English for Today by Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (Dr GAB)
LOSE, LOST, LOSS, LOOSE
Lose is a verb and it means to be unable to find something or somebody: I pray you don’t lose your loved ones.
Lost is the past tense of lose: He could have lost the key since yesterday.
Loss is a noun and it means the state of no longer having something or as much of something:
There was no loss at all.
Loose can be an adjective, a verb and a noun:
As an adjective it means not firmly fixed where it should be: He’s got a loose tooth.
As a verb, it means to release something or let it happen: His speech loosed a tide of nationalist sentiment.
As a noun, it means having escaped from somewhere: Three prisoners are still on the loose.
GAB
