12 Confusing English Nouns

Hello, lovely students, and  welcome back to English with Lucy.

Tell me this: Do you know the difference  between the 'floor' and the 'ground'?

What's the difference between an  'opportunity' and a 'possibility'?

In this video, I am going to show you the  12 nouns that often confuse my students.

We'll discuss their meanings,  their pronunciation—because  

that part is really important—and  how to use the words in context.

There's a short quiz at the  end to test what you've learnt.

Also—and I think you'll like this—I have created a  

PDF with all of the information in this  video plus lots of extra information.

It has an extra quiz and a link to some secret  

interactive exercises that you  can really check your knowledge.

If you'd like to download this for free,  

click on the link in the description  box or scan that QR code there.

Enter your name and email, you join my mailing  list and I will send you the PDF to your email.

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Okay, pair number 1: the  'floor' versus the 'ground'.

Let's clear any confusion once and  for all! The 'floor' refers to the  

flat surface of a room that people can  stand or walk on. It is usually inside.

The 'ground' refers to the  surface of the earth outside.

It might be soil, concrete, grass and so on.

'Floor' - generally inside,  'ground' - generally outside.

For example—'We sat on the floor in  the living room and ate pizza.' 'We  

sat on the ground under a tree and had a picnic.'

'Floor' also refers to the levels of  a building: first floor, second floor,  

for example. And here's where it gets confusing:

In British English, we use the term 'ground floor'  

for the 'floor' at the same level  as the 'ground' or earth outside.

'My office is on the ground floor.' Notice  that I used the preposition 'on' not 'in'.

Note that the 'ground floor' is called the  'first floor' in North American English.

Another point of confusion:  

now, I said the 'floor' is generally  inside, but it isn't always inside.

We also use 'floor' to refer to the surface  of the earth in a forest, ocean or cave. For  

example—'The forest floor was covered in moss.'  'The floor of the cave was wet and slippery.'

Sometimes, we will use 'ground'  and 'floor' interchangeably.  

For example—'My ice cream fell on the floor.'

'My ice cream fell on the ground.'

Now, you will hear English speakers using 'floor'  

outside. 'My ice cream fell  on the floor,' for example.

But what I've just explained should  give you a general indication.

Okay, our next pair is 'journey' versus 'trip'.  We also need to talk about 'travel', too.

These are words that my students mix up all  the time so let's clear up the confusion.

Let's start with 'travel'.

As a noun, it refers to the general activity  of traveling going to a different place.

It's often uncountable, so we  don't use 'a' or 'the' all the.

I can't say 'a travel'.

An example—'People say that  travel broadens the mind.' 

It can also be used in the plural.  

For example—'Eloise was telling  me about her travels in Italy.'

This implies a variety of places and experiences.

We can't say that sentence in the singular.

It would not be correct to say: 'Eloise  was telling me about her travel.'

Lastly, you will hear 'travel' used in  

many compound nouns like 'travel  insurance' or 'travel sickness'.

Let's move on to 'journey'. We use  'journey' to focus on the act of  

moving from one place to another and  it's often used for longer distances.

'The journey to Paris will take about 3 hours.'  

Or—'How was your journey?' This  is like: 'How was your drive?'

A 'trip' is when you go somewhere and then return.  Usually, staying for a short amount of time.  

For example—'I have just been on a trip  to Rome.' Or—'Tell me about your trip!'

We can often talk about going on a 'day trip',  

a 'business trip', a 'camping  trip' or a 'shopping trip'.

For example—'Tim's away on a  business trip.' 'On a trip.'

So, 'travel' is the general  activity or experience,  

'journey' is the act of getting from A to B

and 'trip' is the visit to a place.

One final example—'Travel is  my passion! I recently went on  

a trip to Edinburgh and the train  journey from London took 4 hours.'

Here's some homework:  

see if you can write a sentence like  that with all 3 words in the comments.

Right, pair number 3 is  'opportunity' versus 'possibility'.

An 'opportunity' is a situation that allows  you to do something you want. It tends to be  

positive. We often say: 'You have  the opportunity to do something.'  

For example—'When I was at uni, I had the  opportunity to spend a semester in Spain.'

Another example—'The internship was  a wonderful opportunity for me.'

A 'possibility' is something that  might happen or might be true.

For example—'Have you considered the  possibility that it might rain tomorrow?'

Or—'There's a strong possibility  that the plan might fail.'

Let's see an example with both words:

'There's a possibility that my company  will expand next year, and if it does,  

I might have the opportunity to move abroad.'

We also use 'possibility' to talk about  the different options available to us.

For example—'What kind of food do you  want? The possibilities are endless!'

