spotting errors

HowtoSpotanError?Words, phrases and sentences are the bases of any language. An error in their use may shake the very

foundation of the language and make an expression meaningless or ambiguous in a context. Therefore, an MBA

aspirant has to clear those barriers before they begin their voluminous studies; and so sentence correction is one

of the verbal problems in MBA entrance examinations. Knowing the common structures and the nuances of the

languageiscrucialtounderstandthewrittentextandtoexpressaccuratelyandprecisely.

We are discussing the problems related to sentence in this chapter whereas the word and phrase are being

discussedinlaterchapters.

Finding an error in a sentence is a step-by-step process. Checking errors randomly is always so confusing

that you can never go close to accuracy. Therefore, we have adopted an EIGHT-POINT STRATEGY to probe a

sentence for an error and pin-point it with accuracy. You have to ask these eight questions while solving a

sentencecorrectionproblem:

1. Isthe verb inaccordancewiththe subject?

Thisistheruleno. ONE

2. Isthe tense oftheverbcorrect?

Thisistheruleno. TWO

3. Isthe subject or doer closetothe participle?

Thisistheruleno. THREE

4. Arethe nouns and verbs intheir proper forms confirmingtheparallelism?

Thisistheruleno. FOUR

5. Arethe articles, determiners and adjectives correctlyused?

Thisistheruleno. FIVE

6. Aretheformsof pronoun correctanddotheyagreewiththerelatednounsandotherpronouns?

Thisistheruleno. SIX

7. Arethe prepositions correctlyused?

Thisistheruleno. SEVEN

8. Arethe spelling and punctuation inplace?

Thisistheruleno. EIGHT

Before you should be able to ask these questions meaningfully, you will have to understand these different

grammarusagesonebyoneanddosomeexercisesoneach.

At the end of the chapter, you will find mixed exercises in the manner they usually appear in the entrance

examinations. These assorted exercises are the test of your understanding the chapter. While doing them you

are supposed to identify the kinds of problem you find difficult and go back to the relevant part of the chapter for

revision.

A few more problems related to grammar and usages are discussed in some other chapters as the questions

relatedtothemareusuallyotherthanthesentencecorrectionquestions.(Modals,Jumbledsentences,Idioms)

1Spotting the Error &

Sentence Correction

Type1: Errorof Subject-VerbAgreementTheveryfirstthingthatweneedtocheckinasentencecorrectionexerciseistheverb.

Considerthefollowingsentences:

SetI Taking herbasketshe goes totheseashore tocollect shells.

She is happywithwhatshe earns.

SetII Taking theirbasketsthewomen go totheseashore tocollect shells.

They are happywithwhatthey earn.

Did you notice how the verbs change with the change in subject in the two sets? If we change the subjectshe into the women or she into they the verbs lose their s and es. She goes but they go, she is but theyare and sheearns but theyearn.

Noticewhathappenswhenwechangetheseverbsintopast:

Taking herbasketshe went totheseashore tocollect shells.

They were happywithwhatthey earned.

While go changes into went, are into were and earn into earned, taking and to collect remainunchanged. We need to change these main or finite verbs (go, are, earn) to make the sentence present, past orfuturewhilethenon-finites(taking,tocollect)remainunchanged.

Therefore,weneedtocheckthemainverbsinasentencecorrectionexercise.l Weneedtoask,Istheverb singular withasingularsubject? eg,

Aboy helps theoldwomancrosstheroad.

He does notknowher.

He is quiteselfless.A boy and he aresingular;therefore,theytakesingularverbswithsoresattheend.

l Or,Istheverb plural withapluralsubject? eg,

Some boys play hereintheevening.

They bring theirownbatsandballs.

They are quiteself-sufficient.Apluralsubjecttakesaverbwithoutsoresatitsend.Youmusthavenoticedthatthesingularverbsgoes,plays,is,was,hasendwithans.Therefore,thefirsteverquestioninasentencecorrectionexercisetobeaskedis:

Istheverbinaccordancewiththesubject?

Thisistheruleno. ONE

TargetExercise1

Directions Makeachoiceofthecorrectverbforthesubjectinthefollowingsentences.

1. Itissorainyinthisregionthatit rain/rains veryfrequentlyeveninwinters.

2. Wheneverhe meet/meets mehe talk/talks abouthisillness.

3. InamaturedemocracylikeIndia,thevoters know/knows whomtovote.

4. Agoodteachernotonly teach/teaches,buthe is/are alsoagoodguide.

5. The Rajdhani Expressusually run/runs ontime;andis/areoneofthefastesttrainsinIndia.

Answers 1.rains 2.meets,talks 3.know 4.teaches,is 5.runs,is

Sometimes the nouns used as subject might be confusing. It may be difficult to decide whether they aresingular or plural. Therefore, identifying such nouns is important before deciding whether the verb is inaccordancewiththesubject.l Cattle is a plural noun which can neither be written as cattles nor used as singular. eg, Cattle are grazing

beside the lake.Other such nouns, that are always used as plural without any change in them, are : People, police, poultry,gentry,peasantry

4 EnglishLanguage&Comprehension: SpottingtheError&SentenceCorrection

l Scissors, binoculars, spectacles, pincers, pliers, trousers, jeans, oats, outskirts, premises, quarters,stairs, spirits, surroundings, thanks are used as plural. eg, Where are my spectacles? I cant see withoutthem.

l Some nouns are used both ways without any change in them, such as : A sheep, many sheep, a deer, manydeer, a fish, many fish, also many fishes meaning groups or species of fishes, a spacecraft, manyspacecraft,anaircraft,manyaircraft.Theseare used singular as well as plural without any change inthem.

l All uncountable nouns like milk, furniture, bread, food, ice, salt, butter, grass, hair, wheat, rubbish, coffee,chalk, paper, sugar, dust, chocolate, soap arealwaysused as singular.

l All abstract nouns like applause, homework, advice, wealth, happiness, research, money, evidence,hospitality, music, pollution, trash, waste, statistics, AIDS, disease, measles, information, knowledge, refuge,rubbish arealwaysusedassingular.

l You must also be aware of some agencies such as jury, committee, government which are used both ways.A jury or a committee or a government is consisted of some members and these members sometimes take aunanimous decision and act like one agency; but at times the members are divided in their opinionand act separately and not as one agency. In the first case, a jury will be treated as singular while in thesecond case,itwillbe plural. eg,

(i) Thecommittee have been consultingamong themselves and are nowreadytotake their seats.(ii) Acommittee has been constitutedtolookintothematter.

Insentence,(i) thecommitteereferstothe members and not the organization asoneentity.

(ii) one agencycommitteeisreferredandnotadividedcommitteeoritsmembers.

Other such nouns are : Association, audience, board, commission, company, council, crew,department,government,jury,party,public,staff,familyl Words with ware suffix are singular : Software, hardware, silverware, streetware, chinaware,

brassware, glassware, middleware, embeddedware.

l The following, although appear plural, are used as singular : Mathematics, economics, measles,apparatus, wages, species, politics.

TargetExercise2

Directions Identifythesubjectsinthefollowingandchoosethecorrectsingularorpluralverb.

1. Thecommittee is /are seriouslyconsideringthematter.

2. Duringrecession,noteventhe Mumbai public has /have enoughmoneytomeetitsneeds.

3. Thepublic is /are dispersingawayfromthemonotonousshow.

4. Themajority wins /win whattheminority loses /lose.

5. Thegovernment has /have fallenafterthetrustvote.

6. Thegovernment wants /want tokeeptheplantothemselves.

7. Two deer/deers were killedbythepoachers.

8. Thearmy has /have besiegedthecityandispoisedtolaunchfurtherattacks.

9. Thepolice has /have arrivedandareinvestigatingthematter.

10. Theissueremainedunresolvedasthecommittee was /were dividedonthesubject.

11. The scissors was/were there but the tailor could not see them as his spectacles was/were not on his nose.

12. Brazil is /are thewinningteam.

Answers 1. arethe members and not the agency 2. hasone entityits need 3. aredifferentmembers of public in different directions 4. wins, losesone entity 5. hasthe entire onegovernment 6. wantto themselves means members of the government 7. deerno use of deersexists 8 hasarmy is used as singularis poised 9. havepolice is used as pluralareinvestigating 10. wereas divided 11. were, werescissors and spectacles are used as pluralcould notseethem 12.areateamherereferstoplayersasinIndiaareontheground.

StructureRuleSome nouns never change into a plural form even if used as pluralapparatus, scenery, jewellery, machinery, offspring, information,stationery,aircraft,dozen,hundred,furniture.

IPMBASuccessMaster 5

l Thepronouns each and one makethesubject singular. eg,(i) Each oftheChiefMinistersofthestates was presentinthemeeting.

Itmeans each one oftheministersofstates.(ii) One oftheboys is tobeblamed.

Whoistobeblamedoneboyoralltheboys?

l Somebody, nobody aresingularbut every and none canbeusedbothassingularandplural.

l Theconjunction and makesthesubject plural whencombiningtwoormorenounsorpronouns. eg,(i) Jack, John and Jill are comingtomeetme.

(ii) He and I are goingtowelcomethem.

l If the conjunctionor, norcombines the nouns or pronouns, then the number of the last noun or pronoun isdecisive. eg,

(i) Twobikesor a car is enoughtocarryusall.(ii) Thecoachor the players are responsibleforthedefeat.

(iii) She,theyor I am supposedtolookafterthepeoplehere.

l Sometimes thesubjectisanon-finiteverb which is alwayssingular. eg,(i) Smoking isinjurioustohealth.Non-finite(Gerund)

(ii) Toerr ishuman, toforgive isdivine.Non-finite(Infinitive)

Therefore,thesubjectofasentenceiseitheranounorapronounorsometimesanon-finite.

TargetExercise3

Directions Identify the subject whether it is singular or plural and then make a better choice of the givenverbs.

1. Eachofthecandidates was/were awardedacertificateforparticipation.

2. Eitherofthosedresses is/are suitablefortheparty.

3. Eitherthestudentorhisparents has/have tobepresentinthefunction.

4. Everybodyoranybody is/are abletoanswerthesequestions.

5. Neitherofthem is/are anexpertofthesubject.

6. Theoneswho is/are foundguiltymustbepunished.

7. Youorshe has/have tobeblamedfortheaccident.

8. TheyandI was/were presenttherelastnight.

9. Jessicaisabsent,butsomeofherclass is/are present.

10. Noone know/knows whathappensafterdeath.

Answers 1. wasmeans each one 2. isone of the dresses 3. havethe last nounparents 4. is 5. isnot one of them 6. areones is plural 7. hasthe last subject she 8. wereandmakesthesubjectplural 9.areclassmeansclassmateshere 10.knowsnooneissingular.

Type2: Errorof TenseCheckingthetenseoftheverbinasentenceisanotherveryimportantthinginsentencecorrectionexercise.

Youneedtoknow,Isthetenseoftheverbcorrect?

Considerthefollowingsentences:(i) Yesterday I met him. (ii)She said she would meethim.

Yesterday and said fixes the time of the verb to be past. Therefore, we have used the past forms of meetandwill.

However,forthepresenttime,wesay:(i) I always meet himatthestation. (ii)She says she will meethim.

Always and says refertothepresentandmeetandwillarethepresentformsoftheverbs.l Is, am and are arethepresentformsandtheirpastformsare was and were.

l Has and have are the present forms and their past form is had.

l Does and do are the present forms and their past form is did.


l Will, shall, can and may are the present form modals and their past forms are would, should, could andmight respectively.

It is important to know the correct past and past participle forms of the verbs. Broadly the verbs areconjugatedinfourdifferentways:

1. Those which take ed in their past and past participle forms such as work-worked-worked,enquire-enquired-enquired, lie- lied-lied or try-tried-tried. Some more such verbs areplay,request,flow,die,please.

2. Those which remain same in all their forms such as cast-cast-cast, burst-burst-burst, cut-cut-cut orshut-shut-shut.Somemoresuchverbsareput,hit,spread,let,set.

3. Those which take same past and past participle forms such as buy-bought- bought, say-said-said,hold-held-held or win-won-won. Some more such verbs areteach-taught-taught, catch-caught-caught,make-made-made,bleed-bled-bled,keep-kept-kept,dig-dug-dug.

4. Those which are different in all the three forms such as see-saw-seen, sing-sang-sung;bear-bore-borne, write-wrote-written. Some more such verbs areeat-ate-eaten, drink-drank- drunk,break-broke-broken,bite-bit-bitten,take-took-taken,begin-began-begun.

The second forms of the verb are the simple past forms and the third forms of the verb (or the pastparticiple) are the past perfect forms used with has, have or had. The third forms are also used in the passivevoicesentences.

PerfectTensesThewoman has done herhouseholdwork.

I have written fiveletterstohimsofar.

Thetrain had gone beforewereachedthestation.

PassiveVoiceAllhouseholdworkinthishouse is done bytheservants.

Fivenovels havebeen written bythenewwritersofar.

Thetrain willbe caught byusifwehurry.

TableofTenses

Tense Present Past Future

SIMPLEActive She+ writes (VI)+slogans.I/We/You/Theywriteslogans.

She + wrote (V2) + slogans. She + willwrite (VI) + slogans.

SIMPLEPassive Slogans + are written (V3) + by+ her.

Slogans + werewritten (V3) +by + her.

Slogans + willbewritten (V3) +byher.

USAGE Forhabit,repetitiveactionandpermanentsituation;usuallywithwordslikedaily,always,never,sometimes.

pasteventsunconnectedwiththePresent;orwithpast-timereferencesuchasyesterday,in1954,lastweek,fivemonthsago,intheancienttimes.

InformationabouttheFuturewithorwithoutfuturereferencesuchastomorrow,aftertwodays,infifteenminutes.

CONTINUOUSActive She + iswriting + slogans. She + waswriting + slogans. She + willbewriting + slogans.

CONTINUOUSPassive Slogans + arebeingwritten(V3) + byher.

Slogans + werebeingwritten(V3) + byher.

Slogans + willbebeingwritten(V3) + byher.

USAGE Continuingactionatthetimeofspeaking,thesedaysingeneralorchangingdevelopmentsontheearthwithorwithouttheuseofnow,atpresent,atthemoment,thesedays,look,still

Continuingactionataparticularpasttimewiththetimewords,phrasesorclausessuchasatthistimeyesterday,whenyoucameetc.referredorimplied.

Continuingsituationatafuturetimewithareferencetothistimenextyear/tomorrow.

PERFECTActive She + haswritten (V3) +slogans.

She + hadwritten (V3) +slogans.

She + willhavewritten (V3) +slogans.

PERFECTPassive Slogans + havebeenwritten(V3) + beher.

Slogans + hadbeenwritten (V3)+ byher.

Slogans + willhavebeenwritten (V3) + byher.


Tense Present Past Future

USAGE Pastactionwithsomepresentconnectionusuallycompletedinthepastwithorwithoutthewordsalready,never,yet,justnow,tillnowetc.withthetimereferenceusingfororsince.

Actionbeforeaparticularpasttimeusuallywithbefore,after,whenetc.

completionbyaparticularfuturetimesuchasbythistimetomorrow/nextyear/nextweek.

PERFECTCONTINUOUSActive

She + hasbeenwriting +slogans.

She + hadbeenwriting +slogans.

She + willhavebeenwriting +slogans.

PERFECTCONTINUOUSPassive

Slogans + havebeenbeingwriting (V3) + byher.

Slogans + hadbeenbeingwritten (V3)byher.

Slogans + willhavebeenbeingwritten (V3)byher.

USAGE Pastactioncontinueduptothepresent(uncompleted)usuallywiththetimereferenceusingfororsince.

Continuationuptoaparticularpasttime.

Continuedup toj aparticularfuturetime.

TargetExercise4

Directions Choosethecorrectformsoftheverbsinthefollowing.

1. Hewas choose/ chose/chosen leaderofthegroup.

2. Ihave do/did/done mywork.

3. Theletterwas write/wrote/written bytheclerk.

4. Youhave break/broke/broken thewindowpane.

5. Whohas take/took/taken mypen?

6. Thebananashavebeen eat/ate/eaten bythecow.

7. Abeautifulsonginthismoviehasbeen sing/sang/sung bythenewsinger.

8. Hehas catch/catched/caught cough.

9. Themagician cast/casted aspellandturnedtheratintoahorse.

10. Alothasbeen say /says /said aboutlifeanddeath.

Answers 1. chosenpassive 2. done 3. written passive 4. broken 5. taken 6. eaten 7. sung8.caught 9.castthepastofcastiscast 10.said

TargetExercise5

DirectionA. Checkwhatiscorrect-simplepresentorpresentcontinuous.

Isit habituallydoneor isa repeated action?Choose simplepresent.Isit longerorcontinued action?Choose presentcontinuous.

1. Look!They talk and while away /are talking and whiling away theirtime.

2. Anappleaday keeps /is keeping thedoctoraway.

3. Byprofessionanauthor writes /is writing abookwhereasanartist creates/is creating apicture.

4. The projects that the government takes up/is taking up these days are all dominated by moderntechnologies.

5. Theriver flows /is flowing downthemountainand goes /is going totheocean.

Answers 1. are talking and whiling awaylook indicates it is happening before our eyes at the moment2. keepseating healthy diet always keeps diseases away, not just at the moment 3. writes,createsprofession-wise activities are timeless, not temporary, at the moment or time-bound 4. is takingupthesedaysonly,notalways 5.flows,goesnotjustnowtheyareflowingorgoing

StructureRule

TheverbsthatcannotbeusedincontinuoustenseSome verbs express not actions, or happenings but sense perceptions such as see, hear, smell, taste, feel or possession such as own,possess, have, hold or some insight or idea such as believe, realize, obsess etc. Such verbs are usually not used in the continuous tense.Sometimeswhentheyareusedinthecontinuoustensetheylosetheirusualmeaning. eg, Thejudgeishearingthecaseatthemoment.


DirectionB. Checkwhatiscorrectsimplepastorpresentperfect.

Isthe pasttimementioned orindicated?Choose simplepast.Isthe pasttimeconnectedorrelatedwiththepresent timesomehow?Choose presentperfect.

1. Ifeelproudofmyteamasit performed/has performed quitewell.

2. The Prime Minister observed/has observed many changes in the rural areas when he last visited thecountryside.

3. Since,hechangedjobhe found/has found moretimetorelaxandenjoyhishobby.

4. Paulmaylosehiscarbecause he did not pay/has not paid hisinstalmentsforthreemonths.

5. Thereport was tabled/has been tabled intheparliamentyesterday.

Answers 1. has performedfeel proud is present, therefore the past performance gets related to thepresent 2. observed when? When he last visitedit mentions the past time 3. has found since meansfrom then till now; therefore since/for take perfect tenses only 4. has not paid 5. was tablednot relatedwithnow,butisolatedpastthatisyesterday.

DirectionC. Checkwhatiscorrectsimplepastorpastcontinuous.

If out of the two actions in the past one is longer than the other, the shorter will take simple past and thelonger past continuous. The actions might be either both short or both long; and in such a case either bothwillbe simplepast or bothpastcontinuous.

1. WhileI waited/was waiting formybusshewasrunningafterhers.

2. Wesawabusfallenwhenwe went/were going toHaridwar.

3. She burnt/was burning herfingerwhileshewascooking.

4. Aboy fell/was falling fromatrainwhenitwasmovingatfullspeed.

5. Everyonehadalreadygonebutshestill worked/was still working intheoffice.

Answers 1. was waitingwaiting and running both longer actions 2. were goingcontinued, longeraction 3. burnt burning is short and quick 4. fellfalling is relatively very short action 5. was stillworkingcontinuedaction.

DirectionD. Checkwhatiscorrectsimplepastorpastperfect.

What happenedbefore theother?Theearlieractiontakes pastperfect andthe later actiontakes simplepast.Doyouintendtomentiontwopastactionsoneaftertheother?Ifno,usesimplepast.Ifyes,usepastperfect.

1. Thetrain went/had gone beforewereachedthestation.

2. Therivalcountries fretted and fumed/had fretted and fumed beforethewarfinallybrokeout.

3. He went/had gone outafterhehadeatenhislunch.

4. Thefarmersoldthecropafterhe harvested/had harvested it.

5. TheIndianshadfoughtalongstrugglebeforethey attained/had attained independence.

Answers 1. had gonehappened first, then reached station 2. had fretted and fumedhappened first,before the war 3. wentate lunch first, then went 4. had harvestedharvested first, then sold5.attainedfirstfought,thenattainedindependence.

DirectionE. Checkwhatiscorrectsimplefuture,futurecontinuousorfutureperfect.

1. I will complete/will have completed thisprojecttomorrow.

2. I willbecompleting/willhavecompleted this project at this time tomorrow.

3. I will be completing/will have completed thisprojectbythistimetomorrow.

4. I will be passing /will have passed myMBAbythetimeyourreturnfromabroad.

5. She will repay/will have repaid herloanbytheperiodforthesameexpires.

Answers 1. will completejust future intention 2. will be completing at a particular point of time infuture is used for continued action in future 3. will have completedtill or by a particular time in future isusedforcompletionofwork 4.willhavepassedsimilarto3 5.willhaverepaidsimilarto4.


Type3: Errorof ConditionalSentencesPatternI

If+Subject+Verb (inthefirstform)Subject+Will+Verb (inthefirstform)

If+you +allow -I +will +go.

If+it +rains -he +will +notcome.

If+one +promises -one +must +keepit.

If+you +workhard -you +can +succeed.

These sentences express what is probable to happen in future under particular conditions. The first partsof the sentences beginning with if are the conditions and the second parts are the intentions or the likelyhappeningsinfuture.Thefirsttakesthe simplepresent formandthesecond simplefuture.

Theycanbestatedreversingtheorder:

I willgo if you allow.

He willnotcome if it rains.

One mustkeep it if one promises.

You cansucceed if you work hard.

PatternIIIf+Subject +Verb (inthesecondform)

Subject+Would+Verb (inthefirstform)

If+I +knew -I +would +tellyou

If+theoffice +hadmoney -it +would +giveawaythesalary.

If+I +werethePresident -I +would + honour thelearned.

If+women +hadpower -they +would +rulebetter.

These sentences express some hypothetical probability or supposition or just an assumption. They meanI dont know so I cant tell you; the office doesnt have money so it cannot pay salary; I am not the PresidentotherwiseIwould honour thelearned;womendonthavepowerotherwisetheywouldrulebetter.

Thesesentencescanalsostatethesecondpartfirst.

PatternIIIIf+Subject+Verb (had+thethirdform)

Subject+Wouldhave+3rd formofVerb

If+it +hadrained -thefarmers +wouldhave +growncrops.

If+they +hadworked -they +wouldhave +succeeded.

If+we +hadreachedontime +wouldhave +caughtthetrain.

If+thedoctor +hadcomeontime -thepatient +wouldnothave +died

These sentences express something that could not happen in the past because of the lack of somerequired condition. It expresses some sort of regret. It did not rain so farmers could not grow crops; they didnot work hard so they could not succeed; we did not reach on time and so we could not catch the train; the doctordidnotcomeontimeandsothepatientcouldnotbesaved.

Youmusthavenoticedthattheverbin

Pattern I is the first form (the present) and the first form of future (will) indicating some futureintentions.

Pattern II is the second form (the past) and the second form of future (would) indicating hypothesis orsuppositioninpresentmeaning.

Pattern III is had + third form (the past perfect) and would have + third form (future perfect) someconditionalregretaboutthepast.


TargetExercise6

DirectionA. Choosethebetteroptioninthefollowingconditionalsentences.

1. Iftherecessioncontinues,theindustry will not grow /would not grow.

2. ThePrimeMinister announces /will announce theprojectiftheparliamentapprovesit.

3. If the fire-brigade had reached on time, the property would be saved /would have been saved fromdestruction.

4. IfIknewtheanswers,I would pass /would have passed theexamination.

5. Ifthere is /will be asuddenrain,thecitydrownsunderwater-logging.

Answers 1. will not growcontinues is present 2. will announceapproves is present, P.M.s decisiondepends on approval 3. would have been savedhad reached is past perfect, talks about the past4. would passknew is simple past, second form of the verb 5. isif part of the sentence does not takewill,would orwouldhave.

DirectionB. Wishandthesubjunctivecase.IwishIknew.Iwishyoucame. presentmeaningIwishIwouldknow.Iwishyouwouldcome. futuremeaningIwishIhadknown.Iwishyouhadcome. pastmeaning

Choosethebetteroptioninthefollowingconditionalsentences.

1. Theycheatedme.IwishI knew /had known them.

2. Thepartywassuchafun.Iwishyou would come/had come.

3. Thestarisinthetownandsheisentertainingherguests.Shewishesshe were free/would be free.

4. Theyreachedlatetothefuneral.Theywishthey reached/had reached ontime.

5. Tomorroweverybodywouldenjoy.Youwishyou would join /would have joined theparty.

The second most important question that one must ask in the sentence correction exercise is Is the tenseoftheverbcorrect? Thisistheruleno. TWO

Answers 1. had knownpast meaning because cheated is past 2. had comepast meaning as was ispast 3. were freepresent meaning as is is present 4. had reachedreached is past 5. wouldjoinfuturemeaningastomorrowisused.

DirectionC. Makeachoiceofthecorrectverbform.

1. Thank God! We reached on time. If there had been jam on the highway, we would be/would have beenlateforreception.

2. Ifyou woke /had woken meupearlier,wewouldhavegonetheretogether.

3. Last night the residents assembled/had assembled to discussion the occurrence of theft in the locality.

4. The students decided to donate blood after they saw /had seen the plight of the injured in variousaccidentsinadocumentaryfilm.

5. Thenewspaper reported/has reported sevencasesofgruesomecrimeinthecityyesterday.

6. An enquiry committee has been formed as devastating poverty and indebtedness forced/have forcedfarmersinthecountrytocommitsuicide.

7. SinceIchangedjobI found /have found notimetorelaxandenjoymyhobby.

8. IfDave doesnt /wont drive carefully,hewillcauseanaccident.

9. Unlessthestrikingworkersandthemanagement talk /dont talk,themattercannotberesolved.

10. Theministers have sworn /had sworn thattheywillmaintainthesecrecyoftheirdepartments.

Answers 1. would have been 2. had woken 3. assem-bled 4. had seen 5. reported 6. have forced7.havefound 8.doesnt 9.talkunlessmeansifnot 10.havesworn

StructureRuleHave and hold are used in the continuous form as in He is having bath or She is holding a flower. But have here means take andhold means wield, take or keep in hand. We, however, CANNOT say They are having or holding some property in this town. Weshould,instead,say,Theyhaveorholdsomepropertyinthistown.Theverb have is usedinthreedifferentways :1.Iam havingmylunch atthemoment.ItmeansIam taking.2.He has someindustryinthistown.ItmeansHe possess or own.3.We havedone ourwork.Itmeansworkiscompletedandhavedenotesthe perfecttense.


Type4: Errorof ParticiplesWhatfunctiondotheing verbsdointhefollowingsentences?

(i) Smoking isinjurioustohealth.(ii) Swimming isagoodexercise.

(iii) He has given up smoking.(iv) Shehasstarted swimming.(v) They are taking lesson in swimming.

They function as the subject or object in the sentence. If you ask the question what is injurious or a goodexerciseorwhathashegivenuporstartedoristakinglessoninyouwillgettheing wordsasanswer.

You should ask what questions before the verb to know the subject and after the verb to know the object inthesentence.

Nowlookatthefollowingsentences.Howaretheing worddifferentfromthoseusedabove?(i) Smoking heenteredthehall.

(ii) Swimming theycrossedthefloodedriver.

In the sentences above the words smoking and swimming dont answer the question what entered or whocrossedbuttellhowheenteredorhowtheycrossed.

Wecanalsosay:(i) While smoking heenteredthehall.

(ii) While he was smoking heenteredthehall.(iii) Heenteredthehall when he was smoking.

Thesearedifferentwaysofcombiningtwosentences.

Smokingisaparticipleandthe mainfunctionofaparticipleistocombinetwosentences.

Thetwosentences,inthiscase,are:

Hewassmoking.Atthatverysametimeheenteredthehall.Or,

Heenteredthehall.Atthatverysametimehewassmoking.

Considertheothersentence:

Swimmingtheycrossedthefloodedriver.

Ifwesplitthesame,wecansay:

Theyswam.Thisishowtheycrossedtheriver.Or,

Theycrossedtheyriverbyswimming.Or,

Byswimmingtheycrossedtheriver.

However,wecantsaytheabovesentencesinthefollowingmanner:

Smoking thehallwasenteredbyhim.Or,

Swimming thefloodedriverwascrossedbythem.

Why? Because the one who smoke was he and not the hall; or, those who swam were they and not thefloodedriver.

