Take | English Usage
We can use take to say how much time we need to do something. Different structures are possible. Person + take + time + infinitive When the person is the subject, we use the structure person +...
Author: Manjusha Nambiar
Surely | English Usage
Surely does not mean the same as certainly. There is usually a difference. Compare: That is certainly Jane’s boyfriend. (= I know that is Jane’s boyfriend.) Surely that is Jane’s boyfriend? (That really seems to be Jane’s boyfriend. How...
Such … That
The structure such + noun can be used to mean ‘like this/that’. Note that such comes before the article a/an. The management is planning to hire more people. I would oppose such a decision. (= I would oppose a decision...
Subject Verb Agreement Rules
The basic principle of subject – verb agreement is simple. The verb has to agree with the subject in number and person. That means if the subject is a singular noun, the verb has to be singular...
So That vs. In Order That
These structures are used to talk about purpose. So that is more common in informal speech and writing. Both these expressions are normally followed by modal auxiliary verbs such as can or will. I waited for an hour so that I...
The Conjunction So…That
The correlative conjunction so…that… shows cause and effect. Study the following sentences. It rained very heavily. As a result, the town went under water. Here the first sentence refers to the cause that leads to the...
Some vs. Any
Some suggests an indefinite quantity or number. It is most common in affirmative clauses. In questions and negatives, we normally use any to express the same idea. I want some milk. Is there any milk left? No,...
Since, For, Ago, Before
Since, for, ago and before Since, when used with the present perfect tense, means from a point or period of time in the past up to now. I have lived here since my childhood. I...
As, Since, Because, So
The words as, since and because can be used to refer to the reason for something. So is used to refer to the result. It was a pleasant evening. And hence we decided to go out. We can combine these...
Since | English Grammar
In sentences with since, we normally use present perfect and past perfect tenses in the main clause. I met him ten years ago and have admired him ever since. We haven’t met since her marriage. They have known each other since 1975. We had been friends since university days. Present and...
