Category: Vocabulary

Let’s be honest, sometimes English can be confusing.  Sometimes when learning English it is easy to mix up words or be unsure when to use them.

I often hear German speakers who are learning English make mistakes with the words ‘lose’ and ‘loose’.

Take a look at the examples below.  Hopefully they will make things clearer for you.

To lose is a verb.  It has the same sound as ‘snooze’.  To lose means to not be able to find something; to misplace something; to not to win at something; to fail to make money in business.

E.g.  Where are my car keys?  I’ve lost them.  I can’t find them.

If we don’t train hard, we will lose the game on Saturday.

The business did not do well last year.  It lost a lot of money.

Loose is an adjective.  It has the same sound as ‘goose’.  It means not tight or free from any constraints.

E.g.  When exercising, I prefer to wear loose clothes.  They are more comfortable.

Be careful!  There is a large dog loose in the park.  ( = The dog is not on a lead.)

The door handle is loose.  It needs tightening.  I’ll repair it this evening.

Remember:  If you go on a diet and lose weight, your clothes become loose!

Have fun learning English!

Louise

Let’s be honest, sometimes English can be confusing.  Sometimes when learning English it is easy to mix up words or be unsure when to use them.

I often hear German speakers who are learning English make mistakes with the words ‘every day’ and ‘everyday’.

Take a look at the examples below.  Hopefully they will make things clearer for you.

Every day (two words) is an adjective and a noun.  It is similar to saying ‘each day’.

E.g.  We have a short meeting every day at 9.30 in the morning.

I go jogging every day for at least 20 minutes.

During my holiday I went to the beach every day.

Everyday (one word) is an adjective.  It has a similar meaning to ordinary, normal or usual.

E.g.  Dealing with small problems is just part of everyday life.

Wear a special dress for the wedding instead of an everyday one.

Although they won money on the lottery, they did not change much in their everyday lives.

Have fun learning English!

Louise

Let’s be honest, sometimes English can be confusing.  Sometimes when learning English it is easy to mix up words or be unsure when to use them.

I often hear German speakers who are learning English make mistakes with the words ‘desert’ and ‘dessert’.

Take a look at the examples below.  Hopefully they will make things clearer for you.

Desert can be a noun or an adjective when referring to arid, dry land or a remote place.

E.g.  The Gobi, Sahara and Kalahari are all examples of deserts.

Some plants have adapted to live in desert conditions.

I would not like to be stranded on a desert island.

As a verb it means to go away from, to leave or to abandon and is often (but not only) used in military terms:

E.g.  He deserted the army and faced tough consequences as a result.

After the industrial accident the inhabitants deserted the town.

Dessert is a noun and it is the final course of a meal.  It is often but not always sweet.

E.g.  My favourite dessert is chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream.

That restaurant serves the best desserts I have ever tasted.

Remember:  Du iSSt deSSert.

Have fun learning English!

Louise

Let’s be honest, sometimes English can be confusing.  Sometimes when learning English it is easy to mix up words or be unsure when to use them.

I often hear German speakers who are learning English make mistakes with the words ‘look over’ and ‘overlook’.

Take a look at the examples below.  Hopefully they will make things clearer for you.

To look over is a phrasal verb and it means to examine or read something (usually quickly.)

E.g.  He looked over the figures before giving them to his boss.

She looked over my homework to check it was correct.

I have attached the document for you to look over when you get chance.

To overlook is a verb and it means to miss something or to not find something or to ignore something.

E.g.  Although I read the document carefully, I overlooked one typing error.  ( = I didn’t find the typing error.  I missed it.)

Somethings is not quite right here.  I must have overlooked something.  ( = I have the feeling I have not found something, so I will check again to be sure.)

I’m sorry for the mistake in the document.  Can you overlook it this time, please?  ( = I am asking the other person to ‘ignore’ the fact that I have made a mistake.  I am hoping there will be no consequences for me!)

Remember:  To look over is written separately.  Overlook is one word.

Have fun learning English!

Louise

Let’s be honest, sometimes English can be confusing.  Sometimes when learning English it is easy to mix up words or be unsure when to use them.

