20 Pairs of One-Word and Two-Word

Forms
Many common words and phrases are identical except for a strategic letter space
apart and a part come to mind and though knowing which form to use in a
sentence is often obvious (as in that example), the difference can be subtle. Here are
some of the less clear-cut pairs:
1. Ahold/a hold: Ahold is a variant of the noun hold, used in such sentences as Ill
get ahold of you later. But when you mean to refer to an actual grip on something,
use two words: She really has a hold on you. If its hard to decide which form to
employ, try this test: If you can insert an adjective between a and hold, the two-word
form is appropriate.
2. Already/all ready: Use the former when you need an adverb, as in I told you
already. The latter form is correct in sentences such as Were all ready for the
party.
3. Alot/a lot: These two forms are interchangeable except in one significant respect:
The one-word version is wrong. It is used often in informal writing and may one day
be standard, but until you get the official memo, refrain from using it if you want to
be taken seriously as a writer.
4. Alright/all right: See item number 3.
5. Altogether/all together: The one-word form, an adverb, suffices to mean
completely or in total, as in Altogether, we saved $100 on the deal. (It also
means nude in the idiomatic phrase in the altogether.) The phrase is appropriate
for sentences such as We are all together in this.
6. Anybody/any body: The on-word form is a pronoun used in such constructions as
He doesnt get along with anybody. The two-word adjective-noun form is
applicable in limited contexts, such as in the sentence Any body in motion responds
to gravity.
7. Anymore/any more: The one-word form is used as an adverb in sentences such as
We dont go there anymore; the two-word form consists of the adjective any and the
noun more, as in I just cant eat any more of that pie.
8. Anyone/any one: The one-word form is a pronoun, synonymous with anybody,
used as in Anyone can make that claim. Any one consists of the adjective any and
the noun one, as in Any one of you might be next.
9. Anyplace/any place: The adverb anyplace is a synonym for anywhere: She wont
let me go anyplace without her. The latter usage is an adjective-and-noun phrase that
describes a location: He doesnt want to go to any place he cant smoke.

10. Anything/any thing: Anything is the likely usage: I dont remember anything.
The two-word adjective-noun form is generally separated by an another adjective:
Shes just does any little thing she wants.
11. Anytime/any time: To describe with what frequency something might occur, use
the one-word adverbial form: Stop by anytime. The two-word adjective-noun form
is preceded by the word at: You may leave at any time.
12. Anyway/any way: Anyway is a synonym for anyhow: We didnt want to go
anyway. The two-word adjective-noun form is preceded by the word in: That
doesnt change the results in any way.
13. Awhile/a while: The noun phrase a while and the adverb awhile are virtually
interchangeable in a sentence, though you should precede the two-word form with the
word for: I think Ill sit here for a while and I think Ill sit here awhile mean the
same thing.
14. Cannot/can not: Cannot is virtually the only proper alternative. The second usage
is wrong except in the correct awkward construction in the sentence I can not go,
meaning I can decide not to go.
15. Everyday/every day: The one-word form is an adjective meaning ordinary,
used to describe something usual as in These are my everyday clothes. The twoword phrase, an adverb, is used in such sentences as I go there every day to explain
how something is done.
16. Everyone/every one: To refer to everybody, use one word: Everyones a critic.
To emphasize a single individual or item, use two words: Every one of them is
broken.
17. Everything/every thing: Everything is the default choice: Youve ruined
everything. The two-word adjective-noun form is usually divided by an additional
adjective: Every little thing she does is magic.
18. Maybe/may be: The first choice is an alternative to the adverb perhaps; the
second is a verb phrase used in such sentences as It may be that she was right after
all.
19. Overtime/over time: As one word, this means word done beyond a regular shift:
Ive worked overtime several days this week. As two words, it refers to the passage
of time: Over time, weve seen dramatic changes.
20. Sometime/some time: The one-word form is an adverb describing vagueness
about when something will happen, as in Ill get around to it sometime.

