I’m Busy  Keep me informed

 Get back to me
 I’m up to my neck
 Enlighten me
 I’ve lots to do
 Notify me
 I’m swamped
 I’m tied I’m sorry
 My agenda is full
 I sincerely apologize
 Buried with work
 I owe you an apology
 I’m up to my ears
 Ever so sorry
I Agree  I had that wrong
 Excuse me
 Agreed
 It’s all my fault
 Absolutely
 Pardon me
 Affirmative
 We are of one mind It is important
 No doubt about it
 It’s significant
 Our thoughts are parallel
 It’s essential
 Definitely
 It’s considerable
Let me know  It’s notable
 It’s meaningful
 Keep me posted
 It’s substantial
 Keep me updated
 It’s remarkable
 Keep me in the loop
How are you
 How are you doing?
 How are things?
 What’s up?
 What’s new?
 How is it going?
 How have you been?
 What is going?
I’m fine
 I’m great
 Doing well
I like
 I’m really into
 I’m a big fan of
 I’m fond of
  I’m big on
 I’m passionate about
 I’m keep on
 I’m crazy about
You’re welcome  To illustrate
 Imagine
 It’s my pleasure
 Let’s say
 Don’t mention it
 In particular
 You got it
 Not at all Give my regards
 Anytime
 Send [someone] my best
 No worries
 My best to [someone]
 I’m happy to help
 Send [someone] my greetings
Stupid  Tell [someone] I’m pleased to them
 Congratulate [someone] for me!
 Dumb
 All the best to [someone]
 Dope
 Send [someone] my compliments
 Fool
 Brainless It’s difficult
 Idiot
 It’s a bit tricky
 Moron
 It’s challenging
 Silly
 It isn’t a walk in the park
For example  It’s quite hard going
 It’s daunting
 For instance
 It’s tough
 To give you an idea
 It seems arduous
 As proof

More synonyms for “I LOVE YOU”

I adore you You’re everything to me
I’m yours You’re my missing piece
You’re my baby You drive me mad
I’ve fallen for you You make me happy
I need you I’d be lost without you
I want you You completed me
I’m all yours You’re my everything
Be mine We’re meant for each other
You’re perfect You mean so much to me
Te amo We’re perfect for each other
I fancy you I only have eyes for you
I’m into you You’re the one for me
You’re my angel We’re meant to be
You are my sunshine
 You’re the light of my life
I’m nothing without you

MORE SYNONYMS FOR “VERY”

 Extremely
 Exceedingly
 Tremendously
 Excessively
 Vastly
 Immensely
 Extraordinary
 Extra
 Exceptionally
 Especially
 Hugely

MORE SYNONYMS FOR “BAD-MANNERED”

 Vulgar  Barbaric  Ill-mannered

 Loud  Bearish  Impolite
 Oafish  Bungling  Swinish
 Ornery  Churlish  Uncivilized
 Rough  Cloddish  Uncouth
 Rude  Clownish  Uncultured
 rustic  clumsy  unpolished
 guff  coarse  unrefined
 Gross  Dense  Cantankerous
 doltish  ill-bred  clodhopping

BETTER SYNONYMS FOR “IMPORTANT”

Main salient Dominant

chief Crucial Necessary
Vital principal Foremost
Key essential Pertinent
Urgent Relevant Significant
Central Critical Predominant
Prime Cardinal Paramount
major Supreme Overriding
valued beneficial Fundamental

MORE SYNONYMS FOR “EASY’

 Uncomplicated Straightforward
Undemanding Elementary
Unchallenging Idiot-proof
Effortless Pain sailing
Painless A piece of cake
Trouble-free Child’s play
Facile Kid’s stuff
Simple No sweat

MORE SYNONYMS FOR “CONFUSED”

Baffle Discombobulated
Befuddled Disconcerted
Bewildered Flummoxed
Dazed Flustered
Disorganized Gone
Distracted Misled
Muddled Nonplussed
Perplexed Stumped
Perturbed Thrown
Puzzled Unscrewed
Abashed Unzipped
addled Mixed up

MORE SYNONYMS FOR “WEAK”

Frail Faulty Debilitated

puny Flawed Inadequate
Sick Deficient Substandard
Sickly Lacking Incapacitated
Shaky Feeble Indisposed
Poor Fragile Enervated
Ailing Delicate Exhausted
Tired Weakly Decrepit
Spent Fatigued Imperfect
infirm Worn out defective

CONFUSED WORDS

 SOMETIMES at an unspecific time in future

Give me a call sometime, and we’ll have a coffee
 SOME TIME a period of time
It will take some TIME TO FINISH THE PROJECT TODAY
 SOMETIMES occasionally,
Sometimes IT’S BEST NOT SAY ANYTHING
IDIOMS

