Top 10 Confused Words in English [E-F]

Top 10 Confused Words in English [E-F] Top 10 Confused Words in English [E-F] Top 10 Confused Words in English [E-F] By Maeve Maddox The words in the following list represent misunderstanding of the words’ meanings and not simply an inability to spell them correctly. This post covers words starting with the letters e and f (the a-b list is here, and the c-d one here). 1. economic / economical Both adjectives are related, but have distinct meanings. Economic refers to economics or the economy: â€Å"Reagans  economic policies  came to be known as ‘Reaganomics.’ † Economical means, â€Å"giving good value in relation to the resources used†: â€Å"Buying in bulk is an economical way to shop.† 2. ensure / insure To ensure is to guarantee: â€Å"The librarian held his passport to ensure that he would return the book before leaving.† To insure is to enter into an agreement to assure against future loss: â€Å"The Joneses decided to insure their house against flood as well as fire.† 3. envelop / envelope The word without the final e is a verb meaning â€Å"to surround†: â€Å"Come, let me envelop you in my arms.† The word with the final e is a noun, meaning â€Å"container for a letter†: â€Å"She placed the letter in the envelope and sealed it with a kiss.† The verb is pronounced with stress on the second syllable. For the noun, the stress falls on the first syllable. As for the pronunciation of the noun’s first syllable, both EN and ON are heard. For an extended commentary on the pronunciation of envelope, see The Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations by Charles Elster. 4. famous / infamous Many bloggers seem to be unaware that these two words are not interchangeable. Not only have I seen people like Hitler and Al Capone referred to as â€Å"famous,† I’ve recently seen infamous used in reference to people who, as far as I know, are not noted for doing bad things. Both adjectives mean â€Å"well known,† but famous means well known for admirable qualities, whereas infamous implies despicable behavior. Princess Diana is famous for her work in ridding the world of landmines. The gangster John Dillinger was an infamous bank robber. 5. farther / further A great deal of ink, real and virtual, is spilled insisting that further must never be used in reference to physical distance. According to this argument, we may say, â€Å"I walked farther than you,† but not, â€Å"I walked further than you.† This is one of those prissy distinctions that has found its way into stylebooks, but is belied by centuries of usage. Either farther or further is acceptable in the context of physical distance. However, as Paul Brians (Common Errors in English Usage) puts it, â€Å"Some people get really testy about this.† Further, on the other hand, is the preferred form in abstract and figurative senses: â€Å"This office will be closed until further notice.† Further is the only choice as a verb: â€Å"Mr. Smith’s generous donation will enable us to further our plans for expanding the homeless shelter.† 6. flaunt / flout â€Å"To flout† is to express contempt for something. If you’re showing something off, you’re  flaunting  it. If you’re disregarding a law, a rule, or a social convention, you’re  flouting  it. For example: â€Å"I unfriended Charlie because he was constantly flouting civil behavior with his vulgar language.† â€Å"She is unbelievably wealthy, but she doesn’t flaunt it.† 7. flounder / founder Used as verbs, these two words are often confused. Literally, to flounder means â€Å"to struggle†: â€Å"The cat floundered desperately in the water.† Literally, founder may be used in any of the following senses: [of a building] to fall down [of a horse] to fall helplessly to the ground [of a ship] to fill with water and sink Figuratively, flounder retains the meaning of â€Å"to struggle† with the added connotations of ineptness, confusion, or embarrassment: â€Å"He floundered  for a bit,  trying  to figure out how to rephrase the question.† Figuratively, founder means â€Å"to fail†: â€Å"Even with that money, there’s no guarantee the daycare wouldn’t founder later.† 8. forbear / forebear The first, forbear, is a verb meaning â€Å"to refrain from†: â€Å"Prince Charles will forbear from making political pronouncements when he becomes king, The Observer reported yesterday.† The second, forebear, is a noun meaning ancestor: â€Å"The British must rediscover the boldness and ambition of their Victorian forebears, say the politicians.† 9. forward / foreword The confusion between these words is understandable. The adjective forward describes something that is in front of or ahead of something else. The noun foreword is a preface, a brief essay that stands at the front of a book. An easy way to keep them straight is to pay attention to the word in foreword. A foreword is made up of words. 10. fortuitous / fortunate Both words derive from Latin fortuna, â€Å"luck or chance.† Fortuna could be either good or bad; it was what happened to a person. In modern English, fortunate has the connotation of good fortune only: â€Å"It was fortunate for him that someone heard his cries for help.† Fortuitous, on the other hand, retains the notion of happenstance or accident. â€Å"A fortuitous meeting† is an accidental meeting. However, because of the similarity of fortuitous to fortunate, the expression â€Å"a fortuitous meeting† is most commonly understood to mean a meeting that was lucky as well as coincidental. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Has vs. HadPeople versus Persons20 Names of Body Parts and Elements and Their Figurative Meanings

