Quiet, Quit, and Quite How to Choose the Right Word

The words quiet, quit, and quite look and sound somewhat alike, but their meanings are quite different. As a noun, quiet  means silent (as in the quiet of a summer evening); as an adjective, quiet means calm or still (as in a quiet place to write); and, as a verb, quiet means to make or become quiet (as in, He tried to quiet the crowd). The verb quit means to free or to leave (as in I plan to quit my job). The adverb quite means entirely, positively, or to a considerable extent (as in The test was quite difficult). How to Use Quiet Quiet has slightly different uses, whether its a noun, adjective, or verb, particularly in how its used grammatically. As a noun, use the term to replace a subject or object in a sentence, such as: The quiet in the rural town was driving him crazy; he was used to the noise and activity of the city. As an adjective, use quiet to describe a noun, such as: The quiet town was just too slow-paced for him. As a verb, use quiet to express an action, as in, Be quiet! How to Use Quit Use quit, which is always a verb, to mean stop, leave, or be free of something. So, you might say, He quit the team because he felt he was not receiving enough playing time. In this example, the term means that he left, or stopped being a member of the team. How to Use Quite Quite means completely, to a great extent, or very, such as: She was quite upset after you refused to help her. In this use, the sentence means that she was very upset about something. Examples The terms can have nuanced meanings, so examples can help clarify their meanings. My mother was quite tired and needed a quiet place to take a nap. In this example, mother was very (quite) tired; quite is an adverb here, modifying the word tired. In the second part of the sentence, quite is an adjective describing the word place. It means still or lacking noise and activity in this use.She asked the boys to quit playing games. The woman in this sentence wants the boys to stop or desist from (quit) playing games. Likely, they were horsing around or causing a commotion and the woman wanted them to cease from their activity.He  quit  his job and moved to the woods. In the example, the person (he) literally left his job (and probably his community) and went to live in the woods, a quiet place, or one that lacked noise and activity.Now he is  quite  content. This example uses quite to express the notion that he is very, very content and at peace. How to Remember the Differences Quiet is the only one of these three terms with two syllables: qui–et. Its main definition is silent, which also has two syllables: si–lent. Remember then that qui–et and its synonym si–lent both mean still, calm, or lacking noise. Distinguish between quit and quite with the swap-out test. If you are unsure of which term to use, place each in the same sentence to determine which is correct. So, you could write: I am quite sure that I dont like that person. Quite as used here means very or extremely, so that sentence makes sense because you could swap out its synonym, as in: I am extremely sure that I dont like that person. But if you were to use the other term, you would have: I am quit sure that I dont like that person. Swapping out one of the definition for quit, you would have: I am leave sure that I dont like that person. That makes no sense, so you know that you need the previous term, quite. Another way to remember the difference between these terms is to use a mnemonic device (a memory aid) based on the fact that quite (meaning very) has an e at the end; whereas quit, which means left, has seen the e depart. Or, you could remember a short sentence, such as, The e in quite left when he quit. Idiom Alerts The terms are used in a few idioms, and its important for English speakers and students of the language to learn them. Peace and quiet: The expression means freedom from noise, stress, or interruptions, as in, What Henry needed was a little peace and  quiet.So quiet you could hear a pin drop: This idiom and clichà © means extremely quiet, especially in cases where people are very interested in something thats just been said or done. For example: As we passed the lions enclosure at the animal park, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.Quit while youre ahead: The expression means to stop doing something thats already satisfactory or complete. A sentence using the phrase might read: Youve already made a bundle of money investing in the stock market. You should quit while youre ahead. Sources Camus, Laurent. â€Å"Quiet / Quite / Quit.†Ã‚  English, tolearnenglish.com.â€Å"Difference Between Quite, Quiet and Quit.†Ã‚  MyEnglishTeacher.eu Blog, 3 May 2018.Quite, Quiet, Quit Grammar.com.Using the Right Word: quiet, quit, quite. Write for Business - Blog.†Ã‚  UpWrite Press.