Word family noun correction correctness corrective adjective correct ≠ incorrect corrective verb correct adverb correctly ≠ incorrectly
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcorrectcor‧rect1 /kəˈrekt/ ●●● S1 W2 adjective 1 CORRECThaving no mistakes SYN right OPP incorrect If my calculations are correct, we’re about ten miles from Exeter. Score one point for each correct answer. You are absolutely correct, the Missouri is the longest river in the US.factually/grammatically/anatomically etc correct The sentence is grammatically correct, but doesn’t sound natural.► see thesaurus at rightRegisterIn everyday English, people usually say right rather than correct:Are you sure you’ve got the right address?2 RIGHT/PROPERsuitable and right for a particular situation What’s the correct procedure in cases like this? The correct way to lift heavy weights is to make sure that your back is straight.3 POLITEcorrect behaviour is formal and polite SYN proper It was not considered correct for young ladies to go out on their own. —correctly adverb If I remember correctly, he’s Spanish. We must make sure that things are done correctly. —correctness noun [uncountable]COLLOCATIONSnounsa correct answerLucy got fourteen out of twenty correct answers.a correct entry (=correct answer in a competition)The first five correct entries will win £50.correct informationI’m not sure that I’ve been given the correct information.correct spelling (=the correct way of writing words)Copying does not teach correct spelling.correct pronunciation (=the correct way of saying words)The dictionary will help you learn the correct pronunciation.adverbsabsolutely/perfectly/entirely correct (=completely correct)What he said was perfectly correct.not strictly correct (=not correct according to some standards)The grammar in this sentence is not strictly correct.grammatically correct (=written or spoken with correct grammar)Simple sentences are more likely to be grammatically correct than long complex ones.factually correct (=having all the correct facts)Articles in the newspaper are not always factually correct.broadly/essentially correct (=correct in most ways, but possibly not all)All the evidence suggests that the results of his research are essentially correct.verbsprove correct (=be shown to be true)Fortunately, my memory proved correct. Examples from the Corpus
correct• We are convinced our decision was correct.• Now this practice is prone to appearing always and automatically correct.• That again proved to be correct.• This information is no longer correct.• One must be correct about these things, mustn't one?• The chart then guides you through the procedure for finding the correct address.• Andrew's marriage proposal was very correct and proper.• Score one point for each correct answer.• The first ten correct answers will win a prize.• Owner Jim presented flash cards, writes Steiner, and Sunny came up with correct answers.• This is undoubtedly correct but in our judgment it does not assist us in what we have to decide.• Use the correct controller for the tube length.• After all, the key to the proper use of statistical analysis is the correct identification of levels of measurement.• an architecturally correct model of the building• When arranged in the correct order, the letters will spell a word which you fill in on this grid.• The correct results are on page 482.• The correct sequence of numbers must be entered to open the lock.• This was all important to enable me to get the correct shape of the legs and the lengths of the rails.• When the heat is at the correct temperature, food cooks more evenly.• If predictions are correct, the sea level may increase more than four inches.• What is the correct way to address a wedding invitation?factually/grammatically/anatomically etc correct• He was very keen on the SDP/Liberal Alliance and wanted to get everything factually correct.• We may conclude, for example, that 90 percent. of convictions were factually correct.• Is the document factually correct and full?• Knowledge of how word meanings combine at the sentence level can rule out grammatically correct, but semantically implausible sentences.• There are times when making language function effectively is more important than producing perfectly pronounced, grammatically correct sentences.• It is worth remembering that simple sentences are more likely to be grammatically correct than long, involved ones. 4.• It remains factually correct that you can buy a coffin direct from the undertakers.correctcorrect2 ●●○ S3 verb [transitive] 1 IMPROVE BY CHANGINGCUREREPAIRto make something right or to make it work the way it should Some eyesight problems are relatively easy to correct. You have the right to see a copy of your file, and to correct any mistakes you may find.RegisterIn everyday British English, people usually say put something right rather than correct something:The problem should be fairly easy to put right.2 SHOW something IS WRONGCORRECTto show someone that something is wrong, and make it right Correct my pronunciation if it’s wrong. ‘She’s in Ireland now.’ ‘She was, ’ Farrell corrected him.correct yourself ‘I, ’ Lady Deverill corrected herself, ‘we are very happy here.’3 EXAMS/ESSAYS ETCRESULT/GRADEif a teacher corrects a student’s written work, he or she writes marks on it to show the mistakes in it4 → correct me if I’m wrong5 → I stand corrected→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
correct• They were just correcting a historical anomaly: the South's post-Civil War aversion to the Republican Party.• It will take us some time to correct all the mistakes.• Many of these difficulties can be anticipated and corrected by testing the questionnaire in field conditions prior to the full-scale study.• Speech therapy helped correct her lisp.• She spent all night correcting her students' math tests.• Twenty minutes wasted, he thought, then corrected himself.• Correct me if I'm wrong, but haven't we met before?• He was in the habit of correcting minor errors of grammar or usage.• Is there any way of politely correcting someone's grammar?• Teachers spend many hours correcting students' assignments.• The problem was caused by faulty software and was corrected Sunday.• If one trespasses beyond the limits, he quietly corrects the fault in a plea, never a paroxysm.• The figure was given as $500; it was later corrected to $1000.correct yourself• In time, these things tend to correct themselves.• Or her mouth shut, Trent corrected himself.• Twenty minutes wasted, he thought, then corrected himself.• He remembered the last time he had seen his father - Dermot Corcoran, he corrected himself - alive.• Well, not exactly no one, she corrected herself, for she knew Tina would not be embarrassed or afraid.• No, I correct myself: for the wrong reason.• No, that wasn't quite true, she corrected herself, frowning.• No, he corrected himself: that was to put it the wrong way round.Origin correct1 (1300-1400) Latin past participle of corrigere, from com- ( → COM-) + regere “to lead straight” 