Considerthefollowingsentences:(i) Writinganovel,hisnamebecamefamous.

(ii) Havingbeenaverygoodscientist,theymadehimthepresident.

Ask who wrote the novel his name or some person? It was some person. The sentence, therefore, should beWritinganovel,hebecamefamous.

In the second sentence, who was a scientistthey or the president? It was the president. Therefore, thesentenceshouldbeHavingbeenaverygoodscientist,hewasmadepresidentbythem.

It is clear from the above discussion that the doer of the participle verb should not be distanced from it orinterruptedbyanyothersubject,nounorverb.

Ifasentencestartswithaparticiple,ask:Isthesubjectordoerclosetotheparticiple?

Thisistheruleno. THREE


TargetExercise7

Directions Underlinethesubjectsthataremisplaced.

1. Beingagreatking,peoplerespectedAkbar.

2. Takingallhisbagandbaggage,adistantrelativewasvisitedbyhim.

3. Makingsomebeautifulmovies,the Filmfare awardedhimwiththemostprestigious honour.

4. Havingcheckedtheengineandpetrolintheircar,theirjourneywasresumed.

5. Lookingthroughtheview-finder,somestrangerswereseenstandingatthedoor.

6. Callinghimonphone,hewasinformedofthenewsbyme.

7. Singingsweetlyandwalkingsmoothly,thebridewastakenhomebythepalanquinbearers.

8. Eatingtoomuchhishealthwasspoiled.

9. Beingafamousactor,theschoolinvitedhimtobethechiefguestontheAnnualDayfunction.

10. Findingsometalentinhim,theyemployedhiminthekeypositionoftheorganization.

Answers 1. Akbar was respected by people 2. he visited a distant relative 3. he bagged the Filmfareaward 4. they resumed their journey 5. I/he/she saw some strangers 6. I informed him 7. thepalanquinbearerstookthebride 8.hespoilthishealth 9.hewasinvited 10.hewasemployed.

Type5: Errorof NounsIn a sentence when a few nouns or verbs occur in a group or list, they are supposed to be in the same

formeitherallinfinitive(togo),allparticiple(going)orallnoun(gait).

Lookatthis:(i) Measures have been taken togenerate energy, toconserve it and foritsequitabledistribution.

Theabovesentencecanbecorrectedinthefollowingpossibleways:Measureshavebeentaken to generate energy, to conserve itand to distribute itequitably.Measureshavebeentakenfor generating energy, conserving itand distributing itequitably.Measureshavebeentakenforthe generation ofenergy,its conservation andequitable distribution.Considerthefollowing:

(ii) Infant isthefirststageoflife, boyhood thesecondand adolescent thethird.The stages are infancy, boyhood and adolescence; infant and adolescent are persons in these stages.Therefore, the sentence should read :Infancy isthefirststage, boyhood thesecondand adolescence isthethird.

(iii) The breadth wasfive centimetre,the length tenanditwasthree centimetre high.The breadth and length are alright but instead of it was three centimetre high it should be the heightwasthree centimetre.In order to be able to check this kind of error in a sentence, knowing different forms of the same word isuseful.Lookatafewformationsofwordshere.

StructureRuleThere is big list of such words. Therefore, a higher proficiency word-formation is advisable. Refer to the relevant word-formation chapterinthisbook.Afewofthenounsandadjectivesaregivenhere:Mother,motherhood,maternity;poor,poverty;patriot,patriotism;hero,heroism;bankrupt,bankruptcy;vacant,vacancy;diligent,diligence;garrulous,garrulity.

TargetExercise8

Directions Choosethecorrectnounform.

1. What apparatus/apparatuses doyouuseforperformingthisexperiment?

2. Thereareno machinery /machineries toresolvethematter.

3. Thetwo hundred /hundreds ofhenslayaboutthirty dozen /dozens ofeggseveryweek.

4. The scenery /sceneries oftheHimalayaskeepbeckoningus.

5. The offspring /offsprings ofthisspeciesleavetheirparentsassoonastheymature.

6. Thesepiecesof jewellery/jewelleries aredesignedbyahighlyacclaimedexpert.


7. Allkindsof stationary /stationeries aresoldhere.

8. Wegetalotof information /informations fromtheinternet.

9. Beautiful furniture /funitures madethehouseelegant.

10. Manysophisticated aircraft/aircrafts havebeenpurchasedbytheIndianAirForcerecently.

Aftercheckingthesubject-verbagreement,tenseandparticiple,youneedtoask,

Arethenounsandverbsintheirproperformsconfirmingtheparallelism?

Thisistheruleno. FOUR

Answers 1. apparatus 2. machinery 3. hundred, dozen 4. scenery 5. offspring 6. jewellery7. stationary 8. information 9. furniture 10. aircraft

Type6: Errorof ArticlesThereis aman waitingforyououtsidethegate. Theman isholdingsomefiles.

In the first time reference, we say a man that is any man and when we refer to the same man again we usethebeforeman.Themakesitadefiniteorparticularman.

eg, Thegirl whomwemetyesterday hascomeagain.

In the above sentence also we talk about a definite girl, the one whom we met yesterday; therefore, we usethebeforegirl.

Considerthis:

Pleasegiveme apen towrite;not theone yougavemeearlierbut another.

Apen meansanypen; theone isforaparticularpenortheearlierone;and another meansanyother.

Whenwemean any, weuse a or an; butwhenwemeana particular one,weuse the.

TargetExercise9

Directions Choosetherightarticleinthefollowingsentences.

1. Have your seen a/the movie playing at Satyam?

2. Is this a/the book that you gave me last week?

3. A/The goodleaderleadsthecountrytoprosperity.

4. A/The peopleofAmericaaremoreliberalthan a/the peopleofEurope.

5. WhereisMother?Sheisworkingin a/the kitchen.

Answers 1.the 2.the 3.a 4.the,the 5.the

StructureRuleSometimes this, that, these or those can be used in place of the and so can help in making sure whether the use of the is requiredornot.GivemethepencanbealsosaidasGivemethis/thatpen.ThecandidatesinterestedcanapplysooncanalsobesaidasThosecandidateswhoareinterestedcanapplysoon.Manyatimereplacingthewithoneofthefourwordscanprovetobealitmustestforthecorrectnessof the inthe sentence.But No articleisusedwith man,nature or God.Manproposes,Goddisposes.Whatmanhasdonetonature!BUTThegodsofpantheonswere worshipped bytheGreeks.

For genetic or class references:Thedog (kindofanimal) is afaithfulanimal.Dogsare faithfulanimals.Theelephantis asensiblecreature.Elephantsare sensiblecreatures.

NOTDogis afaithfulcreature.Thedogsare faithfulcreatures.Elephantis asensiblecreature.Theelephants aresensiblecreatures.


When we mean the entire species or the community or the group and not any specific dog or dogs and elephant or elephants wedontusethewiththeirpluralforms.Thesealsoindicategroupsorcommunityofpeople:Thepoor (people)arethemostneglectedlot.Therich inthiscityarequitearrogant.Theinjured aretakentothehospital.

TargetExercise10

Directions Choosethecorrectoption.

1. Elephants/the elephants can swim very well.

2. She is very fond of horses/the horses.

3. Man /the man is mortal.

4. Injured /the injured were taken to the hospital.

5. Rich /the rich have always ridiculed poor /the poor.

6. Nature/the nature has bestowed with opulence.

7. Gods /the gods the Hindus worship are not the same the Greeks used to worship.

8. There has always been a fight between devil/the devil and divine /the divine.

9. The reformers have come forward for the emancipation of down-trodden /the down-trodden.

10. Unemployed/the unemployed are more concerned to get an employment than to know the number oftheunemployedinthecountry.

Answers 1. elephants 2. horses 3. man 4. the injured 5. the rich, the poor 6. nature 7. thegods 8.thedevil,thedivine 9.thedown-trodden 10.theunemployed

SomeConventionalUsageof thel BeforeageographicalentityThe continent but NOT theAsia,theEurope

l Theoceanthe Indian Ocean,theAtlantic,thePacific

l Theriverthe Yamuna,theThames,theTiber,theNile

l Theislandthe Andman and Nicobar,the Lakshdweep

l Themountainthe Himalayas,theAndes

l Thebayorgulfthe Bay of Bengal,thePersianGulf

l Thearchipelagothe Indonesian Archipelago

l Thedesertsthe Sahara,theKalahari,theArabianSands

l But NOT with

l MountainpeaksMt Everest,MtKilimanjaro

l LakesDal Lake, Chilka Lake,LakeMichigan

l Names of places beginning with proper nounsDelhi University, Indira Gandhi International Airport,MahatmaGandhiRoad

l Beforethecelestialbodiesthe planettheearth;the starthesun;the satellitethemoon,thetitan.

l But NOT withtheremainingplanetssuchas Mars,Jupiter.

l Before the names of religious groups and religious and famous booksthe Hindu, the Christian, the Quran,theBible,theIliad,the Mahabharat,the Ramayan

l But NOT withthenamesofreligionsHinduism,Christianity,Islam

l The republic, the kingdom, the unionThe Peoples Republic of China, the United Kingdom, the United StatesofAmerica

l Thenationalitiesthe British,theIndian,theAmerican,theJapanese

l Withsuperlative the best,therich

l Theordinalsthe first,thelast,thenext

l Somecomparativesthe better of the two;themoreyoutry,themoreyousucceed

l Fortheheadofagroupthe President,thePrimeMinister,theHeadBoy.

l Buthewas elected President, appointed Head Boy


l ThePresidentofthecountrybutjust President Pratibha Patil.

l Timeexpressionsin the morning,intheafternoon,intheeveningbutatnoon,atnight,bydayetc

l WhennamesusedasadjectiveKalidas is the Shakespeare ofIndia. Mumbai istheManchesterofIndia.

