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Does it really matter if you get a judge who is uninterested in your case or one who is disinterested in your case?

Absolutely!  One judge might find you guilty and send you to prison, while the other judge might get you justice and set you free.

How do you know which one is better? The answer is the judge who is disinterested. He will be fair and will make sure that everything is done right and that justice is served. If you get a judge who is uninterested in your case, he only wants to finish the case so he can go home.

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There are some words in the English language that are easily confused.  Some words can be explained, but others are more difficult to understand.

• Some words are used with idiomatic expressions, and you just have to learn them.

Examples: 

• make, do

• tell, say

• lend, borrow
   

• Some are words that look similar but they have different meanings.

Examples: 

• unlike, dislike

• its, it's

• Some have similar meanings but function differently in sentences

  Examples: 

  • unless, if

  • anymore, still

  • ago, since

• Some have to do with who is doing the action, and who is receiving the action

  Examples: 

  • -ed and -ing endings on adjectives

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Make and Do

Look at this pair of confusing words: make / do

• Use "do" for most things that require activity.

• Use "make" with anything that is being created, or for something new.

Verbs used with…

DO	MAKE
exercises	a wish
homework	a mistake
business	money
housework: the laundry, the dishes	a decision
a good job	a meal : breakfast, lunch
your duty	a promise
work	a reservation, an appointment
a favor	an effort
research	a suggestion
damage	a deal
your best	progress

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Say and Tell

 

Use “say” when you quote someone or use exact words of the speaker.

• John said, "I will never leave you"

• The boss says it's time to go home.

• The mother says, “Go to sleep now, children.”

Use “tell” when you report a fact and when you name the person who is spoken to. (Do not use "to").
telling secrets

• John told us that he never lies.

• The boss told his employees that it was time to go home.

• The mother told her children to go to sleep.
  

Use “tell” with the following expressions: the truth, a joke, a lie, a story:

• Tell me a joke.

• Tell  me the truth.

• Don't tell lies.

• Tell me a story .

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Lend and Borrow

“Borrow” means to take something from another person that you intend to return later.

• John borrowed my book. (He needed a book, so he took mine for a few days).
   

• Peter borrowed $10 from Mary so he could buy lunch. He'll pay her back tomorrow. 

 

“ Lend” means to give something to someone who will return it later.  It requires both a direct and an indirect object.

• I lent Joanna my math book. (I gave it to Joanna to use temporarily. She will return it to me in the future).

• Mary lent Peter $10 so he could buy lunch.

 

Let's look at words that look alike but that have very different meanings :

Unlike / dislike

Use “unlike” as a modifier before a noun or pronoun.  It means "not similar to" or "different from."

Examples:

• Susan is an extrovert. She is unlike her mother who is a timid introvert .

• Susan, unlike her mother, is an extrovert.

 

“Dislike” is a verb. It means not to like someone or something.

Examples:

• I dislike the girl who is always boasting how rich she is.

• Children dislike going to bed early.

• People on diets dislike all the tempting food that is constantly available.

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Its / it's

Use “its” as a possessive pronoun before a noun to show possession.

Examples:

• John's cat fell off the ceiling.  Its name is “Mishap.” It broke two of its legs.

Use “it's” as a contraction to mean "It is."

Examples:

• My cat thinks it' s a person.

• It' s time to go home.

 

 

Click here for Activity 1:   Pick the right verb to be used in each blank.
When you finish, close the new window and continue to the next exercise