This section contains information and exercises on commonly misused words, confusingly

related words, use of prepositions, and two-word verbs. With each section are example sentences
and exercises. The answers to the exercises will be found at the end of this section.

It should be noted that the material presented here may appear not only in the reading
comprehension section of TOEFL but also in the grammar section and even in the listening
comprehension section. Prior to July 1995, TOEFL contained a separate vocabulary section, but
that has been eliminated. Vocabulary is tested in the reading comprehension section in order to
provide contextual clues about the definitions. Therefore, you should take advantage of the fact
that the words appear in context by using the clues contained in the reading passage to assist in
choosing the correct synonym.

Memorizing long lists of words may result in frustration and is actually not very useful. There is
no way to know which of the words you memorize will appear on TOEFL. Therefore, you
should try to improve your vocabulary as you improve your English in general. The following
suggestions will be useful in helping you improve your vocabulary.

1 Read well-written books, magazines, and newspapers. Magazines such as Time and
Newsweek, for example, and major newspapers contain sophisticated vocabulary and
grammatical constructions. Reading such materials is very useful.

2 Look up every word that is unfamiliar to you in the practice tests in this book and in other
reading material. Keep a notebook of unfamiliar words. After looking up the word, write the
word, the definition, and an original sentence in your notebook and study it often.

3 Study the problem vocabulary items and two-word verbs (verbal idioms) in this book.

4 Review your vocabulary word notebook often. Repetition will help you to remember the
meaning of difficult words.

1 COMMONLY MISUSED WORDS

The following words are often misused by native English speakers as well as nonnative speakers.
Sometimes the spellings are so similar that people fail to distinguish between them. Others are
pronounced exactly the same, but they are spelled differently and have different meanings.
Words in the latter category are called homonyms. Study the words, parts of speech (noun, verb,
etc.), definitions, and sample sentences in this list.

 
ANGEL (noun) - a spiritual or heavenly being. The Christmas card portrayed a choir of angels
hovering over the shepherds.

ANGLE (noun) - a figure formed by two lines meeting at a common point. The carpenters placed
the planks at right angles.

CITE (verb) - quote as an example. In her term paper, Janis had to cite many references.

SITE (noun) - location. The corner of North Main and Mimosa Streets will be the site of the new
shopping center.

SIGHT (a) (noun) - a device used to assist aim (of a gun or telescope). Through the sight of the
rifle, the soldier spotted the enemy, (b) (noun) - view. Watching the landing of the space capsule
was a pleasant sight, (c) (verb) - see. We sighted a ship in the bay.

COSTUME (noun) - clothing, typical style of dress. We all decided to wear colonial costumes to
the Fourth of July celebration.

CUSTOM (noun) - a practice that is traditionally followed by a particular group of people. It is a

custom in Western Europe for little boys to wear short pants to school.

DECENT (adjective) - respectable or suitable. When one appears in court, one must wear decent
clothing.

DESCENT (noun) (a) - downward motion. The mountain climbers found their descent more
hazardous than their ascent, (b) - lineage. Vladimir is of Russian descent.

DESSERT (noun) (desert) - the final course of a meal, usually something sweet. We had apple
pie for dessert last night.

DESERT (noun) (desert) - a hot, dry place. It is difficult to survive in the desert without water.

DESERT (verb) (desert) - abandon. After deserting his post, the soldier ran away from the camp.

LATER (adverb) - a time in the future or following a previous action. We went to the movies
and later had ice cream at Dairy Isle.

LATTER (adjective) - last of two things mentioned. Germany and England both developed
dirigibles for use during World War II, the latter primarily for coastal reconnaissance, (latter =
England).

LOOSE (adjective) - opposite of tight. After dieting, Marcy found that her clothes had become
so loose that she had to buy a new wardrobe.

LOSE (verb) (a) - to be unable to find something. Mary lost her glasses last week. (b) - opposite
of win. If Harry doesn’t practice his tennis more, he may lose the match.
PASSED (verb - past tense of pass) (a) - elapse. Five hours passed before the jury reached its
verdict, (b) - go by or beyond. While we were sitting in the park, several of our friends passed us.
(c) - succeed. The students are happy that they passed their exams.

PAST (a) (adjective) - a time or event before the present. This past week has been very hectic for
the students returning to the university, (b) (noun) - time before the present. In the past, he had
been a cook, a teacher, and a historian.

PEACE (noun) - harmony or freedom from war. Peace was restored to the community after a
week of rioting.

PIECE (noun) - part of a whole. Heidi ate a piece of chocolate cake for dessert.