1. LEND AN EAR

Meaning: To listen carefully

2. Hold your horses

Meaning: Slow down, wait

3. In hot water

Meaning: in trouble

4. Hit the pillow

Meaning: to go to bed

5. Hit the books

Meaning: To study hard

6. Finger licking good

Meaning: very tasty

7. Happy as clam

Meaning: Very happy

8. Eat like a pig

Meaning: Eat to much

9. Feel blue

Meaning: to feel sad

10. Fender bender

Meaning: a little car accident

11. Drop the ball

Meaning: to make a mistake

12. Easy as pie

Meaning: very easy

13. Eat like a bird

Meaning: to eat very little

WORDS TO USE INSTEAD OF VERY 23. VERY SPOTLESS

CLEAN
1. VERY FRAIL 24. VERY BRIEF
WEAK SHORT
2. CERY TINY 25. VERY ARDUOUS
LITTLE DIFFICULT
3. VERY LUMINOUS 26. VERY DRY ARID
BRIGHT 27. VERY RAPID
4. VERY BUSY SWAMPED QUICK
5. VERY CAUTIOUS 28. VERY BAD AWFUL
CAREFUL 29. VERY INTELLIGENT
6. VERY VIBRANT SMART
COLORFUL 30. VERY SAD SORROWFUL
7. VERY INNOVATIVE 31. VERY EASY EFFORTLESS
CREATIVE
32. VERY FURIOUS
8. VERY BUSTLING ANGRY
CROWED
33. VER GORGEOUS
9. VERY DEEP PROFOUND BEAUTIFUL
10. VERY DESOLATE 34. VERY BIG MASSIVE
EMPTY
35. VERY DULL
11. VERY BASIC BORING
SIMPLE
36. VERY POOR DESTITUTE
12. VERY SLEEK
37. VERY HILARIOUS
SMOOTH
FUNNY
13. VERY SKELETAL
38. VERY SLUGGISH
SKINNY
SLOW
14. VERY APOLOGITIC
39. VERY OBVIOUS
SORRY
CLEAR
15. VERY EXCEPTIONAL
40. VERY PERFLEXED
SPECIAL
CONFUSED
16. VERY DELICIOUS
41. VERY LONG EXTENSIVE
TASTY
42. VERY SLACK
17. VERY PARCHED
LOOSE
THRISTY
43. VERY EXACT
18. VERY CONSTRICTING
ACCURATE
TIGHT
44. VEARY FEARFUL
19. VERY TINY MINUSCULE
AFRAID
20. VERY TIRED EXHAUSTED
45. VERY DULL TEDIOUS
21. VERY DEFEANING
46. VERY KEEN
NOISY
EAGER
22. VERY STINGY
47. VEY EVIL WICKED
CHEAP
48. VERY FAST QUICK
 49. VERY FEROCIOUS GREAT
FIERCE 56. VEARY LEADEN
50. VERY ADORABLE HEAVY
LOVELY 57. VERY STARVING
51. VERY THRILLED HUNGRY
EXCITED 58. VERY BATTERED
52. VERY LAVISH HURTED
FANCY 59. VERY HUGE
53. VERY FAT OBSESE LARGE
54. VERY AMIABLE 60. VERY LAZY INDOLENT
FRIENDLY
55. VERY TERRIFIC

WHOM
Whom is an object pronoun like ‘him’, ‘her’, ‘us’, and etc.….
We use WHOM to ask which person receives an action.

Example
 Whom will he blame for the accident?
 The man whom I saw at the theater last night is an engineer.
 Whom does God favor?
 This is my neighbor whom I like a lot.

THEREFORE

Therefore, is used to show the result/effect of an action. Therefore, is a conjunctive adverb.

You can use it as a transition word in sentence.

Examples

 She came first. Therefore, she got a good seat

 Mary studied hard for the chemistry exam. Therefore, she got an A.
 There were not enough participants. Therefore, the trip was cancelled.
 I’m sleepy. Therefore, I’m going to bed.

ALTHOUGH

Although means “in spite of something”. It can be used at the beginning or in the middle of a

sentence, but it doesn’t have a comma afterwards.

EXAMPLES

 Although it rained all day, we enjoyed the football match very much.
 She failed in the math exam, although she studied very hard.
 Although he ran very fast, she lost the final race.

BOTH …AND
 Both… and refers to two things or people together. It is always considered plural in a sentence.

EXAMPLES

 You can be both mother and businesswoman.

 Both Alice and Susan have to comply with the rules
 I used to like playing both football and basketball when I was young.

EVEN IF

Even if means whether or not. It is used to emphasize that something will still be true if another

thing happens

EXAMPLE

 Even if you take a taxi, you’ll still miss your plane.

 You will go to that cinema even if they don’t allow you.
 Even if I had three hours to spare for shopping, I wouldn’t go out and buy a notebook.
 Even if Alex earned a big salary, he would not but a fast car.

WHEREAS

Whereas links two ideas that contrast with each other. It is a conjunction. It is used to highlight

an important difference between two similar things or facts.

EXAMPLE

 Whereas we did all the job, they enjoyed themselves.

 He is careful, whereas I take the risks.
 The old system was fairly complicated whereas the new system is really very simple.
 The south has a hot, dry climate, whereas the north has a milder, wetter climate

UNLESS

Unless means; except on the condition that. Unless needs a main clause to make a complete

sentence

EXAMPLES

 She will be sick unless she stops eating.

 Unless you are to tired let’s go for a walk at the park.
 Unless my son finish homework, he can’t go out.
 You don’t need to go unless you want to.

12 WAYS TO SAY GOOD LUCK  All the best!

 Best of luck!
  Fingers crossed!  You’ll great!
 Wishing you all the best!  All the best to you!
 Wishing you lots of luck!  I hope it all goes well!
 You are going to be amazing!  Have a blast!
 You were made for this!  I wish you luck!

9 WAYS TO TELLING SOMEONE TO WAIT 12 WAYS TO SAY SOMEONE IS CORRECT

 Could you wait me a minute?  Absolutely

 (informal) hang on a sec/ just a second  Exactly
 Hold on  That’s it
 Let me see/think  That’s spot on
 I’ll be right back  There is nothing to add on that
 Bear with me  Yes, that’s very correct
 That’ll have to wait  Yes, that’s right
 Be patient  You are quite right
 Not so fast  You could say so
 You have hit a nail on the head
12 WAYS TO SAY ITS BORING
 You’re dead right
 I don’t appreciate that.  I’m afraid so
 I was bored to death
12 WAYS TO SAY HAPPY
 I was dying of boredom
 I’m disinterested with that  Over the moon
 I’m impartial about that  Delighted
 I’m not a big fan of it  Blissful
 I’m not crazy about it  Contented
 I’m not keen on it  Thrilled
 It bores me to tears  Pleased
 It doesn’t tickle my fancy  Radiant
 It’s not my cup of tea  Satisfied
 It’s about as exciting as watching paint  Beaming
dry  On the cloud nine
 In the good mood
 Jocular

12 WAYS TO SAY SOMEONE IS INCORRECT

7 OTHER WAYS TO SAY LAZY
 Actually, I don’t think so
 Bone idle  Actually, I think you’ll find that
 Indolent  I don’t think you are right about
 Sluggish  I’m afraid you’re mistaken.
 Shiftless  No, that’s all wrong
 Slack  No, you’ve got it wrong
 Lethargic  Oh no, that’s not correct
 Inactive  Sorry, you’re mistaken here
  Where did you hear that?  Would you mind to think twice on what
you’re saying?
 You have done that wrong. Do it over.