TargetExercise11

Directions Insertthewhererequired.

1. Whoisconsidered Bradman ofIndia?

2. Martin Luther King, who led Gandhian Movement against racial discrimination, brought considerableamountofjusticeandequalityfortheblacksintheUS.

3. Thegovernmentfailedbecauseofitslackofunderstandingofeconomicsofthesituation.

4. TheChristianswhogotochurcheverydayarerathermorepiousthanthosewhogooccasionally.

5. Nilgiris arethemostproductivemountainsofthesouth.

6. Obama hasbeenelectedPresidentofUnitedStatesofAmerica.

7. Whatkindofpersonheis?

8. Greatpoetandwriter,K.Abraham,isnomore.

9. Heisnotcomfortableineatingthedishwithknifeandfork.

10. Heleftschoolwhenhewasthirteenandstartedgoingtocollege.

Answers 1. the Bradman 2. the Gandhian 3. the economics 4. not required 5. the Nilgiris 6. theUnitedStates 7.notrequired 8.thegreat 9.notrequired 10.notrequired

Theusageofindefinitearticlea/anThecountablesingularnountakesaoran.

eg, A man is waiting for you. A sovereign state needs a government of its own. An apple a day keepsthedoctoraway.

The only difference between a and an is that a noun or adjective beginning with a vowel soundthe sound

of a, ai, aa, e, ei, ee, ai, ia, o, ou etcsuch as apple, iodine, end, air, heir, exact, eye, oriental, owl takes

an inordertokeepthetwovowelsounds(aandthefirstsoundoftheword)fromgettingmingled.

For example, if we say a orange, a office, a umbrella, a honest man, a MP, it may create a phonetic problem

in speaking and listening. Therefore, we should say an orange, an office, an umbrella, an honest man, an MP, an

NRI,anheir,anhour.

However, a university, a one eyed man, a one rupee note are correct although the start with a vowel but

produceaconsonantsoundyu, wa,etc.

TargetExercise12

Directions Correctthefollowingsentences:

1. Istherethepostofficenearhere?

2. Anstitchontimesavesnine.

3. Itrequiresanenergy.

4. Shehasgotacoldandcough.

5. You need very good knowledge of the subject and deep understanding of the problem to get throughthisexamination.

6. Hehelpedahonestoneeyedman.

7. HeisadoctorbuthiswifeisaMLA.

8. Thereisatimetoworkandthetimetoplay.

9. Wherethereisthewill,thereistheway.

10. Aumbrellaisuselessinastormyweather.

Answers 1. a post office 2. a stitch 3. requires energy 4. got cold and 5. a very good knowledge,adeepunderstanding 6.anhonest 7.anMLA 8.andatime 9.awill,away 10.anumbrella.


Type7: Errorof DeterminersI. Some,any = indefinitenumberorquantityl Someisusedwith positive sentences and any with negative sentencesand questions.

eg,l Thereis some good news foryou.Uncountablepositive

Some books arelyingonthetable.Countablepositivel Thereisnot any water leftinthebottle.Uncountablenegativel Arethere any letters intheletter-box?Countablequestionl Some issometimesused in questions.

eg,

Could you lend me some money? Are there some boys in the next room? Where is the noise coming

from?

Heresomestressisonthepositivequantityandnumber.

II. Much,many=bigquantity (uncountable) orbignumber (countable)eg,(i) Thereisnot much water leftinthepond.

(ii) Therearenot many followers of Gandhiji thesedays.

(iii) Too much milk willberequiredtomakethesesweets.

(iv) Many parliamentarians wereabsentonthefistdayofthesession.

(v) How much money doyouwant?

(vi) Yourcantakeas many currency notes asyouwant.

III. A little = small quantityuncountableA few = small numbercountableeg,(i) Only a little rice isleft.Wewillhavetomanagewithit.smallamount

(ii) Only a few people cameintheparty.smallnumber

eg,l Little = (withouta)hardlyanyornotanyuncountablel Few = (withouta)hardlyanyornotanycountable

(i) Thereis little sense incryingoverthespiltmilk.nosense

(ii) Few know whathappensafterdeath.nobody

IV. More = comparative of much and manyLess = comparative oflittle;l Both more and less areusedwiththan.

eg,(i) Idonthave more moneytoday.Itisincorrect.Morethanwhatorwhom?

It should be much money orenough money.

(ii) Iwant more moneythanwhatIhave.

(iii) Iwant more moneythanyouhave.

(iv) Thereis less senseintalkingwithsucharudeperson.Lessthanwhat?

Itshouldbe little senseor no sense.

(v) Anidletalkismuch less important than work.

(vi) Heearns less than apeon.

V. Several = several is small number (countable) but more definite than some or a fewEnough = sufficient numberandquantityeg,(i) Dontworry.Thereare several policementoguardtheplace.

(ii) Dontgivememore.Ihaveeaten enough.


TargetExercise 13

Directions Choosethecorrectdeterminer.

1. Couldyoulendme some /any ofyourbookstoday?

2. Youcannotbuyanythingwithsuch a little/less amountofmoney.

3. Hehas much /more sensethanyouhave.

4. Thereisnot much /more scopeintheconventionaljobsthesedays.

5. Didyousee some /any goodmoviesduringyourvisittothetown?

6. Very few /a few peopletruetotheirintentions.

7. Little/a little eleganceisleftinthosearrogantyouth.

8. AnaverageIndianearns much/enough tomaintainan honourable life.

9. Ifyouarelookingforsomenicemagazines,therearealready some/several inthestall.

10. Helpcamebuttoolateandtoo little/less.

Answers 1. some 2. a little 3. more 4. much 5. any 6. few 7. little 8. enough 9. several10.little

Type8: Errorof Adjectivesl Earlierlater :onan earlier date ora later date;usedfor time.

l Formerlatter :outoftwo names or things mentioned,the first is former andthe second is later.

l Fartherfurther :(i) Whatwillbehis further strategy?Furthermeans next insequencehere.

(ii) Hemendedhiswayswithoutany further delays.Furtherheremeans additional.(iii) Icomefroma farther place thanyoudo.(iv) TheUSAis further fromherethantheUK.

In both (iii) & (iv) farther and further indicate longer distances. Both the words can be used for distance.For additionornext, only further canbeused.l Olderelder : There are two brothers elder to me; the second one is two years older than me. Elder indicates

seniority in relation, older seniority in age. eg,(i) HowcanIuseinsultingwordsforhim?Heisan elder to me.Seniorinrelation.

Personsnotinrelationcannotbecomparedbyusingelder.Onlytheiragescanbecompared:(ii) ThePrimeMinisterofthecountryismuch older than thePresident.

Theorderoftheadverbl MPT =MannerPlaceTime

Manner=slowly,steadily

Place=here,there,up,down

Time=before,ago,now,today

Thenextquestiontobeaskedis

Arethearticles,determinersandadjectivescorrectlyused?

Thisistheruleno. FIVE

TargetExercise14

Directions Choosethecorrectadjectiveandadverb.

1. AfterkillingCaesar,theconspirators farther /further wantedtokillAntony.

2. The enemy attacked manyplacesinthenightaggressively/aggressivelymanyplacesinthenight.

3. OutofMiltonandByron,the earlier/former isthebetterpoet.

4. Althoughhestudiesinmyclass,heisthreeyears older/elder thanme.

5. Later /latter whenhegrewolder,herealizedhismistake.

Answers 1.further 2.aggressivelymanyplacesinthenight 3.former 4.older 5.later


Type9: Errorof PronounsTheformsofpronoun

Subjectiveforms: I,we,you,he,she,they,it.

Objectiveforms: me,us,you,him,her,them,it.

Possessiveforms: my/ofmine,our/ofours,your/ofyours,his/ofhis,her/ofhers,their/oftheirs,its/ofit.

(i) Hisaccomplishmentsaregreaterthanmyaccomplishments.(ii) Hisaccomplishmentsaregreater than mine.Accomplishmentsarecompared.

(iii) Heisgreater than me.HeandIarecompared.(iv) Hediditbetter than I.(thanIdid)Thetwosubjectsdoingsarecompared.

Notice the difference the above sentences. The first two mean same. Third and fourth compare two differentthingsandsousedifferentformsofpersonalpronoun.

Theusageofit,its,its,there,theirl It is used for a thing, idea, animal, baby, child, kid etc. Sometimes I, we, you, he, she, they are also used for them.

l It and there as dummysubjectorobject.

eg,(i) It is true. I knew it. Damn it. It rains. Its late. What time is it by your watch? Its useless to try once again.

Its O.K.Is it you? It wasIwhowasknockingonthedoor. It isfoolishtotalkinthatway.Intheabovesentences it doesnotmeananythingbutjustfillthegapofasubjectoranobject.

(ii) There was a king. Where there is a will, there is a way. How many friends of ours were there in theparty?Whattimeis there byyourwatch?There doesthesamefunctionasitdoes.Itfillsthegap.

(iii) Thedogwags its tailonseeingitsmaster.Itstail meansdogstailor thetailofthedog.

(iv) Letshurry. Its gettinglate.Its istheshortor contractedformofitis.Itisgettinglate.

(v) Theydid their workandweours.Give their moneybacktothem.Their meansbelongingtothemorpossessedbythem.

(vi) Its they whoknowallaboutthis.Its she whoneedsyourhelp.Its I whoprefertolistentoyourmusic.

Afteritsoritisthesubjectiveformofthepersonalpronounisusedandnottheobjectivethem,herorme.

TargetExercise15

Directions Choosethecorrectpronouninthecontext.

