Problems with word choice

Using the Correct Word Stem with the Wrong Prefix or Suffix. Translation Errors and Collocations. Spelling Mistakes That Can Change Your Meaning.

What are four common word choice problems?

Here are four common conundrums that writers encounter all the time—and how to sort them out.

What are the most common problems with words?

It features 18 common grammar mistakes with examples of how to correct them.

What are the common problems in the choice of words and grammar?

Sometimes word choice is a problem because the words are used incorrectly; sometimes word choice is merely inappropriate.
…

What are word choices examples?

Example 1: I sprayed the ants in their personal places. Revision 1: I sprayed the ants in their hiding places. Reason for change: The first sentence has a double meaning. The second sentence conveys the intended meaning and is completely clear.

Word Choice

What is a word choice error?

Using a word that sounds similar to the intended word but has a different meaning is one of the most common errors in word choice. Among native speakers, such an error is often just a slip of the tongue.

Is word choice a grammatical error?

Word choice errors are often due to interference from the writer’s first language and are sometimes called false-cognate errors or translation errors.

What are the major Common errors in English?

Common English Grammar Mistakes

What are the three major causes of grammar errors?

Reasons of errors

There are many reasons for errors such as, mother- tongue interference, overgeneralization and errors due to the effect of teaching, omission, redundancy and so on.

What are the 10 common errors in English?

10 Common Grammar Mistakes Writers Should Avoid

What are the 3 types of word problems?

Word problems, or story problems, appear in everyday life and also show up in the Common Core State Standards for every grade level, K-12. You can use three common types of word problems — part-part whole, separate and join and multiply and divide — for everything from counting pennies to calculating a tip.

What are the three common errors?

There are three types of errors that are classified based on the source they arise from; They are:

What are three common writing errors?

THE TOP TWENTY

What is the most common 4 letter word?

The most common four-letter words are that, with, have, this, will, your, from, they, want, been, good, much, some, and very.

How many common 4 letter words are there?

How many 4 letter words are there? There are 3,996 legal four-letter words, according to the Official Scrabble Player’s Dictionary, Volume 6.

What are the common errors in English justify with three examples?

Here are 16 English grammar mistakes Indians commonly make:

What are the common causes of errors?

Common sources of error include instrumental, environmental, procedural, and human. All of these errors can be either random or systematic depending on how they affect the results.

What are the 3 components of grammar?

Grammar consists of three components: (1) syntactic component, (2) semantic component, (3) phonological component. So, it does not only give sentence structure but also give an explanation of the mechanism of sentence formation as a structure born from an inner structure.

What are the three basic types of spelling and grammar errors?

Answer:

What are 5 types of errors?

The errors that may occur in the measurement of a physical quantity can be classified into six types: constant error, systematic error, random error, absolute error, relative error and percentage error.

What are common errors examples?

A common error is to shut down the air inlets too soon, before the stove has had a chance to heat up properly. It has been a common error to view prisoners as a homogeneous group with a set of common values.

What are the types of common errors?

What type of error is using the wrong word?

Confused diction errors result when a writer uses one word in the place of a word which resembles the correct choice. The solution is to verify the meaning of the words you choose, especially when you are aware of similar words which mean something quite different. Not all confused diction errors can be addressed here.

What are the factors affecting the choice of word?

The factors that influence a speaker’s or writer’s choice of language vary, and they include the context that surrounds the speaker or writer, the age, gender, culture, etc. Very often, the choice of language is conscious, and the speaker can switch the language choice depending on such factors.

What are the 8 grammatical categories?

There are eight parts of speech in the English language: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection.

October 14, 2018

Below is a list of word choice errors the Virtual Writing Tutor can detect and correct. The list is not exhaustive. Instead, it will give you a sense of the kinds of errors that I consider a word choice error and I have been working to correct.

Transfer errors

Word choice errors are often due to interference from the writer’s first language and are sometimes called false-cognate errors or translation errors. Other times the errors seem developmental in nature, coming from a lack of knowledge of the different vocabulary choices available in English or collocations required by a particular context. Sometimes, phrases just sound awkward in English because they are words we would never put together.  

Translation errors

Another source of word choice errors can be bilingual dictionaries or automatic translation websites. For example, a root waterway treatment is not a synonym for a root canal treatment. 

Homophones

I have not included typos as a word choice errors if they can be considered contextual spelling errors instead, for example, I was the winner or one million dollar.  However, I consider the wrong choice of homophones (for example,  there/their) is a type of word choice error. Here is another example: Words pored from his mouth, but the students were up until midnight, pouring over their books.

