CONJUNCTIONS

A word that is used to join words or phrases or sentences is called a conjunction.

Ex.-God made the country and man made the town.
Three and three make six.
She must work hard, or she will fail.
[(As soon..As), (Both..and), (Either..or), (Neither .. Nor), (Lest.. should), (Not
onlybut also), (Hardly.. before or when), (Though .yet),
(Whether ..or), (Scarcely when or before), (No sooner..than)
Rule-1 when as well as, along with, together with , No less than, In addition to and Not
and with join two subjects, the verb will be according to the first subject.
Ex.-Ram, as well as his ten friends, are going. (Incorrect)
Ram, as well as his ten friends, is going. (Correct)
The teacher, along with the students, were going (Incorrect)
The teacher along with the students, was going (Correct)
Rule-2A great many is always followed by a plural noun and a plural verb.
Ex.-A great many students have been declared successful.
Rule-3 If two subjects are joined by Either-Or, Neither-Nor, the verb agrees with the subject
that is near.
Ex.-Either Ramesh or I are to do this work. (Incorrect)
Either Ramesh or I am to do this work. (Correct)
Neither he nor his friends is reading. (Incorrect)
Neither he nor his friends are reading. (Correct)
Rule-4One of always takes a plural noun after it.
Ex.-It is one of the important day in my life. (Incorrect)
It is one of the important days in my life. (Correct)
Rule-5 Use of (Not only - but also)
Ram is not only handsome but also intelligent.
(Here one person - two qualities)
Not only India but also Pakistan is poor.
(Here two persons - common quality)
When two subjects are joined by (Not only-but also) the verb must agree with the second subject:
Ex.-Not only the students but also the teacher are playing. (Incorrect)
Not only the students but also the teacher is playing. (Correct)
He ate not only bananas but also apples.
He not only comes for swimming but also for coaching the learners. (Incorrect)
He comes not only for swimming but also for coaching the learners. (Correct)
Rule-6 Scarcely and Hardly are followed by WHEN and not by THAN.
Ex.-I had Scarcely entered the room WHEN the phone rang.
Hardly had he seen his father when he stopped smoking.
Scarcely had he entered the room when the light came.
Hardly had he reached the school when it began to rain.

Rule-7 Though is followed by yet and not by but.

Ex.-Though he is poor but he is honest (Incorrect)
Though he is poor, yet he is honest. (Correct)
Although he is rich yet he is miser.
Though he is lame yet he can walk fast.
Rule-8 No sooner is followed by than.
Ex.-No sooner had I entered the class than the students stood up.
No Sooner did I step out than it started raining.
No Sooner did I see my father than I stop smoking
No Sooner had I reached the station than the train departed.
Rule-9 Lest must be followed by should.
Ex.-Read regularly lest you will fail. (Incorrect)
Read regularly lest you should fail. (Correct)
Run with care lest you should fall.
Rule-10 Such is followed by As.
Ex.-Such a boy as I know is at the party.
He is Such a writer as everybody should read his books.
Rule-11 So is followed by That.
Ex.-He is so weak that he cannot walk.
He is so handsome that every girl will be ready to marry him.
Rule-12 UNLESS expresses a condition, It is always used in the negative sense. Thus NOT
is never used with unless.
Ex.-Unless you do not labor hard, you will not pass (Incorrect)
Unless you labor hard you will not pass (Correct)
Rule-13 Until expresses time. It has a negative sense and thus not should never be used with it.
Ex.-Wait here until I do not return (Incorrect)
Wait here until I Return.(Correct)
Rule-14 Since indicates a point of time and for stands for the length of time.
Ex.-He had been reading the book for two hours.
It has been raining since Monday last.
Ex.-15 As if is used to convey the sense of pretension.
When 'as if' is used in this sense, WERE is used in all cases, Even with third person singular.
Ex.-He behaves as if he was king. (Incorrect)
He behaves as if he were a king (Correct)
Rule-16 BOTH is followed by AND not (as well as, but)
Ex.-Ram is both tall and handsome.
Rule-17 Use of (Since, Because, For, As)
Ex.-It has been a year since I saw him
Since he is my father, I respect him.
I respect him because he is my father.
As he is my neighbour, I respect him
As he was not feeling well, he did not eat anything

Rule-18 OR is used to introduce an alternative.

Ex.-Do or die.
Your purse OR your life.
OR is used to mean otherwise
We must hasten or night will overtake us.
OR is used to show several Alternatives
He may study physics or chemistry or Biology or he may enter into trade.
Rule-19 WHILE IS USED TO MEAN(i)During the time that, as long as
While there is hope there is life.
While he was sleeping, an enemy entered in the house.
(ii)At the same time that
The girl sang while the boys danced
Rule-20 ONLY as a conjunction means-Except that
Ex.-A very pretty woman, only she squints a little .

ADJECTIVE
Rule-1 Adjective of quantity like much, LITTLE, ENOUGH, SUFFICIENT, WHOLE, etc. must be
used with uncountable nouns only as they express quantity and not number.
Ex.-Many (not much) boys are absent from the class today.
Many (not much) boys failed in the examination.

