Common mistakes in English usage: Part 2

Easily confused words are word pairings that share a similar sound or spelling. The meanings of the words in these pairings can be very different (e.g., bare/bear) or close (e.g., breath/breath).

As the sounds, spellings, or meanings of the words in such pairings are the same or similar, writers often choose the wrong one, causing a writing error.

In English, there are hundreds of pairs of easily confused words. For example, affect and effect, that and which, lay and lie, who and whom, etc.

Source: https://www.grammar-monster.com/easily_confused_words.htm

Choose the correct answer.

1. On 1 March 1896, Henri Becquerel ... spontaneous radioactivity.

a. discovered

b. invented

2. Donna ... me not to sell my grandma’s earrings.

a. adviced

b. advised

3. Have you ever ... to Edinburgh?

a. been

b. gone

4. Susan looks ...

a. sad

b. sadly

5. I stopped ... TV long ago.

a. to watch

b. watching

6. I’ve known Linda ... almost two years. We met at my brother’s birthday party.

a. for

b. since

7. The way I see it, Ronnie’s job is more exciting ... Stella’s.

a. then

b. than

8. My sister suggested ... how to ride a bike.

a. that I should learn

b. me to learn

9. Do you know who ... the steam engine?

a. discovered

b. invented

10. Nobody ... surprised by Dieter’s resignation, especially after he had argued with the boss.

a. wasn’t

b. was