ENGLISH IDIOMS

Idioms Meaning
1. Down to earth Sensible and realistic
2. Hang in there Don’t give up
3. Kick the bucket Die
4. Balls in your court It is up to you to make the next decision or
step

LIE VS LAY

LIE =intransitive verb (no object)

Example: The fat cat lies to lie in the sun.

LAY= transitive verb (with object) past tense is lie

Example: I don’t like to lay my purse on the floor.

EMIGRATE VS IMMIGRATE

EMIGRATE= leaving

Example: many people had to emigrate from Europe during the Nazi period

IMMIGRATE= coming

Example: he immigrated to Brazil in search of a better life.

FLAIR VS FLARE

FLAIR= skill, talent or style

Example: Julie has artistic flair.

FLARE= a sudden blaze

Example: the flare from a lighter scared the small child as the flame illuminated her face.

FLAMMABLE VS INFLAMMABLE

Inflammable and flammable are two words that are frequently misinterpreted. Some people mistake the
words as having opposite meaning. Flammable and inflammable mean exactly the same thing- capable
of burning.
IT’S VS ITS

IT’S = contraction of “it is”

Example: It’s a filthy animal

ITS= possessive pronoun/ adjective

Example: Its name is Bob.

ALREADY, STILL, YET

ALREADY STILL YET

Already means that something
happened earlier that we
expected. With Present Perfect
Tense already usually goes after
have or has and before the
main verb.
Still means that something is Yet means that something that
ongoing, hasn’t finished we expected has happened or
particularly when it was hasn’t happened. We usually
expected to finish earlier. put it at the end of a sentence.

Example Example Example

 He has already done the
shopping, he is
watching tv now.
 Have you already taken
the money?
 I’ve already seen that
film. I don’t want to see
it again.
 Is your father still at the
same company?
 The baby is still crying
 I am still doing my work
 Are you still playing the
basketball?
 She won’t have sent the
email yet.
 Samuel has bought a
new dress, but he
hasn’t worn it yet.
 He hasn’t watered the
flowers yet.

ALTHOUGH VS EVEN THOUGH

ALTHOUGH EVEN THOUGH

“Although” means “in spite of something” “Even though” means “in spite of something”.
Although-subject-verb Even though – A clause

Example Example

 Although it rained all day, we enjoyed the  Even though they were millionaires, they
football match very much live old house.
 She failed in the math exam, although  We are still vey thirsty, even though we
she studied very hard. drank too much water.
 Although he ran very fast, she lost the  Even though she’s much older than
final race others, she won the race.
  Even though she was late, the teacher
didn’t write him absent.
IN TIME VS ON TIME

In time On time
In time: soon enough/ before it is too late to be On time: punctual (at the time it is supposed to
able to do something begin)

Example Example

 I got stuck in a traffic jam and I couldn’t
make it in time to the airport. I lost my
flight!!!!
 I didn’t arrive on time, but the train was
delayed so I made it in time to catch it
anyway.
 She tried to commit suicide, but luckily, I
got there in time to keep her from doing
so.
 My car won’t start; I won’t be able to get
to work on time.
 I have scheduled the meeting for 5 pm.
Please, arrive on time.
 Being on time is extremely important for
a job interview.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

GET VS ARRIVE

Get Arrive
To – (a place) In (country/town

Example  We arrived in the USA last Sunday.

 The team will arrive in Paris on Monday
 What time did you get to the hotel?
 I got to the hotel around 2:00. At (building)

Home  She arrived at the station early.

 What time will you arrive at the situation.
Example

 When will she get home?

 She will get home at noon

TOO SO
Too means more than enough, more than So makes an adjective or adverb stronger.
needed, more than necessary.
 He drives to fast.
 He drives too fast.
COLLECTIVE NOUNS
 A faculty of academics
 A cast/ troupe/ company of actors
 A squadron/ flight/ fleet of airplanes
 An attack of aliens
 A congregation of alligators
 A herd of alpacas
 A host/ choir of angles
 A tribe/ menagerie of animals
 A herd of antelope(s)
 A collection of antiques
 A colony/ army /swarm of ants
 A shrewdness/ troop of apes
 A crop of apples
 An argument of architect
 A sheaf/ quiver of arrows
 A battery of artillery
 A troupe of artistes
 A bundle of asparagus
 A herd/ drove of asses
 A belt of asteroids
 A field/ team of athletes
 An album of autographs
 A troop/ congress of baboons
 A culture of bacteria
 A cete/ colony of badgers
 A crate/ bunch of bananas
 Roll of banknotes
 A babble of barbers
 A battery of barracudas
 A fleet of bass
 A colony of bats
 A grove of bayonets
 A string/rope of beads
 A sloth of bears
 A colony/ lodge of beavers
 A bevy of beauties
 A bevy of beautiful ladies
 A dormitory of beds
 A crew of sailors
 A set of sails
 A communion of saints
 A shoal/ run of salmon
 A fling of sandpipers
 A shoal/ family of sardines
 A horde of savages
 A troop of scouts
 A herd of seahorses
 A herd of sea urchins
 A scolding of seamstresses
 A house of senators
 A staff of servants
 A flock of sheep
 A crowd of spectators
 A cluster/ clutter of spiders
 A dray/ scurry of squirrels
 A flight of stairs
 A collection/ album of stamps
 A chattering/ crowd/ congregation of
starlings
 A constellation of stars
 A bundle of sticks
 A heap/pile of stones
 An anthology/ collection of stories
 A herd/ mustering of storks
 A picket of strikers
 A class/ academy of students
 A flight of swallows
 A gang of prisoners
 An anthology of prose
 An assembly/ class of pupils
 A litter of puppies
 A bevy/ covey of quail
 An empire of queens
 A rosary of quotations
 A bury/colony/ warren of rabbits
 A field/ string of racehorses
 A nursery/ gaze of raccoons
 A bundle of rags
 A shower of rain
 A pack of rascals
 A colony or horde of rats
  An unkindness of ravens

Agitated = Very worried

1. She seemed agitated about something.

2. There’s no point in getting agitated.

Corpulent = if you describe someone as corpulent, you mean they are fat.