IDIOMATIC PAIRS

by and large = in general. I guess the team played quite well, by and large.

chapter and verse = with a lot of details. The teacher gave them chapter and
verse about where to find the information.

far and wide = everywhere. She tried far and wide to find the keys but she
couldn't. She had to take a taxi instead.

first and foremost = most important. First and foremost, I would like to thank
you all for this welcome.

forgive and forget = forget enmity. Let's be friends again, I'm sorry for what
I've done, but you have to forgive and forget.

free and easy = relaxed, friendly. She knew that life wouldn't be so free and
easy at work.

hit and miss = random. I don't know how to operate this machine, it's just a
question of hit and miss for me!

live and learn = become wiser. You trusted her and she deceived you. You live
and learn, so don't get fooled again.

in and out = entering and leaving a place. The boss has been in and out all
day, to see if the employees were working.

loud and clear = very clearly. Even though he was 400km away, I could hear
him loud and clear on the telephone line.

now and again = occasionally. They like to go to a concert now and again.

on and off = not all the time, at irregular intervals. It's been raining on and off
all day, I hate this kind of weather.

over and out = message used to end a radio communication. Understood.

Over and out.

sink or swim = be successful or fail. This a very difficult job, you have to be
careful. It's really sink or swim.

up and about = in good health. After the accident, he recovered very well,
he's now up and about.
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wait and see = wait patiently. We don't know if this government will be able to
put his plans into practice. We have to wait and see.

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Idiomatic pairs

There are many idiomatic pairs like these usually with the
linking word of and in English. There are pairs of adverbs,
pairs of nouns and identical/prepositional pairs like those you
have listed, Yvette, as well as pairs of adjectives and pairs of
verbs used as set phrases or idiomatically. I can only list a
few of the most commonly used.
An idiom is a number of words which when taken together
have a different meaning from the meaning of each individual
word. This is what causes the difficulty. But idioms where
there is some association with the original meaning are easier
to understand than those where there is no association with the
original meaning of the words.
Try to guess the meaning of the following, first by attempting
to decipher them word for word. Then, check your
understanding by reading examples of how they are used in
context. Finally, check again against the explanations given.
noun pairs and verb pairs
Here are some common idiomatic pairs in English: peace and
quiet, body and soul, life and limb, grin and bear it, bow
and scrape, rant and rave
It's impossible to get any peace and quiet in this house with
you two arguing all the time.
She puts body and soul into her work with the girl guides.
She is an inspired leader.
You'll risk life and limb if you decide to go white-water
rafting after such heavy rainfall.
I know this hotel isn't very good, but all the better
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accommodation is taken, so we'll just have to grin and bear

it.
I've asked him politely already. Surely he doesn't want me to
bow and scrape.
He was ranting and raving about the price of everything in
Britain. Why doesn't he go and live abroad, if he's unhappy?
peace and quiet = a period of quiet and calm, often with:
have/get/enjoy some
body and soul = physical and mental energy, as in: put body
and soul into
life and limb = risk death or serious injury, as in: risk life and
limb
grin and bear it = put up with something unpleasant because
it cannot be changed
bow and scrape = show too much respect to someone
rant and rave = protest or complain in a loud and excited
manner
adverbial pairs and adjectival pairs
Here are some examples: here and there, now and again,
first and foremost, short and sweet, safe and sound, sick
and tired
I could see a number of houses scattered here and there over
the hillside.
How often do you see her now? ~ Every now and again. Not
as regularly as I used to.
Why don't you get a job that pays more? ~ First and
foremost because I really enjoy the job I'm doing.
I'll try and keep this short and sweet. I know you don't want
to stay here longer than you need to.
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Oh, I'm so glad to have you back home safe and sound. I was
beginning to get worried about you.
I'm sick and tired of hearing your excuses. It's about time you
did an honest day's work.

