2. Word Usage

Word Usage questions test your knowledge of the meaning and usage of words. These will typically be phrasal verbs (verbs with contextual meanings by adding different prepositions), or idioms. Let us solve an examples to get a clear idea.

Example 16

In the following question, one word is used in different ways. Choose the option in which the usage of the word is inappropriate/incorrect.
[CAT 2003 Retest]

HELP

(1) This syrup will help your cold.
(2) I can't help the colour of my skin.
(3) Ranjit may help himself with the beer in the fridge.
(4) Do you really expect me to help you out with cash?

Solution

Help used in option (1) means relieve or ease and has been used correctly.

In option (2), help used with can or cannot means not able to control, change or stop, and is correct.

In option (3), it should be help himself to and not help himself with. To help oneself to is an idiom meaning to take, or to provide oneself with.

Help in the last sentence means the usual meaning, aid, assistance and the word has been correctly used.

Hence, the correct choice is option (3).

Answer: (3) Ranjit may help himself with the beer in the fridge.

Example 17

Choose the correct option from the following.
[XAT 2012]

Ravindra Dubey was guilty of embezzlement. It means that Ravindra Dubey

(1) did not pay his bills.
(2) misappropriated assets he was entrusted with.
(3) engaged in circulating black money in the economy.
(4) cheated on his spouse.
(5) misreported educational qualification.

Solution

To embezzle is to steal or misuse funds placed in one's trust. Embezzlement is the noun form of embezzle. Therefore, we can select option (2) which captures this meaning (to misappropriate means to take dishonestly or unfairly).

Answer: (2) misappropriated assets he was entrusted with.

The questions might ask us to choose the correct/incorrect usage, or choose the meaning based on the options given. In the second type, we may get a sentence to help us understand the meaning of the word/phrase. We can also get match the following questions. Pay special attention to the question, as the question can ask you to select the option that is correct or incorrect.

2.1 Vocabulary

Vocabulary and grammar are the primary requirements to solve Word Usage questions. These questions will often test you in the varied usage of a single word.

For instance, the word paper can also mean a research paper or identification documents. Paper is also used as a verb meaning to cover with wallpaper. Other variants include on paper (meaning theoretically), paper over (meaning to resolve a disagreement), make the papers (meaning to be written about in the newspaper), etc. Entrance tests will test your knowledge of such usage.

