quarrels.

Fewer or less?

Fewer + PLURAL NOUN We use fewer if we refer to people or things in the plural (e.g., houses, newspapers, dogs, students, children).

Less + UNCOUNTABLE or WITHOUT A PLURAL NOUN. We use less when we are referring to something that cannot be counted (uncountable) or does NOT have a plural (e.g., money, air, time, music, rain)

Examples: less money (it is uncountable); fewer euros/ dollars (countable – plural); fewer children (plural; we don’t say ‘less children’); little/ less/ much time (it is uncountable), fewer people (it is a plural noun; e.g., Fewer people showed interest in the concert this year); fewer words/ mistakes (countable nouns; e.g., I need to write fewer (not ‘less,’ as ‘word’ is a countable noun) words/ to have fewer mistakes (not ‘less,’ as ‘mistake’ is a countable noun) in my essay/ dissertation).

A reason for unemployment is high competition

To put it simply (not ‘to put it simple’)

I want to find a job in my field

Deprived of

Helpful to

Pursuit (noun) (pronounced pəˈsjuːt) (= the action of following or pursuing someone or something; e.g., The vehicle sped off in pursuit of the prisoner and quickly caught up with him.// High-speed pursuit (= car chase)) (vs.) pursue (not ‘persue’) (verb; pronounced pəˈsju) (= follow someone or something to catch or attack them; e.g., The police officer pursued the van)

Mediterranean (the only double here is the ‘r’ in the middle) Sea

Begin – At the beginning (e.g., They left the student camp at the beginning of February.// e.g., She received a letter at the beginning of this week canceling the class)

I speak fluently English

Mistakenly [(adverb) = in a mistaken way; wrongly; e.g., They mistakenly believed her to be pregnant.///  By accident or oversight; accidentally; e.g., Warplanes mistakenly bombed a village (My comment: we call this ‘collateral damage,’ although this term is rather used as an excuse for war crimes!)]

Devastating

Advise (with ‘s’) (verb) (e.g., ‘I advised him to improve his English’) (vs.) advice (with ‘c’) (noun) (e.g., ‘I followed his advice’)

License (verb) (e.g., ‘The GMC licenses doctors in the UK’) (vs) licence (noun) (e.g., ‘Driving (or driver’s) licence’)

Tehran (or Teheran) [(pronounced tɛːˈrɑːn) the capital of Iran (Iran was called in the past ‘Persia’)]

Heist [(pronounced hʌɪst) (not to be confused with ‘haste’) (noun) (informal) A robbery; e.g., A diamond heist] (vs) Haste [(pronounced heɪst) (mass noun) Excessive speed or urgency of movement or action; hurry; e.g., Working with feverish haste] (My comment: YouTubers watching ‘action movies’ know the difference in pronunciation, as ‘heist’ is a common theme in action movies!)

Coach (pronounced kəʊtsh) (= an athletic instructor or trainer./// (UK English) a bus, especially one that is comfortably equipped and used for longer journeys) (vs.) couch (pronounced kaʊtʃ) (= a sofa; a long upholstered piece of furniture for several people to sit on)

An insight into the future.

Shah (pronounced ʃɑː (noun; = A title of the former monarch of Iran).

In a row (= a line of subjects arranged next to each other)

I live in a cozy flat on the 3^rd floor.

I live on the outskirts of New York City (NYC)

My home is by the sea

He died in a car accident

At the end of the time-period sales remained low.

Engage in (not ‘engage on’) various activities

Indulge in (= allow oneself to enjoy the pleasure of, e.g., ‘I indulged in ice cream!’)

On our social media, such as Facebook (not ‘the Facebook’, as we speak generally), we communicate (not ‘feedback’ as it is not a verb and also does not fit here) with our virtual/ cyber friends (don’t write ''mutual friends''). Most people today have internet (not ‘an internet,’ as here we speak generally) access (beware of the typo ‘assess’). Nevertheless, many people neglect communicating with real friends or dating (not ‘dating with’) a partner/ mate. Staying online may be a wasteful squandering of time that often can lead to addiction. Contemporary kids fritter their time away on the internet, omitting physical workout (not ‘workouts’ here). People who endlessly/ aimlessly stay online usually neglect socializing with real individuals, and this may render them introverted and isolated (not ‘isolate’ or ‘introvert’ as here we use it as an adjective)

Tons (vs) Ton (vs) Tonne

Tons (plural) = (plural) (informal) = an extremely large amount, e.g., We have got tons of food left over from the party (^^).

