Archive for the ‘English Tips’ Category
Question tags are basically short questions which appear at the end of the sentences. When it comes to day to day speech or any kind of informal writing the use of question tags is very common. But the use of these tags is very uncommon in case of formal writing. Some of the examples of question tags are as follows:
It is very hot, isn’t it?
She sings well, doesn’t she? Or if you want to put in another way you can say, She sings well, doesn’t she?
Generally the trend is that in case of informal sentences the negative form is written in short which means instead of writing is not it we tend to write isn’t it. But this style of contraction can be used only in case of informal writings but in case of formal writings we should use the full form like, They said they would finish the work in six months, did they not?
If we had to write this same sentence in an informal tone we would have written it in the form: They said they would finish the work in six months, didn’t they?
The main purpose of using question tags is to find whether something which is said is true or not. The tags are also used ... Read more...
Posted in English Tips, Grammar |
When you are writing the English language it is very obvious that you will be using the capital letters as well as the small letters. But the use of capital letters is not that easy, you need to follow certain rules if you want to use capital letters when you are writing the English language. For example, when you are writing a letter you will not be using capital letters throughout the letter. There are certain rules which you need to follow. On the other hand at certain places if you are not using capital letters it is considered a grammatical mistake. So when you are writing the academic writings you need to be certain of the rules and then use them accordingly.
In the first place it is said that the personal pronoun “I” should always be written in capital letters. For example, I love coffee.
In the second place it is recommended when you are beginning a sentence or a speech it is expected that you use upper case or capital letters. For instance, I am planning to go for a movie this weekend.
Thirdly, it is recommended that when you are using short forms like UNO or NATO you are supposed to write them in c... Read more...
Posted in English Tips |
As you progress in the study of grammar you are gradually taught to combine two or more simple sentences into a single complex sentence. The main purpose of doing so is to make the sentence crisp. But unless you know the proper rules you are not in a position to combine two or more simple sentences into a complex one.
The rules which are given below should always be followed by you as you try to combine two or more complex sentences. In the first place it is recommended that you convert one simple sentence into a principal clause and the other simple sentences into sub-ordinate clauses.
When you are using a noun clause in a complex sentence it does the job of a noun in the sentence. In fact the noun clause in a sentence can act as a subject or an object of the verb which is present in the principal clause.
Some of the examples are as follows:
Simple Sentences: A good environment is essential for happiness in life. He believes this.
Complex Sentence: He believes that a good environment is essential for happiness in life.
Simple Sentences: Cou... Read more...
Posted in English Tips, Grammar |
Stay corrected the next time you speak wrong English! Okay, here’s how to proceed. First off, remember the thumb rule – Communication. The person who is keen to learn the nuances of the language should know that their writing should be correct grammatically.
Several word processing tools are equipped with programs for grammar correction, although since the rules governing the language are miscellaneous, there are actually a few programs that identify the grammatical errors. Moreover, if the program identifies the mistake, it cannot suggest solutions as that requires knowing about the intention of the author. Hence, it is best that the tool for grammar correction should not be automatic, but manual.
Practice reading aloud. Remember that the basis of any language is oral. Kids learn to speak before learning to read. This makes some people understand and identify errors in the language when heard, rather than when they are read. Reading makes the mind agile to pick up problems such as misspelled words, typographic errors, and spelling errors, quickly and effortlessly, which the consci... Read more...
Tags: English, Grammar, grammatical error, grammatical errors, language, noun, pronunciation, punctuation, sentence, sentences, spelling error, verb, Verbs, word processing, writer
Posted in English Tips |
There are a lot of words in English grammar that people are confused with where to use. Some of them are ‘contiguous’, ‘continuous’, and ‘continual’. This is why the writer should learn all about the rules for using the words appropriately. As a professional writer you need to know the rules of grammar that should be applied in a sentence which will save you the confusion while constructing a sentence.
‘Contiguous’
First off, you should determine if there is a list of different events or things that are being dealt with and whether these things touch time and space. In that case, choose ‘contiguous’. This is a word that means ‘adjacent’, ‘conterminous’, or ‘neighboring’. The word ‘contiguous’ is generally used in the context of discussing “48 contiguous states” excluding Hawaii and Alaska as they do not border each other. Less commonly, the word is used to describe a particular list of events which are adjacent to one another on a time line. ‘Contiguous’ can be used as an adverb, adjective, or noun.
‘Continuous’
In case you ... Read more...
Tags: adjective, distinction, english grammar, Grammar, professional writer, rules of grammar, sentence, Verbs
Posted in English Basics, English Tips, Grammar |
If you want to be a pro at English grammar, you need to have basic grammatical skills. Instead of just being important for the examinations that test the subject, grammatical skills are also relevant in the way you communicate to others. In fact, spellings are more important for written tests and evaluations. If you are into a job that requires business writing to be done, you should be specific about the cases that require using words like ‘allot’, ‘a lot’ and ‘a lot’.
For instance you are typing a paper, and you write the word ‘alot’. There is a little red line that appears, but you are clueless about whether you should choose ‘a lot’ or ‘allot’.
‘Allot’
This is a word that means ‘to divide’, ‘accord’, ‘administer’, ‘dispense’, ‘distribute’ or ‘give out’. Here’s an example of using the word in a sentence: “They allotted six square feet space per family”. You must have guessed by now that the word ‘allot’ is used to refer to divide, apportion or grant something. “The raffle tickets were allotted to the class”.
‘A... Read more...
Tags: adjective, business, checker, correct grammar, different meaning, english grammar, Grammar, grammatical skills, Spelling
Posted in English Basics, English Tips, Grammar |
There are lots of subtle intricacies in English grammar and one of them is the problem that people are faced with when they use ‘there’, ‘their’, and ‘they’re’ in a sentence. Although the pronunciations of the three words are the same, it becomes a tad tough to distinguish their usage according to circumstances. Remember that there are different spellings for every word.
‘There’
‘There’ is used while referring to a place, irrespective of whether it is material or immaterial. In the case of the former, it would be “over there next to the building”, and in the latter something like “it is tough to live there”. Common examples indicating the word are:
- There is a bookshop at Camden Avenue.
- The textbooks are lying there on the floor.
- There are several documents required for investigation.
‘There’ is used along with the verb ‘be’ (including ‘is’, ‘are’, ‘were’, ‘was’, ‘am’ etc.) for indicating that something exists, or for mentioning something for the first time. F... Read more...
Tags: adjective, document, English, english grammar, Grammar, pronunciation, pronunciations, spellings
Posted in English Tips, Grammar |
‘Site’, ‘sight’ and ‘cite’ are three words that are pronounced the same, but have different spellings. This is why a lot of writers fail to find the difference between them and make mistakes in usage. If your job is concerned with writing, you should be flawless in grammar to make sure that the words you choose in a sentence are appropriate. Take a look at some of the commonly confused words.
‘Site’
‘Site’ refers to ‘place’ or ‘location’. So this means that you can substitute the word in a sentence where you use the words ‘location’ or ‘place’. An example would be, “The site for the new school has been selected”. The place or location could be a physical site or a location online in cyberspace. If you are talking about an entity on the internet, you can come across the word ‘website’, or its likes such as ‘web site’ or plain ‘site’. Another application of the word would be in the sentence, “The town planners have decided to choose the site for erecting the building”.
The things that can be indicated by the word ‘site’ is extensive. It m... Read more...
Tags: example, Grammar, quotation, Spelling, spellings
Posted in English Tips |
English grammar is easy and you can easily form a correct sentence if you know the basic differences on what are they, how are they used and when are they used. Truly speaking, grammatically correct sentences sound more thoughtful than incorrect sentences.
What is article?
Articles are adjectives which are generally used to describe a noun. There are mainly two types of articles in English language. One is ‘the’ the other ‘a/an’
What is ‘The’ in English grammar?
In English grammar ‘The’ is called the definitive article. It is generally used to refer to a particular noun.
What is ‘A/An’ in English grammar?
In English grammar ‘A/An’ is called the in-definite article. In order to specify a non-specific and non-particular noun we generally use the term.
Lets know about the basic difference between the use of definite article ‘The’ and indefinite article ‘A/An’. Then we can understand what we mean by definite article and indefinite article.
Example
Tags: adjective, english grammar, english language, Grammar, indefinite article, sentence, sentences, singular
Posted in English Basics, English Tips, Grammar |
There are certain basic differences between different words that we use as parts of the sentence. With a proper knowledge we would know the difference on how to use them. We have to follow correct grammar in order for the sentence to sound distinct and right.
‘That’ and ‘Which’ are both relative clauses. Both these two relative clauses are used to refer to things as well as persons.
What is relative clause?
Relative clause is one which is used to give some additional information about the noun that we want to describe. The noun can be a person as well as a thing. There is a subtle difference between how these two relative clauses and how they are used in the sentence to describe different things and persons.
In grammar there is a term used frequently by grammarians called ‘restrictive’ and ‘non-restrictive’.
Restrictive Clause
‘Restrictive’ clause is one which identifies the exact word which is modifying and it does not require the use of any commas.
Non-Restrictive
‘Non-restrictive’ clause on the other ... Read more...
Tags: adjective, comma, correct grammar, different things, exact word, Grammar, grammarians, information, phrases, restrictive clause, Verbs
Posted in English Tips, Grammar |
