VOCABULARY – EASILY CONFUSED WORDS

PART 1
AGREE - say that you will do what somebody wants
e.g. My cousin agreed to help us with the children.

ADMIT – agree (without wanting it) that something is true e.g. She admitted losing the data.

ACCEPT – say yes to a proposal, invitation; agree to take sth offered (a job)
e.g. After serious consideration she decided to accept the job.

DENY – say something is not true e.g. She denied being late for the appointment.

REFUSE – say you will not do sth. e.g. Thomas refused to help us with the project.

RENT – we rent a house, a flat, a room, a car for a long period of time, making regular payments
e.g.When I lived in London, I rented a flat in a central area.

HIRE – a. we hire clothes, a car, a bike, etc. for a short period of time in return for a payment
e.g. Sally hired a great fancy dress costume for the party tonight!!!

b. we can hire a person to do a specific job e.g. We need to hire a secretary.

LET – one lets out a bulding, land, house to someone who pays rent to use it
e.g. My friends always let their house for the summer.

EXPECT – believe something will happen in a certain way

e.g. We expected her to pass the exam.

LOOK FORWARD TO - feel happy because you believe you will enjoy sth.that is going to
happen e.g. She was looking forward to the holiday.

WAIT FOR – stay somewhere until someone arrives or something happens

e.g. We waited for James in front of the theatre.

PROFIT FROM STH. – gain sth. from/earn profit from sth .

e.g. They all profited from the English course they attended.

BENEFIT – sth. that is helpful e.g. There are lots of benefits to speaking a foreign language.

BENEFIT FROM – be helped by something e.g. Our cousins benefited from great education.
BOOK – we book a ticket, a room, a flight e. g. I would like to book a room for two in your hotel,
please.

RESERVE – we reserve a ticket, a table in a restaurant, a seat

e.g. I’m afraid the table by the window is reserved, Sir.

ORDER – we order food or drink in a restaurant, goods from a shop

e.g. We ordered a salad and a cheese sandwich.

CONVENIENT – suitable, something that makes life easier

e.g. Living so close to work is very convenient.

COMFORTABLE – makes you feel relaxed (about clothes, shoes, furniture)

e.g. This armchair is so comfortable.

ECONOMIC – related to the economy (how money, trade, industry are organized)
e.g. The government is talking about a new economic policy.

ECONOMICAL – that helps you save money

e. g. We’re trying to find a more economical way of heating the flat.

FINANCIAL – relating to money e. g. Many people in the area face serious financial
problems.

SALARY – money people get for the work they do every month
e.g. The employees of the new company get very good salaries.

WAGE – money workers get on a weekly or daily basis

e.g. The workers on the building site get their wages every Friday.

INCOME – all the money somebody earns (salary, pension, extra benefits, rent etc.)
e.g. John has an income of around €75,000 per year.

PROFIT - amount of money a company gets above the cost of a product or service
e.g. Our company makes a large profit every year.

CLAIM - say something is a fact without proving it e.g. Ian claimed that he hadn’t been
informed about the meeting.
DEMAND – ask for something in a determined way e.g. The head teacher demanded to know
who broke the window.

- require sth. in order to succeed e.g. The new job requires patience and concentration

TROUBLE - problems, difficulties e.g. I heard Sam is in great trouble at work.

PROBLEM – difficult situation e.g. The problem is that there is not enough time to finish
the project.

NUISANCE – something or somebody that is really annoying e.g. Going to the supermarket on
Saturdays can be such a nuisance!!!

FEE – amount of money a professional person is paid for a particular job/service e. g How much
was the doctor’s fee?

- the amount you have to pay to enter or join something e.g. The museum charges no
entrance fee.

FEES – amount of money somebody pays for a course, lessons etc. e. g. Unfortunately she
didn’t study abroad because couldn’t afford the college fees.

CHARGE – money paid for a particular service e.g. Delivery of goods is provided free of charge.

COST – the amount of money paid for a particular service e.g. What’s the cost of having the car
serviced?

PRICE – the amount of money that you must pay for something in a place such as a shop or
restaurant e.g. We were shocked by the price of a cup of coffee at Zonar’s cafe.

FARE - the amount you have to pay to travel somewhere by bus, train, plane etc e.g. I need
some money for my bus fare.

BILL - written statement of the amount of money that somebody has to pay e.g. We got an
electricity bill for €500!

RECEIPT – piece of paper that one gets as proof of purchase e.g. The shop assistant forgot to
give me the receipt.

RECIPE – instructions on how to cook sth. E.g. I really want to get your recipe for lemon cake –
it’s absolutely delicious.
ENGAGED - busy ( for telephone lines) e.g. I tried to call the police, but the phone was
constantly engaged.

OCCUPIED – (of a seat or a room) not available/vacant, being used by somebody e. g. I’m
afraid you cannot sit here – the seat is occupied,

VACANT – not occupied e.g. There are some vacant seats right next to us.