Dead Right, Dead Wrong, and Dead End

Most of us know what right and wrong mean, but what does dead right and dead wrong mean? "The End" is usually seen at the end of a story or the end of a movie. But, what is a dead end?

Like the sign in the previous post, this one is a yellow, diamond-shaped street sign. It is a warning. If you are driving and face one of these, you will have to turn around and go another way. Dead end means that you can't go any further on this street or on this subject. The road usually ends just beyond the sign.

Have you noticed other uses of dead in collocations (= words that often go together or co-occur)? We also say that the very last person who crosses a finish line in a race (usually long, long after the second to the last runner has finished) is dead last. You can be dead tired after running a marathon. When someone says something very unexpected and/or shocking, there may be dead silence afterwards. If these collocations aren't enough, you can find more at this site. Always keep your eyes open for these common words - words that you know! - but used in contexts or situations that are new to you.  This is definitely a fun way to continually build your everyday vocabulary.