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5 Cards in this Set
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abhorrent / aberrant
Abhorrent describes something truly horrible like finding a dead rat in your soup, but something aberrant is just abnormal, like a cat in a pink fedora.
"If you can remember that the err in aberrant indicates an error and that you abhor something that is abhorrent, your word choice will be neither aberrant nor abhorrent. Wearing a feather boa to a funeral? Aberrant. Stealing the body? Abhorrent." |
Abhorrent means disgusting or detestable. When you abhor something, you loathe it.
Aberrant (no "h") means unusual, straying from a defined path. It's not necessarily nasty. |
She said sanitary conditions in the emergency room were abhorrent.
Weeks ago the nation witnessed the culmination of aberrant fan behavior when Bryan Stow was beaten in the Dodger Stadium parking lot. |
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accept / except
To accept is to receive, and except is to exclude, usually.
"It's the verb form that confuses, and it's usually except when accept is wanted. Accept something by giving it an A, or exclude it with a big fat X for except." |
To accept is to receive something like tea, an idea, or a student into your college.
Except usually means "unless" or "excluding," but it's sometimes used as verb "to leave out." |
He accepted tea from Annette without looking at her.
He defined solitary confinement as an inmate being held in isolation from all except guards for at least 22 hours a day. |
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adopt / adapt
adopt is to take something over, and to adapt is to change something to suit your needs.
"Remember, if you mean to rob a bank but wind up at an underwear store: adopt, adapt, and improve!" |
You can adopt a fake British accent, or even a stray dog. When you adopt something, you consciously select it and accept it as your own.
Say you move to a country where everyone cooks with lots of hot peppers. At first the food scalds your tongue, but over time you adapt — you change in a way that allows you to deal with the new circumstances. |
All this strengthens my conviction that Europe must adopt strict and rigorous rules, including but not limited to the rating agencies," he said.
One wonderful thing the English language can do is adapt. |
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adverse / averse
Adverse and averse are both turn-offs, but adverse is something harmful, and averse is a strong feeling of dislike. Rainstorms can cause adverse conditions, and many people are averse to rain.
"If it's a force of nature working against you, use adverse. Kick out the "d" and a person can be averse to or against anything, like rainy days or gambling." |
Adverse describes something that works against you, like a tornado or a computer crash, and is usually applied to things. It's often followed by the word effects.
Averse is usually applied to feelings, attitudes, or people. It's a strong feeling of opposition — it's a big "no thanks" and it's often followed by to. |
More significantly, he has shown that if such ageing cells are selectively destroyed, these adverse effects go away.
Your survey shows that banks are more risk-averse than they used to be. |
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affect / effect
affect (v.) = influence something. effect (n.) = result or impact of something. effect (v.) = to produce or to cause to come into being.
"an action (to affect) has to occur before you can have a result (an effect)." |
Affect is most often used as a verb meaning “to have an impact on,” as in “The tornado barreling towards us will affect our picnic plans.”
Effect is the result of an action, as in those “cause and effect” papers you might write in English class. Your topic could be how your late-night tuba playing (cause) has driven your roommate insane (effect). |
Downed Power Line Affects PNM Customers. (v.)
The Effect of Persistent Sleepiness. (n.)
A government unable to effect any change is a government that will produce no surprises. (v.) |
