1. Abjure: to renounce Adjure: to appeal
2. Abstain: avoid a thing Refrain: avoid an action
3. Accept: to agree, to take Except: exempt, save
4. Access: approach Excess: more than enough
5. Accessary: a helper in any act Accessory: additional
6. Accident: an unexpected happening usually tragic in nature Incident: a minor event
7. Adapt: to suit, to adjust Adept: skilled Adopt: to take up
8. Adverse: contrary, hostile Averse: unwilling, reluctant
9. Affect: to pretend Effect: result (noun), to produce or accomplish (verb)
10. Air: A mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing Ere: before Heir: one who inherits
11. Alimentary: concerning food and digestion Elementary: connected with the fundamentals
12. Allude: to make an indirect reference Elude: to escape, evade
13. Allusion: indirect reference Illusion: a deceptive appearance
14. Altar: place of worship Alter: to change
15. Alternate: by turns Alternative: other choice
16. Alteration: change Altercation: quarrel
17. Amiable: lovable, sweet Amicable: friendly
18. Annual: coming every year Annul: to make null; to reduce to nothing
19. Answer: we answer a question Reply: we reply to a letter, an assertion or a statement
20. Antipathy: dislike Apathy: indifference
21. Apposite: suitable Opposite: contrary, in front of
22. Appraise: to estimate, to judge Apprise: to inform
23. Appreciable: that which can be estimated Appreciative: estimating justly, full of appreciation
24. Apprehend: to arrest Comprehend: to understand
25. Approval: the act of showing satisfaction Approbation: praise
26. Ardent: fiery, enthusiastic Arduous: difficult
27. Artful: clever, cunning Artificial: not natural 28. Artist: one who practices a fine art Artisan: one who practices a handicraft
29. Ascent: climbing up Assent: consent
30. Assay: to test Essay: a literary composition
31. Assure: to convince Insure: to guard against loss
32. Attenuate: to make slender or thin Extenuate: to lessen guilt by offering an excuse
33. Aught: anything Ought: should
34. Avocation: subordinate occupation usually for pleasure Vocation: occupation
35. Award: something that is conferred or bestowed Reward: something that is given in return of good or evil done or received
Sample Usage
Examples:
1. Abjure: He abjured all his rights to kingship. Adjure: The chairman adjured the members to be restrained.
2. Abstain: You should try to abstain from strong drinks and lead a temperate life Refrain: If only people could refrain from speaking ill of others, this world would be a more agreeable place to live in.
3. Accept: He refused to accept my invitation Except: Every student except Suresh passed the examination with less than fifty percent marks.
4. Access: A democratic leader ought to be easy of access. Excess: If you drink in excess, it will injure your health.
5. Accessary: Can you deny that you have been an important accessary in hatching this conspiracy? Accessory: Let us discuss the main issue; the accessories can be thrashed out later on.
6. Accident: The train accident took a heavy toll of life. Incident: He related to us some interesting incidents of his life.
7. Adapt: Unless you adapt yourself to your circumstances, you cannot lead a contended life. Adept: Those who are adept in the art of flattery make a rapid progress in their life. Adopt: You should not adopt unfair means even if you fail.
8. Adverse: He is very sensitive to adverse criticism. Averse: I am quite averse to non-vegetarian dishes.
9. Affect: In order to escape the wrath of his father, he affected the ignorance of the whole affair. Effect: He is so hot headed that no advice produces any effect on him.
10. Air: Fresh air is good for health. Ere: Ere he left for England, he was engaged to marry Sunila. Heir: Usually when a king dies, his son is the heir to the throne.
11. Alimentary: She died of cancer in her alimentary canal. Elementary: This book deals with only the elementary principles of the Physics.
12. Allude: In her speech, the prime minister alluded to some of the highly uncharitable remarks made by the members of the Opposition. Elude: The culprit eluded the police for a very long time.
13. Allusion: There are too many topical allusions in the plays of Ben Jonson. Illusion: Many Indian philosophers are disposed to think that life is an illusion.
14. Altar: He knelt before the altar and confessed his sins. Alter: You should alter your way of speaking.
15. Alternate: I go to hospital on alternate Saturdays. Alternative: You have no alternative left but to study hard day and night.
16. Alteration: The legislative assembly suggested alterations in the bill. Altercation: There was altercation among the members of parliament.
17. Amiable: She wins everyone's admiration with her amiable nature. Amicable: It would be an illusion to think that India and Pakistan could ever be on amicable terms.
18. Annual: Our annual examinations begin in the first week of April. Annul: All the decisions taken at the earlier meeting were annulled.
19. Answer: In the examination, your answers should be brief and relevant. Reply: He is very lazy in replying to the letters I write to him.
20. Antipathy: You have not been able to progress on account of your antipathy to manual labour. Apathy: In almost all the government offices, we can see a general apathy towards work.
21. Apposite: His interpretation of the poem is not very apposite. Opposite: His arguments are the opposite of mine.
22. Appraise: It is difficult to appraise someone's worth accurately. Apprise: The principal has been apprised of the whole situation.
23. Appreciable: No appreciable progress has been made. Appreciative: The students are highly appreciative of your way of teaching.
24. Apprehend: Last month many persons were apprehended under Defence of India rules. Comprehend: The audience failed to comprehend his speech.
25. Approval: This plan of yours has my full approval. Approbation: I need nobody's approbation to decide what I have to do.
26. Ardent: Many an ardent follower of Marx does not even know what Marxism is. Arduous: To attain salvation is quite an arduous task.
27. Artful: We could easily see through his artful schemes. Artificial: The Punjab has a highly efficient artificial system of irrigation.
28. Artist: Painters, poets and musicians are artists. Artisan: Carpenters and blacksmiths are artisans.
29. Ascent: This hill has both a dangerous and a steep ascent. Assent: No bill can be passed without the assent of President.
30. Assay: Our examinations do not provide a fair assay of a candidate's capability. Essay: Bacon is considered to be the father of the English essay.
31. Assure: I assured him of my sincere help. Insure: You must get your house insured against fire
32. Attenuate: Heavy taxation has attenuated his financial resources. Extenuate: Nothing can extenuate the seriousness of this offence.
33. Aught: If there is aught I could do for you, please feel free to write to me. Ought: One ought to abide by the promise one makes.
34. Avocation: He is a lecturer, and fiction-writing is his avocation. Vocation: His vocation is painting but it does not bring him enough money to make both ends meet.
35. Award: Param Vir Chakara is an award given for gallantry in war. Reward: The peon was suitably rewarded for his honesty.
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