Use only FIVE pairs of words in sentences clearly illustrating their meanings: Annalist / Analyst, Gest / Jest, Sleigh / Slay, Shoot / Chute, Coign / Coin, Key / Quay, Wile / While, Leek / Leak.

Pairs of words in sentences

Only five are required; all eight are given.

Annalist / Analyst

The court annalist recorded the events of each year of the Mughal emperor's reign. — The financial analyst predicted a fall in the rupee. (Annalist = a writer of annals, a chronicler; analyst = a person who examines data in detail.)

Gest / Jest

The minstrel sang a gest of the hero's battles against the invaders. — He said it in jest, but she took it seriously. (Gest, also spelt geste = a tale of heroic deeds, an archaic word; jest = a joke.)

Sleigh / Slay

The children rode a horse-drawn sleigh across the snow in Kalam. — In the legend, the prince set out to slay the dragon. (Sleigh = a sledge; slay = kill, a literary word.)

Shoot / Chute

The new shoots of the wheat appeared after the rain. — The parcels slid down a chute into the sorting room. (Shoot = a young plant growth, or to fire a weapon; chute = a sloping channel or slide.)

Coign / Coin

From that coign of vantage on the fort wall, the guards could watch the whole valley. — He found an old Mughal coin in the field. (Coign = a projecting corner, now used mainly in "coign of vantage"; coin = a piece of metal money.)

Key / Quay

I have lost the key to my locker. — The fishing boats were tied up along the quay at Gwadar. (Key = an instrument for opening locks; quay = a landing place for ships, pronounced "key".)

Wile / While

The fox used every wile to get into the henhouse. — We played cards to while away the long train journey. (Wile = a trick or stratagem; while = a period of time, or "while away" = pass time pleasantly.)

Leek / Leak

She added chopped leeks to the soup. — A leak in the gas pipe forced the family to leave the house. (Leek = a vegetable related to the onion; leak = an escape of liquid or gas, or of secret information.)

Tip

With rare words such as gest, coign and annalist, a brief meaning in brackets after the sentence shows the examiner that you know the word, not just its spelling.