1. This is a story about a corpulent gentleman.

2. A corpulent farmer who worked regularly.

Tear-jerker = a film, play, book that makes you cry.

1. Bring a pile of tissues with you when you watch that tear-jerker film.
2. I’ve never read such a tear-jerker book.

Pertaining to = related/ belonging to

1. Write a topic pertaining to the importance of hard work.

2. There were Problems pertaining to education sector.

Henpecked = a henpecked husband is frightened of his wife and is in complete control of her.

1. I wish I had a henpecked husband, she said.

2. Nadeem is a henpecked husband who never dared to contradict his wife.

Surly = Bad-tempered and unfriendly

1. We were served by a very surly waiter.

2. Aamir gave a surly look.

Assertive = The one who behaves confidently and is not frightened to say what they want or believe.

1. If you really want to promotion, you’ll have to be assertive.

2. He is too assertive as a salesman.

Taciturn = a taciturn person does not speak very much and remain quiet.

1. He doesn’t talk to anybody; he is taciturn person.

2. Your all siblings are talkative but why Faizan a taciturn one?

Retaliate = to hurt or do something harmful to someone because they have done or said something
harmful to you.

1. He retaliated because you had insulted him before.

2. Pakistan’s military responded by saying, it would retaliate against any attack.

I WILL SUPPORT YOU

1. Count on my support
2. I’ve got your back
 3. I’m still cheering for you
4. Lean on me if you need to.
5. You can always count on me
6. I’m here for you
7. I’ll be by your side
8. I’m behind you 100%

I’M HUNGRY

1. I’m starving
2. I’m famished
3. Hungry as wolf
4. I have an appetite
5. I could eat a horse
6. I’m ravenous
7. I have got the munchies
8. My stomach is growing

DO IT

1. Go for it!
2. Give it a try!
3. It’s worth a shot!
4. You can do this!
5. What do you have to lose?
6. What are you waiting for?
7. See if you can do something
8. No one’s judging you.

SINGULAR AND ITS PLURAL FORM

SINGULAR PLURAL
 Focus  Foci
 Locus  Loci
 Radius  Radii
 syllabus  syllabi
 Agendum  Agenda
 Curriculum  Curricula
 Medium  Media
 Sanatorium  Sanatoria
 Criterion  Criteria
 Phenomenon  Phenomena
 Axis  Axes
 Basis  Bases
 crisis  crises
  Oasis  Oases
 Index  Indices
 Vertex  Vertices

Idioms

Behind the time = Old-fashioned

Parts of speech
1. Nouns
2. Pronouns
3. Verbs
4. Adverbs
5. Adjectives
6. Articles
7. Conjunction
8. Interjection
9. Prepositions

Nouns

Nouns are words that identify or name people, places, things or ideas.

Pronouns

Pronouns are words that represent nouns, people, places, thins or ideas

Example: I , you , he, she, it, we, him, her, they ,those, that, themselves and who

Verbs

Verbs are words that describe the action or states of being of people, animals, places or things.

Example:

Action: run, watch, dance, ask

State of being: Is, are be, have, has, was, are.

Adverbs

Adverbs are words that modify Verbs, adjectives or other adverbs, and tells us how, how often,
when or where.

Examples

How: Quickly, hardly, slowly

How often: sometimes, never

When: since, after, soon

Where: inside, behind, away

ADJECTIVES

Adjectives are words that modify (add description to) nouns and pronouns.

Examples

Red, blue, fast, slow, big, tall and wide etc.

CONJUNCTIONS

Conjunction are words that connect other words, phrases, or clauses, expressing a specific kind
of relationship between the two (or more) elements.

Examples

And, but, or for, until so because

INTERJECTIONS

Interjections are used to express strong emotions and are often followed by an exclamation
mar.

Examples

Ah! Aha! Oh no! Phew! Aww! Grr!

PREPOSITION

Prepositions are words that express a relationship between a noun or pronoun.

Example

At, on, in across

EXPRESSING YOUR ANGRY

 I don’t believe it!

 What a pain!
 It is possible?
 I could really do without it.
 It really gets on my nerves.
 I’m sick and tired of
 I’m fed up with it.
 Damn it!
 Rubbish!
 Just you wait!
 Get out of my way!
  That’s the last straw!
 mind your own business!
 Its none of your business
 I don’t think that’s very clever!
 I get so irritated by Tom I can’t be around her.
 Please I’m so mad right now I can’t talk to you.

Can vs Could

Can Could
Ability(present) Ability(past)
 I can speak Chinese  He could swim well when he was ten
years old.
Possibility(present) Possibility(past)
 One wrong move can lose the whole  A lot of employees could be fired.
game
Permission(informal) Permission(polite)
 If you need, you can take my car.  Could I open the window?
Request(informal) Request(polite)
 Can you give me a hand?  Could you open the door, please?
Offer(help) Suggestion
 How can I help you?  You could call me whenever you want.
Can not (not allowed) Conditional
 You can’t smoke here. This is hospital!  If you call me, I could help you.

1. Posthumous
A book published after the death of its author.
2. Fratricide
Murder of brothers
3. Convalescent
One who is recovering from illness
4. Eccentric
One who has strange habits

FARTHER VS FURTHER

Farther Further
Farther describes a distance relatively. Further suggest a quantity or degree.
 A farther from B than I thought.  I extended my speech time further than I
should.
IMPLY VS INFER

Imply Infer
Imply means, ‘to suggest or state indirectly Infer means ‘to draw a conclusion’
 The article implied that the pilot was  According to the numbers, we certainly
responsible for the accident. infer that.

EMIGRATE VS IMMIGRATE

Emigrate Immigrate
Emigrate means to “to leave one country or Immigrate means “to enter another country and
region to live in another.” live there.”
 I Emigrated from my country to avoid  Many Mexicans immigrate to the U.S
religious persecution.

FORMAL VS INFORMAL

 Rich  Wealthy
 Break down  Collapse
 Childish  Infantile
 Live  Reside
 Job  Occupation
 Go up  Increase
 Stand for  Represent
 Leave out  Omit
 Think about  Consider
 Seems  Appear
 I think  In my opinion
 To sum  To conclude
 In the end  Finally,
 But  However,
 Point out  Indicate
 


PHRASAL VERB

TOW AWAY

To take a vehicle away by pulling it with another vehicles, especially because it is parked
illegally.

 Your mother’s car has been towed away.

CLINOMANIA

An excessive desire to remain in bed

RULES OF SUBJECT, VERB, AGREEMENT

Rule 1
If two subjects are joined by ‘and‘, the plural verb will be used.
Example: Ram and Shyam are coming.
Rule 2
If two or more than two nouns are adjectives are joined
by ‘and’ but only person or thing or idea is discussed singular
verb will be used.
Examples:
1. My friend, philosopher and guide have come. (change ‘have‘
to ‘has‘)
2. Slow and steady win the race. (change ‘win‘ into ‘wins‘)
3. Fish and chips is my favourite dish. (no error)
If  two uncountable nouns  are joined by ‘and‘ and if tow
different subjects are discussed,  plural verb  will be used.
Example: Poverty and misery come together.

Rule 3
If the subject is joined by ‘as well as‘, ‘with‘, ‘alongwith‘, ‘together
with‘, ‘and not‘, ‘In addition to‘, ‘but‘, ‘besides‘, ‘except‘, ‘rather than‘,
‘accompained by‘, ‘like‘, ‘unlike‘, ‘no less than‘, ‘nothing but‘, the verb
will agree with the first subject.
Examples:
1. Ram, as well as his parents, is coming.
2. The captain along with the sailors was drowned.
3. My father, unlike my uncles, is very strict.
Rule 4
If an article is placed just before the 1st subject, it means
the person/think is the same for which two nouns are used.
Hence singular verb will be used.
Examples:
1. A white and black gown was bought by her.
2. Churchil was a great orator and a great politician of his
time. (wrong)
Churchil was a great orator and politician of his time. (right)
But if an article is used before every subject, it refers
to  different people/things.
Hence plural verb will be used.
Example: The director and  the producer  have come.
Rule 5
If two subjects are joined by ‘neither….nor‘, ‘either … or‘, ‘not only‘,
…’but also‘, ‘nor‘, ‘or‘, ‘none-but‘, the verb will agree with
the nearest subject.
Examples:
1. Neither  Ram nor Shyam has come.
2. Either Ram or  his friends have come.
3. Has Ram or Shyam come?
Rule 6
‘Neither of‘ means ‘not either of the two things or people‘.
Neither of the judges of the division bench knew about the facts of the
case. (Correct)
 ‘None of‘ means ‘not one of the groups of things or
people‘.
1. Neither of his four sons looked after him. (incorrect)
2. None of his four sons looked after him.
 ‘Either of‘ means ‘one of the two things or people‘.
Examples:
1. Either of the five members is at fault. (incorrect)
2. One of the five members is at fault. (correct)
3. Either of the twins will be made the trustee. (correct)
Note: ‘Not’ is not used with  ‘both‘. For this purpose ‘neither of‘
is used.
1. Both of them did not take the exam.
2. Neither of them took the exam.
Rule 7
Certain nouns are plural in form but singular in meaning. Hence
they take singular verb.
Names list

Names of Measles, Mumps, Rickets, Shingles etc.

diseases

Names of games Billiards, Darts, Draughts etc.

Names of The United States, The West Indies etc.

Countries
Names list

Names of books The Arabian Nights, Three Musketeers etc.

Names of Physics, Economics, Civics, Statistics, Politics,

subjects Linguistics.
1. Mathematics is an interesting subject
2. Politics  is not my cup of tea.
Note: If ‘Statics‘ means ‘data‘,  Mathematics‘ means
‘Calculation‘ and ‘Politics‘ means ‘Political thought‘, plural
verb is used.
Example:  Statics  have revealed multiple scams in the
organisation of the Commonwealth Games.
Rule 8
Usually, we match the verb with the nearest subject but this is
wrong. Match the verb with the main subject of the sentence.
Examples:
1. The quality of apples is good.
2. He and not his parents is guilty.
3. The appeal of the victims for the transfer of the cases
related to riots to some other states has been accepted.
Rule 9
Collective noun always takes a singular verb.
Examples:
1. The herd of cows is grazing in the field.
2. The committee has unanimously taken its decision.
If there is a division among the members of the collective noun or
we talk about the members of the collective noun, plural verb and
plural pronoun are used.
1. The jury are divided in their opinion.
2. The audience have taken their seats.
Rule 10
The plural number will always take a plural verb.
Hundred boys are in my class.
Note: If  plural noun  is used after cardinal
adjectives (one, two,  three,  four  etc.) and if plural noun denotes
certain amount, weight,  height or period, singular verb will be
used.
In other words, we can say that the plural numbers used as
a singular unit will take a singular verb.
Examples:
1. Hundred rupees is in my pocket.
2. Ten miles is a long distance to cover on foot.

Subject-verb Agreement Rules

Rule 11
If a subject and the verb are joined by a relative pronoun, the
verb used will agree with the antecedent to the relative pronoun.
Examples:
1. She is one of the noblest women that has ever lived on this
earth.
(That is a relative pronoun so here we use ‘have‘ in place of
‘has‘)
2. I am not one of those who will trust everyone whom I
meet.
(who is a relative pronoun so here we use ‘they meet‘ in
place of ‘i meet‘
Note: Try to understand the meaning of the sentence in this type
of questions.
Rule 12
Each, Every, Everyone, Someone, Somebody, Nobody, None, One, An
y, Many a, More than one, are singular. Hence they will take
a singular verb, singular noun, and singular pronoun.
Examples:
1. Each student has come.
 2. Each boy each girl has come.
3. One must tolerate one’s friend as well as his enemy. (Use
‘one’s‘ in place of ‘his‘)
4. Many a student have not done their homework. (Use ‘his‘ in
place of ‘their‘)
5. More than one man was present there.
Note: Many is used in the following ways:
 Many a  man has come.
 Many men  have come.
 A great /A good many men have come.

