Vocabulary Slideshow:Lesson 14: Frequently

Confused WordsBy: Amandla, Çemil &

Diego

Adverse

Adverse: (adjective) opposing; contrary to one’s interests; harmful or unfavorable.High interest rates

are adverse to those borrowing money.

Variation: Adversity: (noun)

Averse

Averse: (adjective) referring to a feeling of avoidance and dislike.The intensely private

businessman was averse to an type of publicity.

Variations: Aversion or averseness:

(noun)

Ingenious

Ingenious: (adjective) marked by inventive skill and imagination; extremely clever.The idea of using solar

cells to capture sunlight and convert it to other forms of energy is ingenious.

Variation: Ingenuity: (noun)

Ingenuous

Ingenuous: (adjective) unable to deceive; openly straight forward. The ingenuous five-year-

old had an unfortunate habit of revealing family secrets to the neighbors.

Variation: Ingenuousness: (noun)

Persecute

Persecute: (verb) to continuously mistreat or be cruel to someone; to annoy persistently.People who are

persecuted for their political beliefs may flee from their homelands.

Variation: Persecution: (noun)

Prosecute

Prosecute: (verb) To bring action against, in a court of law.The attorney general’s

office prosecuted company executives for deceiving stockholders.

Variations: Prosecution: (noun) Prosecutor: (noun)

Quorum

Quorum: (noun) the minimum number of people who must be present to make a decision. The bylaws of the

organization state that aquorum is the majority ofthe membership.

Quota

Quota: (noun) the amount of goods assigned to a person.During World War

II, federal quotas limited the amount of gasoline than an individual could purchase.

Respectfully

Respectfully: (adverb) with regard and esteem; politely.Marla respectfully

asked the people who were in front of her to let her pass and they did without complaint.

Variation: Respect: (noun or verb)

Respectively

Respectively: (adverb) referring to things or people in order givenKarl and James are

fans of different teams, the Lakers and the Clippers, respectively.

Variation: Respective: (adjective)

Billy and Jane, the green and red bird respectively, enjoy flying around the

jungle.