Confusing Verbs: Advanced Grammar for IELTS

When preparing for the IELTS exam, one of the biggest challenges many candidates face is mastering grammar accuracy, and confusing verbs for IELTS grammar often cause unnecessary errors in writing and speaking tasks. These are verbs that look or sound similar but differ in meaning, usage, or grammatical structure. Misusing them can significantly reduce your IELTS band score, especially in Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range and Accuracy.

This blog will explore the most commonly confused verbs in IELTS, explain their differences, provide sentence examples, and give you practice exercises to master these pitfalls and avoid them.

Confusing Verbs: Advanced Grammar for IELTS

In any language, verbs are the core of sentence construction. They express what is happening, when it is happening, and who is involved. In English, especially in the IELTS exam, verbs carry the weight of tense, aspect, voice, and agreement. That is why a strong grasp of verb usage, especially confusing pairs, is essential for building complex, accurate, and meaningful sentences across all tasks in the test.

However, some pairs of verbs in English are subtly different from each other and so can be a source of confusion for learners. This is because the pairs, e.g., ‘make’ and ‘do’, ‘lay’ and ‘lie’ have similar meanings but are used to describe different kinds of actions or situations. These are ‘false synonyms’. 

In other cases, there are verb pairs that cause problems because we use them to describe similar situations even though they have opposite meanings, e.g., ‘borrow’ and ‘lend’. These are ‘opposite pairs’. 

Examples of Commonly Confused Verb Pairs:

• Say vs. Tell
• Make vs. Do
• Borrow vs. Lend
• Go vs. Come
• Rise vs. Raise
• Bring vs. Take
• Lay vs. Lie

Importance of Confusing Verbs for IELTS Grammar

Understanding and using confusing verbs correctly is a critical part of achieving a high band score on the IELTS exam. These verbs often appear similar in form or meaning but function differently in context. Mistaking one for another can lead to awkward or grammatically incorrect sentences, which can directly impact your score in both the IELTS Writing and speaking sections.

Let’s have a look at why confusing verbs are important for IELTS!

In IELTS Writing Task 2

• When writing an academic essay, your ability to communicate ideas clearly and logically is essential. Using the right verb enhances the clarity of your argument and reflects a strong command of English. 

For example, saying ‘The government raised taxes to control inflation’ is much more precise than using a general or incorrect verb like ‘did taxes’. Examiners reward candidates who use specific and context-appropriate verbs because it shows depth of vocabulary and grammatical precision.

• Moreover, academic writing relies heavily on accurate reporting of facts, processes, and opinions. Using verbs such as ‘argue’, ‘claim’, ‘suggest’, ‘indicate’, or ‘recommend’ properly helps you present ideas with the correct tone and formality. 

Misusing them might confuse the reader or weaken your argument, ultimately lowering your Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range and Accuracy scores.

In IELTS Speaking Part 2

During the speaking test, particularly in Part 2 (the long turn), you are expected to speak continuously and coherently for 1-2 minutes. This requires not only fluency but also accurate vocabulary usage. 

• If you misuse verbs like ‘borrow’ and ‘lend’, or ‘say’ and ‘tell’, your meaning may become unclear or incorrect. For instance, saying ‘I borrowed my book to my friend’ instead of ‘I lent my book to my friend' can confuse the examiner about who did what.
• In addition, appropriate verb use allows you to express experiences, actions, feelings, and ideas with more variety and confidence. This diversity of language is exactly what examiners look for under the Fluency and Coherence and Lexical Resource criteria. Therefore, learning about confusing verbs for IELTS grammar is as important as understanding fluency and coherence in IELTS Speaking. 

Grammar Accuracy Matters

One of the most common issues with confusing verbs is that they often lead to errors in verb structure, such as incorrect use of objects, prepositions, or verb forms. 

For example:

• Saying ‘She told that she was late’ is incorrect because ‘tell’ needs an object: ‘She told me that she was late’.
• Saying ‘He raised up early’ is incorrect because ‘raise’ requires an object; the correct verb here is ‘rise’: ‘He rose early’.

Such mistakes can significantly reduce your score under the Grammatical Range and Accuracy band descriptor.

Diagnostic Test for Mastering Confusing Verbs for IELTS

Let's make sure you have understood the basics about confusing verbs before we go into the detailed explanation of the Advanced Grammar for IELTS - Confusing Verbs topic. With this information, you may improve your IELTS grammar and create a more customized study plan. As you take the following diagnostic test, you can set a timer and record how long it takes you to complete each question.

Exercise 1: 

Example:

• I like listening to the radio while washing the dishes ==> doing

1. Sammy earns a lot more than I did at his age.

2. That old curtain fabric has become a marvellous ball gown.

3. You can go out after you have completed your homework.

4. What an awful outfit; you’d think she had sewn it herself!

5. We carry out the staff appraisals once every six months.

6. She is undertaking research into brand name recognition.

7. Make sure you brush your teeth before you go to bed.

8. Stop dithering. You must come up with a decision now.

Exercise 2: 

Example:

• Would you mind if I did/ made a suggestion about this?

9. Sue’s had/ taken a real dislike to her new supervisor.

10. It’s high time the committee had/ took action over this flagrant abuse.

11. Grace has gone/ been on holiday in Jamaica and she’s come back with a lovely tan.

12. I’m a little faint. Could I lie/ lay down on the sofa for a minute?

13. The men have just lain/ laid a brand new carpet in the bedroom.

14. I was so tired yesterday that I lay / lied in bed for most of the day.

15. Anatoly speaks/ talks English with a strong accent.

16. The Prime Minister spoke/ talked at the international conference in Geneva.

17. She’s such a chatterbox, we were up half the night speaking/talking.

18. What do you think of that plan to rise/ raise the ‘Titanic’ from the seabed?

19. I’m afraid a rather serious problem has raised/ arisen.

20. Tax rates always seem to be rising/ raising these days.

21. They robbed/ stole my purse in broad daylight!

22. I regret to inform you that the bank will be unable to lend/ borrow the sum you have requested.

23. Graham and Lucy are coming here for the weekend and I think they are bringing/taking the children with them.

24. Sorry I’m home so late, I took/brought the car to work today and I got stuck in a traffic jam.

25. Would you mind bringing/ fetching the children from school next Tuesday?

Answer Key for the Advanced Grammar for IELTS - Confusing Verbs Diagnostic Test

Now, let's cross-check the answers for the diagnostic test for confusing verbs and identify the areas you are having trouble with. After concentrating on those areas, monitor your progress.

Detailed Lesson for Advanced Grammar for IELTS: Confusing Verbs

In this unit, we will look at the verb pairs that are most often confused and might reduce your IELTS Speaking and writing score. You will find explanations and examples to solidify their understanding.

False Synonyms

Several verbs appear to have similar meanings but are used differently.

Make and do

Make often means ‘create’ or ‘produce’:

• Aunt Alice is going to make the bridesmaids’ dresses.
• Gouda cheese is made in Holland.

Make often expresses the idea of building and constructing:

• The multinationals are making a lot of products in the developing world these days.

We also use make to describe a process of change. The meaning is similar to ‘become’ or ‘cause to be’:

• The spare bedroom has made a wonderful office for Deirdre. (= has become)
• Those new drugs seem to make him very lethargic. (= cause him to be)

Make + object + infinitive (without to) means ‘force’ or ‘command’:

• The police officer made me empty my pockets.

Make has a number of idiomatic meanings such as ‘earn’ and ‘keep an appointment’:

• He makes $1000 a week on the oil rigs.
• I can’t make it on Friday; I’m in a meeting all day.

We often use do to describe an activity or to mean ‘carry out/complete a task’:

• What are we going to do for your birthday? (= take part in an activity)
• You can go out after you’ve done your homework. (= you’ve completed)

We can use do + determiner + –ing form to describe regular tasks at home or at work:

• There isn’t much in the fridge as I haven f done the shopping yet.
• We do the stocktaking every Wednesday morning.

Expressions with make and do

There are several multi-word verbs with make or do:

• Don’t believe a word he said, he made it all up. (= invented)
• The government did away with the death penalty in the sixties. (= abolished)

Note: There are a number of fixed expressions with either make or do:

 X It’s time to do a decision

 ✓ It’s time to make a decision

 X Who made your hair?

