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UK [ˈjuːsf(ə)l] / US [ˈjusf(ə)l] adjective
Get it right: useful:
Although the adjective full ends with a double "l", adjectives like useful have only one "l":
Wrong: Find a more usefull spare time activity than driving around in a car.
Right: Find a more useful spare time activity than driving around in a car. Other adjectives ending in -ful are also written with only one "l", for example:
careful, faithful, harmful, helpful, meaningful, painful, powerful, skilful, successful
Note however that adverbs formed from these adjectives are written with double "l", for example:
carefully, faithfully, helpfully, usefully etc
1) helpful for doing or achieving something

Here's some useful information about travel in Canada.

a useful tool/technique/gadget

Her book is a useful contribution to our understanding of how Mozart worked.

useful to:

I was useful to them because I could speak French.

useful for:

That basket would be useful for picnics.

useful for doing something:

Old pictures are useful for seeing how people used to dress.

useful (for someone) to do something:

Thanks. It's useful to know that.

Would it be useful for you to ask us some questions?

prove useful:

Keep a record of everything that might prove useful.

2) British informal good, or skilful

a useful player

•

the end of someone's/something's useful life — the state of being old or damaged and no longer useful

The heating system has come to the end of its useful life.


English dictionary. 2014.

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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • useful — use|ful W1S1 [ˈju:sfəl] adj helping you to do or get what you want ≠ ↑useless ▪ The book is full of useful information. ▪ Bar charts are a useful way of looking at sets of figures. ▪ The Internet is becoming a useful tool for investors. useful… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • useful — use|ful [ jusfəl ] adjective *** helpful for doing or achieving something: Here s some useful information about travel in Canada. a useful tool/technique/gadget Her book is a useful contribution to our understanding of how Mozart worked. useful… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • useful — adj. VERBS ▪ be, look, prove, seem ▪ become ▪ make yourself ▪ She told Fred to make himself useful …   Collocations dictionary

  • useful — / ju:sfFl/ adjective 1 helping you to do or get what you want: useful information | Dean s a really useful person to have around when things go wrong. | useful to sb: information that may be useful to the enemy | useful for sth: These yellow… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

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