Often-confused words and eggcorns

Similar sounding words that are often confused are another source of word choice errors. Adverse/averse, effect/affect are common examples.  

Eggcorns are another problem.  Doggy-dog and duck tape are common examples.

70 Word Choice Errors

Copy and paste this list into the grammar checker to see the corrections.

1. The tiger of Serghei took a lot of place.
2. This problem is really bigger than I expected.
3. I don’t remember my tall, but I am short.
4. I usually like to wear joggings.
5. I like eating at Lonimar, my favorite Dominican food.
6. She spoke very loudly like I was deaf.
7. All prisoners had committed heavy crimes.
8. It was a little difficult question.
9. The police asked for a little description of the car
10. The website is named Biology Corner.
11. He told me he had followed several trainings.
12. Suddenly, he took me and he hardly kissed me.
13. For me, I can not support the pets of Jackson.  (False-cognate)
14. We opened the light and we saw blood in the bathroom. 
    (False-cognate)
15. This website is named “Biology Corner.”
16. He was determined to get the money by all means.
17. I advise you to take as many exercises as you can.
18. I’m doing the course to expand my job opportunities.
19. I said you before
20. Almost foreigner like pizza.
21. Almost students are tired.
22. There is a lot of tools at your disposition.
23. This website is a huge difference maker for me.
24. I measure 5 feet.
25. The thing is that I did not know or think that this field of study has as much responsibilities.
26. The metro is ten minutes away by walking.
27. Every dentist needs a dental collaborator to help with cleaning and preparation.
28. On my last visit to the dentist, I had a root waterway treatment.
29. First of all, social anxiety is characterized by an intense fear of situation that can procure humiliation.
30. I like to see my friend, look movies and read some good book of science fiction.
31. Some couples prefer not to make children.
32. In my new job I have to make a lot of important choices.
33. Finally, look random video on YouTube make me smile.
34. Words pored from his mouth.
35. The students were up until midnight, pouring over their books.
36. I think I’ll lay down for a few minutes.
37. We are wholly adverse to the new policy.
38. Taxes are having an averse effect on production.
39. The news is much surprising.
40. I pass all my classes with excellent grades.
41. The boss of another multinational wants us to join our two companies.
42. It is a really affective remedy.
43. The majority of them are working in an educational entourage and the others in health department.
44. The car couldn’t stop because it’s brakes were broken.
45. Dinner is the main dish of the day.
46. It was a long distance between the hotel and the beach.
47. The magazine is printed every month.
48. Unemployment is a very important problem.
49. That didn’t let me enough time in the morning to pray.
50. While I was walking I see my friend and he proposed to me to embark in his car.
51. Basement flats are often dark and moist.
52. Last day, I had a dream.
53. He’s name is Boris.
54. It was very delicious.
55. The teachers are very kind and comprehensive.
56. When I arrive at work, I take my new email on my computer.
57. I am very a blunderer.
58. Results found the relationships among these variables.
59. We have received a great deal of complaints.
60. He earned a lot of money on the lottery.
61. We have an urgent need of a new secretary.
62. I speak French since ever.
63. I work as a sales in a clothes shop.
64. I use English during my work on when I speak to friend who only speak English.
65. I have been talking French since I’m born.
66. In my new job I’m demanded to work overtime.
67. When you are not in your best, they are every time behind you like brothers.
68. Having in mind that the roads will be busy,I think that we should make an early start.
69. I got to know the south of London very deeply.
70. There was a negligent amount of liquid in the test tube.

One of the trickier concepts that you will be tested on ACT English is your ability to choose the right word from among many that are not quite right, and to spot when words are being used incorrectly.

Are you confident in your ability to find the differences in a group of similar words? Can you distinguish what’s needed from the context of a question?

If you’re not so sure, read on to see how the ACT English will test you on this skill! In this post, I’ll cover everything you need to know about these questions:

What Does “Diction” Mean, Anyway?

Diction is a fancy synonym for “word choice” — you may have heard your literature teacher talk about it when analyzing a famous author’s writing style. 

On the ACT English, there are three main ways that word choice becomes important:

• recognizing commonly confused words
• understanding meaning in context
• recognizing idiomatic uses of phrases with prepositions 

This final topic is large enough that we have a whole separate article dedicated to it.

But for the first two, let’s look at some example sentences that illustrate these concepts.

 

Answers: 1. B; 2. D

How did you do? These questions cover two of the most common types of diction errors that you will see on ACT English – commonly confused words and understanding meaning in context. Both of these test your ability to understand when a word is being used incorrectly. I’ll go into each of these question types in more detail below.

