TRICKY WORDS

NOTE: Most of these words can be used in several ways, as different parts of speech. It all depends upon how the word is related to other words and used in the sentence.

WORDS PRIMARY USES

about adv- on all sides; around; almost; in rotation; here and there
prep- in a circle around; near; on the verge of; with regard to; at the command
of; concerning; concerned with

after adj- later in time: “after years;” toward the rear: “in the after section of the ship”
adv- following in time or place; afterward; later: “We arrived shortly after.”
conj- subsequently to the time when: “After the game was over we went home.”

prep- behind in place; subsequent to in time or order: “the one after that;”
subsequent to and in view of: “After all our advice;” to indicate the object of

a stated or implied action: “go after gold

all adj- whole; entire: “I studied all night;” adv- completely; altogether: “He sat all
alone;” pron- “All of us are joining the choir.”

also adv.- likewise; beside, in addition, too: “My brother also came.”

although conj.- in spite of the fact that; even though: “I went, although I didn’t want to.”

as adv- to the same degree or amount: “as deaf as a post;” for instance: “various
trees, as oak or pine;” in a specified relation: “my view as distinct from his”
conj- as if: “looks as he had seen a ghost;” in or to the same degree in which:
“deaf as a post;” a correlative: “as cool as a cucumber;” in the way or
manner that: “do as I do;” in accordance with or the way in which: “quite
good as boys go;” while/when: “spilled the milk as she got up;” regardless

of the degree to which: “improbable as it seems;” for the reason that; since;

because: “She stayed home as she had no car;” that the result is: “He was
so clearly guilt as to leave no doubt”

prep- like: “all rose as one man;” “he came dressed as a clown;” in the capacity,
character, role, or condition of: “he works as an editor”
pron- that, who, which—used after same or such: “in the same building as my

brother;” “tears such as angels weep;” a fact that: “he is a foreigner, as is

evident from his accent:

because conj- for the reason that: “He rested because he was tired;” that, the fact
that: “The reason I am here is because I wish to speak.”

before adj- in advance; ahead: “The contestant before was more confident;”

adv- in advance; ahead; at an earlier time: “He came before.”
conj- earlier than the time when; sooner than: “Before he could respond,
the intruder had disappeared”

prep- in front of; in the presence of: “He appeared before the judge;”
preceding in time: “The president before that”

besides adj- else: “She loves no one besides;” adv- as well; also; moreover;
furthermore: “She prepared the meal and cleaned up besides;”
prep- except; other than: “His dog barks at no one besides me”

but adv- only, merely: “He’s but a child;” intensive: “Get there but fast”
conj- except for the fact that: “He would have come but he was afraid;”
connecting equal elements: “He came but he did not speak;” Jesus

said: “I came not to bring peace but a sword”
prep- with the exception of: “No one was there but me;” other than:
“The comment was nothing but an insult.”

concerning prep- relating to; regarding: “She talked to him concerning his hygiene”

down adj- condition: “The player is down by two tricks”; “The student is down
with the flu”; “The team is down by two touchdowns.”
adv- answering “where?” or “how”: “Write down what he says”; “Slow down
the car”; “They voted down the bill”
prep- around; through; toward; in; on: “She fell down the stairs.”

easy adj- free; painless: “It was an easy victory;” “That’s an easy problem.”
adv- easily; in moderation: “Go easy on him;” “Takes it easy on the gas.”

else adj- being different or in addition: “”What else did he say?”; “It wasn’t who
you thought; it was someone else.”
adv- differently: “How else could they have won?”; additionally: “Where

else is gold to be found?;” otherwise: “Do it, or else you’ll be sorry.”

far adj- remote; distant; extreme condition: “He left for a far country;” “The
philosopher was a man of far vision.”
adv- answering “how much?”: “They wandered far;” “It went far off.”

for conj- for the reason that; on this ground; because: “He rested, for he was
weary;” “For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal
weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:17)

prep- describing a relationship of purpose or intention: “He received a

reward for his heroism;” “He just left for home;” “Run for your life;” “He

had eggs for breakfast;” “Don’t take him for a fool;” “For one thing, the
price is too high;” “He cried for joy;” “He was a real stickler for details.”

forward adj- near the front: “the forward row;” “the forward cabin”
adv- toward the front: “He moved slowly forward.”
verb- to send onward: “He will forward the letter.”

how adv- to what degree: “how sorrowfully;” in what state or condition: “How

are you?”; in what manner: “See how it works;” for what reason: “How

could you?”; by what name: “How are you called?”

if conj- in the event that: “If it doesn’t rain, we’ll go camping;” allowing that;
on the condition that; expressing a wish: “If we can afford, we’ll go.”

instead of prep- in place of: “He came on Monday instead of Saturday.”

like adj- the same or similar: “We are of like mind.”

adv- likely; probably: “You’ll try it, like enough.”

conj- as, as if, in the same way that: “They looked like they might come;”
“They acted like children often do.”
noun- an equal or counterpart: “We’ve never seen the like before;”
a preference: “Those are my likes and dislikes.”

prep- similar to; typical of: “He acts like a fool;” “It looks like rain.”

verb- to be suitable or agreeable to: “I like baseball.”

more adj- greater: “something more than she expected;” additional: “more
guests arrived”
adv- to a greater or higher degree: “The last game was more evenly matched;”
in addition: “He’s going to try it one more time.”

not adv- “He did not come on time.”

