False friends: Appearances can be deceiving

Over the years, English has assimilated many words from French. While some of these French and English words may still look alike, they often have different meanings. In French, these words are known as faux amis; in English, we call them false cognates. In the following quiz, avoid false friends by choosing the right word to fill the blank.

1. The sales manager called a to discuss the new marketing campaign.

reunion

meeting

2. Heather drinks juice every day because it has the same heart benefits as wine.

raisin

grape

3. Stuart, a retired high school , now volunteers at the library helping newcomers to Canada learn English.

teacher

professor

4. Serena the project well before the deadline.

achieved

finished

5. Tanya volunteered to be the of the focus group.

animator

facilitator

6. There's a choir every Wednesday night at the community centre.

practice

repetition

7. The computer programmers are working to resolve the firewall issues.

actually

currently