Palavras Confusas em Inglês: 48 Pares Explicados

Affect / Effect

"affect (verb)"

to have an impact on something or someone

"Stress can affect your sleep quality."

Affect / Effect

"effect (noun)"

the result or outcome of a cause

"The new law had a positive effect on crime rates."

Affect / Effect

"effect (verb, rare)"

to bring about or cause a change — used formally

"The new manager effected a complete turnaround."

Affect / Effect

"affect (noun, psychology)"

an emotion or feeling — used in clinical contexts

"The patient displayed flat affect during the session."

Affect / Effect

"side effect"

an unintended result, usually of a drug or action

"Drowsiness is a common side effect of this medication."

Affect / Effect

"in effect"

in practice; essentially true

"The rule is, in effect, already being applied."

Affect / Effect

"take effect"

to begin to work or apply

"The painkillers will take effect within twenty minutes."

Affect / Effect

"negatively affected"

harmed or worsened by an outside influence

"Millions of people were negatively affected by the drought."

Its / It's

"it's (it is)"

contraction of 'it is' — always replaceable by 'it is'

"It's raining outside again."

Its / It's

"it's (it has)"

contraction of 'it has' — used with perfect tenses

"It's been a long day."

Its / It's

"its (possessive)"

belonging to it — no apostrophe, like 'his' or 'her'

"The company lost its biggest client."

Its / It's

"its own"

belonging exclusively to itself

"Every language has its own rhythm and melody."

Its / It's

"it's worth"

it is worth — a common fixed phrase

"It's worth reading the full report before the meeting."

Its / It's

"its appearance"

how something looks — possessive, no apostrophe

"The building improved its appearance after renovation."

Its / It's

"it's clear"

it is clear — stating an obvious fact

"It's clear that more research is needed."

Its / It's

"at its best"

performing or looking as well as possible

"This is London at its best — warm sun and blue skies."

There / Their / They're

"there (place)"

in, at, or to that place

"The keys are over there on the table."

There / Their / They're

"there (existential)"

used to introduce a statement — 'there is / there are'

"There is a problem with the report."

There / Their / They're

"their (possessive)"

belonging to them

"They left their bags at the hotel."

There / Their / They're

"they're (they are)"

contraction of 'they are'

"They're arriving on Tuesday morning."

There / Their / They're

"over there"

at a distance from the speaker

"The post office is over there, past the park."

There / Their / They're

"their own"

something that belongs individually to them

"Each student submitted their own essay."

There / Their / They're

"there's no doubt"

there is no doubt — a fixed phrase of certainty

"There's no doubt that exercise improves mood."

There / Their / They're

"they're going to"

they are going to — expressing future intention

"They're going to announce the results tomorrow."

Lie / Lay

"lie (recline)"

to rest in a horizontal position — no object needed

"She lies down for a nap every afternoon."

Lie / Lay

"lay (place)"

to put something down — always needs an object

"Please lay the papers on my desk."

Lie / Lay

"lay (past of lie)"

past tense of 'lie' — the trickiest confusion point

"He lay on the sofa all evening."

Lie / Lay

"laid (past of lay)"

past tense of 'lay'

"She laid the book carefully on the shelf."

Lie / Lay

"lain (past participle of lie)"

used with 'have' — often forgotten

"The documents have lain untouched for months."

Lie / Lay

"lie low"

to stay hidden or avoid attention

"After the scandal, he decided to lie low for a while."

Lie / Lay

"lay out"

to arrange or present something in an organised way

"She laid out all the evidence clearly."

Lie / Lay

"lying down on the job"

not working hard enough — idiom

"You can't accuse her of lying down on the job."

Fewer / Less

"fewer (countable)"

used with things you can count individually

"There are fewer students in the class this year."

Fewer / Less

"less (uncountable)"

used with things measured as a mass or quantity

"Try to drink less coffee after noon."

Fewer / Less

"fewer mistakes"

a smaller number of errors — countable noun

"Advanced learners make fewer mistakes in writing."

Fewer / Less

"less time"

a smaller amount of time — uncountable noun

"We have less time than I thought."

Fewer / Less

"no fewer than"

at least — emphasising a large count

"No fewer than fifty applicants were rejected."

Fewer / Less

"less than ideal"

not good enough; below expectations

"The working conditions were less than ideal."

Fewer / Less

"fewer and fewer"

a steadily decreasing number

"Fewer and fewer people are buying physical newspapers."

Fewer / Less

"less and less"

a steadily decreasing amount

"She found herself caring less and less about his opinion."

Who / Whom

"who (subject)"

used when the person is the subject doing the action

"Who called you last night?"

Who / Whom

"whom (object)"

used when the person receives the action or follows a preposition

"Whom did you call last night?"

Who / Whom

"to whom"

formal phrasing before a name or pronoun — common in letters

"To whom it may concern,"

Who / Whom

"with whom"

preposition + whom — always use 'whom' after a preposition

"She is the colleague with whom I share an office."

Who / Whom

"who is responsible"

subject pronoun — the person doing or owning something

"Who is responsible for this decision?"

Who / Whom

"whom to contact"

object pronoun — the person being contacted

"I did not know whom to contact about the complaint."

Who / Whom

"whoever vs whomever"

same subject/object rule applies to -ever forms

"Give the award to whoever deserves it most."

Who / Whom

"for whom"

for + object pronoun — the person something is intended for

"The prize is for whom it was always intended."