101 Math Short Cuts

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Spotting the Error &

1 Sentence Correction
How to Spot an Error ?

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
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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
language is crucial to understand the written text and to express accurately and precisely.
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We are discussing the problems related to sentence in this chapter whereas the word and phrase are being
discussed in later chapters.
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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
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sentence for an error and pin-point it with accuracy. You have to ask these eight questions while solving a
sentence correction problem :
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1. “Is the verb in accordance with the subject?”
This is the rule no. ONE
2. “Is the tense of the verb correct?”
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This is the rule no. TWO

3. “Is the subject or doer close to the participle?”
ple?”
This is the rule no. THREE
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4. “Are the nouns and verbs in their proper forms confirming the parallelism?”
This is the rule no. FOUR
tives correctly used?”
5. “Are the articles, determiners and adjectives
This is the rule no. FIVE
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6. “Are the forms of pronoun correct and do they agree with the related nouns and other pronouns?”
This is the rule no. SIX
7. “Are the prepositions correctly used?”
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This is the rule no. SEVEN

8. “Are the spelling and punctuation in place?”
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no. EIGHT
This is the rule no.
Before you should be able to ask these questions meaningfully, you will have to understand these different
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grammar usages one by one and do some exercises on each.

At the end of the chapter, you will find mixed exercises in the manner they usually appear in the entrance
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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
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revision.
A few more problems related to grammar and usages are discussed in some other chapters as the questions
related to them are usually other than the sentence correction questions. (Modals, Jumbled sentences, Idioms)
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4 English Language & Comprehension : Spotting the Error & Sentence Correction
Type 1 : Error of Subject-Verb Agreement

The very first thing that we need to check in a sentence correction exercise is the verb.
Consider the following sentences :
Set I Taking her basket she goes to the sea shore to collect shells.
She is happy with what she earns.
Set II Taking their baskets the women go to the sea shore to collect shells.
They are happy with what they earn.
Did you notice how the verbs change with the change in subject in the two sets? If we change the subject
‘she’ into ‘the women’ or ‘she’ into ‘they’ the verbs lose their ‘s’ and ‘es’. She goes but they go, she is but they
are and she earns but they earn.
Notice what happens when we change these verbs into past :
Taking her basket she went to the sea shore to collect shells.
They were happy with what they earned.
While ‘go’ changes into ‘went’, ‘are’ into ‘were’ and ‘earn’ into ‘earned’, ‘taking’ and ‘to collect’ remain
unchanged.. We need to change these main or finite verbs (go, are, earn) to make the sentence present, past or
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future while the non-finites (taking, to collect) remain unchanged.
Therefore, we need to check the main verbs in a sentence correction exercise.
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l We need to ask, “Is the verb singular with a singular subject?” eg,
A boy helps the old woman cross the road.

He does not know her.
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He is quite selfless.
A boy and he are singular; therefore, they take singular verbs with ‘s’ or ‘es’ at the end.
l Or, “Is the verb plural with a plural subject?” eg,
Some boys play here in the evening.

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They bring their own bats and balls.
They are quite self-sufficient.
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A plural subject takes a verb without ‘s’ or ‘es’ at its end.

You must have noticed that the singular verbs–goes, plays, is, was, has–end with an ‘s’.
Therefore, the first ever question in a sentence correction exercise to be asked is :
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“Is the verb in accordance with the subject?”

This is the rule no. ONE
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Target Exercise 1
Directions Make a choice of the correct verb for the subject in the following sentences.
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1. It is so rainy in this region that it rain/rains very frequently even in winters.

2. Whenever he meet /meets me he talk/talks about his illness.
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3. In a mature democracy like India, the voters know/knows whom to vote.

4. A good teacher not only teach/teaches, but he is/are also a good guide.
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5. The Rajdhani Express usually run/runs on time; and is /are one of the fastest trains in India.
Answers 1. rains 2. meets, talks 3. know 4. teaches, is 5. runs, is
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Sometimes the nouns used as subject might be confusing. It may be difficult to decide whether they are
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singular or plural. Therefore, identifying such nouns is important before deciding whether the verb is in
accordance with the subject.
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
IP MBA—Success Master 5
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 can’t see without
them.
l Some nouns are used both ways without any change in them, such as : A sheep, many sheep, a deer, many
deer, a fish, many fish, also many fishes meaning groups or species of fishes, a spacecraft, many
spacecraft, an aircraft, many aircraft.
These are used singular as well as plural without any change in them.
l All uncountable nouns like milk, furniture, bread, food, ice, salt, butter, grass, hair, wheat, rubbish, coffee,
chalk, paper, sugar, dust, chocolate, soap are always used 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 are always used as singular.
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 a
unanimous decision and act like one agency; but at times the members are divided in their opinion
and act separately and not as one agency. In the first case, a jury will be treated as singular while in the
second case, it will be plural. eg,
(i) The committee have been consulting among themselves and are now ready to take their seats. seats
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(ii) A committee has been constituted to look into the matter.
In sentence,
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(i) ‘the committee’ refers to the members and not the organization as one entity.
(ii) ‘one agency’–com
–committee is referred and not a divided committee or its members.
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Other such nouns are : Association, audience, board, commission, company, council, crew,
department, government, jury, party, public, staff, family
l Words with ‘ware’ suffix are singular : Software, hardware, ware, silverware,
ware streetware, chinaware,
brassware, glassware, middleware, embeddedware.
l The following, although appear plural, are used as singular : Mathematics
in ics, economics, measles,
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apparatus, wages, species, politics.
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Target Exercise 2
Directions Identify the subjects in the following and choose the correct – singular or plural – verb.
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1. The committee is /are seriously considering the matter.

2. During recession, not even the Mumbai public has /have enough money to meet its needs.
3. The public is /are dispersing away from the monotonous show.
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4. The majority wins /win what the minority loses /lose.

5. The government has /have fallen after the trust vote.
6. The government wants /want to keep the plan to themselves.
7. Two deer /deers were killed by the poachers.ers
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8. The army has /have besieged the city and is poised to launch further attacks.
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9. The police has /have arrived and are investigating the matter.
10. The issue remained unresolved as the committee was /were divided on the subject.
11. The scissors was/were there but the tailor could not see them as his spectacles was/were not on his nose.
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12. Brazil is /are the winning team.

Answers 1. are–the members and not the agency 2. has–one entity–its need 3. are–different
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members of public in different directions 4. wins, loses–one entity 5. has–the entire one
government 6. want–to themselves means members of the government 7. deer–no use of deers
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exists 8 has–army is used as singular–is poised 9. have–police is used as plural–are

investigating 10. were–as divided 11. were, were–scissors and spectacles are used as plural–could not
see them 12. are–a team here refers to players as in ‘India are on the ground’.
Structure Rule
Some nouns never change into a plural form even if used as plural–apparatus, scenery, jewellery, machinery, offspring, information,
stationery, aircraft, dozen, hundred, furniture.
l The pronouns each and one make the subject singular. eg,
(i) Each of the Chief Ministers of the states was present in the meeting.
It means each one of the ministers of states.
(ii) One of the boys is to be blamed.
Who is to be blamed – one boy or all the boys?
l Somebody, nobody are singular but every and none can be used both as singular and plural.
l The conjunction ‘and’ makes the subject plural when combining two or more nouns or pronouns. eg,
(i) Jack, John and Jill are coming to meet me.
(ii) He and I are going to welcome them.
l If the conjunction–or, nor–combines the nouns or pronouns, then the number of the last noun or pronoun is
decisive. eg,
(i) Two bikes or a car is enough to carry us all.
(ii) The coach or the players are responsible for the defeat.
(iii) She, they or I am supposed to look after the people here.
l Sometimes the subject is a non-finite verb which is always singular. eg,
(i) Smoking is injurious to health. Non-finite (Gerund)
(ii) To err is human, to forgive is divine. Non-finite (Infinitive)
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Therefore, the subject of a sentence is either a noun or a pronoun or sometimes a non-finite.
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Target Exercise 3
Directions Identify the subject whether it is singular or plural and then make a better choice of the given
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verbs.
1. Each of the candidates was/were awarded a certificate for participation.
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2. Either of those dresses is/are suitable for the party.
3. Either the student or his parents has/have to be present in the function.
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4. Everybody or anybody is/are able to answer these questions.
5. Neither of them is/are an expert of the subject.
6. The ones who is/are found guilty must be punished.
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7. You or she has/have to be blamed for the accident.

8. They and I was/were present there last night.
9. Jessica is absent, but some of her class is/are present.
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10. No one know/knows what happens after death.

