English vocabulary practice: useful words beginning with L

A list of words with the same first letter is only a starting point. The rest of the sentence gives the useful clue. Look for the action, the object, and the result. If a person needs something returned later, lend is a strong candidate. If someone is searching for a place or object, locate may fit.

I located the correct platform by checking the station map.

The map helps the speaker find a place, so located fits better than a word about moving or arriving.

Which word fits when you give a colleague a pen and expect the pen back?

Lend fits because the colleague uses the pen for a limited time and returns it later.

A label can be a small piece of paper or a printed mark that gives information. As a verb, label means put that information on something. You can label a box, a file, a sample, or a diagram. The detail helps people recognize the item later.

The museum labeled each object with its date and place of origin.

The staff added information to each object. That action is labeling, not simply arranging the objects.

Is label usually a good word when you mean put files into alphabetical order?

No. Sort is usually the better word for putting files into order. Label means add a name or identifying information.

Lend is the verb from the person who gives something temporarily. Borrow is the word from the person who receives it. Say I lent Omar my notes, or Omar borrowed my notes. In both sentences, the notes are expected to return to their owner.

My neighbor lent us a ladder for the afternoon.

The neighbor is the owner who gives the ladder, so lent is the correct point of view.

Which word tells the story from the receiver's point of view: lend or borrow?

Borrow tells the story from the receiver's point of view. Lend tells it from the owner's point of view.

Likely means probable or expected, but it does not guarantee the result. Use likely to before a verb: The package is likely to arrive tomorrow. You can also say It is likely that the package will arrive tomorrow. Both patterns give a reasoned expectation.

With this traffic, we are likely to miss the first part of the film.

The traffic gives a reason to expect a late arrival, but the sentence still leaves room for another outcome.

Does likely mean that something will definitely happen?

No. Likely means probable. The speaker expects the result but does not present it as certain.

Local usually comes before a noun. A local service, local news story, or local market has a connection with the area near the speaker or reader. The exact area depends on the conversation. In a city, local might mean a neighborhood. In a national news report, it may mean one region.

The local council repaired the damaged pavement outside the school.

Local tells us which council has responsibility in that area. It does not describe the council's size.

What does local mean in the phrase local bus service?

It means a bus service that operates in the nearby area, rather than a service for a distant route.

Locate is a verb: locate the address, locate the missing document, or locate the source of a noise. Loyal is an adjective: loyal customers, a loyal friend, or loyal to a team. Keep the grammar beside the meaning. This stops you from trying to use loyal as an action or locate as a description of long-term support.

The support team located the customer's account after checking the email address.

He remained loyal to his first employer during a difficult period.

Locate takes the thing found. Loyal describes a relationship that continues over time.

Which word fits a customer who keeps choosing the same company for many years?

Loyal fits because the customer gives continued support to the company.