grammar that fix

Fix that

Grammar

BINATI SHETH

presents

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Grammar(part 1)

- A/An – the Indefinite article- The – the Definite article- Pronouns and Possessive Adjectives- The Simple Present Tense- Adjectives- Adverbs- The Simple Past Tense- The Continuous Tense- ‘Have seen’ and ‘Has seen’- Common Connectives- Prepositions- Phrasal Verbs- Punctuations

➜1 - A An the indefinite article

• They are used before a single countable noun (E.g..: Abook, An apple)

• For uncountable nouns no indefinite articles (E.g..: Air isfree. An air is free. Give me a glass of milk. Give me amilk.)

• Use ‘an’ for words beginning with a vowel sound

• Use ‘a’ for words beginning with a consonant sound.

A/AN HOW TO CHOOSE?

• Say or write ‘an’ before words beginning with a silent ‘h’(an heir, an honour, an hour, an honest man)

• Another 7 consonant-y vowel sounds are f (eff), l (el),m(am), n(an), r(ar), s(ass), x(ex). E.g..: Is this an ‘I’ or an ‘F’you have written? The shipwrecked couple sent an SOSsignal.

• Exception: Certain words beginning with ‘u’ have a y sound.E.g..: A united family, a USA postage stamp

• Exception: One and once (‘o’) have a w sound. So we say orwrite a one-way street

WHAT DO I MEAN BY SOUND?

Vowel Sounds

A

E

I

O

U

• To indicate just one person or thing. E.g..: An intelligent child, Ahouse

• To mean ‘any’. E.g..: The sides of a square are equal.

• Before some words of quantity. E.g..: A pair, a dozen, a billion➜Verb Rule: Words like dozen are plural nouns so use plural verbs.E.g..: A dozen problems were waiting to be solved.

• In measurement phrases. E.g..: twice a week, sixty miles anhour

• Before nouns describing a person’s occupation. E.g..: I am anengineer/a teacher/an atheist

• In many phrases. E.g..: What a shame! a pride in, in a hurry

WHERE TO USE A/AN?

No article used if we talk

about a person’s post.

My sister is a secretary.

(profession)

BUT

My sister is secretary of

the club. (post)

Don’t use plural for

uncountable nouns

(equipments, advices,

rubbishes, milks) Instead

use words like any, many,

some to indicate the

quantity (Several pieces of

furniture burned in the fire. I

bought some equipment for

baking.)

A few (not very

many) people use

the library.

Few (hardly any)

people use the

library.

FixThat

Grammar(part 2)

➜2: The - the definite article

WHERE DO WE USE ‘THE’

➜Before specific countable nouns. E.g..I lost the scarf I bought from Jaipur,The Second World War

➜Before uncountable nouns. E.g.. Thenorth is that way. The Nile, The PacificOcean

➜Before superlative degree. E.g..Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai is the funniestIndian Sitcom.

‘THE’ WITH REFERENCE TO COUNTRIES

• Use ‘the’ for countries with names suggesting a union of smaller units. E.g..

The United States of America, The United Arab Emirates, The United

Kingdom, The United Nations

• Use ‘the’ for Republics. E.g.. The Republic of Congo, The Republic of India,

The Republic of Africa

• Use ‘the’ before a group of islands, deserts, seas, oceans and mountain

ranges. E.g.. The Thar desert, The Andalusia forests, the Western Ghats, the

Deccan plateau

• No ‘the’ before standalone countries and continents. E.g.. India, China,

Japan, North America

• No ‘the’ before names of languages of countries and continents. E.g.. I

speak English, I speak Japanese

➜Use ‘the’ for abstractnouns qualified by a wordor phrase.

The freedom we fought foris precious.

The love of a man and hisdog is priceless.

The society we live incould be more just.

‘THE’ WITH REFERENCE TO ABSTRACT NOUNS

➜No ‘the’ required forgeneral abstract nouns.

What is life withoutfreedom?