1. Oneofthestudentsdidnotsubmit his /their /ones assignmentaspertheinstruction.

2. Thebabyflung his /its toyandlost him /it somewhere.

3. Passengersareadvisedtolookafter there /their luggage himself /themselves.

4. There /their werethousandsofnewarticles there /their.

5. Theelephantsalutesbyusing its /its trunk.

6. Pleasehurry. Its /its gettinglate.

7. Itis I /me whoisknockingatthedoor.

8. Whatis there /their thatshines?

9. Ihavedonethepaintingbetterthan she/her.

10. Heisaverygoodfriendof my /mine.

Answers 1. hisone student 2. its, itused for baby and toy respectively 3. their,themselvesbelonging to them; hehimself but they or passengersthemselves 4. there, thereused forplace 5. itsbelonging to it and not it is 6. its it is 7. Isubjective form for the doer of theactionknocking 8. thereused for place 9. shebetter than she did is curtailed here 10. minemyfriendbutfriendofmine.


StructureRuleTheOrderofthePersonalPronounYoufirst isagoodmannerinallcultures,andsoitisinEnglish.Say you, he and I for the good things these three do; and say I, you and he for all the bad things they do. Credit should be given toothersfirstandblameshouldbetakenononeselffirst.Therefore,thecorrectorderofthePersonalPronounis:Forallgoodthings:You,heandI haveachievedremarkable success.You,heandI;YouandIorHeandIForallbadthings:I,youandhe areresponsibleforthefailureoftheproject.I,youandhe;IandyouorIandhe

EmphaticandReflexivePronounsI did this work myself. Who did? I myself. I myself did this work. In both case myself emphasizes only I

andnobodyelsedidit.Therefore,myselfisemphaticpronoun.

Notice its position. An emphatic pronoun can either be used soon after the subject or at the end of thesentence.

I saw myself in the mirror. Myself answers I saw what or whom. Therefore, myself is used as the object ofthe verb saw. It comes soon after the verb. Here myself is reflexive pronoun. It reflects the action on the doeronhimself.

Theformsofemphaticandreflexivepronounsare:

Imyself; weourselves; youyourself (singular)/yourselves (plural); sheherself; hehimself; ititself;theythemselves.

TargetExercise16

Directions Choosethecorrectpronouninthecontext.

1. Soliloquyissupposedtobeinplays;onecannottobetalkingto oneself /himself inreallife.

2. Thedogstretched himself /itself afteralongdayssleep.

3. Thebabylaughedonseeing herself /itself inthemirror.

4. Thedictator himself declared/declared himself allpowerful.

5. Theagingwoman herself was searching /was searching herself intheyoungdaughter.

6. They themselves were responsible/were responsible themselves fortheirdefeat.

7. The leader told the people, You yourself /yourselves have to build your nation; and no neighbour or apowerfulcountywillcomeforyourhelp.

8. Godhelpsthosewhohelp himself /themselves.

9. You yourselves have to do /have to do yourselves thisassignment,theteacherremarked.

10. Shewalkedinaveryarrogantmannerpresumably to give herself /to herself give someextrapride.

Answers 1. oneself 2. itself 3. itself 4. declared himself 5. was searching herself 6. themselveswereresponsible 7.yourselves 8.themselves 9.yourselveshavetodo 10.togiveherself.

Theusageofthis,these,that,thoseReadthefollowingsentences:

Thesonofmyboss and theson ofmy neighbour gotothesameschool.

The jobofmyfather and thejob ofmymother arenotsame.

The employeesofthisoffice areashardworkingas thatoffice.

ThecultureofIndia issimilarto theculture ofthesouth Asiancountries.

ThefeatureoftheChinese peopleissimilarto thefeatures oftheMongolians.

Dontyoufeeltheysoundawkwardorimproper?Whatswrong?

There is unnecessary and clumsy repetition of nouns. It should be avoided. The second time a suitablepronounthatmatcheswiththenounshouldbeused.

Thesesentenceswouldbebettersaidifwesaythemlikethese:


Thesonofmybossand thatof my neighbour gotothesameschool.

Thejobofmyfatherand thatof mymotherarenotsame.

Theemployeesofthisofficeareashardworkingas thoseof thatoffice.

ThecultureofIndiaissimilarto thatof thesouthAsiancountries.

ThefeatureoftheChinesepeopleissimilarto thoseof theMongolians.

Its NOT correcttosay, One shoulddo hisorher dutybutitshouldbe, One shoulddo ones duty.

Divya and Devika went to market to buy her dress. To buy whos dressDivyas or Devikas? It should be tobuy Divyas dress or Devikas dress or even their dress. The noun cannot be left ambiguous in a sentence.

TargetExercise17

Directions Checktheuseofthis,that,these,thoseinthegivensentencesandcorrectthem.

1. Thecultureofourcountryisricherthananyothercountryintheworld.

2. Theanimalsinthissanctuaryarebetteroffthanthatsanctuary.

3. Theinstructionscamethatoneshouldbepunctualinsubmittinghis/herwork.

4. Ravi, Sanchit and Arif havegonetobyhisguitar.

5. He,youandIaretobeblamedforallthemessinthelastevenings programme.

Answers 1. richer than that of any other country 2. are better off than those in that sanctuary 3. insubmitting ones 4. to buy their guitar or Ravis guitar or Sanchits or Arifsa pronoun should not be leftambiguousaboutthepersonitmentions 5.I,youandhearetobeblamed.

StructureRuleOne,Ones,OnesandOnceThevariousmeaningsof one :A single, a particular but unspecified, with unknown persons nameone Ms Radhika, the sameone and the same, onlyone and only,everyoneoneandall,unknownsomebody.Onesasinthoseones,theseones,theonesIamlookingforpluralofone.Onesmeansofsomebody.Onceasingivemeachanceonceforonetime,asinonceuponatimeatsometimeinthepast,allatoncesuddenly.

Theusageofwho,whom,whos,whose,thatandwhichl Notethedifferenceinthefollowingsentences:

(i) Myfriend who owesmemoneyisnotseenthesedays.(ii) Myfriend whom Iowemoneyisnotseenthesedays.

l The big difference in the two sentences is that in the first, he has to give me money and in the second I

havetogivehimmoney.l In place of who owes we can say my friend owes or he owes. Who, my friend and he are all subjective

forms.l In place of whom I owe we can say I owe to my friend or I owe him. Whom, my friend and him are all

objective forms here.

(iii) Doyouknowwhosebicycleisthis?(iv) Tellmewhoswhointhenewcabinet.

l Whose means of whom or belonging to whom. The sentence can be restated as Do you know whom does

thebicyclebelongto?

l Whos is the contracted form of who is. The sentence can be restated as Tell me who is who in the new

cabinet.

(v) Thebook which you gave mehasbeenlost.(vi) Youcanreadthebooks that are available inthelibrary.

l Whichyougaveemphasizesaparticularbook.l Thatareavailabletalksgenerallyaboutallthebooks.

(vii) Name the colour which you like themost.

(viii) VIBGYOR represents those seven colours which are inthesun.

(ix) These arethe colours that are available now.


l The first two sentences talk about a particular colour or colours whereas the last one talks about colours ingeneralwithoutemphasizing.

l That and which are usually used for animals, things, ideas, babies etc. Exceptionally, that and which can beusedforpeoplesometimes.

l The people that dwelt thisearthbeforeuswerewiseenoughtopreservetheenvironment.

l Which of the people are you talking aboutthe ones who were before the modern age or the ones a generationbeforeus?

Thesixthcrucialquestionthatyouaresupposedtoaskis

Aretheformsofpronouncorrectanddotheyagreewiththerelatednounsandotherpronouns?

Thisistheruleno. SIX

TargetExercise18

Directions Choosethecorrectformofthepronouninthegivensentences.

1. Imetaman who/whom toldmeaboutmyaward.

2. Imetaman who/whom Itoldabouthisaward.

3. Whos/whose bookisthis?

4. Thisisnotthedoctor who/whom hereferredto.

5. Thesearetheholesin which/that thosesnakeslive.

6. All which/that glittersisnotgold.

7. All which/that knowthetruthdontalwaysutterit.

8. Thereishardlyanyone who/that doesntknowabouther.

9. Shakespearewasthemostprolificwriter which/that timehaseverseen.

10. Whatisthereinyourhand which/that yourhavebroughtforme?

Answers. 1. who 2. whom 3. whose 4. whom 5. which 6. that 7. that 8. who 9. that 10. that

Type10: Errorof PrepositionsPrepositionsfixthepositionofanounorverbinrelationtoanothernoun.

Place (point)l to, at, fromtoapoint,atapoint,fromapoint

eg,(i) She went to thehotel.

(ii) I met her at thedoor.(iii) She came from Canada.

Thehotel,thedoorandCanadaareusedasapointofarrival,meetinganddeparture.

Place (line)l on, off, across, over, alongontheline,offtheline,acrosstheline,overtheline,alongtheline

eg,(i) Itwasafoulastheball fell on the line.

(ii) The fielder fell off the line holdingtheballandsoitwasasix.(iii) Theball rolled across the line.Itwasfour.(iv) Itwasaclearsixas the ball went over the line.(v) The fielder ran along the line towardstheballtosaveitfromcrossingtheline.

Place (surface)l on, off, across, over, throughon the surface, off the surface, across the surface, over the surface, through the

surface

eg,(i) Thepassengerswere waiting on the platform.

(ii) Acrowdpushedand one ofthem fell off the platform onthetrack.


(iii) Avendorwas prowling across the platform sellinghisnewspaper.(iv) Acrow flew over the platform snatchingapieceofbreadfromachild.(v) Some trolleys were piercingtheirwaythroughtheplatform.

Place (area)l in, into, out of, throughwas in the playground, came into the playground, came out of the playground, went

throughtheplayground

eg,(i) Thefirstteamwas already in the playground.