PRINCIPAL (a) (noun) - director of an elementary or secondary school. The principal called a
faculty meeting, (b) (adjective) - main or most important. An anthropologist, who had worked
with the indigenous tribes in Australia, was the principal speaker at Friday’s luncheon.

PRINCIPLE (noun) - fundamental rule or adherence to such a rule. Mr. Connors is a man who
believes that truthfulness is the best principle.

QUIET (adjective) - serene, without noise. The night was so quiet that you could hear the breeze
blowing.

QUITE (adverb) (a) - completely. Louise is quite capable of taking over the household chores
while her mother is away. (b) - somewhat or rather. He was quite tired after his first day of
classes.

QUIT (verb) - stop. Herman quit smoking on his doctor’s advice.

STATIONARY (adjective) - nonmovable, having a fixed location. The weatherman said that the
warm front would be stationary for several days.

STATIONERY (noun) - special writing paper. Lucille used only monogrammed stationery for
correspondence.

THAN (conjunction) - used in unequal comparisons. Today’s weather is better than yesterday’s.

THEN (adverb) - a time following a previously mentioned time. First, Julie filled out her
schedule; then, she paid her fees.

THEIR (adjective) - plural possessive adjective. Their team scored the most points during the
game.

THERE (adverb) (a) - location away from here. Look over there between the trees, (b) - used
with the verb be to indicate existence. There is a book on the teacher’s desk.
THEY’RE (pronoun + verb) - contraction of they + are. They’re leaving on the noon flight to
Zurich.

TO (preposition) - toward, until, as far as. Go to the blackboard and write out the equation.

TWO (noun or adjective) - number following one. Two theories have been proposed to explain
that incident.

TOO (adverb) (a) - excessively. This morning was too cold for the children to go swimming, (b)
- also. Jane went to the movie, and we did too.

WEATHER (noun) - atmospheric conditions. Our flight was delayed because of bad weather.

WHETHER (conjunction) - if, indicates a choice. Because of the gas shortage, we do not know
whether we will go away for our vacation or stay home.

WHOSE (pronoun) - possessive relative pronoun or adjective. The person whose name is drawn
first will win the grand prize.

WHO’S (relative pronoun + verb) - contraction of who + is or who + has. Who’s your new
biology professor? Scott is the attorney who’s been reviewing this case.

YOUR (adjective) - possessive of you. We are all happy about your accepting the position with
the company in Baltimore.

YOU’RE (pronoun + verb) - contraction of you + are. You’re going to enjoy the panorama from
the top of the hill.

Exercise 1 Commonly Misused Words

Select the correct word in parentheses to complete the meaning of the sentence

1 A beautiful (angle/angel) adorned their Christmas tree.

2 I have (your/you’re) notes here, but I cannot find mine.

3 The rescuers were a welcome (cite/sight/site) for those trapped on the snow-covered mountain.

4 (Who’s/Whose) supposed to supply the refreshments for tonight’s meeting?

5 It is a (costume/custom) in the United States to eat turkey on Thanksgiving.

6 (Weather/Whether) we drive or fly depends on the length of our vacation.

7 Pasquale is of French (decent/descent), but his cousin is English.

8 Dr. Hippie will not be coming (to/two/too) the meeting because he has (to/two/too) many
papers to grade.

9 Although my mother never eats (desert/dessert), I prefer something sweet.

10 I guess (their/there/they’re) not interested because we have not heard from them.

11 Doris and Marge teach kindergarten; the (latter/later) works in Putnam.

12 Isaac Asimov’s science books are more easily understood (than/then) most scientists’.

13 The fender on Sean’s bike came (loose/lose) and had to be tightened.

14 Nobody had any (stationary/stationery), so we had to use notebook paper to write the letter.

15 The hikers had (passed/past) many hours waiting to be rescued.

16 Lisa had to (quiet/quit/quite) eating apples after the orthodontist put braces on her teeth.

17 After any war, the world desires a lasting (peace/piece).

18 Albert Einstein expressed his (principal/principle) of relativity.

19 Marcia was (quit/quiet/quite) tired after the long walk to class.

20 You must remember to (cite/site/sight) your references when you write a paper.

 
2 CONFUSINGLY RELATED WORDS

These are words that cause problems when the speaker is not able to distinguish between them.
They are similar in meaning or pronunciation but  CANNOT be used interchangeably. Learn the
definition of each and its use before employing it in conversation.

ACCEPT (verb) - to take what is given. Professor Perez will accept the chairmanship of the
humanities department.

EXCEPT (preposition)  - excluding or omitting a thing or person. Everyone is going to the

convention except Bob, who has to work.

