Popularly Confusable Words - Part Two
Ability/Capacity; Accept/Except; Advise/Advice. These were the words I discussed in Part One back on April 8. So here are a few more words that have become popularly confused:
Adapt, Adopt
Adapt is used to mean preparing for a situation; adopt has the double-meaning of accepting a child not biologically your own and raising him or to choose to use a particular plan.
I would like to adapt to being a conservative in the People's Republic of California, but if it means driving a Volvo forget it.
I decided to adopt the child, but the child would not adapt to eating breakfast for dinner and dessert first, so I gave him back.
I adopted a weight-loss plan, but the weigh-loss plan would not adapt to my eating breakfast for dinner and dessert first, so I got my money back.
Allusion, Illusion
Allusion is a verb (from allude) meaning a reference to something; illusion is a noun: a magical appearance.
I alluded to the magician's disemboweling illusion in my treatise, "Do You Have the Guts to do Magic?"
The professor's allusion to my treatise about being a magician as being superficial was his own narrow-minded illusion of magic as an art form.
Averse, Adverse
Averse simply means I don't like something; adverse means harmful.
Adverse is more often used with things than humans.
I am averse to smoking in public, since it's adverse to my image as a man without vices.
I am averse to phony images, since it's adverse to being honest.
That's all for now. Watch for Popularly Confusable Words - Part Three:
Among, Between Compliment, Complement Counsel, Council
On Word!
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