Ton (plural = ton or tons) (weight). (US tn) (also t) But ‘Metric ton’ = tonne = a unit of weight equal to 1,000 kilograms (^^).

Hang (hang – hung – hung) (= kill, stay, fix at top, bend down) (vs) Hung (past simple and p.p. of hang or as an adjective)

Travelling (British English) or Traveling (US English)

Especially for

Insoluble (adjective; = impossible to solve, e.g., The problem is not insoluble./// (of a substance) incapable of being dissolved, e.g., Once dry, the paints become insoluble in water)

Mercy – merciless (= showing no mercy or pity) – Mercilessly

Heretical/ heretic/ heresy

Musical instruments

Classical (adjective) music style/ composer/ ballet (pronounced ˈbæl.eɪ in British English and bælˈeɪ in North American English) / song

Garment (= an item of clothing; pronounced ˈɡɑː.mənt)

Usual (adjective or noun) (vs) Usually (adverb)

Thomas More (the writer of ‘Utopia’ – if you enjoy reading English literature, you should not omit this classic!)

Croissant (pronounced ˈkrwasɒ̃)

Pencil

Colloquial – colloquially

Political persecution

Barbecue (abbreviation: BBQ) or Barbeque (or Barbie in Australian English!)

Stationery ((noun) = the things needed for writing such as pens, pencils, and envelopes (^^); e.g., It even encourages letter writing with a sampling of stationery and matching envelopes) (vs.) Stationary (= (adjective) not moving, or not changing; e.g., A stationary car/ train.// e.g., The rate of inflation has been stationary for several months (^^))

Absurd (pronounced əbˈsɜːd) = (of an idea or suggestion) wildly unreasonable, illogical, or inappropriate, e.g., The allegations are patently (= clearly; without doubt; pronounced ˈpeɪ.tənt.li) absurd.

The ceiling of a room

Contemptible = (adjective) Deserving contempt; despicable.

Go on/ to trial [My comment: I think that for ‘trial,’ most use ‘on’ and ‘to’ interchangeably. However, the number of Google search results of ‘go on trial’ and ''go to trial'' showed that ‘go to trial’ is used slightly more often than ''go on trial''].

Stand trial (not ‘stand a trial’) (= to be put on trial in a law court; e.g., Three other men are to stand trial next week for their part in the terror (not ''terrorist'') attack (^^)).

‘Downtown’ is an adjective and goes before a noun, e.g. Downtown LA (Los Angeles).// e.g. A downtown address./// However, in American English, ‘downtown’ is an adverb and follows a verb; e.g., ‘I work downtown (not ‘in the downtown’), but I live in the suburbs’ (^^).

Councillor (US English = councilor) = (noun) A member of a council

Liqueur (mnemonic trick: q + u-e-u) (pronounced lɪˈkjʊər) = a strong, sweet alcoholic drink (^^).

Desperate (e.g., Desperate Housewives) (vs.) Disparate [(as an adjective) = essentially different in kind; not allowing comparison; e.g., For us to succeed, disparate groups/ communities must work together to achieve these common goals].

Zimbabwe president's resignation is an opportunity to forge (= make or shape a metal object by heating it in a fire or furnace and beating or hammering it – here means creating something strong, enduring, or successful) a new path free of oppression. After 37 years in power, the dictator resigned, and his announcement halted an impeachment (1) hearing. He alleged plans underfoot to eliminate him. After the announcement of the president’s resignation, car horns (not ‘corns’ as a typo) blared (blare = make or cause to make a loud, harsh sound), and cheering crowds raced through the streets of Harare, the Zimbabwean capital (from the BBC)

(1) impeachment = the act of making a formal statement that a public official might be guilty of a serious offense in connection with his or her job, especially in the US (*)

Many children in Ghana live on the streets (called ''street children'').

$1,200,000 (or $1,2M or $1,2MM or 1,2M USD) = one point two million.

Radioactivity traces in Europe make scientists assume a potential nuclear accident in Russia (that was covered up) (from the media).

Defer ((pronounced (dɪˈfəː) = put off; postpone; e.g., The court deferred the decision until Friday) (vs.) differ ((pronounced ˈdɪfə(r)) = be unlike or dissimilar; e.g., The second set of data differed from the first) (vs.) deter (pronounced dɪˈtɜː(r); = discourage someone from doing something, typically by instilling doubt or fear of the consequences; e.g., Only a health problem would deter him from seeking re-election).

