Questions of English

Why do we choose one word instead of another? Several words may be logically appropriate.

This blog will provide practice in choosing the right word. I will also answer questions about the right word to use in a given situation. Where readers reveal further common difficulties or doubts I will provide more practice. Teachers of English around the world and learners beyond the elementary level should find these pages useful.

Native speakers of English may find that it helps them to answer questions about the use of their language, for example, when living in or visiting another country.

Below are some sentences to illustrate the kind of help that I have in mind but any Questions of English are welcome.

Send to halvenon@englishwordhelp.com



1 You see a friend walking towards you in the street. You greet each other and you say, 'Where are you ..............? A walking B going C heading

B and C are the choices with B more frequent than C. A 'walking' is unlikely, and in fact, 'walking to' would be needed. The conversation is about a destination.

2 English is ............. in many countries. A talked B spoken C said

The answer is B 'spoken'. A and C are not possible. Broadly speaking, in English, you speak a language, talk to your friends and say sentences and words. And we make sounds!


Choose the right word to complete the sentences that follow; the answers are at the end.

3 'I ............ in Spain now', she said, 'with my family. We came here from England five years ago.'

A am living B am staying C am visiting


4. He heard a .................at the door and went to see who it was.


A blow B strike C bang D knock

5 There is a view of my garden ............. A below B above C up D down

6 If you walk up the ramp you will come to a ................. A barrier B door C gate

7 In the photo the gate is ............ A ajar B unlocked C open

8 This photo is taken inside a house looking out through a ............ A glass B window C leaf

9 The moisture on the inside of thewindow is .............. . A steam B condensation C water

10 Outside the window you can see ......................

Answers: 3 A 4 D 5 B 6 C 7 C and A 8 B 9 B

and, 10 a man in a blue and lemon-green shirt (on a horse with a striped blanket under the saddle)/ a jockey..../ etc...........The words of your answer may depend on how good your eyesight is! The preposition usage in sequence demonstrates some of what is possible in English: in a shirt /on a horse/with a blanket/under the saddle.

Explanations:

3 The verb 'visit' is not acceptable here because (i) 'am visiting Spain' would be needed, not 'am visiting in Spain', and the sentence which follows would be unlikely(ii) the situation needs a word suggesting longer duration than 'visit'. Both 'live' and 'stay' suggest a longer period of time and both are acceptable; 'am living' is the default answer, chosen most often by native speakers. It would also be correct to use the form 'live' instead of 'am living' in this sentence.

4 'knock' is the lowest of these words in volume and aggression, and is therefore the polite way to attract the attention of the person indoors. 'Bang' and 'blow' are possible, but alarming, while ''strike' cannot be used as a noun here, i.e. you can strike somebody or something but you cannot give anybody or anything 'a strike'.

5 'above on this page' is the meaning required. The situation is not about the contents of the photo or the garden.

7 The gate is 'open' so C is clearly correct, but it is also 'slightly open' ie 'ajar' so both answers are acceptable. B 'unlocked' is not unsuitable but it is unlikely as its meaning is covered by A 'open'. The default answer is C.

8 In English, you cannot look through a 'leaf'' but you can look through 'leaves'. You can look through 'glass' but if you look through 'a glass' it is not a 'window'. 'A glass' is what you drink beer, etc from.

9 'Condensation' is the result of a process and is the word chosen by native speakers. The moisture is 'water', of course, but language is not logic, and 'water' is not the word instinctively chosen here.

10 Your answer depends on what you can see in the photograph and what you imagine the situation to be. In fact, at the time of the photo two men on horses were riding side by side on the other side of the road from the window. The men were exercising racehorses.

Do you have a question of English usage? Or any other question about the English language?

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