Tài liệu Cách dùng tiếng Anh P3 ppt

although / though


As conjunctions, although and though are generally interchangeable:
Although (or though) she smiled, she was angry. Although usually occurs at
the beginning of its clause (as in the preceding example), whereas though
may occur elsewhere and is the more common term when used to link
words or phrases, as in wiser though poorer. In certain constructions only
though is acceptable: Fond though (not although) I am of sports, I’d rather
not sit through another basketball game
 
 
 
altogether / all together


If you and your local scout troop go all together on a hike, you may be
altogether tired when you get back. As this example shows, altogether and
all together do not mean the same thing. We use all together to indicate
that the members of a group perform or undergo an action collectively: The
nations stood all together. The prisoners were herded all together. We use
all together only in sentences that can be rephrased so that all and together
may be separated by other words. Thus you can tell that all together is
correct in the sentence The books lay all together in a heap since you can
rephrase it as All the books lay together in a heap.
The adverb altogether, on the other hand, has several different meanings.
It’s easy to see how confusion might arise with the phrase all together
when we use altogether to mean “all told, in all”: Altogether, there were fifty
people at the wedding. Most frequently, however, we use altogether as a
synonym for entirely or completely: The researchers tried an altogether
different approach this time. But we can also use it as a sentence adverb

meaning “with everything considered, on the whole”: Altogether, I can
understand why she took offense



anticipate


Some people hold that you should never use anticipate as a synonym for
expect, as in We didn’t anticipate that it would take so long to drive across
Ohio. They would restrict its use to situations in which advance action is
taken either to forestall an occurrence (as in She anticipated her
opponent’s next move) or to fulfill a desire (as in He anticipated my wish by
making reservations at the Mexican restaurant). In earlier surveys,
however, a majority of the Usage Panel accepted the use of anticipate to
mean “to feel or to realize beforehand” and “to look forward to.” Thus by
their lights it is OK to say They really anticipate the joys of homeownership
or We’re anticipating a larger turnout at this year’s school fair
unanticipated


The word unanticipated, however, is not established as a synonym for
unexpected. Seventy-seven percent of the Usage Panel rejected the
sentence They always set aside a little extra food for unanticipated guests,
inasmuch as guests for whom advance provision has been made cannot be
said to be unanticipated, though they may very well be unexpected


anxious

People have been using anxious as a synonym for eager for over 250
years, and for over 100 years language critics have been objecting to it.
Objectors feel that anxious should be used only when the person it refers to
is worried or uneasy about the upcoming event. By this thinking, it is OK to
say We are anxious to see the strike settled soon but not We are anxious
to see the new show of contemporary sculpture at the museum. The Usage
Panel splits down the middle on this issue. Just 52 percent accept anxious
in the second example
So left to your own devices, what should you do? Using anxious to mean
“eager” can have its own effectiveness, at least in colloquial discourse,
since it adds emotional urgency to an assertion. It implies that the subject
so strongly desires a certain outcome that frustration of that desire will lead
to unhappiness. In this way, it resembles the informal adjective dying in
sentences such as I’m dying to see your new baby. So use anxious when it
fits your purpose.

apparent


You might think that the meaning of a word like apparent would be, well,
apparent. But language is never that easy. Used before a noun, apparent
means “seeming”: For all his apparent wealth, Pat always had trouble
paying the rent. Used after a form of the verb be, however, apparent can
mean either “seeming” (as in His virtues are only apparent) or “obvious” (as
in The effects of the drought are apparent to anyone who sees the parched
fields), so be careful that the meaning you want is clear from the context
 
 
 

 
arrant / errant


If you’re unsure of the difference between these words, don’t feel bad.
Arrant was once a variant spelling of errant, which meant and still means
“wandering.” Thus an errant (or an arrant) thief was a bandit who roved the
countryside. It was not a far stretch from this use to the meaning “notorious,
outright, thoroughgoing,” which is the meaning that arrant developed and
kept. Now if you wander and rove, you can only be errant. And if you want
an intensive adjective to add spice to insults, you want arrant. An arrant
fool is a complete one.
 
 
 
assure / ensure / insure


Assure, ensure, and insure all mean “to make secure or certain.” Only
assure is used with reference to a person in the sense of “to set the mind at
rest”: The ambassador assured the Prime Minister of his loyalty. Although
ensure and insure are generally interchangeable, only insure is now widely
used in American English in the commercial sense of “to guarantee
persons or property against risk.” If you want to keep them straight, it may
be easier just to give these words separate roles: I assure you that we have
insured the grounds to ensure that we will be protected in case of a lawsuit
stemming from an accident
 
 
 

awhile / a while


People often confuse the adverb awhile with the noun phrase a while. This
is hardly surprising because they sound the same and the noun phrase can
function like an adverb. In many cases both forms are acceptable. You can
say It took a while to get down the hill, where a while functions like other
noun phrases such as an hour or a long time. You can also say It took
awhile to get down the hill, where awhile functions like the adverb phrase
quite long or the comparative adverb longer
You may want to be careful using a while after prepositions, where
traditional grammar calls for a noun as object. Thus you should write I’ll
stay for a while, but not I’ll stay for awhile. Without the preposition, either
form is acceptable: I’ll stay a while or I’ll stay awhile


backward / backwards


You can spell the adverb backward or backwards. The forms are
interchangeable: stepped backward, a mirror facing backwards. But in
Standard English the adjective has no -s: a backward view


bad / badly


Bad is often used as an adverb in sentences such as The house was
shaken up pretty bad or We need water bad. This usage is common in
informal speech but is widely regarded as unacceptable in formal writing. In

an earlier survey, 92 percent of the Usage Panel rejected the sentence His
tooth ached so bad he could not sleep
want badly
The use of badly with want was once considered incorrect but is now
entirely acceptable. So don’t feel bad if you find yourself wanting to go to
the beach badly
feel badly
If you say I feel bad, people may think you have a cold, or they may just as
likely think your spirits need a lift. But what if you say I feel badly? Will you