The words in each pair of words below are similar looking and sounding. But in reality
absolutely different.
1. there and their:
There can be used as an introductory grammatical subject. In such cases,
it has no special meaning. For instance, There are ten books on the table. There
was a dictionary on the table yesterday.
In contrast, their is a possessive adjective. For instance, It is their problem ,
not mine.
Their house is in my area.
2. practise and practice:
In British English usage, practise is a verb and practice is a noun.
For instance, If you practise daily, you will master this technique. You need a
lot of practice.
On the other hand, if you follow American English usage, then you should use practice
for both the noun and the verb. For instance, Practice what you tell us to practice.
3. it’s versus its :
It’s is one of the most confusing words in English. It can mean ‘It is’ or
‘It has’, depending on what follows. For instance, It’s (It is) an important topic
in English. It’s (It has) been delayed by an hour.
Its, on the other hand, is a possessive adjective. For instance, The table
is big but its legs
are small. The book is good but its cover is bad.
4. accept versus expect (and except):
Accept is a verb that means agree or say yes. For instance, I accept I made
a mistake.
Though she was angry, she accepted my gift.
Expect is also a verb that means hope or believe that something will happen.
For instance,
I expect a gradual improvement in his performance. It is expected
that the new president
will change the entire tax structure.
Except is a preposition that means without or excluding. For instance, Everyone
was present except
Mary.
5. adapt versus adopt :
Adapt means to change. For instance, You must learn to adapt yourself to
the changing situations.
He is looking for someone who can adapt his novel for the
screen.
Adopt on the other hand means accept, make use of, take over, take on or
follow. For instance, Most youngsters in India have adopted Western lifestyle. Raising
an adopted child is a big challenge.