Confusing words: Know someone vs. Meet someone, Alone vs. Lonely, To feel cold vs. To have a cold, Desert vs. Dessert

Let's focus on some confusing words. 

"know someone" versus "meet someone" 

If you "know someone", you have met them before. 

Examples: 
know someone (be familiar)
know somebody/something - to be familiar with a person, place, thing, etc. 

• I've known Joanne for 3 years. 
• I have known my best friend since university. 
• Do you two know each other (= have you met before)?
• She's very nice when you get to know her.
• I don’t know anyone in Oxford.
• I know Paris well.
• Do you know the play (= have you seen or read it before)? 

If you "meet someone", you see them and speak to them for the first time. 

Examples: 
meet someone (for the first time)
meet (somebody) – to see and know somebody for the first time; to be introduced to somebody

• I met Joanne 3 years ago. 
• Where did you first meet your husband?
• (especially British English) Pleased to meet you. 
• Hello. My name is Sarah. Nice to meet you. (OR It's nice to meet you.) 
• (North American English) Nice meeting you. (Don't be surprised if you hear this: 'meeting'.) 
• There's someone I want you to meet. (When you introduce one person to another.)
• I don't think we've met. (This is the first time we see each other.) 

You also "meet someone" if you plan to see that person at a later time. 

• Let's meet at the cinema. 
• Let's meet in front of the coffee shop at 10 a.m. tomorrow. 

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"alone" versus "lonely" 
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If you are "alone", no one is with you. 

alone / on your own / by yourself (on my own / by myself) 
(which are less formal and are the normal phrases used in spoken English), describe a person or thing that is separate from others. They do not mean that the person is unhappy. 

Examples: 
without any other people

• I can't believe that Jane travelled alone through Europe for three months. 
• I don't like going out alone at night.
• He lives alone.
• Finally the two of us were alone together.
• She was sitting all alone in the hall. 
• I like being alone in the house. 
• I’m going to London by myself next week.
• I want to finish this on my own (= without anyone’s help). 

If you are "lonely", you feel depressed and sad because no one is with you. "Lonely" is all about your feelings. You may feel lonely even when there are people around you. 

Examples: 
lonely
unhappy because you have no friends or people to talk to

• She lives alone and often feels lonely.
• As I didn't speak the language I grew lonelier and lonelier. 
• a lonely child
• Sam was very lonely when he first moved to New York. 
• Living away from home can be lonely at first. 
  
  

It can also describe places or activities that make you feel lonely.

• a lonely house

"Lonely" also refers to places where only a few people ever visit. 
Synonym: isolated

• a lonely beach

"to feel cold" versus "to have a cold" 

If you "feel cold", you are not warm. You feel cold when it is winter outside or even at home if there is no heating. 

Example: 

• She felt cold because she didn't have a jacket. 

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If you "have a cold", you are sick and you sneeze a lot. 

Example: 

• My colleague hasn't been at work this week because she has a bad cold. 

"desert" versus "dessert" 

desert BrE /ˈdezət/ ; NAmE /ˈdezərt/
A "desert" is a large area of land that has very little water and very few plants growing on it.  
Many deserts are covered by sand.

Examples: 

• the Sahara Desert
• Somalia is mostly desert.

• cold nights in the desert
• their journey across the desert
• They travelled many miles across burning desert sands. 

dessert BrE /dɪˈzɜːt/ ; NAmE /dɪˈzɜːrt/
A "dessert" is food that is sweet and often eaten at the end of a meal. 

Examples: 

• What's for dessert?
• a rich chocolate dessert
• We finished off with a dessert of honey and nuts.
• We had mousse for dessert. 

PAY ATTENTION TO: 

• the spelling of "desert" and "dessert" (the word for sweet food has double 's') 
• the stress ("desert" - the stress is on the first syllable; "dessert" - the stress is on the second syllable) 

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Exercises 

I. Choose the correct answer.
 
1. He says he’s really ill, but I think he just has / feels a cold.
2. Hey, don’t I know / meet you from somewhere? Weren’t we at school together?
3. Do you see that man over there? I’m sure I’ve met / known him before.
4. OK, so you want a steak for the main course, but what would you like for dessert/ desert?
5. Her parents lived in South Africa when she was younger, and when she went to visit, she often went on the plane lonely / alone.
6. Could you come round to my house? I’ve got no one to talk to and I’m feeling really lonely / alone.
7. Could we close the window, please? I am feeling cold / have a cold.
8. We almost died as we were travelling through the dessert / desert with very little water.


Answers: 
1. has; 2. know; 3. met; 4. dessert; 5. alone; 6. lonely; 7. feeling cold; 8. desert; 


II. Fill the gaps with know or meet in the correct form.
 
1. I ............... her in London last summer.
2. I’ve ............... him for a year now.
3. Although I didn’t ............... anyone at the party, I quickly made new friends.
4. Sarah ............... a lot of nice people on her trip to Iceland.
5. Do you ............... anyone living in Shanghai?
6. Have you ever ............... anyone famous in the USA?
7. Do you ............... anyone famous?
8. I’m sure I’ve .............. you somewhere before.
9. How long have you ............... her?
10. Let’s ............... under the station clock at 10 a.m. and then go for a snack somewhere. 


Answers: 
1. met; 2. known; 3. know; 4. met; 5. know; 6. met; 7. know; 8. met; 9. known; 10. meet; 
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