Homonyms -Pt 1

Click the answer button to see the answer.

Things are not as they ___.
a. seam
b. seem
A type of corn is called ___.
a. maize
b. maze
On the ___, he is a nice person.
a. whole
b. hole
He ___ better but he did it anyway.
a. knew
b. new
Always try to buy low and ___ high.
a. sell
b. cell
Didn't you ___ me when I called you?
a. hear
b. here
A rank lower than general is ___.
a. colonel
b. kernel
Do not ___ in the affairs of other.
a. medal
b. meddle
Do you really ___ the money?
a. knead
b. kneed
c. need
During the summer I work as a tour ___.
a. guide
b. guyed
I will have a ___ sandwich on rye bread.
a. stake
b. steak
I told ___ not to go but he would not listen.
a. him
b. hymn
His car broke down so he called for a ___ truck.
a. toe
b. tow
If you run a bear will chase and try to ___ you.
a. mall
b. maul
If you sleep with ___ hair you will catch a cold.
a. wet
b. whet
A vein of gold in a mine is known as the mother ___.
a. load
b. lode
I want to ___ you for your delicious meal.
a. complement
b. compliment
He was not ___ to stay up later than 9:00 at night.
a. allowed
b. aloud
My son has ___ 10 centimeters since this past summer.
a. groan
b. grown
He ___ flowers to his mother on Mother's Day.
a. cent
b. scent
c. sent

Homonyms - Pt 2

You reap what you ___.
a. sew
b. so
c. sow
The heart is a ___ of love.
a. symbol
b. cymbal
Put that into the ___ cabinet.
a. file
b. phial
Frank and ___ are best friends.
a. earnest
b. Ernest
Love made my heart ___ like an eagle.
a. soar
b. sore
Grandfather was a ___ and hearty man.
a. hail
b. hale
They say that ___ comes before a fall.
a. pride
b. pried
What have you ___ that is so frightening?
a. scene
b. seen
They say that ___ going to get colder this week.
a. its
b. it's
The coat might be ___ but it is not poorly made.
a. cheap
b. cheep
For heaven's sake ___ be glad to have you stay with us.
a. weed
b. we'd
The cracks in the ___ were made by the weight of the chandelier.
a. ceiling
b. sealing
The fraction that is calculated for an angle by dividing the length of the opposite side is the "___".
a. sign
b. sine
An Arab prince or chief is called a ___.
a. shake
b. sheik
Where can you ___ flannel shirts?
a. buy
b. by
A delicious fruit is the French ___.
a. pear
b. pair
Harry carried his golf ___ in his hip pocket.
a. tease
b. tees
Birds catch worms that come out with the morning ___.
a. dew
b. do
c. due
She had her first cup of ___ when she was three.
a. tea
b. tee
Give me a new ___ of socks.
a. pear
b. pair

Homonyms - Pt 3

Click the answer button to see the answer.

Something that is sacred is also ___.
a. holy
b. wholly
A ___ is a narrow passage of water.
a. straight
b. strait
There is too much at ___ to be careless.
a. stake
b. steak
There is no nicer smell than freshly ___ grass.
a. moan
b. mown
There is not much to buy for one ___.
a. scent
b. sent
c. cent
The children told ___ mother a lie.
a. their
b. there
c. they're
Brian invited ___ of his friends to his birthday party.
a. known
b. none
c. nun
The pain made her ___.
a. moan
b. mown
A ___ is a female deer.
a. doe
b. dough
There is a ___ in my eye.
a. moat
b. mote
She liked clothes made from blue ___ material.
a. gene
b. jean
She likes to ride the roller coaster for the ___ thrill of it.
a. shear
b. sheer
It looks like ___ but the weather forecast was for sunshine.
a. rain
b. reign
c. rein
The golfer scored a ___ in one.
a. whole
b. hole
The ball went ___ the window.
a. threw
b. through
I am glad that it is over and ___ with.
a. done
b. dun
A female sheep is called a ___.
a. ewe
b. you
c. yew
The soldier ___ a flower on his uniform.
a. war
b. wore
A small sample is over there in the glass ___.
a. file
b. phial
The golfer gently tapped the ball into the ___.
a. hole
b. whole

Homonyms - Pt 4

Click the answer button to see the answer.