here and there: to or in several places

now and again: occasionally
first and foremost: most importantly
short and sweet: not too complicated, as in a speech, often
with keep/make it
safe and sound: not harmed at all
sick and tired: extremely annoyed with someone, often with
of hearing/listening
identical / prepositional pairs
Here are some examples: on and on, again and again, round
and round, up and down, little by little, all in all
You needn't go on and on about needing a holiday. I know we
haven't had a break for over a year now.
I've told you again and again to stop swearing in front of the
children, but you take no notice.
We're not making any progress by arguing like this. We're just
going round and round in circles. My head's beginning to go
round and round.
How are you getting on now? ~ Oh, up and down, as usual. I
have good days and bad days.
Little by little his heath improved and he was able to walk
further and further each day.
All in all, it was a successful holiday in spite of some scary
moments.
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on and on: without pausing or stopping, usually with go

again and again: repeatedly
round and round: moving in circles or spinning, usually with
go
little by little: gradually or slowly
all in all: taking everything into consideration
leaps and bounds
Leaps and bounds, Yvette, is really a prepositional idiom as
it is always prefaced by the prepositions by or in. If you do
something by leaps and bounds, then you are making rapid
or spectacular progress:
I feel that my English is coming on in leaps and bounds now
that I can understand idioms.

1) Able:
Will you be able to come?
He is not yet able to attend the school.
Capable:
He is capable of running three miles at a stretch.
Show your teacher what you are capable of.
2) Accede: i) Assent or agree to a request, proposal etc. ii) Come or
succeed to an office or position of authority.
I accede to your proposal.
It is so kind of you to accede to my request.
James I acceded to the throne of England after Elizabeth I.
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Concede: Admit; grant; allow; to admit as true.

I concede the truth of your statement.
They have conceded us the right to cross their land.
Exceed: To be greater than
Their success exceeded all expectations.
London exceeds Glasgow in size and population.
3) Accept: Consent to; receive something offered.
Due to previous engagement, I could not accept his invitation.
It is an accepted truth that the earth revolves round the sun.
Except: Exclude fro; set apart from; to leave out
When I say that the boys are lazy, I say except Tahir.
The whole staff was present, not excepting the heads of
departments.
4) Abstain: Do without; hold/keep oneself back from esp. food etc.
His doctor ordered him to abstain from beer and wine.
He abstained from wine for twenty years.
Refrain: To hold/keep oneself from action/doing something.
Please refrain from spitting in public places.
Let us hope they will refrain from hostile action.
5) Altogether: Absolutely
Her argument was altogether wrong and illogical.
All together: Collectively
The girls went to the refugee camps all together.
6) Access: i) Way to a place ii) Approach
The only access to the farmhouse is across the fields.
Students must have access to good books.
Excess: i) Extreme degree ii) Immoderation (in eating and drinking)
iii) Extra or additional
Excess to anything is bad.
She is generous to excess.
To drink to excess is detrimental to health.
Excess fare is charged for travelling farther than is allowed by ones
ticket.
Accession: Coming into an office (especially the throne)
The Queens accession to the throne was marked by unprecedented
rejoicing.
After his accession to the throne he introduced many beneficial
reforms.
7) Adapt: Fit a thing to another.
When you go to a new country, you must adapt yourself to its
manners and customs.
This book is adapted to the needs of beginners.
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Adept: Expert in something.

I am not an adept in photography.
Adopt: i) Take (an idea, custom etc.) and use it. ii) Vote for
acceptance.
I like your methods of teaching and shall adopt them in my school.
European dress has been adopted by people in many parts of the
world.
The Assembly adopted the new measure.
8) Accident: something unfortunate
Sahibzada was killed in a motoring accident.
Incident: Event or happening.
Incidents of harassment should be reported to the appropriate
human resources director.
9) Admission: i) Admitting or being admitting to a society, school
etc. ii) confession or acknowledgement.
Admission to the school is by examination only.
An admission of guilt saved him from punishment.
Admittance: Being admitted to a place especially one that is not
public.
No admittance except on business.
I called at his house but was refused admittance.
10) Affect: i) Have an influence or effect on; act on ii) Move the
feelings of iii) influence (of disease) iv) pretend to have or feel.
The climate affected his health.
Some plants are quickly affected by cold.
He was much affected by the sad news.
His left lung is affected (etc. by cancer or tuberculosis).
He affected not to hear me.
Hamlet affected madness at times.
Effect: as a noun i) result, outcome ii) impression iii) meaning
The children were suffering from the effects of the hot weather.
Punishment had a very little effect on him.
Everything he says or does is calculated for effect.
I have received a cable to the effect that there is no hope of his
recovery.
Effects: In the plural form; Goods, property:
The hotel-keeper seized her personal effects because she could not
pay her bill.
Effect: as a verb; to bring about or accomplish
He effected his purpose by tireless efforts.
He has effected great reforms.
11) Admit, Acknowledge, Confess
i) Admit is a more general term than acknowledge and acknowledge
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is a stronger term than admit.

