Everyday English Words: Do You Know What They Mean?: questions and answers
Study every question with its correct answer and explanation.
1. What does the English word "appointment" mean?
- A. A small gift for a friend
- B. An arranged time to meet someone
- C. A letter of complaint
- D. A long holiday
Answer: An arranged time to meet someone
An appointment is a meeting fixed for a particular time, often with a doctor, dentist or official. Example: "I have a doctor's appointment at 5 pm."
2. What does the English word "receipt" mean?
- A. A list of cooking instructions
- B. A bank loan
- C. A shop's opening hours
- D. A paper that proves you have paid for something
Answer: A paper that proves you have paid for something
A receipt is the slip you get after paying. The "p" is silent, so it sounds like "ri-SEET". Don't mix it up with "recipe", which tells you how to cook a dish.
3. What does the English word "refund" mean?
- A. Money paid back to you, for example when you return a product
- B. An extra charge for fast delivery
- C. A discount for students
- D. A fee for opening a bank account
Answer: Money paid back to you, for example when you return a product
A refund is money returned to you, usually because a product was faulty or a service was cancelled. Example: "The shop gave me a full refund."
4. What does the English word "deadline" mean?
- A. The first day at a new job
- B. A dangerous road
- C. The latest time by which something must be finished
- D. A broken phone line
Answer: The latest time by which something must be finished
A deadline is the time or date by which a task must be completed. Example: "The deadline for the application is Friday."
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5. What does the English word "queue" mean?
- A. A small shop
- B. A line of people waiting for their turn
- C. A question in an exam
- D. A loud noise
Answer: A line of people waiting for their turn
A queue is a line of people (or vehicles) waiting their turn; it is pronounced just like the letter "Q". "Queue" is mainly British English — Americans usually say "line".
6. What does the English word "polite" mean?
- A. Very rich
- B. Very tired
- C. Easily angry
- D. Having good manners and showing respect to others
Answer: Having good manners and showing respect to others
A polite person speaks and behaves respectfully, for example by saying "please" and "thank you". Its opposite is "rude".
7. What does the English word "borrow" mean?
- A. To take something for a short time and give it back later
- B. To give something to someone for a short time
- C. To buy something cheaply
- D. To lose something
Answer: To take something for a short time and give it back later
You borrow something FROM someone; they lend it TO you. So say "Can I borrow your pen?" or "Can you lend me your pen?" — never "Can you borrow me your pen?"
8. What does the English word "fragile" mean?
- A. Very heavy
- B. Very expensive
- C. Easily broken or damaged
- D. Having a nice smell
Answer: Easily broken or damaged
Something fragile breaks easily, like glass or eggs. That is why parcels containing such items are often marked "FRAGILE — handle with care".
9. What does the English word "postpone" mean?
- A. To cancel something for ever
- B. To move an event to a later time
- C. To send something by post
- D. To finish something early
Answer: To move an event to a later time
To postpone is to delay an event to a later date, not to cancel it. Example: "The match was postponed because of rain."
10. What does the English word "exhausted" mean?
- A. Very happy
- B. Very hungry
- C. Very angry
- D. Extremely tired
Answer: Extremely tired
Exhausted means so tired that you have no energy left. Example: "After the long journey, we were exhausted."