Wordcraft, 23 September 2026

Glossary from the edition

16 words, each quoted in the sentence where it appeared in the 23 September 2026 edition. Meaning first, then the sentence, then where it came from.

The seven lessons

One entry of each type, every day: a system, not a word list.

Worksheet

Every exercise from the session, on paper. Answers are folded under each one; the online session marks them for you and keeps your score.

Root & family · dicere, dictum (to say)

1. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

   Which word is NOT built on Latin dicere, to say?

   1. indicate
   2. verdict
   3. jurisdiction
   4. edict
   Answer

   indicate. Indicate is from indicare, from dicare, to proclaim: a cousin of dicere, not a member. The other three contain dicere or its French descendant dire.

2. Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.

   A court that has no power to decide a matter lacks ___.

   1. jurisdiction
   2. diction
   3. prediction
   4. addiction
   Answer

   jurisdiction. Jurisdiction, iuris dictio, the saying of the law: the power to decide a case.

3. Match the pairs Write the letter from the right against each number on the left.

   Match each word to its literal sense.

   1. verdict
   2. edict
   3. condition
   4. ipse dixit

   1. he himself said it
   2. a thing agreed
   3. a thing spoken out
   4. a true saying
   Answer

   • verdict: a true saying
   • edict: a thing spoken out
   • condition: a thing agreed
   • ipse dixit: he himself said it

   Each literal sense still sits inside the modern meaning.

4. Find the error Circle it in the sentence below, then write the correction.

   Find the word that breaks the family.

   verdict jurisdiction dedicate edict predict

   Answer

   dedicate → dedicate (from dicare, a cousin). Dedicate comes from dicare, to proclaim. The others are built on dicere, to say.

5. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

   Why did the Supreme Court call a gangster label under the UP Act the executive’s ipse dixit?

   1. Because the status rested only on the police’s say-so, not on an offence the legislature had created
   2. Because the executive had passed the Act
   3. Because the gang chart was written in Latin
   4. Because the Court agreed with the executive
   Answer

   Because the status rested only on the police’s say-so, not on an offence the legislature had created. Ipse dixit is an assertion resting only on the speaker’s authority. The Court’s point was that no offence had been created by law.

6. Put in order Number the lines 1 upward in the correct order.

   Arrange the path of a law from the legislature to the court, using the dicere family.

   • the verdict (the true saying that decides)
   • the judge’s dictum (a remark along the way)
   • the court’s jurisdiction (its power to say the law)
   • the legislature’s edict (the law is proclaimed)
   Answer

   1. the legislature’s edict (the law is proclaimed)
   2. the court’s jurisdiction (its power to say the law)
   3. the judge’s dictum (a remark along the way)
   4. the verdict (the true saying that decides)

   A law is proclaimed, a court with jurisdiction takes it up, a judge may add remarks, and the verdict decides the case.

Confusable pair · adverse / averse

7. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

   Which sentence is correct?

   1. Banks are averse to lending without collateral.
   2. Banks are adverse to lending without collateral.
   3. The drought had averse effects on the harvest.
   4. Investors became adverse to Indian courts.
   Answer

   Banks are averse to lending without collateral.. Averse describes the unwillingness of banks. Effects are adverse, not averse; and investors, being people, become averse.

8. Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.

   A central bank that fears inflation more than slow growth is said to be inflation-___.

   1. averse
   2. adverse
   3. adversarial
   4. aversive-to
   Answer

   averse. Averse describes the preference of a person or institution.

9. Match the pairs Write the letter from the right against each number on the left.

   Match each phrase to the right word.

   1. risk-___
   2. ___ effects
   3. not ___ to compromise
   4. an ___ award

   1. adverse
   2. averse
   3. adverse
   4. averse
   Answer

   • risk-___: averse
   • ___ effects: adverse
   • not ___ to compromise: averse
   • an ___ award: adverse

   Feelings and preferences take averse; outcomes and events take adverse.

10. Find the error Circle it in the sentence below, then write the correction.

    Find the wrong word.

    Most small farmers are risk adverse and stay with paddy

    Answer

    adverse → averse (risk-averse). Farmers avoiding risk are risk-averse. Adverse would mean the farmers are harmful.

11. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

    What do adverse and averse share?

