Sentence correction

DECEMBER 15, 2011

Each sentence given below contains an underlined part which is not grammatically correct. From the options given below find the one which should replace the underlined part to make the sentence grammatically correct. 1. When they start investigating, they could detect several irregularities. a) started investigate b) start an investigation c) started off investigation d) started an investigation 2. The authorities must be stopped these undesirable activities immediately. a) must have been stopped b) must have stopped c) must stop d) must have stopping 3. Farmers in our country suffer because an over dependence on rain. a) because of an over dependence b) because over dependence c) because off over dependence d) none of these 4. Do you think that the agricultural sector deserve more attention than the industrial sector? a) deserving more attention

b) deserves more attention c) has deserving more attention d) was deserved more attention 5. Automation in agriculture and farm management has lead to more unemployment. a) has lid to more unemployment b) has led to more unemployment c) has leading to more unemployment d) none of these Answers 1. started an investigation 2. must stop 3. because of an over dependence 4. deserves more attention 5. has led to more unemployment

Indirect speech exercise DECEMBER 14, 2011 Change the following sentences into indirect speech. 1. I said, Yes, sir, this is the way to be happy and rich. 2. The teacher said, James, learn your lesson. 3. He said to me, I will have you sent to prison, you rascal. 4. How glad I am, said John, to meet my friend here! 5. The child said, Hurrah! Mother has come. 6. The captain said to his team mates, Bravo! Well done. 7. The child said, Oh! It is my doll. 8. The police inspector said, Let no one leave this room. 9. The doctor said to the patient, Do not smoke. 10. Jim said to me, Lend me your pen, please. Answers 1. I told him respectfully that that was the way to be happy and rich. 2. The teacher asked James to learn his lesson. 3. Calling me a rascal, he said that he would have me sent to prison. 4. John exclaimed with delight that he was glad to meet his friend there. 5. The child exclaimed with delight that his mother had come.

6. The captain congratulated his teammates, saying that they had done well. 7. The child cried with joy that it was his doll. 8. The police inspector ordered that no one should leave the room. 9. The doctor advised the patient not to smoke. 10. Jim requested me to lend him my pen.

Sentence transformation exercise

DECEMBER 13, 2011
Rewrite the following sentences using the adjective form of the words italicized. 1. Fortunately, we were well-equipped to repel the attack. 2. Francis Bacon was a man of remarkable industry and intelligence. 3. He takes much pride in his wealth. 4. In all probability, the conference will be held tomorrow. 5. He who shirks labor cannot prosper. 6. King Lear did not have the courage to write to his estranged daughter. 7. One of the soldiers was a man of great strength. 8. His poverty made him a hardworking boy. 9. The Minister will obviously be re-elected. 10. Health is wealth. Answers 1. It was fortunate that we were well-equipped to repel the attack. 2. Francis Bacon was remarkably industrious and intelligent. 3. He is very proud of his wealth. 4. It is probable that the conference will be held tomorrow. 5. He who shirks labor cannot be prosperous. 6. King Lear was not courageous enough to write to his estranged daughter. 7. One of the soldiers was very strong. 8. He was a hardworking boy because he was poor. 9. It is obvious that the Minister will be re-elected. 10. The healthy are the wealthy.

Clauses exercise
Find out the principal clause and subordinate clause or clauses in the following sentences. 1. James spoke as though he were a born orator. 2. They felt that the farmer must be put to death. 3. When at last he returned to the village, the people told him that his mother had died. 4. The newspaper will tell us tomorrow what the world does today. 5. The few books that were produced in the Middle Ages were written by hand. 6. When the world was young, artists drew their pictures on stone. 7. I could not tolerate what he said because it was quite insulting. Answers 1. Principal clause James spoke; subordinate adverb clause as though he were a born actor 2. Principal clause they felt; subordinate noun clause that the farmer must be put to death 3. Principal clause the people told him; subordinate adverb clause when at last he returned to the village; subordinate noun clause that his mother had died 4. Principal clause the newspaper will tell us tomorrow; subordinate noun clause what the world does today 5. Principal clause the few books were written by hand; subordinate adjective clause that were produced in the Middle Ages 6. Principal clause artists drew their pictures on stone; subordinate adverb clause when the world was young 7. Principal clause I could not tolerate; subordinate noun clause what he said; subordinate adverb clause because it was very insulting

Demonstrative and indefinite pronouns exercise

DECEMBER 7, 2011
Fill in the blanks with appropriate demonstrative, indefinite, distributive or reciprocal pronouns. 1. .. must not boast of ones success. 2. Both paintings are good but is better than . 3. .. loves beautiful things. 4. was there to rescue the child from drowning. 5. . of them rose from their seats shouting slogans. 6. . could answer my questions. 7. Did .. write with my pen when I was away? 8. My views are in accordance with .. of yours. 9. The two brothers love .. 10. .. of the accusations is true. 11. All the five members of the family quarreled with . 12. They praised .. to gain cheap popularity. Answers 1. One must not boast of ones success. 2. Both paintings are good but this is better than that. 3. Everybody loves beautiful things. 4. Nobody was there to rescue the child from drowning. 5. All of them rose from their seats shouting slogans. 6. Nobody could answer my questions. 7. Did anybody write with my pen when I was away? 8. My views are in accordance with those of yours.

9. The two brothers love each other. 10. Neither of the accusations is true. 11. All the five members of the family quarreled with one another. 12. They praised each other to gain cheap popularity.

Special uses of would, could and might

DECEMBER 6, 2011
The modal auxiliary verbs would, could and might can be used to make questions, suggestions and requests less direct and therefore more polite. I thought I would take a day off work. Hi! I thought I would come over and introduce myself. I thought I could borrow your car. I thought you would lend me a pound. Could you help me wash the carpets? I was wondering if you might be interested in a game of chess. I was wondering if you could lend me a pound. Could you give me a hand? We could ask Peter to help us. It would be better if you turned that music down. Would is commonly used before verbs of saying and thinking. The purpose of using would in this case is to make a statement sound less definite. That is what I would call annoying. I would think we might stop for lunch soon. I thought you would like this. The modal auxiliary verbs would and should are often used with other verbs that refer to unreal or uncertain situations. This usually happens in sentences with if. It would have been nice if you had thanked him. I would tell you if I knew.

Uses of comma in a simple sentence

The comma is the shortest pause between words. The comma has the following uses in a simple sentence. To mark off nouns, pronouns or phrases in apposition

James, my neighbor, is a doctor. Wordsworth, the famous English poet, was a lover of nature.

To mark off each one of a series of words belonging to the same part of speech

He spoke easily, clearly and eloquently. The children laughed, danced, jumped and cried for joy. The farmer owned sheep, cattle and poultry.

A comma is generally not placed before a word preceded by and.

To mark off a nominative of address

Doctor, the patient is ill. Gentleman, I bring good news.

After a nominative absolute

God willing, we shall meet again.

To mark off a direct quotation from the rest of the sentence

I am not tired, said James, but I am very hungry.

To separate each pair of words connected by and

Young and old, high and low, rich and poor, all praised the little boys clever tricks.

Before and after words, phrases and clauses let into the body of a sentence.

His conduct, to say the least, was disgusting. He did not, however, agree.

The following words and expressions are also separated from the rest of the sentence by means of a comma: at least, indeed, well, all the same, however, of course, on the whole, in short, in particular etc.

How to report commands and requests

DECEMBER 2, 2011
The following rules are observed when we report commands and requests. Use a reporting verb like request, order, tell, advise, beseech, threaten, beg, implore, ask, propose and forbid. Note that all of these verbs except propose must be followed by an object. Commands and requests are usually reported using a to-infinitive. That-clauses can also be used. Note that after certain verbs, only to-infinitives are possible. In the same way, after some reporting verbs, only that-clauses are possible. You will also need to observe the rules for the change of tenses and pronouns. Direct speech: I said to him, Obey your parents. Indirect speech: I advised him to obey his parents. OR I advised him that he should obey his parents. Direct speech: The teacher said to the boys, Work hard. Indirect speech: The teacher advised the boys to work hard. Direct speech: Jim said to me, Lend me your pen, please. Indirect speech: Jim requested me to lend him my pen. Direct speech: The doctor said to the patient, Do not consume too much sugar. Indirect speech: The doctor advised the patient not to consume too much sugar. Direct speech: The father said to the son, Put that book back on the shelf when you have finished with it. Indirect speech: The father asked the son to put that book back on the shelf when he had finished with it.

How to join two sentences by using an infinitive

DECEMBER 1, 2011
Combine the following simple sentences into a single simple sentence by using an infinitive. 1. I have engaged a private tutor. He will teach me English. 2. The woman was very mean. She was unpopular. 3. I looked out of the window of my carriage. I wanted to see the green pastures. 4. The proposal is quite unreasonable. It cannot be accepted. 5. Every man should do his duty. Our country expects this. 6. My mother was very much delighted. She had heard about my brothers safe arrival. 7. He wants to win the first rank. He works hard for that reason. 8. He went to the USA. He wanted to purse higher education there. 9. He is so weak. He cannot walk without help. 10. The tea is too hot. I cannot drink it. Answers 1. I have engaged a private tutor to teach me English. 2. The woman was too mean to be popular. 3. I looked out of the window to see the green pastures. 4. The proposal is too unreasonable to be accepted. 5. Our country expects every man to do his duty. 6. My mother was very much delighted to hear about my fathers safe arrival. 7. He works hard to win the first rank. 8. He went to the USA to pursue higher education. 9. He is too weak to walk without help. 10. The tea is too hot for me to drink.

Inseparable phrasal verbs

NOVEMBER 30, 2011
The two parts of an inseparable phrasal verb always remain together. Phrasal verbs made with prepositions are usually inseparable. Examples of inseparable phrasal verbs are: fall off, splash out, scrap by, dip into, break intoetc.

He fell off the bridge. (NOT He fell the bridge off.) They broke into the room by force. (NOT They broke the room into by force.) She broke into tears. (NOT She broke tears into.) He dipped into his pocket. (NOT He dipped his pocket into.) Average students often find it hard to pull through the examination. (NOT Average students often find it hard to pull the examination through.)

Fall offis an inseparable phrasal verb. Therefore the two parts remain together.

Verbs with prepositions and particles together Some verbs can be used with both an adverb particle and a preposition. Examples are: get on with, put up with, look down upon and look out for. Note that all of these three-word phrasal verbs are inseparable.

He gets on with his mother-in-law well. I can no longer put up with this. Dont look down upon the poor.

It is not easy to know whether a phrasal verb is separable or not. If you are not sure always use a noun as the object and do not separate.

Separable phrasal verbs

NOVEMBER 30, 2011
Many English verbs can be followed by prepositions or adverb particles. Some verbs and prepositions / particles are regularly used together. These combinations are often called phrasal verbs. Examples are: take off, put off and set off, pay back, give back, bail out, ran up, put up, bring up, clean up etc. There are two kinds of phrasal verbs: separable and inseparable Separable phrasal verbs Phrasal verbs made with adverb particles are usually separable. As the name itself indicates the two parts of a separable phrasal verb are separable. The particle in a separable phrasal verb can go before or after noun objects. She switched off the light. OR She switched the light off. He paid back the debt. OR He paid the debt back. Tea companies have put up the prices. OR Tea companies have put the prices up. I have to clean up this mess. OR I have to clean this mess up. Note that if the object is a pronoun, the particle goes after it. Please switch it off. (NOT Please switch off it.) Here the object it is a pronoun. Therefore the particle goes after it. Give me my money back. OR Give me back my money. (NOT Give back me my money.) Here the object is a pronoun. Therefore the particle goes after the object. When the object is a noun or a noun phrase, the two parts of a separable phrasal verb usually remain together.

Sentence completion exercise

NOVEMBER 29, 2011
Fill in the blanks with appropriate form of the word given in the brackets. 1. They were at the thought of getting caught. (terror) 2. The filter the drinking water. (pure) 3. I couldnt because of the loud noise coming from the streets. (concentration) 4. It was . of him to oppose the chief of the robbers. (courage) 5. In a situation like this we cant say with what is going to happen next. (certain) 6. He had a .. escape. (miracle) 7. I was impressed by his . performance. (splendor) 8. He always wins because he is very .. (industry) 9. He is a highly person. (knowledge) Answers 1. They were terrified at the thought of getting caught. 2. The filter purifies the drinking water. 3. I couldnt concentrate because of the loud noise coming from the streets. 4. It was courageous of him to oppose the chief of robbers. 5. In a situation like this we cant say with certainty what is going to happen next. 6. He had a miraculous escape. 7. I was impressed by his splendid performance. 8. He always wins because he is very industrious. 9. He is a highly knowledgeable person.

Sentence transformation exercise

Rewrite the following sentences according to the instructions given after each, and making other changes that may be necessary. 1. It is probable that he will never come back. (Begin: In ) 2. He said to me, Where are you going? (Begin: He asked me ) 3. As soon as the chief guest had arrived the play began. (Begin: No sooner .) 4. I was surprised at his behavior. (Begin: His ) 5. He will certainly succeed. (Begin: He is ) 6. He is the best student in the class. (Use better instead of best) 7. He is too weak to stand up without help. 8. He tucked the gun under his arm and rushed towards the bridge. (End: his arm.) Answers 1. In all probability he will never come back. 2. He asked me where I was going. 3. No sooner had the chief guest arrived than the play began. 4. His behavior surprised me. 5. He is certain to succeed. 6. He is better than any other student in the class. 7. He is so weak that he cannot stand up without help. 8. He rushed towards the bridge with the gun tucked under his arm.

