Fragile / Frail
Fragile: delicate, easily
broken; frail:
weak in health; without strong support.
e.g. This piece of
glassware is fragile;
please handle it with care.
e.g. You look pale
and frail today. What's wrong with you?
e.g. The presidential
candidate received frail support
from his own State.
High / Highly
High: referring to altitude or position; highly: the degree or intensity.
e.g. The airplane is flying
high.
e.g. This disease is highly contagious.
Portend / Portent
Portend: foretell or forewarn; portent:
self-importance.
e.g. This political
decision may portend more trouble in
the coming election.
e.g. The arrogant demeanor
reflects the portent of the
candidate.
Genteel / Gentle
Genteel: trying to be polite, and imitating good manners; gentle: kind, friendly.
e.g. He is living in genteel poverty (i.e. he is living a
lifestyle that imitates that of the rich).
e.g. She is gentle in nature, and people like her.
Exhausting / Exhaustive
Exhausting: using much
energy; exhaustive: very thorough or complete.
e.g. The exhausting work
of working in the garden made me want to go to bed right away.
e.g. The police conducted
an exhaustive investigation into this crime.
Observance /
Observation
Observance:
following rules and regulations; observation: seeing or paying attention
to.
e.g.
Tell me about your observation of the future of this company.
e.g.
What do you think of the observance of the law on texting while driving?
Precede / Proceed
Precede: come or go before in
time or place; proceed: go
forward.
e.g. Soaking the beans overnight should precede the cooking.
e.g. We decided to proceed with the plan, even without the funding.
e.g. We decided to proceed with the plan, even without the funding.
Half-blood / Half-breed
Half-blood: a person having one parent in common with another; half-breed: a person whose parents are
of different races.
e.g. He is my half-blood: we have the same mother.
e.g. My girlfriend is a half-breed: her father is Danish, and
her mother is Chinese.
Overall /
Total
Overall:
describing a measurement between two extremities, from one end to the other; total:
complete;
e.g
What is the overall length of the
bridge?
e.g.
The project was a total success (not overall)
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
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