Dissimilar (not ‘unsimilar’) = different, e.g., Our new house is not dissimilar to (i.e., it is similar) our old one, except that it is a bit bigger (^^).

Irreversible (not reversible) medical condition

There should be a global agreement aiming to decrease greenhouse (1 word) gas emissions so that we can limit (not ‘so to limit’)/ tackle (tackle = make determined efforts to deal with a problem or difficult task) global warming. The governments need to pass new laws/ legislation protecting the environment/tackle environmental pollution by passing new laws (not ‘a new law’)/ new legislation. If they neglect to introduce new legislation/ to do so, then the situation (not ‘then things’) may be rendered irreversible.

Exemption (noun) – Exempt (pronounced ɪɡˈzempt) (= (adjective) with special permission not to do or pay something, e.g., Goods exemption from this tax include books and children's clothes. // e.g., Pregnant women are exempt from dental charges (^^) (vs.) Exception (= (noun) a person or thing that is excluded from a general statement or does not follow a rule; e.g., The administrator made an exception in the Colonel’s case and waived the normal visiting hours) (vs.) Except (preposition; conjunction) = not including; but not; e.g., Everyone was there except for Mary.// e.g., The museum is open daily except Monday/ Mondays (^^).

Tumour (US English = tumor)

Theatre (US English = theater)

Scheme – pronounced skiːm

I live on the 2^nd floor. My apartment has an excellent view of the ships in the harbor. It is also close to the bus stop and the underground (or ‘subway’ in North American English – ‘metro’ is called only in Paris and ‘tube’ only in London) station. I have a good relationship with my next-door neighbor, and when he is on vacation/ holiday (not ‘vacations’ or ‘holidays’), I look after his cute cat. I am acquainted with a family from Pakistan that lives in (not ‘lives at’ or ''lives on'' – ‘in’ here goes for the ‘apartment’) the ground-floor apartment. [Note: here, ‘in’ goes with ‘live,’ otherwise we should use ‘on’ for the ground floor, e.g., My office is on the ground floor. ‘Ground floor’ is hyphenated if used as an adjective, e.g., A ground-floor office (^^) for the last 2 examples)).

I am currently studying (not ‘I study’) nothing (not ‘anything’), but I plan to seek a post in the UK. I have studied biology at the degree (not ‘a degree’) level. I am currently working in (not ‘working at’) the biochemistry lab at the county hospital in Naples. I am searching for a job (not ‘for a work’) / post/ vacancy in (not ‘at’) recruitment sites.

Many overseas/foreign/international students who first come to (not ‘come in’ as we say ‘come to’) the UK for graduate or postgraduate studies experience a culture shock! International students are not familiar (not ‘familiarized’) with the diversity and the disparity (= lack of similarity (^^)) of contemporary British society.

I think a doctor’s profession does not only concern financial safety but also an individual need to serve society (not ‘the society,’ as here we are generally speaking).

I am the eldest of (not ‘among’) my siblings. My older sister always has a shoulder which (not ‘where’) I can lean on.

I am keen on physical workouts (not ‘workout’) at the gym/ on working out at the gym. I like weightlifting, but rather exaggerate the time (not ‘in the time’) I spend working out (at the gym).

I have many virtual/ cyber (not ‘mutual’) friends on my social media, and often we chat online on ‘Messenger.’ In my hometown, I enjoy hanging out with friends and going shopping (not ‘for shopping’).

I cannot help (not ‘I can’t help myself’) eating junk food! I often feel lazy/ tired to cook, so I usually find an easy solution to delivery or take–away food. They say that ‘we are what we eat.’ People rarely/ Rarely do people/ we (not ‘Rarely people’) eat unprocessed (pronounced ˌʌnˈprəʊ.sest) food.

I went (not ‘did a full’ or ''went in'') sightseeing in Paris, and I visited the outdoor/open-air markets. There are 69 open-air and 13 covered markets in Paris. I wish to travel again to Paris (not ''in Paris''), but I have been (not ‘had been’) short of money since my last visit there! (for/ since + present/past perfect).