Identify the noun clause

Find out the noun clauses in the following sentences. 1. What he said is of no importance to me. 2. The king said that his minister deserved to be honored. 3. The news that all was well delighted everyone. 4. It is interesting to notice how soon birds learn the danger of electric wires. 5. The bench of judges declared that the accused was not guilty. 6. The report that only ten persons were killed in the explosion is not true. 7. I want to know how far the station is from here. 8. It is strongly rumored that plague has broken out. 9. He said that his sister was ill. 10. It is strange that you should think so. 11. I am sure that he is a criminal. Answers 1. Noun clause what he said 2. Noun clause that his minister deserved to be honored 3. Noun clause that all was well 4. Noun clause how soon birds learn the danger of electric wires 5. Noun clause that the accused was not guilty 6. Noun clause that only ten persons were killed in the explosion

7. Noun clause how far the station is from here 8. Noun clause that plague has broken out 9. Noun clause that his sister was ill 10. Noun clause that you should think so 11. Noun clause that he is a criminal Notes A noun clause serves the purpose of a noun. It can be the subject or object of a verb. It can also be the object of a preposition.

A lot of, lots of and a lot

NOVEMBER 27, 2011

These three expressions are used in informal English. They mean a great quantity of or a large number of. A lot of / lots of These expressions can be used before a countable or an uncountable noun.

A lot of people want to buy cars. A lot of money was wasted on the project. I have a lot of work to do. There is a lot of meat left.

Verbs are a lot of / lots of If a lot of / lots of is used before a plural subject, the verb is plural. If these expressions are used before a singular noun, the verb is singular.

A lot of patience is needed to learn a new language. (NOT A lot of patience are needed to learn a new language.) A lot of my friends live abroad. (NOT A lot of my friends lives abroad.)

A Lot A lot means a great deal. It is an adverb. Note that a lot is not followed by a noun.

I like him a lot. (NOT I like him a lot of.) She reads a lot. James travels a lot.

Notes The expressions a lot of and lots of are rather informal. In a more formal style, we prefer expressions like a great deal of, a large number of, much or many.

A great deal of time is needed to learn a new language.

A lot of and lots of are not normally used in questions or negative sentences.

Common mistakes in the use of articles

NOVEMBER 26, 2011
The correct use of the articles is one of the most difficult points in English grammar. Here are some rules regarding the correct usage of the definite and indefinite articles. When you talk about a person or thing for the first time, use the indefinite articles (a and an) with them.

I saw a girl. (NOT I saw the girl.) The girl was very beautiful. (NOT A girl was very beautiful.)

Use the in subsequent references to that person or thing. Use the indefinite article to talk about a person or thing not known to the speaker or the listener.

She is going out with a French guy. (NOT She is going out with the French guy.) The French guy she is going out with is an architect. (NOT A French guy she is going out with is an architect.)

We can use the in subsequent references to that person or thing.

Plural countable nouns can be used without articles, especially when we are talking about things in general.

Spiders have eight legs. Computers are useful machines. Apples are red.

A singular uncountable noun is used without an article.

Milk is nutritious. (NOT The milk is nutritious.) Gold is precious. (NOT The gold is precious.)

Shall and will exercise

NOVEMBER 25, 2011

Fill in the blanks using will or shall. 1. the messenger wait for the reply? 2. .. I carry this bag for you? 3. He . be talking all the time without doing anything. 4. This machine .. work well without giving you any trouble. 5. .. you give me your dictionary? 6. you be kind enough to lend me your car? 7. On receipt of this letter you .. leave for Mumbai at once.

8. you come with me? 9. Tell him that he never repeat that mistake. 10. .. I put the heating on? Answers 1. Shall the messenger wait for the reply? 2. Shall I carry this bag for you? 3. He will be talking all the time without doing anything. 4. This machine will work well without giving you any trouble. 5. Will you give me your dictionary? 6. Will you be kind enough to lend me your car? 7. On receipt of this letter you shall leave for Mumbai at once. 8. Will you come with me? 9. Tell him that he shall never repeat that mistake. 10. Shall I put the heating on?

Changing imperative into interrogative

NOVEMBER 22, 2011
An interrogative form is a milder or more polite form of the imperative. However, the addition of or not adds a touch of threat to the command. Study the following examples.

Imperative: Stop talking.

This sentence can be changed into an interrogative which is milder and hence more polite.

Interrogative: Will you stop talking?

We can make it even more polite by adding please.

Will you, please, stop talking?

Change the following imperative sentences into interrogative sentences. 1. Open the door. 2. Get me a glass of coffee. 3. Get out of here. 4. Sit down. 5. Ask John to come here. 6. Wait here. Answers 1. Will you, please, open the door? 2. Will you, please, get me a glass of coffee? 3. Will you get out of here? 4. Will you, please, sit down?

5. Will you ask John to come here? 6. Will you, please, come here? We have already seen that although the interrogative is more polite than the imperative, the addition of or not will add a touch of threat to the question. Compare: Get out of here. (Imperative) Will you get out of here? (Polite question) Will you get out of here or not? (Threat the addition of or not adds a touch of threat to the question.)

Common word combinations exercise

NOVEMBER 21, 2011
Fill in the blanks with appropriate prepositions or adverb particles. Each question is followed by three suggested answers. Choose the most appropriate one. 1. I despair . reforming that fellow. (of / off / at) 2. Never deviate . the path of truth. (off / from / with) 3. This plan radically differs .. the earlier plan. (between / from / with) 4. I am diffident . passing the TOEFL this time. (of / about / with) 5. I entirely disagree you on this point. (with / against / at)

6. You are a disgrace .. your whole family. (for / to / with) 7. I wish to dispose my old car. (of / off / with) 8. I tried to dissuade him . following such a course of action. (from / of / with) 9. His father is disgusted . him for his addiction to gambling. (with / at / for) 10. Although this is similar to the other tune, it is quite distinct . it. (from / with / at) Answers 1. I despair of reforming that fellow. 2. Never deviate from the path of truth. 3. This plan radically differs from the earlier one. 4. I am diffident about passing the TOEFL this time. 5. I entirely disagree with you on this point. 6. You are a disgrace to your whole family. 7. I wish to dispose of my old car. 8. I tried to dissuade him from following such a course of action. 9. His father is disgusted with him for his addiction to gambling. 10. Although this is similar to the other one, it is quite distinct from it.

Verb + object + complement

NOVEMBER 18, 2011
Some transitive verbs can be followed by an object together with an object complement which is usually an expression that gives more information about the object.

They elected him their leader. (Object him; object complement their leader) You make me happy. (Object me; object complement happy) I found her attitude disgusting. (Object her attitude; object complement disgusting)

After some verbs we use the structure object + as + complement. Verbs that are usually followed by this structure are: see, describe, regard, identify, consider etc.

I see him as a nice person. We considered the project as wasteful. She described her lover as a tall, dark and handsome guy. We regard him as a genius. The police regard him as being dangerous. We considered him to be a genius. (Formal) We considered that he is a genius. (Informal) We believed him to be reliable. (Formal) We believed that he is reliable. (Informal)

Sometimes we use as being instead of as. After some verbs we use an object + infinitive. In an informal style, we can use a that-clause.

Note that the verb think cannot be followed by an object + to-infinitive. Instead, we use a thatclause.

I thought that she was reliable. (NOT I thought her to be reliable.)

Difference between present continuous and be going to

NOVEMBER 16, 2011
Both present continuous and be going to can be used to express the same idea. In some cases there is a difference of meaning. The present continuous is mostly used to talk about fixed arrangements. Be going to is mostly used to talk about intentions.

I am going to get a new job. (= I intend to get a job.) I am getting a new job. (= It is already decided / arranged.) What are you doing this evening? (A question about arrangements) Are you going to do anything about that letter you received from the civic authorities? (A question about the intentions of the listener) I am seeing Peter tomorrow. (Here the emphasis is on the arrangement that already exists.) I am going to ask him to stop borrowing my car. (Here the emphasis is on the intentions of the speaker.)

Events outside peoples control We do not normally use the present continuous to talk about events that are outside peoples control.

It is going to snow before long. (NOT It is snowing before long.) Look at the sky. It is going to rain. (NOT It is raining.)

When do we use present tenses to talk about the future?

NOVEMBER 16, 2011
Present tenses are used to talk about future actions and events that have some present reality. If we say that something is going to happen or is happening, we are usually referring to an action that is already planned or decided.

What are you doing this weekend? I am visiting my grandparents. Look out! We are going to crash.

Note that we do not usually use the simple present tense to talk about the future.

The two continuous verb forms that are used to talk about the future are the present continuous and be going to. Present continuous The present continuous tense is mostly used to talk about personal arrangements and fixed plans, especially when their time and place have been decided.

We are going to France next week. I am seeing John tomorrow. What are you doing this evening? What are we having for lunch?

Be going to This structure is preferred in an informal style. It is also used to talk about pre-planned future events. Here the emphasis is on the idea of intention.

He is going to buy a new car. (= He intends to buy a new car sometime soon.) When are you going to get a job? (= When do you intend to get a job?) Jane is going to have another baby. (There is present evidence Jane is pregnant now.)

Be going to is also used to predict the future on the basis of present evidence.

Sentence synthesis
Combination of two or more simple sentences into a single compound sentence Two or more simple sentences can be combined to form a single compound sentence by the use of coordinating conjunctions. These are of four kinds cumulative, adversative, alternative andillative By using cumulative conjunctions These conjunctions merely add one statement to another. Examples are:and, bothand, not onlybut also, as well as

She is smart. She is intelligent.

These two simple sentences can be combined into a compound sentence.

She is smart and intelligent.

She is both smart and intelligent. She is smart as well as intelligent. She is not only smart but also intelligent.

More examples are given below.

The wind blew. The rain fell. The wind blew and the rain fell.

By using adversative conjunctions Conjunctions which express opposition or contrast between two statements are called adversative conjunctions. Examples are: still, yet, however, nevertheless

He is slow. He is sure. He is slow but he is sure. He is slow yet he is sure. He is slow, however, he is sure. He is slow, nevertheless, he is sure. He failed. He didnt lose hope. He failed but he didnt lose hope. He failed yet he didnt lose hope. He failed; however, he didnt lose hope. He failed, nevertheless he didnt lose hope.

ing forms used like nouns

NOVEMBER 14, 2011
Some nouns and adjectives can be followed by ing forms. We usually use a preposition to connect the noun or adjective to the ing form. Note that most nouns and adjectives that can be followed by ing forms cant be followed by infinitives.

The thought of failing never bothered him. (NOT The thought to fail never bothered him.) I hate the idea of getting old. (NOT I hate the idea to get old.) She is very good at picking up non-verbal cues. (NOT She is very good to pick up non-verbal cues.) I am tired of listening to advice. (NOT I am tired to listen to advice.)

Certain nouns and indefinite pronouns can be followed by for + -ing form. This structure is used to express the purpose of an object.

I need something for cleaning copper. Have you got any machine for cutting grass and weeds?

When we talk about our purpose in using a particular object, we usually use an infinitive, not an ing form.

We used a pair of garden shears to clip the hedge. (More natural than We used a pair of garden shears for clipping the hedge.)

Sentence synthesis exercise

NOVEMBER 12, 2011
We can combine two or more simple sentences into one large sentence simple, compound or complex. This process is called synthesis. Two or more simple sentences can be combined into a single simple sentence. Study the following examples.

I am going to the market. I need to buy some fruits.

These two simple sentences can be combined into one using a to-infinitive.

I am going to the market to buy some fruits. He is very clever. He cannot be deceived.

He is too clever to be deceived. She lost her ring. She started crying. Having lost her ring she started crying. The monkey sat on a branch. He gibbered. Sitting on a branch the monkey gibbered.

Participles can also be used to combine two sentences.

Note that participles and infinitives can be used only when both sentences have the same subject. Exercise Join each of the following pairs of simple sentences into a single simple sentence. 1. The crow heard a noise. The crow flew away. 2. I believed the man to be honest. I lent him ten thousand pounds. 3. The constable was bitten by a snake. He died. 4. He finished breakfast. He went to office. Answers 1. Hearing a noise the crow flew away. 2. Believing the man to be honest, I lent him ten thousand pounds. 3. Having been bitten by a snake, the constable died. 4. Having finished breakfast, he went to office.

Sentence conversion exercise

NOVEMBER 11, 2011
A simple sentence has only one main clause. It does not have any subordinate clauses. A complex sentence has one main clause and one or more subordinate clauses. A complex sentence can be converted into a simple sentence by contracting a subordinate clause into a word or phrase. Study the following example. We believe that he is innocent. (Complex sentence) This sentence can be converted into a simple sentence by changing the subordinate clause that he is innocent into a word or phrase. We believe in his innocence. (Simple sentence) Exercise Convert each of the following complex sentences into simple sentences. 1. He sold the house that belonged to his father. 2. I have no money that I can lend you. 3. The marks that were left by the whip are still visible. 4. He prospered by the money he inherited from his father. 5. A man who is dead has no worries. Answers 1. He sold his fathers house. 2. I have no money to lend you. 3. The marks left by the whip are still visible. 4. He prospered by his fathers money. 5. A dead man has no worries.

