refuse / reject "Refuse" means to show an unwillingness to accept something (refuse a gift or an idea). It also means to show unwillingness to comply with a request or demand. ("Many people refuse to believe that evolution is a proven fact.") It can also mean to deny something ("They were refused admittance") "Reject" can mean the same thing in some circumstances, but has other uses. Like "refuse", you can reject an idea or gift. However, "reject" also means to cast off. In medicine, a transplant or injection can be rejected by the body. You would never say that the body refused the transplant.

inhabit/refrain/restrain/ First, I think you mean "inhibit" rather than "inhabit" Assuming this is correct, "inhibit" means to prohibit from doing something. It also means to restrain from free expression or action due to psychological or social constraints. A person can seem inhibited. "Restrain" in some uses can mean the same thing as inhibit, but is somewhat different. It means to prevent from doing something, or limit, restrict or keep under control. "Inhibit" is usually used in a psychological sense. "Restrain" is sometimes used in the same way but can also be used in a physical sense. "His friends restrained him from hitting the man." "Refrain" means to keep oneself from doing something. You may not be restrained from smoking - no one is stopping you - but you might still voluntarily refrain from it.

Hello Irene, I can tell you the difference between maintain and sustain . maintain : to keep something in a certain state unaltered reserving it for a special use. sustain: to supply or support with nutriment or any kind of assistance to keep something extended in their validity for a longer duration. In both cases there is an action of keeping something in a good condition but the means are different . Objects are mainly maintained while communities , organizations and people are sustained.

I agree with all the above! The only thing I can think to add- just a side note- is that there is a noun 'refuse' with accent on the first syllable, whic means trash or waste (stuff we refuse to keep ). It's not an everyday word unless you drive a garbage truck :) The verb 'refuse' has the accent on the second syllable and the 's' is pronunced with a 'z' sound.