In Chapter 8 we examined words that sound the same; in this unit, we’ll learn to tell apart words that look the same—like members of the same family that all have the same peculiar nose. Some of these words are pretty common. Others are words we read more often than we hear, so when it comes time to use one, we often confuse it with one of its close cousins. But even though the words look alike, they can’t do the same things in our sentences: just like two twins won’t do the same things if one happens to be a plumber and the other happens to be a ballet dancer.

Here’s Why: “To adapt” means to adjust to something or to make something suitable. “To adopt” means to accept or to take as one’s own. In this sentence, we’re talking about Quentin adjusting to the behavior of the children, not taking their behavior as his own—another possibility, and a humorous one, but not the intended meaning here. A few additional correct examples are:

Here’s Why: With these three words, one little syllable makes all the difference. “Illusions” are false impressions. “Delusions” are closely related—they are also false impressions—but “delusion” also conveys a sense of being acted upon, as when a person’s delusions of grandeur make her give up her day job. “Allusions” are completely different. They are indirect references to something, which is what’s happening in the example sentence—the speaker makes indirect references to his book. So “allusions” is the right choice. Here’s another correct example of each:

Here’s Why: Boy, you don’t want to confuse these two nouns. “Assignation” means the act of making an assignment. But is also means a tryst or an arranged meeting, usually between two lovers. “Assignment” refers to the task itself that someone has given you to do. Now it’s possible to have an assignation as your assignment if you are, say, a spy or something. But even then, the words aren’t interchangeable. So here, where we’re talking about a regular old project that Lee has been given to do, “assignment” is what we want. Additional correct examples are:

Here’s Why: “Childish” and “childlike” both describe the qualities of children, but they have very different meanings. “Childish” is a negative reference to children’s lack of maturity, their silliness. “Childlike” is a positive reference to the innocence and unselfconsciousness of children. So in this sentence, where the intent is clearly to describe the doctor in positive terms, “childlike” is the appropriate choice. Additional correct examples are:

Here’s Why: There’s a very subtle shade of difference here. “Continuously” refers to something that goes on without any interruption whatsoever. “Continually” refers to something that recurs at frequent intervals. In this case, the meaning is that many calls came in—at intervals that were too short for her father’s liking. So “continually” is correct. Other correct examples are:

Here’s Why: “Credulous” means to be gullible, ready to believe just about anything, as in a credulous child. “Credible” means to be worthy of belief, as in a credible story. And “creditable” means to be worthy of receiving credit or praise, as in a creditable effort on a job. In this case, where the meaning is that a man is playing a woman’s part, the issue is one of believability, and so “credible” is the most appropriate choice. We could also have given the sentence a slightly different sense by saying that his performance was “creditable,” meaning that it was worthy of praise. But “credulous,” meaning gullible, just doesn’t work. Here’s another correct use of each:

Here’s Why: These two words are the opposite numbers of “credible” and “credulous.” “Incredible” means not credible or not believable, without credibility. It is often applied in a positive sense to things that are so good they’re almost unbelievable—his luck is incredible—but the true sense of the word is “not believable.” “Incredulous,” on the other hand, means skeptical, unwilling to believe—the opposite of credulous, which means that someone is too ready to believe. In this sentence, we’re not talking about a person’s being skeptical, we’re talking about an excuse being unbelievable, so “incredible” is correct. Other correct examples are:

Here’s Why: An “elegy” is a song or poem that mourns one who has died. A “eulogy” is a formal statement or speech expressing praise. Eulogies, of course, are often given at funerals, where the idea is to remember and praise the person who has died. But the word also applies to happier circumstances. One might, for instance, give a eulogy for an honored guest at a dinner. Here are additional correct examples:

Here’s Why: An “epitaph” is an inscription on a tombstone in memory of the deceased. An “epithet” is a characterization, often negative, of a person. “Rosy-cheeked” and “slimeball” are epithets. Here are additional correct examples of each:

Here’s Why: “Flaunt” means to show off, which is what this guy was doing with his new physique. “Flout,” on the other hand, means to go against and show contempt for tradition, rules, or authority, as in James Dean played rebels who flouted tradition. A few more correct examples are:

Here’s Why: “Luxuriant” means growing profusely. “Luxurious” means supplied with extreme comfort or luxury. So unless Sheila’s hotel was growing profusely, “luxurious” is the word we want. Additional correct examples are:

Here’s Why: “Moral” is both an adjective and a noun. The adjective “moral” is used to describe something as either virtuous or as concerned somehow with good and bad, right and wrong. The noun “moral” means the lesson derived from a fable or event, as in the moral of the story is.... The plural noun “morals” refers to the combined qualities that make a person virtuous, as in Have you no morals? or He was a person of high income but low morals. “Morale,” on the other hand, is a noun referring to the state of mind, the attitude of a person or a group. In this sentence, we’re clearly talking about the group’s attitude improvement once suits and ties go by the wayside. Other correct examples are:

Here’s Why: “Periodic” is an adjective referring to something that happens at regular intervals, such as periodic visits to the dentist. But “periodical” is a noun used only for publications, such as magazines, which appear at regular intervals. A few more examples of these including the related adverb “periodically” are:

Here’s Why: “Prosecute” means to bring legal action against someone who is charged with a crime. “Persecute” means to harass someone for her beliefs or characteristics, which is why it’s correct in this sentence. Other correct examples are:

Here’s Why: “Proceed” means to move forward. “Precede” means to come before something else.” In this sentence, we’re talking about getting on with the meeting, so “proceed” is the word we want. Additional correct examples are:

Here’s Why: “Respective” is a term of separation or comparison, as in they went to their respective seats, and they were paid in accordance with their respective ranks. “Respectful” means to be full of respect. So in this case, where respect for one’s wishes is the issue, “respectful” is the appropriate choice. Additional correct examples are:

Here’s Why: “Sensual” means pertaining to the senses, especially the sexual sense of senses. In 1641, John Milton made up the word “sensuous” in order to avoid the sexual connotations of “sensual” in one of his poems—and the word stuck. (Isn’t English great?) These two words are very closely related, but the rule of thumb is that you use “sensuous” when you are referring to something giving pure aesthetic pleasure, and “sensual” when you wish to imply a more sexual meaning or to imply that the feeling involved is purely physical. Here are a few examples:

One word of warning on “sensual/sensuous”: because the two words are so often confused, and because “sensual” very frequently has a sexual association, many people are likely to assume that you intend a sexual implication when you use either word. (This is a common, if unfortunate, process as a language changes: Whenever a word becomes associated with a sexual meaning, that meaning tends to become the dominant one.) If you want to be extra cautious, then, you might want to avoid “sensuous” altogether when you’re talking about chocolate or music rather than a lingerie catalog.

Here’s Why: You know what “simple” means: modest, uncomplicated, free of ornamentation. It’s “simplistic” that throws people off. It’s not just another word for simple—it’s a negative term meaning something that has been oversimplified by ignoring complexity. Here in the example sentence, the speaker is looking for a simple answer, not one so oversimplified as to be unhelpful. Here are a few more examples:

Here’s Why: If you’re “uninterested” in something, that means it doesn’t interest you; it bores you. That’s the meaning the sentence requires here. “Disinterested” means something quite different—that someone is impartial and unbiased: Jill can’t give you disinterested advice about Bob, since he owes her money and ran over her cat with his truck. Here, Jill can’t claim to be disinterested. or impartial because she too obviously has good grounds to bear a grudge against Bob. Other correct examples are: