GRAMMER

Don’t use THE in these cases

 When you refer to English language or any other language for that matter, you do
not need to use "the"(until you wish to refer to the language spoken in a
particular part of the world).
 Until and unless you want to particularize (any place) the "gold" don’t use "the"
before it or the name of any other metal.
 You don’t need "the" before Rice, Wheat (and other food grains). Only when you
wish to particularize it, should you use "the". 
 You don’t need "the" before Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (the meals). Only when you
want to talk about a particular meal, should it be preceded by "the".
 You don’t need "the" before Hockey, Cricket, Football (other games).

10 confusing nouns that we use carelessly.

1. Cousin Brother
Cousin is the son or daughter of an uncle or aunt. The word 'cousin' is never   followed
by the words 'brother/sister'. The word 'cousin' is a gender-neutral noun.
2. Daughter-in-laws
Daughter-in-law is the singular form and daughters-in-law is the correct plural form.
Incorrect: She loves her daughter-in-laws.
Correct: She loves her daughters-in-law.
3. Weather/Climate
Climate is the average weather for specified interval of time.

Weather specifies day to day state of atmosphere (temperature, humidity, precipitation,

cloudiness, etc.). Hence, if you are just talking about today, then weather is the correct
word.
4. Police
Police is a collective noun. These nouns are used as plural.
5. Date of birth
She asked, "What is your date of birth?" (Incorrect).
She asked, "What is the date of your birth?" (Correct).
6. English teacher

'English teacher' means that the teacher belongs to England.

Incorrect: Mrs. Gupta is our English teacher.

Correct: Mrs. Gupta is our teacher of English.
7. Fishes

Fish is a noun which has the same form in singular and plural.
The word fishes is generally used in biology to refer multiple species.
Gold fishes live in water. (Incorrect)
Gold fish live in water. (Correct)
8. Cost/Price

Cost comprises money, time and labor without considering the profit.

Price comprises cost and profit.

9. House/Home

House is particular type of building to live in.

Home is a particular house where one lives and is emotionally attached to.

His house is made of bricks.

I love staying at home.
10) Poor people

He donated money to the poor people. (Incorrect)

He donated money to the poor. (Correct)

10 Pairs of Commonly Confused Nouns!

1. Client & Customer
When you make use of some services yourself, you become a client.
For e.g. when you visit a lawyer and engage his services, you become a client.

A customer is someone who purchases a product from another person or business.

For e.g. when you buy a sim-card or an antivirus software from a store, you are actually
a customer.
2. Cement & Concrete
Cement is actually a binding component of concrete, while concrete is a mixture formed
by cement and other construction materials like sand, gravel, water and so on.
3. Ground & Floor

Ground is usually the open place or surrounding outside the house.

When you refer to the lower surface of any building or a house, it is floor.
                                                 
4. Title & Headline
Suppose you write a book or a story and you give a certain name to it. This means that
you assign it a "title", a name. Title doesn't necessarily throw a light on the contents of
the book
For e.g. 'Othello' is the title of a novel by William Shakespeare.

While, headline is a heading given to the articles in the magazines, newspapers etc.
Headline essentially tells us what we can expect in the article.

5. Empathy & Sympathy

When you understand and can feel another person's feelings, you empathize with them.

Sympathy is a feeling when you feel pity or sorrow for someone's grief.

Correct Usage
He gave away his old warmers to the poor beggar out of sympathy.
Being a close relative of a cancer patient, I could totally empathize with the children
when their father was diagnosed with Leukemia.

6. Dilemma & Difficulty

Dilemma is a situation where you are bound to make a choice between two alternatives
and both of them are equally undesirable. Dilemma is a kind of difficult choice.

When you find it hard or troublesome to do something effectively, you are in a difficulty.

For e.g. 
Having to choose between the career & the family, Paul was put in a terrible dilemma.
Joseph's family had difficulty in earning livelihood, after his father passed away.

7. Ethics & Morals

When you completely obey certain laws and principles, it means that you are ethical in
your actions and thoughts. Ethics are bound to legal or professional levels which are
must to follow.

Very often, in a society or group, when you behave with your own personal beliefs and
rules, you are said to be moralistic. Morals are bound to the rules framed at social or
individual level.  
                 