Rule 13
If ‘of‘ is used after each, every, one, etc. The noun or pronoun that
comes immediately after ‘of‘ will be plural in form. However
the verb, pronoun, adjective, etc. That comes in the latter part of
the sentence will be singular in form.
Example: One of the boys/them has done his work.
Rule 14
If ‘each‘ is used after Plural noun or plural pronoun, plural
verb is used.
We each have a duty towards our nation.
Rule 15
If Indefinite Pronoun ‘One‘ comes as the subject of a sentence, it
takes singular verb and singular pronoun ‘one‘, ‘one’s‘, and ‘oneself‘
and not ‘he‘, ‘him‘, ‘his‘ or ‘himself‘. For example:
Examples:
 One should keep his promise. (incorrect)
 One should keep one’s promise. (correct)
Rule 16
If a sentence states an imaginary position, it starts with if, as if, as
though, suppose, I wish, in case, would that etc. In such sentences
‘were‘ is used the verb irrespective of the number of the subject.
Examples:
1. I wish, I were bird.
2. If he were rich, he would help others.
Rule 17
An optative Sentences, singular subject takes plural verb.
Example: Long live the Queen.
(‘live‘ = plural verb, ‘queen‘ = singular subject)
Rule 18
A number of / ‘a large number of ‘/ ‘a great number of’ is used
with plural countable noun. Hence they will take plural verb.
Examples: A number of students were present. (correct)
Note: A number of  denotes the number of plural countable
noun. It will take singular verb.
 The number of boys are fifty. (incorrect)
 The number of boys is fifty. (correct)

Rule 19
With uncountable nouns we use ‘Amount of /Quantity of’ followed
by a singular verb.
Examples:
 The amount of money are not sufficient. (correct)
 The amount of money is not sufficient. (correct)
Rule 20
‘All‘ can be used in both countable and uncountable sense. When used
as uncountable, it takes singular verb and when used as countable, it
takes plural verb.
Examples:
1. All is well that ends well.
2. All are well at home.
Rule 21
Scenery, Poetry, Furniture, Advice, Information, Hair, Business, Mischi
ef, Bread, Stationery, Crockery, Luggage, Baggage, Postage, Knowled
ge, Wastage, Jewelry, Breakage, Equipment, Evidence, Work (works
means literary
pieces), News, Percentage, Dirt, Dust, Traffic, Electricity, Music, Confe
ctionery, pottery, Bakery, Behaviour, Word  (When used in sense of
discussion) Fuel and Cost are uncountable nouns and hence will take
singular verb. These nouns will not take article. ‘A/An‘, ‘many‘, ‘few‘,
‘number of‘, and ‘plural form‘.
Examples:
1. The scenery of Kashmir has enchanted us.
2. I passed the exam but the percentage of marks was not
good.
3. The mischief committed by him is unpardonable.
4. His hair is black.
5. I have some equipment that I needed for the project.
Such nouns have no plural form but sometimes we need the
singular/plural form of some of these nouns. The singular/plural form
is made by adding certain words before the uncountable nouns.
Examples:
1. He gave me a piece of information.
2. All pieces of information given by her were reliable.
3. Many kinds of furniture are available in that shop.
4. I want a few articles of jewellery.
5. He ate two slices of bread.
6. Please show me some items of office stationery.
7. The police have found a strand of hair in the car.
Note: Monies is the  plural for of money which
means amounts of money.
Monies have been collected and handed to the women’s welfare society.

Rule 22
Certain nouns exist in plural forms only. Thus ‘s’ cannot be removed
from such nouns to make then singular. They take the plural verbs
with them.
Scissors, tongs, pliers, bellows, trousers, pants, pajamas, shorts, Spec
tacles, goggles, binoculars, sunglasses, gallows, fangs, alms, amends, 
archives, arrears, auspices, congratulations, embers, fireworks, lodgin
gs, outskirts, particulars, proceeds, regards, riches, remains, savings, 
shambles, surroundings, tidings, troops, tactics, thanks, valuables, wa
ges, belongings, braces, etc.
Examples:
1. Where are my pants?
2. Where are the tongs?
3. The proceeds were deposited in the bank.
4. All his assets were seized.
5. Alms were give to the beggars.
6. The embers of the fire were still burnings.
Note: Wages can be used in both singular & plural form. See the
following sentences

Subject-verb Agreement Rules

Rule 23
News, innings, politics, summons, physics, economics, ethics, mathem
atics, mumps, measles, rickets, shingles, billiards, athletics  are certain
nouns that are plural in form but singular in meaning. They take
singular verb.
Examples:
1. No news is good news.
2. Politics is a dirty game.
3. Economics is an interesting subject.
4. Ethics demands honesty.
Rule 24
Cattle, cavalry, infantry, poultry, peasantry, children, gentry, police, a
nd people are certain nouns are singular in form but plural in
meaning. They take plural verb ‘s‘ is never used with these nouns.
Examples:
1. Cattle are grazing in the field.
2. Our infantry have marched forward.
3. Police have arrested the thieves.
Note: ‘People‘ means ‘a number of men‘ while ‘peoples‘ means
‘people of difference races’
Example: The greek peoples were brave (Here we are talking about only
one race. Therefor the use of ‘people’ is wrong.)

Rule 25
Deer, sheep, series, species, fish, crew, team, jury, aircraft, counsel,
are certain nouns that are used in both singular and plural form. If
they are used in a singular sense, they take a singular verb and if they
are used in the plural sense, they take a plural verb.
Examples:
1. Our team is the best.
2.  Our team are trying their new uniform.
3.  There are two fish in the pond.
4.  There are many fishes in the aquarium. (Here the word
‘fishes‘ refers to different species of fish.)
Rule 26
S. +
Words Verb
N Noun/Pronoun

1. No + U.N Singular
Verb
S. +
Words Verb
N Noun/Pronoun

2. No + S.C.N Singular
Verb

3. One-third of /three-fourth of / + U.N. Singular

The rest of /A quarter of / Part Verb
of / Ten percent of / Twenty
percent of

4. One-third of / three-fourth of / + P.C.N Plural

Part of / Ten percent of / Verb
Twenty percent of

5. Most of / Some / Some of / + P.C.N Singular

Half of / Enough / Enough of / Verb
Not enough of / Plenty of / A
lot of / Lots of

6. Most of / Some / Some of / + U.N. Plural

Half of / Enough / Enough of / Verb
Not enough of / Plenty of / A
lot of / Lots of

7. The percentage of + U.N./P.C.N Singular

Verb

8. More than one + S.C.N Singular

Verb

9. More than two/three etc. + P.C.N Plural

Verb

10. More + P.C.N. + Than Plural

one Verb
The following sentences show how the rules given in the table are
followed:

1. No air is present on Mars.

1. SIMILE
In simile two unlike things are explicitly compared.
For example, “She is like a fairy”. A simile is introduced by words such as like, so, as etc.

2. METAPHOR
It is an informal or implied simile in which words like, as, so are omitted. For example,
“He is like a lion (Simile) “and “He is a lion (metaphor)”. In the following examples,
metaphors are underlined.
 She is a star of our family.
 The childhood of the world; the anger of the tempest; the deceitfulness of
the riches: wine is a mocker.
 She is now in the sunset of her days.

3. PERSONIFICATION
Personification is an attribution of personal nature, intelligence or character to
inanimate objects or abstract notions. For example, in some phrases we use, the furious
storm, the thirsty ground, and the pitiless cold. Some other examples are:

 Little sorrows sit and weep. (Boccaccio)

The dish ran away with the spoon. (Blake)

4. METONYMY
Metonymy is meant for a change of name. It is a substitute of the thing names for the
thing meant. Following examples will clarify the concept.

 The pen is mightier than the sword.

 From the cradle to the grave. = from childhood to death.
 I have never read Milton. = the works of Milton.

5. APOSTROPHE
It is a direct address to some inanimate thing or some abstract idea as if it were living
person or some absent person as if it were present. Example, “Boy’s mother loved him
very much.”

6. HYPERBOLE
Hyperbole is a statement made emphatic by overstatement. For example, “Virtues as
the sands of the shore.”

7. SYNECDOCHE
Synecdoche is the understanding of one thing by means of another. Here, a part is used
to designate the whole or the whole to designate a part. For example, “I have the Viceroy,
love the man.”, and “All hands (crew) at work.”

8. TRANSFERRED EPITHETS
In transferred epithets, the qualifying objective is transferred from a person to a thing as
in phrases. For example, “sleepless night”, “sunburn mirth”, and “melodious plain”.

9. EUPHEMISM
By using the euphemism, we speak in agreeable and favorable terms of some person,
object or event which is ordinarily considered unpleasant and disagreeable. For
example,

 He is telling us a fairy tale. (a lie)

 He has fallen asleep. (he is dead)

10. IRONY OR SARCASM

In this mode of speech, the real meanings of the words used are different from the
intended meanings. For example, the child of cobbler has no shoe.

11. PUN
This consists of a play on the various meanings of a word. Its effect is often ludicrous.
For example,

 Is life worth living? It depends upon the liver.

 Obviously, the constitution is against prostitution and congress is against
progress. (con means against and pro means for)

12. EPIGRAM
It is a brief pointed saying. It couples words which apparently contradict each other. The
language of the epigram is remarkable for its brevity. Examples are as under:
  The child is the father of the man. (Wordsworth)
 Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
 The art lies in concealing art.
 Silence is sometimes more eloquent than words.
 Conspicuous by its absence.

13. ANTITHESIS
In antithesis, a striking opposition or contrast of words is made in the same sentence in
order to secure emphasis. For example,

 To err is human, to forgive divine.

 Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.

14. OXYMORON
It is a figure of speech which combines two seemingly contradictory or incongruous
words for sharp emphasis or effect. For example,

 “darkness visible” (Milton);

 “make haste slowly” (Suetonius)
 “loving hate” (Romeo and Juliet)

15. LITOTES
It is the opposite of hyperbole. Here an affirmative is conveyed by negation of the
opposite. For example,

 He is no dullard.
 I am not a little
 He is not a bad sort.

16. INTERROGATION
This is a rhetorical mode of affirming or denying something more strongly than could be
done in ordinary language. Examples,

 Who is here so base that would be a bondman?

 Who is here so rude that would not be a Roman?
 Who is here so vile that will not love his country? (Shakespeare)

17. EXCLAMATION
It is used for strong expression of feelings. For examples, O lift me as a wave, a leaf, a
cloud I fall upon the thorns of life; I bleed!

18. CLIMAX
It is an arrangement of a series of ideas in the order of increasing importance. For
example, “What a piece of work man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties! In
action, how like an angel!”

19. ANTICLIMAX OR BATHOS

This is the opposite to climax and signifies a ludicrous descent from the higher to the
lower.

 A man so various, that he seemed to be. Not one, but all mankind’s epitome;
who in the course of one revolving moon; was lawyer, statesman, fiddler, and
buffoon.

20. ALLITERATION
The repetition of the same letter or syllable at the beginning of two or more words is
called alliteration. For example,

 By apt Alliteration’s artful a
 Glittering through the gloomy g
 The furrow follows f

21. ONOMATOPOEIA
The formation of a word whose sound is made to suggest or echo the sense as in
cuckoo, bang, growl, hiss.

 The moan of doves in immemorial elms and murmur of innumerable bees.

 Rend with the tremendous sound your ears asunder with guns, drum,
trumpet, blunderbuss, and thunder.

22. CIRCUMLOCUTION
This consists of expressing some fact or idea in a roundabout way, instead of stating it
at once. For example,
  The viewless couriers of the air. =(the wind)
 That statement of his was purely an effort of imagination. = (a fiction)

23. TAUTOLOGY OR PLEONASM

Tautology is meant for repeating the same fact or idea in different words. For example,
“It is the privilege and birthright of every man to express his ideas without any fear.”