Cocaine is an ___ drug.
a. elicit
b. illicit
The breakfast ___ is on aisle four.
a. cereal
b. serial
I am very honored to ___ you.
a. meat
b. meet
c. mete
The President ___ the opening pitch.
a. threw
b. through
He made a hole in the leather with the ___.
a. all
b. awl
We have a ___ and a butler in our employ.
a. made
b. maid
Some people store liquid in a hollow ___.
a. gored
b. gourd
He came in ___ so he did not get a medal.
a. forth
b. fourth
Your seats are on the first ___ of balconies.
a. tear
b. tier
It takes a couple of hours for bread ___ to rise.
a. doe
b. dough
Tell me directly. Don't just ___ to some problem
a. elude
b. allude
He squeezed out a ___ of power at the end of the race.
a. serge
b. surge
To give someone a wide ___ means to stay out of their way.
a. berth
b. birth
The Queen ___ the Prime Minister good bye at the end of their meeting.
a. bad
b. bade
If someone offers to ___ the hatchet, it means they want to stop fighting.
a. berry
b. bury
It is hard to ___ an honest living.
a. earn
b. urn
Plug the ___ into the electrical outlet.
a. chord
b. cord
I am shopping for a ___ hat to wear to the garden party.
a. knew
b. new
Her skirt was the color of ___.
a. done
b. dun
The child grabbed the cat by the ___.
a. tail
b. tale

Famous People - A Quiz on Articles

Click the answer button to see the answer.

Albert Einstein was ___ famous scientist.
a. a
b. an
c. the
d. X [Nothing]

Einstein was born in ___ Germany in 1879.
a. a
b. an
c. the
d. X [Nothing]

Einstein won ___ Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921.
a. a
b. an
c. the
d. X [Nothing]

Einstein left his country and lived in ___ States until he died in 1955.
a. a
b. an
c. the
d. X [Nothing]

Einstein is known for his theory of ___ relativity.
a. a
b. an
c. the
d. X [Nothing]

Roentgen was ___ German physicist who discovered x-rays, revolutionizing medical diagnosis.
a. a
b. an
c. the
d. X [Nothing]

Roentgen won ___ 1901 Nobel Prize.
a. a
b. an
c. the
d. X [Nothing]

Mandela was born in ___ South Africa.
a. a
b. an
c. the
d. X [Nothing]

Mandela was ___ first President elected in ___ South Africa after ___ Apartheid was revoked.
a. a / the / the
b. the / X / X
c. a / X / the
d. the / the / the

Mandela was imprisoned for ___ nearly 30 years for his anti-apartheid activities.
a. a
b. an
c. the
d. X [Nothing]

Mother Teresa was ___ Roman Catholic nun.
a. a
b. an
c. the
d. X [Nothing]

Mother Teresa became famous for her hard work with ___ poor.
a. a
b. an
c. the
d. X [Nothing]

She was ___ founder of ___ order of nuns called the Missionaries of Charity.
a. a / an
b. a / X
c. the / X [Nothing]
d. the / an

Mother Teresa lived in ___ Calcutta, India.
a. a
b. an
c. the
d. X [Nothing]

Mother Teresa received ___ her Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
a. a
b. an
c. the
d. X [Nothing]

The 3 Bears Mystery

Click the answer button to see the correct answer.

___ did Mama Bear cook her family for breakfast? Porridge.
a. Who
b. What
c. When
___ are the members of the Bear family? Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear.
a. Who
b. What
c. Whom
___ do the bears do when their porridge is too hot? Go out for a walk.
a. How
b. What
c. When
___ comes to visit the bears home while they are gone? Goldilocks.
a. Who
b. Whom
c. How
___ does Goldilocks get into the house? She walks in the unlocked door without being invited.
a. How
b. Where
c. When
___ of Baby Bear's porridge does Goldilocks eat? All of it.
a. How
b. How much
c. How many
Goldilocks breaks a chair. ___ chair is it?
a. Who
b. Whom
c. Whose
___ does Goldilocks fall asleep? In Baby Bear's bed.
a. Where
b. When
c. Why
___ does Goldilocks run screaming from the Bears' house? She wakes up and finds three bears watching her.
a. Where
b. When
c. Why
___ is the moral of the story? Lock your doors, and only enter a house if you are invited in.
a. What
b. Why
c. When

Conjunctions I

Click the answer buttons to see the answers.

