Confusing Words in English

Confusing Words: Afterward and Afterwards (adverb)
Meaning: at a later or future time.
Afterward vs Afterwards Clarification: Afterward and afterwards are two yet same adverbs that has same meaning and same usage in writing.

Afterward vs Afterwards – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?

Sometimes, people get confused while speaking or writing English language. People have different speaking styles like; some people add an –s to many adverbs. Let us take an example of ‘anyway’.

Anyway is an adverb. Mostly, people say anyways instead of anyway which is quite wrong. Anyways is considered to be slang and cannot be used in formal English.

Before going to our today’s discussion on afterward or afterwards, let us clear our minds of the following confusion.

Make sure that ‘afterword’ is far more different word than ‘afterward’. Afterword is misused by most of the people or they even get confused in spellings. So, it is very important to get out of this confusion.

In simple words, afterword is a noun whereas afterward is said to be an adverb.
The definition of afterword is saying that it is an epilogue or a section at the end of a book. For example;

• William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet has an interesting epilogue/afterword that greatly sums up the tragedy of two lovers.

After getting information about afterword, let us clear up our confusion of our main words afterward and afterwards.

Afterward

meaning later, then, after or a future time.

1. I heard you had a good sleep, and had a cup of coffee afterward.

2. He found out the truth long afterward. Reference – (Merriam Webster Dictionary)

Afterwards

Carries the same meaning as afterward and can be used in the same contexts.

So, the meaning and the usage of afterward and afterwards are the same. Both are adverbs and interchangeable. You can use both of the words without any hesitation. A little problem is with people.

The people of North-America prefer ‘afterward’ instead of afterwards, while the people from outside the U.S. and Canada like to use ‘afterwards’ in speaking or writing. But do not get confused, as there is not a strict rule for this choice.

What Did You Learn?

Afterward and afterwards are two yet same adverbs that has same meaning and same usage in writing. In terms of pronunciation, people get confused with the word afterword which is a noun. Afterword is a different word which is an end portion of a book. So, make sure, not to get confused again.

In terms of afterward and afterwards, just remember to use afterwards with the people outside the U.S. and Canada, whereas afterward with North-Americans.

Confusing Words: Averse (adjective) and Adverse (adjective)
Meaning:
Averse (having a strong dislike of or opposition to something.)
Adverse (preventing success or development; harmful; unfavourable.)
Averse vs Adverse Clarification: Averse and adverse are used as adjective and they have slightly similar meanings but these words are not interchangeable.

Averse vs Adverse – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?

English writers come up with some difficulties while writing. Other than homophones, there are some special cases in English language in which writers get puzzled. Those complications can be the words that have quite similar meanings.

The first and foremost difference between averse and adverse is spelling. One-letter difference keeps them aside (i.e. averse – adverse).

Other than spellings, the meanings and the function of these two words are also different. Just remember one thing, that is very important, is that averse is applied to people whereas adverse applies to any condition, situation or thing. For instance,

• I am averse

• An adverse effect

Definition and Examples of Averse and Adverse

I hope that after reading meanings and examples, you will never ever find any trouble getting these words.

Averse and adverse are used as adjective.

Meanings are different.

Averse

The synonym of averse is ‘against’. The definition is ‘a hostile feeling of objection or opposition to something’. Keep in mind that averse is followed by ‘to’.

1. I am averse to attending conferences on such serious issues.

2. Nevertheless, Ms. Fishbein is not averse to a large sociable gathering.Reference – (vocabulary.com)

Adverse

You have heard about ‘adverse condition’, it means ‘bad condition’. It is synonymous to unfavorable, unlucky, or harmful. You can only use it for any condition or things.

1. This song is making an adverse effect on me.

2. The United States has had adverse relations with Cuba for many years. Reference –(Writingexplained.org)

It is clear from the above explanation that averse and adverse are different words with some similarity of meanings that is causing confusion among writers. A small tip for you is to remember that ‘averse’ should apply to any person and ‘adverse’ should apply to any situation, condition or a thing.

