5 exercises on the specific language used in code review comments — nit, elaborate, ready to merge, flagging issues, and awaiting review. Professional communication patterns that native reviewers use every day.
0 / 5 completed
1 / 5
A reviewer leaves the following comment on a variable name: "___ : could rename this to `isLoading` for clarity — feel free to ignore."
Which label correctly marks this as a minor, optional suggestion?
Nit (short for "nitpick") is the standard label for minor, optional, non-blocking comments in code reviews.
Using "nit" signals:
The comment is cosmetic — it does not affect correctness or functionality
The developer can choose to address it or not before merging
The reviewer is not blocking the PR over this
Common nit examples:
"nit: extra blank line here"
"nit: variable name could be more descriptive"
"nit: trailing comma in the array"
Review comment severity ladder:
nit / nitpick — cosmetic, optional
suggestion — recommended but non-blocking
question — asking for clarification
blocker / must-fix — must be resolved before merge
CRITICAL / SECURITY — urgent, dangerous
2 / 5
A reviewer is curious about a design choice and writes: "Could you ___ on why you chose a Map here instead of a plain object?"
Which verb naturally completes this professional code review question?
Elaborate is the most natural and professional verb for asking someone to provide more detail or explanation.
Collocations with "elaborate":
"Could you elaborate on this approach?"
"Please elaborate — I don't fully understand the rationale."
"Can you elaborate on the trade-offs?"
Why not the others?
expand on — also natural and acceptable: "Could you expand on this?" is correct English, though slightly less formal than "elaborate"
extend on — not a natural English collocation; "extend" does not collocate with "on" in this way
grow on — completely wrong in this context; "grow on you" is an idiom meaning to become more appealing over time
Alternatives: "Could you add more context?", "What was the reasoning behind this choice?", "Can you walk me through the thinking here?"
3 / 5
A reviewer has reviewed the code and has no issues. They write: "This looks great — ___ to merge."
Which word is the most natural completion?
Ready to merge is the standard professional phrase for communicating that a PR has passed review and can be merged.
Common approval phrases:
"Ready to merge." — the most neutral, widely used signal
"LGTM" — "Looks Good To Me" — the most common informal shorthand for approval
"Approved ✓"
"Looks good — merging now." — when the reviewer also merges
"Good work! Approved."
Why not the others?
"free to merge" — grammatically valid but less idiomatic for code reviews
"cleared to merge" — used in some teams, especially those from military or aviation-influenced cultures; acceptable but less common
"allowed to merge" — not natural; sounds like a permission statement rather than a review outcome
GitHub LGTM culture: Many teams use LGTM in comments and only click the formal Approve button when branch protection requires it.
4 / 5
A reviewer writes: "I've ___ a few issues that should be addressed before this goes to production."
Which verb is the most natural and professional fit?
Flagged is the most idiomatic and professional verb in a code review context — it implies the reviewer has explicitly called out issues for attention, not just noticed them passively.
Verb nuances:
flag — to call out, highlight, or mark something for attention; active and purposeful. Perfect in professional written communication: "I've flagged a few concerns."
raise — also excellent: "I've raised a few issues" implies formally bringing them to attention
spot / notice / find — more passive verbs; they describe the act of discovery but not the act of communicating it professionally
Related patterns:
"I've flagged a potential memory leak in the explanation."
"I raised a concern about the error handling."
"A few things I flagged in the diff — see inline comments."
Note: "Found" and "spotted" are not wrong — they simply sound less professional in written review communication than "flagged" or "raised".
5 / 5
A developer checks the PR status and writes: "This PR is ___ a security review from the AppSec team before it can be merged."
Which verb phrase is most natural?
Awaiting is the most natural and professional choice — it precisely expresses that the PR is in a waiting state, dependent on the AppSec team's action.
Verb comparison:
awaiting — active, professional: "The PR is awaiting AppSec review." Commonly used in written communication and PR status updates.
pending — also correct and widely used: "Pending security review." Often seen as a status label in Jira or PR descriptions. Slightly more formal/static.
needing — grammatically correct but less professional; sounds informal
requiring — grammatically correct but more bureaucratic and less natural as a status description