Stationary or stationery — Aptitude Question
Stationary or stationery: Choose the sentence in which the word is used correctly: Answer and worked solution on CodeKairo.
- Topic: Synonyms & Antonyms
- Section: Verbal Ability
- Difficulty: Medium
- Time target: 50 seconds
Question
Choose the sentence in which the word is used correctly:
Options
- He bought pens from the stationary shop.
- The car remained stationery at the signal.
- The car remained stationary at the signal.
- She keeps her stationary in a drawer.
Show the answer and the worked solution
Correct answer: C. The car remained stationary at the signal.
Worked solution
- Stationary = motionless; stationery = paper, pens and so on.
- 'The car remained stationary' is correct.
Answer: The car remained stationary at the signal.
The idea
Remember the 'e' in stationEry stands for envelope. The other spelling, with 'a', means standing still.
Shortcut. stAtionary = stAnding still; a car waiting at a signal is standing, so the 'a' spelling fits only that sentence.
Common trap. "The car remained stationery at the signal." — the same sentence with the paper-and-pens spelling; a hurried eye sees the right meaning and misses the 'e'.