Answers 1. was–means each one 2. is–one of the dresses 3. have–the last noun
parents 4. is 5. is–not one of them 6. are–ones is plural 7. has–the last subject she 8. were–and
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makes the subject plural 9. are–class means classmates here 10. knows–no one is singular.
Type 2 : Error of Tense

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Checking the tense of the verb in a sentence is another very important thing in sentence correction exercise.
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You need to know, “Is the tense of the verb correct?”

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(i) Yesterday I met him. (ii) She said she would meet him.
Yesterday and said fixes the time of the verb to be past. Therefore, we have used the past forms of ‘meet’
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and ‘will’.
However, for the present time, we say :
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(i) I always meet him at the station. (ii) She says she will meet him.
Always and says refer to the present and ‘meet’ and ‘will’ are the present forms of the verbs.
l Is, am and are are the present forms and their past forms are 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 and
might respectively.
It is important to know the correct past and past participle forms of the verbs. Broadly the verbs are
conjugated in four different ways :
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 are–play,
request, flow, die, please.
2. Those which remain same in all their forms such as cast-cast-cast, burst-burst-burst, cut-cut-cut or
shut-shut-shut. Some more such verbs are–put, 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 are–teach-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 are–eat-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 past
participle) are the past perfect forms used with has, have or had. The third forms are also used in the passive
voice sentences.
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Perfect Tenses
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The woman has done her household work.
I have written five letters to him so far.
The train had gone before we reached the station.
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Passive Voice
All household work in this house is done by the servants.
Five novels have been written by the new writer so far.
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The train will be caught by us if we hurry.
Table of Tenses
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Tense Present Past Future

SIMPLE Active She + writes (VI) + slogans. She + wrote (V2) + slogans. She + will write (VI) + slogans.
I/We/You/They write slogans.
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SIMPLE Passive Slogans + are written (V3) + by Slogans + were written (V3) + Slogans + will be written (V3) +
+ her. by + her. by her.
USAGE For habit, repetitive action and past events unconnected with Information about the Future
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permanent situation; usually the Present; or with past-time with or without future
with words like daily, always, reference such as yesterday, in reference such as tomorrow,
never, sometimes. 1954, last week, five months after two days, in fifteen
ago, in the ancient times. minutes.
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CONTINUOUS Active She + is writing + slogans. She + was writing + slogans. She + will be writing + slogans.
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CONTINUOUS Passive Slogans + are being written Slogans + were being written Slogans + will be being written
(V3) + by her. (V3) + by her. (V3) + by her.
USAGE Continuing action at the time of Continuing action at a Continuing situation at a future
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speaking, these days in general particular past time with the time with a reference to this
or changing developments on time words, phrases or clauses time next year/tomorrow.
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the earth with or without the such as at this time yesterday,

use of now, at present, at the when you came etc. referred or
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moment, these days, look, still implied.

PERFECT Active She + has written (V3) + She + had written (V3) + She + will have written (V3) +
slogans. slogans. slogans.
PERFECT Passive Slogans + have been written Slogans + had been written (V3) Slogans + will have been
(V3) + be her. + by her. written (V3) + by her.
Tense Present Past Future

USAGE Past action with some present Action before a particular past completion by a particular
connection usually completed time usually with before, after, future time such as by this time
in the past with or without the when etc. tomorrow/next year/next week.
words already, never, yet, just
now, till now etc. with the time
reference using for or since.
PERFECT CONTINUOUS She + has been writing + She + had been writing + She + will have been writing +
Active slogans. slogans. slogans.
PERFECT CONTINUOUS Slogans + have been being Slogans + had been being Slogans + will have been being
Passive writing (V3) + by her. written (V3) by her. written (V3) by her.
USAGE Past action continued up to the Continuation up to a particular Continued up toj a particular
present (uncompleted) usually past time. future time.
with the time reference using
for or since.
Target Exercise 4
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Directions Choose the correct forms of the verbs in the following.
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1. He was choose/ chose/chosen leader of the group.
2. I have do/did/done my work.
3. The letter was write/wrote/written by the clerk.
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4. You have break/broke/broken the window pane.
5. Who has take/took/taken my pen?
6. The bananas have been eat/ate/eaten by the cow. in
7. A beautiful song in this movie has been sing/sang/sung by the new singer.
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8. He has catch/catched/caught cough.
9. The magician cast/casted a spell and turned the rat into a horse.
10. A lot has been say /says /said about life and death.
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Answers 1. chosen – passive 2. done 3. written – passive 4. broken 5. taken 6. eaten 7. sung
8. caught 9. cast–the past of cast is cast 10. said
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Target Exercise 5
Direction A. Check what is correct-
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rect-simple present or present continuous.

Is it habitually done or is a repeated action? Choose simple present.
Is it longer or continued action? Choose present continuous.
1. Look! They talk and while away /are talking and whiling away their time.
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2. An apple a day keeps /is keeping the doctor away.

3. By profession an author writes /is writing a book whereas an artist creates /is creating a picture.
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4. The projects that the government takes up/is taking up these days are all dominated by modern
technologies.
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5. The river flows /is flowing down the mountain and goes /is going to the ocean.
Answers 1. are talking and whiling away–‘look’ indicates it is happening before our eyes at the moment
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2. keeps–eating healthy diet always keeps diseases away, not just at the moment 3. writes,
creates–profession-wise activities are timeless, not temporary, at the moment or time-bound 4. is taking
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up–these days only, not always 5. flows, goes–not just now they are flowing or going
Structure Rule
The verbs that cannot be used in continuous tense
Some 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.
Sometimes when they are used in the continuous tense they lose their usual meaning. eg, The judge is hearing the case at the moment.
Direction B. Check what is correct–simple past or present perfect.

Is the past time mentioned or indicated? Choose simple past.
Is the past time connected or related with the present time somehow? Choose present perfect.
1. I feel proud of my team as it performed/has performed quite well.
2. The Prime Minister observed /has observed many changes in the rural areas when he last visited the
countryside.
3. Since, he changed job he found/has found more time to relax and enjoy his hobby.
4. Paul may lose his car because he did not pay/has not paid his instalments for three months.
5. The report was tabled/has been tabled in the parliament yesterday.
Answers 1. has per formed–feel proud is present, therefore the past per formance gets related to the
present 2. observed– when? When he last visited–it mentions the past time 3. has found –since means
from then till now; therefore since/for take per fect tenses only 4. has not paid 5. was tabled–not related
with now, but isolated past that is yesterday.
Direction C. Check what is correct–simple past or past continuous.

If out of the two actions in the past one is longer than the other, the shorter will take simple past and the
longer past continuous. The actions might be either both short or both long;; and in such a case either both
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will be simple past or both past continuous.
1. While I waited/was waiting for my bus she was running after hers.
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2. We saw a bus fallen when we went/were going to Haridwar.
3. She burnt/was burning her finger while she was cooking.
4. A boy fell/was falling from a train when it was moving at full speed.
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5. Everyone had already gone but she still worked/was still working in the office.
Answers 1. was waiting–waiting and running both longer actions 2. were going–continued, longer
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action 3. burnt– burning is short and quick 4. fell–falling is relatively very short action 5. was still
working–continued action.
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Direction D. Check what is correct–simple past or past perfect
fect.
What happened before the other? The earlier action takes past per fect and the later action takes simple past.
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Do you intend to mention two past actions one after the other? If no, use simple past.
If yes, use past perfect.
1. The train went/had gone before we reached the station.
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2. The rival countries fretted and fumed/had fretted and fumed before the war finally broke out.
3. He went/had gone out after he had eaten his lunch.
4. The farmer sold the crop after he harvested/had harvested it.
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5. The Indians had fought a long struggle before they attained/had attained independence.
Answers 1. had gone–happened first, then reached station 2. had fretted and fumed–happened first,
before the war 3. went–ate lunch first, then went 4. had har vested–harvested first, then sold
5. attained–first fought, then attained independence.
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Direction E. Check what is correct–simple future, future continuous or future perfect.

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1. I will complete /will have completed this project tomorrow.

