Coach or couch? Affect or effect? Have you ever confused these words? Since they are very similar words, they can be particularly confusing for English language learners.

 

✅ Coach (noun)

 

A person who teaches sports skills.

 

Examples:

- She is the new tennis coach.

- The team's coach celebrated the winning.

 

 

✅ Coach can also be used in the context of 'a 'life coach' - a professional who advises people on how to achieve their goals.

Ex: My life coach helped me to change my career.

 

 

✅ Couch (noun)

 

A piece of furniture with a seat and back for people to sit on.

Synonym = Sofa

 

Ex: It was the most beautiful and comfortable couch in the furniture store!

 

 

✅ Affect (verb)

Used when you're talking about the act of changing something.

Ex: Smiling can really affect your mood.

 

✅ Effect (noun)

 Used when you're talking about the change itself (the noun).

Ex: The medicine had an immediate effect yesterday.

 

✅ Accept (verb)

This verb means to agree to something.

Ex: I had little time to accept the opportunity.

 

✅ Except (preposition)

Used to exclude or disregard something.

Ex: I used to eat fruit, except strawberries.

 

✅ Advice (noun)

An opinion that someone gives you about the best thing to do in a particular situation.

Ex: I always get good advice from her.

 

✅ Advise (verb)

The act of giving advice to someone.

Ex: The mechanic advised me to change the tires of my car.

 

✅ There

There can be used in the following ways:

- As a pronoun (to introduce the subject of the sentence): There’s a spider in the bath.

- As an adverb: Wait there until I get back.

- As an interjection: There, that didn’t hurt so much, did it?

 

✅ Their

A possessive pronoun for they.

Ex: They take care of their animals.

 

✅ Assure

Means to exclude doubts that something happens.

Ex: I assured him that you would attend the meeting. 

 

✅ Ensure

Means to guarantee that something happens.

Ex: You need to ensure that you deliver the products within the agreed term.

 

✅ Two

The number.

Ex: I stayed there for two months.

 

✅ Too

Too is used in the following ways:

as an ordinary adverb (before an adjective or adverb or before ‘much’, ‘many’, ‘few’ etc): 

Ex: It’s too hot to be outside.

 

Which other words do you find confusing? Tell us!

 

Let's practice! Write sentences with these nouns and verbs in the comments section.

 

We hope this lesson has been helpful for you.

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