Uses of the word 'lack'

				Wong Kwong Yau asks: Would you please tell me all the uses of the word lack (in different forms) and make a sentence for each of its uses? Is the sentence 'Many children are in lack of sleep' correct? If it is wrong, what should it be?

	Roger replies:

			I'm not too happy with 'in lack of', Wong, which doesn't sound quite right to me. Lack of is fine where lack is used as a noun, so you can say, for example: 'The lack of amenities in the hotel surprised all of us.' 'There was a general lack of enthusiasm among the trainees.'

			Lack may also be used as a verb: 'They lacked the courage necessary to cross the fast-flowing river.' 'When she came to start making the cake, she discovered that she lacked half the basic ingredients.'