Commonly Confused Words: Allude/Elude

Does one allude danger or allude to an implied point, or both?

Allude (verb):

  • Allude is a verb that means “to casually mention something or refer to it indirectly”: “He alluded to another instance in which defendant failed to follow through with his obligations.”

Elude (verb):

  • Elude is a verb that means to evade or escape from someone or something: “The criminal managed to elude capture by the police.”

 Rule—Allude/Elude: To elude is to EVADE; to allude is to casually ANNOUNCE.

  • Tip: Allude is used with an object; elude is often not.

 Now let’s elude the risk of you forgetting this lesson by doing some practice problems.

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1 / 5

1. True/False: The underlined word is correct. The attorney alluded to previous cases to strengthen his argument.

2 / 5

2. True/False: The underlined word is correct. The witness tried to elude the prosecutor’s questions.

3 / 5

3. True/False: The underlined word is correct. The defendant was able to allude law enforcement for several weeks.

4 / 5

4. True/False: The underlined word is correct. The facts of the case seemed to elude the jury.

5 / 5

5. True/False: The underlined word is correct. After reading the expert’s report, I was able to allude that the defendant was guilty.

Your score is

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