Basic Details
Word: Appropriately
Part of Speech: Adverb
Meaning: In a way that is suitable or right for a particular situation or person.
Synonyms: suitably, properly, fittingly
Antonyms: inappropriately, unsuitably
How to Spell Appropriately
Syllables: ap - pro - pri - ate - ly
Tricky part: After the double p come two syllables in a row that each hold an r, pro and pri, and students often lose one. The e of appropriate also stays before -ly.
Watch out for: apropriately, appropriatly, appropiately
Memory tip: Slow down on the middle: ap-PRO-PRI-ate-ly. PRO and PRI sit side by side, each with its own r. Then keep the whole of appropriate and add ly.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The visitors were asked to dress appropriately before entering the gurdwara.
Example 2: Shalini thanked the guests appropriately in her short speech at the farewell.
Example 3: The prize, appropriately enough, was a book about chess.
Fun Fact
Appropriate can also be a verb, said with a different ending sound, meaning to take something for your own use, often without permission.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
ap_ropri_tel_
a) r, a, y
b) p, a, y
c) p, a, i
d) p, e, y
Show answer
b) p, a, y. Double p at the start, then appropriate with its a, and the adverb ending -ly.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word appropriately as used in the sentence:
The manager responded appropriately to the angry customer, listening first and then apologising for the delay.
a) fittingly
b) properly
c) correctly
d) unsuitably
Show answer
d) unsuitably. Listening calmly and saying sorry was the right way to handle it; doing it unsuitably would have made things worse.
Mingle-Mangle
Unscramble the jumbled word in the sentence and choose the correct word:
Please answer each question eaprpopyalitr and keep your replies short.
a) appropriately
b) appreciatively
c) proportionately
d) approximately
Show answer
a) appropriately. Approximately has an x, appreciatively a c and v, and proportionately an n; only appropriately matches the letters.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Someone behaving appropriately might be ____.
a) running down a crowded corridor
b) laughing loudly at a funeral
c) speaking softly in a hospital ward
d) shouting across a quiet library
Show answer
c) speaking softly in a hospital ward
2. To be dressed appropriately for a trek in the hills means wearing ____.
a) a school tie and blazer
b) a silk sari and high heels
c) slippers and a raincoat only
d) sturdy shoes and warm layers
Show answer
d) sturdy shoes and warm layers