Do you think this is something ___ can be learned?
a. who
b. that
c. X (the conjunction can be omitted)
Don't go out ___ you've finished your work.
a. as
b. while
c. until
Make sure you close all the windows ___ it starts to rain.
a. after
b. before
c. for
I think I know ___ he left the job.
a. why
b. until
c. where
___ I had known how much I would disappoint him, I woudn't have done it.
a. Whether
b. When
c. If
___ you see me, get in the car.
a. As soon as
b. While
c. Whether
My friend John, ___ lives in California, has a car with a New York license.
a. whose
b. who
c. that
It's usually quite simple to cross the border between the USA and Canada ___ these two countries have friendly relations.
a. yet
b. and
c. because
___ a university professor returns from a sabbatical leave, he should be better qualified.
a. Until
b. When
c. Even though
She's ___ a snobbish person ___ nobody likes to be with her.
a. such...that
b. such...as
c. so...that

more exercises part II

Change Idioms to Plain English

Click the answer button to see the answer.

He was all ears when his boss talked.
He is a chip off the old block.
He is thick in the head.
The bank robbers were armed to the teeth.
His comments threw a wet blanket on the discussion.
They were beat after three days of hard work.
Jack was hard up to pay his rent.
The storm left them all in the same boat.
The house fire meant we had to start from scratch.

Phrasal Verb Practice -Assorted Verbs

Click the answer button to see the answer.
1. The concert was ___ because of the rain.
  a. called off
  b. blacked out
  c. turned off
2. How did he ___ their bad behavior.
  a. come to
  b. account for
  c. jot down
3. He must be about 90. He is really ___.
  a. getting on
  b. bringing up
  c. bringing forward
4. In the end everything ___ OK.
  a. turned out
  b. wore out
  c. climb up
5. Can you ___ all right or should I get a ladder?
  a. fall through
  b. climb down
  c. barge in
6. I am sorry that I am late. I got ___ in traffic.
  a. lifted off
  b. held down
  c. caught up
7. I was so angry that I ___ in protest.
  a. gave up
  b. walked out
  c. ran over
8. The man was ___ of jail early for good behavior.
  a. let out
  b. bent down
  c. sent down
9. Even though he was tired, he ___ going.
  a. kept on
  b. brought out
  c. fell over
10. After the accident a lot of people ___.
  a. turned out
  b. set out
  c. crowded around

Phrasal Verbs with "Down"

Click the answer button to see the answer.

To be hit by a car or bus is the same as to be ___ down.
a. cooled
b. marked
c. knocked
To reduce the amount you do something is the same as to ___ down.
a. cut
b. tear
c. fall
To fail to do something when someone is relying on you is the same as to ___ down someone.
a. let
b. quieten
c. sit
To let something become less hot is the same as to let it ___ down.
a. lie
b. cool
c. tone
If it is raining very heavily, it is the same as to ___ down rain.
a. pour
b. cut
c. tear
To have a lot of stress is similar to being ___ down by a lot of problems.
a. poured
b. cut
c. weighted
To pass things from father to son is the same as to ___ down from generation to generation.
a. calm
b. hand
c. climb
To relax from stress is the same as to ___ down.
a. wind
b. lie
c. let
To write a note is the same as to ___ down something.
a. jot
b. scale
c. tie
To make something appear less serious than it is is the same as to ___ down something.
a. slam
b. set
c. play

Phrasal Verbs - Illness

Click the answer button to see the answer.

