excuse:“原谅”，指有意放过人们在社会，习俗方面的具体行为。如错误，疏忽或失职，不予以指责和惩罚。常用词组：excuse for原谅；excuse from/to do免除。如：Please excuse me for using your telephone without asking permission. I thought you wouldn't mind.请原谅，我没有得到你的允许就用了你的电话，我想你不会介意吧！The meeting lasted so long that Mr. Laurence had to excuse himself to keep an appointment.会开了好久，因此劳伦斯为了赶另一个约会，不得不请求先行离去。
forgive:“饶恕，宽恕，赦免”，感情色彩较浓，表示不但放弃一切报复要求，而且打消一切复仇的心理，不再愤恨，强调主观和内心的宽恕。She was so kind as to forgive her intimate friend who had betrayed her when she was in a great difficulty.她如此善良，竟能原谅在她处境最艰难时背叛她的挚友。He forgave injuries so readily that he might be said to invite them.他如此爽快地宽恕了那些伤害，简直可以说，他是在招惹伤害。
pardon:“原谅，宽恕”，正式用语，指放弃处罚要求，予以赦免，尤其指由上级按法律正式赦免过失或过错。作原谅讲时，同excuse。It became necessary to fly our lives, but we couldn't expect to be pardoned.我们有必要逃命，但我们不能指望得到宽恕。Please pardon my asking, but isn't my text book on your desk?对不起，请问，我的课本是在你的桌子上吗？
2、easy, easily
easy作副词用时，不能与easily混淆。easy作副词用时主要用于口语和习语中，常与单音节的简单动词连用。它有“轻易地，安适地，慢慢地，小心地”等含义。如：We often talk about reducing our costs, but it is easier said than done.我们经常谈论降低成本，但说来容易做来难。Take it easy!别紧张！Easy come, easy go.来得容易去得快。Go easy here!走慢一点！
easily是在表示“容易地，舒适地”等意义的easy的基础上通过加后缀构成的副词。在表示“不费力地，毫无困难地”等意义时，相当于with ease。它还有“舒适地，流畅地，顺利地，很可能”等意义。如：He won the match easily.他轻而易举地赢得了比赛。The machine is running easily.机器运转得很好。He may easily be late today.今天他很可能迟到。
3、each, every
这两者都表示“每个”，有时可互换，有时却不能。
1). each可作形容词及代词，而every只能作形容词，但它可与-one，-body，-thing等构成合成代词。each 用在代词或复数名词前要用介词of连接，如each of them, each of the boys; 而every则不能直接跟of 连接，如不可说every of them，而要说every one of them或each of them。
2). each通常用指两个人或物，而every则指三个或三个以上的人或物，不能指两者。如each end of the bridge和each side of the road中的each均不能用every代替。
3). each指一个整体中的每一个，强调个体；而every着重于全体的总和，强调整体。试比较： Each has a different book. （强调各有不同。） Here every child at the age of six can go to school. （侧重整体，无一例外。）
4)．every另可表示“每隔”，后接基数词加复数名词，或接序数词加单数名词，如：every four weeks, every three months等，此种结构中的every不能用each代替。
4、economic, economical
两个词都可译成“经济的”，但含义不同。economic用以指与贸易、工业或财富等有关的“经济上的”或“有关经济学方面”的意义，一般用作定语。如：They are faced with many economic problems.他们面临许多经济问题。The country is in a bad economic state, so we must reduce profits.国家经济状况不佳，所以我们应减少利润。
economical则指与“节约”同义的“经济”，相当于not wasteful。既可指人也可指物，既可作表语也可作定语。如：This is an economical stove.这是一种经济煤炉。She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她是一个节俭的家庭主妇，她全家的花销不大。
5、each other, one another
这两个代词词组都作“互相”解，较多地在句子中充当宾语。each other一般只用于两个人或事物之间，one another则用于超过两个人或事物的场合。试比较：Wagner and Strauss often exchanged gifts with each other. （指两者。）The members in our group learned from one another. （指超过两者。）又如：They sat down opposite to each other.他们相对而坐。They were not suited to each other.他们俩不合适。We have known one another since we were children.我们在小的时候就相互认识了。这两个词组的差别目前已不是很严格，有时可互相替换。
6、effective, efficient
这两个形容词虽然都可译成“有效的”，但含义有所不同。effective指某物有一种显著的，预期的效果或是取得了预期的效果，它还可表示“有战斗力的，得力的”的意思。如：Her efforts to improve the school have been very effective.他为改善学校而做出的努力是卓有成效的。This machine is an effective remedy for acid indigestion.这是一种治疗胃酸过多的良药。He has become an effective assistant.他已成为一名得力的助手。