8. Cache & Cash

Cache specifies a place where you can keep or hide the things safely. On the other
hand, cash refers to money, coins or currency.
9. Sight & Site

Sight means the power to see.

Site is a piece of land on which something is located. A site is also referred to a website
(a page on the internet).

10. Complement & Compliment

A thing that complements something goes well with it or enhances its quality, look or
performance.

But, when you express appreciation for the things that are really done well by others,
you simply compliment them.

10 words do not need a preposition!

Prepositions are used to indicate the position of something with respect to other things
in the surrounding.
1. Resembles

The son might look like his father but he doesn’t resemble to/with his father. Example:
He resembles his father.

2. Accompany

When you go with someone, you simply accompany them and not accompany with
them. Example: I accompanied my boss to the conference on Digital India.
3. Approach

When you try to contact someone, you approach them and not approach to them.
4. Request

When you need some help from your colleague, you request them and not request to
them.
5. Marry

You marry someone, not marry with someone.

For e.g. I married my boyfriend and made him my life partner.
6. Sign

You sign the document, not sign on the document.

7. Return

When someone goes out, he returns home not returns to home.

8. Answer

You answer a question or answer someone. You do not answer to a question or to

someone.
9. Order

When you go to a restaurant, you order the drinks. Not order for drinks.
10. Pass the exam

When your child gets through an exam, he passes the exam not passes in the exam.

15 phrases that need a preposition!

1) Met an accident
The right way to use this phrase is to say "Harry met with an accident!" rather than
"Harry met an accident".
2) Ask something
If you want something from someone, you have to "ask for it" and not "ask it".
3) Propose a man
When you formally suggest someone's name for a position, you can say something like:
"Mr. Smith proposed Ms. Cynthia for the position of Finance Manager"
But, yes when you mean marriage, you propose to the girl of your dreams to be your
wife.

4) Apply the job

When you officially make a request for what you want, the correct thing would be,
"Dorothy is going to apply for a job in a software company".
But, when you look out for the permission to do something, the use of this phrase would
change slightly as, " Tom will have to apply to the passport office for visa."

5) knock the door

The people knocking at the door to draw someone's attention is correct use.

6) Enquire a matter
"The Police enquired the matter of Lisa's suicide case" say, "The Police enquired into
the matter of Lisa's suicide case".

7) To prevail a man

Peter was prevailed to share his project details (Incorrect).

Peter was prevailed upon to share his project details (Correct).

8) Reply a letter
When you reply to a letter, it means that you give response or answer to a letter by
writing back.
Matrina, will you reply the letter sent by your Mom (Incorrect)?
Matrina, will you reply to the letter sent by your Mom (Correct)?

9) Pray God
We 'pray to God' and not 'pray God'.

10) What are you talking?

Don't say: "What are you talking?" Say: "What are you talking about?"
11) What use is it?
What use is it (Incorrect)?

Of what use is it (Correct)?

12) Search a thing

We search for those things.
I searched a fountain pen all over the store but couldn't find it.

I searched for a fountain pen all over the store but couldn't find it.
13) Beware someone

If someone tells you to beware of person or thing they simply warn you that the
person or the thing might harm you.
14) Compensate a loss

If you are responsible for the damage of a car in an accident, you compensate for the
loss (and not compensate a loss).
15. Care a man

We all know that our Moms care for us and not care us.

Confusions in Conjunctions

1.
a. The child had hardly seen the mother then he came running.
b. The child had hardly seen the mother when he came running.

Answer: b.
Explanation: Hardly/ scarcely is always accompanied by when.

2.
a. I was teaching my son, at that time I got an urgent call from the office.
b. I was teaching my son when I got an urgent call from the office.
Answer: b.
Explanation: When a thing happens while the other one was going on, the right
conjunction to use is "when"
3.
a. Both SRK and Salman Khan are good actors.
b. Both SRK as well as Salman Khan are good actors.
Answer: a.
Explanation: Both is always accompanied by and.

4.
a. As soon as the teacher went out of the class then the students started making
a noise.
b. As soon as the teacher went out of the class, the student started making a
noise.
Answer: b.
Explanation: As soon as is never followed by then.

5.
a. I have given it to neither him nor his sister.
b. I have neither given it to him nor his sister.

