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...
Author: Manjusha Nambiar
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...
Can vs. Could
We use can to say whether situations and events are possible theoretically. Glass can be blown. Can gases freeze? We use could to talk about past possibility. It was a place where anything could...
Can vs. Be Able To
Be able to often has the same meaning as can. I am unable to/can’t understand his motive. He is able to/can support her. Can is preferred in expression like can see, can hear etc....
By vs. With
By and with can both be used to say how somebody does something, but there is an important difference. By refers to the method; with refers to the tool. He killed the spider by...