    1. Both come from Latin vertere, to turn
    2. Both come from Latin adversarius, an opponent
    3. Averse is simply a misspelling of adverse
    4. Both come from Old English afer, hostile
    Answer

    Both come from Latin vertere, to turn. Adversus, turned against, and aversus, turned away, are both from vertere.

12. Put in order Number the lines 1 upward in the correct order.

    Arrange from the word for a person’s feeling to the word for a hostile party.

    • adversary (an opponent)
    • adverse (harmful)
    • aversion (a dislike)
    • averse (unwilling)
    Answer

    1. averse (unwilling)
    2. aversion (a dislike)
    3. adverse (harmful)
    4. adversary (an opponent)

    From a feeling in a person, to the feeling as a noun, to harm in the world, to a person turned against you.

Collocation · the verbs of a settlement: applied, recommended, accepted, remitted, disposed of

13. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

    Which is correct?

    1. The Adjudicating Officer disposed of the proceedings.
    2. The Adjudicating Officer disposed off the proceedings.
    3. The Adjudicating Officer disposed the proceedings off.
    4. The Adjudicating Officer did disposal-off of the proceedings.
    Answer

    The Adjudicating Officer disposed of the proceedings.. Dispose of is the fixed phrase for deciding or closing a case. Disposed off is a common error.

14. Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.

    After the terms were accepted, the companies ___ the settlement amount to SEBI.

    1. remitted
    2. remanded
    3. remitted back
    4. remised
    Answer

    remitted. Remit means to send money in payment. Remand belongs to custody, not payment.

15. Match the pairs Write the letter from the right against each number on the left.

    Match the actor to the verb.

    1. the companies
    2. the HPAC
    3. the Whole Time Members
    4. the Adjudicating Officer

    1. disposed of
    2. accepted
    3. recommended
    4. applied and remitted
    Answer

    • the companies: applied and remitted
    • the HPAC: recommended
    • the Whole Time Members: accepted
    • the Adjudicating Officer: disposed of

    Each body has one role in the settlement.

16. Find the error Circle it in the sentence below, then write the correction.

    Find the word that is wrong.

    The appeal was disposed off on Monday

    Answer

    off → of. Cases and appeals are disposed of.

17. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

    Which description of a SEBI settlement is accurate?

    1. The applicant settles without admitting or denying the findings
    2. The applicant admits guilt and pays a penalty
    3. SEBI declares the applicant innocent
    4. The settlement can never be reopened
    Answer

    The applicant settles without admitting or denying the findings. Settlement is neither a finding of guilt nor a clean chit, and Regulation 28 allows SEBI to restore the proceedings.

18. Put in order Number the lines 1 upward in the correct order.

    Arrange the steps of the settlement in order.

    • proceedings disposed of
    • amount remitted
    • accepted by the Whole Time Members
    • recommended by the HPAC
    • applied for settlement
    Answer

    1. applied for settlement
    2. recommended by the HPAC
    3. accepted by the Whole Time Members
    4. amount remitted
    5. proceedings disposed of

    Application, recommendation, acceptance, payment, and then the order that closes the case.

From the edition · still-born

19. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

    What did the Supreme Court mean by calling the UP Gangsters Act still-born?

    1. That it never took effect as a penal law because it created no offence
    2. That it had been repealed by the State legislature
    3. That it was valid but rarely enforced
    4. That it had been passed without the Governor’s assent
    Answer

    That it never took effect as a penal law because it created no offence. Still-born means dead from the start: the Act defined a gangster but never created a crime.

20. Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.

    A law that stays on the statute book but is never enforced is a ___.

    1. dead letter
    2. still-born law
    3. repealed law
    4. void ab initio
    Answer

    dead letter. A dead letter exists but is not applied. Still-born means it never came to life.

21. Match the pairs Write the letter from the right against each number on the left.

    Match the phrase to what it says about a law.

    1. still-born
    2. struck down
    3. repealed
    4. a dead letter

    1. on paper but not enforced
    2. withdrawn by the legislature
    3. declared invalid by a court
    4. never alive
    Answer

    • still-born: never alive
    • struck down: declared invalid by a court
    • repealed: withdrawn by the legislature
    • a dead letter: on paper but not enforced

    Five phrases, five different fates for a law.

22. Find the error Circle it in the sentence below, then write the correction.

    Find the word used in the wrong sense.

