QUIZ: Even Fluent English Speakers Have Trouble With This English Quiz!

There’s no need to add an apostrophe when referring to the 1980s unless one were to write it as the ‘80s. If that were the case then the apostrophe would generally go before the number.

Chicanery is used to identify someone who uses dishonesty and trickery to achieve their goals. For example, one could say that of a college student who bribed the professor with money in order to pass his final exam.

An essay is also known as a dissertation, but some people call it a thesis. Regardless of how one says it, it is a form of writing on a specific subject, often as part of college project. Ironically, it is often misspelled.

To say that someone's avarice runs deep refers to their hunger towards wealth and power. The person who is avarice considers the pursuit of money their primary driving force and yet they can also be extremely greedy.

When someone identifies something as arbitrary, what they’re really saying is that something lacks cohesion or coherence and is practically unpredictable. For example, one could say that the shelves at the library are disorganized in an arbitrary way at the end of the day.

A maxim is often a short statement that offers some kind of truth like a slogan, a motto, or a catchphrase. This maxim or saying is often considered to be true by the general consensus.

Restitution is the restoration of something that was taken from someone else. For example, one could say that the U.S. government provided land to the Native Americans as restitution for the land that was taken from them centuries earlier.

When someone is being facetious, they are intentionally using inappropriate humor during the discussion of a serious problem. In a lot of the cases, any attempt at being funny or witty in this situation is often seen as acting in poor taste.

When someone is wistful or nostalgic, they are longing for a place, a time or a person. So, say for example, someone used to live in Canada as a child but has been living in the U.S. for 20 years. They might have a wistful look on their face when they see photos of Canada.

Another word for accession is to rise but it can mean a number of things. It can be used to describe the acquisition of an item or to augment or upgrade something like a machine.

When someone venerates, they are being shown the respect they have earned or being revered as something like a hero or a saint. In some cases, it can also be used to describe someone who is being worshipped.

Say that someone has a report to finish for school before the end of the day and they need to do research, but their power is out. To make things worse, all the cyber cafes are closed for the night. This would be a difficult situation, a conundrum or a problem with no answer or possible solution.

When someone ratifies something like a contract, what they are doing is approving or endorsing something. So, when an amendment or a law is passed by the government it is being approved.

When someone calls out a celebrity as contrived or claims that a musician just released music that is contrived, what they’re really saying is that they’re phony or it sounds fake. The word can be used to describe the words of a politician one might not agree with.

Subliminal is a way of stimulating the brain in such a way that is not perceived by the conscious mind but can still alter someone’s thought processes by manipulating the subconscious mind, like hypnosis.

If someone were to say that a TV show was totally banal, what they are really saying is that the show is boring and putting them to sleep. One could also say something like math class is very banal.

When someone is malingering, they’re pretending to be grossly exaggerating their symptoms in order to get out of something like school or work. It can also be used to pull off a sham like pretending to be handicapped.

Dissonance is defined as a lack of harmony or disagreement; therefore, the antonym of the word would be harmony, which means order or balance in a situation or in the case of music, to create a tranquil, continuous rhythm.

When one uses the word recourse, what they’re also saying is option. For example, surgery may be the only recourse or option in order to treat that herniated disk and put an end to the pain.

When something is immutable, the object, person, or situation doesn’t change over time. In other words, it’s fixed, rigid and incapable to changing under any circumstances.

A massacre isn’t just the killing of one or two individuals but rather a large number of people like during a war. The attacks are usually cold blooded, brutal and most definitely deliberate.

When someone is curt they’re direct and to the point. This often means that the person who is terse doesn’t care about sparing anyone’s feelings and often foregoes any and all pleasantries when speaking to and/or instructing someone.

When someone is imperious, they are being arrogant and overbearing sometimes to the point of being a bully. It can also be used to describe a supervisor who is being overly bossy and pushy.

The word abbreviate is the synonym of the word shorten and it means to reduce or condense a word or phrase. For example, the abbreviation of the United States of America is USA.

If you get a rebuke, you’re being scolded or reprimanded either at home by your parents, at school by your teachers, or at work by your boss. You can also rebuke or talk angrily at someone whose actions you disapprove of.

The definition of levity is “humor or frivolity, especially the treatment of a serious matter with humor or in a manner lacking due respect.”

The definition of the word benign is “having no significant effect, or harmless.” So, the opposite of benign would be harsh or harmful.

Although many people say the phrases “could of” or “would of,” these are incorrect. It is correct to say “could have” or “would have.” These phrases often get confused because they sound so similar.

The Dachshund breed is a notable dog breed. Two Dachshunds have been Guinness World Record’s oldest living dog. A Doxie named Chanel held the record until 2009, when she was 21 years old.

The definition of the word subversion is “the undermining of the power and authority of an established system or institution.”

The definition of the world ‘grandiloquent’ is extravagant in manner, especially in a way that is intended to impress.

The word cogent means clear, logical and convincing. So, an antonym of this word would be vague which means uncertain, indefinite or unclear.

Although the words fewer and less mean the same thing, you should use the word fewer when you mean “not as many” and use less when you mean “not as much.”

The definition of pedigree is “the recorded ancestry of a person or family.” The word can also be used to record the family history of an animal.

The definition of genial is “friendly and cheerful.” It would be a great compliment to describe a new person you just met as genial in nature.

The definition of the word abstemious is indulging moderately. If a couple of friends shared just one slice of cake after dinner, they were acting abstemiously.

The definition of the word complaisant is “willing to please others,” so an antonym of this word would be unwilling.

It’s good to remember that the word I is generally used if it comes before the verb in a sentence, and me is used if it comes after the verb.

The definition of the word curriculum is “the subjects comprising a course of study in a school or college.”

The definition of repertoire is “a stock of skills or types of behavior that a person habitually uses.” The word is typically used to describe a collection of songs, dances or other performances that an artist is prepared to perform.