ii) To confess is to acknowledge something wrong.
I admit the task to be difficult.
I acknowledge the receipt of the letter.
We should always acknowledge gifts as soon as we receive them.
He confessed that he had stolen the money.
The arrested man confessed his guilt before the City Magistrate.
12) Adverse: Unfavourable
I can no longer fight against adverse circumstances.
We should do something to cope with the development adverse to
our interests.
Averse: Opposed, disinclined
He is averse to hard work.
13) Few: Hardly any
He has few friends in the city.
He is a man of few words.
A few: a small numbers
He gave us a few suggestions on the art of teaching.
The few: Some
I cannot offend the majority for the sake of the few.
14) Affection: Love; disease
I have a great affection for my students.
He is suffering from an affection of the lungs.
Affectation: Pretence
It is always easy to distinguish between sincerity and affectation.
He is all pose and affectation. There is no sincere feeling in him.
15) All ready: Quite prepared
I am all ready to go.
Already: By this or that time
He has already performed the task.
16) Advice:
He paid no heed to my advice
My advice fell flat upon him.
Advise:
I advised you not to waste your time.
It is the duty of parents to advise their children against bad
manners.
17) Altar: Raised place on which offerings are made to a god; In
Christian churches a communion table.
He knelt down by the altar in the church and prayed fervently to
God.
Many people sacrificed their lives at the altar of freedom.
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Alter: To change
I am sorry; I cannot alter my decision now.
He has altered a great deal since I saw him a year ago.
18) Alternate (adjective): By turns; first the one and then the other.
Tom and Harry do the work on alternate days.
The doctor sees the patients on alternate days.
Alternate (verb): Arrange or perform by turns.
He altered kindness with severity.
Most farmers alternate their crops.
Alternative: Choice between two things
Is there no alternative to what you propose?
The brave Sultan saw no alternative before him but death.
19) Avenge: To punish in behalf of another.
God avenges the oppressed.
The judge avenged the wrong done to the helpless child.
Revenge: To retaliate or vindicate for wrong done to ourselves and it
implies a personal feeling of animosity.
He revenged himself for the insult.
He took revenge on the neighbour who had ridiculed him.
20) Ascent: Upward movement
The ascent to Murree Hills is very steep.
I have never made an ascent in a balloon.
Assent: Concurrence
The Governor gave his assent to the Bill.
He readily assented to my proposal.
21) Angel:
He is an angel, not a man.
Angle:
A triangle has three angles.
22) Ant:
The ant was going to drown.
Aunt:
My aunt sent me a birthday present.
23) Air:
Birds fly in the air.
Heir:
H is an heir to a large property.
Ere: Before
Do some good ere you die.
24) Avocation: Hobby; Pastime
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His avocation is law but gardening is his avocation.