    The scheme ran for ten years and was still-born

    Answer

    still-born → a failure (or wound up). A scheme that ran for ten years was alive; still-born means dead from the start.

23. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

    In stillborn, what does still mean?

    1. dead, in an old euphemistic sense
    2. motionless, as in still water
    3. even now, as in still waiting
    4. quiet, as in a still night
    Answer

    dead, in an old euphemistic sense. The word preserves an old sense of still meaning dead.

24. Put in order Number the lines 1 upward in the correct order.

    Arrange from a law that never lived to a law that lived and was withdrawn.

    • repealed
    • struck down
    • void ab initio
    • still-born
    Answer

    1. still-born
    2. void ab initio
    3. struck down
    4. repealed

    Never alive, void from the start, declared invalid later by a court, withdrawn by the legislature.

Say it shorter · end weight: put the heavy part last

25. Say it shorter Rewrite the sentence below within the word limit.

    The National Medical Commission’s 2023 regulations requiring generic prescribing were put in abeyance within weeks after objections about quality assurance.

    Word limit 18

    Model

    Within weeks, objections about quality led the National Medical Commission to suspend its 2023 rule requiring generic prescribing. The nine-word subject moved to the end as the object of an active verb, and put in abeyance became suspend.

26. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

    Which version follows end weight?

    1. It is now clear that groundwater depletion in Punjab is regressive.
    2. That groundwater depletion in Punjab is regressive is now clear.
    3. Groundwater depletion in Punjab’s regressiveness is now clear.
    4. Now clear is that groundwater depletion in Punjab is regressive.
    Answer

    It is now clear that groundwater depletion in Punjab is regressive.. The light it takes the subject slot, and the heavy that-clause goes last.

27. Find the error Circle it in the sentence below, then write the correction.

    Find the word where the reader finally reaches the main verb in this front-heavy sentence.

    The regulations requiring generic prescribing for all doctors were suspended

    Answer

    were → (move the heavy subject to the end). Eight words pass before the verb were; end weight would put that load after the verb.

28. Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.

    End weight says heavy, information-rich material should normally come ___ in the sentence.

    1. last
    2. first
    3. in brackets
    4. in the middle
    Answer

    last. Readers process heavier material more easily at the end.

29. Match the pairs Write the letter from the right against each number on the left.

    Match the front-heavy form to its end-weighted form.

    1. That he resigned surprised us.
    2. His policy’s failure
    3. A long list of reforms was announced.
    4. To reform EPFO governance is necessary.

    1. It is necessary to reform EPFO governance.
    2. The government announced a long list of reforms.
    3. the failure of his policy
    4. It surprised us that he resigned.
    Answer

    • That he resigned surprised us.: It surprised us that he resigned.
    • His policy’s failure: the failure of his policy
    • A long list of reforms was announced.: The government announced a long list of reforms.
    • To reform EPFO governance is necessary.: It is necessary to reform EPFO governance.

    Each rewrite moves the heavy element behind a light subject or into an of-phrase.

30. Put in order Number the lines 1 upward in the correct order.

    Arrange from the most front-heavy to the most end-weighted.

    • The EPFO needs better governance: its corpus exceeds Rs 25 trillion.
    • It is clear that the EPFO needs better governance.
    • The EPFO’s need for better governance given its corpus is clear.
    • That the EPFO needs better governance given its Rs 25 trillion corpus is clear.
    Answer

    1. That the EPFO needs better governance given its Rs 25 trillion corpus is clear.
    2. The EPFO’s need for better governance given its corpus is clear.
    3. It is clear that the EPFO needs better governance.
    4. The EPFO needs better governance: its corpus exceeds Rs 25 trillion.

    Each step lightens the front of the sentence until the subject is two words and the load comes last.

Usage watch · up to, not upto

31. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

    Which is correct?

    1. PM-JAY covers up to Rs 5 lakh per family.
    2. PM-JAY covers upto Rs 5 lakh per family.
    3. PM-JAY covers up-to Rs 5 lakh per family.
    4. PM-JAY covers uptil Rs 5 lakh per family.
    Answer

    PM-JAY covers up to Rs 5 lakh per family.. Up to is two words. Upto, up-to and uptil are not standard here.

32. Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.

    The notification is valid ___ 31 March 2031.

    1. up to
    2. upto
    3. up-to
    4. upton
    Answer

    up to. Up to, meaning until, is two words.

