0

It is from this video. It is right at the beginning. Here is the context.

Today we are talking about loneliness; not to be confused with introversion or social anxiety.

What I can understand from the context is that it either means don't confuse it with or you should not confuse with, I am not sure though. And What baffles me the most is the grammar of it.

2
  • possible duplicate of ell.stackexchange.com/questions/89769/…
    – John Feltz
    Commented Jun 28, 2018 at 12:48
  • 1
    "To be" followed by a past participle is almost always the passive voice, and this is no exception. You are correct that it means "you should not confuse loneliness with introversion," but the "you" is eliminated by the use of the passive voice. Commented Jun 28, 2018 at 17:11

1 Answer 1

0

"Not to be confused with" is a common English idiom. It has several variants, some of which are:

'should not be confused with'

'as distinct from'

'which is quite different from'

'unlike'

All of these expressions highlight the fact that a particular word, concept or idea that appears before the expression, should not be confused with a similar word, concept or idea that appears after the expression. It is usually used when someone wants to be sure that the people who are reading, or hearing, his/her words do not confuse them with words, or concepts, or ideas that appear to be similar or closely related. e.g.

Patriotism, not be confused with nationalism, can be an important binding force within a country.

In order to be a good communicator you need to learn that listening is quite different from hearing.

Tin is an element, unlike bronze which is an alloy or compound.

Education, as distinct from schooling, is a lifelong endeavour.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .