QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Origin of shoal
1First recorded before 900; Middle English adjective shold(e), Old English scealdshallow; noun and verb derivative of the adjective
Other definitions for shoal (2 of 2)
shoal2
[ shohl ]
/ ʃoʊl /
noun
any large number of persons or things.
a school of fish: a shoal of herring;a shoal of mackerel.
verb (used without object)
to collect in a shoal; throng.
Origin of shoal
2First recorded in 1570–80; earlier shole, probably from Middle Dutch, Middle Low German schōle, with sound-substitution of sh- for Low German skh-;cf. school2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use shoal in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for shoal (1 of 2)
shoal1
/ (ʃəʊl) /
noun
a stretch of shallow water
a sandbank or rocky area in a stretch of water, esp one that is visible at low water
verb
to make or become shallow
(intr) nautical to sail into shallower water
adjective Also: shoaly
a less common word for shallow
nautical (of the draught of a vessel) drawing little water
Derived forms of shoal
shoaliness, nounWord Origin for shoal
Old English sceald shallow
British Dictionary definitions for shoal (2 of 2)
shoal2
/ (ʃəʊl) /
noun
a large group of certain aquatic animals, esp fish
a large group of people or things
verb
(intr) to collect together in such a group
Word Origin for shoal
Old English scolu; related to Middle Low German, Middle Dutch schōle school ²
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Scientific definitions for shoal
shoal
[ shōl ]
A submerged mound or ridge of sediment in a body of shallow water.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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