English Vocabulary: “Confusing Words Part II”

Hello!

Remember yesterday we learnt the difference between 5 pairs of words? Today we are continuing with 5 more!

Disinterested and Uninterested

Think they mean the same? Think again!

disinterested – not influenced by personal feelings, opinions, or concerns.

uninterested – not wanting to learn more about something or become involved in something : not interested.

Therefore, if you’re bored by something, you are uninterested. If you don’t care because it does not affect you personally, you are disinterested, neutral.

Grisly, Grizzly and Grizzled

What?! Yes, they are strange words and you might not have heard them before, but it’s useful to know them and to distinguish them.

grisly – causing horror or fear : very shocking.

grizzly – a very large and powerful bear of western North America.

grizzled – having gray hair.

So, you could watch a horrible, grisly movie about an old grizzly bear that has grizzled grey fur.

Incredible and Incredulous

This is interesting, because most people know the meaning of the word incredible, and yet incredulous is not so popular. Let’s see what it means:

incredible – difficult or impossible to believe.

incredulous – not able or willing to believe something : feeling or showing a lack of belief.

Are you incredulous at knowing the meaning of the word incredulous?

Literally and Figuratively

This is one of the most constant mistakes native speakers make. Polititians, newsreaders, people interviewed on tv and people in the street. So many of us say “literally” wrong.

literally – n a literal way: such as a : in a way that uses the ordinary and usual meaning of a word and b : used to stress that a statement or description is true and accurate even though it may be surprising.

figuratively – in a figurative way : with a meaning that is different from the basic or literal meaning and that expresses an idea by using language that usually describes something else.

So unless you literally mean exactly what you’re saying, don’t use the word “literally”. You can use “actually” instead.

i.e. and e.g.

These abbreviations are often misused or misunderstood, so let’s have a look at what they mean:

i.e. – from the latin “id est”, i.e. means “that is” or “in other words”

e.g. –  from the latin “exempli gratia”, e.g. means “for example”

Here are two examples to help you understand:

“I am too tired to cook today; i.e. you should get takeaway” – “I am too tired to cook today; in other words, you should get takeaway”

“I am too tired to cook today, can you buy something quick, e.g. a pizza?” – “I am too tired to cook today, can you buy something quick, for example a pizza?”

Good job! You have now learnt 22 new words and know how to use them properly!

Are there any more words you are unsure of how to use? We always welcome students participating with us and letting us know if they have questions about English. So if you have a doubt, a suggestion or some advice for other students, let us know in the comments section below!