Top 10 Confused Words in English [E-F]

Top 10 Confused Words in English [E-F] Top 10 Confused Words in English [E-F] Top 10 Confused Words in English [E-F] By Maeve Maddox The words in the following list represent misunderstanding of the words’ meanings and not simply an inability to spell them correctly. This post covers words starting with the letters e and f (the a-b list is here, and the c-d one here). 1. economic / economical Both adjectives are related, but have distinct meanings. Economic refers to economics or the economy: â€Å"Reagans  economic policies  came to be known as ‘Reaganomics.’ † Economical means, â€Å"giving good value in relation to the resources used†: â€Å"Buying in bulk is an economical way to shop.† 2. ensure / insure To ensure is to guarantee: â€Å"The librarian held his passport to ensure that he would return the book before leaving.† To insure is to enter into an agreement to assure against future loss: â€Å"The Joneses decided to insure their house against flood as well as fire.† 3. envelop / envelope The word without the final e is a verb meaning â€Å"to surround†: â€Å"Come, let me envelop you in my arms.† The word with the final e is a noun, meaning â€Å"container for a letter†: â€Å"She placed the letter in the envelope and sealed it with a kiss.† The verb is pronounced with stress on the second syllable. For the noun, the stress falls on the first syllable. As for the pronunciation of the noun’s first syllable, both EN and ON are heard. For an extended commentary on the pronunciation of envelope, see The Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations by Charles Elster. 4. famous / infamous Many bloggers seem to be unaware that these two words are not interchangeable. Not only have I seen people like Hitler and Al Capone referred to as â€Å"famous,† I’ve recently seen infamous used in reference to people who, as far as I know, are not noted for doing bad things. Both adjectives mean â€Å"well known,† but famous means well known for admirable qualities, whereas infamous implies despicable behavior. Princess Diana is famous for her work in ridding the world of landmines. The gangster John Dillinger was an infamous bank robber. 5. farther / further A great deal of ink, real and virtual, is spilled insisting that further must never be used in reference to physical distance. According to this argument, we may say, â€Å"I walked farther than you,† but not, â€Å"I walked further than you.† This is one of those prissy distinctions that has found its way into stylebooks, but is belied by centuries of usage. Either farther or further is acceptable in the context of physical distance. However, as Paul Brians (Common Errors in English Usage) puts it, â€Å"Some people get really testy about this.† Further, on the other hand, is the preferred form in abstract and figurative senses: â€Å"This office will be closed until further notice.† Further is the only choice as a verb: â€Å"Mr. Smith’s generous donation will enable us to further our plans for expanding the homeless shelter.† 6. flaunt / flout â€Å"To flout† is to express contempt for something. If you’re showing something off, you’re  flaunting  it. If you’re disregarding a law, a rule, or a social convention, you’re  flouting  it. For example: â€Å"I unfriended Charlie because he was constantly flouting civil behavior with his vulgar language.† â€Å"She is unbelievably wealthy, but she doesn’t flaunt it.† 7. flounder / founder Used as verbs, these two words are often confused. Literally, to flounder means â€Å"to struggle†: â€Å"The cat floundered desperately in the water.† Literally, founder may be used in any of the following senses: [of a building] to fall down [of a horse] to fall helplessly to the ground [of a ship] to fill with water and sink Figuratively, flounder retains the meaning of â€Å"to struggle† with the added connotations of ineptness, confusion, or embarrassment: â€Å"He floundered  for a bit,  trying  to figure out how to rephrase the question.† Figuratively, founder means â€Å"to fail†: â€Å"Even with that money, there’s no guarantee the daycare wouldn’t founder later.† 8. forbear / forebear The first, forbear, is a verb meaning â€Å"to refrain from†: â€Å"Prince Charles will forbear from making political pronouncements when he becomes king, The Observer reported yesterday.† The second, forebear, is a noun meaning ancestor: â€Å"The British must rediscover the boldness and ambition of their Victorian forebears, say the politicians.† 9. forward / foreword The confusion between these words is understandable. The adjective forward describes something that is in front of or ahead of something else. The noun foreword is a preface, a brief essay that stands at the front of a book. An easy way to keep them straight is to pay attention to the word in foreword. A foreword is made up of words. 10. fortuitous / fortunate Both words derive from Latin fortuna, â€Å"luck or chance.† Fortuna could be either good or bad; it was what happened to a person. In modern English, fortunate has the connotation of good fortune only: â€Å"It was fortunate for him that someone heard his cries for help.† Fortuitous, on the other hand, retains the notion of happenstance or accident. â€Å"A fortuitous meeting† is an accidental meeting. However, because of the similarity of fortuitous to fortunate, the expression â€Å"a fortuitous meeting† is most commonly understood to mean a meeting that was lucky as well as coincidental. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Has vs. HadPeople versus Persons20 Names of Body Parts and Elements and Their Figurative Meanings