2. I will be completing /will have completed this project at this time tomorrow.
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3. I will be completing /will have completed this project by this time tomorrow.
4. I will be passing /will have passed my MBA by the time your return from abroad.
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5. She will repay /will have repaid her loan by the period for the same expires.
Answers 1. will complete–just future intention 2. will be completing –‘at a particular point of time in
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future’ is used for continued action in future 3. will have completed–‘till or by a particular time in future’ is
used for completion of work 4. will have passed–similar to 3 5. will have repaid–similar to 4.
Type 3 : Error of Conditional Sentences

Pattern I
If + Subject + Verb (in the first form)–Subject + Will + Verb (in the first form)
If + you + allow -I +will + go.
If + it + rains -he +will + not come.
If + one + promises -one + must + keep it.
If + you + work hard -you + can + succeed.
These sentences express what is probable to happen in future under particular conditions. The first parts
of the sentences beginning with ‘if’ are the conditions and the second parts are the intentions or the likely
happenings in future. The first takes the simple present form and the second simple future.
They can be stated reversing the order :
I will go if you allow.
He will not come if it rains.
One must keep it if one promises.
You can succeed if you work hard.
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Pattern II
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If + Subject + Verb (in the second form) –
Subject + Would + Verb (in the first form)
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If + I + knew -I + would + tell you
If + the office + had money - it + would + give away the salary.
If + I
If + women
+ were the President - I
+ had power - they
+ would
+ would
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+ honour the learned.
+ rule better.
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These sentences express some hypothetical probability or supposition or just an assumption. They mean
‘I don’t know so I can’t tell you’; ‘the office doesn’t have money so it cannot pay salary’; ‘I am not the President
otherwise I would honour the learned’; ‘women don’t have power otherwise they would rule better’.
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These sentences can also state the second part first.
Pattern III
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If + Subject + Verb (had + the third form) –

Subject + Would have + 3rd form of Verb
If + it + had rained - the farmers + would have + grown crops.
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If + they + had worked - they + would have + succeeded.

If + we + had reached on time + would have + caught the train.
If + the doctor + had come on time - the patient + would not have + died
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These sentences express something that could not happen in the past because of the lack of some
required condition.. It expresses some sort of regret. It did not rain so farmers could not grow crops; they did
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not work hard so they could not succeed; we did not reach on time and so we could not catch the train; the doctor
did not come on time and so the patient could not be saved.
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You must have noticed that the verb in

Pattern I is the first form (the present) and the first form of future (will) indicating some future
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intentions.
Pattern II is the second form (the past) and the second form of future (would) indicating hypothesis or
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supposition inp resent meaning.

Pattern III is had + third form (the past perfect) and would have + third form (future perfect) some
conditional regret about the past.
Target Exercise 6
Direction A. Choose the better option in the following conditional sentences.
1. If the recession continues, the industry will not grow /would not grow.
2. The Prime Minister announces /will announce the project if the parliament approves it.
3. If the fire-brigade had reached on time, the property would be saved /would have been saved from
destruction.
4. If I knew the answers, I would pass /would have passed the examination.
5. If there is /will be a sudden rain, the city drowns under water-logging.
Answers 1. will not grow–continues is present 2. will announce–approves is present, P.M.’s decision
depends on approval 3. would have been saved–had reached is past per fect, talks about the past
4. would pass–knew is simple past, second form of the verb 5. is–‘if’ part of the sentence does not take
‘will’, ‘would’ or ‘would have’.
Direction B. Wish and the subjunctive case.

I wish I knew. I wish you came. – present meaning
I wish I would know. I wish you would come. – future meaning
I wish I had known. I wish you had come. – past meaning
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Choose the better option in the following conditional sentences.
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1. They cheated me. I wish I knew/had known them.
2. The party was such a fun. I wish you would come/had come..
3. The star is in the town and she is entertaining her guests. She wishes she were free /would be free
free.
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4. They reached late to the funeral. They wish they reached /had reached on time.
5. Tomorrow everybody would enjoy. You wish you would join /would have joined the party.
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The second most important question that one must ask in the sentence correction exercise is “Is the tense
of the verb correct?” This is the rule no. TWO
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Answers 1. had known–past meaning because cheated is past 2. had come–past meaning as was is
past 3. were free–present meaning as ‘is’ is present 4. had reached–reached is past 5. would
join–future meaning as tomorrow is used.
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Direction C. Make a choice of the correct verb form.

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

2. If you woke /had woken me up earlier, we would have gone there together.
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 various
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accidents in a documentary film.

5. The newspaper reported/has
ported /has reported seven cases of gruesome crime in the city yesterday.
6. An enquiry committee has been formed as devastating poverty and indebtedness forced/have forced
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farmers in the country to commit suicide.

7. Since I changed job I found /have found no time to relax and enjoy my hobby.
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8. If Dave doesn’t /won’t drive carefully, he will cause an accident.

9. Unless the striking workers and the management talk /don’t talk, the matter cannot be resolved.
10. The ministers have sworn /had sworn that they will maintain the secrecy of their departments.
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Answers 1. would have been 2. had woken 3. assem-bled 4. had seen 5. reported 6. have forced
7. have found 8. doesn’t 9. talk–unless means if not 10. have sworn
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Structure Rule
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‘Have’ 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 and
hold means wield, take or keep in hand. We, however, CANNOT say ‘They are having or holding some property in this town’. We
should, instead, say, ‘They have or hold some property in this town’. The verb ‘have’ is used in three different ways :
1. I am having my lunch at the moment. It means ‘I am taking’.
2. He has some industry in this town. It means ‘He possess or own’.
3. We have done our work. It means ‘work is completed’ and ‘have’ denotes the perfect tense.
Type 4 : Error of Participles

What function do the –ing verbs do in the following sentences?
(i) Smoking is injurious to health.
(ii) Swimming is a good exercise.
(iii) He has given up smoking.
(iv) She has started 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 good
exercise’ or ‘what has he given up or started or is taking lesson in’ you will get the –ing words as answer.
You should ask ‘what’ questions before the verb to know the subject and after the verb to know the object in
the sentence.
Now look at the following sentences. How are the –ing word different from those used above?
(i) Smoking he entered the hall.
(ii) Swimming they crossed the flooded river.
In the sentences above the words smoking and swimming don’t answer the question ‘what entered or who
crossed’ but tell how he entered or how they crossed.
m
We can also say :
(i) While smoking he entered the hall.
co
(ii) While he was smoking he entered the hall.
(iii) He entered the hall when he was smoking.
These are different ways of combining two sentences.
g.
Smoking is a participle and the main function of a participle is to combine two sentences. tences
The two sentences, in this case, are :
He was smoking. At that very same time he entered the hall. Or,
He entered the hall. At that very same time he was smoking.
in
ch
Consider the other sentence :
Swimming they crossed the flooded river.
oa
If we split the same, we can say :

They swam. This is how they crossed the river. Or,
They crossed they river by swimming. Or,
yC
By swimming they crossed the river.

However, we can’t say the above sentences in the following manner :
Smoking the hall was entered by him. Or,
kM
Swimming the flooded river was crossed by them.

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

(i) Writing a novel, his name became famous.
.P
(ii) Having been a very good scientist, they made him the president.
Ask ‘who wrote the novel his name or some person?’ It was some person. The sentence, therefore, should be
w
‘Writing a novel, he became famous’.

In the second sentence, who was a scientist–they or the president? It was the president. Therefore, the
w
sentence should be ‘Having been a very good scientist, he was made president by them’.
It is clear from the above discussion that the doer of the participle verb should not be distanced from it or
w
interrupted by any other subject, noun or verb.

If a sentence starts with a participle, ask : “Is the subject or doer close to the participle?”
This is the rule no. THREE
Target Exercise 7
Directions Underline the subjects that are misplaced.
1. Being a great king, people respected Akbar.
2. Taking all his bag and baggage, a distant relative was visited by him.
3. Making some beautiful movies, the Filmfare awarded him with the most prestigious honour.
4. Having checked the engine and petrol in their car, their journey was resumed.
5. Looking through the view-finder, some strangers were seen standing at the door.
6. Calling him on phone, he was informed of the news by me.
7. Singing sweetly and walking smoothly, the bride was taken home by the palanquin bearers.
8. Eating too much his health was spoiled.
9. Being a famous actor, the school invited him to be the chief guest on the Annual Day function.
10. Finding some talent in him, they employed him in the key position of the organization.
Answers 1. Akbar was respected by people 2. he visited a distant relative 3. he bagged the Filmfare
award 4. they resumed their journey 5. I/he/she saw some strangers 6. I informed him 7. the
palanquin bearers took the bride 8. he spoilt his health 9. he was invited 10. he was employed.
m
Type 5 : Error of Nouns
co
In a sentence when a few nouns or verbs occur in a group or list, they are supposed to be in the same
form–either all infinitive (to go), all participle (going) or all noun (gait).
Look at this :
g.
(i) Measures have been taken to generate energy, to conserve it and for its equitable distribution. tion
The above sentence can be corrected in the following possible ways :
in
Measures have been taken to generate energy, to conserve it and to distribute it equitably.
Measures have been taken for generating energy, conserving it and distributing it equitably.
ch
Measures have been taken for the generation of energy, its conservation and equitable distribution.
Consider the following :
(ii) Infant is the first stage of life, boyhood the second and adolescent the third.
oa
The stages are infancy, boyhood and adolescence; cence; infant and adolescent are persons in these stages.
Therefore, the sentence should read :
Infancy is the first stage, boyhood the second and adolescence is the third.
yC
(iii) The breadth was five centimetre, the length ten and it was three centimetre high.
The breadth and length are alright but instead of ‘it was three centimetre high’ it should be ‘the height
was three centimetre’.
kM
In order to be able to check this kind of error in a sentence, knowing different forms of the same word is
useful. Look at a few formations of words here.
Structure Rule
ic
There is big list of such words. Therefore, a higher proficiency word-formation is advisable. Refer to the relevant word-formation chapter
in this book.
.P
A few of the nouns and adjectives are given here :

Mother, motherhood, maternity; poor, poverty; patriot, patriotism; hero, heroism;
bankrupt, bankruptcy; vacant, vacancy; diligent, diligence; garrulous, garrulity.
w
Target Exercise 8
w
w
Directions Choose the correct noun form.

