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As part of our series on tricky word pairs, this post will introduce 4 word groups/pairs that can be confusing and misleading. We will first go through each pair thoroughly to clarify their specific definitions and usage. At the end of the post, we will have a revision practice for you to test your knowledge.
1. Disingenuous VS Ingenuous VS Ingenious
Disingenuous: slightly dishonest Given that his brother and parents had invested large sums, it was disingenuous of him to claim that he had no personal financial interests in the project.
Ingenuous: naively trusting and honest His ingenuous attitude made him an easy victim for the manipulative efforts of more experienced politicians.
Ingenious: clever and inventive His ingenious design allowed his team to construct a removable bridge and cross the river faster than any of the competing teams.
2. Peremptory VS Preemptive
Peremptory: expecting to be obeyed immediately and without question The president’s peremptory clerk was continuously issuing commands to the gathering journalists.
Preemptive: something done to prevent or forestall another anticipated action. The city council decided to take preemptive action against the expected epidemy of heroin addiction.
3. Perspicacious VS Perspicuous
Perspicacious: having a quick understanding of things Realizing that land prices would increase drastically in the future, the perspicacious investor had bought most of the remaining land in the suburbs.
Perspicuous: clearly expressed and understood The good results of his students were mostly the result of his exceptionally perspicuous manner of teaching.
4. Insolent VS Indolent VS Insouciant VS Inchoate
Insolent: showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect; boldly disrespectful or contemptuous
The demanding customer may have been too pushy with his requests, but the management’s insolent reply was certainly unwarranted.
Indolent: lazy; averse to activity
These seemingly indolent young people who cannot bestir themselves from their beds and gadgets are frequently chided by the elderly who had to slog their teenage days away in the fields or mines.
Insouciant: nonchalent; showing a lack of concern
When pressed by her parents if she had passed her final examinations, Mary simply looked away and gave an insouciant shrug.
Inchoate: incipient; only partly in existence
Given that the committee is newly formed and still in its inchoate stages of development, we should probably lower our expectations and give it less pressure.
Now test your knowledge with these six sentences:
Disingenuous Indolent Peremptory Perspicacious Inchoate Insouciant Ingenuous Ingenious Preemptive Perspicuous Insolent
To familiarize yourself with other tricky words, click here.
Answers to the above:
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