ready

The word "ready" means that something or someone is prepared to do something:

• Are you ready?
• Are you ready to go?
• I’m ready when you are.
• Get ready!
• Ready. Set. Go!
• Dinner is ready. We can eat now.
• When will my order be ready?
• This isn’t ready yet.
• The repair guy said that my car isn’t ready yet.
• Jose says he isn’t quite ready to get married yet.
• What time do you get ready to leave in the morning?
• A person has to be ready to change before accepting help for a serious problem. (This is often said about people who have addictions or other personal failings.)

On your marks. Get ready. Go!

The word "readily" is an adverb:

• Help is readily available if you need it.
• Emergency vehicles are readily available in our community.
• When a clear answer to the question was not readily available, the student made something up off the top of his head. (He didn’t have an answer ready, so he just faked it.)

It’s possible to use "ready" as a verb. In this case, a reflexive pronoun usually follows.

• It’s necessary to ready yourself for what’s to come.
• William is working hard to ready himself for college.
• The students readied themselves for a big test.

The word "readiness" is a noun:

• Karen is showing a readiness to change her behavior. (She’s ready to change.)
• Military readiness is important in the event of a crisis.
• Hurricanes constantly test Florida’s readiness for natural disasters.

Published on April 12, 2018