Commonly Misused Words
- 1.An article in the distinguished WordBurger Times contains the sentence "The disinterested observers watched the quarrel carefully as it unfolded." Is this sentence correct - and why?
- A.
No. If the observers are disinterested they will walk away and not watch the quarrel.
- B.
Yes. Disinterested observers have no bias as to who should win the argument, but they can still watch with interest!
- C.
Yes. Disinterested actually means really, really interested.
- D.
No. Disinterested isn't even a word!
- 2.Choose two valid responses to this statement: It is wrong to say "I laughed so much I literally died".
- A.
Yes - 'literally' means something actually happened, and clearly, you are not dead!
- B.
Well ... no - you can use 'literally' as hyperbole, but many people will argue with you and point out that you are in fact alive, so it's probably not worth it.
- C.
Yes. In fact, you should never use the word 'literally' at all.
- D.
No - 'literally' is only ever used as an intensifier.
- 3.True or False? The English language never changes and words mean now what they have always meant.
- A.
True
- B.
False
- 4.Choose the correct word: The developers created useable software each ____.
- A.
Tact
- B.
Tack
- C.
Takt
- 5.True or False? Bemused and amused are basically the same word.
- A.
True - look, they even rhyme!
- B.
False - bemused means to be confused, amused means to find something funny
- 6.Choose three correct meanings for the word 'desert'. (This one is a bit tricky.)
- A.
A noun that means an arid land, usually with very little vegetation
- B.
A noun that means the sweet course at the end of a meal
- C.
A verb that means to abandon a post without permission
- D.
A noun that means the quality of deserving something
- 7.Is this sentence correct, and why? WordBurger Supermarkets give you everyday value every day.
- A.
Yes. Everyday is the adjective, and every day means every single day.
- B.
No. The word should be spelled everyday both times.
- C.
No. The word should be spelled every day both times.
- D.
No. You have them the wrong way around.
- 8.True or False? Incredible and incredulous both stem from the concept of not believing something
- A.
True - over time 'incredible' has come to mean 'really good' and incredulous has come to mean 'skeptical'.
- B.
False - They sound the same, but incredible doesn't have a link to not believing something.
- 9.Choose the correct word to mean bewildered or extremely puzzled.
- A.
Plethora
- B.
Grizzled
- C.
Nonplussed
- D.
Memento
- 10.And one that doesn't count towards your mark - what is the word that Inigo Montoya's friend is saying that prompts the quote at the start of this byte?
- A.
Amazing!
- B.
Inconceivable!
- C.
Irritating!
- D.
Dictionary!
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