ACCESS (noun) - availability, way of gaining entrance. The teachers had no access to the
students’ files, which were locked in the principal’s office.

EXCESS (a) (adjective) - abundant, superfluous. We paid a surcharge on our excess baggage, (b)
(noun) - extra amount. The demand for funds was in excess of the actual need.

ADVICE (noun) - opinion given to someone, counseling. If you heed the teacher’s advice, you
will do well in your studies.

ADVISE (verb) - act of giving an opinion or counsel. The Congress advised the president against
signing the treaty at that time.

AFFECT (verb) - to produce a change in. The doctors wanted to see how the medication would
affect the patient.

EFFECT (a) (noun) - end result or consequence. The children suffered no ill effects from their
long plane ride. (b) (verb) - to produce as a result. To effect a change in city government we
must all vote on Tuesday.

AGAIN (adverb) - repetition of an action, one more time. Mike wrote to the publishers again,
inquiring about his manuscript.

AGAINST (preposition) (a) - in opposition to someone or something. The athletic director was
against our dancing in the new gym. (b) - next to, adjacent. The boy standing against the piano is
my cousin Bill.

ALREADY (adverb) - an action that happened at an indefinite time before the present. Jan’s
plane had already landed before we got to the airport.

ALL READY (noun + adjective) - prepared to do something. We are all ready to go boating.
AMONG (preposition) - shows a relationship or selection involving three or more entities. It was
difficult to select a winner from among so many contestants.

BETWEEN (preposition) - shows a relationship or selection involving only two entities.

Between writing her book and teaching, Mary Ellen had little time for anything else. NOTE:
When between is followed by two nouns or noun phrases, the two nouns or noun phrases must be
separated by and and never by or.

BESIDE (preposition) - next to. There is a small table beside the bed.

BESIDES (preposition or adverb) - in addition to, also, moreover. I have five history books here
besides the four that I left at home.

ASIDE (adverb) - to one side. Harry sets money aside every payday for his daughter’s education.

COMPARE (verb) - show similarities. Sue compared her new school with the last one she had
attended.

CONTRAST (verb) - show differences. In her composition, Marta chose to contrast life in a big
city with that of a small town.

CONSECUTIVE (adjective) - indicates an uninterrupted sequence. Today is the tenth

consecutive day of this unbearable heat wave.

SUCCESSIVE (adjective) - indicates a series of separate events. The United States won gold
medals in two successive Olympic Games.

CONSIDERABLE (adjective) - rather large amount or degree. Even though Marge had
considerable experience in the field, she was not hired for the job.

CONSIDERATE (adjective) - thoughtful, polite. It was very considerate of Harry to send his
hostess a bouquet of flowers.

CREDIBLE (adjective) - believable. His explanation of the rescue at sea seemed credible.

CREDITABLE (adjective) - worthy of praise. The fireman’s daring rescue of those trapped in
the burning building was a creditable deed.

CREDULOUS (adjective) - gullible. Rita is so credulous that she will accept any excuse you
offer.

DETRACT (verb) - take away or lessen the value of a person or thing. Molly’s nervousness
detracted from her singing.

DISTRACT (verb) - cause a lack of mental concentration on what one is doing or the goals one
has set. Please don’t distract your father while he is balancing the checkbook.
DEVICE (noun) - an invention or plan. This is a clever device for cleaning fish without getting
pinched by the scales.

DEVISE (verb) - invent, create, contrive. The general devised a plan for attacking the enemy
camp at night while the soldiers were celebrating.

ELICIT (verb) - draw out, evoke. The prosecutor’s barrage of questions finally elicited the truth
from the witness.

ILLICIT (adjective) - unlawful. The politician’s illicit dealings with organized crime caused him
to lose his government position.

EMIGRANT (noun) - one who leaves one’s own country to live in another. After World War II,
many emigrants left Europe to go to the United States.

IMMIGRANT (noun) - one who comes to a new country to settle. The United States is a country
composed of immigrants. NOTE: The verbs are emigrate and immigrate. It is possible to be both
an emigrant and an immigrant at the same time as one leaves one’s own country (emigrant) and
arrives in another country (immigrant) to settle.

EXAMPLE (noun) - anything used to prove a point. Picasso’s Guernica is an excellent example
of expressionism in art.

SAMPLE (noun) - a representative part of a whole. My niece loves to go to the supermarket

because the dairy lady always gives her a sample of cheese.

FORMERLY (adverb) - previously. He formerly worked as a professor, but now he is a

physicist.