But first, let’s talk about why ACT English has diction errors in the first place.

ACT English basically tests your ability to be an editor. The ACT wants to see if you can spot and correct errors in short passages. This skill is important for college level work, such as writing papers.

Most of the ACT English questions focus on grammar, punctuation and style. By reading our guides or using another prep method, you can learn the various grammar rules that are important for being able to answer most of the questions on ACT English.

With diction questions, the ACT is looking to see which students can also spot errors where you can’t apply your grammar rules. The only way you will know these answers is to understand the subtle differences between similar words. 

If you don’t think this task sounds too difficult, keep in mind that many students make diction errors all the time in their everyday speech and writing. The makers of the ACT know which words are most confusing for students, and focus on these when writing the test.

So let’s start there – with the most commonly confused words that the ACT loves to test.

The Most Common Diction Errors

Some of the diction errors the ACT tests are random and therefore essentially impossible to study for.

However, the ACT writers have a couple of favorite errors, which usually appear at least once on every test. We’ll go through these one at a time.

THAN vs. THEN

The first key concept for diction questions is understanding the difference between “than” and “then.”

Than is used to show a comparison.

Then is used for showing what happens next.

Pop Quiz!

Look at the following pair of sentences. Can you tell which one is correct?

Answer: the second is correct because the sentence shows a comparison — than is needed.

How Should You Approach These Questions?

Then/than errors are pretty easy to spot and correct.

When you see one of these words underlined, look at the rest of the sentence. If it is comparing something, use “than.» If it is telling that one thing happened after another, use “then.”

Let’s look back at the first question

At the beginning of the article, I gave you the following question:

Now you can understand why the answer is (B) better than. The sentence shows a comparison (waking up and smelling coffee vs. waking up and doing anything else), so we need than.

HAVE vs. OF

The second most important diction pair to know is “have” and “of.»

The important distinction here is that “have” is a helping verb, while “of” is a preposition. If you see “of” being used as a helping verb, it will be incorrect!

The #1 Rule for Have/Of: 

If you see could of, would/will of, should of, or might of: these are all INCORRECT. 

Instead they should be could HAVE, would/will HAVE, should HAVE, and might HAVE.

This is one of those “everyday English” mistakes. In speaking, people tend to pronounce “have” like “of” because it’s faster and easier to say. It also sounds a lot like our contractions “would’ve,» “should’ve,» etc.

This has led some people to believe that “of” is actually the correct word to use in these circumstances — but it’s not!

Let’s look at some examples:

«Would of» is always incorrect; «would have» is the correct replacement.

How Should You Approach These Questions?

Have/of questions should also be very easy to spot if you’re looking for them. If you see of or have underlined, be ready to see a diction question.

Remember that if you have would/will of, might of, should of, or could of, you can immediately cross out those answers.

Choose an answer that replaces “of” with “have” and is also grammatically correct in the sentence.

Let’s look at an example from the ACT.

First thing we see in the answer choices are two answers that can automatically be crossed out, which makes our lives so much easier! Get rid of C and D, which both have the dreaded “of” construction.

Now it’s a matter of differentiating between “reveals” and “reveal.» At this point, you may notice that we are looking at a subject-verb agreement question. So we need to find what the subject is.

Ask yourself: what is doing the revealing? It’s the “last twenty years of letters.» When we cross out modifiers and the prepositional phrase, we get “last twenty years of letters.» Now it’s obvious that “years” is the subject.

Since “years” is a plural noun, we need the plural verb, which is “reveal.» B is the answer.

 

Other Easily Confused Words

The ACT will rarely test other commonly-confused words. These questions are very difficult to predict because they happen quite infrequently.

I have included a list of commonly confused words at the end of this article. Try reading through them and see if there are any that surprise you or that you didn’t know.

If so, it wouldn’t hurt to make sure you have these down before you take the test.

But don’t bother spending a lot of time worrying about this list. The ACT will rarely test this kind of question, so it’s really not worth stressing out over. 

You will most often see these commonly confused words in the context of our next type of question, which is….

Understanding Word Meaning in Context 

Instead of using really tricky commonly confused words, the ACT usually uses fairly common words with similar meanings, and asks you to choose which one is best for the sentence.

This can be tricky because you have to really think about what the differences are between the different words that you’re given, and also understand what the sentence needs in order to most correctly complete it.

Let’s look at an example of this type of problem from the ACT:

This example shows how the ACT uses relatively simple words to try to trick you. You are probably familiar with all of the words in the answer choices, so let’s look at them closely to see which one best fits the sentence.

