In the English language, there are words that are commonly confused with each other. This confusion can result from several reasons. It could be because of the similarity in spelling and pronunciation of these words.
Sometimes, the meanings differ starkly from each other. In some cases, there are only slight nuances in meaning between the two words. In academic writing, you should take care to use these words and consider their nuances in meaning.
In this article, we look at five commonly confused words:
Abjure vs. adjure
About vs. approximately
Accept vs. except
Accord vs accordance
Acquiesce vs. allow
Read on to learn more about the difference in usage between the pairs of words.
1. Abjure vs. adjure
Abjure and adjure are two words that sound similar but have very different meanings and usage.
Abjure: This verb means to renounce or reject something formally or solemnly. It is often used in legal, religious, or moral contexts. For example: "The witness abjured his earlier testimony."
Adjure: This verb means to earnestly request or urge someone to do something. It carries a sense of solemn or serious pleading. For example: "She adjured him to tell the truth."
In short, abjure suggests rejecting something, while adjure suggests urging or requesting with earnestness.
2. About vs. approximately
About and approximately are both used to indicate estimation, but they differ slightly in tone and formality.
About: This is a more casual word, often used in everyday conversation. It suggests a rough estimate. For example: "The meeting will last about an hour."
Approximately: This is more formal and precise, commonly used in academic, scientific, or technical contexts. For example: "The experiment took approximately 2.5 hours."
In general, about is used in informal and conversational contexts, while approximately is used in more formal and precise contexts.
3. Accept vs. except
Accept and except are often confused because they sound alike, but their meanings and grammatical roles are distinct.
Accept: This verb means to receive or agree to something. For example: "She accepted the invitation."
Except: This can be used as a preposition, conjunction, or verb. As a preposition, it means "excluding." For example: "Everyone was invited except John."
Remember: Accept means to receive, while except means to exclude.
4. Accord vs. accordance
Accord and accordance are related in meaning but serve different grammatical purposes.
Accord: This can be a noun or a verb. As a noun, it means agreement or harmony (e.g., "The nations signed a peace accord."). As a verb, it means to give or grant something (e.g., "The teacher accorded him special privileges.").
Accordance: This is a noun and is typically used in the phrase "in accordance with," meaning "in agreement with" or "in compliance with." For example: "The policy was implemented in accordance with the guidelines."
In essence, accord has more versatile usage, while accordance is specific to agreement or compliance.
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5. Acquiesce vs. allow
Acquiesce and allow both involve agreeing to something, but the way they convey consent is different.
Acquiesce: This verb means to agree or comply passively or reluctantly, often without protest. For example: "He acquiesced to their demands, though he was not happy about it."
Allow: This verb means to permit or enable something to happen. It implies active consent or permission. For example: "The teacher allowed the students to leave early."
The key difference is that acquiesce often implies reluctant acceptance, while allow suggests intentional permission.
How to deal with commonly confused words
Commonly confused words can be particularly challenging, especially for non-native English speakers. To make sure that you are using these words correctly, you should probably make use of a thesaurus or even a reliable online proofreading tool that can verify that the word is being used in the appropriate context.
Cite this EminentEdit article |
Antoine, M. (2024, December 13). Commonly Confused Words | Abjure vs. Adjure, Etc. EminentEdit. https://www.eminentediting.com/post/commonly-confused-words-abjure-vs-adjure-etc |
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