Proper placement of clauses and phrases

NOVEMBER 10, 2011
Phrases and clauses should be placed in such a way that they relate clearly to the words they modify. Move a phrase or clause in each of these sentences so that they will make sense.

1. We saw many kinds of fish cruising in the glass bottomed boat. 2. We gave all the left-over food to the stray dogs that was ready to throw away. 3. She took the meat back to the shop that was too hard to cook. 4. I bought a clock from a dealer with crooked hands. 5. We shall meet again God willing. 6. I read that the terrorist had been killed in the paper. 7. I could see the mountain clearly flying at a thousand feet. Answers 1. Cruising in the glass bottomed boat, we saw many kinds of fish. 2. We gave all the left-over food that was ready to throw away to the stray dogs. 3. She took the meat that was too hard to cook back to the shop. 4. I bought a clock with crooked hands from a dealer. 5. God willing we shall meet again. 6. I read in the paper that the terrorist had been killed. 7. Flying at a thousand feet I could see the mountain clearly.

Sentence transformation exercise

NOVEMBER 7, 2011
Rewrite the following sentences in the exclamatory and interrogative form. 1. It is kind of you to visit us. 2. It was thoughtless of him to have left the door unlocked. 3. It was impudent of the boy to behave like that. 4. It was careless of him to leave the keys on the table. 5. It is naughty of the children to draw such pictures on the wall.

6. It was clever of you to solve the problem so quickly. Answers 1. a) How kind of you to visit us! / b) Isnt it kind of you to visit us? 2. a) How thoughtless of him to have left the door unlocked! / b) Wasnt it thoughtless of him to have left the door unlocked? 3. a) How impudent of the boy to behave like that! / b) Wasnt it impudent of the boy to behave like that? 4. a) How careless of him to leave the keys on the table! / b) Wasnt it careless of him to leave the keys on the table? 5. a) How naughty of the children to draw such pictures on the wall! / b) Isnt it naughty of the children to draw such pictures on the wall? 6. How clever of you to solve the problem so quickly! / b) Wasnt it clever of you to solve the problem so quickly?

Mistakes with verbs

NOVEMBER 5, 2011
In each of the following pairs of sentences, one is correct and the other is wrong. Find out the correct one. 1. a) All day I was putting on a sweater. / b) All day I was wearing a sweater. 2. a) I have disposed off my car. / b) I have disposed of my car. 3. a) Please see this painting. / b) Please look at this painting. 4. a) I have ordered for a new computer. / b) I have ordered a new computer. 5. a) Why dont you hear me? / b) Why dont you listen to me? 6. a) He came putting on a blue jacket. / b) He came wearing a blue jacket.

7. a) He denied to come. / b) He refused to come. 8. a) He lived there for a day. / b) He stayed there for a day. 9. a) He did no mistake. / b) He committed no mistake. 10. a) We ought to make exercise. / b) We ought to take exercise. Answers 1. All day I was wearing a sweater. 2. I have disposed of my car. 3. Please look at this painting. 4. I have ordered a new computer. 5. Why dont you listen to me? 6. He came wearing a blue jacket. 7. He refused to come. 8. He stayed there for a day. 9. He committed no mistake. 10. We ought to take exercise.

Why and why not

NOVEMBER 4, 2011 In short replies to affirmative statements, we use why? In short replies to negative statements, we use why not?

Compare:

Jane has decided to quit her job. Why? (NOT Why not?) Jane didnt like the proposal. Why not? (More natural than Why?)

The structure why should can be used to express surprise.

I wonder why anyone should want to do something like that.

This structure can also be used to suggest anger or refusal.

Lend me a pound. Why should I?

Why can be followed by an infinitive without to. This structure is used to suggest that an action is unnecessary.

Why wait for him? He will not come. (NOT Why waiting for him?) (NOT Why to wait for him?)

Why not + infinitive without to can be used to make suggestions.

Why not arrange a party in his honor? (This is a polite way of saying: I think we should arrange a party in his honor.) Why not buy now and pay later? Why not make it up with him? Why not consult a specialist? Why dont we arrange a party in his honor? (NOT Why dont arrange a party in his honor?) Why dont you make it up with him? (NOT Why dont make it up with him?)

Why dont can be used in the same way.

May / might + have + past participle

NOVEMBER 3, 2011
The structure may / might + perfect infinitive is used to talk about the possibility that something happened in the past. It could also be used to say that something was true in the past.

Ann hasnt arrived yet. She may have missed the train. (= It is possible that she missed the train.) What was that noise? It might have been an airplane. The structure might + perfect infinitive is also used to talk about past events or situations that were possible but did not happen. You were stupid to fight with him. He might have killed you. (It was possible but fortunately it didnt happen.) May is not normally used to express this idea although it is sometimes possible in British English. You were stupid to fight with him. He may have killed you. (Possible, but not very common) The structure may / might + perfect infinitive can also be used to refer to the present or future. In this case, may and might show possibility. Compare: By the end of this month, I may have finished this work. (Strong possibility) By the end of this month, I might have finished this work. (Weak possibility) By the end of this month, I will have finished this work. (Certainty)

Participles exercise
NOVEMBER 2, 2011
Correct the following sentences. 1. Being condemned to death, the scaffold was erected for his execution. 2. Being a wet day, I wore my raincoat. 3. Having failed in the first attempt, no further attempts were made. 4. Being my sole companion, I easily took to him. 5. Crossing the channel, a heavy storm arose. 6. Calling upon him yesterday, he donated a handsome amount to the flood relief fund. 7. Going up the hill, an old fort was seen.

8. Meeting my friend in the park, he told me a strange story. 9. Being a small cot, I couldnt sleep on it. Answers 1. As he was condemned to death, the scaffold was erected for his execution. 2. It being a rainy day, I wore my raincoat. 3. Having failed in the first attempt, I made no further attempts. 4. As he was my sole companion, I easily took to him. 5. While we were crossing the channel, a heavy storm arose. 6. When we called upon him yesterday, he donated a handsome amount to the flood relief fund. 7. Going up the hill, we could see an old fort. 8. When I met him in the park, he told me a strange story. 9. It being a small cot, I couldnt sleep on it.

Plural uncountable nouns

OCTOBER 30, 2011

Some uncountable nouns are plural. They have no singular forms with the same meaning, and cannot be used with numbers. Common examples are:arms, groceries, goods, customs, clothes, thanks, regards, police etc.

Have you bought the groceries? (NOT Have you bought the grocery?) (NOT Have you bought a grocery?) (NOT Have you bought two grocery?) The police are looking for a white male in his forties. (NOT The Police is looking for a white male in his forties.) Thanks for your help. (NOT Thank for your help.) (But you can say: Thank you for your help.)

Other plural uncountable nouns include trousers, jeans, pyjamas (US pajamas), pants, scissors, spectacles, glasses etc.

The trousers are hanging in the cupboard. (NOT The trouser is hanging in the cupboard.) (But you can say: A pair of trousers is hanging in the cupboard.) Scissors are in the drawer. (NOT Scissor is in the drawer.) (But you can say: A pair of scissors is in the drawer.)

The expressions the British, the Dutch, the English, the French, the Irish, the Spanish and the Welsh are also plural.

The Irish are proud of their sense of humor. (NOT The Irish is proud of its sense of humor.)

Sentence correction
OCTOBER 27, 2011
In each of the following pairs of sentences, one sentence is correct, and the other is wrong. Find the correct sentence. 1. a) Have you read where there was an earthquake in Turkey? / b) Have you read there was an earthquake in Turkey? 2. a) The dog waited beside the front gate. / b) The dog waited besides the front gate. 3. a) A bus runs passed our house. / b) A bus runs past our house. 4. a) I must left my purse at home. / b) I must have left my purse at home. 5. a) She is the more aggressive of the two. / b) She is the most aggressive of the two. 6. a) I cannot bear the thought of him leaving. / b) I cannot bear the thought of his leaving. 7. a) An argument developed between his sister and he. / b) An argument developed between his sister and him. 8. a) Without it snows, we cannot ski tomorrow. / b) Unless it snows, we cannot ski tomorrow.

Answers 1. Have you read there was an earthquake in Turkey? 2. The dog waited beside the front gate. 3. A bus runs past our house. 4. I must have left my purse at home. 5. She is the more aggressive of the two. 6. I cannot bear the thought of his leaving. 7. An argument developed between his sister and him. 8. Unless it snows, we cannot ski tomorrow.

Thethe with comparative adjectives

Comparison and contrast are expressed by the use of thethe with comparative adjectives in parallel clauses. This structure is used to show proportionate increase or decrease. Structure: the + comparative adjective + clause + the + comparative adjective + clause

The more adventurous it is, the more I like it. (NOT The more it is adventurous, the more I like it.) The less I see him the more I like him. The more he reads, the less he understands. The older we grow, the wiser we become. The higher you climb, the colder it gets. The richer one grows, the greater ones worries. The less you spend, the more you save. The sooner they go, the better it is.

A short form of this structure is used in the expressions the more the merrier and the better.

How do you like your coffee? The stronger the better. When should I start? The earlier the better.

Note that in this structure, the means by that much.

Special uses of some adverbs

Short and shortly Short is used as an adverb in expressions like stop short (= stop suddenly) and cut short (= interrupt) Shortly means soon.

You will hear from us shortly.

Slow and slowly Slow is an adjective; slowly is an adverb. However, slow can be used as an adverb after verbs like go and drive.

Go slow.

Sound and soundly Sound is used as an adverb in a few expressions. Example: sound asleep.

The baby is sound asleep. The baby is sleeping soundly.

In other cases we usually use soundly. Straight Straight is used both as an adjective and as an adverb.

A straight road goes straight from one place to another.

Tight and tightly Tight is an adjective; tightly is an adverb. After certain verbs, tight can also be used as an adverb. Common expressions are: hold tight and packed tight. Note that before a verb, we always use tightly. Tightly held Tightly packed Wrong and wrongly The normal adverb is wrongly. In an informal style, wrong can be used instead of wrongly after a verb.

I wrongly believed that I was going in the right direction. You guessed wrong.

Analysis of complex sentence

To analyze a complex sentence we use the following method. 1. Find out the principal clause 2. Find out the subordinate clause or clauses 3. Identify the subordinate clause according to its function, as a noun clause, adjective clause or adverb clause. 4. Show how each subordinate clause is related to the principal clause. 5. Analyze separately the principal clause and each subordinate clause as we analyze a simple sentence. Study the following examples carefully. When the train stopped, we set out for the next town, where we had planned to stay the night. Principal clause We set out for the next town. Adverb clause of time modifying the verb set out When the train stopped Adjective clause qualifying the noun town where we had planned to stay the night Analyze the following complex sentence 1. As my son had completed his studies, I decided to send him to town, where he might find a good job. Principal clause I decided to send him to town Adverb clause of cause modifying the verb decided as my son had completed his studies Adjective clause qualifying the noun town where he might find a good job 2. When the siren sounded, all traffic came to a stop. Principal clause all traffic came to a stop.

Adverb clause of time modifying the verb came when the siren sounded

Adverb clauses of comparison

OCTOBER 24, 2011
Adverb clauses of comparison are of two kinds: 1. Adverb clauses of comparison of degree 2. Adverb clauses of comparison of manner Adverb clauses of comparison of degree Adverb clauses of comparison of degree are introduced by the subordinating conjunction than, or by the relative adverb as.

She is older than her husband. He works harder than I do. It is later than I thought. She earns more than her brother. She is not so stupid as you think. He is as stupid as he is lazy. She is as beautiful as she is intelligent.

Notes In adverb clauses of comparison of degree, the verb is usually understood and not expressed.

Nobody loves you more than I (do). Nobody knows it better than he (does).

In an informal style, it is more common to use object pronouns after as andthan. This is particularly common when the verb is not expressed. Compare: She earns more than I do. OR She earns more than me. (More natural than She earns more than I.) Adverb clauses of comparison of manner These are introduced by the relative adverb as.

You may do as you please. It ended as I expected. As you have made your bed so you must lie on it.

Unclear sentences
OCTOBER 23, 2011
Rewrite each sentence, making the meaning clear by changing the order of the words. 1. Peter saw a fox looking out of the window of the room. 2. Mother cooked a meal for the visitor made of oysters. 3. Peters hair needs cutting badly. 4. He telephoned asking me to come next Sunday today. 5. James made a sewing machine entirely from his head for his mother. 6. Uncle Thomas called his grandson who is over ninety. 7. The basket was carried by a girl full of flowers. 8. The boy wrote to the President who lives next door. 9. The boy wore a hat on his head made of jute fiber. Answers 1. Looking out of the window of the room Peter saw a fox. 2. Mother cooked a meal made of oysters for the visitor. 3. Peters hair badly needs cutting. 4. He telephoned today asking me to come next Sunday. 5. James, entirely from his head, made a sewing machine for his mother. 6. Uncle Thomas, who is over ninety, called his granddaughter. 7. The basket full of flowers was carried by a girl.