Vocation: Profession; occupation
His vocation is medicine, but painting is his avocation.
25) Artist: A person who practises one of the fine arts (poetry,
painting or sculpture).
John Keats was a great artist.
Artiste: A professional singer or dancer.
it is said that Lata Mangeshkar, the well-known Indian artiste, can
sing in thirteen different languages.
Artisan: A person who practises some handicraft (a carpenter, a
potter etc.).
Most of the Pakistani artisans lead a very hard life.
Muslim artisans are generally hard-working and skilful.
26) Apposite: Proper, Judicious
The principal made very apposite remarks on the necessity of
technical education.
Opposite: Standing in front; contrary
My house is situated opposite to the Post Office.
27) Artistic: Beautiful or giving aesthetic satisfaction. It is always
used in a good sense.
The hall has been decorated in a very artistic manner.
His design is a highly artistic one.
Artful: Cunning; Clever
She is very artful girl; beware of her.
His artful projects did not help him in the long run.
Artificial: Opposed to natural
Town-life is artificial.
28) Antic (usually plural): Queer behaviour; awkward movement,
step or attitude intended to amuse.
The antics of the clown at the Russian circus greatly amused the
spectators.
Antique: Of old times; old fashioned.
My hobby is coin-collecting and I have a number of antique coins
with me.
29) Ancient: That which is not modern.
War was not as destructive in ancient times as it is in these days.
Old: That which is not new.
I like my old hat better than the new one.
30) Amiable: Good tempered; kind-hearted; easy and pleasant to
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talk.
Go and make yourself amiable to the guest.
Hamid is an extremely amiable person and he is, therefore,
universally popular.
Amicable: friendly; done in a friendly way.
When countries cannot settle a dispute in an amicable way, they
should settle it by arbitration.
We need not quarrel, let us come to an amicable settlement.
32) Allusion: Indirect reference
The allusions in this poem are obscure.
That man has a glass eye but he does not like people to make any
allusion to it.
Illusion: A deceptive appearance.
To the Hindu ascetic the whole material world appears to be just an
illusion.
At last the frightful phantom was known to be just an illusion.

Everyday Idioms: Pairs of words joined with 'and'

What do you notice about this sentence?

A black and white film.

English has quite a few everyday idioms like this. Here are some more
examples of pairs of words joined with 'and'.

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short and sweet

ups and downs

out and about

peace and quiet

trial and error

forgive and forget

odds and ends

safe and sounds

bright and early

wait and see

pros and cons

sick and tired

Part 1. Match the pairs to the correct sentence below then check you answers
at the end of this page.
a. They had a scary flight but arrived home ....
b. I'm of him complaining all the time.
c. It was great to meet so many people but I'm happy to get home to some
.
d. I don't know what will happen, so I guess we'll have to .
e. We don't know the best way to do this so we'll proceed by .
f. I like to get ., I don't like to stay in the office all day
g. My bag is full of stuff. Nothings special just .
h. These students are in class every morning.
i. She has her . One day she's all excited, next she's feeling low.
j. We need to know the before we can decide what to do
k. There's no point in arguing, lets just ..
l. The best emails are ..

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Common Word Pairs

The following is a list of common word pairs. Collocations are also a good idea to
learn if you are a nonnative speaker. These are words commonly used together, e.g.,
have a headache.
Adam and Eve

life or death

back and forth

lock and key

bacon and eggs

lost and found

bed and breakfast

man and wife

birds and bees

name and address

black and white

nice and easy

body and soul

null and void

bread and butter

peaches and cream

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bread and water

pen and pencil

bricks and mortar

pork and beans

bride and groom

pots and pans

business and pleasure

prim and proper

by and large

profit and/or loss

cause and effect

pros and cons

cloak and dagger

pure and simple

coat and tie

rain or shine

coffee and doughnuts

ranting and raving

cream and sugar

read and write

crime and punishment

right and/or wrong

cup and saucer

rise and fall

dead or alive

salt and pepper

down and out

shirt and tie

first and last

shoes and socks

fish and chips

short and fat

flesh and blood

signed and sealed

forgive and forget

slip and slide

front and center

soap and water

fun and games

sooner or later

give and take

stars and stripes

ham and eggs

suit and tie

hammer and nail

supply and demand

hemmed and hawed

sweet and sour

high and dry

tall and thin

high and low

thick and thin

hot and bothered

tossed and turned

huffing and puffing

touch and go

husband and wife

trial and error

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in and out

trials and tribulations

Jack and Jill

up and/or down

knife and fork

wait and see

ladies and gentlemen

war and peace

law and order

wine and cheese

If we forgot a word pair, please let us know via our comment from below.
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