Glossary of Usage pages 271-274

Perry convinced (himself, hisself) that he was going to win the match.

• himself

• hisself

The peacock spread (its, it’s) feathers and strutted away from the turkey.

• its

• it’s

Abraham Lincoln was a quiet man, but his words can (teach, learn) us a lot

• teach

• learn

The man looked (like, as though) he had a guilty conscience, but he was later proven innocent.

• like

• as though

The poet was (kind of, somewhat) disappointed when the publisher misunderstood her latest poem.

• kind of

• somewhat

Do you know (how come, why) we got chosen to wash dishes tonight?

• how come

• why

Although (its, it’s) not right to do so, some salespeople make exaggerated claims.

• its

• it's

The pumpkin was (kind of, rather) small, but we made wonderful bread with it.

• kind of

• rather

The old general looked (like, as if) he might cry when he talked about the war

• like

• as if

The small boy wanted to take the toy, but his cousin convinced him to (leave, let) it there.

• leave

• let