Phrasal verb	Meaning	Example
Add	Join or sum two or more things Put in one more thing	An Americano is made by adding hot water to an espresso shot. Salt is put in food to enhance flavour.
Add up	Make sense (typically used negatively)	Many things did not add up in her story.
Agree	Concur, have the same opinion	The US and Iranian officials have agreed to the deal.
Agree with	Match Be appropriate or healthy	The verb should always agree with the noun. I ate something which does not agree with me.
Ask	To say something in order to obtain an answer or some information	The teacher asked me the answer to the problem.
Ask around	Ask many people the same question	I know that she is good at her work, because I have asked around.
Asking a lot/ Big ask	A request, demand or situation that requires a major commitment from one person	A request, demand or situation that requires a major commitment from one person
Ask for	Request/demand for something	I asked my parents for money.
Ask out	Invite, usually for a date	He finally got the courage to ask her out.
Back	Human body part Rear In the opposite direction In the past Support	He lay on his back. The carpark is at the back of the house. Push the sofa back to make room for the chair. I finally got my back pay. The politician has the backing of the news media, they always back his decisions.
Back (something) into	To bump or strike something	Rachel backed into the horse while running in the park.
Back out	Withdraw from a commitment	The US backed out of the Paris Accords.
Back up	Provide support Make a copy Drive backwards Explain the background	I have the facts to back up my point. I back up my important files weekly. He backed up to avoid the traffic jam. Let me back up and explain the circumstances first.
Break	Smash or separate Interrupt Put an end to Pause (usually from work) Fail to observe Destroy Change Become public Change in voice and tone	My phone has a broken screen. He broke his leg in two places. Federer's concentration was broken and he missed the shot. He broke the silence after some time. We stopped for a much-needed break. We will break for a day in Mumbai. You are breaking the law. The company is trying to break the union. The weather broke and it rained today after two months of dry heat. The scandal broke out and ended the politician's career. He sounds very different after his voice broke.
Break down	Get upset Stop functioning	The entire family broke down on seeing Floyd's dead body. My car broke down at the worst possible time.
Break in	Forced/illegal entry Training a horse for riding Wear a few times	Forced/illegal entry Training a horse for riding Wear a few times
Break off	Break a small piece Stop talking abruptly	I broke off a piece of the bread. They broke off their discussion when he arrived.
Break out	Start suddenly (conflict, war) Escape Suddenly come up (break-out) very successful	War has broken out in Syria. Dufresne broke out of the Shawshank prison. My skin broke out due to the new medicine. It was the breakout movie of our generation.
Break up	To split (of friends, couples)	The meeting broke up after an hour They broke up last week.
Bring down	Cause to fall Win the approval of everyone	Harry brought down the partridge with my gun. Their play brought the house down.
Bring out	To make it clear	That scarf brings out the colour of your eyes. Smriti brought out the benefits of the new policy in her speech.
Bring up	Introduce a topic Raise (someone)	She will bring up the new product and then we will pitch in. Mowgli was brought up by the wolves.
Call	Give a name Refer to someone Cry out Crying for help Characteristic cry Reach over the phone Request attendance	Let's call her Mona. She is one of the few people I can call a friend. The monkeys are calling out. Luckily, a passer-by heard our calls for help. He can recognise most birds by hearing their call. I will call you back in twenty minutes. The witness was called by the court.
Call back	Return (callback) invite to audition again	She will call back in the evening for the book. Joey got a callback after his audition.
Call for	Demand, appeal	The union has called for a strike. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Call off	Cancel	The party was called off.
Call on	Visit someone Get help from	We will call on them this week. We can always call on them if we need something.
Call up	Summon for duty Contact by phone	They have called up the reverse forces. I will call them up in the morning.
Catch	Intercept and hold Seize Capture Reach Attend Contract an illness Unevenness in voice	The fielder caught the ball and got the wicket. I caught hold of the thief's arm to retrain him. I am trying to catch fish. We just managed to catch the train. Do you want to catch a movie? I caught Yellow Fever in Africa. There was a catch in his voice due to emotion.
Caught in	In a difficult, unpleasant situation	We were caught in the thunderstorm without any shelter.
Catch on	Become popular Understand	Football has caught on in India. He caught on to my strategy quickly.
Catch up	Get to someone ahead Talk to someone after some time	They are running too fast for me to catch up. It is so great to catch up with old friends.
Check	Examine Verify Stop, slow Tick (mark signifying correct) Cheque (US spelling) Claim receipt	Did you check everyone's baggage before they left? I checked the outfit for tears. The lockdown helped to check the spread of the disease. Please check this box if you want to sign up. Can I pay you by check? You can leave your luggage here, but don't forget to college the check.
Check in	Register at a hotel/airport	Most airports insist on people checking in at least an hour before the flight takes off.
Check out	Enter the price Leaving the hotel Look into Prove correct	I work as a check-out cashier in the retail store. He checked us out of the hotel while we were having breakfast. Let's check out the new restaurant tonight. He's consistently checking her out. Your claim doesn't check out.
Come	Approach Arrive at a specific place Achieve a place Interfere	The dog came closer as I held out the food. We come to this cafe every week. Anand came second in the swimming competition. My pride came between us.
Come across	Meet or find by chance Appear to be	I came across these old photos recently. I cannot believe he was embezzling, he always came across as a trustworthy person.
Come apart	Separate	Their story came apart on interrogation. This quilt is coming apart at the seams.
Come by	Drop in	Come by my apartment any time you are free.
Come down with	Fall sick	I came down with chicken pox during an exam.
Come from	Originate from	I come from Odisha. Can you tell where the noise is coming from?
Come on	Start, develop To hurry or encourage someone Gesture or phrase to attract	I feel a cold coming on. How is your project coming on? Come on! One more game and we'll win. He is coming on to me.
Come up	Introduce (a topic)	The subject has not come up.
Come with	Available with something	The pasta comes with a side of garlic bread.
Count	Determine the total number The act of counting Take into account Be of significance Legal charges	The five-year old kid can count upto a hundred. The incumbent politician was leading at the last count. I used to count him in my friends, but not any more. It is the public's opinion which counts. He pled guilty to all three counts of murder.
Beat the count	Get up before the referee counts to 10	I tried hard to beat the count, but I couldn't get up.
Count on	Rely on	You can always count on her to turn up on time.
Deal	Agreement Distribute cards Buy/trade shares, commodities	I am authorised to make a deal for my company. For this game, each player is dealt four cards. Employees are prohibited from dealing in shares.
Deal with	Have something as the subject Make business agreements with To take action To accept something	The movie dealt with the issues in Vietnam. He deals with all his customers and suppliers fairly. The policeman dealt harshly with all criminals. I could not deal with such a large crowd. We will have to deal with the heat.
Drop	Let something fall Make weaker	The aircraft dropped supplies to the village. I dropped my voice as the movie started.
Drop in/drop by	Visit	Drop by anytime you are free. We dropped into his office on our way home.
Drop off	Deliver	Can you drop off the package at the post office?
Drop out	Stop participating	Jobs dropped out of college after one semester.
Look	Glance Consider	We were looking at the beautiful scenery. I look at oil paintings in a different way now.
Look after	Take care of	She is looking after her grandparents as they are old.
Look at	Consider all aspects	We must look at all possibilities before taking such a strong step.
Look forward to	Waiting eagerly	I am looking forward to the Van Gogh exhibit.
Look out	Search for Be vigilant, observant	I have the brochure somewhere, let me look it out. The banker warned us to look out for forged notes.
Look up	Search and find Improve	Can you look up “renaissance” in the dictionary? Things are starting to look up after the vaccine.
Pay back	Return a debt	I will pay you back on Friday.
Pay for	Compensate Suffer	How much did you have to pay for the party? You'll pay for your rudeness someday.
Pay up	Pay a debt	You must pay up by the end of this month.
Put	Move to a particular position Bring into a particular state Express	Put the pawn right here. We tried to put him at ease. There is no way your idea will work. We tried to put it gently to her.
Put down	Stop holding something Suppress Considered as a reason Land (aircraft) Kill (especially old/sick animal) Criticise	He put down the book. The rebellion was put down within a week. My victory was put down to luck. He put down the aircraft expertly. We had to put our dog down. You shouldn't put her down in front of everyone.
Put off	Postpone Lose enthusiasm	We had to put off the trip because of the lockdown. Her demeanour just put everyone off.
Put up	Build Display Accommodate Offer for sale Provide money	We have to put up the tent before sunset. The sign you put up is attracting a lot of customers. Can you put me up for a week? They have put up their house and furniture for sale. The sponsors have put up a lot of money for this event.
Put-up job	Fake	The investment was a put-up job to loot investors.
Put up with	Tolerate	Andy had to put up with a lot from Miranda.
Save up, save for	Keep for the future	I am saving up to buy a laptop. I have never been able to save for retirement.
Save a spot	Reserve a place	Can you save a spot for me in the assembly?
Save from	Rescue	He saved the company from bankruptcy.
Take	Get possession of Capture Accept Assume a position React to Require Approach Money received	She went to the cabinet and took a book. The pirates seized and took the Queen's ship. Don't take the first offer, negotiate a bit. Some people believe that demons can take any form. She took the news badly. The jury took less than an hour to declare him guilty. He has a unique take on the play. How much was the take from the movie?
Take in	Give shelter Draw in Attend Perceive	We took in the dog and fed it. I took the skirt in as it was too big for me. Do you want to take in a movie? It was too much to take in.
Take up	Become interested Occupy Pursue Hold a position	I took up tennis at a young age. I won't take up much of your time. You can take up this issue with the professor. He took up the position of Treasurer in the club.
Turn down	Deny, reject	JK Rowling's book was turned down by 12 publishing houses.
Turn in	Hand in something/someone	We turned in the stolen guns at the police station.
Turn to	Go to someone for help	I turned to my elder brother for help.
Wait	Stay till a particular time or event	We had to wait a long time for the bus.
Wait on	Serve food or drinks	That is the waitress who usually waits on us.
Wait up	Not go to bed	Don't wait up for me, I'll be really late.

