Over the years, I\u2019ve come across many common language mistakes made by non-native speakers of English. The incorrect use of words and phrases in English can confuse the readers or mislead them. To clear this confusion and help you master the English language, I\u2019ve discussed some examples of commonly confused words.<\/p>\n
The word \u201camount\u201d is used\u00a0with quantities that\u00a0cannot\u00a0be counted, for example, money, information, time, etc.<\/p>\n
Example:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>We received an enormous amount <\/u>of help from our university. <\/em><\/p>\n The word \u201cnumber\u201d is used\u00a0with quantities that can be counted, for example, job, sample, machine, etc.<\/p>\n Example:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0I had a small number<\/u> of specimens left.<\/em><\/p>\n Therefore, \u201cnumber\u201d and \u201camount\u201d should not be used interchangeably since they are used depending on whether the accompanying noun is a countable or an uncountable noun.<\/p>\n The word \u201chypothesis\u201d is a guess based on knowledge and experience, which has yet to be tested or proved.<\/p>\n Example<\/em><\/strong>: His\u00a0hypothesis<\/u>\u00a0was that giving his students less work would increase their test scores.<\/em><\/p>\n The word \u201ctheory\u201d is a scientific idea that has been repeatedly tested and is supported by evidence.<\/p>\n Example<\/em><\/strong>: Scientists hold the\u00a0theory<\/u>\u00a0of evolution in high regard.<\/em><\/p>\n A good way of remembering the difference between the two words is to think of \u201chypothesis\u201d as the first step toward establishing a \u201ctheory.\u201d This is because an established scientific idea usually originates from an educated guess.<\/p>\n The word \u201cdiscreet\u201d means careful not to attract attention.<\/p>\n Example<\/em><\/strong>: Discreet <\/u>observation of the patient enabled the doctors to draw vital conclusions. <\/em><\/p>\n The word \u201cdiscrete\u201d means separate and distinct.<\/p>\n Example<\/em><\/strong>: The organisms can be classified into discrete<\/u> categories.<\/em><\/p>\n These two words are often confused since they look similar. However, their meanings are vastly different; so they must be used carefully. Such word pairs that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings are called \u201chomophones.\u201d<\/p>\n The word \u201cold\u201d means of an earlier period, belonging to the past, or no longer in general use; for example, \u201can old song\u201d or \u201cold clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n Example<\/em><\/strong>: Some old<\/u> theories suggested that the earth was flat. <\/em><\/p>\n On the other hand, the word \u201coriginal\u201d means the first of its kind or from which a copy or revision is made; for example, \u201cthe original statement\u201d or \u201cthe original work of art.\u201d<\/p>\n Example<\/em><\/strong>: The team replicated the original<\/u> research to confirm its validity. <\/em><\/p>\n To make this distinction clearer, here\u2019s another example:<\/p>\n Avoid: As we had stated in the old manuscript<\/u>, each patient was administered the same dosage during the study period. <\/em><\/p>\n Better: As we had stated in the original manuscript<\/u>, each patient was administered the same dosage during the study period.<\/em><\/p>\n The above example refers to a document that has been revised. Therefore, the word \u201coriginal\u201d is more appropriate to describe the manuscript than the word \u201cold.\u201d<\/p>\n The meaning of the phrase \u2018as a result\u2019 is because of. It is used when implying that one event is the cause of another.<\/p>\n Example<\/em><\/strong>: \u2018The results of the experiment were inconclusive. As a result<\/u>, the research had to be repeated.<\/em><\/p>\n This sentence implies that because the results were inconclusive, the research had to be conducted again.<\/p>\n On the other hand, the phrases \u2018based on the results\u2019 and \u2018the results revealed\u2019 refer to inferences drawn from certain results.<\/p>\n Example<\/em><\/strong>: \u2018Based on the results of the experiment, we concluded that bats are nocturnal creatures.\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n This implies that the results of the mentioned experiment indicated that bats are nocturnal.<\/p>\n Since the phrases \u201cas a result\u201d and \u201cbased on the results\u201d or \u201cthe results revealed\u201d have different implications, they cannot be used interchangeably.<\/p>\n “A number of” is a synonym for “many” and is always treated as plural.<\/p>\n Example:<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>A number of studies have reported that ….<\/p>\n “The number of” refers to the exact number that makes up a specific group, and is treated as singular.<\/p>\n Example:<\/em><\/strong> The number of participants in each arm was over 500 throughout the trial.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Over the years, I\u2019ve come across many common language mistakes made by non-native speakers of English. The incorrect use of words and phrases in English can confuse the readers or mislead them. To clear this confusion and help you master the English language, I\u2019ve discussed some examples of commonly confused words. What is the\u00a0difference between […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":33313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2375],"tags":[2605,212],"new_categories":[],"new_tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-1963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-grammar-language","tag-academic-writing","tag-language-tips"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is the difference between \u201chypothesis\u201d and \u201ctheory\u201d?<\/h2>\n
What is the difference between \u201cdiscreet\u201d and \u201cdiscrete\u201d?<\/h2>\n
What is the difference between \u201cold\u201d and \u201coriginal\u201d?<\/h2>\n
What is the difference between \u201cas a result\u201d and \u201cbased on the results\u201d?<\/h2>\n
What is the difference between “a number of” and “the number of”?<\/h2>\n