13 English Verb Pairings Sent To Confuse Us

1. Say v Tell

Context

Say:
‘I didn't hear that, what did you just say?’
OR
‘How do you say goodbye in German?’

Tell:
‘I told him all about the party this weekend, don’t worry.’
OR
‘I can tell she stole it, I’m in no doubt.’

2. Lose v Loose

Context

Lose:
‘I lost my keys again!’
OR
‘I was chased away, but I soon lost them.’

Loose:
‘It looks like the bolt is loose, we’re going to have to tighten it.’
OR
‘I have a loose plan for tonight.’

3. Adopt v Adapt

Context

Adopt:
‘She adopted Jane when she was just 5 months old.’
OR
‘This technique was adopted by my company from the start of the year.’

Adapt:
I adapted this motor to work for my motorcycle, it fits!’
OR
‘We have to adapt to these hotter summers, buy a fan.’

4. Advice v Advise

Context

Advice:
‘Paul gave me some great advice last night.’

Advise:
‘I would advise caution when you get there, it’s a scary area.’

5. Affect v Effect

Context

Affect:
‘Gravity affects everything around us.’
OR
‘I was affected by that sad film last night.’

Effect:
‘Too much beer had an effect on his posture.’
OR
‘The special effects in that action film were impressive!’

6. To Bear v  To Bare

Context

To bear:
‘These old walls can’t bear too much weight nowadays.’
OR
‘My poor friend had to bear a lot of pain after breaking their ankle.’

To bare:
‘My leg was bare, so I got a nice tan on the beach.’
OR
‘The bare facts, that’s all I need right now.’

7. Lie v Lay

Context

Lie:
‘They lay on the soft bed and soon slept.’
OR
‘The building lay in ruins after the war.’

Lay:
‘We lay the planks down next to the house, ready for later.’
OR
‘Sister lay the forks out carefully, ready for dinner.’

8. Emigrate v Immigrate

Context

Emigrate:
‘Arthur’s parents emigrated to Spain.’

Immigrate:
‘Howard was born in Israel, but immigrated to the USA.’

9. Sit v Set

Context

Sit:
‘Come on children, sit down!’

OR
‘Let’s have a sit in the sun.’

Set:
‘Set down your tools and get started.’
OR
‘The government set their plans in motion.’

10. Compliment v Complement

Context

Compliment:
‘He paid me an enormous compliment.’
OR
‘My compliments to the chef.’

Complement:
‘A good wine provides the perfect complement to this food.’
OR
‘Right now, we have a full complement of staff.’

11. Hanged v Hung

Context

Hanged:
‘This is where we hanged our washing’
OR
‘These photos were hanged on the wall’

Hung:
‘We currently have a hung parliament.’
OR
‘He’s still hung up on his ex-girlfriend.’

12. Rise v Raise

Context

Rise:
‘Look how the aircraft can rise so fast.’
OR
‘Rise up from your seat, let’s go!’

Raise:
‘Can you believe it, I got a raise!’
OR
‘She raised her hands above her head.’

13. Expect v Hope

Context

Expect:
‘He was not expecting him to continue.’
OR
‘John was expecting a visitor.’

Hope:
‘They hoped that they didn’t have a parking ticket.’
OR
‘Clara had great hope in Sandy’s character.’