1. What apparatus /apparatuses do you use for performing this experiment?
2. There are no machinery /machineries to resolve the matter.
3. The two hundred /hundreds of hens lay about thirty dozen /dozens of eggs every week.
4. The scenery /sceneries of the Himalayas keep beckoning us.
5. The offspring/offsprings of this species leave their parents as soon as they mature.
6. These pieces of jewellery /jewelleries are designed by a highly acclaimed expert.
7. All kinds of stationary /stationeries are sold here.

8. We get a lot of information /informations from the internet.
9. Beautiful furniture /funitures made the house elegant.
10. Many sophisticated aircraft /aircrafts have been purchased by the Indian Air Force recently.
After checking the subject-verb agreement, tense and participle, you need to ask,
“Are the nouns and verbs in their proper forms confirming the parallelism?”
This is the rule no. FOUR
Answers 1. apparatus 2. machinery 3. hundred, dozen 4. scenery 5. offspring 6. jewellery
7. stationary 8. information 9. furniture 10. aircraft
Type 6 : Error of Articles

There is a man waiting for you outside the gate. The man is holding some files.
In the first time reference, we say ‘a man’ that is ‘any man’ and when we refer to the same man again we use
‘the’ before man. ‘The’ makes it a definite or particular man.
eg, The girl whom we met yesterday has come again.
m
yesterday; therefore, we use
In the above sentence also we talk about a definite girl, the one whom we met yesterday;
‘the’ before ‘girl’.
co
Consider this :
Please give me a pen to write; not the one you gave me earlier but another.
another.
‘A pen’ means any pen; ‘the one’ is for a particular pen or the earlier one; and ‘another’ means any other.
g.
When we mean any, we use ‘a’ or ‘an’; but when we mean a particular one, we use ‘the’.
Target Exercise 9 in
ch
Directions Choose the right article in the following sentences
sentences.
1. Have your seen a/the movie playing at Satyam?
Satyam?
oa
2. Is this a/the book that you gave me last week?

3. A/The good leader leads the country to prosperity.
4. A/The people of America are more liberal than a/the people of Europe.
yC
5. Where is Mother? She is working in a/the kitchen.

Answers 1. the 2. the 3. a 4. the, the 5. the
Structure Rule
kM
Sometimes 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 required
or not.
‘Give me the pen’ can be also said as ‘Give me this/that pen’.
ic
‘The candidates interested can apply soon’ can also be said as ‘Those candidates who are interested can apply soon’.
Many a time replacing ‘the’ with one of the four words can prove to be a litmus test for the correctness of the in the sentence.
But No article is used with man, nature or God.
God
.P
Man proposes, God disposes.

What man has done to nature!
w
BUT
The gods of pantheons were worshipped by the Greeks.
w
For genetic or class references :

The dog (kind of animal) is a faithful animal.
w
Dogs are faithful animals.

The elephant is a sensible creature.
Elephants are sensible creatures.
NOT
Dog is a faithful creature.
The dogs are faithful creatures.
Elephant is a sensible creature.
The elephants are sensible creatures.
When we mean the entire species or the community or the group and not any specific dog or dogs and elephant or elephants we
don’t use ‘the’ with their plural forms.
These also indicate groups or community of people:
The poor (people) are the most neglected lot.
The rich in this city are quite arrogant.
The injured are taken to the hospital.
Target Exercise 10
Directions Choose the correct option.
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.
m
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.
den
10. Unemployed /the unemployed are more concerned to get an employment than to know the number of
co
the unemployed in the country.
Answers 1. elephants 2. horses 3. man 4. the injured 5. the rich, the poor 6. nature 7. the
gods 8. the devil, the divine 9. the down-trodden 10. the unemployed
g.
Some Conventional Usage of the
l
l
Before a geographical entity–The continent but NOT the Asia, the Europe
The ocean–the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic, the Pacific
in
ch
l The river–the Yamuna,, the Thames, the Tiber, the Nile
l The island–the Andman and Nicobar, the Lakshdweep
oa
l The mountain–the Himalayas, the Andes

l The bay or gulf–the Bay of Bengal,, the Persian Gulf
l The archipelago–thethe Indonesian Archipelago
yC
l The deserts–the Sahara,, the Kalahari, the Arabian Sands

l But NOT with
l Mountain peaks–Mt Everest,, Mt Kilimanjaro
kM
l Lakes–Dal Lake, Chilka Lake, Lake Michigan

l Names of places beginning with proper nouns– nouns–Delhi University, Indira Gandhi International Airport,
Mahatma Gandhi Road
ic
l bodies–the planet–the
Before the celestial bodies–the planet–the earth; the star–the sun; the satellite–the moon, the titan.
l But NOT with the remaining planets such as Mars, Jupiter.
.P
l books–the Hindu, the Christian, the Quran,

Before the names of religious groups and religious and famous books–
the Bible, the Iliad, the Mahabharat,
Mahabharat the Ramayan
w
l But NOT with the names of religions–Hinduism,

religions– Christianity, Islam
l The republic, the kingdom, the union–The People’s Republic of China, the United Kingdom, the United States
w
of America
nationalities–the British,
The nationalities–the British the Indian, the American, the Japanese
w
l With superlative– the best, the rich

l ordinals–the first,
The ordinals–the first the last, the next
l Some comparatives–the better of the two; the more you try, the more you succeed
l For the head of a group–the President, the Prime Minister, the Head Boy.
l But he was elected President, appointed Head Boy
l The President of the country but just President Pratibha Patil.

l Time expressions–in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening but at noon, at night, by day etc
l When names used as adjective–Kalidas is the Shakespeare of India. Mumbai is the Manchester of India.
Target Exercise 11
Directions Insert ‘the’ where required.
1. Who is considered Bradman of India?
2. Martin Luther King, who led Gandhian Movement against racial discrimination, brought considerable
amount of justice and equality for the blacks in the US.
3. The government failed because of its lack of understanding of economics of the situation.
4. The Christians who go to church everyday are rather more pious than those who go occasionally.
5. Nilgiris are the most productive mountains of the south.
6. Obama has been elected President of United States of America.
7. What kind of person he is?
8. Great poet and writer, K. Abraham, is no more.
9. He is not comfortable in eating the dish with knife and fork.
m
10. He left school when he was thirteen and started going to college.
Answers 1. the Bradman 2. the Gandhian 3. the economics 4. not required 5. the Nilgiris 6. the
co
United States 7. not required 8. the great 9. not required 10. not required
The usage of indefinite article–a/an
g.
The countable singular noun takes ‘a’ or ‘an’.
eg, A man is waiting for you. A sovereign state needs a government of its own. An apple a day keeps
the doctor away. in
The only difference between a and an is that a noun or adjective beginning with a vowel sound–
sound–the sound
ch
of a, ai, aa, e, ei, ee, ai, ia, o, ou etc–such as apple, iodine, end, air, heir, exact, eye, oriental, owl takes
‘an’ in order to keep the two vowel sounds (a and the first sound of the word) from getting mingled.
oa
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, an heir, an hour.
yC
However, a university, a one eyed man, a one rupee note are correct although the start with a vowel but
produce a consonant sound–yu, wa, etc.
kM
Target Exercise 12
Directions Correct the following sentences :
ic
1.Is there the post office near here?

2.An stitch on time saves nine.
.P
3.It requires an energy.

4.She has got a cold and cough.
w
5.You need very good knowledge of the subject and deep understanding of the problem to get through
this examination.
w
6. He helped a honest one eyed man.