Rule-2 The use of few, a few and the few should be used with care they denote number.
Few means NOT MANY.
Few has negative meaning
A few means SOME AT LEAST
The few means WHATEVER THERE IS.

Ex. I read few books.

I Read a few books.
I Read the few books I had.
A few men are true from fault. (Incorrect)
Few men are true from fault. (Correct)

Rule-3 Use of little, a little, the little

Little means hardly any in quantity.

Ex.-He had little money
There is little water in the bottle
There is a little hope of his recovery (Incorrect)
There is little hope of his recovery (Correct)
A little means Some in quantity if not much.
Ex.-Little knowledge is a dangerous thing. (Incorrect)

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.(correct)

He had a little money.
There is a little water in the bottle.
The little means not much in quantity but all that is.
Ex.-I
spent
the
little
money
little water that is in the bottle may be used for the patient. (Incorrect)
A little water that is in .. (Correct)

had.

Rule-4 Adjective of number must be used only with the countable nouns and not with
uncountable as they indicate number and not quantity.
Ex-I have taken many milk today. (Incorrect)
I have taken much milk today. (Correct)
Do not drink so many water. (Incorrect)
Do not drink so much water. (Correct)

Rule-5 Some, All, Any, No. Most etc. may be used both as adjectives of number and Adjectives
of quantity as they can express number as well as quantity.
Ex.-There are no boys in the class (Adj. of Number)
There is no milk in the pot. (Adj. of quantity)

All big machines are imported from foreign countries. (Adj. of number)
All the sugar was thrown into the sea. (Adj. of Quantity)
Give me some water. (Adj. of Quantity)
Some of these students are excellent. (Adj. of Number)

Rule-6 the comparative adjectives, ending with like superior, inferior, senior, junior,

prior,

anterior, posterior, exterior etc. Take to after them and not than.
Ex.-He is senior than me. (Incorrect)
He is senior to me. (Correct)
Health is preferable than wealth. (Incorrect)
Health is preferable to wealth. (Correct)

Rule-7 Double comparative adjectives or double superlative adjectives must not be used.
(Incorrect) He is more senior than me.
(Correct) He is senior to me.

Milk is more preferable than tea. (Incorrect)

Milk is preferable to tea. (Correct)
Ashoka was the most strongest of the kings. (Incorrect)
Ashoka was the strongest of the kings. (Correct)

Rule-8 Comparative degree must be used when the comparison is between two persons of
things and superlative degree when the comparison is among more than two things.
Ex.-Who is the tallest of these two brothers ? (Incorrect)
Who is taller of these two brothers ? (Correct)
He is wise of all students in the class. (Incorrect)
He is the wisest of all students in the class. (Correct)

 Rule-9 The comparative ending in er is not used when we compare two qualities in the same
person or thing. In that case we use more before the Adjective.
Ex.- Ram is braver than wise. (Incorrect)
Ram is more brave than wise (Correct)

Rule-10 Use of (Later, Latter; latest, last)

Later and Latest shows time
Latter and last shows position

Ex.-He latter refused to come (Incorrect)

He later refused to come. (Correct)
The later part of the novel is not clearly written (Incorrect)
The latter part of the novel is not clearly written . (Correct)

Rule-11 Use of (farther, further; farthest, furthest)

Farther, Farthest - denote distance
Further, Furthest - next, also (position)

Ex.-After this he made no farther statement. (Incorrect)

After this he made no further statement. (Correct)
Delhi is farther from Haridwar than Roorkee.
Dont make further delay.

Rule-12 Before superlative adjectives articles THE must (always) placed.

Ex.-He is the best boy of the class.
She is the most intelligent girl.

Rule-13 Use of (Nearest, next)

Nearest denotes distance.
Next denotes position.

Ex.-He was sitting next to me.

Patna junction is the nearest to my house.
This is the next post-office to my house. (Incorrect)
This is the nearest post-office to my house. (Correct)

Rule-14 Use of (Elder, older; Eldest, oldest)

Elder and eldest are used of members of the same family.

Older and oldest are used for persons or things.
Elder takes To after it while older takes than
Ex.-I have an older brother (Incorrect)
I have an elder brother (Correct)
Mohan is the eldest boy in the town. (Incorrect)
Mohan is the oldest boy in the town. (Correct)

Rule-15 Use of less and fewer

Less - Quantity
Fewer - Number

Ex.-There is fewer sugar in your tea than in mine. (Incorrect)

There is less sugar in your tea than in mine. (Correct)
He has less money than I.

Rule-16 Some adjectives like (Perfect, Ideal, Full, Chief, Unique, Complete, Infinite, Extreme,
Entire, Universal, Empty, Impossible, Unanimous, square, sound etc. are not compared as they
express meaning which do not admit of any variation of degrees.
Ex.-This achievement was most unique. (Incorrect)
His achievement was unique. (Correct)
Your knowledge is most perfect. (Incorrect)
Your knowledge is perfect (Incorrect)

Rule-17 When a comparison is introduced and has ANY after it, the things compared
must always be excluded from the class of things with which it is compared, by using OTHER
Ex.-London is larger than any city in England. (Incorrect)
London is larger than any other city in England (Correct)
Ram is cleverer than any student in his class (Incorrect)
Ram is cleverer than any other student in his class. (Correct)
The tiger is as swift as any animal.
The tiger is as swift as any other animal.

