Word Use Quiz
1.
Alliance Packaging holds
some inventory for (itÕs) (its)
(their) customers.
2.
If I (was) (were) (she)
(her), IÕd join the Peace Corps and wait out the bad job market.
3.
We need to count the
(number) (amount) of parts in the plant to get a sense of WIP levels.
4.
When deciding where to
locate a second distribution center, REI is focusing on a single decision
(criterion) (criteria).
5.
Each person on the team
should do (his or her) (their) part to make the service project a success.
6.
We will execute the
project (regardless) (irregardless) of the weather.
7.
We have surveyed our
customers, and the data (is) (are) surprising.
8.
While we were in the
plant, we got the sense employee (moral) (morale) was rather low.
9.
There were (fewer)
(less) cases of bankruptcy in November than there were in October.
10.
We found (alot) (a lot)
of errors in the document.
11.
You should have (gone)
(went) to the party last night.
12.
I recall there was a
person (that) (who) declined the rebate offer.
13.
WeÕve decided to stay
out of the travel market (since) (because) demand for tourism is below
historical averages.
14.
Would you like to
purchase (these) (these ones)?
15.
Will you be available to
attend the meeting with Bill and (me) (I)?
16.
His skills
(complemented) (complimented) mine nicely.
17.
Recent terrorist events
have made me more risk (adverse) (averse).
18. We will need to choose from (among) (between) three projects.
19.
A person answering the
telephone at a Washington Mutual help desk should say:
ÒThis is Washington Mutual, how can I help you?Ó
ÒThis is Washington Mutual, how may I help you?Ó
20.
How does the meaning of
these sentences differ?
I will only loan you three books.
I will loan you only three books.
I only will loan you three books.
21. Which
of these is correct?
Hopefully, we will
complete the project before the deadline.
We hope to complete
the project before the deadline.
22, When
designing the new curriculum, we must consider four major (tenets) (tenants)
prescribed by our advisory council.
23. He
is more (oriented) (orientated) toward technical issues than he is toward
social issues..
24. Bryce
has developed effective written communication skills, but she needs to work
on her (verbal) (oral)
communication skills.
25. I have lost weight since I started eating (healthier) (more healthful) foods.
26. We will need to take (preventive) (preventative) steps if we want to avoid serious loss in market share.
27. We
have invited guests (like) (such as) Bill Gates, Paul Allen, and Dave Matthews.
28. The
project is not going well and failure seems (eminent) (imminent).
29. I received a job offer from Microsoft. I feel well-qualified for the position and am (eager) (anxious) to start work.
30. Which of these sounds better to you?
I
think that you should pursue an MBA from UW.
I
think you should pursue an MBA from UW.
31. Which of these is a better sentence?
We should use active voice in written work.
Active
voice should be used in written work.
32. What
is the problem with this sentence? Can you rewrite it to correct the
error?
Having completed the project plan, it seemed to include all necessary actions.
Word Use Quiz Answers
1.
Alliance Packaging holds
some inventory for (itÕs) (its)
(their) customers.
The possessive ÒitsÓ is correct here.ÒitÕsÓ is always the
contracted form of Òit is.Ó Remember, you wouldnÕt put an apostrophe between
the r and s in the possessive Ôhers,Õ so you donÕt need it for the possessive
its.
Not ÒtheirÓ because ÒholdsÓ is (correctly) a singular
verb. A company is a single entity. If you want to refer to a group of managers
at the company, then you can use Òtheir.Ó
2.
If I (was) (were)
(she) (her), IÕd join the Peace
Corps and wait out the bad job market.
The subjunctive (Òcontrary to factÓ, or Òmight beÓ)
mood: always Òwere,Ó not Òwas.Ó
ÒShe,Ó not Òher:Ó
forms of the verb Òto beÓ (is, was, will be, etc.) take a subjective
complement, which is in the nominative case (she), not objective case (her.)
But, if you think it sounds stilted, just say ÒIf I were SusanÉÓ
3.
We need to count the (number) (amount) of parts in the plant to get a sense of WIP
levels.