7. He is a doctor but his wife is a MLA.
w
8. There is a time to work and the time to play.

9. Where there is the will, there is the way.
10. A umbrella is useless in a stormy weather.
Answers 1. a post office 2. a stitch 3. requires energy 4. got cold and 5. a very good knowledge,
a deep understanding 6. an honest 7. an MLA 8. and a time 9. a will, a way 10. an umbrella.
Type 7 : Error of Determiners

I. Some, any = indefinite number or quantity
l Some is used with positive sentences and any with negative sentences and questions.
eg,
l There is some good news for you. Uncountable positive
Some books are lying on the table. Countable positive
l There is not any water left in the bottle. Uncountable negative
l Are there any letters in the letter-box? Countable question
l Some is sometimes used in questions.
eg,
Could you lend me some money? Are there some boys in the next room? Where is the noise coming
from?
Here some stress is on the positive quantity and number.
II. Much, many = big quantity (uncountable) or big number (countable)
eg,
(i) There is not much water left in the pond.
m
(ii) There are not many followers of Gandhiji these days.
(iii) Too much milk will be required to make these sweets.
(iv) Many parliamentarians were absent on the fist day of the session.
co
(v) How much money do you want?
(vi) Your can take as many currency notes as you want.
g.
III. A little = small quantity–uncountable
A few = small number–countable
eg,
in
(i) Only a little rice is left. We will have to manage with it.–small amount
(ii) Only a few people came in the party.–small number
ch
eg,
l Little = (without ‘a’) hardly any or not any–uncountable
l Few = (without ‘a’) hardly any or not any–countable
oa
(i) There is little sense in crying over the spilt milk.–no sense
(ii) Few know what happens after death.–nobody
yC
IV. More = comparative of much and many

Less = comparative of little;
l Both more and less are used with ‘than’.
eg,
kM
(i) I don’t have more money today. It is incorrect. More than what or whom?
It should be much money or enough money.
(ii) I want more money than what I have.
ic
(iii) I want more money than you have.

(iv) There is less sense in talking with such a rude person. Less than what?
.P
It should be little sense or no sense.

(v) An idle talk is much less important than work.
(vi) He earns less than a peon.
w
V. Several = several is small number (countable) but more definite than some or a few
w
Enough = sufficient number and quantity

eg,
w
(i) Don’t worry. There are several policemen to guard the place.
(ii) Don’t give me more. I have eaten enough.
Target Exercise 13
Directions Choose the correct determiner.
1. Could you lend me some/any of your books today?
2. You cannot buy anything with such a little/less amount of money.
3. He has much /more sense than you have.
4. There is not much /more scope in the conventional jobs these days.
5. Did you see some/any good movies during your visit to the town?
6. Very few /a few people true to their intentions.
7. Little/a little elegance is left in those arrogant youth.
8. An average Indian earns much/enough to maintain an honourable life.
9. If you are looking for some nice magazines, there are already some/several in the stall.
10. Help came but too late and too little/less.
Answers 1. some 2. a little 3. more 4. much 5. any 6. few 7. little 8. enough 9. several
10. little
Type 8 : Error of Adjectives
m
l Earlier–later : on an earlier date or a later date; used for time.
co
l Former–latter : out of two names or things mentioned, the first is former and the second is later.
l Farther–further :
g.
(i) What will be his further strategy? Further means next in sequence here.
(ii) He mended his ways without any further delays. Further here means additional.
additional
(iii) I come from a farther place than you do.
(iv) The USA is further from here than the UK.
In both (iii) & (iv) farther and further indicate longer distances.
in
distances. Both the words can be used for distance.
ch
For addition or next, only further can be used.
l Older–elder : 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,
oa
(i) How can I use insulting words for him? He is an elder to me. Senior in relation.
Persons not in relation cannot be compared by using ‘elder’. Only their ages can be compared :
(ii) The Prime Minister of the country is much older than the President.
yC
The order of the adverb

l MPT = Manner–Place–Time
Manner = slowly, steadily

kM
Place = here, there, up, down

Time = before, ago, now, today
The next question to be asked is
ic
“Are the articles, determiners and adjectives correctly used?”

This is the rule no. FIVE
.P
Target Exercise 14
w
Directions Choose the correct adjective and adverb.

w
1. After killing Caesar, the conspirators farther /further wanted to kill Antony.
w
2. The enemy attacked many places in the night aggressively /aggressively many places in the night.
3. Out of Milton and Byron, the earlier /former is the better poet.
4. Although he studies in my class, he is three years older /elder than me.
5. Later /latter when he grew older, he realized his mistake.
Answers 1. further 2. aggressively many places in the night 3. former 4. older 5. later
Type 9 : Error of Pronouns

The forms of pronoun
Subjective forms : I, we, you, he, she, they, it.
Objective forms : me, us, you, him, her, them, it.
Possessive forms : my /of mine, our /of ours, your/of yours, his/of his, her/of hers, their/of theirs, its/of it.
(i) His accomplishments are greater than my accomplishments.
(ii) His accomplishments are greater than mine. Accomplishments are compared.
(iii) He is greater than me. He and I are compared.
(iv) He did it better than I. (than I did) The two subjects’ doings are compared.
Notice the difference the above sentences. The first two mean same. Third and fourth compare two different
things and so use different forms of personal pronoun.
The usage of it, its, it’s, there, their

l 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 dummy subject or object.
eg,
m
(i) It is true. I knew it. Damn it. It rains. It’s late. What time is it by your watch? It’s useless to try once again.
It’s O.K. Is it you? It was I who was knocking on the door. It is foolish to talk in that way.
co
In the above sentences ‘it’ does not mean anything but just fill the gap of a subject or an object.
(ii) There was a king. Where there is a will, there is a way. How many friends of ours were there in the
party? What time is there by your watch?
g.
‘There’ does the same function as ‘it’ does. It fills the gap.
(iii) The dog wags its tail on seeing its master.
Its tail means dog’s tail or the tail of the dog.
(iv) Let’s hurry. It’s getting late.
in
ch
It’s is the short or contracted form of it is.. It is getting late.
(v) They did their work and we ours.
Give their money back to them.
oa
Their means belonging to them or possessed by them.

(vi) It’s they who know all about this.
It’s she who needs your help.
yC
It’s I who prefer to listen to your music.

After it’s or it is the subjective form of the personal pronoun is used and not the objective–them, her or me.
kM
Target Exercise 15
Directions Choose the correct pronoun in the context
context.
ic
1. One of the students did not submit his/their /one’s assignment as per the instruction.
2. The baby flung his /its toy and lost him /it somewhere.
.P
3. Passengers are advised to look after there /their luggage himself/themselves.

4. There/their
There /their were thousands of new articles there /their.
5. The elephant salutes by using its /it’s trunk.
w
6. Please hurry. Its /it’s getting late.

7. It is I /me who is knocking at the door.
w
8. What is there /their that shines?

w
9. I have done the painting better than she/her.

10. He is a very good friend of my /mine.
Answers 1. his–one student 2. its, it–used for baby and toy respectively 3. their,
themselves–belonging to them; he–himself but they or passengers–themselves 4. there, there–used for
place 5. its–belonging to it and not ‘it is’ 6. it’s– it is 7. I–subjective form for the doer of the
action–knocking 8. there–used for place 9. she–‘better than she did’ is cur tailed here 10. mine–my
friend but friend of mine.
Structure Rule
The Order of the Personal Pronoun
‘You first’ is a good manner in all cultures, and so it is in English.
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 to
others first and blame should be taken on oneself first. Therefore, the correct order of the Personal Pronoun is :
For all good things :
You, he and I have achieved remarkable success.
You, he and I; You and I or He and I
For all bad things :
I, you and he are responsible for the failure of the project.
I, you and he; I and you or I and he
Emphatic and Reflexive Pronouns

I did this work myself. Who did? I myself. I myself did this work. In both case ‘myself’ emphasizes only ‘I’
and nobody else did it. Therefore, myself is emphatic pronoun.
Notice its position. An emphatic pronoun can either be used soon after the subject or at the end of the
sentence.
m
I saw myself in the mirror. ‘Myself’ answers ‘I saw what or whom’. Therefore, ‘myself’ is used as the object of
the verb ‘saw’. It comes soon after the verb. Here ‘myself’ is reflexive pronoun. It reflects the action on the doer
on himself.
co
The forms of emphatic and reflexive pronouns are :
I–myself; we–ourselves; you–yourself (singular)/yourselves (plural); she–herself; he–himself; it–itself;
g.
they–themselves.
Target Exercise 16 in
ch
Directions Choose the correct pronoun in the context.
text.
1. Soliloquy is supposed to be in plays; one cannot to be talking to oneself /himself in real life.
2. The dog stretched himself/itself after a long day’s sleep.
oa
3. The baby laughed on seeing herself /itself in the mirror.

