Experience Vocabulary
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Singapore’s Vocabulary
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Copyright 2012 © Quantico Copywriting. All rights reserved.
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Diverse Group
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Diverse Communication
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Basic Expressions
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Affect | Effect
Affect (verb)
to cause something to happen
Effect (noun)
the result of what happened
The medication affects
patients in many ways.
One of the effects caused by
the medication is drowsiness.
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Affect | Effect
Affect (verb)
to cause something to happen
Effect (noun)
the result of what happened
This affects me personally.
These are my personal effects.
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Affect | Effect
Affect (verb)
to cause something to happen
Effect (noun)
the result of what happened
Visual and CGI lighting
always affect a movie’s color
balance.
This movie’s color uses
visual and CGI lighting
effects.
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Affective | Effective
Affective (adjective)
to do with emotions or feelings
Effective (adjective)
producing an intended result
Affective disorders are often
treated through natural
therapy.
Natural therapy is an
effective remedy for many
disorders.
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Compliment | Complement
Compliment (noun)
to praise or congratulate
Complement (verb)
to enhance or suit
The minister paid a
compliment to her deputy for
his candour in the foreign
policy summit.
The minister and her deputy
complement each other on
matters of foreign policy.
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Compliment | Complement
Compliment (noun)
to praise or congratulate
Complement (verb)
to enhance or suit
I would like to compliment you
on your choice of dress and
shoes.
Your shoes complement your
dress; the whole outfit looks
great.
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Complimentary | Complementary
Complimentary (adjective)
1. free | 2. kind or nice
Complementary (adjective)
matching or suitable
We can offer your students a
complimentary set of brushes
with every box of paint
purchased.
Each student is requested to paint
a mural using only
complementary colors for the
entire project.
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Complimentary | Complementary
Complimentary (adjective)
1. free | 2. kind or nice
Complementary (adjective)
matching or suitable
Your complimentary remarks
will go down well with our
students here at the academy of
fine art.
Some examples of
complementary colors are red
and green, organge and blue, and
violet and yellow.
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Its | It’s
Its (pronoun)
signifies belonging
It’s (pronoun + verb)
contraction of ‘it is’
The cat is cleaning its tail.
It’s licking away at the fur.
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Its | It’s
Its (pronoun)
signifies belonging
It’s (pronoun + verb)
contraction of ‘it is’
Please return the umbrella to
its rightful owner.
It’s going to rain. Has
anyone seen my umbrella?
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Stationary | Stationery
Stationary (adjective)
standing still or unmoving
Stationery (noun)
collection of writing
material
That train should be
stationary. Who released the
brakes?
Please pack all your
stationery for tomorrow’s
English exam.
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Stationary | Stationery
Stationary (adjective)
standing still or unmoving
Stationery (noun)
collection of writing
material
British troops installed
stationary turrets that could
only be aimed at the beach, and
not the forest behind them.
I bought all my stationery,
together with my history
books, yesterday at a secondhand sale in Sentosa.
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Stationary | Stationery
ALWAYS SINGULAR
‘stationeries’ is not a word
Stationery (noun)
collection of writing
material
I bought all my stationery,
together with my history
books, yesterday at a secondhand sale in Sentosa.
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Stationary | Stationery
Stationary (adjective)
standing still or unmoving
Stationery (noun)
collection of writing
material
Easy way to remember:
stationAry
• aaaatention! stand still!
Easy way to remember:
stationEry
• pEncil, pEns, Eraser, rulEr
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Bring | Fetch
Bring (verb)
moving with the object
Fetch (verb)
bring back towards the
source
I will bring the ball to the
beach for Rubik and Loki to
play with.
Rubik! Fetch the ball. Go get
it, and bring it back to me.
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Bring | Fetch
Bring (verb)
moving with the object
Fetch (verb)
bring back towards the
source
I will bring you some eggs
and bread tomorrow morning.
I forgot the eggs at the
market. I will go and fetch
them now.
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Bring | Fetch
ALWAYS BRING BACK
‘fetch you to school’ is
incorrect.
Fetch (verb)
bring back towards the
source
not usually used on people
Fetch the ball, Rubik. Go,
fetch! That’s a good boy.
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Conscience | Conscious
Conscience (noun)
sense of right and wrong
Conscious (adjective)
aware, cognizant, or awake
When in doubt, listen to your
conscience and it will guide
you to do the right thing.
Always be conscious of your
thoughts, words and actions
in everything you do.
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Conscience | Conscious
Conscience (noun)
sense of right and wrong
Conscious (adjective)
aware, cognizant, or awake
Do not cheat, for a guilty
conscience can torment the
mind and the body.
I am conscious of your desire
to cheat in this exam, so
please be forewarned.
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Conscience | Conscious
Conscious (adjective)
aware, cognizant, or awake
The patient fainted on her
way to the hospital but is
now conscious, and even
talking.
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Lead | Lead
Lead (verb) [rhymes with seed]
to motivate people to follow or
to be first
Lead (noun) [rhymes with bed]
a metallic element (Pb)
Apple’s iPad has taken the
lead in the tablet market by a
very wide margin.
This fridge is lined with lead,
and is probably not a friend
of the environment.
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Lead | Lead
Lead (verb) [rhymes with seed]
to motivate people to follow or to
be first
Lead (noun) [rhymes with bed]
a metallic element (Pb)
Steve Jobs was asked to lead
Apple in 1997, after the board
decided to remove Gil Amelio.
I think there are negligible
amounts of lead in Apple
products, if any at all.
