CONTROL vs. CHECK

Hello everyone. Welcome back to the Daily Vitamin. I hope you are having a good day. Happy St. Patrick's Day. 

Which of the following sentences do you think is correct?

A) Democrats are hoping to gain control of the Whitehouse at the next election.
B) There are now more routine passenger controls on airplanes to avoid terrorist attacks.

(A) is correct and (B) is incorrect. (C) is the correct version of (B):

(C) There are now more routine passenger checks on airplanes to avoid terrorist attacks.

Control means: to have the power to decide or to make something or someone do what you want.

Check means: to examine something or somebody; to look.

English students very often use the word control when they really mean to say check. They are very different, and control is a false friend.

Example 1:
I lost control of my car and crashed into a tree.

Example 2:
Before going to lunch, I checked on the employees to see if they needed anything.

Do you have any questions about the differences between these two words? Can you use these words in your own original sentences? You can post your questions and/or your sentences on one of our social media sites (Facebook or Twitter) and we will answer your questions and/or give you feedback about your sentences as soon as possible.

Have a good day and an excellent weekend; be sure it includes a little English in it. ;-)

All the best!