Some English words appear to be similar, but they have different meanings.
Here are some of them:
Worthwhile / worth
If something is worthwhile, it is important or useful or you gain something from it.
Tom wanted to do a worthwhile job.
As an adjective, ‘worth’ means ‘to have a value in money.’
Your house must be worth a lot of money now.
Wrack / rack
‘Wrack’ is another spelling of ‘rack.’ It means ‘to make someone suffer great mental or physical pain.’
Grace’s face was racked with pain. As a noun, a ‘rack’ means ‘a frame or shelf that has bars or hooks on which you can put things, as in a magazine rack.’
Wreath / wraith
A wreath is a circular band of flowers offered as a memorial at funerals. A wraith is a ghost or apparition.
Yoke / yolk
A yoke is a wooden bar used for keeping two animals together, especially cattle, when they are pulling heavy loads.
Yolk is the yellow part in the centre of an egg.
You / one
If you wish to address the reader, use ‘you’ instead of the pronoun ‘one.’ The word ‘you’ has the additional advantage of informally but directly addressing the reader.
Your / yours
The word ‘your’ means ‘belonging to you or belonging to an unspecified person’ Is that your opinion?
‘Yours’ identifies a particular entity belonging to you.
Is this yours?
Yours faithfully / yours sincerely
This is the traditional formal closing at the end of business communications or letters to strangers. The word ‘yours’ does not have an apostrophe.
‘Yours sincerely’ is preferred when the writer is addressing a named or known person. If you want to indicate a degree of friendliness or closeness, use ‘sincerely,’ ‘truly’ or some other variation.
(Concluded)
Abbreviations and acronyms
An abbreviation is a short form of a word or expression. An acronym is a word made up from the first letters of the name of something such as an organisation.
AA: Alcoholics Anonymous or Automobile Association
ABBA: (acronym) Swedish pop group (Agnetha, Benny, Bjorn, Annifrid)
A-bomb: Atomic bomb
ACCA: Associate of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants
AD: anno domini (Latin) in the year of our Lord
Adv: adverb
Advt: advertisement
AEROFLOT: (acronym) Soviet Airlines
AFP: Agence France Presse
AGM: Annual General Meeting
AI: artificial intelligence
AIDS: acquired immune deficiency syndrome
aka: also known as
am: ante meridiem (Latin) before noon
anon: anonymous (usually refers to an author unknown)
AP: Associated Press
ASEAN: (acronym) Association of South-East Asian Nations (Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines)
ATM: automatic teller machine
AV: audio-visual
Ave: avenue
BA: Bachelor of Arts
BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation
BBQ: barbecue
BC: Before Christ
BCom: Bachelor of Commerce
BDS: Bachelor of Dental Surgery
BEd: Bachelor of Education
BEng: Bachelor of Engineering
b / f: brought forward
bn: billion
br: branch
Bro: brother
BSc: Bachelor of Science
b / w: black and white
CB: Central Bank
CCTV: closed circuit television
CD: Compact Disk
CEB: Ceylon Electricity Board
cf: confer (compare)
CIA: Central Intelligence Agency (United States)
CID: Criminal Investigation Department
COD: Cash / Collect on Delivery
co-ed: Co-educational
Col: Colonel
cont: Continued
Corp: Corporation
CP: Communist Party
CPU: Central processing unit
CTO: Central Telegraph Office
CV: Curriculum Vitae (a summary of a person’s career and attainments)
Dept: department
DG: Director-General
Dip: diploma
Div: division
DIY: do it yourself
DJ: Disc Jockey
Dr: Doctor
DVD: Digital Video Disc
EC: European Community
Ed: Editor
ELT: English Language Testing
Email: electronic mail
ENT: ear, nose and throat
ESP: Extra-Sensory Perception
esp: especially
et al: et alii (and others)
ex: former
FAX: facsimile transmission
fd: forward
Feb: February
Fest: festival
fem: female