All of the words here imply some sort of contrast or conflict, but in very different ways.

Let’s start with the given word, “contest.» A contest implies some form of formal competition between two things. Though the author says that there are differences between American and Korean age counting traditions, he doesn’t imply that they were actually in competition with each other. So (A) is out.

Let’s look at (B). “Change” implies that something was one way, and then became another way. This doesn’t work because these traditions haven’t changed from one to the other — they were just different to begin with. So (B) is out.

(C) is quite similar to (A), in that “dispute,» like “contest,» shows a direct conflict between two things. Again, this doesn’t really work because the two traditions aren’t actually competing with each other.

That leaves us with (D), which is the only answer that makes sense. As we’ve said, the two traditions aren’t having a fight; they contrast simply because they have different characteristics. That means that (D), “differences,» is the most appropriate answer.

 

How Should You Approach These Questions?

The meaning in context questions are definitely the trickiest of the diction questions. To spot them, look for questions that have an underlined word and answer choices that are completely different words, but are loosely related in meaning.

First, read through the sentence. Try to place a word of your own in the spot of the underlined word.

Now look at the answer choices. Though they will be slightly similar words, they will have different meanings. Which of them can have the meaning most like the word you put into the sentence? Choose that as the answer.

Let’s look at this example from the ACT and use the above strategy to answer it.

First, let’s read through the sentence and try to see what should go in the blank. “Perhaps the celebration of New Year’s Day in Korean culture is _______ because it is thought of as everyone’s birthday party.”

Something along the lines of “made more important” makes sense here. So which word could mean that?

You’ll notice that almost all the words imply going up in one way or another — this is how the ACT is trying to trick you. But in the right context, one of them can also mean showing greater importance.

“Raised” and “lifted” both refer to physically moving something up (unless they are paired with other words — not the case here). So (B) and (C) are out.

“Lighted” is thrown in here to trick you and is quite different to the others — its means something has been made lighter, as in the opposite of darker. It doesn’t work at all, so (D) is out.

Therefore the best word is the one the sentence started out with. If you look up “heighten”, you will see it can mean to physically raise something up, but it can also mean to make something more intense or significant, which is close to the original idea we came up with, which was making something more important.

 

Looking Back

The second question I gave you about smelling coffee in the morning had one of these meaning in context errors. Take a second look at the question.

Though the answer choices are all vaguely related – they all imply something that excites or surprises in some way – the correct answer is “stimulating”. This is the only word that really implies something that helps wake you up, which is what is needed to correctly complete the sentence.

Quick Recap

To summarize, here are the key strategies you need to use to master diction questions on ACT English: 

1. “Of” used as a helping verb (would of, should of) is always incorrect. Choose an answer that replaces it with “have.»
2. Use “than” for sentences with comparisons.
3. Use “then” to show one thing happening after another.
4. When you see a meaning in context question, first read through the sentence and mentally replace the word with one that makes sense in the sentence. Choose the answer that comes closest to the word you used.

Now It’s Your Turn!

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.