Rule-18 Each is used to indicate a limited number and EVERY to denote an unlimited
number in selection or choice.
Ex.-Everyone of the two boys was given a prize. (Incorrect)
Each one of the two boys was given a prize (Correct)
He came to see us Each day. (Incorrect)
He came to see us Every day. (Correct)

Rule-19 "Some" is used in the affirmative sentence "any" is used in negative and interrogative
sentence.
I dont want some chocolates. (Incorrect)
I dont want any chocolates (Correct)
I will have any tea. (Incorrect)
I will have some tea. (Correct)
Did you go somewhere last night ?
Did you go anywhere last night ?

Rule-20 Whats the Correct Order for Multiple Adjectives in a sentence?

When you list several adjectives in a row, theres a specific order they need to be written or spoken.
Native speakers of English tend to put them in the correct order naturally, but if youre learning
English, youll have to memorize the order. It goes like this:
Before the adjectives you will normally have the Determiner.
1.Determiner: The determiner tells us if the noun is singular or plural, definite or indefinite
a, an, the, my, your, four, those, some etc

2.Quantity or number:
3.Quality or opinion: Explains what we think about something. This is usually our opinion, attitude or
observations. These adjectives almost always come before all other adjectives.
beautiful, boring, stupid, delicious, useful, lovely, comfortable
4.Size: Tells us how big or small something is.
big, small, tall, huge, tiny
5.Shape / Weight / Length: Tells about the shape of something or how long or short it is. It can also
refer to the weight of someone or something.
round, square, circular, skinny, fat, heavy, straight, long, short,
6.Condition: Tells us the general condition or state of something
broken, cold, hot, wet, hungry, rich, easy, difficult, dirty
7.Age: Tells us how old someone or something is.
old, young, new, ancient, antique
8. Colour: The colour or approximate colour of something.
green, white, blue, reddish, purple
9.Pattern: The pattern or design of something.
striped, spotted, checked, flowery
10.Origin: Tells us where something is from.
American, British, Italian, eastern, Australian, Chilean
11.Material: What is the thing made of or constructed of?
gold, wooden, silk, paper, synthetic, cotton, woolen
12.Purpose/Qualifier/Use: What is it for? These adjectives often end in ing.
sleeping (bag), gardening (gloves), shopping (bag), wedding (dress)
If you look at the examples above, you can ask what are the gloves used for? (gardening) What is the
bag used for? (shopping)
And after these adjectives we have the
13.Noun: The person or thing that is being described
This is the correct order for adjectives that come directly before a noun, and they are separated by
commas.
Ex- My beautiful, big, circular, antique, brown, English, wooden coffee table was broken in the
move.
If the adjectives come after the verb be as the complement, then the qualifier will stick with the
noun at the beginning of the sentence. The adjectives in the complement are separated by commas
with
the
final
two
being
separated
by
and.
For
exampleMy coffee table is beautiful, big, circular, antique, brown, English and wooden.
Ex- I love that really big old green antique car that always parked at the end of the street.
Ex- a wonderful old Italian Car.(opinion-age- origin)
A big square blue box. (size -shape- color)

A disgusting pink plastic ornament. (opinion- color- material)

I bought a pair of black leather. (color-material)

ADVERB
An adverb is a word which modifies the meaning of verb, an adjective or another adverb.

Rule-1 Adverb of manner are mostly formed from adjective by adding (ly)
Ex.- (Clever -Cleverly),
(Wise -Wisely),
(Kind - Kindly),
(Foolish - Foolishly)

Rule-2 When the adjective ends in (y) preceded by a consonant, change (y) into (i) and add
(ly)
Ex.- Happy - Happily
Ready - Readily
Heavy - Heavily

Rule-3 Adverb of manner are generally placed after the verb or after the object if there is
one.
Ex.- It is raining heavily.
He is walking slowly.
Ram speaks English well.
He does his work carefully.

Rule-4 Adverbs of frequency are normally placed before the main verb and after the auxiliary
(is, am, are, was, were, had, have, will, shall etc.)

Adverb of frequency (always, never, often, rarely, usually, generally, sometimes, almost, already,
hardly, nearly, just, quite, occasionally)
Ex.- He always comes late.
He is always late.
He often visits the U.S.
His brother never takes alcohol
He is never punctual.

Rule-5 The auxiliaries have to and used to prefer the adverb before them.
Ex.- I often have to go to college by walk.
He never used to agree with me.