Have you ever heard about the words ‘aversion’ and ‘adversity’? These are comparative words or nouns of averse and adverse. Aversion is comparative noun of averse which has similar meaning as averse i.e. a person’s strong feeling of dislike. Adversity, as the name highlights, is comparative noun of adverse which is a difficult or an unpleasant condition.

Check Out: The Difference Between Ad and Add.

What Did You Learn?

Averse and adverse are used as adjective and they have slightly similar meanings but these words are not interchangeable.

Adverse applies to a condition, situation or a thing; for instance, a harmful event. Averse, on the other hand, applies to people; for example, a hostile feeling of a person to something.

Confusing Words: Adviser (noun) and Advisor (noun)
Meaning:
Adviser (a person who gives advice in a particular field.)
Advisor (a person who gives advice in a particular field.)
Adviser vs Advisor Clarification: There is no significant difference between adviser and advisor. Both words are correct and you can choose any of these words for your writing.

Adviser vs Advisor – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?

English language has many complications in it. English writers seem to be bewildered in choosing the correct words. Sometimes, they get puzzled between homophones while sometimes between those words which have same meanings but slightly different spellings.

If you go into the history or origin of these two words, you will come to know that adviser was the first word that came in 1610s.

According to Dictionary.com, adviser is an agent noun, from the verb ‘advise’ and it was first used for ‘a military person sent to help a government or army in a foreign country’. Advisor, on the other hand, is said to be a Latin origin.

Later on, both of these words are in the usage for English writers. They can be interchangeable as both of the words describe the same meaning.

Though adviser and advisor depict the same meaning, but you should keep in mind not to use both of these words in the same document or paper. Choose one of these words for your writing.

Definition and Examples of Adviser/Advisor

As I mentioned above that adviser and advisor are both acceptable words and are used as a noun form of the verb ‘advise’. It is defined as a person who gives advice or guidance or helps someone.

It can be an official advice for example, ‘the military adviser to the president’ (Oxford Living Dictionaries). In dictionaries, you will see that adviser is listed above than advisor. It means that adviser is the older term than advisor.

1. Listen to me carefully, as I am your only adviser left.

2. If we are acting that foolishly, clearly we should be hanging our money over to professional financial advisers. Reference –(Grammarly.com)

3. You can apply for this job as military advisor.

4. The official U.S. Government document that defines and regulates the provision of Investment Advice is titled the ‘Investment Advisers Act of 1940’, says BenefitsPRO.

You see that how adviser and advisor are used in sentences. So, the choice is yours which one is to pick for your writing.

Important Point

I want to tell you one important point about the preference of these two words among particular regions. Some people follow British English while some follow American English.

‘Adviser’ seems to be dominant in British English whereas, ‘advisor’ is more commonly used in American English. Grammarist says that in the U.S. and Canada, advisor is commonly used in official job titles.

What Did You Learn?

There is no significant difference between adviser and advisor. Both words are correct and you can choose any of these words for your writing. Just remember one thing that most of the people prefer adviser instead of advisor because adviser came first or you can say that it is the original word.

Both spellings are acceptable and both defined as a person who gives advice or who advises.

Confusing Words: Access (noun/verb) and Excess (noun/adjective)
Meaning:
Access (the means or opportunity to approach or enter a place.)
Excess (an amount of something that is more than necessary, permitted, or desirable.)
Access vs Excess Clarification: Access and excess are homophones. They have same pronunciation but different meanings and usage.

Access vs Excess – What is the Difference, Definition, & Meanings?

Unlike their pronunciation, these two words have very different meanings, usage and spellings. Only two alphabets are different in them i.e. access > excess. They pronounced exactly the same. That is why, writers get confused sometimes. You will see that after reading the whole context, you will get enough information to identify each word correctly.

