The English language is full of words that sound or are spelled similarly but have very different meanings. One such set of words includes "adapt," "adept" and "adopt." With only one letter difference among them, they can easily be confused with each other. Follow the steps below and you will easily learn the obvious distinctions between these very different words.
Instructions
1. Imagine the action of the verb "adapt:" to adjust, suit, conform, regulate, fit, reconcile, convert or harmonize. Its noun form "adapter" and adjective form "adaptable" are commonly used in the context of technology.
2. Know that "adept" is an adjective, which is a word that describes nouns. Its synonyms include skillful, dexterous, apt, practiced, expert and proficient. When uncertain about the word meaning of "adept," think of its similarly-spelled antonym "inept." If "inept" means the opposite of what you think "adept" means, then you already know the meaning of "adept."
3. Think of the verb "adopt" in its noun form, "adoption," and its meaning will become very clear. When one "adopts," one embraces, borrows, assumes, fosters or accepts as one's own.
4. Make up a memory trick to distinguish between the three word meanings, capitalizing on the one letter that is different in each. For example, associate the O in "adopt" with "own" to make a memorable phrase like "adopt your own." Pair the A in "adapt" with the A in "adjust." Match the E in "adept" with "expert," and think an adept expert.