Answer: a.
Explanation: Neither ….nor are used just before the two options in the sentence. The
options here are the two subjects. So, neither….nor are used just before them. If the
options are two actions, they will be used just before the actions.
This conjunction is used to convey the meaning, "None of the two".

6.
a. I'll either eat a burger or a pizza.
b. I'll eat either a burger or a pizza.

Answer: b.
Explanation: The conjunction either….or is also used just before the two choices. It is
used to convey the meaning- "One of the two".

7.
a. She is not only beautiful but also intelligent.
b. Not only she is beautiful but intelligent.

Answer: a.
Explanation: Not only is always followed by but also. This conjunction is used to
convey the meaning "both the qualities".
Not only & but also are used just before the two qualities that someone possesses.

8.
a. Kangaroos are both found in Australia as well as New Zealand.
b. Kangaroos are found both in Australia and New Zealand.

Answer: b.
Explanation: 'Both' is always accompanied by 'and' for the conjunction. The
conjunction is used just before the two choices.

9.
a. Unless you do not pay the fee, your application will not be entertained.
b. Unless you pay the fee, your application will not be entertained.
Answer: b.
Explanation: Unless should not be used with 'not'. They will become double negative
together. Unless itself mean, 'if not this'.

10.
a. Study hard lest you may fail.
b. Study hard lest you should fail.

Answer: b.
Explanation: Lest is always followed by should.

Right Pronoun for a Noun

1. Use plural pronouns while referring to many things or persons (nouns)

together
If you wish to refer to many things or persons (nouns) together, then the correct way is
to use the plural pronouns like they, their, them, their, themselves.

2. Use a singular pronoun if you are referring to a single person

For e.g. Mr. Jackson, my college friend and a lawyer is known for his good judgment.

3. Use a plural pronoun when referring to two different people separated by "and"
For e.g. The Coach and the Captain discussed their views about the new team.

4. When addressing to two or more things together using "as well as"

If you are referring to many people or things making use of 'as well as', the pronoun
should agree with the first subject or thing among the two.

For e.g. Martin as well as his colleagues is working hard to finish his project.

5. When two singular nouns are joined by "and" preceded by "each" or "every" or
joined by "either …. Or" or "neither ….. Nor"

Very often we refer to people or things in our sentences with words like 'each', 'every', or
join them with 'either...or', 'neither...nor' etc. In such situations, make sure that pronoun
you use agrees with the second person or thing.
E.g. Each child and each mother will bring her bags.

10 Confusing Adjectives

1) Some, Any
Some is used:
i. When you want to speak positively.
ii. When you mean a little, a few or a small quantity.
iii. When you want to offer or request something.

Any is used:
i. To indicate negation or when you expect negative answer to your question.
ii. After If
iii. After Hardly/ Scarcely.

2) Less, Lesser
When we want to talk about something which is 'not too much in a quantity', we use
'Less'.
While 'Lesser' is the advanced form of 'less', it means "not greater than the other of
same type'.

3) Much, Many
Both these words mean "a lot of" but 'much' is used to indicate quantity and 'many' is
used to represent the number.

4) All, Whole
'All' shows the total of many things together while 'whole' implies the total of one
thing.

5) Farther, Further
When you justify the nouns with some physical distance like miles, km, inches
etc.  Then 'Farther' is preferred, while 'Further' helps you to show something
additional or extra.

6) Common, Mutual
In a mutual relationship, you reciprocate the same way as the other person does.
When something is shared by many, it is "common".

7) Older, Elder
Older is used for people, animals and things. It is used for people not belonging to the
same family.
Elder is used for the members of the same family. Sometimes, 'elder' is also used to
show respect to one's position or achievement.

8) First, Former, Foremost

When we want to convey the idea of order or position, 'First' is the correct word.
Former refers to the first one of the two mentioned things. It also refers to the position
you previously held.
Foremost is something which is noteworthy and holds the prime importance.

9) Few, a few, very few

i. Few: It means "not many" and is the opposite of "many"
ii. A few: It means "some" and is the opposite of "none"
iii. 'The Few' refers to 'a number which is not many but all there is'.

10. Little, a little, the little

i. When we say 'little', it means "not so much".
ii. 'A little' means 'some but not much' and is used in positive sense.
iii. 'The little' expresses something like "an amount which is not too much, but all that
there is".