Usage of Access and Excess in Suitable Circumstances

• Access is something about → gaining or approaching.
• Excess is something about the amount as ↑ being too much.

I have used the arrow so that it can help you to remember the difference between these two words. For instance, → this arrow normally symbolizes the forward sign as access is all about forwarding or approaching. On the other hand, ↑  this sign can be used when something exceeds a limit. I have used these signs just to give you a simple tip.

However, access is used as a noun or a verb. Its meaning is to enter, to approach or to gain something. Access as a noun can have a different meaning as well and that meaning is ‘an eruption or a burst of an emotion’. 

1. I had lost my keys and I gained no access to my house. (as a noun)
2. You can use authorized system to access your game library. (as a verb)
3. I was suddenly overcome with an access of rage. (as a noun meaning an outburst)

Besides access, excess can be a noun or an adjective. In both cases, it means surplus, excessive, overconsumption etc.

1. One tip is to stay healthy is to stop excess of fat in your diet. (as a noun)
2. Excess fat can lead you to death. (as an adjective)

Check Out: The Difference Between Beside and Besides.

Still confused?

You are thinking that in one area, access and excess are somehow depicting the same meaning. If you think an example of access or excess of love, you will come to know that in both cases a very clear difference is coming out.

Access of love would be an outburst or an eruption of love. On the other hand, an excess of love can be called as too much of love that you cannot take it as positive image because excess means more than necessary.

What Did You Learn?

It is clear that access and excess are homophones. They have same pronunciation but different meanings and usage.

The meaning of access is ‘to enter, to approach or to gain something’ and it is used as a noun or a verb. Excess can be used as a noun or an adjective and it means ‘excessive, overconsumption’ etc.

Confusing Words: Adapter and Adaptor (noun)
Meaning: a device for connecting pieces of equipment that cannot be connected directly.
Adapter vs Adaptor Clarification: You can use any of these words as both words are correct to use.

Adapter vs Adaptor – What is the Difference, Definition & Meanings?

Mostly, people get confused in getting the usage of adapter or adaptor. There is only one-letter difference in adapter and adaptor. But you have to keep in mind that these two words can be used in same situations.

The choice is yours which word is to choose for your writing. Actually, adapter and adaptor are interchangeable. Their meanings are same. You do not have to be confused.

Adapter + Adapter = Interchangeable

Let us discuss their meanings and examples, so you can clear up your minds.

Definitions and Examples of Adapter and Adaptor

As I said above that adapter and adaptor are interchangeable. It means that both can be twin words. It is up to you which word you would like to write. One thing you should remember; these two words have two different meanings.

1. One meaning is about thing that it is an electrical device which is used to connect two incompatible devices.

2. The other meaning is of a person who adapts any work to make changes and provide a new styled or designed work. For instance, in literature or linguistics, writers adapt someone else’s work and come up with a new idea.

1. I was in search of an adapter/adaptor to charge my mobile.

2.The artist and the adapter/adaptor have still hardly begun to work with the endless variety of substances now at their disposal. Reference – (dictionary.com)

3.The adaptor/adapter came up with an excellent script.

Check Out: The Difference Between Device and Devise.

Origin of Adapter and Adaptor

History says that the first word that came was adapter. It was originated in the middle of 18th century. Adaptor came later. According to a research, adapter seems to be commonly used by the writers. For instance, American writers use adapter greater than adaptor whereas adaptor seems to be the British form but 50% of them still use adapter.

Grammarist says that British writers seem to favor adaptor for electric devices and adapter for people. At the same time, it mentions that both words are used everywhere.

By reading the above lines, do not get confused because you can use both of these words as nothing is wrong. Either use adapter or adaptor, the examiner will not deduct your marks. Adapter and adaptor, both have same meanings and usage.

What Did You Learn?

You can use any of these words as both words are correct to use. These two words have two different meanings. First is that it is an electrical device whereas the other meaning is of a person who adapts any work.

Adapter is used more commonly but do not panic. Both words are interchangeable.