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Latest post Mon, Sep 27 2004 7:12 PM by Wai_Wai. 5 replies.
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Wai_Wai  +  47573 Mon, 27 Sep 04 07:12 PM
What're the difference among the following:
- Incorrectly VS wrong(adv) VS wrongly

How about:
- right(adv) VS rightly
Joined on Mon, Sep 27 2004
Full Member 125
I am NOT a native English speaker. Correct me if I make any mistake. Any comment is perfectly welcome. One idea: I advocate acronyms used at a min because: - difficulty to...
CalifJim  +  47605 Mon, 27 Sep 04 09:43 PM
This may help.

correctly / incorrectly

You spelled the word correctly.
You spelled the word incorrectly.

The music was correctly printed.
The music was incorrectly printed.

Did I say it correctly?
Did I say it incorrectly?

You answered every question correctly.
You answered every question incorrectly.

right / wrong (adv)

You spelled the word right. (=You spelled the word in the right way.)
You spelled the word wrong. (=You spelled the word in the wrong way.)

The music was printed right. (Not "right printed")
The music was printed wrong. (Not "wrong printed")

Did I say it right?
Did I say it wrong?

You answered every question right.
You answered every question wrong.

right / wrong (adj)

It was right for you not to invite them.
It was wrong for you not to invite them.

Did Jack get up on the right side of the bed?
Or did he get up on the wrong side of the bed?

When you first meet someone,
it's good to start off on the right foot.
it's not good to start off on the wrong foot.


rightly / wrongly

These are usual before a participle. They draw in a shade of meaning more than mere correctness and incorrectness. They imply "just", "honest", "proper", "suitable", and their opposites.

He was rightly accused of theft. (shades toward "justly")
He was wrongly accused of theft. (shades toward "unjustly")

He was accused of theft rightly. (?)
He was accused of theft wrongly (?)

Society rightly fears the spread of drugs. (It is right/suitable/proper for society to fear the spread of drugs.)
The authorities have wrongly imprisoned the man, as DNA tests will show.
(It was wrong/unsuitable/unjust/improper for the authorities to imprison him.)

"wrongly" occurs frequently in matters of criminal justice:
wrongly accused, wrongly arrested, wrongly convicted, wrongly imprisoned

When you say "The page was printed right", you mean that the page was printed correctly.
When you say "The page was rightly printed", you mean that it was proper to print it; printing it was the correct thing to do.

Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004
California
Veteran Member 22,415
"There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche
Wai_Wai, 5 yr 58 days ago
Thanks a lot.
Very detailed.
I am digesting your info.
Thanks a lot.
Wai_Wai, 5 yr 58 days ago
Does these words differ in meaning?
You just mentioned rightly / wrongly VS right / wrong only.
CalifJim  +  47851 Tue, 28 Sep 04 09:47 PM
I think you mean, "Do these words differ in meaning?" Smile [:)]

Actually, the first part of my response does include "correctly / incorrectly", and these are often equivalent to "right / wrong" as I tried to show by using the exact same words in some cases, for example: "You answered every question [correctly OR right]" and "You answered every question [incorrectly OR wrong]". When I have two sets of examples with the same words except for one, it is to show you that the two pairs have the same meaning.

Smile [:)]
Wai_Wai  +  47957 Wed, 29 Sep 04 09:48 AM
> I think you mean "Do these words differ in meaning?"
Yes, my silly mistake.

To confirm, do you mean incorrectly and wrong have the same meaning?
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