 ✓ Who did your hair? 

Here are some of the most common expressions with make and do. (Note that in the table below, sb = somebody and sth = something.)

Make
an attempt   an appearance an appointment (= arrange) arrangements a bed a (phone) call a charge (for sth) a choice a comment a contribution a decision a difference a discovery an effort an enemy of sb an enquiry	an exception   an excuse a fire a fortune friends (with sb) a fuss a gesture a good/ bad job of sth a habit of sth a journey a list a living love a mess a mistake money	a noise   an offer a plan a point a profit progress a promise a remark a sound a speech a start (on sth) a suggestion time (for sthlsb) trouble war a will
Do
your best (= try hard)   business (with sb) the cleaning/ cooking/ ironing/washing (up) a course some damage your duty the dishes an exam/a test an/some exercise	an experiment   sb a favour good (= help other people) sb some good (= make sb better/healthier) your hair/ face/ nails harm the homework/ housework yourself an injury a job	the laundry   military service research the shopping sport your teeth (= brush/clean) well/ badly (= be successful/ unsuccessful)

Have/Take + Noun

We can describe some actions with either have or take; in other cases we only use one of these verbs:

Been/Gone

The two past participle forms, gone and been, are used with similar but slightly different meanings. In British English we use been, not gone, when we express the idea of visiting or going somewhere and then leaving or returning:

• Jane’s just got back.

 X She’s gone to the doctor’s.

 ✓ She’s been to the doctor’s. (= She went and then came back.)

We use gone, not been, when someone has gone somewhere but not yet come back:

• Jane isn’t here right now.

 X She’s been to the doctor’s.

✓ She’s gone to the doctor’s. (= She went there and hasn’t returned.)

For both of these situations, gone is commonly used in US English.

Lay/Lie

To lay expresses an action; it means to put something or someone down in a flat position. To lie describes a state of being in a horizontal position. Compare:

• You will find the process easier if you lay all the parts on a worksurface. (action)
• I think I’ll just lie on the sofa until my headache goes. (state/position)

There is also the verb lie meaning ‘to say something that isn’t true’:

• That child lies all the time. (= says things which are not true)

Notice that these three verbs have different forms:

Infinitive	Past tense	Past participle	Present participle
Lay (= action)	Laid	Laid	Laying
Lie (= state)	Lay	Lain	Lying
Lie (= tell lies)	Lied	Lied	Lying

• They’ve laid new carpet throughout the house.
• We’ve been laying artificial grass on the new football pitch.
• We found the old photographs lying in a drawer.
• Yesterday I was so tired that I lay on the bed all morning. (past simple of lie)

Speak/Talk

Speak and talk have very similar meanings and are often equally appropriate:

• I’m going to talk/speak to my teacher about it after the lesson.

We usually use speak, not talk, for formal speeches when a person in authority is addressing an audience:

 X The Prime Minister talked to Parliament this morning.

 ✓ Before the election the President spoke to the nation on television.

We use speak, not talk, to refer to languages:

 X Anatoly talks English with an accent.

 ✓ Anatoly speaks English with an accent.

We use talk for long conversations:

 X  We were up half the night speaking!

 ✓ We were up half the night talking!

There are a number of expressions with speak or talk:

• Could you speak up I can’t hear you. (= talk louder)
• I’d like to talk about our new sales strategy. (= explain/discuss)
• You’re talking nonsense. (I strongly disagree with what you are saying.)

Raise/Rise/Arise

Raise refers to the action of someone or something lifting, increasing or moving something else in an upward direction. To rise only refers to the movement itself:

• The government has been urged to raise corporation tax rates to match those in other European Union states. Rates are predicted to rise by ten per cent.

Note: Because raise refers to an action done to something or someone else it always has a direct object:

 X Fares will raise next year.

 ✓ They will raise the fares next year.

Rise cannot have an object:

 X They will rise the fares next year.

 ✓ Fares will rise next year.

In formal English we sometimes use arise to refer to problems or difficulties occurring:

• Tissue rejection is a problem which can arise in this procedure.