CORPORATE STRATEGY (INDIVIDUAL ACADEMIC REPORT) Essay

CORPORATE STRATEGY (INDIVIDUAL ACADEMIC REPORT) - Essay Example The strategy of any business observes an organisation from the viewpoint of their internal strengths and weaknesses and its opportunities and threats that are present in the business environment (James, 2004). Strategies are developed by the management by considering the business environment to gain competitive advantage from the current situation and look for the future growth and development that will benefit the organisation in the long run. There were many schools of thoughts that developed the basics of business strategy that guided the management to develop the strategies based upon these principles. The classical school of thought provided the strategy fundamentals that were based upon the managers’ ability and organisational hierarchy. The processual school of thought provided the fundamentals of business strategy that were based upon continuous development. The philosophy was that the strategy is a continuous process. The evolutionary school of thought provided the fundamentals of strategy that were based upon the concept of business environment (Harfiel, 2011). The business cycle compels the organisations to accept and amend their strategies as the market expands or contracts and any other changes takes place. The management directs the organisations in such business situation through mix business strategies and operational policies to earn revenues and market share along with meeting customers’ needs by means of efficient and effective business operations (Walden University, 2010). Operational strategy is important and organisations need to identify their operations to determine the strategies to gain success. Finding different solutions for operations of the company with different models will allow the management to access the benefit of progression in the business cycle through efficient operations (Walden University, 2010). Cadbury

SMEs Entrepreneurship and Ethnic Distinctions Assignment

SMEs Entrepreneurship and Ethnic Distinctions - Assignment Example According to the research findings, today, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the major source economic growth in the countries. According to International Finance Corporation, SMEs contribute to 90% of businesses in the world and accounts for approximately 50% of employment. Considering the global financial crisis, SMEs are the foundation of creating more jobs and economic growth, particularly in the developing countries. Hence, generating opportunities for SMEs is a major approach to encourage development and diminish poverty. Due to the global financial crisis, most of the emerging markets have constrained the right to use various financial services for SMEs. They are not given the complete access to financing as yet, however, the liquidity is brought back to financial institutions, and lending activities are reported to be lower than before. Around 17 million SMEs in developing countries have not met the credit needs, which is the reason to broaden up the gap. This gap has r eached in between $900 billion to $1.1 trillion in the developing markets. International Finance Corporation (IFC) has formulated the policies to foster the SMEs financing across the world so that to encourage business support for such enterprises. The obstacles in the development of SMEs and access to finance are due to the various ethnic groups positioned in the country. The differences between diverse ethnic groups make it more challenging to set policies with reference to SMEs ethnic minority finance. An ethnic minority group is referred to as a business which comprises of owner and managers or large numbers of partners from a specific ethnic group that exists in minority. These are particular non-white people who start their own small business. There are five major ethnic minority communities who start up their small business to the greater extent, include Pakistani, Black Caribbean, Indian, Black African and Bangladesh.

