Elusive vs Allusive
elusive
hard to catch/pin down
allusive
full of references
How to tell them apart
eLusive = hard to Lay hands on (the Lasso keeps missing). ALLusive = makes ALLusions, ALL those references.
Test yourself
Which word fits from context? Pick one, then reveal the answer. This is exactly how the GRE tests these pairs.
Question 1
The fugitive proved remarkably , slipping past every checkpoint and evading the manhunt for nearly three years.
Choose: elusive or allusive
Show answer
Answer: elusive
"slipping past every checkpoint and evading the manhunt" signals hard to catch = elusive; allusive (full of references) makes no sense for a person evading capture.
Question 2
Eliot's densely poetry rewards readers who recognize its buried quotations from Dante, Shakespeare, and the Latin classics.
Choose: elusive or allusive
Show answer
Answer: allusive
"buried quotations from Dante, Shakespeare" signals rich in references = allusive; elusive (hard to catch) does not fit poetry full of recognizable sources.
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