DETECTING ERRORS AND SPEAKING CORRECT ENGLIGH

1)

Noun+s /es/ies/ves is plural, but verb+s/es/ies/ ves is singular.

Books (plural noun)
Comes(singular verb)
Verb without 's' /es/ies/ves is plural.
Come (plural verb)
2)
Some adjectives get 'the' before them and become plural, common nouns.
Poor(adjective) the poor (plural noun)
Sick (adjective) the sick ( plural noun)
3)
If a numerical adjective and a fraction ( a half, a quarter, three quarters) are to be
used with a noun, the structure of the sentence is as follows.
The train is late by one hour and a half.
The train is late by one and a half hour.
He has one and a half rupee
He has one rupee and a half
4)
If two or more than two adjectives are connected with 'and', "the" article is used
only before the first adjective. The "noun" used after them will be plural.
Tagore was popular in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. (plu)
But if the article is used before both the adjectives, the "noun" after them is
singular.
Tagore was popular in the nineteenth and the twentieth century. (sin)
5)
If a noun ends in a sibilant ( 's' sound) or 'sh', only the apostrophe is used in its
possessive case without 's'
Vikas' mother
Maurice' house
Suresh 'car
6)
If a plural noun has 's' in the end, only the apostrophe is used without another 's'
Boys 'hostel
Soldiers 'guns
Dogs' tails
7)
If a noun or a title is made of several words, only the last word gets the
apostrophe.
The mayor of Anantapur's corporation
The government of India's orders
8)
If two persons ( subjects/nouns) own one thing, the apostrophe with 's' is used
with the second
subject
Amar's and kumar's hotel is very famous in the town. wrong
Amar and kumar's hotel is very famous in the town. Right

Note: If two persons own two things individually the apostrophe is used with
both the nouns
(subjects)
Ravi's and Raju's books are lost.

PRONOUNS
9)

The speaker is the first person : I and we

The listener is the second person: you
Speaking to or about whom or which something is spoken is the third person :
he , she, it , they
10) The below mentioned order is correct in using two pronouns of different person in
the same
sentence.
1) First person + Second person = wrong
Second person + First person = Right
2) First person + third person = wrong
Third person + First person = Right
3) Third person + Second person = wrong
Second person + third person = Right
Note: If three persons are used with the same verb in a sentence, the correct
order is 2+3+1 pronouns, if the sentence indicates good thing or behavior.
You , he and I are really helping our parents.
If the sentence is indicative of something bad or unpleasant, the correct
order is 1+2+3.
We, you and they have neglected our studies.
11) If two or more nouns are joined by 'and' the pronoun that is used for them is plural
always.
Radha and Rekha have brought their children.
Akhil, Salim and Krishna returned from their tour
12) When two or more nouns are joined by 'and' with 'each ' and 'every' before them,
the pronoun is always singular.
Each boy and each man has to buy his ticket.
Every clerk and each typist is doing his work
13) 'Either" and "neither" are used for two things only not for more than two
Either of these two buses is going to Chennai.
Neither of the two men has a car.
14) If there are more than two things or persons, we use 'any one' in place of 'either'
and none in place of 'neither'
Anyone of the four boys can bowl first.
None of the passengers of the train has received any injuries.
15) If two things or persons are there in a sentence the reciprocal pronoun is 'each
other', and if the number is more than two it is one 'another'.

The two men help each other

All the six in the group like one another.
16) 'Both' is used for 'two' and 'all' for more than two.
Both the boys are sick (two boys)
All the books in this shelf are costly (more than two)
17) Relative pronoun 'that ' is used after the below given words, in place of 'who'
'which' or 'whom' All, same, none, nothing, nobody, anything, anybody, no one, any,
only, some body, little, and a super lative adjective.
All that glitters is not gold.
It is only fools that talk much.
He is the same boy that met me last week.
This is the best hotel that you can get in the town
There was nothing that he could do them.
18) 'who' (as a relative pronoun) is used in the Nominative case only for animate
things `(Which have life 'for both singular and plural things)
I know the man who painted with both the hands.
They are the people who helped us last time
19) 'Whom" is used for persons only in the objective/accusative case. (singular or
plural)
The boy whom I helped is an orphan
The woman whom we saved is a teacher now.
20) 'Which ' is used for animals and in animate things (life less things)
The dog which bit me was not actually wild.
The book which I lost is found
Note: prepositions are used before 'which' in prepositional cases.
The date on which he was born is not known
This is the house in which he lived for forty years.
21) 'Whose" is used for animals, persons and inanimate things in possessive case.
1)
The man whose purse was a stolen is very sad
2)
The elephant whose baby was taken to the zoo was very angry.
3)
The book whose popularity was on the rise is made into a film
22) 'What' is used for thing only (with the meaning 'that which')
What cannot be said must not be said .
I know what you want to say.
23) Transitive verbs like 'avail' , 'absent' , ' revenge' and ' enjoy' get a reflexive
pronoun.
He availed himself of the opportunity.
I enjoyed myself during my summer vacation

VERBS
24) 'Be' forms and 'has' forms of helping (auxiliary ) verbs take verb 3 (past participle)
immediately after them.
Am + v3 , is + v3, are + v3
was +v3 , were+v3. Be/being/been+v3
Note: This structure is used mainly in passive voice.
25) 'Do' forms and modal forms take verb (Present tense) immediately after them.
Do/does/did+ verb(1)
Shall/would/must/could/need/usedto+v1
26) If the subject of the sentence is in first person or second person or third person
plural, the main verb is used in its base (first) form i.e. without 's' 'es' 'ies' or 'ves' to it.
1)I come,
2) we go,
3) you write,
4) they play etc.,
27) If the subject is in the third person singular, the main verb will get 's' 'es' 'ies' or
'ves' to it
1)Hebrings, 2) she sings, 3) it goes,
4)he carries,
5)she belives
28) I we (first person) - verb (1) without 's' 'es' 'ies'
You (second person)
verb (1) without 's' 'es'. 'ies'
They (third person plural)
verb (1) without 's' 'es'. 'ies'
He ,she ,it (third person singular) verb (1) with 's' /'es'/'ies'/'ves'.
Verb+s/es/ies/ves is Singular and verb without s/es/ies/ves is plural
30) Verbs like 'ask' 'advise' ' allow' command' 'compel' ' encourage' 'imagine' 'invite'
'instruct' order 'permit' 'persuade' 'remind' 'require' 'teach' and 'tell' are followed by
object+ v1
They asked me to wait
She encourages her children to enquire
31) Where/why/How/when/what are used after 'know' along with to + infinitive
1) He does not know when to leave.
2) I know where to help him.
3) Ravi knows how to solve the problem
32) Verbs like 'see' 'hear' 'feel' 'bid' make 'watch' 'behold' and 'let' get bare infinitive (
without 'to') verb.
I see him enter his house
We heard her sing
They bid him go.
Note: If these verbs are used in passive form, they get to infinitive (with out 'to') verb.
We heard her sing a song ( active voice )
She was heard to sing a song by us ( passive voice)