We can count parts, so
ÒnumberÓ is correct. We canÕt
count water, but we can count glasses or bodies of water: amount of water,
number of glasses of water.
4.
When deciding where to
locate a second distribution center, REI is focusing on a single decision (criterion) (criteria).
ÒCriterionÓ is the singular form. For many Latin-based words, the Ò-aÓ or
Ò-iaÓ ending signals a plural noun.
The singular form often ends in Ò-n.Ó
5.
Each person on the team
should do (his or her)
(their) part to make the service project a success.
ÒEach personÓ is singular, so Òhis or herÓ is correct, though awkward. To avoid the awkwardness of Ôhis or her,Õ you may simply use the plural form throughout a sentence.
6.
We will execute the
project (regardless) (irregardless) of the weather.
ÒRegardless.Ó The OED calls ÒirregardlessÓ a ÒNorth
American colloquial form,Ó meaning something those sloppy Americans would
say. It amounts to a double
negative. You will label yourself as an uneducated person if you use
ÒirregardlessÓ. Remember, there is another word: Òirrespective.Ó You may be
confusing the two.
7.
We have surveyed our
customers, and the data (is) (are) surprising.
Another Latin-based word
with Ò-aÓ signaling a plural form: ÒdatumÓ is the rarely used singular form. If
you wish to present yourself as an educated person, use data as a plural noun
and accompany it with the appropriate verb form.
8.
While we were in the
plant, we got the sense employee (moral) (morale) was rather low.
Moral:
concerning ethics, matters of right and wrong, virtue and vice.
Morale: concerning attitude, especially
positive or negative; often good or high, or poor, low. Here, the correct word.
9.
There were (fewer) (less) cases of bankruptcy in November than there
were in October.
Fewer cases (we can count
the number of cases), but less bankruptcy, a mass noun.
10.
We found (alot) (a
lot) of errors in the document.
A lot. ÒAlotÓ is not a word, any more than ÒabunchÓ is a word.
11.
You should have (gone) (went) to the party last night.
You should have gone. ÒWentÓ is simple past; ÒgoneÓ is the
past participle, used when there are other verb elements such as Òshould
have.ÓWe will confiscate your degree if we hear you saying this after you graduate.
12.
I recall there was a
person (that) (who)
declined the rebate offer.
A person who.
ÒWhoÓ preferred to ÒthatÓ when referring to persons, though ÒthatÓ can
be used for certain groups of people, such as a team.
13.
WeÕve decided to stay
out of the travel market (since) (because) demand for tourism is below historical averages.
ÒBecauseÓ is better: ÒsinceÓ is ambiguous here. Does ÒsinceÓ in this case mean
Òbecause,Ó or does it mean Òsince the time of?Ó ÒBecauseÓ is precise, ÒsinceÓ is not.
14.
Would you like to
purchase (these) (these
ones)?
ÒThese ones:Ó colloquial and redundant. Avoid.
15.
Will you be available to
attend the meeting with Bill and (me) (I)?
Objective case following a preposition. An easy test is
to drop out all elements except the pronoun in question: the meeting with Bill and me, the
meeting with me. ÒThe meeting with
Bill and IÓ may sound correct to you, but Òthe meeting with IÓ immediately
sounds wrong.
16.
His skills (complemented) (complimented) mine nicely.
17.
Recent terrorist events
have made me more risk (adverse) (averse).
ÒRisk averseÓ has become a
common idiom in business conversation.
ÒAverseÓ means doesnÕt like or wishes to avoid, ÒadverseÓ may refer to undesirable
or negative conditions in a situation or the environment, as in Òadverse
weather conditions.Ó A person might be averse to using a particular drug
because he or she has previously experienced an adverse reaction to it.
18.
We will need to choose
from (among) (between)
three projects.
ÒBetweenÓ two projects, but Òfrom amongÓ three or more projects.
19.
A person answering the
telephone at a Washington Mutual help desk should say:
ÒThis is Washington Mutual, how can I help you?Ó
ÒThis is Washington Mutual, how may I help you?Ó
Can: concerns ability to do something. Asking the first
questin would imply we want to get an assessment of our capabilities.