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Lead | Led
Lead (verb) [rhymes with seed]
to motivate people to follow or
to be first
Led (verb) [rhymes with bed]
past-tense of ‘to lead’
Steve Jobs was asked to lead
Apple in 1997, after the board
decided to remove Gil Amelio.
Steve Jobs led Apple out of its
rut to become the most
valuable technology company
on Earth.
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Than | Then
Than (conjunction)
used to compare
Then (conjunctive adverb)
used to indicate ‘after that’
Your right bicep look bigger
than your left bicep. Have you
been working it out more?
Exercise every day for at least
30 minutes. Only then will
you see a difference in your
physique.
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Than | Then
Than (conjunction)
used to compare
Then (conjunctive adverb)
used to indicate ‘after that’
“Better three hours too soon
than a minute too late.”
To thine own self be true, and
it must follow, as the night the
day, thou canst not then be
false to any man.
Hamlet
The Merry Wives of Windsor
– William Shakespeare
– William Shakespeare
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Everyday | Every day
Everyday (adjective)
commonplace or normal
Every day (adjective + noun)
daily or each day
The everyday chore of
housework is never noticed, till
it’s not done.
I do the housework every day
except on weekends.
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Everyday | Every day
Everyday (adjective)
commonplace or normal
Every day (adjective + noun)
daily or each day
This dress is great for everyday
wear but choose something else
for the wedding reception.
I wear this dress every day
because it’s comfortable and
easy to clean.
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Principal | Principle
Principal (noun)
head of a school or institution
Principle (noun)
a rule or belief
The principal gets a special
parking lot right in front of the
school office.
It’s not that you took my
parking lot that bothers me as
much as the principle of just
not caring.
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Principal | Principle
Principal (noun)
head of a school or institution
Principle (noun)
a rule or belief
The principal wants to see
every student in school improve
greatly in algebra.
The principle of algebra is
quite simple once you learn to
balance your equations.
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Principal | Principle
Principal (noun)
head of a school or institution
Principle (noun)
a rule or belief
Easy way to remember:
principAl
• I want A grades for everyone
Easy way to remember:
principlE
• E = MC2
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Gourmet | Gourmand
Gourmet (noun)
someone with refined tastes for
food and drink, a connoisseur
Gourmand (noun)
someone who loves food and
often indulges excessively
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Who’s | Whose
Who’s (pronoun + verb)
a contraction for ‘who is’
Whose (adjective)
a possessive
Who’s going to collect the
money for the field trip next
Friday?
Whose fifty-dollar bill is this?
It’s folded into a fan.
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Who’s | Whose
Who’s (pronoun + verb)
a contraction for ‘who is’
Whose (adjective)
a possessive
I don’t know who’s going to be
elected the next class president.
Do we know whose ballot box
this is? There aren’t any signs.
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Live | Stay
Live (verb)
to reside permanently
Stay (verb)
to spend time temporarily
I live right here in Singapore. I
have been living in this country
my whole life.
I will stay in a hotel in Los
Angeles for a day or two
before returning home to
Singapore.
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Live | Stay
Live (verb)
to reside permanently
Stay (verb)
to spend time temporarily
I live in Bishan where it rains
almost every day.
I will stay at home till the rain
stops.
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Can I? | May I?
Can I? (verb + pronoun)
asking about abilities
May I? (verb + pronoun)
asking for permission
Can I go to the restroom?
May I go to the restroom?
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Can I? | May I?
Can I? (verb + pronoun)
asking about abilities
May I? (verb + pronoun)
asking for permission
Can I watch a movie?
May I watch a movie?
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Expressing the past
Last time when I was young I
used to go to the movies every
day with Elizabeth.
When I was young I used to
go to the movies every day
with Elizabeth.
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Expressing the past
Last time this used to be fruit
orchards and farmland.
In the past this used to be fruit
orchards and farmland.
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Communication gone bad
Dear Sir
I would like to extend to you to invited you to our annual charity event ball held
each year at the Esplanade.
Our chairman Ms Jenny Gartner will be in attendance and she will be giving a
speech about the ball and donations.
Please get in touch with our SGM by the end of the week for more information.
The SGM will let you know what you need to do.
Kindly revert back to me by 14 June to register your interest.
Regards
Carol Wooster
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First write to express
• Recipient (anonymous)
• Event invitation and date
• Event venue
• Chairperson’s speech
• Registration and queries for the SGM
• Registration closing date.
• Valediction (anonymous)
• Sender (full name)
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Then write to impress
Dear Sir or Madam
I would like to invite you to our annual charity event ball on June 17,
2012.
The venue is The Esplanade Theatres by the Bay.
Our chairperson, Ms Jenny Gartner, will open the event with a few
words on how you can make a difference to our charities.
To register, or enquire about the event, please get in touch with our
Senior General Manager (SGM) by the end of this week. The SGM will
attend to your queries.
Please note that registration for this event will close on June 14, 2012.
Faithfully yours,
Carol Wooster
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Then write to impress
Dear Sir or Madam
I would like to invite you to our annual charity event ball on June 17,
2012.
The venue is The Esplanade Theatres by the Bay.
Our chairperson, Ms Jenny Gartner, will open the event with a few
words on how you can make a difference to our charities.
To register, or enquire about the event, please get in touch with our
Senior General Manager (SGM) by the end of this week. The SGM will
attend to your queries.
Please note that registration for this event will close on June 14, 2012.
• Recipient (anonymous)
• Event invitation and date
• Event venue
• Chairperson’s speech
• Registration and queries for the SGM
• Registration closing date.
• Valediction (anonymous)
• Sender (full name)
Faithfully yours,
Carol Wooster
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Vocabulary and compositions
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Release: January 2012
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