I often hear German speakers who are learning English make mistakes with the words ‘live’ and ‘stay’.

Take a look at the examples below.  Hopefully they will make things clearer for you.

To live is a verb and it is used to describe the permanent place / city / country where someone is a resident.

E.g.  Where do you live?  =  What is your address? / Where is your permanent residence?

Before moving to Germany I lived in England.

They used to live in the countryside but they moved to the city several years ago.

To stay is a verb and it is used in these examples to describe a place where someone is temporarily.

E.g.  On our last holiday we stayed in a five-star hotel.

When I first moved to Berlin I stayed with some friends before I found my own flat.

Where did you stay while you were at the conference in London?

Have fun learning English!

Louise

Let’s be honest, sometimes English can be confusing.  Sometimes when learning English it is easy to mix up words or be unsure when to use them.

I often hear German speakers who are learning English make mistakes with the words ‘bought’ and ‘brought’.

Take a look at the examples below.  Hopefully they will make things clearer for you.

Bought is the past tense of the verb to buy.

E.g. He bought some food at the supermarket.

She bought some new clothes with her birthday money.

They bought a new house after winning the lottery.

Brought is the past tense of the verb to bring.

E.g.  He brought the water to boiling point before adding the pasta.

She brought some beer to the party.

They brought their homework to the lesson.

To help you remember the difference:

Bring and brought both have an ‘r’ – they belong together.

Buy and bought have no ‘r’ – they belong together.

Have fun learning English!

Louise

Let’s be honest, sometimes English can be confusing.  Sometimes when learning English it is easy to mix up words or be unsure when to use them.

I often hear German speakers who are learning English make mistakes with the words ‘check’ and ‘control’.

Take a look at the examples below.  Hopefully they will make things clearer for you.

To check means to make sure something or someone is correct, accurate, safe or suitable.

Passports and / or I.D. cards are checked before people travel from the U.K. to America.

Before setting off on a long car journey it’s a good idea to check the tyres, oil and water.

I always double check the sales figures before presenting them to my boss.

To control means to limit, instruct, direct or rule something, or someone’s behaviour.

The firefighters had difficulty controlling the fire.

If you can’t control your dog, put it on a lead!

If you drink alcohol, you shouldn’t drive home.  You may not be able to control your car very well.

Look at this comparison:

I can check the temperature in my house by looking at the thermostat.

I can control the temperature in my house by adjusting the thermostat.

Have fun learning English!

Louise

Let’s be honest, sometimes English can be confusing.  Sometimes when learning English it is easy to mix up words or be unsure when to use them.

I often hear German speakers who are learning English make mistakes with the words ‘stationary’ and ‘stationery’.

Take a look at the examples below.  Hopefully they will make things clearer for you.

Stationary is an adjective.  It means not moving or standing still.

The car was parked.  It was stationary.

The train pulled into the station and was stationary for a while before setting off again to continue its journey.

Stationery is a noun and refers to writing materials such as paper, pens, pencils, notebooks and envelopes.

In our office the secretary is usually responsible for ordering the stationery.

A new book and stationery shop opened in town last week.

To help you remember the difference ‘a’ is for automobile and ‘e’ is for envelope.  Or you can remember stationERy and papER.

Have fun learning English!

Louise

Let’s be honest, sometimes English can be confusing.  Sometimes when learning English it is easy to mix up words or be unsure when to use them.

I often hear German speakers who are learning English make mistakes with the words ‘borrow’ and ‘lend’.

Take a look at the examples below.  Hopefully they will make things clearer for you.

To borrow is a verb and it means to take something (with permission!) for a certain and limited period of time.

You can borrow money from a bank to buy a house.

You can borrow a book from a library.

You can borrow objects from people.

E.g.  “I borrowed some money from a friend last week and I need to pay it back by Friday.”

“I’ve lost my phone.  Can I borrow yours?  I need to make a quick call.”

To lend is a verb and it means to give or to hand out for a certain and limited period of time.

Libraries lend books.

Banks lend money.

E.g.  “ A friend lent me some money last week and I need to pay it back by Friday.”

“When I lost my phone a friend lent me their phone so I could make a quick call.”

Have fun learning English!

Louise