FORMALLY (adverb) (a) - an elegant way of dressing, usually a tuxedo for men and a long
gown for women. At the resort we were required to dress formally for dinner every night, (b) -
properly, officially. She has formally requested a name change.

HARD (adjective) (a) - difficult. The test was so hard that nobody passed, (b) - opposite of soft.
The stadium seats were hard, so we rented a cushion, (adverb) (c) - with great effort. They
worked hard on the project.

HARDLY (adverb) - barely, scarcely. He had so much work to do after the vacation that he
hardly knew where to begin.

HELPLESS (adjective) - unable to remedy (an animate thing is helpless). Because I could not
speak their language, I felt helpless trying to understand the tourists’ plight.

USELESS (adjective) - worthless, unserviceable. An umbrella is useless in a hurricane.

HOUSE (noun) and HOME (noun) are many times used interchangeably, but there exists a
difference in meaning, (a) House refers to the building or structure. The Chapmans are building a
new house in Buckingham Estates, (b) Home refers to the atmosphere or feeling of domestic
tranquility found in a house. Home is where the heart is.

IMAGINARY (adjective) - something not real that exists in one’s imagination. Since Ralph has
no brothers or sisters, he has created an imaginary playmate.

IMAGINATIVE (adjective) - showing signs of great imagination. Star Wars was created by a
highly imaginative writer.

IMMORTAL (adjective) - incapable of dying. The immortal works of Shakespeare are still being
read and enjoyed three centuries after their writing.

IMMORAL (adjective) - against the moral law, bad, evil. Their immoral behavior in front of the
students cost the teachers their jobs.

IMPLICIT (adjective) - understood, but not specifically stated. Our supervisor has implicit faith
in our ability to finish this project on time.

EXPLICIT (adjective) - expressed in a clear and precise manner. The professor gave explicit
instructions for carrying out the research project.

INDUSTRIAL (adjective) - pertaining to industry. Paul had an industrial accident and was in the
hospital for three months.

INDUSTRIOUS (adjective) - diligent, hardworking. Mark was such an industrious student that
he received a four-year scholarship to the university.

INFLICT (verb) - impose something unwelcome. Because the prisoners had created a riot and
had assaulted several guards, the warden inflicted severe punishments on all the participants.

AFFLICT (verb) - cause physical or mental pain. During the Middle Ages, millions of people
were afflicted by the plague.

INSPIRATION (noun) - stimulation to learn or discover. Thomas A. Edison, inventor of the

phonograph, said that an idea was ninety-nine percent perspiration and one percent inspiration.

ASPIRATION (noun) (a) - ambition, desire, goal. Gail’s lifelong aspiration has been that of
becoming a doctor, (b) - expulsion of breath. To pronounce certain words, proper aspiration is
necessary.

INTELLIGENT (adjective) - possessing a great deal of mental ability. Dan was so intelligent
that he received good grades without ever having to study.
INTELLIGIBLE (adjective) - clear, easily understood. The science teacher’s explanations were
so intelligible that students had no problems doing their assignments.

INTELLECTUAL (a) (noun) - any person who possesses a great deal of knowledge. Because
Fabian is an intellectual, he finds it difficult to associate with his classmates who are less
intelligent. (b) (adjective) - wise. John was involved in an intellectual conversation with his old
professor.

INTENSE (adjective) - extreme. Last winter’s intense cold almost depleted the natural gas
supply.

INTENSIVE (adjective) - concentrated. Before going to Mexico, Phil took an intensive course in
Spanish.

LATE (a) (adjective or adverb) - not punctual. Professor Carmi-chael hates to see his students
arrive late. (b) (adjective) - no longer living. Her late husband was the author of that book.

LATELY (adverb) - recently. I haven’t seen Burt lately. He must be extremely busy with his
research.

LEARN (verb) - obtain knowledge. The new cashier had to learn how to operate the
computerized cash register.

TEACH (verb) - impart knowledge. The instructor is teaching us how to program computers.

LEND (verb) and LOAN (verb) - give something for temporary use with the promise of
returning it. (Lend and loan as verbs may be used interchangeably.) Jill loaned (lent) me her red
dress to wear to the dance.

BORROW (verb) - receive something for temporary use with the promise of returning it. I
borrowed Jill’s red dress to wear to the dance.

LIQUEFY (verb) - change to a watery or liquid state. The ice cream began to liquefy in the
intense heat.

LIQUIDATE (verb) - eliminate, get rid of, change to cash. The foreign agents tried to liquidate
the traitor before he passed the information to his contacts.