(ii) Afterfiveminutesthesecondteam came into the playground.(iii) Aftertenminutesoneoftheplayers was sent out of the playground.(iv) Thegamewasstoppedandthe refry went through the playground to check whatwaswrong.

TargetExercise19

Directions Choosethecorrectprepositioninthecontext.

1. Duringhervisitto Mumbai,shestayed in/at herfriendshome.

2. Adogran in /on themiddleoftheroad.

3. Wewerewalking on /along theroadwhenwesawanaccident.

4. Acrowdpoured in /into thecompartmentsofthetrain.

5. Allthroughhisjourney,hekeptlooking from /through thewindow.

6. Thecarwasstanding at /in thefarmhouse.

7. Sheis at /in thepostofficeatthemoment.

8. When the accident took place, the train really came at /on the platform instead of coming at /on theplatform.

9. Thischapterisconsisted of /off eightvitalsegments.

10. Theboyfell of /off thebusasitstartedmoving.

Answers 1.at 2.in 3.along 4.into 5.through 6.at 7.in 8.on,at 9.of 10.off

Positionl over, aboveA beautiful carpet was there all over the floor, a blue shining floor under the carpet, a ball

thrown over the table, a shuttle shot over the net, a plane/helicopter hovering over the town, the sun shinedvertically over/above head in mid summer, millions of poor have not roof over/above their head, an exquisitefan handing over/above the table, star shining like a diamond in the sky which is up above the world so high,above average marks/student, 40% people living above poverty line, the flooded river went above the dangermark

l under, belowa small child standing below the table, lived under/below the same roof, no manunder/below the sky knows, ground hollow below the surface, below average, below the danger mark,below poverty line

l under, underneath, beneatha carpet underneath the table, a cat sitting under/beneath the table,underneath the carpet polished and shimmering tiles seen here and there

l in front of, behind, by, besideone chair in front of the table, another behind it, a small stool in front of adressing table, wall behind the dressing table, the bed, the windows and doors hidden behind the curtains,twomongoosehiding behind thebushes,traincame behind timemeanscamelate,beforetimeisearly

l by, besideasidetable by/beside thebed,sit beside me,atowerstanding by theriver,passed by me

l round, arounda shop round the corner (nearby), a car moved around the building/roundabout, turnedround and round,theearthmoving round thesun,theperiphery around theshrine

l in front of (just next in the row/line), opposite (facing), next (adjacent)sitting in front of me, sittingopposite facing each other, a building opposite the school across the road, a building next to it or in front ofit,thegirl next door

l between, amongstuffing between two slices of bread, no grudge between you and me, between 6 P.M. and9 P.M., a woman sitting between two men, river flows between its banks, an orange in the bowl among manyapples,amansitting among manywomen


TargetExercise20


1. Iwassittingbehindhimandhewas in front of /opposite me.

2. Crossyourfinger;thegoodnewsis round /around thecorner.

3. Thenumberofpeopleliving under /below thepovertylinehasdecreasedinIndia.

4. Children under /below 18yearsarenotallowedinthemovieshavingA-certificate.

5. Manypersonnelwork under /below him.

6. The Commonwealth Games committee is unhappy as the preparations for the 2010 games are in frontof /behind schedule.

7. Hestood by /beside hisfriendinallhisdifficulties.

8. Thehousewhichwasstanding between/among thetreeswaswellcanopiedfromallsides.

9. Themanwasstanding by /on theriverandlooking at /around theeveningsky.

10. Theareawasevacuatedasthelevelofwaterintheriverwent over /above thedangermark.

Answers 1. in front of 2. round 3. below 4. below 5. under 6. behind 7. by 8. among 9. by, at10.above

MeansandInstrumentl by, in, from, withby hand, by air, by writing,cooked from oil/butter, with knife/screw-driver/hammer

eg,(i) Themoneywasdelivered by hand.

(ii) Thehandicraftshopsellsthingsmade by hand.(iii) Travelling by air isfasterthan travelling by train or by car.(iv) Weinformedthem by writing amessage.(v) Foodis cooked here from purebutter.

(vi) Hedroveanailinthewall with a hammer.

Timel at, on, inat 4oclock, on Monday, in March

l for (summeduptime), since (beginningtime)for twohours, since morning

l before, afterwoke before thedaybreak,slept after thenightfall

l from-to, between-andfrom 6p.m. to 9p.m., between 6p.m.and9p.m.

l during, within, tillduring theentireday, within threedays, till thedayaftertomorrow, till yesterday

eg,(i) Thishappened at 5 in themorning on aMonday in January in 1992.

(ii) Ithasbeenraining since lastweekandithasalreadyrained for sevendays.(iii) She worshipped before eatingandshe worshipped after eating.(iv) Theshowruns from 6p.m. to 9p.m.(v) Youcanseethedoctor between 6p.m.and9p.m.

(vi) Wewentto Nainital during the holidays.(vii) You will have to complete the test within the time provided.

(viii) Iwasquiteunawareofthisfact till yesterday.(ix) Theywillkeepthedecisiononhold till nextweek.

Cause,Purposel of, from, fordied of cholera,suffering from fever,worked for socialwelfare

Ratel at, byat thespeedof140km/h,sugarsells by thekilogram,cloth by the metre andmilk by the litre


TargetExercise21


1. Thepoacherkilledtheanimalinoneshot from/with hisAK47gun.

2. Sugarcaneshouldbebettersupplied on/by truckthan by/through atrain.

3. Thenewswasfirstconveyed on/by apostcard,them through/by atelegram.

4. Thefoodcooked in/from gheeispreferredovertheonecooked by/from oil.

5. Manypeoplelastyeardies from/of swineflue.

6. Therenownedagrarianleaderstood before/for thecauseofthefarmers.

7. Apply in/within tendaysorvisitbetweenMondayto/andWednesday.

8. Sugarsells at/by Rs 40akilothesedays.

9. Inthisstrangepartoftheworldtheysellcloth at/by thekilogram.

10. Thethiefopenedthelock by/with ahair-pin.

Answers 1. with 2. by, by 3. by, by 4. from, from 5. of 6. for 7. within, and 8. at 9. by 10. with

TheusageofprepositionwithsomewordsisfixedSomeofthemostcommononesaregivenbelow.

l Accustomedof=Hewas accustomed of workinghardinhisyouth.(usedto)

l Accusedof=Theman accused of stealingwassenttojail.(blamedof)

l Acquaintedwith=Pleaseintroducehimtomeifyouare acquainted with him.(know)

l Afraidof=Dontget afraid of thatdog.Itwontbite.(fearfrom)

l Agreeto(idea)=Thepresident agreed to theresolutionandpassedit.(accept)

l Agreewith(person)=Ifyou agree with mepleasesupportme.(havesameopinion)

l Accordingto=Hewasacquittedashewasinnocent according to thejury.(intheopinionof)

l Adaptedto=Maneasilygets adapted to newenvironments.(change)

l Alongwith=ThePrimeMinister along with hisretinueenteredthehall.(togetherwith)

l Associatedwith=Hehadlongbeen associated with theorganizationbeforeheretired.(workedwith)

l Averse to = Initially people are averse to accepting their weakness, but with the passage of time they startrealizingandcorrectingthemselves.(unwillingto)

l Believein(faith)= I believe in God.(havefaithin)

l Belongto=Asthiscountry belongs to us,we belong to thiscountry.(havearightover)

l Cleverat=Sheis clever at paintingandplayingmusic,butIam at music.(skilledat)

l Congratulateon= I congratulated her on hergreatsuccess.(greeted)

l Cure for = As man conquers a disease and find a curefor it,anotherpopsup.(remedyfor)

l Dependon=Highrateofemploymentdependson growth of economy.(isrelatedwith)

l Derivedfrom=ManyEnglishwordsare derived from GreekandLatin.(came/originatefrom)

l Detailsof=Thisnewbookcontains details of herextensivejourney.(descriptionof)

l Differentfrom=Villagelifeisquite different from citylife.(notsame)

l Divideinto=Thepropertywas divided into twopartsandgiventothetwosons.(breakinto)

l Dreamof=Thehenpeckhusbandcouldnever dream of opposinghiswife.(thinkof)

l Frightenedof=Those frightened of obstaclesneverproceedaheadforsuccess.(havingfearof)

l Famousfor=Thecityof Benaras is famous for itsteemingghats.(knownfor)

l Goodat=Heisquite good at convincingpeopleinhis favour.(skilledat)

l Ignorantof=Being ignorant of theconsequences,the naives easilyfallintobadhabits.(notknowing)

l Increasein=Therehasbeenatremendous increase in themulti-nationalsinourcountry.(risein)

l Insiston=Theshopkeepercouldnotdenywhenshe insisted on payinglater.(saidforcefully)

l Interestedin=Workhardifyouare interested in yourprogress.(wantto)

l Lackof= Lack of moneybringspovertyand lack of knowledgeignorance.(devoidof,nothaving)


l Fondof=Themotherwasvery fond of heryoungestchild.(loved/likedverymuch)

l Aimat=Theshooter aimed at thetargetandshotaccurately.(fixatthetarget)

l Laughat=Dont laugh at thosewhoaredeprivedofGodsblessings.(ridicule,makefunof)

l Listento=Hello!Please listen to me.(lendyourear,heed,payattentionto)

l Lookat=Whatareyou looking at?(see)

l Lookafter=Thenurse looked after thechildbetterthanthemother.(totakecareof,torear)

l Lookfor=Haveyoulostanything?Whatareyou looking for underthetable.(tosearchfor)

l Look into = I have requested the police commissioner to look into the matter of increasing crime in ourlocality.(investigate,toprobe,examine)

l Marriedto=Sitawas married to RamandRam to Sitaaftera Swayambar.