33. Match the pairs Write the letter from the right against each number on the left.

    Match each sentence to its sense of up to.

    1. cover of up to Rs 5 lakh
    2. valid up to 2031
    3. it is up to the States
    4. what is he up to?

    1. doing
    2. their responsibility
    3. until
    4. as far as a limit
    Answer

    • cover of up to Rs 5 lakh: as far as a limit
    • valid up to 2031: until
    • it is up to the States: their responsibility
    • what is he up to?: doing

    Four senses, one spelling.

34. Find the error Circle it in the sentence below, then write the correction.

    Find the misspelt word.

    Loans of upto Rs 10 lakh are collateral-free

    Answer

    upto → up to. Up to is always two words.

35. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

    Which is correct?

    1. The report uses up-to-date data.
    2. The report uses up to date data.
    3. The report uses upto-date data.
    4. The report uses uptodate data.
    Answer

    The report uses up-to-date data.. Before a noun, the compound adjective takes hyphens: up-to-date data.

36. Put in order Number the lines 1 upward in the correct order.

    Arrange from a one-word preposition to a phrase that must stay two words.

    • up to (up to Rs 5 lakh)
    • in to (handed it in to the clerk)
    • onto (climbed onto the roof)
    • into (walked into the room)
    Answer

    1. into (walked into the room)
    2. onto (climbed onto the roof)
    3. in to (handed it in to the clerk)
    4. up to (up to Rs 5 lakh)

    Into and onto are genuine one-word prepositions; in to and up to stay two words.

Idiom in formal register · in broad daylight

37. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

    What does 'in broad daylight' add when used of a wrongdoing?

    1. That it was done openly, without concealment
    2. That it was done at dawn
    3. That it was legal
    4. That it was done by a large group
    Answer

    That it was done openly, without concealment. The idiom stresses openness and brazenness.

38. Fill the blank Circle the letter that completes the sentence.

    The chain snatching happened ___, in front of a crowded bus stop.

    1. in broad daylight
    2. in the dead of night
    3. on the back foot
    4. at arm’s length
    Answer

    in broad daylight. In broad daylight: in full view, during the day.

39. Match the pairs Write the letter from the right against each number on the left.

    Match the idiom to its meaning.

    1. in broad daylight
    2. daylight robbery
    3. the living daylights
    4. dacoity

    1. robbery by five or more
    2. old slang for the eyes
    3. a grossly high price
    4. openly, in full view
    Answer

    • in broad daylight: openly, in full view
    • daylight robbery: a grossly high price
    • the living daylights: old slang for the eyes
    • dacoity: robbery by five or more

    Related words, different uses.

40. Find the error Circle it in the sentence below, then write the correction.

    Find the phrase that is too informal for a GS answer.

    The MRP of Rs 27,000 is daylight robbery for patients

    Answer

    daylight → far higher than the price to retailers. Daylight robbery is informal British idiom. State the gap plainly in a GS answer.

41. Choose one Circle the letter of the correct option.

    Why did the Court’s phrase fit the facts?

    1. The inflated MRP is printed on the pack, so the overpricing is open
    2. The drug was sold only during the day
    3. Five companies had jointly fixed the price
    4. The Court had convicted the retailers of dacoity
    Answer

    The inflated MRP is printed on the pack, so the overpricing is open. The point is openness: the overpricing is visible to anyone who reads the label. No one was charged with dacoity.

42. Put in order Number the lines 1 upward in the correct order.

    Arrange from the most formal way to say it to the least formal.

    • daylight robbery
    • overpricing in broad daylight
    • the overpricing is open and visible
    • the MRP is ten times the price to retailers
    Answer

    1. the MRP is ten times the price to retailers
    2. the overpricing is open and visible
    3. overpricing in broad daylight
    4. daylight robbery

    From a plain statement of fact, to a paraphrase, to the idiom, to informal slang.

Writing task · Settled, not cleared: explain the SEBI order in exam English

In no more than 100 words, explain to a friend what SEBI’s settlement with five Adani group companies decided and what it did not. Use at least one settlement verb from today’s collocation lesson (recommended, accepted, remitted or disposed of), and at least one word from today’s glossary.

Companion to Vocab Builder (what a word scores in a GS answer) and Key Terms. Wordcraft is the language itself.