Confusing Words

Definitions:

Look for: try to find something
Look forward to: wait with pleasure for something which is going to happen
Look after: be responsible for or take care of someone or something

Complete the sentences with these expressions:

I'm looking forward to...
I'm looking for...
I'm looking after...

Time for a review of ever and never.

Ever means 'at any time'and is used in questions.

Use ever with nothing, nobody for things that haven not happened before. "Nobody has ever seen me dance!"

Ever is also used with 'the first time' for first experiences. "This is the first time I've ever been abroad."

Use never when you have not had an experience: "I have never been to France."

Some adjectives are followed by a preposition. It can be confusing for English learners because there are no rules to help you remember which prepositions are used with which adjectives. The best way to learn is through practice.

The following seven adjectives are all used with the preposition of.

Example: The letter I wrote was full of mistakes.

The word get has many different meanings in English, such as 'receive'. However, another very common meaning is also 'become'.

For example: “I’m getting cold” means the same as “I’m becoming cold”
The only real difference is that get is more informal and popular to use.

The structure is: GET + ADJECTIVE.

Make

Generally make means 'create'.

For example: make breakfast or make a speech. However, there are some exceptions.

Never say: make a party, in English we use throw a party or organise a party.

Do

Generally do is for activities.

A prefix is placed at the beginning of a word to change its meaning. For example, the suffix re- means either again or back as in return, repeat or refurbish.

The following 4 prefixes are easy to confuse because they all have a negative meaning.

un-

The prefix un means not, reverse action, deprive of, release from. For example, unable or unfair.

False Friends

Sometimes words in English and other languages sound the same and have the same meaning, very useful!

Unfortunately sometimes they sound the same or similar and have completely different meanings! These tricksters are called 'false friends'.

You may find the questions below very easy, or you may struggle depending on what your first language is. For each question, choose the sentence that matches the meaning of the word. Good luck!

Lots of you wrote back to me after the last spelling lesson, requesting another one. Here it is!

This one is a bit more difficult (I frequently make mistakes with the second one).

Look at the orange word in each sentence and see if you can spell it correctly.

Good luck!

Caroline Devane

Sometimes, it's the small and most used words in English that students make the most mistakes with, so it can be good to remind yourself of when to use them.

This lesson focuses on 'I, my and me'. In each sentence you need one of these words to complete the gap.

Please tell us how you get on? Also let me know if there are any other 'small' words that you sometimes get confused with.

Good luck!

Caroline