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Practise with a grammar game

(1) accept and agree.

accept
verb
to agree to take (something), or to take (something) as satisfactory, reasonable, true, etc.

			The former minister faces seven charges of accepting bribes. [T]
			Do you accept credit cards? [T]
			She was in London to accept an award for her latest novel. [T]
			As a token of our gratitude for all the work you have done, we would like you to accept this small gift. [T]
			I offered her an apology but she wouldn't accept it. [T]
			The new telephones will accept (=take) coins of any denomination. [T]
			I accept (=take) full responsibility for the failure of the plan. [T]
			The manuscript was accepted for publication last week. [T]
			She was accepted as (=It was agreed that she could be) a full member of the society. [T]
			His fellow workers refused to accept him (=to include him as one of their group). [T]
			He still hasn't accepted the situation (=realized that he cannot change it). [T]
			The police refused to accept (=believe) her version of the story. [T]
			I can't accept (=make myself believe) that there's nothing we can do. [+ that clause]
			I don't accept (=agree) that government policy is at fault. [+ that clause]

agree
verb [I]
to have the same opinion, or to accept (a suggestion or idea)

			I know what you think we should do, but I'm afraid I don't agree.
			Ann and I never seem to agree.
			I agree about Claire - she's not the right person for this job.
			If you agree with an idea, action or organization, you approve of it.
			I agree with letting children learn at their own pace. [I]
			My father and I don't agree on very much. [I]
			I agree whole-heartedly with Paul. [I]
			All the members of the jury agree that Mr Thomas is guilty. [+ that clause]
			Experts seem unable to agree whether the drug is safe or not. [+ wh- word]
			"You're absolutely right," agreed George. [+ clause]
			I suggested that we should meet, and they agreed (=said yes). [I]
			The bank has agreed (=is willing) to lend me £5000 to buy a new car. [+ to infinitive]

(British) To agree something is to accept it.

We finally agreed a deal.

To agree to something is to agree it.

Both sides in the conflict have agreed to the terms of the peace treaty.

(2) avoid and prevent.

avoid
verb [T]
to stay away from (someone or something), or prevent (something) from happening or not allow yourself to do (something)

			You really should avoid him - he'll only try to borrow money from you.
			Do you think Tim's avoiding me? I haven't seen him for a month.
			I try to avoid supermarkets on Saturdays - they're always so busy.
			I try to avoid going shopping on Saturdays. [+ v-ing]
			The report studiously avoided any mention of the controversial plan. [T]
			The plane narrowly avoided disaster when one of the engines cut out on take-off. [T]
			I left the pub to avoid a fight (=prevent a fight from happening).
			Unnecessary paperwork should be avoided (=prevented) at all costs.
			The politicians were anxious to avoid (=prevent) the embarrassment of an environmental disaster.

prevent
verb [T]
to stop (something) happening or (someone) doing something

			Label your suitcases to prevent confusion.
			His disability prevents him from walking.
			BRITISH Are you trying to prevent me speaking? [+ obj + v-ing]

(3) borrow and lend.

borrow (RECEIVE)
verb
to get or receive (something) from someone with the intention of giving it back after a period of time

			Could I borrow your bike from (NOT STANDARD off) you until next week? [T]
			She used to borrow money and not bother to pay it back. [T]
			Brazil has had to borrow heavily to survive. [I]
			He borrowed (=took away for a particular period) a novel from the library. [T]
			FIGURATIVE English has borrowed (=takes and uses as its own) (many words) from French. [I/T]

lend
verb
to give (something) to someone for a short period of time, expecting it to be given back

			She doesn't like lending her books. [T]
			If you need a coat I can lend you one/lend one to you. [+ two objects]

A bank or other organization that lends gives money to you and you agree that you will pay the money back in the future, usually with additional money added to the original amount.

			The bank refuses to lend to students. [I]
			The bank agreed to lend him $5000/lend $5000 to him. [+ two objects]

Common Errors in English.

(4) comprehensive and understanding.

comprehensive (FULL)
adjective
complete and including everything that is necessary

			We offer you a comprehensive training in all aspects of the business.
			Is this list comprehensive or are there some names missing?
			He has written a fully comprehensive guide to Rome.

understanding
adjective APPROVING
An understanding person is good at knowing how someone else is feeling or what their situation is, and can forgive them if they do something wrong.

			He had expected her to be horrified, but she was actually very understanding.
			He gave me an understanding smile.

(5) rob and steal.

rob
verb [T]
to take money or property illegally from (a place, organization or person), often using threats or violence

			The terrorists financed themselves by robbing banks.
			My wallet's gone! I've been robbed!
			They robbed the company of £2 million.

steal (TAKE AWAY)
verb
to take (something) without the permission or knowledge of the owner and keep it

			The boys were charged with stealing bikes from a house in Summerhill Rd. [T]
			The number of cars which are stolen every year has risen considerably. [T]
			She came home to find she'd had her TV and video stolen (=someone had stolen them). [T]
			When the book was published we found that the author had stolen several of our ideas. [T]
			The firm is now accusing a small band of its former employees of stealing trade secrets. [T]
			They were so hungry they had to steal in order to eat. [I]
			He has been convicted of stealing. [I]

Common Errors in English.

(6) sensible and sensitive.

sensible
adjective
Sensible means based on or acting on good judgment and practical ideas or understanding.

			a sensible answer/approach/compromise/option
			an eminently sensible solution
			a sensible person
			The sensible place to start is at the beginning.
			I think the sensible thing to do is phone before you go and ask for directions.
			It would be sensible to take an umbrella.
			"I'll go by train." "That seems sensible - the traffic will be terrible over the Christmas weekend."

sensitive (KIND)
adjective
understanding what other people need, and being helpful and kind to them

			Dr Abraham said he hoped teachers would be sensitive to signs of stress in children at exam time.
			Representatives of the company claim their plan will be sensitive to local needs.
			We are sensitive to the needs and expectations of our customers.
			In the movie, he plays a concerned and sensitive father trying to bring up two teenage children on his own.

sensitive (UPSET)
adjective
(of people) easily upset, esp. by things that are said or done, or (of things) causing people to be upset or producing a difficult or embarrassing situation.

			Her reply showed that she was very sensitive to criticism.
			He was very sensitive about his scar and thought everyone was staring at him.
			Sex education and birth control are sensitive issues for the anti-abortion movement.
			A car from the army base at Aldershot has been stolen together with military documents described as very sensitive.
			The scandal comes at an especially sensitive time for the government.

To see many examples of the use of these words, see the Web Concordancer. Type any of the words into the 'search string' field, select any corpus in the 'select corpus' field, and then click on the 'search for concordances' button.