1. A; 2. C; B.; 4. C; 5. B

List of Commonly Confused Words

WORD	MEANING	WORD	MEANING
accept	to receive, take	except	excluding
access	entrance; opportunity	excess	more than needed
addition	something added	edition	a certain production of something
adopt	to legally take on, accept	adapt	to change to be more suitable
advice	a recommendation	advise	to give a recommendation
adverse	bad; unfavorable	averse	opposed to
affect	to influence	effect	a result
afflict	to cause suffering	inflict	to force something harmful
aisle	space between rows	isle	island
allude	to make an indirect reference	elude	to avoid
allusion	an indirect reference	illusion	a false idea or vision
already	happened before now	all ready	to be entirely prepared
altar	table for religious ceremony	alter	to change
altogether	completely; entirely	all together	all things with each other
a lot	a large number of something	allot	to give out an amount of something
ambivalent	to have two different feelings about something	ambiguous	having more than one possible meaning
amoral	having no sense or right and wrong	immoral	having intentionally bad morals
anecdote	a short personal story	antidote	a substance or activity that stops something bad
angel	a spiritual creature	angle	space between intersecting lines measured in degrees
apart	separated, into pieces	a part	a piece of something
appraise	to examine and judge	apprise	to tell someone of something
are	3rd person plural of “to be”	our	belonging to us
accent	how someone pronounces words	ascent	movement up
		assent	agreement/approval
assistance	help	assistants	helpers
attribute	a quality/characteristic	contribute	to give something
auditory	related to hearing	audible	able to be heard
aural	related to hearing	oral	spoken, or related to the mouth
balmy	pleasantly warm	barmy	crazy or silly
bare	not covered	bear	to carry or accept something
bated	in suspense, excited	baited	to harass (past tense)
bazaar	a market	bizarre	very strange and surprising
berth	a bed on a boat/train	birth	time when a baby is born
beside	next to something	besides	in addition to something
boar	a wild pig	bore	a dull person
board	a long, flat piece of wood	bored	feeling uninterested
born	to have been birthed	borne	carried
bough	a large branch of a tree	bow	bend upper body forward
breath	air that comes from lunch	breathe	to take air in and out
brake	part of a vehicle that stops it	break	to separate into pieces
buy	to purchase	by	shows a person who does something
canvas	a strong cloth	canvass	to ask people their opinions
censure	to criticize formally	censor	to remove offensive things from public
capital	city where government is based, or money	capitol	state legislature building
choose	to decide or pick	chose	past tense of choose
climactic	an important or exciting time	climatic	relating to the weather
coarse	rough and thick	course	a series of lessons
collaborate	to work together	corroborate	to provide supporting information
command	to order	commend	to praise
complacent	feeling you don’t need to try hard	complaisant	willingness to please others
complement	something that goes well with something else	compliment	saying something to show praise
comprehensive	thorough	comprehensible	easy to understand
conscience	the part of you that makes you feel guilty	conscious	aware; awake
contemptuous	showing contempt	contemptible	extremely bad
corps	a group of people or military force	corpse	a dead body
council	an elected group of people	counsel	to give advice
credible	able to be believed	credulous	gullible
dairy	milk products	diary	a book of personal thoughts
descent	a movement down	dissent	disagreement
desirous	wanting something	desirable	attractive
dessert	sweet food	desert	hot, dry area
device	equipment used for a particular purpose	devise	to design or invent something
discreet	secretive	discrete	separate and different
disinterested	impartial	uninterested	not interested
do	a helping verb	dew	drops of water
		due	expected or planned
dominant	most important or wanting control	dominate	to control or have power over
die	to stop living	dye	substance used to change color
dyeing	to change the color of	dying	present participle of “die”
elicit	to get info or a reaction from someone	illicit	not legal
eminent	respected	imminent	about to happen
		immanent	permanent part of something
emit	to send out gas/heat/light	omit	exclude
envelop	cover something	envelope	what letters go in
everyday	commonplace	every day	each day
exhaustive	comprehensive	exhausting	tiring
expandable	gets bigger	expendable	non-essential
explicit	clear, detailed	implicit	implied or suggested
fair	reasonable	fare	cost
farther	more distant (physical distance)	further	more
flaunt	exaggerate	flout	intentionally break the rules
formally	properly	formerly	before
foreboding	apprehension or anxiety	forbidding	unfriendly or hostile
forth	forwards	fourth	first, second, third…..
gorilla	large monkey	guerrilla	unofficial military group
hear	percieving sound	here	in this place or moment
heard	percieved sound (past tense of hear)	herd	flock/gaggle/group
hoard	collect/store	horde	large group
hole	hollow space in something	whole	complete
human	people/person	humane	kind
implicit	implied or suggested	complicit	involved in
imply	suggest	implicate	suggest someone is involved in something
		infer	guess something based on the information you have
incur	cause unpleasant consequences to oneself	occur	to happen
indeterminate	uncertain or unclear	interminable	lasting a long time, in a boring way
influence	impact	affluence	wealth
ingenious	really clever	ingenuous	innocent and trusting
its	belongs to	it’s	it is
knew	past tense of «know»	new	not old
know	to be aware of something	no	a denial
laid	past tense of lay	lain	past tense of lie
later	occuring further along in time	latter	near the end of a period
lay	to put something down	lie	to recline horizontally
lead	to take charge	led	had taken charge
lessen	to reduce or decrease	lesson	what a teacher teaches
lightning	weather	lightening	becoming lighter or brighter
loose	not tight	lose	to not win
maybe	an adverb that means «perhaps»	may be	a verb phrase indicating that something could happen but is not certain
meat	flesh	meet	assemble
mete	administer a punishment
metal	hard, shiny substance	medal	metal object given as a prize
		mettle	courage, strength, or fortitude
miner	someone who works in a mine	minor	not important; underage person
moral	right and wrongs	morale	confidence level in the success of an endeavor
passed	to go by something; alternatively, to qualify	past	something that’s happened before now
patience	to stay calm	patients	sick people
peace	tranquility	piece	a part of
peak	the top	peek	a quick look
		pique	annoyance
pedal	foot operated part of machine	petal	part of a flower
		peddle	to sell
perpetrate	do something bad	perpetuate	to sustain or preserve something
personal	relating to a person	personnel	staff
persecute	oppress or abuse	prosecute	to take legal action against someone
perspective	viewpoint	prospective	potential buyer, or applying to the future
plain	ordinary, unremarkable	plane	flying vehicle
pore	small hole, esp. in the skin	pour	make liquid flow from a container
precede	to happen before something else	proceed	to go forward
precedent	an example or model	president	the head of
prescribe	recommend or authorize medical treatment	proscribe	to forbid
presence	being in a place	presents	gifts
principal	most important	principle	fundamental rule
quiet	no noise	quite	completely
rain	precipitation	reign	to rule
		rein	straps that control a horse
raise	to lift	raze	completely destroy
rational	reasonable	rationale	the reason
reluctant	unwilling	reticent	saying little about what you feel
respectfully	showing respect	respectively	in the same order
reverend	Christian official	reverent	showing respect
right	correct	rite	traditional religious ceremony
		write	produce words
road	surface built for vehicles	rode	to have ridden
scene	location or site	seen	to have looked
sense	feeling or awareness of something; one of the 5 senses	since	between the past and now; because
sensible	practical or realistic	sensitive	delicate; responsive
		sensory	connected to the physical senses
sight	vision	site	a place
		cite	mention something as proof
simulate	to mimic	stimulate	to activate or energize a process
stationary	unmoving; still	stationery	office supplies, esp. paper
straight	not curved	strait	narrow waterway or channel connecting two bodies of water
suppose	assume or presume	supposed to	expected to do something
taught	educated, instructed	taut	stretched very tight
than	used to compare two things	then	at that time
their	belongs to them	there	at that place or location
		they’re	they are
through	from one end to the other	threw	to have thrown
		thorough	completely
to	preposition used to describe a definition or identify the object of something	too	as well as
		two	comes after one
track	narrow path	tract	large area of land
visual	relating to seeing	visible	able to seen
waist	around the middle of your body	waste	a bad use of something
waive	give up or cede	wave	move hand from side to side
weak	not strong	week	7 days
weather	conditions in the air above the earth (wind, rain etc)	whether	if, or not
		wether	a castrated ram
where	to, at, or in what place	were	past tense of «to be»
which	determining pronoun	witch	woman with magical powers
whose	pronoun identifying what belongs to someone	who’s	who is
your	belonging to you	you’re	you are
		yore	a long time ago

