Confused or Misused Words - Emission V Omission

Emission (of sth) – a release or discharge of it

• Environmental groups the world over want a                           substantial reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases.
• The emission of carbon monoxide from vehicles can be drastically reduced if more people car-pooled or take public transport. 

Omission (of sth) – the act or mistake of leaving it out  

• There are some serious errors and omissions in this article.

Homophones - Eminent V Imminent

Eminent – famous, respected or important

·         Mr Johnson is one of the busiest and most eminent doctors in the country. Yet, he always makes time for his family and friends.

Imminent – coming or likely to happen soon

·         A strike in imminent. Employees have been unhappy about their salary and working conditions for a long time.

·         Diana’s imminent departure for England to pursue her career has made her boyfriend very sad.

Similes With As - As Cheap As Dirt

Meaning – very cheap

·         Cars in Australia are as cheap as dirt when compared to Malaysia.

·         Due to the global financial crisis, the properties in certain parts of the world are as cheap as dirt. 

Common Idioms - Carbon Copy

Meaning – an exact copy

·         John may be the carbon copy of his father, but they are as different as night and day (= very different from each other). 

Confused of Misused Words - Eligible V Illegible

Eligible – suitable or qualified for something

• Anyone above the age of 55 is eligible for pension.
• John is one of the most eligible bachelors in his family. It’s no wonder his family and friends are always trying to hook him up with girls.

Illegible – not readable (for handwriting)

• Most of the doctors I know have illegible handwriting.

Homophones - Medal V Meddle

Medal

• Sam was over the moon (= extremely happy) when he won a gold medal at the swimming competition.

Meddle – to try and change or have an influence on things that are not your responsibility.

• I have very little tolerance for people who meddle in other people’s affairs.

Homonyms - Grave

·         We visit and clean up our ancestors’ graves once a year.

·         John made a grave (=huge) mistake by investing a large portion of his savings in shares.

·         Not realizing how grave (=seriously bad) the situation was, Jake continued to make jokes.

·         Sally took the first flight home to Singapore when she heard her grandfather was gravely (adverb) ill.