Confusing Pairs in the English Language

Dec 10, 2011
Libby Wilson

Those Who Read Learn English Faster! - stevecadman

This article aims to clear up English learners' confusion about when to use certain tenses and verbs,

"If the English language made any sense," said Doug Larsen, "lackadaisical would have something to do with a shortage of flowers."

The English language's rich vocabulary means that there are many pairs (or even groups) of words or tenses which have similar meanings, but different connotations or nuances. It can even be difficult for native speakers to explain why to use one as opposed to the other. An explanation of several confusing pairs of similar tenses and words follows.

When to Use the Present Simple and Present Continuous

For instance, neither of the following are correct.

*I am having a lovely family.
*The bus is coming at 8am every morning.

Ingles Total offers a good overview of the uses of the two different tenses.

The present simple is used for:

talking about routines and habits: I get up at 6.30 every morning. John goes out with his friends on Fridays.
facts: I work at McDonald's. They live in Wellington.

The functions of the present continuous which are sometimes confused with the present simple are:

actions which is in progress: Are you watching TV at the moment? Mum is cooking dinner.
temporary actions: Mary is staying with Jack for the weekend. You are working as a substitute teacher.

English Page offers a good description of some other uses for the present continuous, including expressing things which will happen in the near future, and giving the idea of repetition and irritation using 'always.'

So, back to the incorrect sentence in 2. This could be changed to 'The bus is coming right now, because it's 8am, and the bus comes at 8am every morning.'

Confusing Verb Pairs

See Vs Watch, and Hear Vs Listen

Common examples of mistakes:

*I watched Kate this morning.
*Did you listen to my baby brother crying last night?

The difference between these pairs, which have long tormented non-native English speakers, is actually fairly straight forward. The difference between the two verbs in each of the pairs is whether the person doing them is doing so consciously or not.

See and hear are what people do simply because they have senses.

Watch and listen are what people do when they decide something is interesting.

In example number one, using 'watch' would imply that the person speaking spent some time observing what Kate was doing, as opposed to seeing her walk past in the street. In example two, listen is wrong because no-one really wants to listen to a baby cry, but they probably can't help but hear it!

To Do or To Make?

Do is used for activities, such as doing laundry, doing homework, or doing some exercise.

Make is used in situations where creation or compilation is involved, and when the final product or situation will change. For example, a person who makes a cake combines all of the ingredients to create a different end product. Someone who makes a mess quite probably brings bits and pieces from other places, and changes the state of a room.

Eventually, Finally, or In The End

Many English learners have trouble distinguishing between these phrases, probably because they are indeed similar! They are all used to talk about the finish of something, but have slightly different connotations.

Eventually puts more emphasis on the length of the process or series of events which will lead to a final result.

He's had so many girlfriends that just weren't right for him. We've tried leaving him to see it for himself, telling him, and introducing him to other girls. I guess he'll learn eventually.
I did some volunteer work, sent out a lot of CVs, and did extra study and, eventually, I found a job as an interpreter.

Finally, while it does indicate a long process, places more focus on the end result.

After all those bad girlfriends, he finally realised he needed to think harder about who he was going out with!
Alex finally finished his homework at about 8pm.

In the end is, rather unsurprisingly, all about the final result. While there may have been doubts along the way, when all is said and done, 'in the end' is the phrase.

So, did you go out in the end? Note that using 'eventually' or 'finally' here could be understood to imply, for instance, that the person took a long time to get ready, or doesn't go out enough.
I can't make the decision. In the end, it's up to you.
"Gaddafi will win in the end," an infamous press paraphrase of a statement by the Head of US Intelligence.

As shown above, while these pairs are similar, there are subtle yet important differences. Just as with the elimination of common errors, once the distinction between these pairs of similar words is understood, learners can make significant progress.