More Confusing Words

Sometimes, in English, the noun and verb forms of a word are very similar. However, if you mix them up, you won’t sound very fluent. And these words are often used in tests of English proficiency (like the TOEFL iBT), so it’s worth mastering them.

Two words that are commonly confused are success and succeed. They are both positive words! However, success is a noun and succeed is a verb. Steve Jobs was a success. He succeeded because he was very creative. You want to be a success. You want to succeed at learning English. Everyone wants to succeed at their job. They want to achieve success. Notice that the verb succeed is usually followed by at or by. You succeed at your job. You succeed by working hard.

Also pay attention to the pronunciation of these words. Practice using both forms in sentences. And don’t forget the adjective form – successful – and the adverb form — successfully. A successful person is a person who succeeds at something. He has achieved success. He has done something successfully.

Two other words that are often confused are product and produce. Product is always a noun. Produce is usually a verb. Apple produces products like the iPhone. Nokia produces phones. H & M produces clothes. Phones are a product of Nokia. T-shirts are a product of H & M.

Remember that I said produce is usually a verb. If you pronounce it a little differently, with the emphasis on the first syllable, it can be used as a noun. The produce department in a grocery store is where you find fruits and vegetables. Markets sell produce like tomatoes, bananas, and lettuce.

If you take an English language test, you may well be asked a question which can be answered using these words. If you use them successfully, if you can produce a successful answer, you will sound much more fluent and you may succeed at passing the test.