Learn English > English lessons and exercises > English test #111349: Right - left - wrong
Right - left - wrong
LEFT - RIGHT - WRONG -
1. LEFT / RIGHT indicating places: you already know about them!
a) To indicate a location, a precise place, use the preposition ON: ON THE LEFT / ON THE RIGHT
- The post office is farther down, on the left (on your left-hand side).
b) To indicate a direction, no preposition is necessary: RIGHT / LEFT.
- Turn right after the crossroads, then go left and straight on.
c) To express a movement, use the preposition TO: TO THE LEFT / TO THE RIGHT.
- Will you step to the right, please? You're standing in his way.
d) In politics, use the definite article : THE RIGHT / THE LEFT.
* The Right / The Rights = a political party – (have traditional opinions- believe in low taxes – property - )
* The Left : political groups believe wealth and power should be shared between all parts of society .
e) To be left = remaining; it's the passive form built with the auxiliary BE and the past participle of 'to leave, I left, left'.
- I have only one dollar bill left and need an ATM now.
2) RIGHT / WRONG : to be right = to be correct. To be wrong = to be mistaken, to be incorrect.
a) An adjective = just, correct, suitable, morally acceptable,
- Two of your answers are right and three are wrong.
b) Right– wrong / wrongly= adverbs= exactly - correctly.
Wrong = not correct, nor working, not suitable
- I thought I had done it right, but, in fact, it went wrong.
c) A right- a wrong = are nouns.
- At your age, you should tell the difference between right from wrong.
d) To right; to wrong = verbs: to right= to correct; to wrong= to harm.
- She felt deeply wronged by his accusations.
This double opposition (LEFT / RIGHT - RIGHT/ WRONG) led to very common plays on words or puns, and many phrases play with the meanings of the respective antonyms of RIGHT.
Find below a little piece I learnt in my first year of English lessons... and still know by heart!
The RULE of the ROAD is a paradox quite...
For, as you're driving along, Sir,
If you keep to the left, you will surely go right!
If you stick to the right, you will be wrong, Sir!
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3) A few expressions :
| RIGHT || LEFT || WRONG |
| As right as rain= perfectly fit|| To be left = remaining|| On the wrong foot = to take an instant dislike|
Right away = immediately
| Left out = excluded|| Get the wrong end of the stick = misunderstand|
Human rights = fundamental rights
| Left-handed =ambiguous|| A wrongdoing = misdeed, evil action.|
| The Right= the Conservative position || The Left = The Liberal ideas || In the wrong = at fault|
- Two wrongs don't make a right = Two negatives don't make a positive in all cases.
- Don't get me wrong = Do not misunderstand me.
- To be barking up the wrong tree = to be dealing with the wrong person.
Well, well! You must really do right...If you keep it so, you'll most certainly succeed and have nothing wrong!
End of the free exercise to learn English: Right - left - wrong
A free English exercise to learn English.
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