Our next pair of confusing words is: I want you  to think about how you would pronounce them.

We have 'receipt' and 'recipe'.

Let's see if you can put the  right word in these sentences:

'I wanted to bake a cake,  so I asked my mum for a _.'

'I bought a cake from the shop  and after I paid, I got a _.'

Have a think!

In the first gap, we have 'recipe'  and of course in the second

'receipt'.

Now, my students are not just confused  about the meanings of these words,  

but by their pronunciation, too.

'Receipt' has 2 syllables, we stressed  the second one. The 'p' is silent,  

no the 'p' /rɪˈsiːt/. 'Receipt' is a really  stupid word. It could be so much simpler.

A 'receipt' is often a piece of paper.

or now more often an electronic document  that shows that you've paid for something.

In a shop, you might hear:  'Would you like a receipt?'

Or you might say: 'I'd like to return  this but I've lost my receipt.'

'Recipe', on the other hand, has 3  syllables - 'receipt' 2, 'recipe' 3.

We stress the first one and the second  is a schwa. 'Recipe'. /ˈresəpi/.

I know it's tempting to say  /rɪˈsiːt/ but it's /ˈresəpi/.

It's a list of ingredients and  instructions telling you how to  

cook something. For example—'Have you  got a good recipe for shepherd's pie?'

Okay, pair number 5 is 'history'

versus 'story'.

'History' is uncountable,  

it's a description or study of facts or  real events that happened in the past.

Notice that we either don't  pronounce the 'o' in 'history'

or we pronounce as a schwa.

/ˈhɪstəri/ or /ˈhɪstri/,

that can be 3 or 2 syllables.

I prefer 2 /ˈhɪstri/—it's more efficient.

An example—'I'm really interested  in the history of France.' Or—'The  

invention of electricity was a  turning point in human history.'

'Story' is a countable noun.

A 'story' is a description of events  that can be real or imagined and we  

often tell 'stories' to entertain  people or share our experiences.

It's pronounced with a long /ɔː/ sound, 'story'.

An example—'My dad used to tell me bedtime  stories about dragons and princesses.'

Here's another example with the words together:

'I always thought the story of  King Arthur was just a myth,

but it turns out some parts might  actually be rooted in history!'

Okay, our final pair, number  6, is 'shade' versus 'shadow'.

Quite tricky—'shade' is a darker, cooler  area where direct sunlight is blocked.

The focus is on the area, not  the shape created and we often  

talk about 'shade' as a way to escape the  heat or sunlight. 'Shade' is uncountable.

Some examples—'Let's sit in the shade under  

that tree.' Or—'I moved my chair into  the shade to avoid getting sunburnt.'

A 'shadow'

is a dark shape that appears on a surface

when something blocks the light.

It's the silhouette of an object or person.

The focus is more on the shape or the outline and  

'shadow' is countable - 'shade'  uncountable, 'shadow' countable.

Some examples—'Your shadow's so long in the  evening light.' Did you notice that when you  

were a child—that you would walk in the evening  and see that your shadow looked like a giant?

My dad's a scientist and I remember being  very young—probably 4—and asking him:  

'Why?' And he drew me a diagram.

Another example—'The tree cast  an interesting shadow on the  

wall behind it.' Something casts a  'shadow'. That's the verb we use.

So, 'shade' is all about the darker,  cooler area where light is blocked.

'Shadow' is the dark shape created  when something blocks the light.

Okay, it's quiz time. Are you ready to test  what you've learnt? Let's begin with number 1:

'When the fireworks started,  

everyone sat on the _ and looked up at  the sky.' Is it 'floor' or 'ground'?

It is 'ground' because we  don't set off fireworks inside.

Remember to share your score  in the comment section.

Number 2:

'My last business _ was exhausting. I visited  3 cities in 3 days!' Is it 'travel' or 'trip'?

It should be 'trip'. Number 3:  'There's a real _ that the event  

will be canceled due to bad weather.  Is it 'opportunity' or 'possibility'?

'There's a possibility…'

4: 'I tried to make paella last night,  

but I think I read the _ wrong - it  tasted awful!' 'Recipe' or 'receipt'?

It should be the 'recipe'.

And our final question, number 5:  

'We moved into the _ because it was getting  too hot.' Is it 'shade' or 'shadow'?

It should be 'shade'. You're  moving into the cool, darker area.

Okay, how did you do? What was  your score? Let me know in the  

comments. I'd also love to know which of  those pairs you mix up the most often.

And with that, we're at the end of the  lesson. Remember to download the PDF to review  

everything we've covered. The link is in the  description box or there's a QR code just there.

I will see you in the next lesson! Bye!