<p> Difficult Word Choices Professor William K. Sheehy</p><p>Due to the size of the English language - the number of words exceeds 800,000 - it is quite easy to confuse the meanings of and misuse so many of the words that sound or appear the same. This is particularly true if English is not your native tongue.</p><p>In addition, there are numerous words used by lawyers - legal and otherwise - that must be used precisely, particularly in the legal context where ambiguity and misunderstanding are not welcome.</p><p>Below is a list of commonly confused terms used in Legal English.</p><p> accede to adhere to an agreement; become party to a contract exceed to go beyond; surpass</p><p> accept to receive except to exclude</p><p> accord to agree; an agreement according in accordance with</p><p> accounting maintaining and auditing financial records and reports bookkeeping recording of transactions</p><p> adherence compliance with adhesion (contracts) one-sided agreement</p><p> administrator person distributing assets of an estate appointed by a court executor person distributing assets of an estate named in a will</p><p> adverse contrary to averse disinclined; unwilling</p><p> advise verb</p><p>1 advice noun</p><p> affect to influence, to change effect to accomplish (verb); a result (noun)</p><p> allege declaring something to be true before proven contend state of position</p><p> allot to give out a lot many</p><p> all ready entirely ready or finished already something has occurred</p><p> all right the correct form alright no such spelling</p><p> all together forming a group altogether entirely</p><p> allude to suggest indirectly elude avoid or escape</p><p> allusion indirect mention illusion a deception</p><p> alternately in turn; one after the other alternatively on the other hand</p><p> amend to add to or modify emend to make corrections</p><p> amount the total referring to number number refers to things counted quantity refers to things measured</p><p> ascent climb assent agreement</p><p> attain accomplish obtain to acquire</p><p> benefactor one providing a gift</p><p>2 beneficiary one who receives a gift</p><p> beside next to something besides in addition to</p><p> biannual twice a year, semi-annual biennial every two years</p><p> capital the seat of government, money invested in a business capitol a building in which a legislative body meets</p><p> casual by chance/informal causal relating to cause</p><p> cede to give up secede withdrawal from</p><p> censure criticise censor forbid public distribution</p><p> cession to give up session a meeting</p><p> cite to summon, to quote, to refer sight a view;something seen site a place</p><p> collaborate co-operate with corroborate to confirm</p><p> complement to complete compliment to praise</p><p> condemn pass judgment contemn show contempt</p><p> confident to be assured confidant a person in whom one confides</p><p> connote suggests denotes means</p><p>3 contemporary belonging to the present contemporaneous occurring at the same time</p><p> continual recurring continuous ongoing</p><p> counsel advisor council an organisation</p><p> device noun devise verb</p><p> discrete a separate part discreet modest or restrained</p><p> disinterested neutral uninterested not interested</p><p> disqualify exclude; to render unfit unqualified without qualifications</p><p> disperse scatter disburse pay out</p><p> economic pertaining to money economical good value for one's money; inexpensive</p><p> emerge to rise from; to come into view immerge to plunge into; to immerse</p><p> emigration moving from a country immigration moving into a country</p><p> eminent famous or respected immanent inherent or intrinsic imminent about to take place</p><p> envelop to put a covering about; surround envelope a wrapper</p><p> evoke call forth invoke cite as an authority or ask for help</p><p>4 explicit detailed implicit in the nature of something</p><p> forbear to refrain forebear ancestor</p><p> forgo to waive forego to go before</p><p> guarantor person liable upon the default of the principal surety person liable on par with the principal</p><p> hypothesise forming hypothesis hypothecate pledge</p><p> immoral evil amoral without morals</p><p> imply to mean or suggest (a speaker implies) infer to conclude or assume (a hearer infers)</p><p> incidence rate of occurrence incident event</p><p> ingenious inventive; clever ingenuous trusting; frank, naïve</p><p> instance a case or example of something instants moments of time</p><p> interment burial internment confinement</p><p> lay to set down lie to recline</p><p> libel printed falsehood slander spoken falsehood</p><p> malfeasance wrongful misfeasance incorrect</p><p> observation perception</p><p>5 observance adherence to</p><p> ordinance a law ordnance military supplies</p><p> overdo to do too much overdue past due; late</p><p> partially to some degree partly in part</p><p> personal Individual; private personnel the staff of an organization</p><p> persecute oppress prosecute bring criminal charges</p><p> practical convenient; sensible, not theoretical practicable capable of being done</p><p> precede to go before or in front of proceed to begin</p><p> precedent guidance precedence priority</p><p> prescribe to order proscribe to forbid</p><p> regardless without regard irregardless not a word</p><p> stationary not moving stationery writing material</p><p> tantamount equivalent to value, meaning, or effect paramount highest in rank</p><p> unquestionable undeniable unquestioned that which has not been questioned</p><p> waiver to give up a claim or right waver to hesitate</p><p>6 7</p>