efficient主要指某人办事效率高，不浪费时间和精力等，也可指机械设备“有效率的”。如：A good leader should be both competent and efficient.一名好领导应该精明能干，办事效率高。Our efficient new machines are much cheaper to run.我们所买的高效机器运转消耗要小得多。
7、elder, older
这两个词皆是形容词的比较形式。1)．elder为“年长的”，只指人，用来比较年龄长幼，尤指兄弟姐妹的长幼关系。它只能用在名词前作定语，不能用于than引导的比较状语从句。older为“年纪较大的，较老的，较旧的”，可指人也可指物，可作定语也可作表语，能用在than引导的 比较状语从句中。 Which is the elder of the two sisters?两姐妹中，谁是姐姐？ The older of the two sisters led me into the sitting-room.两姐妹中的姐姐把我领进了客厅。
2)． eldest和oldest的区别也是如此：前者表示年龄的长幼关系，后者表示年龄及时间或年代上的长久。 如： She has three children, and her eldest has just started school. 她有三个孩子，最大的刚开始读书。 It is the oldest building in our college. 这是我们学院最旧的楼。
8、exhausted, tired, tiresome
这三个词都与“疲劳，疲倦”有关。exhausted:“筋疲力尽的，疲惫不堪的”，语气最强。形容人因劳累过度而再无剩余精力或耐力继续做某事。在句中可作表语，状语。当它形容物，如资源等时，意为“耗尽的，用光的”。The athletes were too much exhausted to wake easily when once asleep.运动员们疲惫不堪，一旦入睡便很难醒来。The enemy troops being exhausted and demoralized, our troops won a series of victories.敌军疲惫不堪，士气低落，我军连战皆捷。
tired:“累的，疲倦的”，普通用词，泛指由于工作紧张或其他原因导致的疲乏，在英语中，也可表示“厌倦，不耐烦。常用于下列短语：be tired of (doing) sth. 厌倦做某事。I'm sure you must be tired after cycling all that distance.骑了那么远路，我想你肯定累坏了。When I first got to Wisconsin, I was tired of eating such kind of food as hamburger every day.初到威斯康星时，我对每天都吃汉堡类食品而感到厌倦。
tiresome:“令人厌倦的，讨厌的”，描写毫无趣味，易让人生厌的人或事物，也指单调重复的工作使人感到疲劳。The difficulty of grasping abstract statements made my learning very tiresome.难以理解的抽象表述使我对学习感到厌烦。The lecture lasted three hours and it was really tiresome.讲座持续了三个小时，的确令人劳累。
9、electric, electrical
1 ). electric为“电的，用电的，带电的”，指任何电动的或发电的装置，被修饰的物体本身可带电。如: electric light, electric stove, electric piano, electric motor, electric bell。又如： Please connect the two electric wires.请将这两根电线接起来。 With this electric blanket, the grandpa won't feel cold in winter.有了电热毯，到了冬天爷 爷就不觉得冷了。
2)． electrical为“电的，与电有关的，电气科学的”，指与电有关的事物，被修饰的词本身并不能带电。 如：electrical engineer, electrical energy, electrical engineering。又如： All the electrical work was done by my younger brother.所有的电工活都由弟弟来干。 He buried himself in an electrical book.他埋头读一本电学方面的书。
10、especial, special
在表示事物不寻常，过分或特殊时，这两个词可以互换使用，只是special较especial普遍。不过，我们通常用special表示一种特别的目的。如：She paid special (especial) attention to clothes.她特别讲究穿着。That's my father's special chair in his office.那是我父亲办公室的专用椅子。These are special shoes made for John.这是专门为约翰做的鞋子。
11、energy, strength, power
energy为“精力，活力，能量”，指人或动物所积蓄的内在或释放的活力，也指物理学上的能量。strength为“力气，力量”发挥的内在素质与体质，也可指物理学上的强度。试比较：He has so much energy that he can work as hard as three men. （energy指精力）The successful carrying out of the work is due to his youth and energy. （energy指活力）The energy of the sun has been widely used now. （energy指能量）All the passengers pushed the bus with all their strength, but it refused to move. （strength指力气）As the saying goes, Unity is strength, let us work hard together to overcome the difficulties. （strength指强度。）
