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Question

Each of the following sentences has a blank space and four words are given below it. Select the word or group of words you consider most appropriate for the blank space and indicate your response accordingly.

It is no use in crying over _______.

This question was previously asked in
CDS I 2018 Elementary Mathematics Previous Year Paper (04-Feb-2018)
The correct answer is

Spilt milk

Understanding the Idiom "Crying Over Spilt Milk"

The question asks us to complete a common English idiom by selecting the most appropriate word from the given options. The idiom starts with "It is no use in crying over _______." We need to find the word that correctly finishes this phrase.

Analyzing the Options

Let's look at the options provided:

  1. Spoiled milk
  2. Spirited milk
  3. Split milk
  4. Spilt milk

This idiom talks about regretting something that has already happened and cannot be changed. The key part of the idiom involves milk that has been lost because it was spilled. The word that means "having been spilled" is needed here.

Identifying the Correct Idiom

The widely accepted and correct form of this English idiom is "crying over spilt milk". The word "spilt" is the past participle of the verb "spill", which means to cause liquid to fall out of a container. Therefore, "spilt milk" refers to milk that has already been spilled.

Let's consider the other options:

  • "Spoiled milk" refers to milk that has gone bad and is no longer fit to drink. While you might discard spoiled milk, the idiom specifically uses a term related to the *act* of losing something accidentally or irreversibly.
  • "Spirited milk" does not form a recognized idiom in this context. "Spirited" usually means full of energy or determination.
  • "Split milk" is sometimes used informally, but the standard and correct form of the idiom uses "spilt". "Split" usually refers to dividing something into parts, not accidentally spilling a liquid.

The idiom "crying over spilt milk" means expressing regret about something that has already happened and cannot be changed. It is used to suggest that one should not dwell on past misfortunes or mistakes that cannot be undone.

Therefore, the word that correctly completes the idiom is "spilt".

Definition of the Idiom

Crying over spilt milk: Regretting something that has happened and cannot be changed.

Final Answer Selection

Based on the analysis of the common English idiom, the word that fits the blank space is "spilt". This corresponds to option 4.

Option Word/Phrase Correctness Reason
1 Spoiled milk Incorrect Not the standard idiom phrase.
2 Spirited milk Incorrect Not a recognized phrase in this context.
3 Split milk Incorrect While similar, "spilt" is the standard form in the idiom.
4 Spilt milk Correct This completes the correct and common idiom.

Revision Table: English Idioms

Understanding common English idioms is important for language proficiency. Idioms are phrases whose meaning cannot be deduced from the ordinary meanings of its words.

Idiom Literal Meaning of Words Figurative Meaning
Crying over spilt milk Shedding tears over milk that fell out of a container. Regretting something irreversible.
Break a leg! Literally causing injury to a leg. Good luck! (Used especially for performers)
Cost an arm and a leg The price is equivalent to body parts. Very expensive.

Additional Information: Parts of Speech

In the phrase "spilt milk", "spilt" acts as a past participle used as an adjective, describing the noun "milk". Understanding parts of speech helps in constructing grammatically correct sentences and using words accurately.

  • Verb: spill (present tense)
  • Past Tense: spilled or spilt
  • Past Participle: spilled or spilt

Both "spilled" and "spilt" are accepted past tense and past participle forms of "spill", especially in British English where "spilt" is common. In American English, "spilled" is more frequent. However, the idiom almost exclusively uses "spilt".

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