8. The boy who lives next door wrote to the President. 9. The boy wore a hat made of jute fiber on his head.

Conjunctions exercise
OCTOBER 23, 2011
Join each pair of the following sentences by means of a suitable conjunction. 1. James smokes. His brother does not smoke. 2. Alice hasnt come. Mary hasnt come. 3. She speaks English. She speaks Spanish. 4. I like him. He is very sincere. 5. He did not win. He worked hard. 6. She is ill. She is cheerful. 7. We decided to go out. It was raining. 8. The piper played. The children danced. 9. James works hard. His brother is lazy. 10. I went to the shop. I bought some vegetables. 11. You must start at once. You will be late. 12. He must be tired. He has been working since morning. Answers 1. John smokes but his brother doesnt.

2. Neither Alice nor Mary has come. 3. She speaks English as well as Spanish. OR She speaks English and Spanish. 4. I like him because he is very sincere. 5. Though he worked hard, he did not win. 6. She is ill but she is cheerful. 7. Though it was raining we decided to go out. 8. The piper played and the children danced. 9. James works hard whereas his brother is lazy. 10. I went to the shop and bought some vegetables. 11. You must start at once; otherwise you will be late. 12. He must be tired because he has been working since morning.

Miscellaneous grammar mistakes

OCTOBER 22, 2011

Here are some grammar mistakes often committed by ESL students.

Incorrect: How do you do? Quite well, thank you.

The correct reply to this question is to repeat How do you do? only.

Incorrect: She is running seventeen. Correct: She is in her seventeenth year. OR She is sixteen. Incorrect: He is sixteen complete. Correct: He is over sixteen.

Incorrect: According to me, it is wrong. Correct: In my opinion it is wrong. Incorrect: In my opinion I think it is wrong. Correct: In my opinion it is wrong. OR I think it is wrong. Incorrect: Your sincerely Correct: Yours sincerely. Incorrect: Excuse for the troubles. Correct: Forgive my troubling you. Incorrect: I am fond of outdoor games; for instance, cricket, football, tennis and others and so on. Correct: I am fond of outdoor games; for instance cricket and football.

After for instance and for example, only one or at the most two examples are required. Also note that additions like and so on, and others etc should be avoided.

Incorrect: Will you have some juice? No, please. Correct: Will you have some juice? No, thank you. OR Yes, please.

No please is always wrong. Yes, please is the polite reply when accepting an offer. No, thank you is the polite reply when declining an offer.

Grammar terms: simple sentence, singular, split infinitive

OCTOBER 19, 2011
Simple sentence A sentence which contains only one main clause. Examples are: She is coming; The king is dead; My brother wants to buy a new car. Singular The simplest form of an English noun. This is the form which is entered in a dictionary. Examples are: dog, tree, girl, flower etc. A countable noun has two forms: a singular form and a plural form. With an uncountable noun, the singular is the only form that exists at all. Split infinitive A particular English construction in which an adverb splits an infinitive and its marker to. Examples are:

She decided to never call him again. Here the sequence to never call is an example of what is called a split infinitive. Those who use the term split infinitive believe that there is something wrong with separating the particle to from a following infinitive. They are of the opinion that to is itself part of the infinitive and they object to breaking up the sequence. But this view is quite wrong because the infinitive is a single word and the particle to is not part of the infinitive at all.

Grammar terms: Sentence Adverb and sequence of tenses

OCTOBER 19, 2011
Sentence adverb Adverbs usually modify a verb or a verb phrase. A sentence adverb is an adverb which does not merely modify a verb or a verb phrase, but which instead modifies the entire sentence containing it. A sentence adverb usually expresses ideas such as the probability, desirability or other characteristic of the situation described by the rest of the sentence. Examples of sentence adverbs are: probably, surely, certainly, undoubtedly, frankly and hopefully. He will probably win. (= It is probable that he will win.) He will certainly win. (= It is certain that he will win.) Hopefully he will win. (= I hope and expect that he will win.) Surely he will win. (= I cant believe that he will not come.) Sequence of tenses The choice of tense in a subordinate clause results from the choice of tense in a preceding main clause. For example, if the verb in the main clause is in the past tense, the verb in the subordinate clause too will be in the past tense. Example: James said that he was interested in the offer.Here the verb in the main clause (James said) is in the past tense. Therefore we put the verb in the subordinate clause into the past as well.

Negatives exercise
OCTOBER 17, 2011

Each affirmative sentence given below is followed by two forms of its negative. Find the correct form and say why the other form is wrong. 1. We had a meeting of the union yesterday. a) We hadnt a meeting of the union yesterday. b) We didnt have a meeting of the union yesterday. 2. James had his head shaved at the temple. a) James hadnt shaved his head at the temple. b) James did not have his head shaved at the temple. 3. I have a bath before dinner every day. a) I dont have a bath before dinner every day. b) I havent a bath before dinner every day. 4. The earth moves round the sun. a) The earth does not move round the sun. a) The earth move not round the sun. 5. You had a good time. a) You hadnt a good time. b) You didnt have a good time. Answers 1. We didnt have a meeting of the union yesterday. 2. James did not have his head shaved at the temple. 3. I dont have a bath before dinner every day. 4. The earth does not move round the sun. 5. You didnt have a good time.

Adjectives exercise
OCTOBER 17, 2011
Complete the second sentence in each pair using an adjective opposite in meaning to the one given in the first sentence. 1. The elephant is a large animal. The rabbit is a . animal. 2. It is cold in winter. It is .. in summer. 3. Yesterday it was cloudy. Today is a . day. 4. These shirts are wet. Havent you got a .. one? 5. We wont reach there in time if we go by a slow train. We must catch a .. train. 6. My shoes are old. I want to buy a pair. 7. Some colors are bright. Others are 8. It is warm outside. It is .. inside. 9. This bread is stale. We must buy a loaf. 10. This knife is blunt. I need a . one. Answers 1. The elephant is a large animal. The rabbit is a small animal. 2. It is cold in winter. It is hot in summer. 3. Yesterday it was cloudy. Today is a sunny day. 4. These shirts are wet. Havent you got a dry one? 5. We wont reach there in time if we go by a slow train. We must catch afast train. 6. My shoes are old. I want to buy a new pair. 7. Some colors are bright. Others are dark. 8. It is warm outside. It is cool inside. 9. This bread is stale. We must buy a fresh loaf. 10. This knife is blunt. I need a sharp one.

Auxiliary verbs exercise

OCTOBER 15, 2011
Fill in the blanks with appropriate forms of be, have and do as auxiliaries. 1. I will go to America after I .. finished my work here. 2. She playing the piano when I entered the room. 3. The boy . become unconscious before the doctor came. 4. .. you ever been to Tokyo? 5. This is what he . not seem to understand. 6. They .. engaged in a heated argument. 7. You .. being considered for the job. 8. I .. being shadowed. 9. The dinner being cooked. 10. My car .. in the garage. Answers 1. I will go to America after I have finished my work here. 2. She was playing the piano when I entered the room. 3. The boy had become unconscious before the doctor came. 4. Have you ever been to Tokyo? 5. This is what he does not seem to understand. 6. They were engaged in a heated argument. 7. You are being considered for the job. 8. I was / am being shadowed. 9. The dinner is being cooked. 10. My car is / was in the garage.

Introductory it exercise
OCTOBER 14, 2011
When the subject is an infinitive phrase, the sentence often begins with it. However, when we wish to emphasize the infinitive phrase, it can be put at the beginning, especially if it is short. Rewrite the following sentences using introductory it. 1. To become a millionaire was his life-long ambition. 2. To withdraw now will be sheer folly. 3. To err is human, to forgive, divine. 4. To learn English is easy. 5. To understand his motive was difficult. 6. To think of it now would be premature. 7. To drive so fast could be dangerous. 8. To get such an offer must be tempting. 9. To consult specialists must be advisable. 10. To accept your advice is difficult. Answers 1. It was his life-long ambition to become a millionaire. 2. It will be sheer folly to withdraw now. 3. It is human to err; it is divine to forgive. 4. It is easy to learn English.

5. It was difficult to understand his motive. 6. It would be premature to think of it now. 7. It could be dangerous to drive so fast. 8. It must be tempting to get such an offer. 9. It must be advisable to consult specialists. 10. It is difficult to accept advice.

Infinitives exercise
OCTOBER 14, 2011
Rewrite the following sentences using an infinitive. 1. It wont be any good my talking to him about it. 2. It is no use trying to convince him of this. 3. It wouldnt be much good complaining to the minister about it. 4. It was a difficult business starting the car with such a weak battery. 5. It is no fun having so many children to look after. 6. Will it be any good my seeing the boss about it? 7. It is just silly throwing away your chances like that. Answers 1. It wont be any good for me to talk to him about it. 2. It is no use for us to try to convince him of this. 3. It wouldnt be much good for us to complain to the minister about it. 4. It was a difficult business for me to start the car with such a weak battery.

5. It is no fun for me to have so many children to look after. 6. Will it be any good for me to see the boss about it? 7. It is just silly for you to throw away your chances like that.

Adverbs exercise
OCTOBER 11, 2011

Underline the adverbs in the following sentences. 1. Dont speak loudly. We are in the church. 2. Can I come tomorrow? 3. Are you busy now? 4. Dont worry. You will hear from us soon. 5. Listen carefully to what I say. 6. The sun is shining brightly. 7. I had a strange experience yesterday. 8. I wanted to talk to her but she hastily left the room. 9. He is standing outside. 10. This has been going on for a while. 11. She would never have been promoted if she hadnt changed jobs. 12. Only you can do a thing like that. 13. You can always come and stay with us if you want to.

14. Next, I want to say something about the future. 15. He probably thinks that you dont like him. Answers 1. loudly 2. tomorrow 3. now 4. soon 5. carefully 6. brightly 7. yesterday 8. hastily 9. outside 10. while 11. never 12. only 13. always 14. next 15. probably

Adding contradictory remarks

OCTOBER 10, 2011
Add contradictory statements to the following, either freely or using the suggestion in brackets. Use the following pattern in your answers: but + subject + auxiliary + nt / not 1. He can speak English. (I) 2. He won the test. (His brother) 3. I like reading comics. (My wife) 4. He knows me well. (His wife) 5. English is easy to learn. (French) 6. I did the homework. (Others) 7. I have learned classical music. (My sister) 8. John has arrived. (Peter) 9. James can sing well. (Alice) 10. He will leave tomorrow. (I) Answers 1. He can speak English. But I cant. / But I cannot. 2. He won the test. But his brother didnt / did not. 3. I like reading comics. But my wife doesnt / does not. 4. He knows me well. But his wife doesnt / does not. 5. English is easy to learn. But French isnt / is not. 6. I did the homework. But others didnt / did not. 7. I have learned classical music. But my sister hasnt / has not. 8. John has arrived. But Peter hasnt / has not.

9. James can sing well. But Alice cant / cannot. 10. He will leave tomorrow. But I wont.

Conditional clauses exercise

OCTOBER 9, 2011
Fill in the blanks with appropriate conditional verb forms. 1. If you .. hard, you will get a first class. a) study b) studied c) had studied 2. If I the key, I will give it to you. a) find b) found c) had found 3. If we now, we could be in time. a) start b) started c) had started 4. If it , the match may be cancelled. a) rains b) rained c) had rained 5. If you .a millionaire, how would you spend your time? a) were b) are c) had been 6. If he smoking, he might get well. a) stops b) stopped c) had stopped 7. If he . English, he could find a good job.

a) speaks b) spoke c) had spoken 8. if he , he would have succeeded. a) tried b) tries c) had tried 9. If you that wasp alone, it might not have stung you. a) leave b) had left c) left 10. If I .., I could have married anybody. a) want b) wanted c) had wanted Answers 1. If you study hard, you will get a first class. 2. If I find the key, I will give it to you. 3. If we started now, we could be in time. 4. If it rains, the match may be cancelled. 5. If you were a millionaire, how would you spend your time? 6. If he stopped smoking, he might get well. 7. If he spoke English, he could find a good job. 8. If he had tried, he would have succeeded. 9. If you had left that wasp alone, it might not have stung you. 10. If I had wanted, I could have married anybody.

Subordinate clause
OCTOBER 8, 2011

A subordinating conjunction and its clause can go either before or after the main clause (depending on what is to be emphasized).

If you need money, just let me know.

Just let me know if you need money. Although the necklace was expensive, she bought it. She bought the necklace although it was expensive. Because she was too angry, she tore up the letter. She tore up the letter because she was too angry.

When a subordinate clause begins a sentence, it is often separated by a comma, even if it is short. Conjunctions in separate sentencesNormally a conjunction connects two clauses into one sentence. However, sometimes, a conjunction and its clause can stand alone. This usually happens in answers.

Why are you crying? Because John hit me. When are you going to start? When I am ready. Why did you buy it? Because I liked it.

Writers often separate clauses for emphasis.

Something has to be done. Before it gets too late. (Instead of Something has to be done before it gets too late.)

Afterthoughts can also be introduced by conjunctions.

OK, I did it But I didnt mean to.

Using next and nearest

OCTOBER 6, 2011
Nearest is used for place. It is used to refer to people or things which are most near in space.

Excuse me. Where is the nearest hospital? (NOT Where is the next hospital?) The nearest railway station is two kilometers away. We will get off at the next station. (NOT We will get off at the nearest station.) We are looking forward to your next visit. (NOT We are looking forward to your nearest visit.) As soon as he finished one project, he started planning the next. (NOT he started planning the nearest.)

Next is used to talk about time or position in a series. It means after this / that one.

Next can be used for place in a few fixed expressions. In this case it means nearest in space. The most common expressions of this kind are next door and next to.

