1.
Accept – to agree, to take: We do not accept credit
cards.
Except – Every student except Nilima was
present in the class.
2.
Accident – something unexpected, usually tragic in
nature: My car was damaged in an accident.
Incident – some ordinary event: Tell us
some interesting incidents of your life.
3.
Advice (noun) – We must follow the advice of our
teachers.
Advise (verb) – The teacher advised me to
be punctual in the class.
4.
Angel – The black boy saw an angel in a dream.
Angle – A right angle has ninety degrees.
5.
Bail – security: The accused was released on bail.
Bale – bundle: Fifty bales of cotton are
lying on the platform.
6.
Bare – uncovered, naked: The dog laid bare its sharp
teeth.
Bear – to tolerate: I cannot bear so much
pain.
7.
Berth – a bed on a boat or train: We got two berths
reserved in the Rajdhani Express.
Birth – What is your date of birth?
8.
Beside – next to, by the side of: We sat beside thw
eindow and talked.
Besides – in addition to, as well as:
Besides being a distinguished scholar, she is also a good dancer.
9.
Brake – The driver applied the brakes in time.
Break – This vase is made of glass. It can
break easily.
10. Cattle
– cows, bulls, buffaloes etc.: The cattle are grazing in the field.
Kettle – The kettle is full of tea.
11. Check
– to look at something carefully to ensure that it is right: The teacher has
checked all the notebooks.
Cheque – My father sent me a cheque for
five hundred rupees.
12. Cite
– to quote: She cited many examples to prove her point.
Sight – view: The train left the station and
soon disappeared from sight.
13. Coarse
– rough: Villagers often wear garments made of coarse cloth.
Course – path: The river is changing its
course.
- A series of lessons: We had finished all our courses by
the end of January.
14. Complement – that which completes: Point out
the complement of the verb in this sentence.
Compliment – to express regards: I
complimented Ravina on her fine performance.
15. Custom
– Many old customs should be changed now.
Habit – Going for a daily morning walk is a
very good habit.
16. Dairy
– We buy milk from a government dairy.
Diary – we should not read anyone’s
personal diary.
17. Die
– very few people die of tuberculosis now.
Dye – The shirt was dyed green.
18. Discover
– to find out something which is already there: Madame Curie discovered radium.
Invent – to make a new thing: Charles
Babbage invented the computer.
19. Dose
(medicine) – Take three doses of this medicine daily.
Doze – light sleep: He had no work to do,
so he dozed off for a while.
20. Drown
– used for living beings: The child got drowned in the river.
Sink – used for non-living things: The ship
sank but fortunately all the passengers were rescued.
21. Feat
– an action that shows great skill or courage: The pilot amazed everyone with
his daring feats.
Feet – Tight shoes have caused blisters on
my feet.
22. Farther
– comparative degree of ‘far’, suggests distance: Whose house is farther from
the school – yours or Geetu’s?
Further – suggests position: Please read
further.
23. Heal
– to cure: Deep wounds take longer to heal.
Heel – The heel of this shoe is completely
worn out.
24. Hear
– The old man cannot hear clearly
Here – at this place: I shall wait for you
here.
25. Idle
– without work: Time is precious; so do not sit idle.
Idol – image: Many Hindus worship idols.
26. Later – comparative degree of ‘late’, suggests
time: Varun reached the station later than Ila.
Latter – suggests position: Rashmi and Uma
are sisters; the latter of the two sings better.
27. Loose
– the opposite of tight: Children should always wear loose clothes.
Lose – Where did you lose your bag?
28. Peace
– A nation can progress only during peace time.
Piece – I want a piece of paper to write a
letter on.
29. Plain
– not pretty: She is a plain-looking girl.
- This piece of ground is quite plain.
Plane – a flat, level surface: This house is at a higher plane.
- This piece of ground is quite plain.
Plane – a flat, level surface: This house is at a higher plane.
30. Pray
– We pray to God daily.
Prey – victim: The jackal fell a prey to
the lion.
31. Principal
– our Principal believes in strict discipline.
Principle – a basic rule: We should never
give up our principles.
32. Quiet
– silent, peaceful, still: Children, please keep quiet.
Quite – I found the questions quite easy.
33. Rain
– Heavy rains often cause floods.
Reign – rule: The Mughal empire progressed
a great deal during Akbar’s reign.
34. Root
– Root is the most important part of the plant.
Route – Our school bus does not go by this
route.
35. Sail
– Soon the ship sailed away and got out of sight.
Sale – These goods are not for sale.
36. Soar
– to fly high: The kite soared over the treetops.
Sore – painful: She is suffering from a
sore throat.
Sour – sharp and bitter taste: Lemons have
a sour taste.
37. Steal
– The thief could not steal anything from the house.
Steel – Steel is a very useful metal.
38. Story
– I like to read adventure stories.
Storey – My room is on the upper storey of the
house.
39. Tail
– The monkey uses its tail to hang from branches.
Tale – story: Children are fond of fairy
tales.
40. Their
– They live in their own house.
There – We went to the ground but did not
find anybody there.
41. Vain
– fruitless: All our efforts to get a suitable house proved vain.
Vein – a blood vessel: Veins carry impure
blood to the heart.
42. Way
– She lost her way in the forest.
Weigh – How many kilograms does this box
weigh?
43. Wait
– I had to wait for fifteen minutes for the bus.
Weight – Her doctor told her to reduce her
weight.
44. Waste
– Time is precious; don’t waste it.
Waist – The soldier tied a belt round his
waist.
45. Weather
– The weather is very pleasant. Let us go for a picnic.
Whether – I am not sure whether I shall be
able to come.