Faculty of Humanities and Social Science > English

Common Mistakes and Confusing Words

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Bhowmik:
bought vs brought    

bought past tense of the verb to buy
For example: "I bought a newspaper at the newsagents. "

brought past tense of the verb to bring
For example: "She brought her homework to the lesson."

! As a child I used to struggle to remember this one, until my teacher pointed out that there is an 'r' in brought and an 'r' in bring = they belong together, there is no r in bought and no r in buy = they belong together too.

Bhowmik:
by vs until    

Both until and by indicate “any time before, but not later than.”

Until tells us how long a situation continues.
If something happens until a particular time, you stop doing it at that time.

For example:

They lived in a small house until September 2003.
(They stopped living there in September.)

I will be away until Wednesday.
(I will be back on Wednesday.)

We also use until in negative sentences.

For example:

Details will not be available until January.
(January is the earliest you can expect to receive the details.)

If something happens by a particular time,
it happens at or before that time. It is often used to indicate a deadline.

For example:

You have to finish by August 31.
(August 31 is the last day you can finish; you may finish before this date.)

We also use by when asking questions.

For example:

Will the details be available by December?
(This asks if they will be ready no later than December.)

Bhowmik:
career (n)
vs
carrier (n)
vs
courier (n)

Career as a noun is used to describe the job or series of jobs you do during your working life, especially if you continue to get better jobs and earn more money.

For example: "I never imagined I would end up with a career in teaching."

Carrier is a noun, it can mean person or thing that carries something,
or someone who does not suffer from a disease but has the infection can give it to someone else.

For example: "Australians voted British Airways, their least favourite carrier for flights to the UK."

A courier is someone who carries important messages, packages or documents for someone else.

For example: "The United Parcel Service (UPS) is the largest courier service in the world."

Bhowmik:
check (v)
vs
control (v)    

To check means to examine.
To make certain that something or someone is correct, safe or suitable by examining it or them quickly.

For example: "You should always check your oil, water and tyres before taking your car on a long trip."

To control means to order, limit, instruct or rule something, or someone's actions or behaviour.

For example: "If you can't control your dog, put it on a lead!"

What you shouldn't do is use the verb control in association with people and the work they do.

For example: "I check my students' homework, but I can't control what they do!"

Note!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In Business English there is often a lot of confusion because of the term control in accounting.

In most organizations the controller is the top managerial and financial accountant. The controller supervises the accounting department and assists management in interpreting and utilizing managerial accounting information.

Bhowmik:
come over
vs
overcome    

Come over is a phrasal verb

To move from one place to another, or move towards someone.

For example: "Come over here."

To seem to be a particular type of person.

For example: "Politicians often come over as arrogant."

To be influenced suddenly and unexpectedly by a strange feeling.

For example: "Don't stand up too quickly or you may come over dizzy."

Overcome is a verb,
which means to defeat or succeed in controlling or dealing with something.

For example: "Using technology can help many people overcome any disabilities they might have."

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