4. The dictator himself declared /declared himself all powerful.
5. The aging woman herself was searching /was searching herself in the young daughter.
yC
6. They themselves were responsible /were responsible themselves for their defeat.
7. The leader told the people, “You yourself /yourselves have to build your nation; and no neighbour or a
powerful county will come for your help.”
kM
8. God helps those who help himself/them

self selves.
9. “You yourselves have to do /have to do yourselves this assignment”, the teacher remarked.
10. She walked in a very arrogant manner presumably to give herself /to herself give some extra pride.
ic
Answers 1. oneself 2. itself 3. itself 4. declared himself 5. was searching herself 6. themselves
were responsible 7. yourselves 8. themselves 9. yourselves have to do 10. to give herself.
.P
The usage of this, these, that, those

Read the following sentences :
w
The son of my boss and the son of my neighbour go to the same school.
w
The job of my father and the job of my mother are not same.
The employees of this office are as hard working as that office.
w
The culture of India is similar to the culture of the south Asian countries.
The feature of the Chinese people is similar to the features of the Mongolians.
Don’t you feel they sound awkward or improper? What’s wrong?
There is unnecessary and clumsy repetition of nouns. It should be avoided. The second time a suitable
pronoun that matches with the noun should be used.
These sentences would be better said if we say them like these :
The son of my boss and that of my neighbour go to the same school.

The job of my father and that of my mother are not same.
The employees of this office are as hard working as those of that office.
The culture of India is similar to that of the south Asian countries.
The feature of the Chinese people is similar to those of the Mongolians.
It’s NOT correct to say, ‘One should do his or her duty’ but it should be, ‘One should do one’s duty’.
Divya and Devika went to market to buy her dress. To buy who’s dress–Divya’s or Devika’s? It should be to
buy ‘Divya’s dress’ or ‘Devika’s dress’ or even ‘their dress’. The noun cannot be left ambiguous in a sentence.
Target Exercise 17
Directions Check the use of this, that, these, those in the given sentences and correct them.
1. The culture of our country is richer than any other country in the world.
2. The animals in this sanctuary are better off than that sanctuary.
3. The instructions came that one should be punctual in submitting his/her work.
4. Ravi, Sanchit and Arif have gone to by his guitar.
m
5. He, you and I are to be blamed for all the mess in the last evening’s programme.
programme.
Answers 1. richer than that of any other country 2. are better off than those in that sanctuary 3. in
co
submitting one’s 4. to buy their guitar or Ravi’s guitar or Sanchit’s or Arif’s–a
Arif’s–a pronoun should not be left
ambiguous about the person it mentions 5. I, you and he are to be blamed.
g.
Structure Rule
One, Ones, One’s and Once
The various meanings of one :
A single, a particular but unspecified, with unknown person’s name–one Ms Radhika
everyone–one and all, unknown somebody.
in
Radhika,, the same–one and the same, only–one and only,
ch
Ones as in ‘those ones’, ‘these ones’, ‘the ones I am looking for’–plural of one.
One’s means ‘of somebody’.
Once as in ‘give me a chance once’–for one time, as in ‘once upon a time’–at some time in the past, all at once–suddenly.
oa
The usage of who, whom, who’s, whose, that and which

Note the difference in the following sentences :
yC
l
(i) My friend who owes me money is not seen these days.
(ii) My friend whom I owe money is not seen these days.
l The big difference in the two sentences is that in the first, he has to give me money and in the second I
kM
have to give him money.

l In place of ‘who owes’ we can say ‘my friend owes’ or ‘he owes’. Who, my friend and he are all subjective
forms.
ic
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.
.P
(iii) Do you know whose bicycle is this?

(iv) Tell me who’s who in the new cabinet.
l Whose means ‘of whom’ or ‘belonging to whom’. The sentence can be restated as ‘Do you know whom does
w
the bicycle belong to?’

l Who’s is the contracted form of ‘who is’. The sentence can be restated as ‘Tell me who is who in the new
w
cabinet’.
(v) The book which you gave me has been lost.
w
(vi) You can read the books that are available in the library.
l ‘Which you gave’ emphasizes a particular book.
l ‘That are available’ talks generally about all the books.
(vii) Name the colour which you like the most.
(viii) VIBGYOR represents those seven colours which are in the sun.
(ix) These are the colours that are available now.
l The first two sentences talk about a particular colour or colours whereas the last one talks about colours in
general without emphasizing.
l That and which are usually used for animals, things, ideas, babies etc. Exceptionally, that and which can be
used for people sometimes.
l The people that dwelt this earth before us were wise enough to preserve the environment.
l Which of the people are you talking about–the ones who were before the modern age or the ones a generation
before us?
The sixth crucial question that you are supposed to ask is
“Are the forms of pronoun correct and do they agree with the related nouns and other pronouns?”
This is the rule no. SIX
Target Exercise 18
Directions Choose the correct form of the pronoun in the given sentences.
1. I met a man who/whom told me about my award.
2. I met a man who/whom I told about his award.
3. Who’s/whose book is this?
m
4. This is not the doctor who/whom he referred to.
5. These are the holes in which/that those snakes live.
co
6. All which/that glitters is not gold.
7. All which/that know the truth don’t always utter it.
8. There is hardly anyone who/that doesn’t know about her.
g.
9. Shakespeare was the most prolific writer which/that time has ever seen.
10. What is there in your hand which/that your have brought for me?
in
Answers. 1. who 2. whom 3. whose 4. whom 5. which 6. that 7. that 8. who 9. that 10. that
ch
Type 10 : Error of Prepositions
oa
Prepositions fix the position of a noun or verb in relation to another noun.
Place (point)
yC
l to, at, from–to

–to a point, at a point, from a point
eg,
(i) She went to the hotel.
kM
(ii) I met her at the door.

(iii) She came from Canada.
The hotel, the door and Canada are used as a point of arrival, meeting and departure.
ic
Place (line)
on, off, across, over, along–on
along–on the line, off the line, across the line, over the line, along the line
.P
eg,
(i) It was a foul as the ball fell on the line.
line
w
(ii) The fielder fell off the line holding the ball and so it was a six.
(iii) The ball rolled across the line.
line It was four.
w
(iv) It was a clear six as the ball went over the line.
(v) The fielder ran along the line towards the ball to save it from crossing the line.
w
Place (surface)
l on, off, across, over, through
through–on the surface, off the surface, across the surface, over the surface, through the
surface
eg,
(i) The passengers were waiting on the platform.
(ii) A crowd pushed and one of them fell off the platform on the track.
(iii) A vendor was prowling across the platform selling his newspaper.
(iv) A crow flew over the platform snatching a piece of bread from a child.
(v) Some trolleys were piercing their way through the platform.
Place (area)
l in, into, out of, through–was in the playground, came into the playground, came out of the playground, went
through the playground
eg,
(i) The first team was already in the playground.
(ii) After five minutes the second team came into the playground.
(iii) After ten minutes one of the players was sent out of the playground.
(iv) The game was stopped and the refry went through the playground to check what was wrong.
Target Exercise 19
Directions Choose the correct preposition in the context.
1.During her visit to Mumbai, she stayed in/at her friend’s home.
m
2.A dog ran in /on the middle of the road.
3.We were walking on /along the road when we saw an accident.
co
4.A crowd poured in /into the compartments of the train.
5.All through his journey, he kept looking from /through the window.
6.The car was standing at /in the farmhouse.
g.
7.She is at /in the post office at the moment.
8.When the accident took place, the train really came at /on the platform instead of coming at /on the
platform.
in
9. This chapter is consisted of /off eight vital segments.
ch
10. The boy fell of /off the bus as it started moving.
Answers 1. at 2. in 3. along 4. into 5. through 6. at 7. in 8. on, at 9. of 10. off
Position
oa
l over, above–A beautiful carpet was there all over the floor,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 shined
yC
vertically over /above head in mid summer, millions of poor have not roof over /above their head, an exquisite
fan handing over /above the table, star shining like a diamond in the sky which is up above the world so high,
above average marks/stu /student, 40% people living above poverty line, the flooded river went above the danger
mark
kM
l under, below–a a small child standing below the table, lived under /below the same roof, no man
under /below the sky knows, ground hollow below the surface, below average, below the danger mark,
below povertyl ine
ic
l under, underneath, beneath–aneath–a carpet underneath the table, a cat sitting under /beneath the table,
underneath the carpet polished and shimmering tiles seen here and there
.P
l in front of, behind, by, beside–one

side–one chair in front of the table, another behind it, a small stool in front of a
dressing table, wall behind the dressing table, the bed, the windows and doors hidden behind the curtains,
w
two mongoose hiding behind the bushes, train came behind time means came late, before time is early
l by, beside–a –a side table by
by/beside the bed, sit beside me, a tower standing by the river, passed by me
w
l round, around–a
around–a shop round the corner (nearby), a car moved around the building /roundabout, turned
round and round
round,, the earth moving round the sun, the periphery around the shrine
w
l in front of (just next in the row

