confusing adjectives

What are confusing adjectives?

As you know, English is never simple! You may feel as though you’ve got the hang of adjectives, but I’m about to throw a spanner in the works.

 

Some adjectives may trick you. They look alike, have similar meanings, but are used in different ways. For example, we can describe a day as being fun or funny.

• A fun day means, it was enjoyable or entertaining.
• A funny day means we laughed a lot, it was hilarious.

 

Take a look at the list below and try and learn the differences.

confusing adjectives list

Here are the most commonly confused adjectives, adverbs and determiners in English.

boring vs bored

• boring
  meaning – not entertaining, uninteresting
  example – Sally is being boring; she won’t come out.
• bored
  meaning – the feeling of having nothing to do
  example – We have a power cut, I’m so bored.

each vs every

• each
  meaning –  singular countable nouns
  example – I need to give you each 50p.
• every
  meaning – refers to a group or frequency of doing something
  example – Everyone is coming to my party.

embarrassing vs embarrassed

• embarrassing
  meaning – to cause embarrassment
  example – Tina is really drunk, she`s so embarrassing.
• embarrassed
  meaning – the feeling of shame
  example – I couldn’t remember his name; I was so embarrassed.

exciting vs excited

• exciting
  meaning – something is thrilling
  example – That new roller coaster is exciting.
• excited
  meaning – the happy feeling because something good has happened or will happen
  example – I`m so excited for my 3 weeks in Greece.

few vs a few

• few
  meaning – not many, close to zero
  example – Few people went to the meeting.
• a few
  meaning – a small number
  example – Can I have a few of your peanuts please?

fun vs funny

• fun
  meaning – to have a good time
  example – The kids had fun at the beach.
• funny
  meaning – hilarious, makes you laugh
  example – The film was so funny, I was laughing all the way through it.

hard vs hardly

• hard
  meaning – difficult or solid
  example – The test wasn’t hard.
• hardly
  meaning – only just or no
  example – There is hardly any milk left.

high vs tall

• high
  meaning – a long way above the ground
  example – That mountain is really high.
• tall
  meaning – people or objects that are long and thin
  example – This is the tallest building in the town.

injure vs wound vs hurt vs pain vs ache vs sore

• injure (v)
  meaning – to do harm or damage
  example – O`Reilly is injured, he can’t play.
• wound (n,v)
  meaning – to do harm or damage
  example – The soldier was wounded in the battle.
• hurt (v)
  meaning – to do harm or damage
  example – If you hurt my niece, I’ll kill you.
• pain (n)
  meaning – an unpleasant sensation
  example – Pets are a pain in the ass.
• ache (n,v)
  meaning – a dull continuing pain
  example – I need to call the dentist; I have a toothache.
• sore (a,n)
  meaning – painful
  example – My knee is sore, I fell onto the concrete.

last vs latest

• last
  meaning – opposite of first, the final in a list/sequence
  example – I came last in the race.
• latest
  meaning – most recent
  example – Have you seen the latest Disney film?

late vs lately

• late
  meaning – to arrive after the appointed time
  example – Don`t be late or we`ll start without you.
• lately
  meaning – recently
  example – I`ve been thinking about you lately.

less vs fewer

• less
  meaning – singular, uncountable
  example – people or things. It`s nice, but less salt next time.
• fewer
  meaning – plural, countable
  example – Fewer people are going to church these days.

little vs a little

• little 
  meaning – not much, close to zero
  example – I can’t stop and chat, I have little time.
• a little
  meaning – a small amount
  example – I had a little cry at the film.

many vs much

• many
  meaning – a lot, countable
  example – I have many friends.
• much
  meaning – a lot, collective nouns, singular uncountable nouns
  example – I don’t have much money.

most vs most of vs mostly

• most
  meaning – the majority
  example – Most guests wore a costume.
• most of
  meaning – the majority of a certain group
  example – Most of the toys belonged to Sean.
• mostly
  meaning – mainly
  example – We mostly sunbathed and drank cocktails.

sick vs ill

• sick
  meaning – want to vomit
  example – I feel sick, I think the prawns were off.
• ill
  meaning – in bad health
  example – My auntie is ill, I think she`s on the way out.

tiring vs tired

• tiring
  meaning – to drain your energy
  example – Today was tiring with 4 kids to run around after.
• tired
  meaning – to be exhausted
  example – I`m so tired, it was a long day.

Do you want to learn some other common mistakes made by English learners? Head over to the useful information section and have a browse.