Sometimes called the ___, the portable electric circular saw is used often by the carpenter.

Sometimes called the ___, the portable electric circular saw is used often by the carpenter.

• A. Skill saw
• B. Portable saw
• C. Skillsaw
• D. Hand saw

Answer: (C)

The term you’ll hear most often for this tool is skillsaw. It’s a nickname that comes from the SKIL/SKILSAW brand, and over time it became a generic way to refer to any portable electric circular saw that carpenters use. That’s why this fill-in is best: it matches the common spoken name for the tool on the job. The other phrases don’t fit as well. A hand saw is manual and not electric, so it isn’t the same tool. A portable saw is too vague and wouldn’t be the familiar nickname carpenters rely on. The form with a space, “Skill saw,” isn’t the standard spelling that has become widespread, whereas “skillsaw” (as a single word) reflects the common usage that has entered everyday vocabulary.

The term you’ll hear most often for this tool is skillsaw. It’s a nickname that comes from the SKIL/SKILSAW brand, and over time it became a generic way to refer to any portable electric circular saw that carpenters use. That’s why this fill-in is best: it matches the common spoken name for the tool on the job.

The other phrases don’t fit as well. A hand saw is manual and not electric, so it isn’t the same tool. A portable saw is too vague and wouldn’t be the familiar nickname carpenters rely on. The form with a space, “Skill saw,” isn’t the standard spelling that has become widespread, whereas “skillsaw” (as a single word) reflects the common usage that has entered everyday vocabulary.