of prep- point of reckoning: “north of the city;” origin or derivation: “man of

noble birth;” cause, motive, reason: “died of the flu;” created by: “plays

of Shakespeare;” on the part of: “very kind of her;” component material:
“throne of gold;” a whole: “most of them;” concerning/about: “stories of
his travels;” in respect to: “slow of speech;” belonging to: “king of England”

only adj- peerless: “the only candidate worth consideration;” alone; sole:
“She was their only child.”
adv- merely: “The major has only lost one election;” exclusively: “The

answer is known only to him;” at the very least: “it was only too true;”
with nevertheless the final result: “won the battle only to lose the war.”

regarding prep- with respect to; concerning: “He spoke to the students regarding
their academic progress

right adj- agreeable; correct; proper; good: “He gave the right answer.”
adv- according to what is right: “Did he do right?” directly or straight:
“Go right home;” on or to the right (direction): ”The pedestrian stopped
and looked left and right.”
noun- moral propriety; legal entitlement; the cause of truth or justice:
“Was he denied his rights?” “We are studying property rights.”
“Will no one stand up for the right?”

same adj- identical: “the same day last year”

adv- in the same manner: “will go unexpectedly, same as he came.”

pron- identical with or similar to another: “that man is the same”

since adv- from a definite past time until now: “He has stayed there ever since;”
before the present time: “long since dead;” subsequently: “has since died”
conj- at a time in the past after or later than: “has held two jobs since he

graduated;” from the time in the past when: “ever since I was a child;”
in view of the fact/because: “because it was raining she took an umbrella”
prep- from a specified time in the past: “the period since the war”

so adj- conforming with actual facts; true: “He reported things that were not
so;” marked by a desired order: “His books are always just so.”

adv- in a manner or way indicated: “Do you think so?”; in the same manner

or way: “He worked hard and so did she.” thus: “For so the Lord said”
(Is. 18:4); then/subsequently: “and so home and to bed;” indeed/most

certainly: “You did so do it;” therefore/consequently: “The witness is

biased and so unreliable.”
conj- with the result that: “The acoustics are good, so every note is clear;”
                            in order that [purpose]: “Be quiet, so he can sleep;” for that reason/
                            therefore [result]: “I don’t want to go, so I won’t;” in summary: “So, he
                            left town for good and never came back.”
                        pron- such as has been already specified or suggested; the same:
“If you have a claim to make, do so as soon as possible.”

so that conj- used as a function word to introduce a subordinate clause ex-
pressing purpose or result: “cutting expenses so that he could save”

still adj- unmoving: “The air was still;” It was a still photograph.”
adv- without movement: “Stop fidgeting and sit still;” ongoing condition:
“The story is told still;” nevertheless; yet: “Still, I think that I’ll go.”

such adj- of a kind to be indicated: “as bag such as a doctor carries;” “his

excitement was such that he shouted;” as previously indicated:
“many such women;” of an extreme degree: “never heard such a
noise;” of the same type: “other such clinics throughout the state”

adv- to such a degree: “such tall buildings;” “such a fine person;” very,
especially: ”hasn’t’ been in such good spirits lately”
pron- someone or something similar, stated, or implied: “”such was

the result;” “tin and glass and such”

that adj- highlighting a person, thing or idea [when used with a noun or with

a pronoun]: “That man is my father;” “Did you mean this chair or that
one?” [i.e. “that” tells “which one;” compare with use as a pronoun]

adv- to such an extent; very; extremely: “He didn’t take it that seriously.”

conj- used as a function word to introduce a clause: “He said that he

was afraid;” It is unlikely that he will come.”

pron- the person, thing or idea referred to [when used alone]: “That is

my father; that is my brother;” at which, in which, on which, by which,

with which, to which: “We attend every year that the lecture are given.”

then adj- existing or acting at or belonging to the time mentioned: “The news

article referred to the then secretary of state.”
adv- at that time; soon after that; next in order of time; in addition;
besides; according to that: “Your mind is made up then;” by way of

summing up: “The cause of the accident, then, is established;” as a

necessary consequence (i.e. consequently): “If the angles are equal,
                           then it is a square.”

there adj- used for emphasis: “Those men there can tell you.”

adv- in, at, to, into that place: “Stand over there, please.”
noun- that place, position or point: “You take it from there.”

pron- to introduce a sentence or clause: “There shall come a time.”

therefore adv- for that reason: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those

who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1); consequently: “Therefore we’ll

have to surrender;” because of that; on that ground; to that end

though adv- however; nevertheless: “It’s hard work. I enjoy it however.”

conj- in spite of the fact that/ while: “Though they know the war is lost,
they continue to fight;” even if: “Though they all will fail, they will try.”

toward(s) prep- in the direction of: “He is driving towards town.”

well adj- prosperous; satisfactory: “All’s well that ends well.”

adv- better; best: “The first athlete did well;” justly, rightly: “The judge’s
decision was well made.”
interj- expressing surprise: “Well! I can hardly believe it! resuming
conversation: “Well, what now?”
noun- fountain; water reservoir: “How deep is the well?”

verb- to rise up: “His feelings welled up from deep inside.”

when adv- at that time: “When will you return?”; a former time: “We knew him
when he still lived on the farm”
conj- while: “He went fishing when he was a boy;” although: “He should
have quit when he was winning;” at the moment that: “Stop when the
bell rings;” every time that: “When he sleeps he always has nightmares.”

pron- which or what time: “He has stuttered since when he was a boy.”

yet adv- in addition; besides: “He gave yet another excuse;” even: “a yet
higher score;” on top of everything else; up to now: “He hasn’t done

much yet;” continuously: “The old clock is working yet;” eventually:
“He may yet come;” nevertheless/however: “yet we’re not so sure”
conj- but; but nevertheless: “He came, yet he wasn’t prepared.”