This is a guide to help learners communicate easily in both speech and writing through a better understanding of the English language.
Complement / supplement
Complement is the number or quantity needed to make a group complete.
Each new cell will carry its full complement of chromosomes.
Supplement is something that you add to something else to improve it or make it complete.
We need vitamins and other dietary supplements.
Comprehensible / comprehensive
‘Comprehensible’ means ‘easy to understand.’
The minister’s speech was slurred and barely comprehensible.
‘Comprehensive’ means ‘including all the necessary facts, details or problems that need to be dealt with.’
The bank offers its customers a comprehensive range of financial products.
Comprise / consist of
‘Comprise’ means ‘to consist of particular parts or groups.’
The house comprises three bedrooms, a kitchen and a living room.
‘Consist of’ means ‘to be formed from two or more things or people.’
The audience consisted mainly of teenagers.
Concave / convex
A concave surface is curved inwards in the middle, as in a concave lens.
‘Convex’ means ‘curved outwards, like the surface of the eye’ as in convex mirrors.
Concise / succinct
‘Concise’ means ‘expressing a lot in a few words.’ ‘Succinct’ also means ‘expressing much in a few words, characterised by brevity and suggests compactness.’
Your summary should be as clear and concise as possible.
He gave a succinct explanation.
Confidant / confidante /confident
A confidant is someone you tell your secrets to or who you talk to about personal matters.
A confidante is a female confidant.
‘Confident’ means ‘sure that something will happen in the way you want or expect.’
The company is confident of success.
Connection / connexion
‘Connection’ means ‘the way in which two facts, ideas or events are related to each other.’
There is a causal connection between smoking and cancer.
‘Connexion’ is a British spelling of ‘connection.’
‘In connection with’ is a tiresome phrase frequently used in sloppy English. Instead of saying ‘I want to speak to you in connection with the matter we discussed yesterday,’ say: ‘I want to speak to you about the matter we discussed yesterday.’
Connote / denote
If a word connotes something, it makes you think of qualities and ideas that are more than its basic meaning.
The word ‘plump’ connotes cheerfulness.
‘Denote’ means ‘to mean something.’
What does the word ‘curriculum’ denote?
Consecutive / successive
Consecutive numbers or periods of time follow one after the other without any interruption.
It had rained for three consecutive days.
‘Successive’ means ‘coming or following one after the other.’
Successive Governments have failed to solve economic problems.
Consequent / consequential
‘Consequent’ means ‘happening as a result of a particular event or situation.’
When there is a rise in inflation there is a consequent fall in demand.
‘Consequential’ means ‘happening as a direct result of a particular event or situation.’
Consequential loss of earning will lead to many social problems.
Consistency / consistence
‘Consistency’ is the quality of always being the same, doing things in the same way, having the same standards.
Consumers are demanding greater consistency in pricing consumer goods.
Many dictionaries merely list ‘consistence’ as an alternative.