The boy next door is a little careless about truth. (NOT The boy nearest door is a little careless about truth.) Who is sitting next to Peter? (More natural than Who is sitting nearest to Peter?)

Using Colon
OCTOBER 4, 2011
Colons are used before explanations.

We decided to cancel the match: it was raining.

A colon is used when direct speech is introduced by a name or short phrase. It is also used when famous sayings are quoted.

Bacon says: Reading makes a full man, writing an exact man, speaking a ready man. Polonius: What do you read, my lord? Hamlet: Words, words, words.

A colon can introduce a list. The principal forms of a verb in English are: the present tense, the past tense and the past participle. The non-finite verbs are: participles, infinitives and gerunds. Capitals In British English, it is unusual for a capital letter to follow a colon. In American English, colons are more often followed by capital letters. Letters Americans usually put a colon after the opening salutation in a business letter. Dear Mr James: I am writing to British usage prefers a comma or no punctuation mark at all in this case.

Arrange words and form meaningful sentences

OCTOBER 2, 2011
Rearrange these words to make meaningful sentences. 1. ship violently the storm rocked the 2. masterpiece artist painstakingly the his worked at 3. gift free a Dad offered firm by the was. 4. I read paper in the burglar been caught had the that. 5. nightfall began cricketers the at their piercing calls. 6. wore a hat he of coconut made fiber his on head. 7. parts many coffee popular in world the is very of. 8. cave could explore not they torch the without a. 9. the storm shed damaged the was during. 10. the dog James talking sat next to himself to. Answers 1. The storm rocked the ship violently. 2. The artist painstakingly worked at his masterpiece. 3. Dad was offered a free gift by the firm. 4. I read in the paper that the burglar had been caught. 5. The cricketers began their piercing calls at nightfall. 6. He wore a hat made of coconut fiber on his head.

7. Coffee is very popular in many parts of the world. 8. They could not explore the cave without a torch. 9. The shed was damaged during the storm. 10. James sat next to the dog talking to himself.

Questions Worksheet
SEPTEMBER 30, 2011
Frame questions for the following answers. 1. .. Ans: My sister is three years old. 2. . Ans: My mother is a doctor. 3. Ans: My father works in a bank. 4. Ans: My brothers name is James. 5. .. Ans: I like science fiction. 6. . Ans: My father gave me this watch.

7. .. Ans: I spend my holidays at my grandmothers place. 8. . Ans: Dickens is my favorite writer. 9. .. Ans: Yes, I collect stamps. 10. .. Ans: I have two brothers and one sister. Answers 1. How old is your sister? 2. What is your mother? 3. Where does your father work? 4. What is your brothers name? 5. Do you like science fiction? 6. Who gave you this watch? 7. Where do you spend your holidays? 8. Who is your favorite writer? 9. Do you collect stamps? 10. How many brothers and sisters do you have?

This and that worksheet

SEPTEMBER 29, 2011
Fill in the blanks with this or that. 1. Look at .. tree over there. How tall! 2. Is .. your pen? I found it lying on the floor. 3. Can you help me solve .. problem? 4. Can you help me put this chair in . corner there? 5. . looks like Mrs Sullivan. 6. Get cat off my shoulder. 7. Get cat off the piano. 8. Is .. your bike over there? 9. Is .. your cap lying here on the table? 10. . was a nice story you told us yesterday. 11. I am not sure but I think . is Johns house. Let me press the doorbell. 12. Is .. your sister coming down the road? Answers 1. Look at that tree over there. How tall! 2. Is this your pen? I found it lying on the floor. 3. Can you help me solve this problem? 4. Can you help me put this chair in that corner there? 5. That looks like Mrs Sullivan. 6. Get this cat off my shoulder. 7. Get that cat off the piano. 8. Is that your bike over there? 9. Is this your cap lying here on the table?

10. That was a nice story you told us yesterday. 11. I am not sure but I think this is Johns house. 12. Is that your sister coming down the road? Notes We use that and those to talk about people and things which are more distant from the speaker in space or time.

How to summarize a given passage

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011
In the busy world of today people have little time to read long winding reports and documents. Summaries, on the other hand, are easy to read. They are short and include only information that is relevant.Here are some guidelines for summarizing a passage. Read the given passage to find out 1. What the passage is about

2. What its tone is 3. What type of writing it is Find a title for the passage The title should be a brief statement of the central theme. It should be pointed, not vague. Read the passage again, as carefully as possible trying to understand every sentence. Since you have already understood the central theme of the passage, it should be easy for you to find out what is important and what is not important. Anything that is not related to the central theme is irrelevant or superfluous and should not be mentioned the summary. In the passage the author may have expressed the same idea in different words for emphasis. There is no room for repetition of ideas in a summary. Examples and illustrations are often easy to dispense with. If you find an example indispensable, it may be included in the summary. Do not include quotations, metaphors, similes and other figures of speech.

Before you start writing the summary, jot down the important ideas in the passage. Do not copy words and phrases from the passage. As far as possible the summary should be written in your own words.

Transforming negative sentences into the affirmative

SEPTEMBER 27, 2011

Rewrite the following sentences changing the negative into the affirmative. 1. No sooner had I reached the station than the train left. 2. No sooner had the umpire given the batsman out than the crowd rushed on to the field. 3. No sooner had the thief run out of the jail than the guard fired at him. Answers 1. As soon as I reached the station, the train left. OR Hardly (or scarcely) had I reached the station when the train left. 2. As soon as the umpire gave the batsman out, the crowd rushed on to the field. OR Hardly (or scarcely) had the umpire given the batsman out when the crowd rushed on to the field. 3. As soon as the thief ran out of the jail, the guard fired at him. OR Hardly (or scarcely) had the thief run out of the jail when the guard fired at him. Notes It is wrong to use when instead of than in sentences with no sooner. Also note that the auxiliary did or had must come immediately after no sooner. It is wrong to use than instead of when in sentences with hardly or scarcely.

Rewrite with nouns

SEPTEMBER 26, 2011
The transformation of a sentence means changing its form without changing its meaning. Rewrite the following sentences replacing the verbs, adjectives and adverbs in bold text with corresponding nouns.

1.

That kind of movies doesnt amuse me.

2. This article costs $12. 3. He has disgraced his family. 4. He fought bravely. 5. He replied curtly. 6. 6. These two shades are slightly different. 7. I see him daily. 8. He read the letter carefully. 9. Though the ant is small it is as intelligent as the elephant. 10. He is so industrious that everybody admires him. Answers 1. That kind of movies doesnt give me any amusement. 2. The cost of this article is $12. 3. He is a disgrace to his family. 4. He put up a brave fight. 5. He gave a curt reply. 6. There is a slight difference between these two shades. 7. I see him every day. 8. He read the letter with care. 9. Though the ant is small it has as much intelligence as the elephant. 10. He is so industrious that he wins everybodys admiration.

Prepositions exercise
SEPTEMBER 25, 2011
Fill in the blanks with appropriate prepositions. 1. He made a handsome donation .. the flood relief fund. a) For b) To c) With 2. He quarreled .me .. a trivial issue. a) With, over b) At, over c) With, on 3. I am not satisfied . your explanation.

a) For b) With c) At 4. You must not be envious . your neighbours success. a) Of b) For c) With 5. We can only rely our own efforts. a) On b) Of c) At 6. You must be prompt .. carrying out orders. a) In b) With c) At 7. Recently there has been a sharp rise the price of gold. a) In b) On c) With 8. He was born poor parents. a) For b) To c) Off 9. His views do not accord . mine. a) With b) For c) Of 10. Temperance and employment are conducive . health. a) For b) To c) With

Answers 1. He made a handsome donation to the flood relief fund. 2. He quarreled with me over a trivial issue. 3. I am not satisfied with your explanation. 4. You must not be envious of your neighbors success. 5. We can only rely on our own efforts. 6. You must be prompt in carrying out orders. 7. Recently there has been a sharp rise in the price of gold. 8. He was born to poor parents. 9. His views do not accord with mine. 10. Temperance and employment are conducive to health.

Phrasal verbs exercise

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Fill in the blanks with appropriate adverb particles or prepositions. 1. He is only putting an act. a) On b) Of c) Up 2. We chatted - for over an hour. a) Away b) Out c) With 3. I am sick the whole business. a) Off b) Of c) At 4. Put the money , you may need it later.

a) With b) For c) By 5. The vicar told me I could practice the organ. a) On b) At c) For 6. There is a catch it somewhere. a) On b) In c) For 7. The judge let him with a caution. a) Of b) Off c) Out 8. It came - a lot of money. a) At b) To c) For 9. The thief was condemned gaol. a) For b) To c) With 10. Suddenly a bright idea dawned - me. a) On b) Of c) With Answers

1. He is only putting on an act. (To put on an act is to pretend.) 2. We chatted away for over an hour. (To chat away is to chat continuously.) 3. I am sick of the whole business. (sick of = tired of) 4. Put the money by, you may need it later. (put the money by = put it in reserve) 5. The vicar told me I could practice on the organ. 6. There is a catch in it somewhere. (catch = trick) 7. The judge let him off with a caution. (To let somebody off is to free him.) 8. It came to a lot of money. 9. The thief was condemned to gaol. (= The thief was sent to gaol.) 10. Suddenly a bright idea dawned on me. (dawned on me = occurred to me)

Verbs followed by infinitives without to

SEPTEMBER 23, 2011
The verbs hear, see, notice and watch can be followed by object + infinitive without to or object + -ing form.

I heard him go down the stairs. I watched him cross the road. I saw her light the lamp. We heard her scream. I watched them play in the garden.

There is a difference between the infinitive and the ing form. The infinitive suggests that we see or hear the whole of an action or event. An ing form, on the other hand, suggests that we hear or see an action in progress. A progressive form can suggest repetition.

I saw her throwing stones at the dog. I could smell something burning. I could hear her crying. I saw Mary lighting the lamp. (NOT I saw Marys lighting the lamp.)

Only ing forms can be used after can see, can hear, can smell etc.

We cannot use possessive forms with ing forms after these verbs. Look at Look at can be followed by an object + -ing form. In American English,object + infinitive is also possible.

Look at him eating! Look at him eat!

Linking words exercise

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011
Fill in the blanks with appropriate linking words. Each question is followed by three suggested answers. Choose the most appropriate one. 1. She was unable to attend the meeting. a) In particular b) Therefore c) As well as 2. , we are satisfied with your performance. a) For example b) In general c) Incidentally 3. I am not quite sure what time I will arrive, maybe half past eight or a quarter to nine. . I will be there before nine oclock. a) Anyhow b) In general c) All right 4. It is a small house and requires a lot of repairs. , it is a long way from the center. a) Nonetheless b) Moreover c) On the contrary 5. Everybody had heard of Einstein, hardly anyone could understand his theory of relativity. a) But b) And c) Of course

6. He was always popular with women and even got married twice. .., the women closest to him were invariably unhappy. a) Certainly b) All the same c) Of course 7. It is true that the British did some good in India. .., colonialism is basically bad. a) Even so b) Of course c) In particular 8. Can you help me in ? a) Anyway b) Any way c) By the way 9. The car broke down on the way. ., I managed to reach in time. a) Certainly b) In spite of this c) Therefore 10. Interesting movie? ., it was a complete waste of time. a) However b) On the contrary c) Certainly Answers 1. Therefore 2. In general 3. Anyhow 4. Moreover 5. But

6. All the same 7. Even so 8. Any way 9. In spite of this 10. On the contrary

Paragraph writing tips

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011
A paragraph is the smallest unit of prose composition. It may be defined as a group of sentences relating to a single topic. Every form of prose composition (e.g. letters, essays, stories) should be divided into paragraphs. A paragraph may be long or short. There are no rules regarding the size of a paragraph. Tips on writing paragraphs Unity of thought A sentence deals with just one thought. In the same way, a paragraph should deal with only one central idea. The ideas need to be developed in a logical order. They must flow neatly between the paragraphs. Use linking words Use linking words to achieve the effect of unbroken continuity. For example, the words hence, so, therefore, but, and, or and then will connect the sentences and make the paragraph a well-knit whole. Use expressions like on the other hand, on the contrary, nevertheless, but, yet and still to contrast ideas or present alternatives. The first sentence is the key sentence in a paragraph. It should introduce the central topic. The last sentence should round off the idea expressed in the paragraph.

Variety Use varied sentence patterns in the sentence. There should be both long and short sentences. This rule of variety also applies to the size of the paragraphs. For example, put a short paragraph after a long one. It will afford variety and relief to the eye as well as to the mind.

Direct and Indirect Speech Exercise

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011
Change the following into indirect speech. 1. The girl said, It gives me great pleasure to be here this evening. 2. The man said, I must go as soon as possible. 3. She said, I dont want to see any of you; go away. 4. The teacher says, If you work hard, you will pass. 5. He said, I have won. 6. He said, Lets wait for her return. 7. Alice said, How clever I am! 8. Which way did she go? asked the young man. 9. He said to me, Where are you going? 10. Please wait here till I return, she told him. Answers 1. The girl said that it gave her great pleasure to be there that evening. 2. The man said that he must go as soon as possible. 3. She said that she did not want to see any of them and asked them to go away.

