✅ A ghost refers to the spirit of a dead person that is thought to appear to the living (They say the old house is haunted by a ghost).

✅ An apparition refers to a supernatural or ghostly figure that suddenly appears, often unexpectedly (An apparition of a woman in white appeared in the mist).

✅ Both words describe ghostly or spectral figures.

✅ Ghost is more common in everyday language, while apparition has a more formal or eerie tone (The ghost haunted the castle; The mysterious apparition vanished before their eyes).

✅ Pitiful describes something that inspires pity, often due to weakness or poor condition (The pitiful dog limped down the street).

✅ Abject means extremely bad, hopeless, or miserable (The refugees lived in abject poverty).

✅ Both words describe situations or conditions that evoke sympathy or sorrow.

✅ Pitiful is more common and less intense, while abject often describes extreme conditions of misery (The pitiful performance was hard to watch; His abject failure was devastating).

✅ Immediately means without delay, happening right now (She called him immediately after the meeting).

✅ Straightaway means at once or without hesitation (He answered the question straightaway).

✅ Both words describe something happening right away.

✅ Immediately is more widely used and often refers to promptness and exact timing involving urgent situations, while straightaway is more informal and relaxed, often heard in British English (When the fire alarm sounded, we evacuated the building immediately; I'll start the project straightaway).