Creative Editing
Chapter 3
Note: Exercises 5 through 12 are based on the material on correct word usage in this chapter, as well as on the list of frequently misused words in the Appendix.
Exercise 6
6. Delete the incorrect choices in the following sentences.
a. Please [boar, boor, bore] holes in this piece of lumber.
b. She could hardly catch her [breath, breathe].
c. He froze the [balance, remainder] of the meat.
d. He gave his mother a beautiful [broach, brooch] for Christmas.
e. She placed the ball [beside, besides] the tennis racket.
f. The [biannual, biennial] event is in April and October.
g. The game was canceled [because of, due to] rain.
h. The judge set his [bail, bale] at $10,000.
i. The papers must be in a [bail, bale] or the recycling plant will not accept them.
j. The room was filled with smoke, making it difficult to [breath, breathe].
k. The tennis player was a [boar, boor, bore] with his frequent complaints about the referee's calls.
l. To raise money, the church sponsored a [bazaar, bizarre].
m. We used the bucket to [bail, bale] water from the leaking boat.
n. While they were on vacation, a [burglar, robber] broke in and stole a television set.
o. This would be a good [cite, sight, site] for a picnic.
p. Although she was in her mid-30s, her [childish, childlike] mannerisms made her a popular elementary-school teacher.
q. He had thick [callouses, calluses] on his feet.
r. He was [censored, censured, censered] for his unethical behavior.
s. She learned to play [chords, cords] on the guitar.
t. The [climactic, climatic] moment was when Jim met his birth mother for the first time.
u. Some NFL players receive salaries that are not [commensurate, commiserate] with their playing abilities.
v. How do NFL salaries [compare to, compare with] those of the NBA?
w. His behavior at the party shows that he is a [callous, callus] person.
x. It was [childish, childlike] for him to pull such a stunt at a formal occasion.
y. We were unable to catch [cite, sight, site] of her in the huge crowd.
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