Young people are familiar with (not ‘familiarized themselves’) the internet and online tools. Contemporary kids fritter their time away on the internet neglecting physical workouts/ a physical workout (not ‘neglecting physical workout’). The discovery/ advent (= the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event) of computers was a major turning point in modern history (not ‘the modern history’). Contemporary applications (not ‘applies,' as ‘apply’ is a verb) of computers include the interactive whiteboard in school classrooms that has replaced the old-fashioned blackboard (on which the teacher writes with chalk)

Appliance = (noun) (domestic) appliance is a device or piece of equipment designed to perform a specific task, typically domestic, e.g., Electrical and gas appliances./// The action or process of bringing something into operation, e.g., The appliance of science could increase crop yields (= the full amount of an agricultural or industrial product).

Parents should not be authoritarian but show love and understanding/ compassion. They should not be condescending (= having or showing a feeling of patronizing superiority; pronounced kɒn.dɪˈsen.dɪŋ). Parents should openly admit their mistakes. Additionally, they should avoid heavy criticism as children that experience it (heavy criticism) tend to criticize others (not ‘the others’) and continue it when they grow up.

Aristotle, referring to young boys of his time, says that the young are presumptuous (= show little respect for others; pronounced prɪˈzʌmp.tʃəs (^^)) and impudent (= rude and not showing respect, especially towards someone who is older or in a more important position; pronounced ˈɪm.pjə.dənt (^^)), lacking respect to adults (not ‘the adults’). The same phenomenon/ trend/norm of an impertinent (= impudent; not showing proper respect, rude; pronounced ɪmˈpɜː.tɪ.nənt) and insolent ((pronounced ˈɪn.səl.ənt) = showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect)) youth is prevalent today as well!

Some people may seek oblivion (= the state of being completely forgotten (^^)) from (not ‘oblivion of’) their miserable life by abusing ''psychedelic'' drugs that drive them to a world of illusion.

Pound sterling (singular) – Plural: pounds sterling

Hundredfold (1 word) (= x100)

Taking everything into consideration/ account (not ‘Everything taking into consideration/ account’)/ Everything taken into account/ consideration/ All things considered

Live streaming (verb)/ Livestream (1 word) (noun)

At the weekend (but it may be ‘on the weekend’ in North American English) (My comment: I recommend using the form ‘at the weekend’ in the British-oriented IELTS exams).

The Mall offers everything (not ‘offers anything’ that means nothing)

Swiss (a person from Switzerland)

He lives on the outskirts of the city

On the internet/ the web/ my social media/ TV (without ‘the’; e.g., ‘I saw it on TV’)

They asked me to blow out the candles on my birthday cake (not ‘blow up’, as this goes for e.g., a bomb!)

Expert on, e.g., ‘I am an expert on viruses’.// e.g., ‘I am an expert on American history.’ // We've asked to interview an expert on foreign policy.’/// On some occasions, we may use ‘expert in’ that makes the emphasis slightly heavier on the person who has expertise while on places some emphasis on the subject in which expertise is shown, e.g., ‘My brother is an expert in foreign policy.’// e.g., An economist is an expert in economics.// e.g., He was widely regarded by (his) colleagues as one of the leading experts in his field.// e.g., Experts in child development./// ''Expert'' may also go with ‘at’; e.g., My mother is an expert at dress-making ((^^^) for the last example).

I have studied for a Bachelor’s degree (not ‘diploma’) where I got merit (1) / distinction (‘distinction’ cannot be used as a verb, e.g., We do not say ‘I was distinctioned’)

(1) merit = a passing grade in an examination denoting above-average performance; e.g., ‘If you expect to pass, why not go for merit or distinction?’

Curriculum vitae (CV)

New Delhi

Marseilles (a city and port on the Mediterranean coast of Southern France) (pronounced mɑːˈseɪ)

Versailles (= a palace built for Louis (pronounced ˈluːi) XIV near the town of Versailles, southwest of Paris; pronounced vɛːˈsʌɪ)

Life skills (not life-skills)

Who is in charge of the investigations?

Fulfil (fulfill in North American English)

Bully – bullying

The train stopped/ arrived at (not ''in'') Liverpool

We always use ‘at’ for ‘arrive’; e.g., I arrived at work early in the morning.

We say, ‘I go to work,’ not ‘go to job’; as we ‘have/ seek/ find a job.’ We may also use ‘for,’ e.g., ‘She works for a group of judges’. Also, we do not say I ‘go at work,’ but we can say ‘I am at work now.’

''In,'' ''at,'' or ''to'' the office?

