Taught is both the past and past participle form of the verb teach. Taut is an adjective that means strained, pulled tight, or tidy.

Examples:

• I'm always ready to learn though I don't always like being taught.
• Mr. Jumpers has taught at the community college for the past 30 years.
• Over and over the spider pulls the web taut and then slackens it.

Practice:

(a) My parents _____ me I could be anything in the world that I wanted to be.

(b) The actor's skin was _____ from more than one face-lift.

(c) She has _____ courses in speech, drama, and public relations.

Answers to Practice Exercises

Glossary of Usage: Index of Commonly Confused Words