Exceptional Expressions Posted 02/06/2010 Permanent Link
#21 Right
EVERYDAY EVENTS:
This week’s Exceptional Expression for Everyday Events (E4) explores the word right. Teachers may ask students which answer on the multiple choice question is the correct answer. Students may ask their friends if the weather is right for a soccer game.
EXCEPTIONAL EXPRESSION:
The word right has a number of uses and meanings. However, it is mostly used as an adjective and as an adverb. To have the right (adj) answer is to have the correct answer. To have the right (adv) change is to have exactly the amount of money.
Sometimes right is used to confirm plans, or location. Students may ask, “We’re playing kickball today, right?” It is an informal way to ask a question.
It should be noted that some of the synonyms for right have distinct definitions in certain content areas. For example, if a person counts the beans in a cup and gets precisely 35 beans in the cup, this means that there are exactly 35 beans. An accurate result from a science experiment means that the experiment has been tested many times and the result has always been the same.
FOLLOW-UPS:
- Is a baseball bat the perfect or satisfactory equipment to use in a baseball game?
- What is the difference between “I’ll be right back” and “I will return later”?
- What is the difference between doing the right thing and doing what works best for you?
THE SPANISH CONNECTION:
The word right comes from the Old English word riht, meaning “just, good, fair, proper, fitting.” This shows that the most common meaning for the word right has not changed much from the original meaning. The Spanish word for right is correcto(a). Correcto(a) is not a cognate for the word right, but instead it is the cognate for correct.
WORD CHANGES:
1) IDIOMS:
- Right off the bat
- Right on the money/nose
- Coming at me from right and left
2) COMMON PHRASES:
- Right there
- Right away/now
- Right this minute
Click here to download the printable version of E4: Right.
