It was a ________ observation

[eeshu]

It was a _______ observation – anyone might have made it.

A. regular
B. ordinary
C. commonplace
D. average

I find these synonyms quite confusing. Which one is the best answer? Is there only one answer that fits the context most appropriately or all of them are possible answers? Can anyone help please?

 

[Rover_KE]

Where did you find that question?

 

[eeshu]

Where did you find that question?

From one of my vocabulary and grammar excercise books.

 

[emsr2d2]

From one of my vocabulary and grammar excercise exercise books.

That is not sufficient. Please give us the title and the name(s) of the author(s).

 

[eeshu]

That is not sufficient. Please give us the title and the name(s) of the author(s).

No title. Probably a booklet editted by my teacher.

 

[emsr2d2]

It has no title. It is probably a booklet editted edited by my teacher.

Then why did you say it was from "one of my vocabulary and grammar exercise books"?

 

[eeshu]

Then why did you say it was from "one of my vocabulary and grammar exercise books"?

Because it is a booklet about vocabulary and grammar. Is there anything wrong with that?

 

[emsr2d2]

To avoid confusion in the future, always tell us where you got an exercise from in post #1.

You need to do some work yourself. Can you see a reason why the answer can't possibly be B or D? (You need to look specifically at another word in the sentence to work it out.)

 

[eeshu]

To avoid confusion in the future, always tell us where you got an exercise from in post #1.

You need to do some work yourself. Can you see a reason why the answer can't possibly be B or D? (You need to look specifically at another word in the sentence to work it out.)

I see why D is not fitting for this context. But ordinary sounds ok to my ear as many thesauri take words "ordinary, usually, normal, common, commonplace" as synonyms without an account for their differences. The following comes from Collins English Thesaurus:
ordinary ADJECTIVE
1It was just an ordinary day for us. = usual, standard, normal, common, established, settled, regular, familiar, household, typical, conventional, routine, stock, everyday, prevailing, accustomed, customary, habitual, quotidian, wonted2My life seems pretty ordinary compared to yours. = commonplace, plain, modest, humble, stereotyped, pedestrian, mundane, vanilla [slang], stale, banal, unremarkable, prosaic, run-of-the-mill, humdrum, homespun, uninteresting, workaday, common or garden [informal], unmemorable3The food here is cheap, but very ordinary. = average, middling, fair, indifferent, not bad, mediocre, so-so [informal], unremarkable, tolerable [informal], run-of-the-mill, passable, undistinguished, uninspired, unexceptional, bog-standard [Brit. & Irish slang], no great shakes [informal], dime-a-dozen [informal]

 

[emsr2d2]

Do you know when we use "a" and when we use "an"?

 

[eeshu]

Do you know when we use "a" and when we use "an"?

Oh no. That thumbs-down emoji is supposed to be "a( n) ". It was automatically changed to that symbol.

 

[eeshu]

Do you know when we use "a" and when we use "an"?

Does that make "ordinary" a correct answer too?

 

[tedmc]

Does that make "ordinary" a correct answer too?

You have not answered emsr2d2's question which will lead you to the answer.

 

[eeshu]

You have not answered emsr2d2's question which will lead you to the answer.

I answered that question in the above. The test question was It was a ( n ) _______ observation – anyone might have made it. But somehow the a ( n) part was automatically changed to an emoji. If you copy that emoji and paste to a text editor and you'll see what I mean. Therefore, whether the options start with a vowel or not should not affect the answer here.

 

[Tarheel]

OK. It could start with any letter.

 

[eeshu]

OK. It could start with any letter.

But my question remains unanswered. Is it correct to say "It was an ordinary observation – anyone might have made it"? Is it also correct to say "It was a regular observation – anyone might have made it"?

 

[Piscean]

Those responses are not 'incorrect', and nor is commonplace, but I don't find any of them particularly matural. I probably would't use an adjective, though, if pressed, I might settle for casual.

 

[PaulMatthews]

I answered that question in the above. The test question was It was a ( n ) _______ observation – anyone might have made it. But somehow the a ( n) part was automatically changed to an emoji. If you copy that emoji and paste to a text editor and you'll see what I mean.

So now you're saying that the test question was not "a ___ observation" but "a ..."

Why is an emoji suddenly appearing?

Therefore, whether the options start with a vowel or not should not affect the answer here.

It does matter, as you've already been told. A. and C. are possible, but not B.. or D.

 

[eeshu]

So now you're saying that the test question was not "a ___ observation" but "a ..."

Why is an emoji suddenly appearing?



It does matter, as you've already been told. A. and C. are possible, but not B.. or D.

I guess it was a system error. Somewhere else I've also seen such errors with those emojis. Strangely the thumbs-down symbol now disappears.

 

[eeshu]

Those responses are not 'incorrect', and nor is commonplace, but I don't find any of them particularly matural. I probably would't use an adjective, though, if pressed, I might settle for casual.

Do you agree that in the original question, both B and C can be legimate answers?