General Practice

Imagine someone is giving you directions to a supermarket. The person wants to express that finding the place is not difficult at all. Which of these could they say?

• The supermarket is easy finding.

• The supermarket is easy to find.

• Both are correct

Answer explanation

The supermarket is easy to find. After some adjectives, such as “easy,” we use an infinitive verb — not a gerund. In the correct sentence, the infinitive is “to find.”

Since the stay-at-home orders began, many of us have been spending a lot of time at home. Suppose things were starting to become boring. How might you express it?

• I am bored of staying at home every day.

• I am bored to stay at home every day.

• Both are correct.

Answer explanation

I am bored of staying at home every day. Some adjectives, such as “bored,” are followed by a preposition. And after a preposition, you will find a gerund or some other noun — not an infinitive verb. In the correct sentence, the gerund is “staying.”

Suppose you were making dinner and got an important phone call. So, you set aside what you were doing and took the call. Which of these could you say?

• I stopped to take an important call.

• I stopped taking an important call.

• Both are correct.

Answer explanation

"Stop” is followed by the infinitive “to take.” When we follow “stop” with an infinitive verb, it means someone suspends one action for the purpose of doing something else.

Imagine that you wanted to tell people about a fun or unusual skill or ability from your childhood days. Which of these is a correct way to say it?

• I could walk on my hands when I was 10.

• I was able to walk on my hands when I was 10.

• Both are correct.

Answer explanation

English speakers almost always use the word “could” to talk about general skills or talents from the past. “Was able to” is also possible but used less often in spoken English.

Suppose some tree branches kept hitting the top of your house and making noise. So, you went up there and cut down the branches. What could you say after the work was done?

• I was able to cut down the branches.

• I could cut down the branches.

• Both are correct.

Answer explanation

I was able to cut down the branches. When talking about a past ability during a specific occasion, we use “was (or) were able to” — not “could.”

As a reminder, a collocation is a group of two or more words that is commonly used together. Which of the following is an example of a verb + noun collocation?

• a stupid mistake

• make a mistake

• sadly mistaken

Answer explanation

The answer is b. make a mistake. All three answers are examples of collocations, but only “make a mistake” is an example of a verb + noun collocation. The verb is “make” and the noun is “mistake.”

This one also deals with collocations. Which of these is an adverb + adjective collocation?

• happily married

• happily alive

• thankfully happy

Answer explanation

Happily married. The other two answers are not examples of ways we commonly put words together.