4. The teacher says that if you work hard you will pass. 5. He said that he had won. 6. He proposed that they should wait for her return. 7. Alice exclaimed how clever she was. 8. The young man asked which way she had gone. 9. He asked me where I was going. 10. She requested them to wait there till she returned.

Adjective clause
SEPTEMBER 18, 2011
A kind of subordinate clause which does the work of an adjective. Anadjective clause is used to modify a noun or a pronoun in the main clause. An adjective clause is usually introduced by a relative pronoun or a relative adverb.

This is the house that Jack built. (Here the adjective clause that Jack built says something about the noun house.) The reason why I did it is obvious. (Here the adjective clause why I did it says something about the noun reason.) People who are honest are trusted. (Adjective clause who are honest) We love those who love us. (Adjective clause who love us) The house where the accident occurred is nearby. (Adjective clause where the accident occurred) All that glitters is not gold.

The relative pronoun or relative adverb introducing an adjective clause is sometimes understood, and not expressed.

Where is the book I lend you? (= Where is the book that I lend you?) Eat all you can. (= Eat all that you can.)

A to-infinitive is sometimes used as an equivalent of an adjective clause.

He has no clothes which he can wear. = He has no clothes to wear. I have got some work which I must do now. = I have got some work to do now.

Grammatical terms
SEPTEMBER 17, 2011
Person The grammatical category which is used to distinguish participants in a conversation. English distinguishes three persons. The first person represents the speaker or speakers. The pronouns are I and we. The second person represents the hearer or hearers. The pronoun is you. The third person represents everything and everybody else. The pronouns are: he, she, they and it. Phrasal genitive The construction in which the preposition of and a possessive form appear. Examples are: a friend of mine, that brother of Peters etc Phrasal verb A complex verb form consisting of a simple verb and an adverb particle. Examples are: make up, put off, put away, turn on etc. A phrasal verb differs from a prepositional verb in three respects. 1. The particle in a phrasal verb is stressed. The preposition in a prepositional verb is not stressed. cannot be moved to the end. 3. You cannot put an adverb between the two parts of a phrasal verb. An adverb can go between the two parts of a prepositional verb. Phrase A sequence of one or more words which forms a grammatical unit. There are five principal types of phrases in English: noun phrase, verb phrase, adjective phrase, adverb phrase and prepositional phrase. Plurale tantum A noun which is plural in form, even though it may be singular in sense. Examples are: oats, cattle, pants, scissors and tweezers.

2. The particle of a phrasal verb can be moved to the end. The preposition of a prepositional verb

Grammar terms beginning with P

SEPTEMBER 16, 2011
Participial adjective A word form which is identical in form to the participle but which functions as an adjective. Examples are: rolling stone, fallen leaf, burnt cat, rotten egg, missing persons etc. Participial relative clause A relative clause which contains a participle instead of a finite verb. In the following examples, the first sentence contains a participial relative clause, while the second sentence contains an equivalent full relative clause. The boy sitting next to my wife is her nephew. (Here the participial relative clause is sitting next to my wife.) The boy who is sitting next to my wife is her nephew. (Relative clause: who is sitting next to my wife) Past perfect The English construction in which had is combined with the past participle form of a verb. The past perfect is the past-tense form corresponding to the present perfect. Sometimes the past perfect is used to express an unreal condition in the past. Example: If you had invited him, he would have come. Here the use of the past perfect had invited indicates that you did not in fact invite him. Perfect infinitive A sequence consisting of to + have + past participle form of the verb. Examples are: I would like to have met Winston Churchill.

Adverb clause
SEPTEMBER 15, 2011
The label adverb clause refers to any subordinate clause which behaves as an adverb with respect to the rest of the sentence. Definition An adverb clause is a group of words which contains a subject and a predicate of its own. An adverb clause does the work of an adverb. An adverb clause may express time, place, manner, cause, purpose, concession, condition or another circumstance.

Study the following examples As soon as she finished work, Alice went home. (Here the clause as soon as she finished work answers the question when. It therefore serves as an adverb clause of time.) I take my mobile phone wherever I go. (Here the clause wherever I go answers the question where. It therefore serves as an adverb clause of place.) Susie drives better than I do. (Here the clause better than I do says something about the manner in which Susie drives. It therefore serves as an adverb clause of purpose.) We were late because the car broke down. (Here the clause because the car broke down answers the question why. It therefore serves as an adverb clause of cause.) If you get back in time, you can go with us. (Here the clause if you get back in time expresses the condition under which something can happen. It therefore serves as an adverb clause of condition.)

Uses of that
SEPTEMBER 14, 2011
That can be used as an adjective and a pronoun. It is the singular form ofthose. Compare:

Look at that man over there. Look at those men over there. This photograph is much better than that photograph. That boy says that he is tired.

As an adjective that can refer to either people or things.

When that is used as a pronoun without a noun, it can only refer to things. Compare:

Look at that photograph. OR Look at that. Ask that man to come here. BUT NOT Ask that to come here. Whos that? Is that Ruth? I couldnt walk that far. (= I couldnt walk as far as that.)

However, that can be used as a pronoun when we are identifying people.

In a colloquial style, that can be used as an adverb. Relative pronoun

That can be used as a relative pronoun. As a relative pronoun, that can refer to both people and things.

The letter that came this morning is from my brother. Give help to anyone that needs it.

That as a conjunction That can also be used as a conjunction.

His manners are so bad that nobody invites him to a party. Bring it to the light so that I can see it better. You may borrow my car on condition that you bring it before 10 pm. Oh, that I could see you again! (= How I wish it were possible for us to meet again!)

That can also be used in exclamations.

Grammar terms beginning with letter N

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011
Neologism The label neologism refers to a word which has been recently coined. An example is eco-friendly which means not harmful to the environment. Nominative In languages with CASE, the case-form used to mark a grammatical subject. Only a few pronouns distinguish case in English. For example, in the normative case, the first person singular noun has the form I. In the objective case, its form is me. Similarly, the nominative case form of the third person plural pronoun is they; its objective case form is them. Non-finite A label applied to a verb form which cannot be the only verb in a clause. There are four types of nonfinites in English: the present participle, the past participle, the infinitive and the gerund. Non-finite verbs are not marked for tense. That means they have the same form in all tenses. Study the following sentences. You will notice that the non-finite to smoke does not change its form according to the change in tenses.

I want to smoke. (Simple present) I have wanted to smoke. (Present perfect)

I wanted to smoke. (Simple past) I had wanted to smoke. (Past perfect) I will want to smoke. (Simple future)

Now study the following sentences. You will notice that the present participle swimming does not change its form according to the change in tenses.

I enjoy swimming in the sea. (Simple present) I have enjoyed swimming in the sea. (Present perfect) I enjoyed swimming in the sea. (Simple past) I will enjoy swimming in the sea. (Simple future)

Grammar terms with M

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

Main clause A clause which is capable of making a complete sentence by itself. A sentence must have at least one main clause. A simple sentence consists of only a single main clause. Example: John wrote a letter. In a compound sentence, there are two main clauses connected by and. Susie cooked dinner and Jane washed the clothes. Malapropism The use of a wrong word, often especially when another word of similar sound is intended. Manner adverb An adverb that answers the question how? Examples are: slowly, carefully, rashly, kindly, furiously etc. Mass noun A noun which denotes something which cannot be counted. Examples are: wheat, sand, milk, rice etc. A mass noun cannot be used with numbers and it does not have a plural form. Matrix clause

A clause which contains a subordinate clause within it. In the sentence The girl who won the first prize is my cousin, the matrix clause is The girl is my cousin, while the remainder is the subordinate clause. Mood The label mood refers to the degree or kind of reality assigned by the speaker to what she is saying. English has four or five moods: indicative, subjunctive, imperative, optative and interrogative. Morpheme A morpheme is the smallest unit of word structure. For example, dog consists of a single morpheme (dog) while happiness consists of two morphemes (happy) and (ness). A particular morpheme may have different forms which are called its allomorphs.

Grammar terms beginning with letter L

SEPTEMBER 10, 2011
Labile verb A verb which can be either transitive or intransitive. English has many labile verbs. Examples are: sink, smoke, dress, wash, swim, jump etc.

Susie smokes expensive cigarettes. (Transitive) Susie smokes. (Intransitive) The explosion sank the ship. (Transitive) The ship sank. (Intransitive) She washed her dress. (Transitive) This dress washes easily. (Intransitive)

Lexical item The form of a word which is listed in a dictionary. For example, book is a lexical item, while books isnt. In the same way, take is a lexical item, but its grammatical forms takes, taking, taken and took arent lexical items. Lexical verb Any verb which is not an auxiliary verb. Examples are: write, sing, dance, work, break, explain, smile, die etc.

Lexicon The set of words in a language. To refer to the words known by a person, we use the word vocabulary. Light verb A verb which has no meaning of its own. A light verb helps to convert another word into a verbal form. The English verbs which can be used as light verbs include do, make, have, give and take.

Make a mistake Do a dance Have a shower Give a cry Take a sip

Linking verb A special verb which serves to connect two parts of a sentence. A linking verb expresses either that the two parts denote the same thing or that the first part has the property denoted by the second. An example of a linking verb is be. The sentence James is my brother asserts that James and my brother are the same person.

Grammar terms beginning with letter F

SEPTEMBER 8, 2011
False friend A word in a foreign language which looks very much like a word in your own language but which has a very different meaning. Finite verb A label applied to a verb-form which is marked for tense. A finite verb has the marking s in the simple present tense. Note that this happens only when the subject is in the third person singular. So for example in James works, the verb-form works is finite. In the past tense, tense is marked either by the ending ed or by a change in the inner vowels of the verb. Foreign plural A plural form which has been imported directly from a foreign language. English has dozens of foreign plurals. Examples include radii (plural of radius) and phenomena (plural of phenomenon). Foreign plurals often confuse English-speakers because they may have difficulty remembering which form is the singular and which is the plural. Free morpheme A morpheme which can stand alone to make a word all by itself. For example, the English verb happy

is a free morpheme because it can stand alone. A free morpheme may sometimes combine with other morphemes in a larger word. For example, happy can combine with the morpheme un to form the larger word unhappy.

Grammar terms beginning with letters D and E

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011
Double negative A construction in which two or more negative words occur in a single clause. Examples are: I dont have nothing to prove. I didnt see nothing. Double negatives are common in colloquial English. Formerly they were also acceptable in standard English, but now they are regarded as non-standard. Note that a double negative is not equivalent to a positive. For example I dont have nothing to prove doesnt mean I have something to prove. It just happens to be a non-standard but understandable way of saying I have nothing to prove. Ellipsis The omission of word or words which is logically required to complete a sentence. Examples Seen James? (= Have you seen James?) Got a problem. (= I have got a problem.) Embedded question A question which is not being asked directly. An embedded question merely forms part of a larger sentence, which may or may not be a question. I wondered why she was angry with me. (Here the sequence why she was angry with me is an embedded question.) I dont know what I should do. (Embedded question what I should do) Note that in an embedded question the subject comes before the verb. Ergative verb A verb which can be either intransitive or transitive. Examples are: sink, ring, boil, explode etc. The explosion sank the ship. (Here the ergative verb sank is used transitively because it has an object.)

The ship sank suddenly. (Here the ergative verb sank is used intransitively because it does not have an object.)

Grammar terms beginning with Letter D

SEPTEMBER 6, 2011

Dangling participle A dangling participle is a participle which is not grammatically linked to the rest of the sentence. For example, in the sentence Standing at the gate, a scorpion bit him, the participial phrase standing at the gate is dangling; it appears to be linked to the scorpion, but it is wrong. Though dangling participles are common in speech, they are considered as inappropriate in formal writing and therefore should be avoided. Degree The grammatical category which expresses the degree to which some quality is present. English distinguishes three degrees: the positive, the comparative and the superlative. The comparative is formed with er or more; the superlative is formed with est or most. Degree modifier A word which modifies an adjective or an adverb and expresses the degree to which some quality is present. Examples are: very, too, so, rather, somewhat etc. In colloquial English, words and expressions like sort of, pretty, kind of and a number of other items are also used as degree modifiers. Dialect A speech variety associated with the people in a particular geographical region or in a particular social group. There are a number of regional dialects in English. There are also several social dialects. Discourse marker A word or a phrase which is weakly linked to an adjoining sentence. The purpose of a discourse marker is to keep a conversation or a text flowing smoothly.

Grammar terms beginning with C

SEPTEMBER 5, 2011
Complex preposition A preposition which consists of two or three words. Examples are: in spite of, in front of, out of, on top of etc. Compound A word constructed by combining two or more existing words. The meaning of a compound word is not always predictable from the meanings of its component parts. Compound sentence A sentence which contains two or more main clauses but no subordinate clauses. In a compound sentence the clauses are connected by a conjunction like and, or, but or yet. Concrete noun A noun which denotes something which is physical and can be touched. Examples are: dog, plastic, table, tree, boy and mother. Conjugation Changing the form of a verb for grammatical purposes. For example, the English verb write may appear as any of write, wrote, written, writes or writing. Correlative The correlative is a general term for either a pair of items which work together to connect things in a sentence. The two parts of a correlative are not adjacent. English examples include: bothand, not onlybut also, neithernor, eitheror, sothat etc. Examples: I would rather be good than successful. He both smokes and drinks. He was so weak that he could barely stand. Countable noun A noun denoting something that can be counted. Examples are: dog, girl, occasion, birthday, tree, apple, book etc.