In the office’ is used to emphasize a room where someone works, e.g., ‘I need to have a desktop in the office.’ // e.g., ‘Where is your purse.’ ‘I left it in my office.’ ‘At’ the office' is a more general term, whereas ‘in the office’ usually refers to a specific physical location (means inside an office), e.g., ''I will be back in the office on Monday/ in a few minutes.'' Someone is ‘at’ the office if he/she is at a place of work but not emphasizing a specific room or location, e.g., ‘Where is Ann?’, asked George. ‘She is at the office,’ I replied.// e.g., ‘Darling, I’m at the office right now, but I will come home to see you soon.’ With office, we may also use to, e.g., ''Where is Jim? ''He has gone back to the office.''

Precisely

Breath ((noun) e.g., ''I was gasping for breath'' – (we call this ‘short of breath (SOB)’)) (vs) Breathe ((verb) e.g., He was wheezing as he breathed (My comment: apparently, he had asthma))

Sphere of influence

Public sector (not ‘public section’)

Miami

William Shakespeare (mnemonic trick: shake + spear + e)

Decision

Czech (pronounced tʃɛk) Republic (formerly called Czechoslovakia)

Raccoon

A tendency towards +ing (gerund); e.g., ‘I have a tendency towards writing longer than I should.’./// A tendency for somebody/ something to (full infinitive); e.g., For students, there is a tendency to socialize in the evenings.// e.g., There is a tendency for unemployment (the adjective is ''unemployed'') in Europe to rise.

Renaissance period

Outweigh (not ‘outweight’) = (verb) be heavier, greater, or more significant than, e.g., The advantages greatly outweigh the disadvantages.

Jurassic Park

Canberra (capital of Australia; My comment: Sydney is not the capital! – By the way, Auckland is not the capital of New Zealand, but Wellington is)

‘You are welcome’ or ‘You’re welcome’ (not ‘You welcome’)

Poland – Pole is a person from Poland

Polish (adjective) is someone or something from Poland or, as a noun, refers to the language of Poland.

Buffet = (meal) (pronounced ˈbʊf.eɪ in British English and bəˈfeɪ in American English)

Foyer (of a building) (pronounced ˈfɔɪ.eɪ)

Tutor (teacher)/ tutorial

To the advantage/ benefit of

Defence (UK English), Defense (US English)

Woollen (UK English)// Woolen (US English); e.g., A coarse woolen cloth

Gloucester (pronounced ˈɡlɒstə) = a city in south-western England (My comment: Gloucester is also a street in London).

To bankrupt – Bankruptcy

Questionnaire (mnemonic trick: question + naire)

Ghetto - Ghettoes or Ghettos in the plural – The verb is ghettoize (‘ghettoise’ in British English)

Catastrophe (not ‘Catastrophy’ as this word does not exist!) (pronounced kəˈtæs.trə.fi)

Molest (= attack sexually or attack in general) – molestation (e.g., sexual molestation) – molester (e.g., A child molester)

Coffee – Cafe΄

Vicious vs Virtuous circle (some may use the word ''cycle'' instead of circle) = complex chains of events that reinforce themselves through a feedback loop. A virtuous circle has positive results, while a vicious circle has detrimental (= harmful, damaging) results.

Nonsense (1 word)

Necessary – Necessarily

Inevitably

Instinct – Instinctive behavior/ reaction

A pair of slippers

The Aryan race theory of the Nazi

Deceitful (pronounced dɪˈsiːtfʊl) = guilty of or involving deceit; deceiving or misleading others.

Privilege

Mars (god & planet)

In my view/ opinion./// To my mind.

Satisfied (= contented)/ dissatisfied (+_ with) ((adjective) e.g., His parents are dissatisfied with the quality of tuition on offer.// e.g., Dissatisfied customers)/ unsatisfied ((adjective) e.g., Τhe compromise left all sides unsatisfied)

Some words are spelled differently (not ''different'') but sound the same.

For me or to me? 

''To me'' expresses my opinion. 

e.g., ''For me, he is arrogant.''

e.g., ''To me, he is arrogant.''

In the first example, "For me" expresses its good or bad effect on me. 

In the second example, ''to me'' expresses my opinion. 

e.g., For me, this obstacle is easy/ difficult to deal with. 

e.g., To me, this obstacle is easy/ difficult to deal with. 

In the first example, "For me" expresses its good or bad effect on me. 

In the second example, ''to me'' expresses my opinion. 

e.g., ''It makes no difference for me.''

e.g., ''It makes no difference to me.''

In the first example, ''for me'' implies that I have no firm opinion and that the decision will not affect me.

In the second example, "to me" implies that nothing will happen to me and that I do not care about the decision, even if it does affect me.