Words that are easily confused
Advanced pairs like imply/infer, economic/economical and adapt/adopt.
Even at C1, some pairs of words trip up nearly everybody: imply and infer, economic and economical, continual and continuous. They often come from the same root and look almost identical, but their meanings are different – and Part 1 knows it.
Verbs
Adjectives
How it comes up in Part 1
In Part 1 you choose the word (A, B, C or D) that best fits each gap. The four options often have similar meanings, so knowing which words go together is what gets you the mark.
A economical B economic C economy D economist
Economical means saving money.
A historical B historic C history D historian
Historical interest is interest in the past. "Historic" means very important, as in a historic day.
A adopted B adapted C adjusted D accepted
To adopt a policy is to start using it.
Common mistakes
- ✗ From his speech, he inferred that taxes would rise.✓ In his speech, he implied that taxes would rise.The speaker implies; the listener infers.
- ✗ She's very sensible – she cries at sad films.✓ She's very sensitive.Sensitive means easily affected by emotions.
- ✗ The government's economical policy…✓ The government's economic policy…Economic = connected with the economy.
- ✗ He denied to answer the question.✓ He refused to answer the question.Refuse to do something; deny doing something.
For each confusing pair, learn one clear example sentence by heart – 'an economical car', 'a historic day'. In the exam, the example will come back to you faster than a definition.
Quick check
Choose the word that best fits each gap.
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