What’s Next?

Now that you know how to tackle one of the trickier subjects on the ACT English, try another: here is how to take on idioms on the ACT.

Not sure what else you’ll be up against? Here is a full breakdown of what you will find on ACT English.

Aiming high? Here are some top tips to get a 36 on ACT English.

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1. Transitive and intransitive

Transitive (diikuti dengan objek)	Intransitive (tidak diikuti dengan objek)
1. raise, raised, raised, raising (to move to a higher place or to cause to rise). Raise (Noun): an increse in salaryTom raised his neck.Heavy rain raises the water level of the reservoir every spring. Heacy rain raised the water level of the reservoir last week.	1. rise, rose, risen, rising (to go up or to increase)Rise (Noun): an increase in price, worth, quantity, or degreeThe sun rises in the east. The water level rises when it rains every spring. The water level rose when it rained last week.
2. lay, laid, laid, laying (to put, to place, or to cause to lie)I am laying the book in the desk.The postman lays the mail in the table every day. The postman laid the mail on the table yesterday.	2. lie, lay, lain, lying (to recline or to occupy a place)He is lying in his bed.He lies on the sofa to rest everyday after work. He lay on the sofa to rest yesterday after work. Lie juga termasuk regular verb yang artinya tidak mengatakan sebenarnya He lied to me about his age.
3. set, set, set, setting(to put, to place, or to cause to sit)I will set the book in the desk. The students set the lab equipment on the table every class.	3. sit, sat, sat, sitting (to occupy a place on chair or a flat surface)I sit in the front row.The equipemnt sits on the table every class. The equipemnt sat on the table last class period.
4. hang, hung, hungI hung my clothes in the closet.
5. hang, hanged, hangedThey hanged the criminal by the neck until he was died.

