Similar But Different

Refrain / Sustain

Refrain means to hold back; sustain means to hold up.

e.g. You have to refrain from making any noise.

e.g. Can you sustain the silence?

Common / Commonplace

Common: shared or used by many; commonplace: ordinary and not very interesting.

e.g. Smoking in an enclosed area is common nuisance.

e.g. To be healthy and wealthy is a common New Year’s resolution.

e.g. Running may be a commonplace sport for many.

Approve / Approve of

Approve means pgive consent to; approve of means think well of.

e.g. Your proposal will not be approved by the committee.

e.g. We approve of our daughter’s marriage to that promising young man.

A few / Few

A few: not many with a more positive meaning; few: not many with a more negative meaning.

e.g. A few people might ask for your help (some, not too many).

e.g. We were disappointed that only few people showed up (hardly any).

Defuse / Diffuse

Defuse: decrease the danger, such as deactivate a bomb; diffuse: spread over a wide area.

e.g. It is difficult to defuse the conflicts in the Middle East.

e.g. Once you open the bottle of fragrant herbs, their scents will diffuse.

Read / Peruse

Read: look at and understand; peruse: read thoroughly.

e.g. Don’t just read through the document; you have to peruse it to see if there is any hidden code.

Masterful / Masterly

Masterful: determined, strong-willed, like a master; masterly means having good skills.

e.g. He has demonstrated that he is a masterful personality.

e.g. This is a masterly piece of performance

Afflict: cause someone to suffer; inflict: punish or put a burden on someone.

e.g. For years, he has been afflicted with muscle pain.

e.g. The tyrant had inflicted punishment on those who opposed him.

Accountable to / Accountable for

Accountable to: responsible to someone; accountable for: responsible for something

e.g. The Manager has to be accountable to the Board; he has to be accountable for all his business decisions. 

Farther / Further

Father:  refers to greater distance; further:  with more or greater intensity.

e.g. Our new house is farther from the lake than from the river.

e.g. The demonstration only led to further racial tension. 

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau