To add s or es after the last letter of a verb:
a) It must be present indefinite tense
b) It must
be singular number
c) It must
be third person.
What will happen if the last letter(s) of a verb are
o,s,ss,sh,ch x,z?
# o, s, ss, sh, ch, x, z =
es, otherwise = s
Example:
o. go goes
do does
s. focus
focuses
|
ss. cross
crosses
pass
passes
sh. brush
brushes
flash
flashes
|
ch. teach
teaches
march marches
x. mix
mixes
fix
fixes
|
z. buzz buzzes
|
Grammar:
What will happen if the last letter
of a verb is 'y'?
Ans:
Consonant + y = ies, Vowel + y = s,
Example:
cry
cries
|
try
tries
|
pay
pays
|
play
plays
|
One should avoid abbreviation
In writing, use of abbreviation is not formal. On the
contrary, one should use equivalent English.
Abbreviation
|
Equivalent
English
|
e.g. = exempli gratia
|
For example
|
i.e. =id est
|
That is
|
etc. =et cetera
|
And so on, and so forth
|
Writing Date
• 1. Use a comma to separate the date
from the year, when written in American style.
December 30, 1975 [12.30.75 - US style]
2. Do not use a comma to separate any element of the date, when written in British style (also common around the world and in the U.S. army.)
30th of December 1975 [30.12.75 - UK style]
Note: As confusion may arise from having two styles of dates, you had better not write dates using numbers alone. Instead, write the month's name as a word and the date and year as numbers.
3. Use a comma to separate the day from the date.
Tuesday, December 30 [12.30.75 - US date]
December 30, 1975 [12.30.75 - US style]
2. Do not use a comma to separate any element of the date, when written in British style (also common around the world and in the U.S. army.)
30th of December 1975 [30.12.75 - UK style]
Note: As confusion may arise from having two styles of dates, you had better not write dates using numbers alone. Instead, write the month's name as a word and the date and year as numbers.
3. Use a comma to separate the day from the date.
Tuesday, December 30 [12.30.75 - US date]
• (Preferred)
I, Me, and Myself
Wrong:
John and me share the computer.
Right:
John and I share the computer.
Wrong:
It was a valuable experience for her friend and I.
Right:
It was a valuable experience for her friend and me.
Myself:
The person receiving the action is the same as the person doing the action.
Wrong:
I cut me.
Right:
I cut myself.
Words easily confused
"Effect" is most often a
noun (the effect), and "affect" is almost always a verb.
Other pairs commonly confused:
"lead"/"led" and "accept"/"except."
Check a glossary of usage to find
the right choice.
Incorrect:
The recession had a negative affect
on sales.
Correct:
The recession had a negative effect
on sales.
(or) The recession affected
sales negatively.
Incorrect:
The laboratory instructor chose not
to offer detailed advise.
Correct:
The laboratory instructor chose not
to offer detailed advice.
Advice versus Advise:
Advice
is a noun, something that you give. It is a thing. Say, "Please give me
some advice."
Advise
is a verb, something that you do. It is some action. Say, "Please advise
me."
Loose and Lose:
The
two words, "loose" and "lose," look similar, especially to those who
speak English as a second language. It is easy to mix them up.
The
word, "loose," means something is
not tight or securely fastened down. It might easily fall apart or fall off.
The word "lose," in contrast, means
to have something go away and become lost.
Incorrect: There were some lose
wires hanging out of the wall.
Correct: There were some loose wires
hanging out of the wall.
Incorrect: He's always loosing
his car keys.
Correct: He's always losing his car
keys.
Apostrophe Errors
Apostrophes
indicate possession for nouns ("Jim's hat," "several
years' work") but not for personal pronouns (its, your, their,
and whose).
Apostrophes
also indicate omissions in contractions ("it's" = "it
is").
In
general, they are not used to indicate plurals.
Incorrect:
In
the current conflict its uncertain who's borders their contesting.
Correct:
In
the current conflict it is [it's] uncertain whose borders they are [they're]
contesting.
Wrong:
The
student's faculty advisor was very committed to their learning.
Right:
The
students' faculty advisor was very committed to their learning. (if
more than one student)
Right:
The
student's faculty advisor was very committed to her learning. (if
only one female student)
Do
not use an apostrophe to indicate a plural form of a word. Only use it to
indicate possession.
Wrong:
The student's all have busy schedules.
Right:
The students all have busy schedules
Reference:
Cambridge Dictionary
The Top 10 Spelling
Mistakes
The list
below shows you the ten words that advanced students most often spell wrongly
in the Cambridge Learner Corpus. The bold letters in these words show you which
parts of the words learners most often get wrong. To help you spell these words
correctly, pay special attention to these letters in the correct spellings:
Correct spelling
1 accommodation
2 which
3 government
4 beginning
5 definitely
6 successful
7 environment
8 advertisement
9 believe
10 colleague
Spelling
words in English can be difficult for learners because sometimes a word is very
similar to a word in their own language but is not spelled the same. This is
why French learners of English, for example, spell success with only one ‘s’,
or colleague without an ‘a’. Another thing that makes spelling difficult is
that some words in English do not sound exactly as they are spelled. In the
word definitely, for example, the second ‘i’ sounds more like an ‘a’. It is important
that students of English learn these differences
.. .. .. ..
.. .. .. .. .. ..
Collocation Mistakes
If you use
common collocations when you are writing and speaking, your English will sound
more natural and be easier to understand. Remember that collocations exist in
all languages, but different words go together in different languages. In some
languages you ‘do a mistake’, but in English, you ‘make a mistake’. On the
other hand, while in some languages you ‘make your homework’, in English you
‘do your homework’. Use the lists below to learn how to avoid the most common
mistakes with collocations.
1 Verb + noun
This list
shows you the ten mistakes that advanced students most often make when they
choose a verb to go with a noun. In most cases it is clear what the student
means, but the problem is that the combination of verb + noun that they have
used is not a collocation, does not sound natural, and is considered to be
incorrect. In each case, a more natural verb + noun combination with the same
meaning is shown under the incorrect combination.
Noun 1 : experience
Example:
✗ I know several people who have made
the same experience.
✓ I know several people who have had
the same experience.
Noun: 2 friend
Example:
✗ I found it difficult to find friends
and felt very lonely.
✓ I found it difficult to make friends
and felt very lonely.
Noun: 3 research
Example:
✗ It is impossible to make any
research
without the
Internet.
✓ It is impossible to do any research
without the Internet.
Noun: 4 work
Example:
✗ Francesca makes her work very
efficiently.
✓ Francesca does her work very
efficiently.
Noun: 5 mistake
Example:
✗ People often do the same mistakes.
✓ People often make the same mistakes.
Noun: 6 survey
Example:
✗ I made a survey of the level of job
satisfaction in our department.
✓ I carried out/did a survey of the
level of job satisfaction in our department.
Noun: 7 effort
Example:
✗ It is worth doing an effort to live
a healthier life.
✓ It is worth making an effort to live
a healthier life.
Noun: 8 child/children/baby
Example:
✗ They married young, got two
children, and led an ordinary life.
✓ They married young, had two
children, and led an ordinary life.
Noun: 9 business
Example:
✗ I spent two days in the office
making business by phone.
✓ I spent two days in the office
conducting/doing business by phone.
Noun: 10 change
Example:
✗ They suggested doing some changes to
the schedule.
✓ They suggested making some changes
to the
schedule.
2 Adjective + Noun
This list,
from the Cambridge Learner Corpus, shows the ten mistakes that students make
most often when they choose an adjective to go with a noun. In most cases it is
clear what the student means, but the problem is that the combination of
adjective + noun that they have used does not sound natural and is considered
to be incorrect. In each case, a more natural adjective + noun combination with
the same meaning is shown under the incorrect combination.
1
Noun: number/amount/quantity
Example:
✗ a big number of
tourists/students/customers etc.
✓ a large number of
tourists/students/customers etc.
✗ a big amount of
money/food/information etc.
✓ a large amount of
money/food/information etc.
✗In my country we eat a big quantity
of pasta.
✓ In my country we eat a large quantity
of pasta.
2
Noun: choice
Example:
✗ They offer only a little choice of
cold snacks.
✓ They offer a limited/narrow choice of
cold snacks.
3
Noun: range/variety/choice
Example:
✗ There is a big range of study
materials available.
✓ There is a wide range of study
materials available.
✗ They provide a big variety of hot
meals every day.
✓ They provide a wide variety of hot
meals every day.
✗They offer a bigger choice of meals.
✓ They offer a wider choiceof meals.
4
Noun: noise
Example:
✗ Suddenly there was a big noise.
✓ Suddenly there was a loud noise.
5
Noun: pressure
Example:
✗ I am already overworked and under
high pressure.
✓ I am already overworked and under
great/a lot of pressure.
6
Noun: importance
Example:
✗This fact is of very big importance
to me.
✓ This fact is of very great importance
to me.
7
Noun: amount
Example:
✗ They earn a high amount of money.
✓ They earn a large amount of money.
8
Noun: tree/building/person
Example:
✗ It is a high building.
✗ He is not very high.
✓ It is a tall building.
✓ He is not very tall.
9
Noun: progress
Example:
✗ I have made quite big progress in
speaking English.
✓ I have made great/a lot of progress
in speaking English.
10 Noun: decrease
Example:
✗ There was a little decrease in
profits in the second year.
✓ There was a slight decrease in
profits in the second year.
The Top 10 Verb + Verb
Combination Mistakes
This list
shows the ten mistakes that advanced students most often make when they put one
verb after another verb. In each case the form of the second verb is incorrect.
1
Main Verb: suggest
✗ suggest (sb) to do sth
✗ I suggest to send our colleagues on
a similar course.
✓ suggest (that) sb do sth
✓ I suggest (that) we send our
colleagues on a similar course.
2
Main Verb: recommend
✗ recommend to do sth
✗ I recommend to employ a part-time
assistant.
✓ recommend doing sth
✓ I recommend employing a part-time
assistant.
3
Main Verb: look forward to
✗ look forward to do sth
✗ I look forward to hear from you.
✓ look forward to doing sth
✓ I look forward to hearing from you.
4
Main Verb: need
✗ need do sth; need doing sth
✗ We need resolve a lot of other
important problems.
✓ need to do sth
✓ We need to resolve a lot of other
important problems.
5
Main Verb: consider
✗ consider to do sth
✗ I would like you to consider to
refund at least some of my money.
✓ consider doing sth
✓ I would like you to consider refunding
at least some of my money.
6
Main Verb: want
✗ want do sth
✗ If you want have the body you have
always dreamed of, you must join a gym.
✓ want to do sth
✓ If you want to have the body you
have always dreamed of, you must join a gym.
7
Main Verb: be used to
✗ be used to do sth
✗ You should be used to work in teams
and
be computer
literate.
✓ be used to doing sth
✓ You should be used to working in
teams and be computer literate.
8
Main Verb: (would) like
✗ would like do sth
✗ I would like thank the families for
their help.
✓ would like to do sth
✓ I would like to thank the families
for their help.
9
Main Verb: can
✗ can to do sth
✗ We need to find new markets where we
can to sell our products.
✓ can do sth
✓ We need to find new markets where we
can sell our products.
10 Main Verb: help
✗ help (sb) doing sth
✗ My job was to help operating the
roller-coaster.
✓ help (sb) to do sth; help (sb) do
sth
✓ My job was to help (them) to operate
the roller-coaster.• My job was to help
(them)
operate the roller-coaster.
Subject and Verb Agreement
Ø
Subjects and verbs must agree in number. This is the cornerstone rule that
forms the background of the concept.
For example:
The
dog growls when he is angry. The dogs growl when
they are angry.
Ø Don’t
get confused by the words that come between the subject and verb; they do not
affect agreement.
For example:
The
dog, who is chewing on my jeans, is usually very good.
For example:
The
colors of the rainbow are beautiful.
Ø When
sentences start with “there” or “here,” the subject will always be placed after
the verb, so care needs to be taken to identify it correctly.
For example:
There
is a problem with the balance sheet.Here are the
papers you requested.
Ø Subjects
don't always come before verbs in questions. Make sure you accurately identify
the subject before deciding on the proper verb form to use.
For example:
Does
Lefty usually eat grass? Where are the pieces
of this puzzle.
Ø If two
subjects are joined by and, they typically require a plural verb form.
For example:
The
cow and the pig are jumping over the moon.
Ø The
verb is singular if the two subjects separated by and refer to the same
person or thing.
For example:
Red
beans and rice is my mom's favorite dish.
Ø If one
of the words each, every, or no comes before the subject, the verb is
singular.
For example:
No
smoking or drinking is allowed.Every man and woman is
required to check in.
Ø If the
subjects are both singular and are connected by the words or, nor,
neither/nor, either/or, and not only/but also the verb is singular.
For example:
Jessica
or Christian is to blame for the accident.
Ø The
only time when the object of the preposition factors into the decision of
plural or singular verb forms is when noun and pronoun subjects like some,
half, none, more, all, etc. are followed by a prepositional phrase. In these
sentences, the object of the
preposition determines the form of the verb.
For example:
All
of the chicken is gone. All of the chickens are gone.
Ø The
singular verb form is usually used for units of measurement.
For example:
Four
quarts of oil was required to get the car running.
Ø If the
subjects are both plural and are connected by the words or, nor,
neither/nor, either/or, and not only/but also, the verb is plural.
For example:
Dogs
and cats are
both available at the pound.
Ø If one
subject is singular and one plural and the words are connected by the words or,
nor, neither/nor, either/or, and not only/but also, you use the verb
form of the subject that is nearest the verb.
For example:
Either
the bears or the lion has escaped from the zoo. Neither
the lion nor the bears have escaped from the zoo.
Ø Indefinite
pronouns typically take singular verbs.
For example:
Everybody
wants
to be loved.
Ø . *
Except for the pronouns (few,
many, several, both, all, some) that always take the plural form.
For example:
Few
were
left alive after the flood.
Ø . If
two infinitives are separated by and they take the plural form of the
verb.
For example:
To
walk and to chew gum require great skill.
Ø When
gerunds are used as the subject of a sentence they take the singular verb form
of the verb, but when they are linked by and they take the plural form.
For example:
Standing in the water was
a bad idea. Swimming in the ocean and playing drums are my
hobbies.
Ø Collective
nouns like herd, senate, class, crowd, etc. usually take a singular verb form.
For example:
The
herd is stampeding.
Ø Titles
of books, movies, novels, etc. are treated as singular and take a singular
verb.
For example:
The
Burbs is
a movie starring Tom Hanks.
Ø Final Rule
– Remember, only the subject
affects the verb!
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