Jam or ham?

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Sometimes we can guess the meaning of a new word in English because it looks like another word in our language – often as a result of their common origin: music, ocean and secret are easily understood by speakers of some Romance languages.

But life isn’t always so easy for language learners. False friends are words in different languages which resemble each other in form but which have different meanings.

A Spanish-speaking learner might think, for instance, that carpet – a floor covering or rug – means the same as carpeta – the Spanish word for ‘folder’. Spanish speakers must also remember that in English, parents are only mums and dads, while the word used for other members of the family is relatives. And that we go to a library to borrow books – not to buy them.

Of course, the words that can be false friends for you will depend on the languages you speak. If you speak Spanish, then, don’t be taken in by exit, large, casualty, fabric… or jam!

Is it jam or ham?


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