To get an illness from someone is to ___.

a. pick it up
b. truck it in
c. take it away
To try hard to get rid of an illness is to ___.

a. tide it over
b. cave in
c. fight it off
If a part of your body gets bigger and rounder because of injury or illness it ___.

a. comes out
b. kicks in
c. swells up
Another expression for vomiting is to ___.

a. throw up
b. toss out
c. pass out
To be able to eat or drink without vomiting is to ___.

a. keep it down
b. get over it
c. dip into
To become unconscious is to ___.

a. go out
b. black out
c. knock over

Idioms and Expressions with Eggs and Bunnies

Click the answer button to see the answer.

To egg someone on means:
a. To gently push a person on to a stage or speaking platform.
b. To encourage or dare some one to do something that may be unwise or dangerous.
c. To purchase a train or bus ticket by bribing the ticket agent.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket means:
a. Do not risk everything but placing too many hopes on one job or project.
b. Do not hurt yourself by carrying one large load.
c. Breakable things should be wrapped and carried in separate containers.
Don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs means:
a. Do not make things too easy for others by taking away challenges.
b. Do not ask a person to do something that is unsafe or dangerous to them.
c. Do not try to teach someone who is older and more experienced than you.
To have egg on one's face means:
a. To feel like a fool.
b. To visit a health spa.
c. To have a healthy glow.
The expression "He that would have eggs must endure the cackling of hens" means:
a. Men who work with many women should expect some difficult times.
b. Eating healthy food can make you the object of ridicule.
c. You must be willing to suffer to get what you want.
To kill the goose that lays the golden egg means:
a. To prepare a feast to mark a special occasion.
b. To destroy something that is valuable or profitable to you.
c. To blame some who makes a very large and embarrassing mistake.
To lay an egg means:
a. Do something thought impossible.
b. To give a bad performance.
c. To work carefully and precisely.
The expression "You can not make an omelet without breaking eggs" means:
a. In order to get what you want you have to give up something else.
b. It is important to know what you are doing before starting a project.
c. Some things are just not worth having.
To walk on eggs means:
a. To be very cautious.
b. To do something very unpleasant.
c. To do something very costly.
As mad as a March hare means that someone is:
a. angry
b. crazy
c. frantic
First catch your hare means:
a. Do not make plans for something until you actually have it.
b. Success is hard to achieve.
c. Strive to be the best you can be.
The expression "If you run after two hares you will catch neither" means:
a. Greed results in failure.
b. Fitness is a big concern.
c. You can not do two things well at the same time.
The expression "To run with the hare and hunt with the hounds" means:
a. To belong to unconventional social groups.
b. To support both sides of an argument.
c. To live one's life in enjoyment and fun.

Expressions With Keep

Read the sentences and choose the best alternative.
Then click on the answer button to see the hidden answer.

Shut the door and keep the dogs ___ of the house.
a. away
b. off
c. out

Slang Words Beginning with K

Click on the answer button to see the correct answer.

I don't know how he stays calm and relaxed when she shouts like that.
a. ketchups
b. knights
c. keeps his cool
Wow! This disco is really wild tonight.
a. kickin'
b. kissing
c. kaput
I wish he wasn't such a stupid person.
a. kayak
b. kennel
c. klutz
How can he criticize it so much when he's never been to that city.
a. knit
b. knock
c. kill
Dave's dating a really stunning woman. Have you seen her?
a. krone of a
b. kunkle
c. knockout

Idiomatic Preposition - Come

Read the questions and choose the best answers. Then click on the answer button to see the hidden answer.

To start with, let me tell you that I come ___ Niigata.
She has been busy all week, and now she is coming ___ with a cold.
When the police asked him questions, everything started coming ___.
The guests started to come ___ before the concert began.
The new magazine is scheduled to come ___ next week.
After the typhoon, mild winds came ___ in the afternoon.
You can come ___ to my house anytime. I am always around.
They put up a small business last year, but it did not come ___.

Homonyms -Pt 1

Homonyms - Pt 3

Homonyms - Pt 4

The 3 Bears Mystery

Conjunctions I

Change Idioms to Plain English

Phrasal Verb Practice -Assorted Verbs

Phrasal Verbs with "Down"

Phrasal Verbs - Illness

Idioms and Expressions with Eggs and Bunnies

Expressions With Keep

Slang Words Beginning with K

Idiomatic Preposition - Come