l Operateon=Thedoctors operated on thepatientandtransplantedhisheart.(tocuttocure)

l Payfor=Weneedto pay for everythingthatwetakeinourlifetime.(returninmoneyorkind)

l Pleasedwith=Heislookingtoo pleased with himself.(amused,happywith)

l Preventfrom=Thestrictadministration prevented theriot from takingplace.(avoided,stopped)

l Proofof=Manyaccusedgetpunishmentastheycannotproduce proof of theirinnocence.(evidenceof)

l Reasonfor=Therecannotbeagood reason for lethargy.(cause,excuse)

l Respond to = People responded to the call of the president and contributed generously for the cause of thefloodvictims.(actedpositively,actedin favour)

l Remind of = This alluring smell of the flowers remind me of my childhood days in a garden. (reminiscent of,bringtomemory)

l Shout at = Scolding or shouting at children does not help their cause in any way. (to be angry loudly, scold loudly)

l Sorryfor=Shouldwefeel sorry attheendoftheday for whatdidduringtheday?(regret,feelremorse)

l Speakto/with=Iwantedto speak to you,butyouwerenotavailable.

l Unlessthecountries speak with oneanothertheycannotresolvetheirdisputes.(talk,communicate)

l Suffer from = The businessman suffered from great losses and was soon declared bankrupt. (incurred,troubledby)

l Surprisedat=Thescientistswere surprised at theremarkablediscovery.

l Take part in = Taking part in extra-curricular activities is equally important as excelling in academics. (toparticipate,tobeapartof)

l Thank for = Before leaving the participants thanked the organizers for giving them the opportunity. (begratefulfor)

l Tolerant of = In a multi-lingual and multi-cultural country like India people need to be tolerant of thediversityanddifferences.(tobeconsiderate,thoughtfulof)

l Translate into = Volumes of works of Sanskrit have been translated into English and many other Europeanlanguages.(changeinlanguage)

TargetExercise22


1. Only till few years ago people could not dream about/of the facilities and comforts that they enjoy now.

2. Thegirlwasquitefrightened from/of theghoststories.

3. Whichsubjectaregood in/at?

4. Hesmiledinthewayasifhewasacquainted about/with me.

5. Theministernow-a-daysarequiteaverse to/from comingoutoftheircomfortzone.

6. Peopleclever in/at deceivinggetawayeasywithoutbeingreprimanded.

7. ThemajorityofHindiwordsare derived of/from Sanskrit.

8. Ifacountryprogressesthemassesshouldnotremaindeprived from/of thefruits.

9. Thequickarrivalofthefire-brigadepreventedthefire for/from spreadingfurther.

10. Ifonehasaproblemoneshouldsitdownandspeak to/with thepartiesinvolved.

Answers 1.of 2.of 3.at 4.with 5.to 6.at 7.from 8.of 9.from 10.with


StructureRuleTheidiomaticnatureofprepositionConvention rules the use of preposition. As we have seen above, there is some collocation between some word and their fixedpreposition. At the same time, there phrasal verbs or prepositional verbs which mean different from the words used in them. Therefore,theyareidiomaticbynature.Seeafew:Tolookafter=totakecareofTolookfor=tosearchTolookinto=toenquireaboutTotakeafter=toresembleTotaketoheart=tofeelbadWewilldiscusstheseindetailinthechapterIdiomsandPhrases.

TheseventhquestionthatyouhavetoaskisAretheprepositionscorrectlyused?Thisistheruleno.SEVEN

TargetExercise23

Directions Oneofthewordsisincorrectlyspeltineachgroup.Encirclethatword.

1. grammarsummer summerise hammer

2. authorinterior governer organiser

3. theatre kilomitre kilolitre metre

4. importantimpotent ignorent obedient

5. licencelenssenseinfluence

6. negligable valuablepossibleresistible

7. dangerous mystereous superstitiouscourteous

8. officialpresidentialcrucial substancial

9. expenseexpanseexpansion expultion

10. anxiousconscious consentious pretentious

Answers 1. summarise 2. governor 3. kilometre 4. ignorant 5. license 6. negligible7.mysterious 8.substantial 9.expulsion 10.conscientious

TargetExercise24

Directions Oneofthewordsiscorrectlyspeltineachgroup.Encirclethatword.

1. acommodate accomodate accommodate eccommodate

2. begger beggar beggery beggerly

3. cocoon cucoon cacoon cocun

4. quarrelling quarreling quarelling querrelling

5. residencial recidential reasidential residential

6. apology appology apolosy epology

7. sinsere sincere sinceer sincier

8. restorent restaurent restaurant resteurant

9. profession proffesion profetion profeson

10. posesson possession posession possesion

Answers 1. accommodate 2. beggar 3. cocoon 4. quarrelling 5. residential 6. apology7.sincere 8.restaurant 9.profession 10.possession

Type11: Errorof PunctuationApostrophewithPossessivesNouns

Considerthefollowing:(i) Aboysbag (ii) Theboysschool

(iii) Myfathershouse (iv) Myparentsplace


(v) Menssaloon (vi) Womens parlour

(vii) Childrenspark (viii) Socratesdisciple

(ix) Dickensnovels (x) Levisjeans

Thenounsendingwithsdonotusuallyrequireanothersaftertheapostrophe.

Considerthefollowing:

(i) JackandJillshouseone house belongingtoboth

(ii) SitaandRamsjourneysame journey coveredtogether

But(i) JacksandJillshousestwo different possessions orownerships

(ii) SitasandRamsdestinationstwo different destinations ofthetwo

StructureRuleApostropheisalsousedtomakecontractedforms:Itis=its Thereis=theres Hereis=heres Iwill=IllIwillnot=Iwont Hehas=hes Heis=hes Wehave=weveShehad=shed Shewould=shed Donot=dont Cannot=cantandsoon

TargetExercise25

Directions Rewritethesentencesafterapplyingproper punctuations marks.

1. KeatsandShelleyspoemsadorenaturewithdeepsensuouspassion.

2. YoucangetyourcarrepairedatSalimsand Karims garagewhichisonlyafurlongaway.

3. R.K. Narayans, the famous Indian English authors, stories are known for deep insight into theircharacters.

4. Theboysandthegirlsschoolwerestandingfacetofaceflankingtheroad.

5. Childrens magazinesarehardlytobeseenanywherethesedays.

Answers 1. Keatss and Shelleys poemstwo different poets poems 2. Salim and Karimsone garageowned by two 3. R.K. Narayan, the famous Indian English authors 4. the boys and girls school5.childrens

PunctuationUseofcomma(,),semi-colon(;),colon(:)andquotationmarks()

Commal Tomentionalistofthings: eg,

(i) You,heandIarefriends.(ii) Sheboughtmango,apple,guavaandorange.

(iii) Industrialization,urbanizationandglobalizationaretheprocesstobringaboutmodernization

l Toseparatetwoclauses: eg,(i) WhenIwasthere,Ididnotgooutforaday.

(ii) Ifyouworkhard,youwillsucceed.

l Beforeand,or,but,iftheclausesarelongenough: eg,(i) Iofferherteabutshedeclined.

(ii) Someoftheboysjoinedthecourse,butthegirlswerenotinterested.

l Afterconnectivelikehowever,therefore,ontheotherhand,similarly: eg,

(i) Heissincere.However,heisnotsuccessful.

(ii) Theycriticizedtheman.Ontheotherhand,they honoured him.

l Whensomewordsintrudethesentenceespeciallybetweenthesubjectanditsverb: eg,(i) Wewere,believeitornot,onthecloudninelastnight.

(ii) He,however,didnotdoashehadpromised.(iii) Mr.Victor,theprincipalofthecollege,didnotagreetoourproposal.(iv) People,whofollownature,getblessed.


Semi-colonl Toshowclosenessoftwoindependentsentenceswhereotherwisefullstopcanbeused: eg,

(i) Ideadisseminated;andthisishowcivilizationgrew.(ii) Sheinvitedme;butIwasnotinterest.

(iii) Somepeoplelikesummers;otherslikewinter.

Colonl Forwritingdialogues: eg,

A:Whatsthat? B:Guess.l Forpresentingexplanations,listsetc: eg,

(i) Answerthefollowingquestions:1.Whatstrue? 2.Whatsnottrue?

(ii) Herexplanationwaslikethis:

l Inheadingsandtitles: eg,(i) Videowillsacceptable:SupremeCourt (ii)Punctuation:Apostrophe

(iii) ChapterOne:SentenceCorrection

Quotationmarksl Directspeech eg,

(i) Shesaid,Illcometomorrow.

l Quotations

(i) Thefamousproverbgoes,Dontcountyourchickensbeforetheyhatch.

l Tomakethewordstandout: eg,(i) Hewasthewisestfoolofalltimes. (ii)IlikeAliceintheWonderland.

TargetExercise26

Directions Rewritethesentencesafterapplyingproper punctuations marks.

1. An angry humiliated and wounded A.Q. Khan has finally made the secret of nuclear proliferation public.

2. Narayanan reinforcedtheofficialpositionsayingWehavethermonuclearcapabilities.

3. Whataboutthedrunkcustomersnuisance.

4. Shakuntala Devithefamousnumerologistslatestbookhashitthebook-stalls.

5. Imgoingtobargeinfortheeveningworshipsheinsisted.

Theeighthimportantquestiontobeaskedis

Arethespellingandpunctuationinplace?

This is the rule no.EIGHT

Answers 1. an angry, humiliated and wounded 2. saying, We have 3. customers4.numerologists 5.ImWorship,sheinsisted.


spotting errors

Documents

isthe subject

error sentence correctiontype1

sentence present

arethe nouns

arethe spelling

arethe articles

chapter forrevision

finite verbs