Correlative Conjunctions
When the correlatives either—or, neither—nor, both—and, not only—but also are used, you must see that they are placed before words of the same part of speech. Read the sentence given below. The car either...
Author: Manjusha Nambiar
The Pronunciation Of Article The
The word the has three pronunciations. When it is followed by a word that begins with a vowel sound, the e in the is pronounced like the I in words like pit and sit....
Cool Down vs. Cool Off
There is little difference between the expressions cool down and cool off. When things cool down / cool off, their temperature drops a bit. When your interest in something / someone cools down /...
Comparative vs. Superlative
The comparative (e.g. taller, sharper, stronger, heavier, shorter etc.) is used to compare one person or thing with another person or thing. John is taller than Peter. Alice is cleverer than Mary. The superlative...
A Common Error In The Use Of Comparatives
In comparative sentences be careful to compare the same part of two things. That of, these of and those of are necessary words that are often omitted. Incorrect: His teaching was like Jesus Christ....
Come What May | How Come | Come To
We use come for movements nearer to the position of the speaker or a point (in space or time) or a result. Come here. Come to me. They came at six o’clock. We argued...
Close vs. Shut
Close and shut can often be used with the same meaning. She closed/shut her eyes against the light. All the shops were closed/shut, so I couldn’t buy anything. The shop closes/shuts at seven o’clock....
Change Of Tenses
The first verb in a sentence establishes the tense of any verb that comes later. If you begin writing in the past, don’t change to the present. Similarly, if you begin writing in the...
Ceremonial vs. Ceremonious
The words ceremonial and ceremonious have more or less the same meaning. They are often used interchangeably. However, in some contexts one is preferred to the other. Ceremonial means ‘relating to formal religious or...
Care About vs. Care For vs. Take Care Of
I don’t care what happens. ‘You have put on a lot of weight.’ ‘I don’t care.’ Before an object, we use care about. But note that about is usually dropped before a question word...