Love conquers all.

Society should be fair.

➜Use ‘the’ for materialnames qualified by aword or phrase.

The Iron throne is madeof the finest metals.

The mango grown on hisfarm is first rate..

‘THE’ WITH REFERENCE TO MATERIALS

➜No ‘the’ required fornames of material.

A throne is made of Ironand wood.

Mango is growneverywhere.

➜Use ‘the’ for nounsqualified by a word orphrase.

The animals in the zooare well cared for.

The films I like most arefrom Studio Ghibliproductions.

‘THE’ WITH REFERENCE TO PLURAL NOUNS

➜No ‘the’ required forgeneral nouns.

I love films.

He loves animals.

➜Use ‘the’ for specificschool, college,university, place ofworship, court.

The college burnt downat night.

The Church wasdecorated for Christmaslast week.

‘THE’ WITH REFERENCE TO BUILDINGS

➜No ‘the’ required forschool, college, university,place of worship, court whenthe meaning is to do withwhat the place is used forrather than the building itself

I went to Church.

He left for University.

➜No ‘the’ required before the name of asport. E.g.. I play basketball.

➜Use ‘the’ for someone using a specificmusical instrument. E.g.. I want to play thecello.

‘THE’ WITH REFERENCE TO SPORTS AND INSTRUMENTS

FixThat

Grammar(part 3)

➜3-Pronouns and Possessive Adjectives

There is used to show

location.

Their is used to show

possession.

FixThat

Grammar(part 4)

➜4-The Simple Present tense

➜Statements that are always true or trueat the moment (Sun rises in the East.)

➜Statements stating things that generallyhappen (We usually watch every movieon opening night.)

➜Events that are planned for the future (Ifly to Delhi tomorrow.)

WHERE TO USE THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

RIGHTVS

WRONG

RIGHT:

I never go anywhere.

I go nowhere.

DOUBLE NEGATIVES

WRONG:

I never go nowhere.

Two negatives make a positive so never write two doublenegatives together

RIGHT:

Binati hates lizards.

Binati loves to talk.

NOT WRITING THE ‘s’ AFTER A THIRD PERSON SINGULAR VERB

WRONG:

Binati hate lizards

Binati love to talk.

RIGHT:

Sam has a headache.

The children have chocolates.

USING ‘HAVE’ FOR ‘HAS’

WRONG:

Sam have a headache.

The children has chocolates.

RIGHT:

The reasons why I am going are complicated.

CONFUSING ‘AM’, ‘IS’, ‘ARE’ (Sub-Verb Agreement INTERVENTION)

WRONG:

The reasons why I am going is complicated.

RIGHT:

Is there a shop near here?

USING ‘THERE HAS/HAVE’ OR ‘IT HAS/HAVE’ FOR ‘THERE IS/ARE’

WRONG:

Has there a shop near here?

RIGHT:

Sweetie goes to school now.

USING ‘DO/DOES’ FOR POSITIVE STATEMENTS WHEN THERE IS NO EMPHASIS

WRONG:

Sweetie does go to school now.

RIGHT:

I never eat meat.

USING ‘DO/DOES’ WITH NEVER

WRONG:

I do never eat meat.

FixThat

Grammar(part 5)

➜5-Adjectives

THEY

TELL

US

MORE

ABOUT

NOUNS

RIGHTVS

WRONG

RIGHT:

The boy was ashamed, and held down his head.

USING A ‘PREDICATIVE USE ONLY’ ADJECTIVE ATTRIBUTIVELY OR VICE VERSA

WRONG:

The ashamed boy held down his head.

RIGHT:

The land here is more fertile than in the north.

USING THE WRONG METHOD FOR COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE FORMS

WRONG:

The land here is fertiler than in the north.

RIGHT:

My father’s new car is much faster than his old one.

USING TWO FORMS TOGETHER

WRONG:

My father’s new car is much more faster than his old one.

RIGHT:

Jenny is much shorter than her sister.

USING ‘VERY’ INSTEAD OF ‘MUCH’

WRONG:

Jenny is very shorter than her sister.

RIGHT:

I do not think history is as hard as mathematics.

USING ‘THAN’ FOR ‘AS’ TO EXPRESS EQUALITY

WRONG:

I do not think history is as hard than mathematics.

RIGHT:

I am interested in history.

This book is interesting.

CONFUSING PAIRS OF ADJECTIVES

WRONG:

I am interesting in history

This book is interested.

Bored-Boring Delighted-Delightful

Interesting-InterestedExhausted-ExhaustingFrightened-Frightening

RIGHT:

I do not have much money but I have many friends.

CONFUSING ‘MUCH’, ‘LESS’ (with uncountable nouns) and ‘MANY’, ‘FEWER’ (with countable nouns)

WRONG:

I do not have many money but I have much friends.

RIGHT:

The collection of pottery is unique/perfect.

USING ‘VERY’, ‘MORE’, ‘MOST’ WITH ‘UNIQUE’, ‘PERFECT’, ‘SUPERIOR’, ‘INFERIOR’, ‘SOAKED’, ‘STARVING’ (these states cannot be measured)

WRONG:

The collection of pottery is very unique/perfect.

FixThat

Grammar(part 6)

➜6-Adverbs

RIGHT:

Anita sings really well.

WRONGLY USING AN ADJECTIVE AS AN ADVERB

WRONG:

Anita sings really good.

RIGHT:

English is understood in almost all countries.

PLACING AN ADVERB IN THE WRONG PLACE IN A SENTENCE

WRONG:

English is almost understood in all countries.

RIGHT:

He is the most boring man I have ever known.

USING ‘ALWAYS’ FOR ‘EVER’

WRONG:

He is the most boring man I have always known.

RIGHT:

Tim is better than his brother at writing.

USING DOUBLE COMPARISON

WRONG:

Tim is more better than his brother at writing.

RIGHT:

Amy sings much better than her sister.

USING ‘VERY’ TO INTENSIFY A COMPARISON

WRONG:

Amy sings very better than her sister.

RIGHT:

Amy thinks the same as me.

USING ‘SAME WITH’ FOR ‘SAME AS’

WRONG:

Amy thinks the same with me.

RIGHT:

The meat tastes rotten.

USING AN ADVERB INSTEAD OF AN ADJECTIVE

WRONG:

The meat tastes rottenly.

FixThat

Grammar(part 7)

➜7-The Simple Past tense

➜Used to describe what happened in the past.

➜Verb + ed for most cases. (eg. Snatch – snatched)

➜Verbs ending in a consonant, replace last + ied(eg. Copy – copied)

➜Monosyllabic Verbs ending in a vowel and then consonant, repeat consonant + ed (eg. Tip – tipped)

SOME

PARTICULARS

➜The past tense of be is was/were.

➜Always make the subject agree with the verb. (Tony was hurt. Tony and Moti were hurt.)

➜Be particularly careful with ‘there was…’ and ‘there were…’ (There was heavy rain last night. There were many flooded roads.)

WAS

AND

WERE

RIGHTVS

WRONG

RIGHT:

I saw Thomas last Saturday.

USING THE PRESENT TENSE FOR THE PAST TENSE

WRONG:

I see Thomas last Saturday.

RIGHT:

He threw the letter away.

USING THE REGULAR –ED ENDING FOR AN IRREGULAR VERB

WRONG:

He throwed the letter away.

RIGHT:

My mother and I were terrified of the dog.

There was a great crowd in the square.

USING ‘WAS’ FOR ‘WERE’; OR ‘WERE’ FOR ‘WAS’

WRONG:

My mother and I was terrified of the dog.

There were a great crowd in the square.

RIGHT:

There was an accident last night.

There were only three people hurt.

USING ‘THERE HAD’ OR ‘IT HAD’ FOR ‘THERE WAS’ OR ‘THERE WERE’

WRONG:

There had an accident last night.

It had only three people hurt.

RIGHT:

We met last night.

USING THE PAST PERFECT TENSE (HAD SEEN/ HAD OPENED/ HAD GONE) WHEN SIMPLE PAST IS NEEDED

WRONG:

We had met last night.

FixThat

Grammar(part 8)

➜8-The Continuous Tense

➜They describe an action which continuesover a period of time.

➜Verb + ing (speak – speaking)

➜Monosyllabic Verbs ending in vowel andthen consonant, repeat consonant + ing(run – running)

➜Special cases (lie – lying, die – dying)

SOME

PARTICULARS

➜What is going on regularly. Eg.: Rightnow, I am studying English.

➜What we plan for the future. Eg.: OnSaturday, we are having a picnic.

➜What we are now doing or planning todo. (Eg. I usually stay home on Fridays,but this week I am eating out.

THE

PRESENT

CONTINUOUS

TENSE

➜An event that was going on whensomething else happened.

Charles broke his leg while he was playingfootball last Thursday.

THE

PAST

CONTINUOUS

TENSE

RIGHTVS

WRONG

RIGHT:

I see what you mean.

I am seeing Clive tomorrow.

USING ‘SEE’ INCORRECTLY

WRONG:

I am seeing what you mean.

RIGHT:

I think Sylvia is very pretty.

I am thinking of buying a new camera.

USING ‘THINK’ INSTEAD OF ‘CONSIDER’

WRONG:

I am thinking Sylvia is very pretty.

RIGHT:

I am working very hard nowadays.

MISSING OUT IS/ ARE/ WAS/ WERE

WRONG:

I working very hard nowadays.

RIGHT:

They are moving to a new house.

USING THE WRONG FORM OF BE

WRONG:

They is moving to a new house.

RIGHT:

Elizabeth belongs to a sports club.

USING A VERB IN THE CONTINUOUS TENSE THAT CANNOT BE SO USED

WRONG:

Elizabeth is belonging to a sports club.

FixThat

Grammar(part 9)

➜9-'Have seen' and 'has seen'

➜Something that has happened recently.Eg.: I have just broken a tooth

➜Something which has gone on for sometime up to the present. Eg.: John hasknown Mark all his life.

PRESENT

PERFECT

TENSE.

➜Something that is used to stress that anaction has been going on without abreak. Eg.: My uncle has been living inthis house for twenty five years.

➜Use has been/ have been + -ing form ofthe word

PRESENT

PERFECT

CONTINUOUS

TENSE

RIGHTVS

WRONG

RIGHT:

Janice has been a secretary for a year now.

USING PRESENT TENSE INSTEAD OF PERFECT TENSE

WRONG:

Janice is a secretary for a year.

RIGHT:

Someone has stolen my radio.

USING THE WRONG PAST PARTICIPLE FORM OF THE VERB

WRONG:

Someone has stealed my radio.

RIGHT:

Mr. Campbell has just opened a new shop.

USING THE INFINITIVE FORM INSTEAD OF THE PAST PARTICIPLE FORM

WRONG:

Mr. Campbell has just open a new shop.

RIGHT:

Tim has just brought a new suit.

USING ‘HAS’ INSTEAD OF ‘HAVE’OR ‘HAVE’ INSTEAD OF ‘HAS’

WRONG:

Tim have just bought a new suit..

FixThat

Grammar(part 10)

➜10-Common Connectives

➜Do not use ‘because’ together with‘and’, ‘so’, ‘consequently’, ‘as a result’ or‘therefore’.

➜If you use ‘however’ begin a newsentence.

➜If you use ‘consequently’, ‘as a result’,‘however’ or ‘therefore’, you must starta new sentence or use a semi colon.

IMPORTANT POINTERS

➜If I have time, I shall go. [this is an opencondition]

➜If I were free, I should come. [this is aclosed condition]

➜If Jack had had the time, he would havecome. [this is a closed condition]

➜Unless you come, I shall not go to theparty.

IF / UNLESS (basically means if you do not)

➜Always use the present tense afterwhen/whenever/immediately even forfuture events. E.g..: When I leave school,I shall be a nurse.

WHEN/ WHENEVER/ IMMEDIATELY

RIGHT:

He spoke so quickly that Icould hardly understand a word.

SO…THAT / SO THAT

WRONG:

He spoke very quickly that I could hardly understand.

RIGHT:

The cake is very delicious.

Paul is too lazy to do his homework properly

TOO…TO

WRONG:

The cake is too delicious.

Paul is very lazy to do his homework properly.

RIGHT:

Although he looked strong, he was really ill.

He looked strong but/yet he was really ill.

He looked strong. However he was really ill.

ALTHOUGH/ THOUGH/ BUT/ YET/ HOWEVER

WRONG:

Although he looked strong, but/yet he was really ill.

RIGHT:

Because my bike had a puncture, I had to walk.

Because of a puncture, I had to walk.

BECAUSE/ BECAUSE OF

WRONG:

Because of my bike had a puncture, I had to walk.

RIGHT:

Because there had been heavy rain, the roads were impassable.

There had been heavy rain, (and) so the roads were impassable.

There had been heavy rain. Therefore/ consequently/ as a result, the roads were impassable.

BECAUSE/ (AND) SO/ THEREFORE/ CONSEQUENTLY/ AS A RESULT

WRONG:

Because there had been heavy rain, as a result the roads were impassable.

FixThat

Grammar(part 11)

➜11-Prepositions

Prepositions are followed by nouns. They show a relationship

(The book is on/under/near/behind the table).

➜Next week/ Sunday

➜Today/Tomorrow/Yesterday

➜(an hour/a week) later

➜Three months afterwards/later

➜(ten years) ago

USE NO PREPOSITION FOR

➜At night BUT In the day➜At home BUT Go home/leave home➜In Asia, In India, In Gujarat, In Bharuch BUT At

Narmadanagar➜At the groundfloor BUT On the first floor➜Ask for something BUT You ask about

information➜Make something by hand/machine BUT make

something with a tool of wood

COMMON DIFFERENCES IN USAGE

➜Look at a TV programme BUT Look for a lostarticle

➜Rob someone of something BUT Stealsomething from someone

➜Able to do anything BUT Capable of doinganything

➜Concerned about someone’s behaviour BUTConcerned with Indian history (or anyacademic topic)

➜Beside (next to, compared with) BUTBesides (in addition, anyway)

COMMON DIFFERENCES IN USAGE

FIXEDUSAGE

In 1995

In a moment

On Friday

On the 7th of May

On the following day

On the following day

On my arrival/departure

TIME RELATED PREPOSITIONS

At four O’clock

At the age of 20

At that moment

By the hour

For (a period)

In a week’s time

In January

PLACE RELATED PREPOSITIONS

At school/university

At the market/shop

At the corner of a store

Walk for miles

In a newspaper

Complain about

Consist of

Die of (hunger/disease)

Differ from

Exchange (something) for

Forgive someone for

Sympathize with

Taste of

Translate something from one language into another

SOME

MORE

PREPOSITIONS

Accuse someone of

Agree with a person about something

Approve of

Arrive at

Be in a hurry/love

Believe in

Blame someone for something

Boil over

Wait for

From (my) point of view

On sale/ average

On film/ tape

On foot

On the one hand…. On the other hand

On purpose

On the whole

Under repair

Under guarantee

SOME

MORE

PREPOSITIONS

Smell of

Succeed in

At war/ peace/ fault/ full speed

At the (first/second) attempt

Beneath contempt

By myself

By mistake

By train/ car/ plane

(small/clever) for her age

SOME

MORE

PREPOSITIONS

Answer to (a problem)

A book/film about farming

Information about (something)

Medicine/cure for (something)

Absent from school

Dressed in

Friendly with/ towards (people)

Responsible for

FixThat

Grammar(part 12)

➜12-Phrasal verbs

Phrasal verbs consists of a verb plus one or two ‘adverbial particles (which look like

prepositions)

RIGHTVS

WRONG

RIGHT:

The match was put off for a week.

USING THE WRONG PARTICLE OR PREPOSITION

WRONG:

The match was put away for a week.

RIGHT:

I cannot put up with his behaviour.

SEPARATING PHRASAL VERBS THAT CANNOT BE SEPARATED

WRONG:

I cannot put with his behaviour up.

RIGHT:

We took it apart.

NOT SEPARATING A ‘SEPARABLE’ PHRASAL VERB WITH A PRONOUN OBJECT

WRONG:

We took apart it.

PHRASALVERB

COMBINATIONS

Fall into (something)

Get on with someone (be happy/ friendly with them)

Get by (have enough to live on)

Get up (out of bed)

Get over an illness (recover from)

Get to (arrive at)

Get on (make progress)

Give in/ up (surrender)

Go into (explore a problem)

SOME

MORE

PHRASAL

VERBS

Break up (finish)

Come about (happen)

Come apart (fall to pieces)

Come across (find)

Come round (Come round a point)

Come to (Recover consciousness/ amount to)

Count on (depend on)

Die out (become extinct)

Make of (understand)

Own up to (admit to)

Pass away (die)

Put up with (tolerate)

Put oneself out (to take great trouble)

Run out of (cease to have)

Show up (appear)

Take after (resemble)

Take off

SOME

MORE

PHRASAL

VERBS

Go off (become bad)

Go on (continue)

Grow up (become adult)

Look into a problem (examine)

Look after a person (care for)

Look down on someone (despise)

Look up to (admire)

Look up (improve)

Look forward to (anticipate)

Make up (invent)

Mess up (make a poor job)

Mix up (confuse)

Put (someone) up (accommodate)

Put off (postpone)

Put on (wear clothes)

Put together (assemble)

Track down (search out)

Take apart (take to pieces)

SOME

MORE

PHRASAL

VERBS

Blow up (explode/ inflate)

Bring out (publish)

Bring about (cause)

Bring up a topic (introduce)

Do up (improve; he did his car up)

Find out (discover)

Have on (wear)

Look over (examine)

Make out (understand)

SOME

MORE

PHRASAL

VERBS

Take off (clothes)

Talk over (discuss)

Throw away/ out (discard)

Tire out

Trade in (give in exchange of)

Try on (clothes)

Wake up (arouse from sleep)

Weigh up (consider)

Wipe out (destroy)

Write/ jot/ scribble down

FixThat

Grammar(part 13)

➜13-Punctuation

➜ People putting apostrophes where they don’tbelong. It is all your’s. Five dollar’s off!➜ You want the plural form of the word, so justadd an “s.”➜Add an apostrophe if you need the possessiveform, such as, “That is my wife’s car.”➜Apostrophes are also used for contractions,such as “shouldn’t” for “should not.”

UNNECESSARY

APOSTROPHE

➜The use of single or double quotationmarks when nothing is being quoted. E.g..:We offer the ‘best price in town’!

➜If you’re not quoting something, don’t usesingle or double quotation marks. If youwant to emphasize a specific part of yourmessage, use a bold or italicized font.

UNNECESSARY

QUOTATION

MARKS

➜Use commas to create breaks insentences. I went to the store but they wereclosed so I went home.

➜Speak the sentence aloud and take noteof any breaks in your speech. Insert commaswhen you pause or when you change gearswithin a sentence.

MISSING

COMMAS

➜IT’S is just saying IT IS. E.g.. It’s my pen

➜ITS is showing possession. E.g.. The doglosing the bone is its mistake.

IT’S

VERSUS

ITS

grammar that fix

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