1. Similar verbs

1. tell, told, told (is often used before complements especially persons)The teacher tells us how to do it.	1. say, said, said (is not used before complements that are persons. Usually followed by clause that)The teacher says that we are making progress.
2. let, let, let (to allow or to permit)Their mother lets them stay up late every night. Their mother let them stay up late last night.	2. leave, left, left (to let someone or something remain; also to depart or to go)She leaves her briefcase at the office every day.She left her briefcase at the office yesterday.
3. borrow, borrowed, borrowed (to take and give back. It is often followed by from)Karen’s father borrows money from the bank every term.	3. lend, lent, lent (to give and take back. It is often followed by to).The bank lends money to Karen’s father every term.
4. do, did, done (complements that describe work and chores)We do our homework before class everyday.	4. make, made, made (complements that are derived from verbs)We make an agreement with each other every semester.

DO	MAKE	verb
an assignment	an ageement	to agree
the dishes	an announcement	to announce
a favor	an attempt	to attempt
homework	a decision	to decide
the laundry	a discovery	to discover
a paper	an offer	to offer
research	a profit	to profit
work	a promise	to promise
business	a mistake
justice	a progress

Latihan A1

1. The cost of living has raised 3 percent in tha past year (salah, seharusnya risen). Kok aneh
2. The flag is risen at dawn by an honor guard (salah, seharusnya raised). Kok aneh
3. Kay needs to rise her grades if she wants to get into graduate school (salah, seharusnya raise).
4. The landlord has raisen the rent (salah, seharusnya raised).
5. The smoke that is raising from that oil refinery is black (salah, seharusnya rising).
6. The average elevation of the Himalayas is twenty thousand feet, and Mount Everest ____ to more than twenty-nine thousand feet at its apex.

A. raises

B. rises

C. roses

D. arises

7. When the temperature is risen to the burning point without a source of escape for the heat, spontaneous combustion occurs (salah, seharusnya raised).

8. A calorie is the quantity of heat required to rise one gallon of water one degree centrigade at one atmospheric pressure (salah, seharusnya rising).

Latihan A2

1. Her coat was laying in the chair (salah, seharusnya lying karena kalimat intransitif).
2. I have lain your notebook on the table by the door so that you won’t forget it (salah, seharusnya laid karena kalimat transitif).
3. Key West lays off the coast of Florida (salah, seharusnya lies karena kalimat intransitif). (soal ini sering muncul di soal TOEFL, artinya occupy a place)
4. Why don’t you lay down for awhile? (salah, seharusnya lie karena kalimat intransitif).
5. Linda always forgets where she lies her glasses (salah, seharusnya lays karena kalimat transitif).
6. The geographic position of North America, ____ in the early days of the European settlement.

A. laying between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, isolating it

B. isolating it as it laid between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans

C. lying between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, isolated it

D. isolating it between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans as it was layed

7. Melanin, a pigment that lays under skin, is reponsible for skin color, including the variations that occur among different races (salah, seharusnya lies karena kalimat intransitif).

8. The audible range of frequencies for human beings usually lays between 20 and 20,000 Hz (C, seharusnya lies).

Note: biasanya kalimat intransitif setelah Verb adalah preposisi misal on, in, under, dll.

Latihan A3

1. Please sit the telephone on the table by the bed (salah, seharusnya set).
2. Won’t you set down? (salah, seharusnya sit).
3. Their house sets on a hill overlooking a lake (salah, seharusnya sits).
4. Let’s sit your suitcase out of the way (salah, seharusnya set).
5. Terry has sat there waiting for us for almost an hour (salah, seharusnya sit).
6. When Jacquiline Kennedy was first lady, she collected many beautiful antiques and ____ them among the original pieces in the White House.

A. sat

B. set

C. sit

D. sits

7. Hyde Park, the family estate of Franklin D. Roosevelt, sets on top of a bluff overlooking the Hudson River (salah, seharusnya sits). Mirip soal 3

Latihan B4

1. I really don’t mind making the homework for this class (salah, seharusnya doing).
2. Did you do a mistake? (salah, seharusnya make).
3. Please make me a fover (salah, seharusnya do).
4. Are they doing progress on the new road? (salah, seharunya making)
5. Have you done any interesting discoveries while you were doing your research? (salah, seharunya made).
6. The president usually ____ unless his press secretary approves it.

A. doesn’t do a statement

B. doesn’t make a statement

C. doesn’t statement

D. no statement

1. A one hundred-horsepower tractor can make the work of a large number of horses (salah, seharusnya do).

Pilih kata yang tepat di dalam kurung

1. The student (raised, rose) his hand in class.
2. Hot air (raises, rises).
3. Ann (set, sat) in a chair because she was tired.
4. I (set, sat) your dictionary on the table a few minutes ago.
5. Hens (lay, lie) eggs.
6. Al is (laying, lying) on the grass in the park right now.
7. Jan (laid, lay) the comb in top the dresser a few minutes ago.
8. If you are tired, you should (lay, lie) down and take a nap.
9. San Fransisco (lay, lies) to the north of Los Angeles.