Example 18

A word has been used in sentences in five different ways. Choose the option corresponding to the sentence in which the usage of the word is incorrect or inappropriate.

RUN

(1) Usain Bolt runs like the wind.
(2) The rumour ran through the organisation.
(3) The press ran the story for almost a week.
(4) The dog is dead, a car must have run across it.
(5) The traffic cops have cameras to ensure people do not run red lights.

Solution

The word run is used in different meanings in this question – let us consider the options.

The first option uses run in its basic meaning (move at a speed faster than a walk, never having both or all the feet on the ground at the same time). This option is correct.

In option (2), the words run through are used in the meaning to pass through quickly. This sentence means that the rumour quickly spread through the organisation. This option is also correct.

Option (3) uses the word in its meaning of publish in a newspaper. This option is also correct.

Option (4) is incorrect, the correct usage is run over (a car must have run over it).

Option (5) is correct – the word run is used in the meaning to not stop at a red light.

Therefore, option (4) is incorrect, and therefore, we can select this option.

Answer: (4) The dog is dead, a car must have run across it.

Example 19

A word has been used in sentences in five different ways. Choose the option corresponding to the sentence in which the usage of the word is incorrect or inappropriate.
[CAT 2008]

BUCKLE

(1) After the long hike, our knees were beginning to buckle.
(2) The horse suddenly broke into a buckle.
(3) The accused did not buckle under police interrogation.
(4) Sometimes, an earthquake can make a bridge buckle.
(5) People should learn to buckle up as soon as they get into a car.

Solution

Buckle is an example of a word with several meanings:

- A clasp for a belt or strap (noun)
- Fastening the belt (verb)
- Bend and give way under strain (verb)

Options (1), (3) and (4) all use the third meaning.
Option (5) uses the second meaning in the verb form.
Option (2) is incorrect, as the correct usage would be run or canter (the horse suddenly broke into a canter/run).

Answer: (2) The horse suddenly broke into a buckle.