LONELY (adjective) - depressed feeling as a result of abandonment or being alone. After her
husband’s death, Debbie was very lonely and withdrawn.

ALONE (adjective) - physical state of solitude, unaccompanied. After losing in the Olympic
tryouts, Phil asked to be left alone.

NEAR (preposition or adverb) - used to indicate a place not too far distant. My biology class
meets near the Student Union.
NEARLY (adverb) - almost. We were nearly hit by the speeding car on the turnpike.

OBSERVATION (noun) - act of paying attention to or being paid attention. The ancient
Egyptians’ observation of the heavenly bodies helped them know when to plant and harvest.

OBSERVANCE (noun) - act of following custom or ceremony. There will be numerous parades
and displays of fireworks in observance of Independence Day.

PERSECUTE (verb) - torture, harass. Throughout history many people have been persecuted for
their religious beliefs.

PROSECUTE (verb) - in legal terms, to bring suit against or enforce a law through a legal
process. Shoplifters will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

PRECEDE (verb) - to come before. Weather Service warnings preceded the hurricane.

PROCEED (verb) - continue an action after a rest period or interruption. After the fire drill, the
teacher proceeded to explain the experiment to the physics class.

QUANTITY (noun) - used with non-count nouns to indicate amount, bulk. A large quantity of
sand was removed before the archeologists found the prehistoric animal bones.

NUMBER (noun) - used with count nouns to designate individual amount. A number of artifacts
were found at the excavation site.

REMEMBER (verb) - to recall or think of again. I do not remember what time he asked me to
call. You don’t remember me, do you?

REMIND (verb) - to cause (someone) to remember, to bring into (someone’s) mind. Please
remind me to call Henry at 7 o’clock tonight. Henry reminds me of my uncle.

SENSIBLE (adjective) - having good judgment. When it is raining hard, sensible people stay
indoors.

SENSITIVE (adjective) - excitable, touchy, easily affected by outside influences. Stephen cannot
be out in the sun very long because he has very sensitive skin and bums easily.

SPECIAL (adjective) - that which receives a lot of attention because of a distinct characteristic.
Meyer’s Department Store will have a special sale for their charge customers.

ESPECIALLY (adverb) - particularly. Rita is especially talented in the fine arts. She has a
special talent for playing music by ear.

USE (noun) - act of putting into practice or service, application. The salesman said that regular
use of fertilizer would ensure a greener, healthier lawn.
USAGE (noun) - way in which something is used. Norm Crosby’s usage of English vocabulary
in his comedy routine is hilarious.

Exercise 2 Confusingly Related Words

Select the word in parentheses that completes the meaning in each sentence

1 Betty’s insulting remark greatly (effected/affected) Kurt, who is a very sensitive person.

2 Detroit manufacturers hope to develop an easily attachable (device/devise) for the carburetor to
improve gas mileage.

3.While doing the experiment, we asked the lab technician’s (advice/advise).

4. After declaring bankruptcy, the company was forced to (liquefy/ liquidate) its assets.

5 Keith’s company’s headquarters were (formerly/formally) located in Philadelphia.

6 (Especially/Special) attention must be given to the questions at the end of each chapter.

7 George was (among/between) those students selected to participate in the debate.

8 They were (already/all ready) to leave when a telegram arrived.

9 By asking many questions, the instructor tried to (elicit/illicit) information from the students.

10 You should not say things that might make a highly (sensitive/ sensible) person upset.

11 The United States is a “melting pot,” a land of (emigrants/ immigrants).

12 A large (number/quantity) of whales beached and died last year because of ear problems.

13 When Louise set the table, she placed the silverware (besides/ beside) the plates.

14 Mark is (sensible/sensitive) enough to swim close to shore.

15 In 1969 the astronauts who landed on the moon collected (examples/samples) of rocks and
soil.
16 Maria has been working very (hardly/hard) on her thesis.

17 The government will (persecute/prosecute) the guilty parties for polluting the waters.

18 Every time Mariela travels with her children, she carries (access/excess) baggage.

19 Dante’s (immoral/immortal) literary masterpieces are read in universities across the country.

20 An explanation will (precede/proceed) each section of the test.

21 Eric’s courageous rescue of the drowning child was a (credulous/ creditable) deed.

22 Perry’s spare flashlight was (helpless/useless) the night of the storm because the batteries
were corroded.

23 The gaudy decorations in the hall (detracted/distracted) from the beauty of the celebration.

24 Everything (accept/except) our swimwear is packed and ready to go.

25 “Your essay is very (imaginary/imaginative) and worthy of an ‘A’ grade,” said Mrs. Jameson
to her student.