Blogging Tips

This article continues the confusing words and expanding your vocabulary series that I recently started.

To read those articles:
Why Improving & Increasing Vocabulary is Important, Confusing Words, Commonly Misused, and More Common and Uncommon Words, Commonly Misused.

The words today will continue in the “A” group. As you can see, there are many, many words in the English language that are extremely close in relation, or pronounced the same, spelled differently and have different meanings.

For someone learning the English language, this can be very confusing as well as time consuming. Other than a few eccentric writers like me, who wants to spend time in the dictionary?

These lists are to help everyone learn new meanings and expand their vocabulary, but they are especially user for our readers whose native language is not English.

Check back often as this list (and series) will grow.
Ambiguous: Unclear or having more than one meaning or interpretation.
Ambivalent: To have opposed or conflicting emotions or attitudes.

-Today’s employee meeting was ambiguous.
-The boss seemed ambivalent about the new company policy.

Amiable: Friendly or congenial.
Amicable: Characterized by friendliness.

-The new stock clerk is amiable.
-We need to restore amicable relations with the Middle East.

Amoral: Nonmoral- no moral or ethical standards.
Immoral: Going against moral rules.

-His attitude was amoral.
-He showed signs of immoral behavior.

Ante: Before.
Anti: Against

-The governor lives in an antebellum home on the north side of town.
-The activist group was anti abortion.

Antisocial: Avoiding other people or society.
Asocial: Hostile to society.
Nonsocial: Not socially inclined.
Unsociable: Not friendly, does not like social relationships.
Unsocial: Not suited to society.

-Reclusive people are antisocial.
-Some members of the march on Washington were asocial.
-Writers can be nonsocial when working on a novel.
-The scientists at the zoo discovered that one gorilla was unsociable with other gorillas.
-The psychiatric patient showed signs of unsocial behavior.

Appraise: To assess.
Apprise: To inform.

-The financial committee will appraise the value of adding a daycare center.
-We will apprise you of the results as they come in.

Apt: Has a tendency towards.
Liable: Synonymous with apt.
Likely: Liable in this particular instance.
Prone: Having a tendency towards something.

-The comedian is apt to use humor, even in serious situations.
-He is liable to make jokes about everything.
-It is likely the judge will not find him funny.
-The clumsy girl was prone to accidents.

Ascent: Climb or progress upwards.
Assent: Agreement.

-The alien’s ascent to power was accomplished without resistance.
-The unresponsive humans gave their assent to the take over.

Assume: Take for granted, suppose, without having evidence.
Presume: Implies you have evidence or reason for conclusion.

-I assume they were under some kind of mind control.
-Due to the ease of the take over, I presume the aliens had this planned for awhile.

Assure: Inform in a positive manner, stated with conviction, make certain.
Ensure: Make certain.
Insure: Protect financially.

-I assure you the people would not have given up without being under the influence of mind control.
-The aliens needed to ensure a lack of resistance before the take over.
-Did you insure your car with the new company?

Awhile: Brief period of time.
A while: Brief period of time.

With awhile and a while, the use depends on the context of the sentence.
Awhile is the adverbial form. A while is a noun phrase.

-Can we stop to rest for awhile?
-The pizza will be here in a while.

If you find yourself having trouble with some of these words, remember you can start implementing them into your writing. This is one of the best ways to expand your vocabulary and learn the proper context and use for the words.

Don’t forget to check back in a week or two for more in this series.