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Confusable Words: Awful, Awesome, Bad and Badly Exercise

April 19, 2018 A2pdf

Fill in the blanks.

Progress 0 of 12 answered
1The eruption of the volcano is an ............... sight.
Wrong!
The adjective "awesome" means very impressive, so it fits an eruption.
2It was an ............... movie. I shouldn’t have watched it.
Wrong!
The adjective "awful" means very bad, so it fits a movie the speaker regrets watching.
3He never took a ............... glance.
Wrong!
The adjective "backward" is normally used before a noun in this expression.
4Bacteria ............... in the air we breathe and the food we eat.
Wrong!
The plural noun "bacteria" takes the verb "are" in standard English.
5I feel ............... enough to go to the hospital.
Wrong!
After "feel", the adjective "bad" describes the speaker’s health or condition.
6Don’t feel ............... about losing the match.
Wrong!
After "feel", the adjective "bad" means sorry or upset.
7The student was admonished for behaving ............... in class.
Wrong!
The adverb "badly" describes the action of behaving.
8She wants a new job ...............
Wrong!
The adverb "badly" can mean very much in this sentence.
9Customs officers examined all ............... at the airport.
Wrong!
The uncountable noun "baggage" has no regular plural form here.
10We watched the fight with ............... breath.
Wrong!
The fixed expression is "bated" breath, meaning breath held in suspense.
11When the rescuers found the castaway, he ............... alive.
Wrong!
The phrase "was barely" is correct because "barely" already has a negative meaning.
12She was so weak that she ............... hardly walk.
Wrong!
Use "could" because "hardly" already makes the meaning negative.

Exercise complete

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Answers

  1. The eruption of the volcano is an awesome sight.
  2. It was an awful movie. I shouldn’t have watched it.
  3. He never took a backward glance.
  4. Bacteria are in the air we breathe and the food we eat.
  5. I feel bad enough to go to the hospital.
  6. Don’t feel bad about losing the match.
  7. The student was admonished for behaving badly in class.
  8. She wants a new job badly.
  9. Customs officers examined all baggage at the airport.
  10. We watched the fight with bated breath.
  11. When the rescuers found the castaway, he was barely alive.
  12. She was so weak that she could hardly walk.

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