Worked examples
Two examples
Example 1
From a letter to a landlord: The heat has been off for ______ days.Choices: a bunch of / several / like
- Ask who is reading: a landlord. A letter like this calls for formal English.
- A bunch of and like are fine among friends, but they are casual.
- The plain, formal word is several.
Answer: The heat has been off for several days.
Example 2
From a notice to tenants: The water will be ______ on Tuesday.Choices: killed / shut off / rendered unavailable
- A notice calls for formal English that everyone understands.
- Killed is casual. Rendered unavailable is formal but fancy, and harder to read.
- Formal does not mean fancy. The plain words are best.
Answer: The water will be shut off on Tuesday.
Where this is taught: Grammar: Start Here, Part 5: Choosing words
More practice: Quiz 42, Word choice · In your Kaplan book: Unit 1, Chapter 7, Lesson 3, “Word Choice”
The drill
Ten questions
How many:
In each sentence, open the drop-down and choose the words that make the sentence correct, the way the GED test asks. A few questions ask you to tap a whole sentence instead. Then press Check my answers at the bottom.In each sentence, circle the choice in the brackets that makes the sentence correct; where whole sentences are given, circle one. The answer key, with the reasoning, is on the last page.