Humor in Chaucers The Millers Tale Essay examples -- Comic Effect in

Chaucer's "The Miller's Tale" should be tragic, because a lot of horrible things happen to the characters. The carpenter's wife is disloyal to him, sleeping with others and making fun of him with Nicholas. Also, he is depicted as a fool. However, readers get a humorous feeling from the story, rather than feeling sorry for the carpenter's unfair life. Chaucer makes the whole story come across as comic rather than tragic. This humor is created by the Miller's narration, the use of irony, the cartoon-like characters, and the twists of plot. These elements combine to produce an emotional distance which enhances the comic effect. The narrator is the first element of humor Chaucer uses in his story. The Miller is rude and drunk but generally a jolly fellow. This sets the tone of story as being fun and even a bit coarse, just like the Miller himself. He tells a few jokes before he tells his story: "One shouldn't be two inquisitive in life? / Either about God's secrets or one's wife. / You'll find God's plenty all you could desire"(53). As well, the Miller wants to punish the Reeve, a ...

Egyption Medicine

The Egyptians had far more advanced medical techniques than people had in Prehistoric times. The main reason for this is their religion. They believed in life after death, therefore they felt it was very important to treat the corpses with a lot of care. They were prepared for the afterlife. This meant the Egyptians gained a lot of knowledge about anatomy. The process they went through to preserve the bodies Is called embalming. It was noticed that the organs In the body would not remain preserved so they removed them before the burial.They were placed Into canopy Jars, then the body was treated with salts. These salts and the desert alarm dried out the bodies and later they would be wrapped In hundreds of yards of linen. After 70 days, the embalming process was complete and the mummy would be placed Inside a specially made coffin with things that made them comfortable In life. Their way of life also helped them gain medical knowledge. The River Nile was crucial to them surviving on the dry deserts. Once a year the river flooded, it gave their fields the nutrients needed to grow crops.To keep their crops growing all year round they developed a channel system, they dug irrigation ditches and used pipes to get the water from the Nile to their fields. This inspired an analogy, they figured that being as their crops would die if they water couldn't get to them; that it would harm the body if blood couldn't travel round it. The conclusion was then came to that, the human body was also full of channels, that carried fluids to the vital organs. If a channel in the body got blocked, it would cause problems.This was crucial to medicine, as it was the first thought of practical cures for illness. It was thought, that to unblock the vessels purging, vomiting and bleeding should be used. However their religious beliefs also prevented them from making any more medical advances. They treated the corpses too well, and did not examine them as they thought they were needed in t he afterlife. On top of this, they still believed that evil spirits caused a lot of illnesses and held great faith in their Gods to cure them.

Global Warming And Planet Earth - 1976 Words

Global Warming and Planet Earth: A Hot Topic! Diane Atwood Charter Oak State College Global Warming and Planet Earth: A Hot Topic! Earth is heading for ruin. Moreover, we all have a hand in taking it there, inadvertently though it may be. Humans are adding an abundance of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere that contribute directly to global warming; and we continue to do so every time we start our car, turn up the heat, turn on the lights or throw away trash. Global warming is a problem, caused in large part by human activity, and as it stands, poses a monumental threat to the planet and all of its occupants. While mega polluters do not have an incentive to stop greenhouse gas production, we can, as individuals work towards the solution, greenhouse gas reduction, by improving our awareness and implementing the day to day measures necessary in achieving this goal. Research Findings â€Å"Global warming refers to the recent and ongoing rise in global average temperature near Earth s surface. It is caused mostly by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere† (United States Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], n.d. a). While these gases exist naturally, trapping heat and keeping the Earth warm enough for survival, since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution larger quantities of these same gases, produced by humans, trap more heat in the atmosphere causing a negative impact on the planet. Many greenhouse-gas-emitting activitiesShow MoreRelatedGlobal Warming And The Planet Earth1588 Words   |  7 PagesGlobal Warming and the Planet Earth: We Broke It, Let’s Help Fix It! Global warming, often confused with the term â€Å"climate change,† is a problem of worldly proportions that knows no limits, caused in large part by human activity. 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