Compound Words Exercise (636)
In each sentence, a compound word or phrase is incorrectly open, closed, or hyphenated. Identify the incorrect word or phrase and style it correctly.
Answers and Explanations
1.
Original: Nevermind—I’ll call a repairman.
Correct : Never mind—I’ll call a repairman.
"Never mind" is an open compound.
2.
Original: They were side-tracked during their overland journey.
Correct : They were sidetracked during their overland journey.
"Sidetracked" is a closed compound.
3.
Original: She jumped from the grandstand and went into free-fall.
Correct : She jumped from the grandstand and went into free fall.
"Free fall" is an open compound.
4.
Original: The government couldn’t bypass regulations when it decided to bailout the major automobile manufacturers.
Correct : The government couldn’t bypass regulations when it decided to bail out the major automobile manufacturers.
"Bail out" is an open compound.
5.
Original: The menu, a hodgepodge of selections from various cuisines, looks like it was organized by the dishwasher.
Correct : The menu, a hodge-podge of selections from various cuisines, looks like it was organized by the dishwasher.
"Hodge-podge" is hyphenated.
Related Articles