Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Would vs Used to

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1). Used to can refer to repeated actions and events in the past, in the same way as would . e.g Sometimes he used to bring me little pres...

Would - Uses

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Would is a modal auxiliary verb. Would is used as a softer less definite form of will, in some cases as past of will. 1). In indirect speech...
Friday, September 15, 2006

Ago vs Since

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Ago vs. Since Both words speak of the past, and they are often used interchangeably. Ago :  from the present to the past . It is used ...

Compare to vs. Compare with

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Compare to  is used to liken two things or to put them in the same category. You should use compare to when you intend to simply assert t...
Thursday, September 14, 2006

Agreement of Verb with Collective Nouns

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In my post on Subject Verb Agreement I had already mentioned this rule. On request from many students, I am explaining this particular co...
Thursday, August 24, 2006

Special case of Agreement

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The words like "half" , "part" etc are singular or plural according to the meaning of the sentence. When these words re...
Saturday, August 19, 2006

Do vs Make

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1. Do - for indefinite activities e.g with words like thing, something, nothing, anything, what. e.g a). Do something! b). What shall we d...

Do - Substitute verb

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Do - Substitute Verb - (auxiliary verb + do) - In British English ( but not American ), do can be used alone as a substitute verb after an ...

Do - auxiliary verb

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The auxiliary verb "do" - followed by infinitives without "to". It has several uses, one of them -- Ellipsis In cases ...
Friday, August 18, 2006

Less vs Fewer

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1). Less and Fewer -- Difference - Less is the comparative of little ( used especially before uncountable nouns). e.g - I earn less money t...
Monday, July 31, 2006

When to use the Passive voice ????

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Active voice is the better form to use. As a rule, the active voice is preferred for business writing, and for any other form of writing tha...
Monday, July 17, 2006

Forms of Verb 1 - Infinitive

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What is infinitive form of verb? - It is of the form to + simple form of verb. e.g - to take ; to surprise . Uses of the Infinitive - 1). A...
2 comments:
Thursday, July 13, 2006

Whether vs. If

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Using Whether and If 1). After Prepositions , we use only whether . I haven't settled the question of whether I'll go back h...
Monday, July 10, 2006

because vs. because of

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1). Because  is a conjunction, used at the beginning of a clause, before a subject and a verb. We were late because it rained . I'm...
Sunday, July 09, 2006

It -- as subject of a sentence

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The Third Person It as Subject of a sentence It as a subject of a sentence can be used in two different ways. 1). As an empty or meaningle...
1 comment:
Tuesday, July 04, 2006

In spite of vs Despite

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In spite of - used to express the idea of contrast. A). In spite of - is used as a preposition. In spite of + noun means almost same as al...
Monday, July 03, 2006

Using the Colon

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Use a colon 1). To introduce a list coming at the end of sentence Her house has four rooms: a kitchen, a parlor, a bedroom, and a bath-room....

Using the Semicolon

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Use a semicolon 1). To join two independent clauses that are closely related in meaning Some visitors thrive on activities; others seldom le...
1 comment:
Friday, June 30, 2006

Even if vs. Even though

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Even if  means whether or not and has to do with the conditions that may apply. Even if is used as a conjunction.(even alone cannot ac...
1 comment:
Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Rather than vs Instead of

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Rather than  shows preference. This expression is generally used in 'parallel' structures. e.g - with two nouns, adjectives, adver...