row/line), opposite (facing), next (adjacent)–sitting in front of me, sitting
opposite facing each other, a building opposite the school across the road, a building next to it or in front of
it, the girl next door
l between, among–stuffing between two slices of bread, no grudge between you and me, between 6 P.M. and
9 P.M., a woman sitting between two men, river flows between its banks, an orange in the bowl among many
apples, a man sitting among many women
Target Exercise 20
1. I was sitting behind him and he was in front of/opposite me.
2. Cross your finger; the good news is round /around the corner.
3. The number of people living under /below the poverty line has decreased in India.
4. Children under /below 18 years are not allowed in the movies having A-certificate.
5. Many personnel work under /below him.
6. The Commonwealth Games committee is unhappy as the preparations for the 2010 games are in front
of /behind schedule.
7. He stood by /beside his friend in all his difficulties.
8. The house which was standing between /among the trees was well canopied from all sides.
9. The man was standing by /on the river and looking at /around the evening sky.
10. The area was evacuated as the level of water in the river went over /above the danger mark.
Answers 1. in front of 2. round 3. below 4. below 5. under 6. behind 7. by 8. among 9. by, at
10. above
Means and Instrument
m
l by, in, from, with–by hand, by air, by writing, cooked from oil/butter, with knife/screw-driver/hammer
co
eg,
(i) The money was delivered by hand.
(ii) The handicraft shop sells things made by hand.
g.
(iii) Travelling by air is faster than travelling by train or by car.
(iv) We informed them by writing a message.
(v) Food is cooked here from pure butter.
(vi) He drove a nail in the wall with a hammer. in
ch
Time
l at, on, in–at 4 o’clock, on Monday, in March
oa
l for (summed up time), since (beginning time)–for two hours, since morning
l before, after–woke before the day break, slept after the night fall
l from-to, between-and–from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.

yC
l during, within, till–during the entire day, within three days, till the day after tomorrow, till yesterday
eg,
(i) This happened at 5 in the morning on a Monday in January in 1992.
kM
(ii) It has been raining since last week and it has already rained for seven days.
(iii) She worshipped before eating and she worshipped after eating.
(iv) The show runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
(v) You can see the doctor between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.
ic
(vi) We went to Nainital during the holidays.

(vii) You will have to complete the test within the time provided.
.P
(viii) I was quite unaware of this fact till yesterday.

(ix) They will keep the decision on hold till next week.
w
Cause, Purpose
w
l of, from, for–died

for–died of cholera, suffering from fever, worked for social welfare
w
Rate
l at, by–at the speed of 140 km/h, sugar sells by the kilogram, cloth by the metre and milk by the litre
Target Exercise 21
1. The poacher killed the animal in one shot from/with his AK 47 gun.
2. Sugarcane should be better supplied on/by truck than by/through a train.
3. The news was first conveyed on/by a post card, them through/by a telegram.
4. The food cooked in/from ghee is preferred over the one cooked by/from oil.
5. Many people last year dies from/of swine flue.
6. The renowned agrarian leader stood before/for the cause of the farmers.
7. Apply in/within ten days or visit between Monday to/and Wednesday.
8. Sugar sells at/by Rs 40 a kilo these days.
9. In this strange part of the world they sell cloth at/by the kilogram.
10. The thief opened the lock by/with a hair-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
The usage of preposition with some words is fixed

Some of the most common ones are given below.
m
l Accustomed of = He was accustomed of working hard in his youth. (used to)
l Accused of = The man accused of stealing was sent to jail. (blamed of)
co
l Acquainted with = Please introduce him to me if you are acquainted with him. (know)
l Afraid of = Don’t get afraid of that dog. It won’t bite. (fear from)
g.
l Agree to (idea) = The president agreed to the resolution and passed it. (accept)
l Agree with (person) = If you agree with me please support me. (have same opinion)
l
l Adapted to = Man easily gets adapted to new environments. (change) in

According to = He was acquitted as he was innocent according to the jury. (in the opinion of)
ch
l Along with = The Prime Minister along with his retinue entered the hall. (together with)
l Associated with = He had long been associated with the organization before he retired. (worked with)
l Averse to = Initially people are averse to accepting their weakness, but with the passage of time they start
oa
realizing and correcting themselves. (unwilling to)

l Believe in (faith) = I believe in God. (have faith in)
Belong to = As this country belongs to us, we belong to this country. (have a right over)
yC
l Clever at = She is clever at painting and playing music, but I am at music. (skilled at)
l Congratulate on = I congratulated her on her great success. (greeted)
kM
l Cure for = As man conquers a disease and find a cure

for it, another pops up. (remedy for)
l Depend on = High rate of employment depends on growth of economy. (is related with)
ic
l Derived from = Many English words are derived from Greek and Latin. (came/originate from)
l Details of = This new book contains details of her extensive journey. (description of)
.P
l Different from = Village life is quite different from city life. (not same)
l Divide into = The property was divided into two parts and given to the two sons. (break into)
w
l Dream of = The henpeck husband could never dream of opposing his wife. (think of)
l Frightened of = Those frightened of obstacles never proceed ahead for success. (having fear of)
w
l Famous for = The city of Benaras is famous for its teeming ghats. (known for)
l Good at = He is quite good at convincing people in his favour. (skilled at)
w
l Ignorant of = Being ignorant of the consequences, the naives easily fall into bad habits. (not knowing)
l Increase in = There has been a tremendous increase in the multi-nationals in our country. (rise in)
l Insist on = The shopkeeper could not deny when she insisted on paying later. (said forcefully)
l Interested in = Work hard if you are interested in your progress. (want to)
l Lack of = Lack of money brings poverty and lack of knowledge ignorance. (devoid of, not having)
l Fond of = The mother was very fond of her youngest child. (loved/liked very much)
l Aim at = The shooter aimed at the target and shot accurately. (fix at the target)
l Laugh at = Don’t laugh at those who are deprived of God’s blessings. (ridicule, make fun of)
l Listen to = Hello! Please listen to me. (lend your ear, heed, pay attention to)
l Look at = What are you looking at? (see)
l Look after = The nurse looked after the child better than the mother. (to take care of, to rear)
l Look for = Have you lost anything? What are you looking for under the table. (to search for)
l Look into = I have requested the police commissioner to look into the matter of increasing crime in our
locality. (investigate, to probe, examine)
l Married to = Sita was married to Ram and Ram to Sita after a Swayambar.
l Operate on = The doctors operated on the patient and transplanted his heart. (to cut to cure)
l Pay for = We need to pay for everything that we take in our lifetime. (return in money or kind)
l Pleased with = He is looking too pleased with himself. (amused, happy with)
l Prevent from = The strict administration prevented the riot from taking place. (avoided, stopped)
l Proof of = Many accused get punishment as they cannot produce proof of their innocence. (evidence of)
l Reason for = There cannot be a good reason for lethargy. (cause, excuse)
m
l Respond to = People responded to the call of the president and contributed generously for the cause of the
flood victims. (acted positively, acted in favour)
co
l Remind of = This alluring smell of the flowers remind me of my childhood days in a garden. (reminiscent of,
bring to memory)
g.
l Shout at = Scolding or shouting at children does not help their cause in any way. (to be angry loudly, scold loudly)
l Sorry for = Should we feel sorry at the end of the day for what did during the day? (regret, feel remorse)
l
l
Speak to/with = I wanted to speak to you, but you were not available.
in
Unless the countries speak with one another they cannot resolve their disputes. (talk, communicate)
ch
l Suffer from = The businessman suffered from great losses and was soon declared bankrupt. (incurred,
troubled by)
l Surprised at = The scientists were surprised at the remarkable discovery.
oa
l Take part in = Taking part in extra-curricular activities is equally important as excelling in academics. (to
participate, to be a part of)
l Thank for = Before leaving the participants thanked the organizers for giving them the opportunity. (be
yC
grateful for)
l Tolerant of = In a multi-lingual and multi-cultural country like India people need to be tolerant of the
diversity and differences. (to be considerate, thoughtful of)
kM
l Translate into = Volumes of works of Sanskrit have been translated into English and many other European
languages. (change in language)
ic
Target Exercise 22
.P

1. Only till few years ago people could not dream about/of the facilities and comforts that they enjoy now.
w
2. The girl was quite frightened from/of the ghost stories.

3. Which subject are good in/at?
w
4. He smiled in the way as if he was acquainted about/with me.

5. The minister now-a-days are quite averse to/from coming out of their comfort zone.
w
6. People clever in/at deceiving get away easy without being reprimanded.
7. The majority of Hindi words are derived of/from Sanskrit.
8. If a country progresses the masses should not remain deprived from/of the fruits.
9. The quick arrival of the fire-brigade prevented the fire for/from spreading further.
10. If one has a problem one should sit down and speak to/with the parties involved.
Answers 1. of 2. of 3. at 4. with 5. to 6. at 7. from 8. of 9. from 10. with
Structure Rule
The idiomatic nature of preposition
Convention rules the use of preposition. As we have seen above, there is some collocation between some word and their fixed
preposition. At the same time, there phrasal verbs or prepositional verbs which mean different from the words used in them. Therefore,
they are idiomatic by nature. See a few :
To look after = to take care of
To look for = to search
To look into = to enquire about
To take after = to resemble
To take to heart = to feel bad
We will discuss these in detail in the chapter Idioms and Phrases.
The seventh question that you have to ask is
“Are the prepositions correctly used?”
This is the rule no. SEVEN
Target Exercise 23
Directions One of the words is incorrectly spelt in each group. Encircle that word.
m
1. grammar summer summerise hammer
2. author interior governer organiser
co
3. theatre kilomitre kilolitre metre
4. important impotent ignorent obedient
5. licence lens sense influence
g.
6. negligable valuable possible resistible
7. dangerous mystereous superstitious courteous
8. official presidential crucial substancial
9. expense expanse expansion expultion
in
ch
10. anxious conscious consentious pretentious
Answers 1. summarise 2. governor 3. kilometre 4. ignorant 5. license 6. negligible
7. mysterious 8. substantial 9. expulsion 10. conscientious
oa
Target Exercise 24
yC
Directions One of the words is correctly spelt in each group. Encircle that word.
1. acommodate accomodate accommodate eccommodate
2. begger beggar beggery beggerly
kM
3. cocoon cucoon cacoon cocun

4. quarrelling quarreling quarelling querrelling
5. residencial recidential reasidential residential
ic
6. apology appology apolosy epology

7. sinsere sincere sinceer sincier
.P
8. restorent restaurent restaurant resteurant

9. profession proffesion profetion profeson
10. posesson possession posession possesion
w
Answers 1. accommodate 2. beggar 3. cocoon 4. quarrelling 5. residential 6. apology

7. sincere 8. restaurant 9. profession 10. possession
w
w
Type 11 : Error of Punctuation

Apostrophe with Possessives Nouns
(i) A boy’s bag (ii) The boys’ school
(iii) My father’s house (iv) My parents’ place
(v) Men’s saloon (vi) Women’s parlour

(vii) Children’s park (viii) Socrates’ disciple
(ix) Dickens’ novels (x) Levis’ jeans
The nouns ending with ‘s’ do not usually require another ‘s’ after the apostrophe.
(i) Jack and Jill’s house–one house belonging to both
(ii) Sita and Ram’s journey–same journey covered together
But
(i) Jack’s and Jill’s houses–two different possessions or ownerships
(ii) Sita’s and Ram’s destinations–two different destinations of the two
Structure Rule
Apostrophe is also used to make contracted forms :
It is = it’s There is = there’s Here is = here’s I will = I’ll
I will not = I won’t He has = he’s He is = he’s We have = we’ve
She had = she’d She would = she’d Do not = don’t Cannot = can’t and so on
m
Target Exercise 25
co
Directions Rewrite the sentences after applying proper punctuations marks.
marks.
1. Keats and Shelley’s poems adore nature with deep sensuous passion.
g.
2. You can get your car repaired at Salim’s and Karim’s garage which is only a furlong away.
3. R.K. Narayan’s,, the famous Indian English authors, stories are known for deep insight into their
characters. in
4. The boy’s and the girl’s school were standing face to face flanking the road.
ch
5. Childrens magazines are hardly to be seen anywhere these days.
Answers 1. Keats’s and Shelley’s poems–two different poets’ poems 2. Salim and Karim’s–one garage
owned by two 3. R.K. Narayan,, the famous Indian English author’s 4. the boys’ and girls’ school
oa
5. children’s
Punctuation
yC
Use of comma (,), semi-colon (;), colon (:) and quotation marks (“”)
Comma
kM
l To mention a list of things : eg,

(i) You, he and I are friends.
(ii) She bought mango, apple, guava and orange.
(iii) Industrialization, urbanization and globalization are the process to bring about modernization
ic
l To separate two clauses : eg,eg,

.P
(i) When I was there, I did not go out for a day.

(ii) If you work hard, you will succeed.
l Before and, or, but, if the clauses are long enough: eg,
w
(i) I offer her tea but she declined.

(ii) Some of the boys joined the course, but the girls were not interested.
w
l After connective like however, therefore, on the other hand, similarly: eg,
(i) He is sincere. However, he is not successful.
w
(ii) They criticized the man. On the other hand, they honoured him.
l When some words intrude the sentence especially between the subject and its verb: eg,
(i) We were, believe it or not, on the cloud nine last night.
(ii) He, however, did not do as he had promised.
(iii) Mr. Victor, the principal of the college, did not agree to our proposal.
(iv) People, who follow nature, get blessed.
Semi-colon
l To show closeness of two independent sentences where otherwise full stop can be used: eg,
(i) Idea disseminated; and this is how civilization grew.
(ii) She invited me; but I was not interest.
(iii) Some people like summers; others like winter.
Colon
l For writing dialogues: eg,
A: What’s that? B: Guess.
l For presenting explanations, lists etc: eg,
(i) Answer the following questions:
1. What’s true? 2. What’s not true?
(ii) Her explanation was like this:
l In headings and titles: eg,
(i) Video wills acceptable: Supreme Court (ii) Punctuation: Apostrophe
(iii) Chapter One: Sentence Correction
m
Quotation marks
l Direct speech eg,
co
(i) She said, “I’ll come tomorrow.”
l Quotations
(i) The famous proverb goes, “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”
g.
l To make the word stand out: eg,
(i) He was the “wisest” fool of all times. (ii) I like ‘Alice in the Wonderland’.
in
ch
Target Exercise 26
Directions Rewrite the sentences after applying proper punctuations marks.
oa
1. An angry humiliated and wounded A.Q. Khan has finally made the secret of nuclear proliferation public.
2. Narayanan reinforced the official position saying We have thermonuclear capabilities.
3. What about the drunk customers nuisance.
yC
4. Shakuntala Devi the famous numerologists latest book has hit the book-stalls.
5. Im going to barge in for the evening worship she insisted.
The eighth important question to be asked is
kM
“Are the spelling and punctuation in place?”

This is the rule no.
no. EIGHT
Answers 1. an angry, humiliated and wounded 2. saying, “We have ……” 3. customers’
ic
4. numerologist’s 5. “I’m …… Worship”, she insisted.

.P
w
w
w

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Spotting the Error &

How to Spot an Error ?

This is the rule no. TWO

This is the rule no. SEVEN

grammar usages one by one and do some exercises on each.

Type 1 : Error of Subject-Verb Agreement

A boy helps the old woman cross the road.

Some boys play here in the evening.

A plural subject takes a verb without ‘s’ or ‘es’ at its end.

“Is the verb in accordance with the subject?”

1. It is so rainy in this region that it rain/rains very frequently even in winters.

3. In a mature democracy like India, the voters know/knows whom to vote.

1. The committee is /are seriously considering the matter.

4. The majority wins /win what the minority loses /lose.

12. Brazil is /are the winning team.

exists 8 has–army is used as singular–is poised 9. have–police is used as plural–are

7. You or she has/have to be blamed for the accident.

10. No one know/knows what happens after death.

Type 2 : Error of Tense

You need to know, “Is the tense of the verb correct?”

Tense Present Past Future

the earth with or without the such as at this time yesterday,

moment, these days, look, still implied.

Tense Present Past Future

rect-simple present or present continuous.

2. An apple a day keeps /is keeping the doctor away.

Direction B. Check what is correct–simple past or present perfect.

Direction C. Check what is correct–simple past or past continuous.

Direction E. Check what is correct–simple future, future continuous or future perfect.

1. I will complete /will have completed this project tomorrow.

Type 3 : Error of Conditional Sentences

These sentences can also state the second part first.

If + Subject + Verb (had + the third form) –

If + they + had worked - they + would have + succeeded.

You must have noticed that the verb in

supposition inp resent meaning.

Direction B. Wish and the subjunctive case.

Direction C. Make a choice of the correct verb form.

late for reception.

accidents in a documentary film.

farmers in the country to commit suicide.

8. If Dave doesn’t /won’t drive carefully, he will cause an accident.

Type 4 : Error of Participles

If we split the same, we can say :

By swimming they crossed the river.

Swimming the flooded river was crossed by them.

Consider the following sentences :

‘Writing a novel, he became famous’.

interrupted by any other subject, noun or verb.

A few of the nouns and adjectives are given here :

Directions Choose the correct noun form.

7. All kinds of stationary /stationeries are sold here.

Type 6 : Error of Articles

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

5. Where is Mother? She is working in a/the kitchen.

Man proposes, God disposes.

For genetic or class references :

Dogs are faithful animals.