She chose it / It's your choice

One of the words that sometimes seems to cause a problem in some of my classes is teh verb, choose. I've often noticed that students seem to get confused between the verb choose, and the noun, choice. Sometimes I've heard students say things like I choized it. 　In the next section, we'll take a closer look at this problem.

Choose / Choice

CHOOSE is a verb Its past form is chose. Its past participle is chosen:

A: Did you choose those curtains?
B: No. My husband chose them.

CHOICE is a noun:

There are two choices on the menu: fried fish or steamed fish.

Sometimes the same idea can be expressed by either choose or choice. However, the sentence structure will be different:

    A: Where would you like to go on your next assignment?
    B1: Well, if I could choose, I'd like to go to our New York office.
    B2: Well, if I had the choice, I'd like to go to our New York office.

    A: We're thinking of promotng George to assistant manager.
    B1: You're joking, aren't you? I wouldn't choose him for the job.
    B2: You're joking, aren't you? He wouldn't be my choice for the job.

    A: Where shall we go for dinner this evening?
    B1: I don't know. I'll let you choose / You can choose.
    B2: I don't know. I'll leave the choice to you. (See *note)

    A: Do you think smoking should be banned in pubs?
    B1: No. I think people should be free to choose.
    B2: No. I think people should have the right to choose.
    B3: No. I think people should have the freedom of choice.

Note:
In the third example, "you" in I'll let you choose / I'll leave the choice to you, etc. should be said with a stress.

Exercise

Fill the blanks with CHOICE or an appropriate form of CHOOSE:

1. A: Why did you ______ that dress?
B: I didn't ______. My husband ______ it.

2. A: Which university do you want to go to?
B: Well, my first ______ is Keio, and my second ______ is Nagoya.

3. A: What shall we have tonight, curry or pizza?
B: Either is OK - whatever you ______.

4. A: Where are we going to go tonight?
B: I'll give you a ______. We can either watch a DVD or go to karaoke.

5. Who do you think would be the best ______ for team captain this year?

6. The steak comes with a ______ of rice or potatoes.

7. Students can ______ to study either art or music.

8. If I had the ______, I'd like to move to Australia when I retire.

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