CORRECT


Meaning of CORRECT in English

I. cor ‧ rect 1 S1 W2 /kəˈrekt/ BrE AmE adjective

[ Word Family: noun : ↑ correction , ↑ correctness , ↑ corrective ; adjective : ↑ correct ≠ ↑ incorrect , ↑ corrective ; verb : ↑ correct ; adverb : ↑ correctly ≠ ↑ incorrectly ]

[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: past participle of corrigere , from com- ( ⇨ COM- ) + regere 'to lead straight' ]

1 . having 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.

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In everyday English, people usually say right rather than correct :

Are you sure you’ve got the right address?

2 . suitable 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 . correct 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]

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COLLOCATIONS

■ nouns

▪ a correct answer

Lucy got fourteen out of twenty correct answers.

▪ a correct entry (=correct answer in a competition)

The first five correct entries will win £50.

▪ correct information

I’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.

■ adverbs

▪ absolutely/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.

■ verbs

▪ prove correct (=be shown to be true)

Fortunately, my memory proved correct.

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THESAURUS

▪ right not wrong – used about something someone says, or about the person who says it:

the right answer

|

You were right about the colour.

|

‘He’s about thirty, isn’t he?’ ‘That’s right.’

▪ correct right. Correct sounds more formal than right :

the correct answer

|

He is absolutely correct.

|

Unfortunately, this information is not correct.

▪ accurate right – used about information, measurements, descriptions etc:

Make sure that your measurements are accurate.

|

an accurate description of the suspect

▪ exact an exact number, amount, or time is completely correct, and is no more and no less than it should be:

The exact time is 9.28 a.m.

|

The exact weight of the baby was 3.3 kilos.

▪ spot-on British English spoken informal exactly right – used especially about guesses or things people say:

His answer was spot-on.

|

You’re spot-on.

II. correct 2 S3 BrE AmE verb [transitive]

[ Word Family: noun : ↑ correction , ↑ correctness , ↑ corrective ; adjective : ↑ correct ≠ ↑ incorrect , ↑ corrective ; verb : ↑ correct ; adverb : ↑ correctly ≠ ↑ incorrectly ]

1 . to 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.

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In everyday British English, people usually say put something right rather than correct something:

The problem should be fairly easy to put right.

2 . to 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 . if a teacher corrects a student’s written work, he or she writes marks on it to show the mistakes in it

4 . correct me if I’m wrong spoken used when you are not sure that what you are going to say is true or not:

Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you say you’d never met him before?

5 . I stand corrected formal spoken used to admit that something you have said is wrong after someone has told you it is wrong

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.