- Improve Your Writing Skill –

[Khushboo]

Improve Your Writing Skill – Answers To Quick Test -

Answers To The Quick Test

If you have a moment to spare, have a quick look at these pairs of words and see if you know how to use each …

1. Lavinia blushed when she recalled the gaffe she’d made in curtseying to the waiter when she mistook him for the prince.

(A gaffe is a social blunder; a gaff is a hook used to lift fish out of the water etc)


2. The guerilla forces halted the enemy's advances.

(Guerilla refers to an irregular armed force that fights a stronger force by sabotage and harassment; a gorilla is a member of the ape family … the best known is the fictional King Kong!)


3. Vacation time had arrived at last.

(Vacation is a holiday; vocation refers to a calling usually to religious service.)


4. She was afraid she was going to lose her purse.

(Lose means to misplace something; loose means not tight fitting or not bound or fastened together.)


5. Buy your stationery supplies before the price goes up.

(Stationery refers to paper, envelopes and also now pens, pencils and other writing and printing supplies; stationary means standing still.)

There are many words like these that are commonly confused.

OK ... now try these:

Do you know what’s wrong with these sentences?

1. There's lots of animals at the zoo.

Animals is a plural noun - there are two or more animals under discussion here, so the VERB in the sentence must (absolutely MUST) agree with the subject.

There's is a contraction of two words - there and is.

Is is the singular form of the verb, are is the plural; so the sentence should read:

There are lots of animals at the zoo.

Actually, it would be much better to choose another word for lots, since this is a pretty boring word (a bit like nice). Many would be a better choice.

There are many animals at the zoo.

That looks better.



2. He's been laying on the beach all day.

Well, for a start, he's going to get sunburned and run the risk of skin cancer, but if he's so keen on getting a tan, who are we to interfere?

Secondly, he's one weird puppy ... laying is what chooks (hens) do, they lay eggs; people can lie on the beach, but laying ... hmmm. So this sentence should read:

He's been lying on the beach every day of his holiday.



3. She managed to buy the three last tickets for the concert.

Lucky girl - she's done the impossible because there can only ever be ONE last anything; she may well have bought the last three tickets, but not the three last tickets. So this sentence should read:

She managed to buy the last three tickets for the concert.



4. You’ll get bargains everyday at this store!

You may well get bargains every day you go to the store, and they may be on everyday items, but you won’t get bargains everyday.

Every refers to each and all members of a group without exception; everyday means ordinary or commonplace.

[Muskaan]

Thanks Baji

It'll b very helpfull