Words / A2

TAYL/teɪl/

A tail is the long part at the back of an animal: a cat’s tail, wag its tail, the tail of a kite (extra). Tale is a story — same sound. Queue can be a line of people, not a tail. Tale and tail are a classic mix-up. Do not write tail when you mean tale, or tile.

Meaning

The long part at the back of an animal’s body.

Examples

• “The dog wagged its tail when we came back.”
• “Hold the dog’s lead so it does not catch its tail in the door.”
• “The peacock opened its tail in the palace garden.”

Good to know

a cat’s tail / wag its tail. Mix-up: tale (a story) — same sound.

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