Words Students Confuse: Lose and Loose

ScottsEnglishScottsEnglish Administrator Posts: 1,296 admin ✭✭✭✭✭✭✭
edited August 2017 in Grammar

Lose and Loose

A friend of mine recently wrote, "Frustration when you loose a lighter in your house! It has vanished."

However, she did not loose her lighter, she lost it.

"Lose" is a verb, meaning to forget where something is, or no longer to possess something. It is an irregular verb, lose lost lost. It is a transitive verb, which means that it is followed by an object: "I lost my keys yesterday."  Or "How was the game?", "I played okay, but we lost." The second sentence has an implied object - lost the game.

"Loose" is an adjective, meaning not attached, not tied, not stable. The verb form is "loosen". It is a regular verb, loosened loosened loosened. (There is also a verb form, "to loose", but it is only used in very specific situations).

Choose the correct word for the following sentences:

1. My exercise program is working, because my jeans are now too _____________________.

2. If I ________________ my cellphone, I will also ________________ all of my contacts.

3. We may have ____________________ the game, but the season is long.

4. The dog is running around ____________________ in the street.

5. You've ________________ that loving feeling (The Righteous Brothers).

Click here for the correct answers:

1. My exercise program is working, because my jeans are now too loose.

2. If I lose my cellphone, I will also lose all of my contacts.

3. We may have lost the game, but the season is long.

4. The dog is running around loose in the street.

5. You've lost that loving feeling (The Righteous Brothers).


For further help with this, click here.

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