Note: Arise does not have an object:

 X Let’s hope nobody arises that issue

✓ Let’s hope that issue doesn’t arise

Note that these verbs have different forms:

Infinitive	Past tense	Past participle	Present Participle
raise	raised	raised	raising
rise	rose	risen	rising
arise	arose	arisen	arising

Rob/Steal

We use rob to refer to the person or place that suffered the robbery; we use steal to refer to what was taken:

 X Thieves stole my uncle.

 ✓ Thieves robbed my uncle.

 X A gang stole the head office.

✓ A gang robbed the head office.

X They robbed his gold watch.

✓ They stole his gold watch.

We can use the preposition ‘from’ to link steal to a person or place:

• Colonel Blood stole the crown jewels from the Tower of London in 1665.

We can use the preposition ‘of’ to link rob with the thing which was taken:

• No man has the right to rob another of his freedom.

Opposite Pairs

Some verbs act as ‘mirror images’ of each other. They describe the same event from different sides.

Borrow/ Lend

If you want to use something that belongs to someone else you can borrow it from them. The owner of something can lend it to you for a certain period:

• ‘Dad, could we borrow your electric drill?’ ‘Sorry. I’ve already lent it to Michael.’

Bring /Take (and Fetch)

Bring means to take someone or something with you to the place you are now, to your home, or to the place/event you have been talking about:

• I’ve brought the pliers you said you needed.
• When are you going to bring your new boyfriend to meet us? (to our house)
• Jane and I got lost on the top of the mountain and we had to stay there till morning.
• Fortunately Jane had brought some food and water.

Take means to move someone or something away from the place you are now, away from your home or away from the place/event you have been talking about:

• I can’t find the cheque book – Dennis must have taken it when he left this morning.
• When are you taking me to meet your parents? (away from here to their home)

Note: The choice of verb depends on the situation of the speaker:

• Are you bringing your scuba gear? (on our holiday)
• Are you taking your scuba gear? (on your holiday)
• I brought the car to work today. (I am at work now.)
• I took the car to work today. (I am not at work now.)

Fetch means to collect someone or something from another place and bring it to the place you are now, to your home or to the place you are talking about. We don’t use bring with this meaning of ‘collecting’:

X Could you bring the children from school on Monday?

✓ Could you fetch the children from school on Monday? (= go to the school and bring them home)

Practice Exercise for Mastering Confusing Verbs for IELTS Grammar

It's time to practice with the following activities, which will help you familiarize yourself with Advanced Grammar for IELTS - Confusing Verbs. Consistent hard work will help you achieve a band score of 8+ and pass the test. Although solutions are available, attempting the exercise and then checking your answers is recommended. Let's begin with the practice!

Q A.

1. Heavy rains have led to parts of the road becoming impassable.
2. We’re going to have the roof repaired next spring.
3. It’s all part of the research I’m carrying out for my dissertation.
4. I’m rather busy this evening so I won’t be able to meet you at the cinema.
5. The old pond has become a wonderful paddling pool for the kids.
6. How can you talk to me like that after all I’ve achieved for you!
7. Are you going to take any more aerobics classes?
8. In many countries women still earn less money than men for the same work.
9. They forced the hostages to walk for three days without food or water.
10. They’ve been producing Rolls Royce cars in the same factory for forty years.

Q B.

1. You sometimes have to wait a year or two for the plants to really______root in the soil.
2. Unless a cheque is received by return of post we will have no option but_______steps to recover the disputed sums through the courts.
3. I can’t help you with that, I’m afraid; I_______absolutely no idea when it comes to electrics.
4. You want to become a doctor at your age? It ______years to get through a medical degree.
5. Do you mind if I______a quick wash before we sit down to eat?
6. She’s very worried about the takeover. Perhaps you should____a chat with her about it.
7. And what makes you think you_____the right to lecture me on morality?
8. I’m not feeling too good today; I______the most almighty row with my girlfriend last night.
9. In the latest developments in the civil war it appears that the rebel army_____power in the southern provinces.
10. I can’t think why you’re so reluctant to go. Come on,_____a risk for once!
11. We regret to announce that Alvin Claymore is unable_____part in tonight’s performance owing
12. The residents insist on____their say; they’re going to demand a public meeting with the housing committee.
13. With any luck the new policing initiative_____a positive effect on the appalling crime rate around here.
14. I know I’m old-fashioned but I do_____exception to all the bad language on TV these days.
15. You really can’t put this off any longer; you must____a decision on the Knowlson case today

Q C.

bad job	charge	decision
fuss	journey	mistake
promise	start	best
good	laundry	research
shopping	trouble	up

HIGHLAND HELL

This month Jeremy Vegal’s ‘HotelRood Test’ is the Trent Castle Hotel in Scotland.

