Basic Details
Word: Drag
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: To pull something heavy along the ground with effort; also, to go on for too long and feel slow.
Synonyms: pull, haul, tow, draw
Antonyms: push
How to Spell Drag
Syllables: drag
Tricky part: The word itself is easy; the trap is in its other forms. With -ed and -ing the g doubles: dragged, dragging.
Watch out for: dragg, draged, draging
Memory tip: A short a followed by one consonant makes that consonant double before -ed: drag gives dragged, just as flag gives flagged.
Idioms and Phrases
- drag your feet: to be slow to do something, often on purpose Example: "The council dragged its feet over repairing the road for two years."
Usage Examples
Example 1: We had to drag the heavy trunk up to the attic.
Example 2: The meeting dragged on until nine in the evening.
Example 3: Drag the photo into the folder with your mouse.
Fun Fact
Drag goes back to the same old root as draw, both meaning to pull, which is why a drawer is the box you pull out of a desk.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
One word in this sentence is misspelt. Find it:
The fishermen draged their heavy boat across the wet sand before the storm reached the shore.
a) storm
b) fishermen
c) heavy
d) draged
Show answer
d) draged. Drag has a short a, so its g doubles before -ed: dragged.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word drag as used in the sentence:
It took four of us to drag the broken cupboard out of the storeroom.
a) push
b) tow
c) haul
d) pull
Show answer
a) push. Haul, pull and tow all mean drawing something towards you; push sends it the other way.
Mingle-Mangle
Unscramble the jumbled word in the sentence and choose the correct word:
The second half of the film began to adrg, and many people in the hall checked their phones.
a) brag
b) drab
c) drag
d) drug
Show answer
c) drag. Brag has no d, drab has no g and drug has no a, so the four letters can only be drag.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. If a lesson drags, it ____.
a) is full of surprises
b) ends sooner than planned
c) seems to go on too long
d) is taught outdoors
Show answer
c) seems to go on too long
2. To drag your feet over a job means to ____.
a) do it twice
b) be slow to do it
c) finish it with help
d) do it in a hurry
Show answer
b) be slow to do it
