Do you think you know words well? Take this challenge: Pick the correct word or phrase in every sentence below. No peeking at the answer key until you have finished!
1. This site/sight/cite is ideal for our conference.
2. John made less/fewer trips to Chicago than Karl.
3. Give your input to Lucia or I/me/myself.
4. Heavy traffic is the principle/principal reason for the change.
5. This wine compliments/complements the dish perfectly.
6. The amount/number of applicants surprised us.
7. I will flush/flesh out my resume with my nonpaid positions.
8. He pours/pores over your reports looking for good news.
9. Does this withdrawal reoccur/recur each month?
10. Turn your receipts in to/into Accounting for reimbursement.
11. The capitol/capital of Ghana is Accra.
12. We are scheduled to meet some time/sometime next week.
13. Who's/Whose the right person to talk with about parking?
14. Don't worry–your comment did not phase/faze Jeremy.
15. Kendra is discrete/discreet about people's problems.
16. My sister-in-law's sister, i.e./e.g. Julia, lives in Mexico.
17. Is the new CEO likely to affect/effect major changes?
18. Pass around the clipboard before everyone disperses/disburses.
19. Regretfully/Regrettably, we were unaware of the problem.
20. A/An FDA inspector will tour the plant on Thursday.
Are you confident of your choices? Then compare your answers with mine:
1. site
2. fewer
3. me
4. principal
5. complements
6. number
7. flesh
8. pores
9. recur
10. in to
11. capital
12. sometime
13. Who's
14. faze
15. discreet
16. i.e.
17. effect
18. disperses
19. Regrettably
20. An
How did you do? Be sure to check a style guide or dictionary if you doubt the answers above.
Would you like to increase your word skills? Get my booklet (printed or PDF) 60 Quick Word Fixes.
Lynn
Syntax Training
My poor results reinforce my need to support professional writers!
That was great fun. Thanks Lynn!
I missed two. Now to go look up why. 🙂
Thanks for the brain jolt!
Hi, aren’t both answers for 17th question valid?
Thanks for taking the challenge, Kevin, Jolene, and Alex.
Kevin, thanks for supporting writers!
Jolene, only two wrong is excellent. Nice work!
Alex, the context in 17 should make it clear that the meaning is “bring about.” That meaning requires “effect.”
Lynn
Re: number 5 … although “complements” is more appropriate, you could also use “compliments” if the wine really raises the food’s game!
Sz x
I struggle with #8. Pores is a noun as a follicle or opening. Whereas pours is a verb.
Hi Suzan,
Thanks for stopping by.
Actually “complement” has the meaning of “raising the food’s game.” “Compliment” means only “pay a compliment to” or “present with a token of esteem.” If you have a talking wine, it can compliment the food.
Lynn
Hi Linda,
Check your dictionary. You will find that “pores” is a verb that means “read or study attentively” among other definitions.
No more struggling with that one!
Lynn
14 right! Not bad for a non-native English speaker, isn’t it?
My mistakes were:
7 (flesh) – 8 (pores) – 14 (faze): didn’t know the idiom, I expected these to be wrong
10 (in to): read too quickly
16 (i.e.) – 19 (Regrettably): I should study the actual meaning of these words!
Deborah, that’s excellent work. And now you will know the ones you missed.
Lynn
So many people are “flushing” out things these days. Thanks for helping socialize clarity on that one- drives me CRAZY!
Lilli, I agree. I frequently see and hear “flushing out.”
Lynn
Thanks, Lynn, for effecting this quiz.
Hi Sang Tran,
Thanks for using one of the trick words in your sentence. It’s not quite the correct way “effecting” is used. Similarly, one would not write “Thanks for bringing about the quiz.”
Or were you just kidding me? In any case, thanks for commenting!
Lynn
Lynn, a late comment/question: I thought “sometime” was an adjective meaning “occasional” or “at some point in the past,” and that “some time” would be correct in #12 because it meant “at a specific but unknown or unstated time.” Where did I go wrong?
Thanks for your challenges. They make us think!
Hi Olivia,
You are right that “sometime” can be an adjective, but it’s not an adjective in Number 12. It’s an adverb.
My MERRIAM-WEBSTER’S says “sometime” is an adverb meaning “at some time in the future” and “at some not specified or definitely known point of time.”
Lynn
Aha, I didn’t think of it that way but I see now. I appreciate your responding to my delayed question.
I’m always happy to see a Business Writing entry in my email. The article I found this morning (March 3) is excellent. Your book Business Writing with Heart, mentioned in that article, offers valuable ideas for writing in a variety of tricky situations.
Thanks much.
I am glad you like my book, Olivia. Thanks for the plug.
Lynn