Grammar terms
SEPTEMBER 3, 2011
Bare infinitive An infinitive not preceded by to. Examples are: write, work, sing, draw, paint etc.

Bound morpheme A morpheme which cannot stand alone to make a word. A bound morpheme must be combined with at least one another morpheme within a word. In English, the most familiar types of bound morphemes are prefixes and suffixes. Collective noun A noun which denotes a collection of individual persons or objects. Examples are: committee, team, government, jury, army, police etc. In British English, a collective noun may be treated either as singular or as plural. In American English, a collective noun is always treated as singular. Colloquial speech Colloquial speech is the informal everyday speech that everybody uses in informal circumstances. Although, colloquial speech is different from the language we use in formal speech or writing, it is not vulgar or wrong. Common gender The term common gender refers to the property of a noun which can be assigned to more than one gender. English examples include teacher, doctor, child, parent, student, writer etc. Comparative clause A clause attached to a comparative. For example, in the sentence The task was more difficult than I expected, the comparative clause is than I expected. When no verb is present, the comparative expression is a phrase, not a clause. He is taller than me. (comparative phrase than me)

Using afraid
SEPTEMBER 2, 2011
Afraid and fear Be afraid is the normal expression for talking about fear.

He is afraid of the dark. Dont be afraid. (NOT Dont fear.) (NOT Dont afraid.) Are you afraid of spiders? There is nothing to be afraid of. She is afraid that you might get angry.

Difference between afraid of and afraid to Compare

I was afraid of hurting his sentiments. (Because I had no intention to do so.)

I was afraid to offend him. (Because he might hit me.)

Im afraid Im afraid is a polite way of giving information that will not be welcome.

Im afraid your wife has fallen ill. (= I am sorry to tell you that your wife has fallen ill.) I cant help you, Im afraid. It is going to rain. Im afraid so. Could you help me? Im afraid not.

Im afraid so and Im afraid not are common in short answers.

Not used before a noun Afraid cannot be used to modify a noun in the attributive position. Instead, we use other expressions with similar meanings.

Jane is afraid. (BUT NOT Jane is an afraid woman.) Jane is a frightened woman. I am very much afraid, I cant meet you.

We can use very much to modify afraid.

Grammar terms
SEPTEMBER 1, 2011
Infinitive The infinitive is a particular verb form which expresses the verbal idea in its simplest form. It has no marking for tense, mood, person or other grammatical categories. In English, the infinitive is the bare form of the verb. It is the form which can immediately follow a modal auxiliary verb like will or may. Examples are: break, stop, invite, work, write, decide etc. The infinitive can follow the particle: to. This form is sometimes called the to-infinitive. Note that that to is not a part of the infinitive at all; it can readily be separated from the following infinitive by a that-clause. Inflection Changes in the form of a verb for grammatical reasons. The noun book has two inflected forms: book and books. The verb write has five inflected forms: write, writes, writing, wrote, written. In the same way, the verb be has three inflected forms: be, being and been.

Interjection A word or phrase which, as a rule, occurs by itself. An interjection expresses emotion. It does not form part of a sentence. English examples are: Damn!, Ouch!, My God! Interrogative pronoun A pronoun which asks a question. The English ones are: who, what and which. Who were you talking to? What are you doing there? Which do you prefer?

Grammar terms beginning with the letter I

AUGUST 31, 2011
Imperative The sentence type illustrated in English by the following distinctive sentence pattern: Come here! The imperative commonly expresses a command. In English, an imperative usually has no expressed subject (though you is understood as its subject). The verb is in its infinitive form. In writing, an imperative sentence is often punctuated with an exclamation mark. Do your homework! Do sit down! Come here! Wash your hands! Stop! Get lost! Shut up! Note that in English, it is possible to use an imperative sentence for a function other than giving a command. For example, if you are going on a picnic, I may say Have a nice time, but this is not an order, only a hope. Indirect object The label indirect object identifies the person or people indirectly affected by the action of the verb. Consider the following sentences.

James gave the book to Susie. James gave Susie the book. Susie could be classified as an indirect object in both cases, but not all contemporary linguists would agree: In the first sentence, Susie looks like the object of the preposition to. In the second sentence, it is the indirect object of the verb gave. Initialism A word constructed by taking the initial letters of the important words in a phrase. An initialism cannot be pronounced as a word; it must be spelled out letter by letter. Examples are: BBC and FBI.

Using present perfect continuous tense

AUGUST 30, 2011
The present perfect continuous tense is used to talk about an action that started in the past, has continued up to the present and is still continuing. Study the following sentences.

Jane has been reading for hours. I have been gardening since morning. It has been raining since yesterday. The leaning tower of Pisa has been leaning more and more every year. Scientists have been planning to send man to Mars.

The question form in this tense will be as follows.

Has Jane been reading for hours? (NOT Has been Jane reading for hours?) Has the leaning tower of Pisa been leaning more and more every year?

Adverbs Since the action started in the past and has been continuing ever since, the only point of time that can be mentioned in such a sentence is the time when the action started.

He has been working here since 2005. I have been waiting since morning.

We can also mention the period of time during which the action has been going on.

He has been working here for 6 years. I have been waiting for 4 hours.

Common mistakes

Incorrect: We have been working all yesterday. Correct: We worked all yesterday. Incorrect: It has been raining during the whole of yesterday. Correct: It rained during the whole of yesterday.

Sentence Synthesis Exercise

AUGUST 29, 2011
Join each of the following pairs of sentences using infinitives. 1. They wanted to win. They worked hard for that reason. 2. She was sensible. She did the right thing. 3. The students were not able to solve the problem. It was too difficult for them. 4. It is too late. We cant start a new lesson now. 5. The manager appointed James. He will do the accounts. 6. We went to the theater. We saw a movie there. 7. I have no interest in politics. I must tell it frankly. 8. The man took out a knife. He intended to frighten all of us. 9. Mary collects old stamps. It is her hobby. 10. The men held a meeting. They wanted to elect a manager for the company. Answers 1. They worked hard to win. 2. She was sensible enough to do the right thing. 3. The problem was too difficult for the students to solve.

4. It is too late for us to start a new lesson. 5. The manager appointed James to do the accounts. 6. We went to the theater to see a movie. 7. To be frank, I have no interest in politics. 8. The man took out a knife to frighten all of us. 9. It is Marys duty to collect old stamps. 10. The men held a meeting to elect a manager for the company.

Singular subject, plural complement

AUGUST 26, 2011
In English a verb normally agrees with the subject of the sentence, not with a following complement.

The biggest timewaster is appointments. (NOT The biggest timewaster are appointments.) (subject biggest timewaster; verb is; complement appointments)

Here the singular verb is agrees with the singular subject timewaster.

The biggest problem in our country is unemployed youngsters. (NOT The biggest problem in our country are unemployed youngsters.)

Here the singular verb is agrees with the singular subject serious problem. However, sometimes the verb is made to agree with the complement. This usually happens when the subject is a long way from the verb.

The only watchable thing on television last weekend was the football matches. OR The only watchable thing on television last weekend were the football matches.

This may also happen when the subject is a relative what-clause.

What I am interested in knowing is / are his personal reactions.

What we need is / are a few bright youngsters.

When a singular subject is modified by a following plural expression, people sometimes use a plural verb. This is usually considered incorrect.

Nobody except his close friends like him. (More correct: Nobody except his close friends likes him.)

Countable and uncountable nouns: special cases

AUGUST 25, 2011
The names of illnesses are usually uncountable in English. Examples are:measles, flu, chickenpox etc.

Measles is highly infectious. (NOT Measles are highly infectious.) There is a lot of flu around at the moment.

The words for some minor ailments are countable. Examples are: a cold, a sore throat, a headache etc.

I have got a headache. (NOT I have got headache.)

In British English, some common ailments like toothache, earache, stomach-ache and backache are usually uncountable. In American English, they can be countable or uncountable.

I have got bad toothache. (GB) I have got a bad toothache. / I have got bad toothache. (US)

Some uncountable nouns are plural. They have no singular forms with the same meaning and cannot be used with numbers. Examples are: groceries, arms, remains, goods, clothes, customs, thanks, regards, police etc.

Have you bought the groceries? (NOT Have you bought the grocery?) (NOT Have you bought a grocery?) Thanks for your help. (NOT Thank for your help.)

Other plural uncountable nouns include trousers, jeans, pajamas, pants, scissors, spectacles, glasses etc.

The scissors are in the drawer. (The scissor is in the drawer.) (NOT The scissors is in the drawer.)

The expressions the British, the English, the Spanish, the French, the Irishetc are also plural.

The Irish are very proud of their sense of humor. (NOT The Irish is very proud )

Parts of speech exercise

AUGUST 25, 2011
What part of speech is each of the words in italics? 1. Muslims fast in the month of Ramzan. 2. He is the right man in the right place. 3. There is not much truth in what he says. 4. His theories are hard to understand. 5. A little learning is a dangerous thing. 6. Still waters run deep. 7. What annoys me most is his obstinacy. 8. As he was ambitious, I felt that I shouldnt trust him. 9. He is like his father. 10. Do not talk like that. 11. The next moment he was dead. 12. He has been ill since yesterday. 13. They are all waiting for you. 14. It has been raining since yesterday. 15. Age brings wisdom. Answers 1. Fast: verb

2. Right: adjective (modifies the noun place) 3. Truth: abstract noun 4. Hard: adjective (complement of the noun theories) 5. Dangerous: adjective (modifies the noun thing) 6. Waters: noun 7. Annoys: verb 8. Trust: verb 9. Like: preposition 10. That: demonstrative pronoun 11. Next: adjective 12. Since: preposition 13. Waiting: verb 14. Since: preposition 15. Age: abstract noun

Position of adverbs: difference between British and American English

AUGUST 23, 2011
Mid-position adverbs usually go after auxiliary verbs, after am / are / is / was / were and before other verbs.

She has never written to me. The discussion was mainly about politics.

When there are two or more auxiliary verbs, the adverb usually goes after the first.

You have definitely been working hard.

In American English, mid-position adverbs are often put before auxiliary verbs and am / are / is / was / were, even when the verb is not emphasized.

You certainly have made him angry. (US) You have certainly made him angry. (GB) You are always late. (GB) You always are late. (US) America has long been known as a land of opportunities. (GB) America long has been known as a land of opportunities. (US)

In British English, mid-position adverbs can go before auxiliary verbs andam / are / is / was / were when we want to emphasize the auxiliary verbs.

I am really sorry. (No emphasis on am.) I really AM sorry. (Emphasis on AM)

In negative sentences, mid-position adverbs generally come before not if they emphasize the negative. Compare:

I really dont like her. (Strong dislike) I dont really like her. (Mild dislike)

Using So
AUGUST 21, 2011
So means to that extent or that much. It is often used when we are talking about a high degree of something.

I am so tired. (= I am very tired.) It was so cold that we didnt go out. You are so silly. Why are you driving so fast? Dont talk so loudly. She is so beautiful. She is such a beautiful girl. (NOT She is so a beautiful girl.) You are looking so much prettier. (NOT You are looking so prettier.)

So can be used before an adjective without a noun or an adverb.

If there is a noun after the adjective, we do not use so. Instead we usesuch.

Before comparatives we use so much. So and very So can be used in situations where very is also a suitable word. Very is preferred when we are simply giving information. So is used to refer to information which has already been given. Structures with very are not normally followed by that-clauses. Instead we use sothat.

It was so hot that we didnt go out. (NOT It was very hot that we didnt go out.) He spoke so fast that nobody could understand. (=He spoke very fast that nobody could understand.)

Position of adverbs of certainty and place

AUGUST 20, 2011
We use adverbs of certainty to say how sure we are of something. Examples are: certainly, definitely, clearly, obviously and probably. Adverbs of certainty usually go in mid-position. Study the following patterns. Auxiliary verb + adverb

She will probably come. The train has obviously been delayed. She is certainly right. There is clearly something wrong.

Am / are / is / was / were + adverb

Adverb + other verb He probably thinks that he is the smartest. (NOT He thinks probably that )

I certainly feel better today.

Grammar notes Maybe and perhaps usually come at the beginning of a clause.

Maybe you are right. Perhaps he will come.

Adverbs of place Adverbs of place say where something happens. Examples are: upstairs, around, here, in London, out of the window Adverbs of place usually go at the end of a clause.

The children are playing in the garden. Dont throw things out of the window. The old man sat in the corner. There was a very tall tree at the end of the garden.

Initial position is also possible. This usually happens in a literary style.

At the end of the garden there was a very tall tree.

Adjectives order before nouns

AUGUST 18, 2011
When several adjectives are used to modify a noun, they have to be put in a particular order. Here are some important rules for adjective order. Adjectives of color usually go before adjectives of origin, material and purpose.

A brown Spanish leather bag (NOT A Spanish brown leather bag) (NOT A leather Spanish brown bag)

The adjectives of size, length and height usually go before other adjectives.

A round wooden table (NOT A wooden round table) A tall, ancient oak-tree (NOT An ancient, tall oak-tree)

Adjectives which express judgment usually come before all others. Examples are: lovely, definite, pure, absolute, perfect, wonderful, silly etc.

A lovely, long, refreshing drink

Numbers usually go before adjectives

Six brown chairs (NOT Brown six chairs) Ten large eggs (NOT Large ten eggs) The first two attempts (NOT The two first attempts)

The words first, next and last most often go before one, two, three etc Commas When more than one adjective is used to modify a noun, we generally separate the adjectives with commas.

