5 exercises — practise the precision-hedging disjuncts "strictly/technically/loosely speaking".
0 / 5 completed
1 / 5
Which sentence correctly uses "strictly speaking" to flag that the following statement is only precisely true under a narrow definition?
"Strictly speaking, a fork isn't a new repository..." correctly uses the fixed adverb-plus-participle disjunct "strictly speaking". Option B wrongly uses a to-infinitive. Option C drops the "-ly" adverb ending. Option D scrambles the fixed word order.
2 / 5
Which sentence correctly uses "technically speaking" to concede a pedantic but accurate technical distinction?
"Technically speaking, null and undefined are different types in JavaScript..." is the standard fixed form. Option B drops the adverb ending. Option C wrongly uses a to-infinitive. Option D reverses the word order; while "speaking technically" is occasionally seen, the fixed disjunct tested here is "technically speaking".
3 / 5
Which sentence correctly uses "loosely speaking" to signal a simplified, approximate description?
"Loosely speaking, a hash map gives constant-time lookups..." is the correct fixed disjunct signaling an approximation. Option B drops the "-ly". Option C wrongly uses a to-infinitive. Option D wrongly inserts a dummy subject "it" before the disjunct.
4 / 5
Which sentence correctly places "strictly speaking" parenthetically in the middle of a sentence rather than at the start?
"The function is, strictly speaking, not pure, since it reads from a mutable module-level cache" correctly inserts the fixed disjunct between commas mid-sentence. Option B drops the adverb ending. Option C both reverses the phrase and duplicates "it". Option D mixes an infinitive marker into the fixed phrase.
5 / 5
Which sentence correctly distinguishes "strictly speaking" (precision disjunct) from a literal use of "speaking" as a present participle describing an action?
"Speaking at the conference, she explained the architecture; strictly speaking, though, the system is a modular monolith..." correctly uses a literal participle clause first, then the fixed precision disjunct "strictly speaking" second. Options B, C, and D corrupt one of the two participle forms.