May: concerns permission to
do something. In this polite
usage, we are seeking permission to help.
20.
How does the meaning of
these sentences differ?
I will only loan you three books.
I will loan you only three books.
I only will loan you three books.
I will only loan you three books= I will not take any
other action (modifies the verb)
I will loan you only three books=I will loan you no more
than this number of books (modifies the number of books)
I only will loan you three books=incorrect because
ambiguous: I will do only this one act (as example #1), or I and no one else
will loan you books (modifies ÒIÓ)?
21. Which
of these is correct?
Hopefully, we will
complete the project before the deadline.
We hope to
complete the project before the deadline.
ÒHopefullyÓ means Òin
a hopeful manner.Ó Avoid using as
an introductory adverb when you mean ÒI hope thatÉ.Ó
22, When
designing the new curriculum, we must consider four major (tenets) (tenants) prescribed by our advisory council.
Tenets: points, principles, guidelines.
Tenants: people residing in a rented place.
23. He
is more (oriented)
(orientated) toward technical issues than he is toward social issues.
To orient: to align or locate in terms of direction.
To orientate:
a less correct form, probably a back-form from the noun Òorientation.Ó
English speakers have a lazy tendency to form verbs from nouns (e.g.,
incentivize). DonÕt be a lazy writer. Find a verb that works.
24. Bryce
has developed effective written communication skills, but she needs to work
on her (verbal) (oral) communication skills.
ÒVerbalÓ refers to words, both written and spoken. ÒOralÓ refers to spoken language. Here, the contrast with ÒwrittenÓ gives
a clear meaning of Òoral.Ó
25. I
have lost weight since I started eating (healthier) (more healthful) foods.
The food is more healthful, people are healthier. So eat more healthful foods.
26. We
will need to take (preventive)
(preventative) steps if we want to avoid serious loss in market share.
Preventive, preventative: both now in common usage, no difference in meaning. ÒPreventiveÓ as a simpler, easier-to-speak form may be preferred for more fluent sentences. Some people find ÔpreventativeÕ absolutely irritating to the ear.
27. We
have invited guests (like) (such as) Bill Gates, Paul Allen, and Dave Matthews.
Are they imposters posing as these individuals, or are
they actually these people? If the latter is correct, the proper word choice is
Òsuch as.Ó
28. The
project is not going well and failure seems (eminent) (imminent).
Eminent: of high rank or status.
Imminent: pending, about to
happen.
29. I
received a job offer from Microsoft. I feel well-qualified for the position and
am (eager) (anxious) to
start work.
Eager: Having keen interest or
intense desire.
Anxious: Feeling anxiety or
trepidation.
30. Which of these sounds better to you?
I
think that you should pursue an MBA from UW.
I
think you should pursue an MBA from UW.
I think you, I think that
you: ÒthatÓ can be omitted if no
ambiguity is created. Look at your writing. You may be surprised how frequently
you use the word ÒthatÓ unnecessarily.
31. Which of these is a better sentence?
We should use active voice in written work.
Active
voice should be used in written work.
ÒActive voice should be used in written workÓ is an example of the passive voice. In general, the active voice is preferred in business writing unless there is a reason for using the passive voice, such as deflecting attention from the subject of a sentence: Òmistakes were madeÓ instead of Òyou screwed up.Ó
32. What
is the problem with this sentence? Can you rewrite it to correct the
error?
Having completed the project plan, it seemed to include all necessary actions.
When a subordinate gerundive clause introduces a
sentence, as in this case, the implied subject of the clause must be the first
element of the main clause. Here,
who or what has completed the project plan? As it stands, the sentence is ambiguous. If itÕs you, the sentence should
be: Having completed the project
plan, we felt we had included all necessary actions. If itÕs others: We reviewed their completed project plan and
believed it included all necessary actions.As the sentence stands, the first
element of the main clause is the pronoun Òit,Ó which refers to the plan. But the plan didnÕt complete the plan;
the sentence is nonsense. .