1. Access (approach) It is very difficult to have an access to the Prime Minister.

Excess (more than desired) Excess of everything is bad.

2. Accept (to take) The teachers accepted the invitation of the students on the Teacher’s
Day.
Except (leaving out) Everybody except Rahul was invited to the party.
Expect (hope) I never expected that my friends would desert me in the lurch.
3. Alter (change) Mohan is so obstinate that no one can alter his views.
Altar (place of worship) When I visited temple, I saw him kneeling at the altar.
4. Assent (agree) I got assent of my father to study in a boarding school.
Ascent (climbing up) The ascent to Kargil hills is very arduous.
5. Adopt (take up) One should not adopt the bad habits of others.
Adapt (adjust) One must learn to adapt oneself to the circumstances of life.
Adept (expert) Shruti is adept in the art of dancing
6. Apposite (suitable) Her remarks about the character of her friends are quite apposite.
Opposite (contrary) Sita’s behaviour is opposite to that of her brother.
7. Affect (verb) (to influence, to pretend) Continuous attack of asthma has affected his
health.
Effect (noun) (influence) Excessive hard work in life had adverse effect on her health.
8. Allusion (reference) The poem is explained properly by the help of many allusions.
Illusion (unreal) According to the Vedantists life is an illusion
9. Alternate (by turns) We have a moral science class on every alternate day.
Alternative (one of the two choices) There is no alternative to honesty in dealing with the
people
10. Artist (one who practises fine art) He is a frivolous artist.
Artiste (performing) There was no security for the artiste, who had come to perform for
the charity show.
Artisan (one who does handicraft) The artisans of Moradabad are very skillful.
11. Abstain [keep from things (eating, drinking, voting)] We should abstain from drinking.
Refrain (keep from bad habits) You should refrain from telling a lie
12. Avenge (just punishment) Hamlet delayed avenging the murder of his father.
Revenge (to punish out of personal grudge) He revenged himself on his enemy by
abducting his minor child.
13. Avert (to check) A little common sense averted a major mishap.
Advert (refer to) He adverted to the problem of Indian security in his speech.
14. Birth (to be born) The exact date of the birth of a person is known from his birth
certificate.
Berth (a seat in a train) I have got two berths booked in the Rajdhani Express
15. Beside (by the side of) He sat beside her father.
Besides (in addition to) Besides English she is also learning French.
16. Bear (tolerate, carry, give birth) Mohan cannot bear being insulted by his boss.
Bare (naked) He was bitten by a snake as he was bare foot.
17. Borne (carried) The dead body was borne by his friends.
Born (take birth) Pearl was born in Ashwini Hospital at Mumbai.
18. Caste (class of society) In ancient times people were divided into different castes
according to the work they did.
Cast (throw) We cast away old clothes and buy new ones.
Cost (price) The cost of living has risen a lot.
19. Cite (to quote) The advocate cited many examples to prove his case.
Site (place) It is a very spacious site for constructing a nursing home.
Sight (scenery, vision) The mutilated body of a child was a ghastly sight.
20. Cemetery (burial place) The dead body was taken to the cemetery for burial.
Symmetry (quality of harmony or balance in size and design) The building looks
exquisite only because of its remarkable symmetry.
21. Career (vocation, profession) If we want to make a good career we must work.
Carrier (that one carries) The goods were taken to the destination on public carrier.
22. Confident (certain, sure) I am very confident of my friend’s success in the interview.
Confidant (one who shares a secret) Once his confidant, now Dinesh is the arch enemy of
his mentor.
23. Compliment (regards) I complimented my friend on her success.
Complement (that completes) Both husband and wife are complement to each other
24. Contagious (that spreads by contact) Small pox is a contagious disease.
Contiguous (adjacent) New Delhi and Noida are contiguous.
25. Censure (blame, criticise) Censure motion tabled by the opposition fell through.
Censor (examination of films and plays) The film ‘The Bandit Queen’ has not been
approved of by the censor board.
26. Coarse (rough) Though he is quite rich, he wears coarse clothes.
Course (line of action) He has given up immoral course of life.
27. Disease (illness) My friend is suffering from an incurable disease.
Decease (death) On account of the decease of his father, the burden of the family fell on
his shoulders.
28. Deny [refers to past (action, knowledge)] She denied that she had gone to watch the
movie last night.
Refuse [refers to future (request, order)] Meeta refused that she would not return the
money.
29. Duel (fight between two persons) In ancient times many duels were fought in order to
settle disputes.
Dual (double) She follows dual policy and misguides her husband.
30. Decent (right and suitable) She always wears decent clothes.
Descent (coming down) The descent of the hill is very dangerous.
Dissent (disagreement) Only a few members expressed dissent to my suggestion.
31. Desert (noun) (sandy land) The government has greatly solved the problem of pure
drinking water in the desert.
Desert (verb) (leave) She was deserted by her husband.
Dessert (sweet dish) Dessert was served after dinner.
32. Doze (sleep) The teacher caught him dozing in the class.
Dose (of medicine) You should not take heavy dose of medicine.
33. Fair (a show, just, colour) Let us go to Nauchandi fair.
Fare (passage money, meal) There is a steep rise in railway fare.
34. Impossible (that is not possible) If we make up our mind and work hard, nothing is
impossible in this world.
Impassable (that cannot be passed through) Many passes in the Himalayas are
impassable during winter.
35. Maze (winding paths) The walled city is full of mazes.
Maize (a kind of corn) Maize grows in abundance in Africa.
36. Morale (the state of spirit, confidence) The morale of the army should always be high.
Moral (sense of right and wrong, lesson) We are advised to pursue a moral course of life.
37. Stationery (writing material) His father deals in office stationery.
Stationary (static, fixed) The Sun is stationary.
38. Storey (upper part of a building) He lives in the second storey of the house.
Story (tale) It is a very interesting story.
39. Suit (a set of clothes, a lawsuit) He presented me with a woollen suit.
Suite (a set of rooms) He has booked a suite in the hotel.
40. Severe (violent, rigorous) She is suffering from severe headache.
Sever (separate) You can never sever relations with your family.
41. Wave (sea or river wave) The waves rose sky high when the storm blew up.
Waive (remove, forgo) Government has at last agreed to waive excise duty on cloth