Rule-6 Adverb ENOUGH is always placed after the word which it qualifies.
Ex.- Is the hall big enough ?
He spoke loud enough to be heard.
She is wise enough to understand your intention.
He had enough money to buy this car. (Correct)
(Noun)
He is faster enough to defeat you. [use fast]

He is bravest enough to be selected for the post of soldier [use brave]

Rule-7 Seldom or Never and Seldom if ever are both correct but Seldom or ever is
incorrect.
Ex.- We seldom or ever visit Delhi. (Incorrect)
We Seldom or never visit Delhi. (Correct)

Rule-8 Else should be followed by but

Ex.- It is nothing else than pride. (Incorrect)

It is nothing else but pride. (Correct)
Rohit has no one else to talk to except his wife. (Incorrect)
1)Rohit has no one else to /(2) talk to but his wife. (Correct)

Rule-9 The use of NEVER for NOT is Incorrect

Ex.- I never broke your windowpanes. (Incorrect)
I did not break your windowpanes. (Correct)

Rule-10 Adverbs [Seldom, nowhere, never, nothing, hardly, scarcely, neither, barely, rarely]
are not used with other negative words.
Ex.- I rarely went to meet nobody. (Incorrect)
[Use anybody in place of Nobody]
I rarely went to meet anybody. (Correct)

She hardly knows nothing about me. (Incorrect)

She hardly knows anything about me. (Correct)

Rule-11 Adverb AS is used with the following verbs

[Regard, Describe, define, treat, view, know]

Ex.- I regard him as my brother.
Biology had been defined as the study of organism.
Adverb AS is not used with the following verbs[Name, elect, think, consider, call, appoint, make, choose]

Rule-12 SO as an adverb of degree must not be used without a correlative.

Ex.- He is so weak. (incorrect)
He is very weak (Correct)

It was so lovely.(InCorrect)
It was very lovely. (Correct)
He is so weak that he cannot walk. (Correct)

Rule-13 The adverb too means more than enough and should not be used instead of
every or much
The news is too good to be true.
He is too weak to walk.

Rule-14 Rather is used as comparative adverb for the sake of emphasis.

Ex.- We should think of living rather or dying.

[This sentence is correct because there is comparison between living and dying]
You are rather very clever. (Incorrect)
You are very clever. (Correct)

Rule-15 In order to make our meaning clear, an adverb must be placed as near as possible to
the word it modifies
Ex.- She has only three dollars with her.
(Adv.) (Adj.)
We only have four hours to finish this paper. (Wrong)
We have only four hour to finish this paper (Right)
That building nearly costs sixty thousand rupees. (Wrong)
That building costs nearly sixty thousand rupees.(Right)
She just wants to take one class. (Wrong)
[Not anything else]
She wants to take just one class.(Right)
[Not even second]

Rule-16 When an adverb modifies an intransitive verb, it usually follow it.

Ex.- She sang melodiously.
She writes neatly
The birds fly swiftly

Rule-17 When a verb consists of an auxiliary and a main verb, the adverb which qualifies is
placed between the auxiliary and the main verb.
Ex.- I have told him often not to come late. (Wrong)
I have often told him not to come late. (Right)

Rule-18 When an adverb modifies an adjective or another adverb, the adverb usually comes
before it.
Ex.- The cuckoo sings quits sweetly.
Do not speak so fast.

Rule-19 Use of hard, hardly, scarce, scarcely

Hard as an adverb means Diligently. It usually follows the verb.

Ex.- He works hard to make both ends meet.
Our team played hard in Pakistan.
I tried hard to succeed.
Hardly When used as an adverb means scarcely, barely. It conveys a negative meaning.
Hardly (Scarcely) had he reached the station, when the train left.
[Hardly and scarcely are followed by when]

[No sooner is followed by than]

Scarce as an adjective means not plentiful, hard to find, not often found.
Ex.- Coal has become scarce in England.
Scarcely as an adverb is almost synonymous Hardly
I can scarcely hear you.
They have scarcely enough to look after their children

Rule-20 Use of MUCH, VERY

Much qualifies adjectives or adverbs in the comparative degree; very in the positive.
Ex.- The air is much hotter today than yesterday.
This book is much heavier than that.
This book is very useful
He spoke very loudly.

PRONOUNS
Personal Pronoun

A pronoun is a word used instead of a Noun.

(I, we, you, he, she, it, they) are called personal pronouns because they stand for the three
persons.
(i)
The person speaking
(ii)
The person spoken to, and
(iii)
The person spoken of.
You is both singular and Plural.
Nominative case
(Subjective)
Who
First Person
Second Person
Third person

Possessive case
(Genitive)
whose

I
we
you

Objective
case
(Accusative-Personal)
whom
me
us
you

He
She
It
They

him
her
it
them

his
her, hers
its
their, theirs

my, mine,
our, ours
your, yours

Pronouns are used so that our language is not cumbersome with the same nouns being repeated
over and over in a paragraph.
Subject Pronoun: (Subjective case)
(I, we, you, he, she, it, they)
Example:
She is at work.
She is main subject of the sentence, hence in the sentence, She is the subjective personal
pronoun.
Objective pronoun (objective case)
Example: He will meet us later.
Us is the objective personal pronoun, as it is the object of the verb meet.
Possessive pronoun (possessive case)
Example: That is our clubhouse.
Our shows the possession of the object clubhouse.
Gender

Example: He went to the market.

He is used for male gender.
Other examples (his, him, he etc.)
Example: She is doing the laundry.
she is used for female gender.
(Her, hers, etc.)
Example: It is important to them.
It is gender neutral as it shows an object,
Them is also gender neutral as Them can consists of both genders.
Others gender neutral pronouns are - (Their, they, its.)
Number
Singular Pronoun where the pronoun is only referring to one specific Noun.
Example: That book belongs to me.
Plural Pronoun where the pronoun is used to refer to a number of nouns.
Example: That is Their book, not yours.
REFLEXIVE PRONOUN
They are object pronouns that we use when the subject and the object are the same Noun.
Example: I told myself not to bet all my money on one horse.
Example: The robber hurt himself chasing me through the alley.
Reflexive pronouns are those which are used to indicate a noun which has been used in an earlier
part of the same sentence.
(myself, themselves, yourself, ourselves, herself, himself, itself.)
Example: She blamed herself for the accident.
He is himself today.
EMPHATIC/INTENSIVE PRONOUN
These pronouns are used to emphasize a Noun or pronoun.
(myself, himself, herself, themselves, itself, yourself, yourselves and ourselves.)
Example: He himself is his worst critic.
These pronouns act as appositives of nouns or pronouns for the sake of emphasis,
Example: You yourself wrote those words.
This request came from the employee themselves.
They themselves know that the Prank was in bad taste.

Avoid reporting things that you yourself havent witnessed.

DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN
Demonstrative pronouns are used to show or identify one or a number of nouns that may be far
or near in distance or time.
They are only four in number (This, that, these, those)
This, that Singular demonstrative pronoun
These, those Plural demonstrative pronouns.
Example: That is a beautiful house.
They can also be used to show an unspecified quantity in a sentence.
Example: These were made by me.
(These is showing an unspecified quantity of something that was made by a person.)
Example: Everyone remembers those days.
(Those is showing a particular time or period of days in the past, it is being used in place of a noun
that could be school, summer, college etc.)
Example: This is what he is charging.
This is used as pronoun in place of a number.
These pronouns point out someone or something.
They are identical in form to demonstrative adjective/determiners.
The difference is that
A demonstrative pronoun stands alone (because it is a substitute for a noun or noun phrase)
But a demonstrative adjective is accompanied by the noun it modifies.
Example: She gave me this gift.
(This demonstrative adjective)
I like this.
(This demonstrative pronoun)
(More example of demonstrative pronoun)
These are my children.
That is a good idea.
The streets of Delhi are more crowded than those of Mumbai.
INDEFINITE PRONOUN
These pronouns do stand for some person or thing, but we dont know for exactly whom.
When we say, somebody stole my watch.
(We dont know to whom the word somebody refers to. The word somebody is an indefinite
pronoun.
Example: One should speak the truth.

Somebody immediately called the doctor.

Anybody can solve this problem.
Nobody was present.
Many are called, but few are chosen.
Do good to others.
(Few, all, some, none, everything- indefinite pronouns)
DISTRIBUTIVE PRONOUN
These Pronouns refer to individual elements in a group or a pair, one individual at a time.
Example:

Each of the boys gets a prize.

Either of these roads leads to the railway station.
Either of you can go.
Neither of the accusations is true.
You may bring any of your friends
None of our students failed last year.

Each, either, neither are called distributive pronouns because they refer to persons or things, one
at a time.
Each used to denote every one of a number of persons or things taken singly.
Either means the one or the other of two.
Neither means not the one nor the other of two.
It is negative of either.
Either and Neither should be used only in speaking of two persons or things.
When more than two are spoken of (Any, No one, and none) should be used.
RECIPROCAL PRONOUN
Each and one really belong to the subject, Other and another are objects, butEach other and one
another have become compound pronouns, (and are called reciprocal pronouns) and are rarely
separated even by a preposition)
Example:

The brothers quarreled with each other.

They all gave evidence against one another.
Jamie and Jack always sit beside each other in break.
They havent seen one another since last year.
RELATIVE PRONOUN

These pronouns are used to connect a clause or phrase to a noun or pronoun.

These are: who, whom, which, whoever, whomever, whose, whichever and that.
Example: The driver who Ran the stop sign was careless.
Which and that are generally used for objects.
Who and whom are used for people and whose is used to show possession.

Example: she will choose the color which looks good on everyone
She is complaining to whoever she comes across nowadays.
There is a car in the parking lot that someone has painted a bright pink.
Is there anyone here whose mobile phone has a signal?
I met Hari who had just returned.
I have found the pen which I lost.
There is the book That you lent me.
INTERROGATIVE
Who, whom, which and what are interrogative pronouns as they are used to ask questions about a
person or object that we do not know about.
Compounds of these words are made by attaching (ever) to the words to strengthen the emphasis
on the word.
Example:

which one would you like?

What is your Name?
Who will be managing the bullet?
Whom did you tell about this?
Whoever could have done this?
Whichever one will you choose?

Who is always the subject of the verb.

Whom is never the subject of the verb.
It is object of the verb.
It is used to show the person to or for whom the action is being done.
Example: whom were you meeting with?

PRONOUN (RULES)

1. Since a personal pronoun works in place of a noun, the number, gender and person of the
pronoun must be according to the noun only.
Ex.Ram has lost his books. (Not their)
She loves his husband. (Incorrect)
She loves her husband. (Correct)

2. When two or more singular nouns are joined by AND the Pronoun for them always in the plural
number.
Ex.- Mohan and Sohan have lost his books. (Incorrect)
Mohan and Sohan have lost their books. (Correct)

3. When two or more singular nouns joined by AND are preceded by EACH and EVERY the
pronoun must be singular.
Ex.- Every student and every teacher took his or her seat.
Each of Ram and Shyam has done his work.
Each man and each boy in the party has got his share.

4. When a singular nouns and a plural noun are combined by OR, EITHER OR NEITHER NOR
the singular noun usually comes first in the sentence and the pronoun must be in the plural number.
Ex.- Either the manager or his subordinates failed in their duty in sending the official message.

5. When two or more singular nouns are joined by Either OR, neither nor the pronouns is always in
the singular
Ex.- Ram or Mohan should invest his money in some business.
Neither
Ram
nor
Shyam
Either Sita or Kamla forgot to take her prize.

confessed

his

guilt

6. Either or neither are always used in relation to two things or two persons for more than two
ANY, or NONE must be used.
Ex.- Either of the two girls can pay for it.
Neither of the two brothers has been selected.
Any one of the employees can claim it.
None of the students of this class has passed.

7. When in a sentence one is used as the subject all the pronouns in the sentence must be changed
into one or ones and not his, her or him.
Ex.-One should keep ones promise.
One should do ones duty.
One must finish ones task in time.

8. When any pronoun functions as the complement of the verb To be, it is always in the nominative
case.
Ex.- It is me who have to go. (Incorrect)
It is I who have to go. (Correct)
It is him who is to blame. (Incorrect)
It is he who is to blame. (Correct)
It was he who could solve the problem Easily.

9. Whenever any pronoun functions as an object to a verb or a preposition, it is in the objective case.
Ex.- It is for he to consider. (Incorrect)
It is for him to consider. (Correct)
Ask he to go. (Incorrect)
Ask him to go. (Correct)

10. When two singular nouns joined by AND denote the same person or thing the pronoun used for
them must be singular in number. The article THE is placed before the first Noun.
Ex.- The accounts officer and treasures should be careful in his work of keeping accounts.

11. When a personal pronoun is connected by a conjunction with some other word in the objective
case, it must be in the objective or accusative case.
Ex.- These clothes are for you and me. (not I)

12. A pronoun should be used in the objective case in a sentence beginning with Let.
Ex.- Let him go to his office
Let her submit the records in time.

13. While confessing a fault (or expressing a negative idea) the sequence of the personal pronouns
should be as follows:
I, you and he are in the wrong and will be punished.
[First person first, second person next and third person last]


14. While expressing a positive idea or praise, the sequence of the personal pronouns should be as
follows:
You, He and I will get an award for the good work we have done.
[Second person (2), third person (3), and first person (1)]
You, he and I have finished the work.
Ram, I and you have finished our studies. (Incorrect)
You, Ram and I have finished our studies. (Correct)

15. After BUT, EXCEPT, BETWEEN and LET the pronoun is used in objective case where as
after such as in the subjective case
Ex.Everyone laughed but I. (Incorrect)
Everyone laughed but me. (Correct)
Now attended the meeting except he. (Incorrect)
Now attended the meeting except him. (Correct)
Let we laugh away our sorrows. (Incorrect)
Let us laugh away our sorrows. (Correct)
This is between you and I. (Incorrect)
This is between you and me. (Correct)
They do not have a liking far such a person as me. (Incorrect)
They do not have a liking for such a person as I. (Correct)

16. Some is used in affirmative sentences to express quantity or degree.

Any is used in Negative or interrogative sentences.
Ex.I shall buy some apples.
I shall not buy any apples.
Have you bought any apples?
I shall read any book. (Incorrect)
I shall read some book. (Correct)

17. Enjoy, apply, resign, acquit, drive, exert, avail, pride, absent, drink, oversleep, overreach,
Revenge, present etc. when used as transitive verbs, always take a reflexive pronoun after them.
Ex.He absented from the class. (Incorrect)
He absented himself from the class. (Corrected)
He presented himself before the manager.
He absented himself from the office today.

18. When a pronoun stands for a collective noun, it must be in the singular number and in the
neuter gender if the collective noun is viewed as a wholeEx.The Jury gave its verdict.
The Jury were divided in their opinions.

19. (a) Each other is used about two persons.

Ex.The two brothers disliked each other.

Romeo and Juliet loved each other.
The two children quarreled with each other.
(b) One another is used about more than twoEx.Good boys do not quarrel with one another.
All the students of the class are friendly, they like one another.

20. The pronouns who, whom, whose are generally used for persons
Who
Whom -

Nominative case
Objective case

Whose Possessive case (this/that)

Ex.Shikha is the student who got an award.
They are the thieves whom the police caught. (whom matlab= jisko ya jinko)
This is the student whose certificates are lost. ( whose matlab= jiska hindi me)

21. Use of WHICH

(a)
For infants, small animals and objects.
Ex.This is the baby which was lost in the theatre.
This is the dog which my friend bought from the U.S.
(b)
When selection is expressed.
Ex.Which of these television sets do you want to purchase?
(c)
To refer to a sentence
Ex.He was said to be drunk, which was not true.

22. Uses of THAT

(a)
For persons, lifeless things and small animals in the singular or in the plural number.
Ex.This is the girl that failed in the exam.
This is the Radio that I bought Yesterday.
(b)
As a substitute for a singular noun already mentioned.
Ex.The weather of Hyderabad is far better than Chennai. (Wrong)
The weather of Hyderabad is far better than that of Chennai. (Right)

ADVERB
An adverb is a word which modifies the meaning of verb, an adjective or another adverb.

Rule-1 Adverb of manner are mostly formed from adjective by adding (ly)
Ex.- (Clever -Cleverly),
(Wise -Wisely),
(Kind - Kindly),
(Foolish - Foolishly)

Rule-2 When the adjective ends in (y) preceded by a consonant, change (y) into (i) and add
(ly)
Ex.- Happy - Happily
Ready - Readily
Heavy - Heavily

Rule-3 Adverb of manner are generally placed after the verb or after the object if there is
one.
Ex.- It is raining heavily.
He is walking slowly.
Ram speaks English well.
He does his work carefully.

Rule-4 Adverbs of frequency are normally placed before the main verb and after the auxiliary
(is, am, are, was, were, had, have, will, shall etc.)

Adverb of frequency (always, never, often, rarely, usually, generally, sometimes, almost, already,
hardly, nearly, just, quite, occasionally)
Ex.- He always comes late.
He is always late.
He often visits the U.S.
His brother never takes alcohol
He is never punctual.

 Rule-5 The auxiliaries have to and used to prefer the adverb before them.
Ex.- I often have to go to college by walk.
He never used to agree with me.

Rule-6 Adverb ENOUGH is always placed after the word which it qualifies.
Ex.- Is the hall big enough ?
He spoke loud enough to be heard.
She is wise enough to understand your intention.
He had enough money to buy this car. (Correct)
(Noun)
He is faster enough to defeat you. [use fast]
He is bravest enough to be selected for the post of soldier [use brave]

Rule-7 Seldom or Never and Seldom if ever are both correct but Seldom or ever is
incorrect.
Ex.- We seldom or ever visit Delhi. (Incorrect)
We Seldom or never visit Delhi. (Correct)

Rule-8 Else should be followed by but

Ex.- It is nothing else than pride. (Incorrect)

It is nothing else but pride. (Correct)
Rohit has no one else to talk to except his wife. (Incorrect)
1)Rohit has no one else to /(2) talk to but his wife. (Correct)

Rule-9 The use of NEVER for NOT is Incorrect

Ex.- I never broke your windowpanes. (Incorrect)
I did not break your windowpanes. (Correct)

Rule-10 Adverbs [Seldom, nowhere, never, nothing, hardly, scarcely, neither, barely, rarely]
are not used with other negative words.
Ex.- I rarely went to meet nobody. (Incorrect)
[Use anybody in place of Nobody]
I rarely went to meet anybody. (Correct)

She hardly knows nothing about me. (Incorrect)

She hardly knows anything about me. (Correct)

Rule-11 Adverb AS is used with the following verbs

[Regard, Describe, define, treat, view, know]
Ex.- I regard him as my brother.
Biology had been defined as the study of organism.
Adverb AS is not used with the following verbs[Name, elect, think, consider, call, appoint, make, choose]

Rule-12 SO as an adverb of degree must not be used without a correlative.

Ex.- He is so weak. (incorrect)
He is very weak (Correct)

It was so lovely.(InCorrect)
It was very lovely. (Correct)
He is so weak that he cannot walk. (Correct)

Rule-13 The adverb too means more than enough and should not be used instead of
every or much
The news is too good to be true.
He is too weak to walk.

Rule-14 Rather is used as comparative adverb for the sake of emphasis.

Ex.- We should think of living rather or dying.
[This sentence is correct because there is comparison between living and dying]
You are rather very clever. (Incorrect)
You are very clever. (Correct)

Rule-15 In order to make our meaning clear, an adverb must be placed as near as possible to
the word it modifies
Ex.- She has only three dollars with her.
(Adv.) (Adj.)
We only have four hours to finish this paper. (Wrong)
We have only four hour to finish this paper (Right)
That building nearly costs sixty thousand rupees. (Wrong)
That building costs nearly sixty thousand rupees.(Right)
She just wants to take one class. (Wrong)
[Not anything else]
She wants to take just one class.(Right)
[Not even second]

Rule-16 When an adverb modifies an intransitive verb, it usually follow it.

Ex.- She sang melodiously.
She writes neatly
The birds fly swiftly

Rule-17 When a verb consists of an auxiliary and a main verb, the adverb which qualifies is
placed between the auxiliary and the main verb.
Ex.- I have told him often not to come late. (Wrong)
I have often told him not to come late. (Right)

Rule-18 When an adverb modifies an adjective or another adverb, the adverb usually comes
before it.
Ex.- The cuckoo sings quits sweetly.
Do not speak so fast.