Sentence Endings
Three of the fourteen punctuation marks are appropriate for use as sentence
endings. They are the period, question mark, and exclamation point.

The period (.) is placed at the end of declarative sentences, statements thought to

be complete and after many abbreviations.

 As a sentence ender: Jane and Jack went to the market.

 After an abbreviation: Her son, John Jones Jr., was born on Dec. 6, 2008.

Use a question mark (?) to indicate a direct question when placed at the end of a
sentence.

 When did Jane leave for the market?

The exclamation point (!) is used when a person wants to express a sudden outcry

or add emphasis.

 Within dialogue: "Holy cow!" screamed Jane.

 To emphasize a point: My mother-in-law's rants make me furious!

Comma, Semicolon, and Colon

The comma, semicolon, and colon are often misused because they all can indicate
a pause in a series.
The comma is used to show a separation of ideas or elements within the structure
of a sentence. Additionally, it is used in numbers, dates, and letter writing after the
salutation and closing.

 Direct address: Thanks for all your help, John.

 Separation of two complete sentences: We went to the movies, and then we
went out to lunch.
 Separating lists or elements within sentences: Suzi wanted the black, green,
and blue dress.

Whether to add a final comma before the conjunction in a list is a matter of debate.
This final comma, known as an Oxford or serial comma, is useful in a complex
series of elements or phrases but is often considered unnecessary in a simple series
such as in the example above. It usually comes down to a style choice by the
writer.

The semicolon (;) is used to connect independent clauses. It shows a closer

relationship between the clauses than a period would show.

 John was hurt; he knew she only said it to upset him.

A colon (:) has three main uses. The first is after a word introducing a quotation,
an explanation, an example, or a series.

 He was planning to study four subjects: politics, philosophy, sociology, and

economics.

The second is between independent clauses when the second explains the first,
similar to a semicolon:

 I didn't have time to get changed: I was already late.

The third use of a colon is for emphasis:

 There was one thing she loved more than any other: her dog.

A colon also has non-grammatical uses in time, ratio, business correspondence and
references.

Dash and the Hyphen

Two other common punctuation marks are the dash and hyphen. These marks are
often confused with each other due to their appearance but they are very different.

A dash is used to separate words into statements. There are two common types of
dashes: en dash and em dash.

 En dash: Twice as long as a hyphen, the en dash is a symbol (–) that is used
in writing or printing to indicate a range, connections or differentiations,
such as 1880-1945 or Princeton-New York trains.
 Em dash: Longer than the en dash, the em dash can be used in place of a
comma, parenthesis, or colon to enhance readability or emphasize the
conclusion of a sentence. For example, She gave him her answer  — No!
Whether you put spaces around the em dash or not is a style choice. Just be
consistent.

A hyphen is used to join two or more words together into a compound term and is
not separated by spaces. For example, part-time, back-to-back, well-known.

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Brackets, Braces, and Parentheses

Brackets, braces, and parentheses are symbols used to contain words that are a
further explanation or are considered a group.

Brackets are the squared off notations ([]) used for technical explanations or to
clarify meaning. If you remove the information in the brackets, the sentence will
still make sense.

 He [Mr. Jones] was the last person seen at the house.

Braces ({}) are used to contain two or more lines of text or listed items to show
that they are considered as a unit. They are not commonplace in most writing but
can be seen in computer programming to show what should be contained within
the same lines. They can also be used in mathematical expressions. For
example, 2{1+[23-3]}=x.

Parentheses ( () ) are curved notations used to contain further thoughts or

qualifying remarks. However, parentheses can be replaced by commas without
changing the meaning in most cases.
  John and Jane (who were actually half brother and sister) both have red
hair.

Apostrophe, Quotation Marks and Ellipsis

The final three punctuation forms in English grammar are the apostrophe,
quotation marks, and ellipsis. Unlike previously mentioned grammatical marks,
they are not related to one another in any form.

An apostrophe (') is used to indicate the omission of a letter or letters from a

word, the possessive case, or the plurals of lowercase letters. Examples of the
apostrophe in use include:

 Omission of letters from a word: I've seen that movie several times. She
wasn't the only one who knew the answer.
 Possessive case: Sara's dog bit the neighbor.
 Plural for lowercase letters: Six people were told to mind their p's and q's.

It should be noted that, according to Purdue University, some teachers and editors
enlarge the scope of the use of apostrophes and prefer their use on symbols (&'s),
numbers (7's) and capitalized letters (Q&A's), even though they are not necessary.

Quotations marks (" ") are a pair of punctuation marks used primarily to mark the
beginning and end of a passage attributed to another and repeated word for word.
They are also used to indicate meanings and to indicate the unusual or dubious
status of a word.

 "Don't go outside," she said.

Single quotation marks (' ') are used most frequently for quotes within quotes.

 Marie told the teacher, "I saw Marc at the playground, and he said to me
'Bill started the fight,' and I believed him."

The ellipsis is most commonly represented by three periods (. . . ) although it is

occasionally demonstrated with three asterisks (***). The ellipsis is used in writing
or printing to indicate an omission, especially of letters or words. Ellipses are
frequently used within quotations to jump from one phrase to another, omitting
unnecessary words that do not interfere with the meaning. Students writing
research papers or newspapers quoting parts of speeches will often employ ellipsis
to avoid copying lengthy text that is not needed.

 Omission of words: She began to count, "One, two, three, four…" until she
got to 10, then went to find him.
 Within a quotation: When Newton stated, "An object at rest stays at rest and
an object in motion stays in motion..." he developed the law of motion.

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British vs. American English

There are a few differences between punctuation in British and American English.
The following charts details some of those differences:

  British English American English

The " . " symbol is called A full stop a period
The " ! " symbol is called an exclamation mark an exclamation point
The " ( ) " symbols are called brackets parentheses
The " [ ] " symbols are called square brackets brackets
Joy means
The position of quotation marks Joy means "happiness."
"happiness".
The punctuation for Dr, Mr, Mrs, St, Rd, Dr., Mr., Mrs., St., Rd.,
abbreviations Ct Ct.