Grammar

Phrasal verbs

Phrasal verbs Here are some common phrasal verbs in English. Screw up When something screws up somebody, it confuses or hurts them. Scratch out To scratch out is to make a living with great difficulty. Seal off To seal off an area is to block it or prevent access to it. Set off To set off is to start a journey. Shake off To shake something off is to get rid of it. Spruce up To spruce up is to smarten up. Splash out To splash......

Words confused Recent and modern Recent is used to talk about things which happened a short while ago. Modern means ‘of the present or recent times’. Modern writers prefer prose to poetry. It was the worst cyclone in recent times. Recollect and remember To recollect is to call something to mind with some effort. To remember is to call something to mind without any effort. I couldn’t recollect her name or face. Suddenly I remembered......

The least and the fewest The least is used before uncountable nouns. It is the superlative of little. He does the least work in this office. The least can be used without a noun if the meaning is clear from the context. Jane does the most work in this office. Jack does the least. The expression ‘least of’ can be used before plural abstract nouns. ‘She will be really upset when she hears about this.’ ‘That’s the least of my worries.’ In......

Special uses of some adverbs Short and shortly Short is used as an adverb in expressions like stop short (= stop suddenly) and cut short (= interrupt) Shortly means ‘soon’. You will hear from us shortly. Slow and slowly Slow is an adjective; slowly is an adverb. However, slow can be used as an adverb after verbs like go and drive. Go slow. Sound and soundly Sound is used as an adverb in a few expressions. Example: sound asleep. The......

Using next and nearest Nearest is used for place. It is used to refer to people or things which are most near in space. Excuse me. Where is the nearest hospital? (NOT Where is the next hospital?) The nearest railway station is two kilometers away. Next is used to talk about time or position in a series. It means ‘after this / that one’. We will get off at the next station. (NOT We will get off at the nearest station.) We are looking forward......

Using afraid Afraid and fear Be afraid is the normal expression for talking about fear. He is afraid of the dark. Don’t be afraid. (NOT Don’t fear.) (NOT Don’t afraid.) Are you afraid of spiders? There is nothing to be afraid of. She is afraid that you might get angry. Difference between afraid of and afraid to Compare I was afraid of hurting his sentiments. (Because I had no intention to do so.) I was afraid to offend him. (Because he......

Soon, Early and Quickly Soon means ‘a short time after now’. Get well soon. (NOT Get well early.) We will launch a new edition of this book sometime soon. Soon can also mean ‘a short time after then’. It was difficult in the beginning, but I soon got used to it. (NOT It was difficult in the beginning, but I early got used to it.) Early Early means ‘near the beginning of a period of time we are talking about’. Early does not mean soon. Compare: Early......

Come and Go We use come to talk about movements to the place where the speaker or the listener is. ‘John, will you come here.’ ‘I’m coming.’ (NOT I am going.) (Here we are talking about movement to the place where the speaker / listener is.) We came to live here in 1990. (NOT We went to live here in 1990.) We use go for movements to other places. I want to go and live in the woods. (NOT I want to come and live in the woods.) We went to the......

Until and Till These two words mean exactly the same. They can be used both as prepositions and conjunctions. Till is more common in an informal style. Note that in American English, the preferred informal spelling of till is ’til. I waited until 6 o’clock and then I went home. OR I waited till 6 o’clock and then I went home. I will wait till / until I hear from you. The preposition to is sometimes used instead of till and until. This......

Difference between below and under Both below and under can mean ‘lower than’. The knives are in the cupboard under the sink. OR The knives are in the cupboard below the sink. Below is preferred when one thing is not directly under another. The sun disappeared below the horizon. (NOT The sun disappeared under the horizon.) The climbers stopped several hundred meters below the top of the mountain. Under is preferred when something is......

Speak and Talk: Difference There is not much difference between speak and talk. They are usually both possible in most situations. Formality Talk is less formal than speak. In fact, talk is the usual word to refer to informal communication. I want to talk to you. I think you should talk to him. I don’t know why she has stopped talking to me. I would like to talk to you about the film I watched yesterday. Stop talking nonsense. We talked......

Overworked words – nice and get Write each sentence using a word from the given list in place of one in brackets. [acquired, caught, earned, coaxed, became, delicious, handsome, enjoyable, scored, kind] 1. My sister (gets) two hundred dollars a week. 2. In the first half, the winger (got) a goal. 3. While studying in Sydney, Jane (got) a strong Australian accent. 4. She (got) the baby to eat some rice. 5. In the jungle, most of the men......

Words ending in -ic and-ical Many adjectives end in –ic or –ical. Adjectives ending in –ic Academic, artistic, athletic, catholic, domestic, dramatic, emphatic, energetic, fantastic, linguistic, majestic, neurotic, pathetic, public, systematic, tragic In older English, some of these words used to end in –ical. Examples are: tragical and majestical. Adjectives ending in –ical Biological, chemical, critical, cynical, grammatical, logical,......

Still, already and yet All three words can be used to talk about actions or situations that are going on or expected around the present. Still Still is used to talk about situations that are still not finished. It is still raining. Is she still working? I have been waiting for hours, but I still haven’t heard anything from them. You are still seeing him, right? Yet Not yet is used to say that something which is expected to happen is......

Rather Rather is an adverb of degree. Its meaning is similar to quite or fairly. It is rather cold here. You are rather late. With adjectives and adverbs When rather is used with adjectives and adverbs it often suggests ideas such as ‘more than is usual’ or ‘more than was expected’. ‘How was the program?’ ‘Rather good.’ (I was surprised.) She speaks English rather well – people often think that she is a native speaker. Rather can modify......

Correct usage of afraid Afraid means ‘frightened’. Are you afraid? Afraid and fear Be afraid is more common than fear in an informal style. Don’t be afraid. (NOT Don’t fear.) There is nothing to be afraid of. I was afraid of hurting his feelings. Afraid of and afraid to Compare: I was afraid of offending his feelings. (because I had no wish to do so) I was afraid to offend him. (because he might hit me) I’m afraid = I’m sorry I’m......

More and Most More is the comparative form of much and many. It indicates a greater amount or number than that is indicated by much or many. You should sleep more than you do at the moment. I need more time to finish the work. More of Before a noun with a determiner we use more of. He is more of a fool than I thought. (NOT He is more a fool than I thought.) Three more of the missing miners have been found. (NOT Three more the missing miners......

How to improve your vocabulary? There are several ways to improve and expand your English vocabulary. Reading, for example, is great way to learn new words. There are plenty of other methods too. Create Vocabulary Themes Vocabulary themes are a great way to enrich your vocabulary. Create themes that include words, their definition and example sentences. Watch English films Watch English TV channels and films. They will help you to understand ......

Easily confused words Quiz 1 Confusing words are words that are very similar in spelling or pronunciation. Choose the correct word to complete each sentence. Each question has only one correct answer. 1. The speaker made several ————— to mythology in his speech. a) Illusions b) Allusions 2. We must make every effort to......

Words ending in -man Some words ending in –man do not have a common feminine equivalent. Examples are: chairman and fireman. But because most women object to being called ‘chairman’ or ‘spokesman’, these expressions are now being avoided in general references to people of either sex. In some cases, the word person is now used instead ofman. And this can happen even in references to men. Examples are: chairperson, spokesperson. Susie......

Confusing words exercise Complete the following sentences. 1. Although they were an ……………………………. couple, they didn’t have an ………………………….. divorce. a) amiable; amicable b) amicable; amiable 2. The …………………………. of money you earn in a month depends on the …………………………. of products you sell. a) amount; number b) number; amount 3. I am worried that his illness seems......

Words confused Rob and steal Rob: deprive somebody of his property; take (property) from a place unlawfully and often by force Armed men robbed the state bank yesterday. They robbed the traveler of his wallet. Steal: to take and keep something which belongs to somebody else. The master punished the boy for stealing the money. Stay and stop Stay: remain; keep still in the same place We stayed in a farmhouse for our holidays. Stop:......

Words commonly confused Admit and confess To admit is to acknowledge truth. Admit can also mean ‘allow somebody to enter’. I must admit that it was a tempting offer. Confess To confess is to admit having done something wrong. She confessed having stolen the money. Amount and number Use amount before an uncountable noun. Use number with a countable noun. A large amount of money was wasted on the project. A large number of people took......

Words confused Couple and pair Couple: a husband and wife or a boyfriend and girlfriend. Two couples remained on the dance floor. Pair: two things of the same kind which go together. Example: a pair of shoes, a pair of trousers Despise and detest Despise: have a very low opinion of someone or something; regard someone as worthless. One must not despise the poor. Detest: hate I detest the hot climate of Chennai. Habit and custom Habit:......

Rather as an adverb of degree Rather can be used as an adverb of degree. This use of rather is common in British English. As an adverb of degree, rather has a similar meaning to ‘quite’ or ‘fairly’. However, it is more emphatic. In American English, rather is not normally used as an adverb of degree. With adjectives and adverbs When used with adjectives and adverbs, rather suggests ideas such as ‘more than was expected’......

Prepositions after particular words and expressions Bad at He is not bad at badminton. Believe When believe means accept as true it is used without a preposition. I won’t believe a word you say. Believe in Do you believe in ghosts? Belong in / on (= have its place in / on) Those books belong on the top shelf. Belong to (= be a member of) I belong to a local athletics club. Blue with, red with, green with etc. She went green with......

Grammar

Phrasal verbs

Words confused

The least and the fewest

Special uses of some adverbs

Using next and nearest

Using afraid

Soon, Early and Quickly

Come and Go

Until and Till

Difference between below and under

Speak and Talk: Difference

Speak and Talk: Difference

Overworked words – nice and get

Words ending in -ic and-ical

Still, already and yet

Rather

Correct usage of afraid

More and Most

How to improve your vocabulary?

Easily confused words Quiz 1

Words ending in -man

Confusing words exercise

Words confused

Words commonly confused

Words confused

Rather as an adverb of degree

Prepositions after particular words and expressions

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