Word of the Day: Cost
To talk about the price of something, use the word “cost.”
In these sentences and questions, “cost” is a verb:
| simple | past | past participle |
|---|---|---|
|
cost
|
cost
|
cost
|
- How much does this book cost? (present tense)
- It costs $10. (present tense)
- What did your coat cost? (past tense)
- It cost $40. (past tense)
- This is costing us too much money! (present continuous tense)
- The car payments were costing us too much money! (present continuous tense)
- How much has this cost us? (present perfect tense)
- What will this cost? (future tense)
- It’s not going to cost you anything to use this website because it’s free. (going to future tense)
It’s important to note that you can ask about the price or the cost of something in many different ways, but “cost” is a popular irregular verb.
In the next set of sentences and questions, “cost” is a noun:
- What’s the cost for this book? (present tense)
- The cost of the book is $10. (present tense)
- What was the cost for your coat? (past tense)
- The cost was $40. (past tense)
In addition to using “cost” to talk about financial matters, this word is also used when sacrifices or mistakes are made, resulting in some sort of a loss or a trade off.
- Risky driving cost the driver his life.
- The man’s bad behavior cost him his marriage.
- Chronic tardiness to work cost Jennifer her job.
- The costs outweigh the benefits of this move, so we aren’t going to change anything.
- What’s the cost of inaction?
- The cost of living in the United States varies from one city to another. You have to weigh the costs against the benefits.
- There will be a cost for what they have done. (This statement might be made when a group, a company, or a country engages in conflict.)
Essential English Dictionary
Visit the Popular English Words Beginning with C page to see the list of all words starting with letter C. For seeing the HiCafe dictionary, visit the Popular English Words with Meaning page.
