In addition to water, ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH) also has the tendency to form hydrogen bonds. So, ethyl alcohol can dissolve in water because both can form hydrogen bonds with each other.
Similarly, carboxylic acids are also soluble in water, if their sizes are small. Hydrocarbons being non-polar are not soluble in water at all, and there are no chances of hydrogen bonding between water and hydrocarbon molecules.