In the bad old days, Scottish country hotels had a reputation of being cold, draughty and dour places which (0) tried hard to make their guests feel as unwelcome as possible. Well, the tourist industry has moved on and we at TravelDetective felt it was time to see if the winds of change blowing through the British hotel world had yet reached our northern extremities. From the catalogues and brochures, it seems that every castle in Scotland has turned itself into a hotel, and it was difficult to (1) reach a conclusion about which one to try. In the end we settled for a little-known but promising place deep in the Highlands.

So, full of optimism, I (2) travelled north on the overnight sleeper, jumped into a cab and headed east to the Trent Castle Hotel. I had (3) investigated and I knew that the place had been converted from a sixteenth-century fortress about five years ago. From the outside it certainly looked the part with tall granite walls and looming turrets overlooking the dark waters of Lochtrent. But the owners had clearly ( 4) committed an error with their work on the interior. Rather than warm and welcoming, it was just as grim and forbidding as the outside.

I got to my room and, always eager to test a hotel’s efficiency, I (5) began by calling room service and asking for my (6) clothes to be washed. It took forty-five minutes for the chambermaid to arrive, and when she did, she happily informed me that the hotel would (7) impose a fee approximately equivalent to the gross national product of the average third-world nation for each item of clothing I wished to

have cleaned. Never one to (8) complain. I politely declined the offer of instant bankruptcy and decided to ask the woman about the possibility of an extra blanket or ten, as the temperature in my room was hovering around zero and it was only the middle of the afternoon. She (9) guaranteed to bring one straight away, and that was the last I was to see of her for my entire visit.

Anxious to find some warmth, I decided to try out the hotel sauna, sure that some dry heat would (10) be healthy for me. But when I asked the receptionist about the location of this heavily advertised facility, she looked at me as though I had (11) invented it. ‘Been closed for months,’ she announced, if you want something to do you could always go out and (12) buy some things, there’s a lovely souvenir shop six miles down the road.’ The prospect was deeply unexciting.

‘Look,’ I said, ‘I don’t want to (13) cause difficulties, but the sauna is advertised in your brochure.’

‘Oh, that thing’s full of mistakes,’ she replied, ‘The printers really (14) messed it up.’ Rather like the owners, I thought to myself …

• (0): did their best

Q D.

US RATE RISE

• (0) The Chancellor returned from this month’s meeting of the ‘Group ✓
• (00) Six’ with news that interest rates are to be rised by an average of- raised

1. half a percentage point in the United States. While the Chancellor ….

2. has gone in Dallas city markets have been feverish with rumours of ….

3. even higher increases. The US dollar has been laying at an all-time

4. low for several weeks and the American trade deficit has been rising

5. steadily. The Chairman of the Federal Reserve has been to Tokyo to

6. discuss the problems which have arose from pressure in Congress to

7. tackle the deficit. He will be in Japan until next Tuesday.

PRICELESS TREASURE DISAPPEARS

8. The Benton Horde, a priceless collection of ancient Roman silver, has

9. disappeared from its display cabinet in the British Museum. At today’s

10. emergency press conference, Museum director Alan Woods talked of

11. his theory that the treasures had probably been robbed by a professional

12. gang on behalf of a specific collector as the silver is too well-known to

13. be sold on the open market. Ten museums have been stolen in the last

14. six months and the number has been raising steadily over the last few

15. years. The Benton Horde is one of Britain’s most important collections

16. of Roman silver. It was found in 1926, having laid undiscovered for

17. almost sixteen centuries beneath a Sussex field.

Q E.

1. We’d better order a taxi to bring/ take us to the airport next week.
2. My uncle borrowed/ lent me the money to buy my first car.
3. Shall I bring/ take my holiday photos when I come over on Saturday?
4. Is there any chance of you bringing/ fetching the kids from their swimming lesson tonight?
5. The car isn’t here, I’m borrowing / lending it to my sister for the week.
6. My boyfriend went to Japan on a business trip and brought/ took me a fantastic MP3 player.
7. Can I borrow/ lend your dictionary? I left mine at home.
8. When my girlfriend left me she brought/ took my entire CD collection.
9. Would you like me to fetch/ bring your car from the garage this afternoon?
10. Is there any chance I could borrow/ lend your calculator over the weekend?

Q F.

1.

A ‘Of course I love you darling, but when are you taking me to meet your parents?’

B ‘Of course I love you darling, but when are you bringing me to meet your parents?’

2.

A Poor Jenny, she always ends up doing the dishes.

B Poor Jenny, she always ends up making the dishes.

3.

A They’ve robbed the cash machine, officer.

B They’ve stolen the cash machine, officer.

4.

A I’m afraid Steve’s just been to Texas.

B I’m afraid Steve’s just gone to Texas.

5.

A They’re exhausted, they’ve been laying all morning.

B They’re exhausted, they’ve been lying all morning.

6.

A He’s always borrowing her clothes.

B He’s always lending her clothes.

Answer Key of the Practice Test for Advanced Grammar for IELTS: Confusing Verbs

Now that you have finished the practice exercises, let's review the answers. You will be able to take note of the following stages for mastering confusing verbs, which will help you improve your IELTS exam-taking abilities.

Q A.

1. Heavy rains have made parts of the road impassable.
2. We’re going to have the roof done next spring.
3. It’s all part of the research I’m doing for my dissertation.
4. I’m rather busy/ I’m doing something this evening so I won’t be able to make the cinema/make it.
5. The old pond has made a wonderful paddling pool for the kids.
6. How can you talk to me like that after all I’ve done for you!
7. Are you going to do any more aerobics classes?
8. In many countries women still make less (money) than men for the same work.
9. They made the hostages walk for three days without food or water.
10. They’ve been making Rolls Royce cars in the same factory for forty years.

Q B.

1. take
2. to take
3. have
4. takes/will take
5. have
6. have
7. have
8. had
9. has taken
10. take
11. to take
12. having
13. will have
14. take
15. take

Q C.

1. make a decision
2. made a journey
3. done (some) research
4. made a mistake
5. made a start
6. laundry to be done
7. make a charge
8. make a fuss
9. made a promise
10. do me good
11. made it up
12. do some shopping
13. make trouble
14. made a bad job

Q D.

1. ✓
2. gone ==> been
3. laying ==> lying
4. ✓
5. been ==> gone
6. arose ==> arisen
7. ✓
8. ✓
9. ✓
10. talked ==> spoke
11. robbed ==> stolen
12. ✓
13. stolen ==> robbed
14. raising ==> rising
15. ✓
16. laid ==> lain
17. ✓

Q E.

1. take
2. lent
3. bring
4. fetching
5. lending
6. brought
7. borrow
8. took
9. fetch
10. borrow

Q F.

1. A

2. B

5. B

4. A

5. A

6. B

To sum up, mastering confusing verbs for IELTS grammar is key to boosting both your grammatical accuracy and vocabulary range. Always ensure that you are using the right verbs in the right context, as it will leave a strong impression on the examiner. So, by familiarizing yourself with these pairs and practicing free IELTS practice tests actively, you can avoid common mistakes and express your ideas more clearly and accurately across all four IELTS sections.

Useful Links:

• Mastering Verb-ing forms and Infinitives : Advanced Grammar for IELTS
• Preposition: Advanced Grammar for IELTS
• Relative Clauses for IELTS: Diagnostic Test, Grammar Explanation & Practice Exercises
• Advanced Grammar for IELTS Modal verbs (2): must, should, ought to, have to, need to - Diagnose Test, Grammar Explanation & Practice Exercises 
• Advanced Grammar Structures for IELTS to Achieve Band 7+   
• Top 10 IELTS Grammar Books