Nghiên cứu từ vựng trong tiếng anh2 pps

prescribe/proscribe
PRESCRIBE/PROSCRIBE
You recommend something when you prescribe it, but you forbid it when you proscribe it. The
usually positive function of “pro-” confuses many people.
List of errors
file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/prescribe.html03/09/2005 15:39:27
presently/currently
PRESENTLY/CURRENTLY
Some argue that “presently” doesn’t mean “in the present.” It means "soon.” If you want to talk about
something that’s happening right now, they urge you to say it’s going on currently.
List of errors
file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/presently.html03/09/2005 15:39:27
pretty
PRETTY
SOMEWHAT
It’s pretty common to use “pretty” to mean “somewhat” in ordinary speech; but it should be avoided in formal writing, where sometimes "very” is more
appropriate. The temptation to use “pretty” usually indicates the writer is being vague, so changing to something more specific may be an even better
solution: “a pretty bad mess” might be “chocolate syrup spilled all over the pizza which had been dumped upside down on the carpet.”
List of errors
file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/pretty.html03/09/2005 15:39:28
primer
PRIMER
When this word is used in the U.S. to mean “elementary textbook” it is pronounced with a short “I”:
“primmer” (rhymes with “dimmer” ). All other meanings are pronounced with a long “I":
“prymer” (rhymes with “timer” ).
List of errors
file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/primer.html03/09/2005 15:39:28
principal/principle
PRINCIPAL/PRINCIPLE
Generations of teachers have tried to drill this one into students’ heads by reminding them, “The
principal is your pal.” Many don’t seem convinced. “Principal” is a noun and adjective referring to

someone or something which is highest in rank or importance. (In a loan, the principal is the more
substantial part of the money, the interest is—or should be—the lesser.) “Principle” is only a noun,
and has to do with law or doctrine: “The workers fought hard for the principle of collective
bargaining.”
List of errors
file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/principal.html03/09/2005 15:39:28
pretty
PRIORITIZE
MAKE A PRIORITY
Many people disdain “prioritize” as bureaucratic jargon for “rank” or “make a priority.”
List of errors
file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/prioritize.html03/09/2005 15:39:28
priority
PRIORITY
It is common to proclaim “in our business, customer service is a priority,” but it would be better to
say “a high priority,” since priorities can also be low.
List of errors
file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/priority.html03/09/2005 15:39:29
reactionary/reactive
REACTIONARY/REACTIVE
Many people incorrectly use “reactionary” to mean “acting in response to some outside stimulus.”
That’s reactive. “Reactionary” actually has a very narrow meaning; it is a noun or adjective
describing a form of looking backward that goes beyond conservatism (wanting to prevent change
and maintain present conditions) to reaction—wanting to recreate a lost past. The advocates of
restoring Czarist rule in Russia are reactionaries. While we’re on the subject, the term “proactive”
formed by analogy with “reactive” seems superfluous to many of us. Use “active,” “assertive,” or
“positive” whenever you can instead.
List of errors
file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/reactionary.html03/09/2005 15:39:29
probably

PROBABLY
The two Bs in this word are particularly difficult to pronounce in sequence, so the word often comes
out as “probly” and is even occasionally misspelled that way. When even the last B disappears, the
pronunciation “prolly” suggests drunken slurring or, at best, an attempt at humor.
List of errors
file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/probably.html03/09/2005 15:39:29
prodigy, progeny, protégé
PRODIGY/PROGENY/PROTÉGÉ
Your progeny are your kids, though it would be pretty pretentious to refer to them as such. If your
child is a brilliantly outstanding person he or she may be a child prodigy. In fact, anything amazingly
admirable can be a prodigy. But a person that you take under your wing in order to help promote his
or her career is your protégé.
List of errors
file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/prodigy.html03/09/2005 15:39:29
prone/supine
PRONE/SUPINE
“Prone” (face down) is often confused with “supine” (face up). “Prostrate” technically also means
“face down,” but is most often used to mean simply “devastated.”
See also “prostate/prostrate.”
List of errors
file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/prone.html03/09/2005 15:39:30