An expensive, wasteful, thoughtless project

Commas can be dropped between short adjectives.

A tall, fair, pretty girl (OR A tall fair pretty girl)

Correct use of some adjectives

AUGUST 17, 2011
The adjective can be correctly used with a verb when some quality of the subject, rather the action of the verb, is to be expressed.

These flowers smell sweet. (NOT These flowers smell sweetly.) It tastes sour. (NOT It tastes sourly.)

The plural forms these and those are often used with the singular nounskind and sort. Examples are: these kind of things However, some grammarians insist that we should say: this kind of things The words superior, inferior, senior, junior, prior, anterior, and posterior take to instead of than.

He is senior to me. James is inferior to Peter is intelligence.

In comparing two things or classes of things the comparative should be used.

Take the shorter of the two routes. (NOT Take the shortest of the two routes.) Of the two suggestions, the former is better. (NOT Of the two suggestions, the former is the best.)

This rule, however, is not strictly observed. In informal English, the superlative is often used when we talk about one of only two items. When a comparison is made by means of a comparative, the thing that is compared must be excluded from the things with which it is compared.

Hercules was stronger than any other man. (NOT Hercules was stronger than any man this sentence would suggest that Hercules was stronger than Hercules himself, which, of course, is absurd.)

Sentence Synthesis Exercise

AUGUST 16, 2011

Combine each of the following pairs of sentences into one compound sentence. 1. James plays hockey. He plays cricket as well. 2. He must be asleep. There is no light in his room. 3. He speaks Hindi. He also speaks English. 4. Peter is quite sociable. His brother is rather reserved. 5. There was little hope of success. I tried hard. 6. He will not spend his money. He will not invest it. 7. He is a fool. He is a madman. 8. He has been working hard. He will pass.

9. I did my best. I failed. 10. The way was long. The wind was cold. Answers 1. James plays hockey as well as cricket. 2. He must be asleep for there is no light in his room. 3. He speaks Hindi as well as English. 4. Peter is quite sociable whereas his brother is rather reserved. 5. There was little hope of success, nevertheless I tried hard. 6. He will neither spend his money nor invest it. 7. He is either a fool or a madman. 8. He has been working hard, so he will pass. 9. I did my best, but I failed. 10. The way was long and the wind was cold. Notes A compound sentence must have two or more coordinate clauses. If we want to combine two or more simple sentences into one compound sentence we have to use a coordinating conjunction like and, but, or, as well as, whereas or neither nor.

Ways of combining two or more simple sentences into one simple sentence
AUGUST 9, 2011
By using the absolute construction This method is used when the sentences have different subjects.

The chief guest took his seat on the dais. The meeting began. The chief guest having taken his seat on the dais, the meeting began. The storm subsided. We began our march again. The storm having subsided, we began our march again. The monsoon started. The village roads became muddy. The monsoon having started the village roads became muddy.

By using infinitive Two simple sentences can be combined into one simple sentence by using an infinitive.

I have some work. I must do it tonight. I have some work to do tonight. You must serve your country. It is your duty. It is your duty to serve your country. The tea is too hot. I cant drink it. The tea is too hot to drink. He got a scholarship. He could pursue higher education in the US. He got a scholarship to pursue higher education in the US. Tagore was a great poet. He was also a great painter. Tagore, the great poet, was also a great painter. Stalin was the Dictator of Russia. He had talks with Roosevelt. Roosevelt was the President of America. Stalin, the Dictator of Russia, had talks with Roosevelt, the President of America.

By using a noun or phrase in apposition

Words with appropriate prepositions

AUGUST 12, 2011
Some verbs, adjectives and nouns are followed by particular prepositions. Here are some of the most common combinations. Note that alternatives are sometimes possible, and that British and American usage sometimes differ. Absorbed in He is completely absorbed in his research work. Abstain from You must abstain from smoking and drinking. Acceptable to That suggestion is not acceptable to us. Acquainted with I am only slightly acquainted with him. Acquitted of James was acquitted of the charge of theft. Adapt to One must learn to adapt oneself to changing circumstances.

Addicted to James is addicted to gambling. Admit to He was admitted to the Medical College. Admit of This is an urgent matter which admits of no delay. Allotted to I have performed the task allotted to me. Amazed at I was amazed at her performance. Anxious to She is anxious to hear from her son. Avail of Avail yourself of this opportunity. Aware of I am not aware of their plans. Backward in She is rather backward in her studies. Believe in Do you believe in ghosts? Boast of She boasts of her aristocratic upbringing. Brood over Dont brood over past failures. Call at (=visit) On the way we called at a friends house. Call for (= demand) The principal has called for an explanation from the suspended students. Care for I dont care for your objections. I have decided to do it.

Joining two or more simple sentences into one compound sentence

AUGUST 13, 2011

A compound sentence is one having two or more co-ordinate clauses. Hence it can be formed only with the help of coordinating conjunctions. By using and, as well as, bothand etc Note that these conjunctions merely add one statement to another.

Alice wrote the letter. She posted it. Alice wrote the letter and posted it. Tom passed the test. James also passed the test. Tom, as well as, James passed the test. He has many admirers. He also has several detractors. Not only has he many admirers, but also several detractors.

By using but, yet, whereas, nevertheless These conjunctions are used when contrasting statements have to be joined together.

He is ill. He is cheerful. He is ill but cheerful. He is rich. He is miserable. He is rich, yet miserable. Tom is ambitious. His brother is quite the reverse. Tom is ambitious whereas his brother is quite the reverse.

By using or, eitheror, nor, neithernor, otherwise etc These conjunctions are used when two alternative facts or statements have to be presented.

You can go by bus. You can go by train. You can go by bus or train. He does not smoke. He does not drink. He neither smokes nor drinks. OR Neither does he smoke nor does he drink. You must work hard. You will not win. You must work hard otherwise you will not win.

Words with appropriate prepositions

AUGUST 12, 2011
Some verbs, adjectives and nouns are followed by particular prepositions. Here are some of the most common combinations. Note that alternatives are sometimes possible, and that British and American usage sometimes differ. Absorbed in He is completely absorbed in his research work. Abstain from You must abstain from smoking and drinking.

Acceptable to That suggestion is not acceptable to us. Acquainted with I am only slightly acquainted with him. Acquitted of James was acquitted of the charge of theft. Adapt to One must learn to adapt oneself to changing circumstances. Addicted to James is addicted to gambling. Admit to He was admitted to the Medical College. Admit of This is an urgent matter which admits of no delay. Allotted to I have performed the task allotted to me. Amazed at I was amazed at her performance. Anxious to She is anxious to hear from her son. Avail of Avail yourself of this opportunity. Aware of I am not aware of their plans. Backward in She is rather backward in her studies. Believe in Do you believe in ghosts? Boast of She boasts of her aristocratic upbringing. Brood over Dont brood over past failures. Call at (=visit) On the way we called at a friends house. Call for (= demand) The principal has called for an explanation from the suspended students. Care for I dont care for your objections. I have decided to do it.

Sentence synthesis exercise

AUGUST 11, 2011
Ways of combining two or more simple sentences into one simple sentence By using a preposition + noun / gerund Study the following sentences.

She had many shortcomings. But she was a nice woman. In spite of having many shortcomings, she was a nice woman. Tagore was a great poet. He was a good painter. Besides being a great poet, Tagore was a good painter. He will win the first prize. That is certain. He will certainly win the first prize. They decided to start a business. All agreed to this. They unanimously decided to start a business.

By using an adverb or adverbial phrase

Exercise Combine each of the following pairs of sentences into a simple sentence. 1. He won a jackpot. He built a big mansion. 2. He stood on tip-toe. He reached for the apple. 3. The rain stopped. We continued our journey. 4. James is going to the US. He wants to pursue higher education there. 5. Caesar was a great conqueror. But he failed to unite the various conquered territories into a wellknit empire. Answers 1. Having won a jackpot, he built a big mansion. 2. Standing on tip-toe, he reached for the apple. 3. The rain having stopped we continued our journey. 4. James is going to the US to pursue higher education. 5. Despite being a great conqueror, Caesar failed to unite the various conquered territories into a well-knit empire.

Ways of combining two or more simple sentences into one simple sentence
AUGUST 9, 2011

By using the absolute construction This method is used when the sentences have different subjects.

The chief guest took his seat on the dais. The meeting began. The chief guest having taken his seat on the dais, the meeting began. The storm subsided. We began our march again. The storm having subsided, we began our march again. The monsoon started. The village roads became muddy. The monsoon having started the village roads became muddy.

By using infinitive Two simple sentences can be combined into one simple sentence by using an infinitive.

I have some work. I must do it tonight. I have some work to do tonight. You must serve your country. It is your duty. It is your duty to serve your country. The tea is too hot. I cant drink it. The tea is too hot to drink. He got a scholarship. He could pursue higher education in the US. He got a scholarship to pursue higher education in the US. Tagore was a great poet. He was also a great painter. Tagore, the great poet, was also a great painter. Stalin was the Dictator of Russia. He had talks with Roosevelt. Roosevelt was the President of America. Stalin, the Dictator of Russia, had talks with Roosevelt, the President of America.

By using a noun or phrase in apposition

More about object complements

AUGUST 7, 2011
Some transitive verbs can be followed by an object together with an object complement (an expression that gives more information about the object). The object complement is usually an adjective or a noun phrase. Study the following sentences. Subject Verb You She make makes Object me me Object complement nervous. happy.

You She I

are driving me called find me

crazy. a liar.

her attitude strange.

After some verbs, an object complement is introduced by as. This is common when we say how we see or describe somebody or something.

We regard him as a genius. The metal was identified as mercury. I see you as a basically nice person.

Some verbs that refer to thoughts, feelings and opinions can be followed byobject + infinitive. Examples are: believe, consider, feel, know, find, think and understand.

I believed him to be conscientious. We considered her to be an excellent choice. They believed him to be a German spy. I believed that he was conscientious. We considered that she was an excellent choice.

In a less formal style, these verbs are followed by that-clauses.

Passive structures Passive versions of these structures are possible.

He was elected President. He is regarded as a genius. He was thought to be unreliable.

Sentence correction
AUGUST 6, 2011
Incorrect: Neither Peter nor John were present. Correct: Neither Peter nor John was present. Two singular nouns connected by or or nor should be followed by a singular verb. Incorrect: Neither the lecturers nor the principal were present at the meeting. Correct: Neither the principal nor the lecturers were present at the meeting. When two subjects connected by or or nor are of different numbers, the plural subject should be written last and it should be followed by a plural verb. Incorrect: Neither I nor he has money to buy that watch. Correct: Neither he nor I have money to buy that watch. Incorrect: Neither James nor you seem to be capable of doing that. Correct: Neither you nor James seems to be capable of doing that.

When the subjects connected by or or nor are of different persons, the verb should agree in person with the subject nearest to it. The subjects should be arranged in the proper order the person spoken to, first; the person spoken of, second; and the speaker, last). Incorrect: A committee were appointed to study the question. Correct: A committee was appointed to study the question. Incorrect: The jury was divided in its opinion. Correct: The jury were divided in their opinion. Group nouns (e.g. committee, jury, army, team, family etc.) are followed by singular verbs when the group is thought of as a single unit. But when individual members of the group are thought of, the plural verb is used.

Cases where words can be left out

AUGUST 5, 2011
When expressions are joined by and, but or or, we often leave out repeated words or phrases of various kinds. Study the following sentences

A knife and fork OR a knife and a fork These boys and girls (More natural than these boys and these girls) Ripe apples and oranges (More natural than ripe apples and ripe oranges) She is ill but cheerful. OR She is ill but she is cheerful. She likes mutton but hates chicken. (Instead of She likes mutton but she hates chicken) The food and the drinks are ready. (Instead of The food is ready and the drinks are ready)

Note that when two verbs or objects are the same, it is not always the second that is left out.

I can and will go. (NOT I can go and will.)

Singular and plural When one verb joins two singular subjects connected by and, a plural verb form is used.

My father and mother work in education. (NOT My father and mother works in education.) Either Jake or Steve has stolen the money.

When two singular subjects are connected by or, the verb is singular. Words are not usually left out after other conjunctions.

She was depressed because she didnt know what to do. (NOT She was depressed because didnt know what to do.)

Participles as adjectives
AUGUST 4, 2011
Participles can often be used as adjectives before nouns, or after be and other copular verbs.

A fallen leaf A lost dog An interesting book Screaming children

Not all participles can be used as adjectives before nouns for example, we say a lost dog but not a found dog. It is not possible to give clear rules about this students will learn the most usual combinations as they learn the rest of their English. We often use participles after nouns in order to define or identify the nouns.

The people questioned gave their own versions of the story. (= The people who were questioned gave their own versions of the story.) (NOT The questioned people gave their own versions of the story.)

We often use those with a participle to mean the ones who are / were.

Those questioned gave very different opinions. (= The ones who were questioned gave different opinions.) Those selected should report for duty on Monday.

The exact meaning of a few participles depends upon their position in the sentence. Compare: A concerned person = a worried person The person concerned = the people who is / are affected or involved An adopted child = a child who is brought up by people who are not his / her biological parents The course of action adopted = the course of action is / was chosen.