Jawaban : raised, rises, sat, set, lay, lying, laid, lie, lies

Helpful Resources:

‘Word Choice” in writing is the usage of effective and precise language that conveys information not just in a functional way, but also to enlighten the reader. Effective word choice examples are the ones that use clichés sparingly, focuses on denotations and connotations, delivers straightforward meaning, avoids jargon, and is not characterized by a wide vocabulary.

Why is “Word Choice” Important in Writing?

As an author, choosing the right words while writing a manuscript is crucial for success. Academic writing, like most other forms of writing, is a series of choices. When it’s time to write, you have to carefully choose words that can clearly express the idea and then decide how you will rearrange those words into phrases, sentences, and even paragraphs. A strong word choice makes it easier for readers to understand the concept. It clarifies, explains, and expands ideas.

While evaluating word choice, it is important to address the concerns that restrict the author from disseminating correct information to the readers.

Some of the most common problems concerning word choice usage include the following:

Misused Words

Sometimes in a haste or out of ignorance, authors tend to use incorrect words. This arises mostly in cases of commonly confused English words.

Example 1: There were averse effects.

Revision 1: There were adverse effects.

Reason for change: “Averse” means to be disinclined towards something, whereas “adverse” means detrimental.

Example 2: The journal excepted your article for publication.

Revision 2: The journal accepted your article for publication.

Reason for change: “Except” means to exclude something, whereas “accept” is the consent to receive something.

Words with Unwanted Connotations or Meanings

Example 1: I sprayed the ants in their personal places.

Revision 1: I sprayed the ants in their hiding places.

Reason for change: The first sentence has a double meaning. The second sentence conveys the intended meaning and is completely clear.

Example 2: I want to do something different in my presentation.

Revision 2: I want to do something unique in my presentation.

Reason for change: “Different” mean something other than the regular activities, whereas “unique” implies something completely unusual and unrelated to the regularly presentation practices.

Using Complex Words Instead of Simpler Words

Example 1: “Conventional wisdom” is a relatively new designation.

Revision 1: “Conventional wisdom” is a relatively new term.

Reason for change: The first sentence uses a complex word, whereas in the second sentence, it is substituted by a simple word with a clear meaning.

Example 2: It was difficult to comprehend.

Revision 2: It was difficult to understand.

Reason for change: The word “comprehend” is substituted by “understand” without changing the meaning of the statement.

Awkward Word Choices

Example 1: Child students’ consciousness for marine education still remains an open research problem for creating a suitable teaching plan.

Revision 1: Consciousness among young students for marine education still remains an open research problem for creating a suitable teaching plan.

Reason for change: The italicized phrase in the first sentence does not read well and lacks clarity to a certain extent, whereas the second is certainly clearer.

Using a word that sounds similar to the intended word but has a different meaning is one of the most common errors in word choice. Among native speakers, such an error is often just a slip of the tongue. Among non-native speakers, however, it could be the result of genuine confusion.

What is a precise word choice?

Precision. A very important part of word choice is precision. Through precise word selection, you can increase the clarity of your argument by enabling your readers to grasp your intended meaning quickly and accurately. Therefore, you also need to choose words that will convey your ideas clearly to your readers.

What are four common word choice problems?

Here are four common conundrums that writers encounter all the time—and how to sort them out.

• Farther vs. Further. “Farther” has the word “far” in it.
• Oral vs. Verbal. Wondering whether you have a “verbal” or “oral” agreement?
• “You and Me” vs. “You and I”
• Affect vs. Effect.

What are the experts saying about your choice of words?

Social psychologist of the University of Texas, James W. Pennebaker, observes that we often go wrong when trying to present ourselves in a way we think other people will find acceptable. When we over-think how we speak, we tend to use constraining words that can stop us from sounding authentic.

Is it possible to say’your choice * for’?

The separate object could be a reason (I chose this car for the simple fact that it’s the best there is) or an object/person (I chose this car for you because it’s the best there is). I think this is best shown by the fact that My choice for is not a phrase that is often heard, it sounds more like an announcement.

How can this sense be indicated in writing?

I’ve often had situations where I’m unsure of the correct word to be used, either when writing or proofreading. How can this sense be indicated in writing? Someone mentioned adding a question mark just before it to indicate that the writer is unsure of that particular word. For example: