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Quiz about Commonly Misused Everyday Words
Quiz about Commonly Misused Everyday Words

Commonly Misused Everyday Words Quiz


As a teacher I have noticed students making the same vocabulary errors again and again. In this quiz, I have focused on common errors in the strict grammatical sense rather than what may be heard colloquially. (British English)

A multiple-choice quiz by miss g. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
miss g
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
157,026
Updated
Mar 02 23
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
6131
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: PatL81 (8/10), Samoyed7 (10/10), sally0malley (1/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. Which of the following sentences contains an incorrectly used word? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Which of the following sentences contains an incorrectly used word? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Which of the following sentences contains an incorrectly used word? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Which of the following sentences contains an incorrectly used word? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Which of the following sentences contains an incorrectly used word? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Which of the following sentences contains an incorrectly used word? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Which of the following sentences contains an incorrectly used word? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Which of the following sentences contains an incorrectly used word? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Which of the following sentences contains an incorrectly used word? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Identify the sentence with an inappropriately-used word. Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 27 2024 : PatL81: 8/10
Mar 23 2024 : Samoyed7: 10/10
Mar 22 2024 : sally0malley: 1/10
Mar 15 2024 : Guest 4: 8/10
Mar 15 2024 : lolleyjay: 9/10
Mar 14 2024 : Guest 92: 9/10
Mar 13 2024 : Guest 101: 7/10
Mar 09 2024 : horadada: 9/10
Mar 05 2024 : Guest 86: 8/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Which of the following sentences contains an incorrectly used word?

Answer: She is a negligible mother.

The word 'negligible' means 'slight or insignificant'. The word that should have been used is 'negligent' which means 'neglectful'.
2. Which of the following sentences contains an incorrectly used word?

Answer: That's an unguent perfume you're wearing!

The sentence should have read 'a pungent perfume' instead of 'an unguent'. Pungent means strong-smelling whereas unguent is a noun, meaning an ointment. The adjectival form unguentary, meaning that the noun being modified contains or is similar to unguent, could possibly have been used to describe a perfume.
3. Which of the following sentences contains an incorrectly used word?

Answer: I fell to the bottom of the well-made, abysmal hole.

The word 'abysmal' should have read 'abyssal' which means at the bottom or the deepest part. The word 'abysmal' means immeasurably bad, or deep in a literary sense where the suggestion is obscure or unfathomable.
4. Which of the following sentences contains an incorrectly used word?

Answer: The criteria for university entry is very tough.

The word 'criteria' is plural (the singular is criterion) therefore the verb should also have been plural. Other examples of words with unusually formed plurals include datum which becomes data, and alumnus which becomes alumni.
5. Which of the following sentences contains an incorrectly used word?

Answer: The trilingual girl spoke thirty languages.

The prefix 'tri' is from Latin and means three, therefore a trilingual person can speak three languages. Someone who only speaks two different languages is bilingual. It is now (since 2012) internationally accepted to refer to anyone who speaks more than one language, however many that may be, as multilingual.
6. Which of the following sentences contains an incorrectly used word?

Answer: The tumour was malicious.

The correct word here is 'malignant' which means harmful whereas 'malicious' means intending to cause harm. Since a tumour has no consciousness, it cannot be described as malicious. The prefix 'mal-' originates from the Latin meaning 'badly'.
7. Which of the following sentences contains an incorrectly used word?

Answer: The characters performed the soliloquy.

A soliloquy is a speech in a play spoken by one character. It is a literary device usually employed to reveal the character's thoughts or motivation to the audience.
8. Which of the following sentences contains an incorrectly used word?

Answer: It was difficult to illicit a response from the criminal.

'Illicit' is an adjective meaning that something is not permitted by laws or customs; therefore, this word should have been replaced with 'elicit' which is a verb meaning to draw out a reaction.
9. Which of the following sentences contains an incorrectly used word?

Answer: To excess the internet, press 'enter'.

Although these words sound fairly similar, they are not related. The word 'excess' should be replaced with 'access'.
10. Identify the sentence with an inappropriately-used word.

Answer: The author was offering singed copies of her book.

Hmmm, I don't think I'd be very happy to receive a 'singed' copy of a book! I'd much prefer a 'signed' one. Thanks for taking my quiz. I hope you've enjoyed it!
Source: Author miss g

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ILuv2Teach before going online.
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