Rule-19 Use of hard, hardly, scarce, scarcely

Hard as an adverb means Diligently. It usually follows the verb.

Ex.- He works hard to make both ends meet.
Our team played hard in Pakistan.
I tried hard to succeed.

Hardly When used as an adverb means scarcely, barely. It conveys a negative meaning.
Hardly (Scarcely) had he reached the station, when the train left.
[Hardly and scarcely are followed by when]

[No sooner is followed by than]

Scarce as an adjective means not plentiful, hard to find, not often found.
Ex.- Coal has become scarce in England.
Scarcely as an adverb is almost synonymous Hardly
I can scarcely hear you.
They have scarcely enough to look after their children

Rule-20 Use of MUCH, VERY

Much qualifies adjectives or adverbs in the comparative degree; very in the positive.
Ex.- The air is much hotter today than yesterday.
This book is much heavier than that.
This book is very useful
He spoke very loudly.

PRONOUNS
Personal Pronoun

A pronoun is a word used instead of a Noun.

(I, we, you, he, she, it, they) are called personal pronouns because they stand for the three
persons.
(i)
The person speaking
(ii)
The person spoken to, and
(iii)
The person spoken of.
You is both singular and Plural.
Nominative case
(Subjective)
Who
First Person
Second Person
Third person

Possessive case
(Genitive)
whose

I
we
you

Objective
case
(Accusative-Personal)
whom
me
us
you

He
She
It
They

him
her
it
them

his
her, hers
its
their, theirs

my, mine,
our, ours
your, yours

Pronouns are used so that our language is not cumbersome with the same nouns being repeated
over and over in a paragraph.
Subject Pronoun: (Subjective case)
(I, we, you, he, she, it, they)
Example:

She is at work.

She is main subject of the sentence, hence in the sentence, She is the subjective personal
pronoun.
Objective pronoun (objective case)
Example: He will meet us later.
Us is the objective personal pronoun, as it is the object of the verb meet.
Possessive pronoun (possessive case)
Example: That is our clubhouse.
Our shows the possession of the object clubhouse.
Gender
Example: He went to the market.
He is used for male gender.
Other examples (his, him, he etc.)
Example: She is doing the laundry.
she is used for female gender.
(Her, hers, etc.)
Example: It is important to them.
It is gender neutral as it shows an object,
Them is also gender neutral as Them can consists of both genders.
Others gender neutral pronouns are - (Their, they, its.)
Number
Singular Pronoun where the pronoun is only referring to one specific Noun.
Example: That book belongs to me.
Plural Pronoun where the pronoun is used to refer to a number of nouns.
Example: That is Their book, not yours.
REFLEXIVE PRONOUN
They are object pronouns that we use when the subject and the object are the same Noun.
Example: I told myself not to bet all my money on one horse.
Example: The robber hurt himself chasing me through the alley.
Reflexive pronouns are those which are used to indicate a noun which has been used in an earlier
part of the same sentence.
(myself, themselves, yourself, ourselves, herself, himself, itself.)
Example: She blamed herself for the accident.
He is himself today.
EMPHATIC/INTENSIVE PRONOUN

These pronouns are used to emphasize a Noun or pronoun.

(myself, himself, herself, themselves, itself, yourself, yourselves and ourselves.)
Example: He himself is his worst critic.
These pronouns act as appositives of nouns or pronouns for the sake of emphasis,
Example: You yourself wrote those words.
This request came from the employee themselves.
They themselves know that the Prank was in bad taste.
Avoid reporting things that you yourself havent witnessed.
DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN
Demonstrative pronouns are used to show or identify one or a number of nouns that may be far
or near in distance or time.
They are only four in number (This, that, these, those)
This, that Singular demonstrative pronoun
These, those Plural demonstrative pronouns.
Example: That is a beautiful house.
They can also be used to show an unspecified quantity in a sentence.
Example: These were made by me.
(These is showing an unspecified quantity of something that was made by a person.)
Example: Everyone remembers those days.
(Those is showing a particular time or period of days in the past, it is being used in place of a noun
that could be school, summer, college etc.)
Example: This is what he is charging.
This is used as pronoun in place of a number.
These pronouns point out someone or something.
They are identical in form to demonstrative adjective/determiners.
The difference is that
A demonstrative pronoun stands alone (because it is a substitute for a noun or noun phrase)
But a demonstrative adjective is accompanied by the noun it modifies.
Example: She gave me this gift.
(This demonstrative adjective)
I like this.
(This demonstrative pronoun)
(More example of demonstrative pronoun)

These are my children.

That is a good idea.
The streets of Delhi are more crowded than those of Mumbai.

INDEFINITE PRONOUN
These pronouns do stand for some person or thing, but we dont know for exactly whom.
When we say, somebody stole my watch.
(We dont know to whom the word somebody refers to. The word somebody is an indefinite
pronoun.
Example: One should speak the truth.
Somebody immediately called the doctor.
Anybody can solve this problem.
Nobody was present.
Many are called, but few are chosen.
Do good to others.
(Few, all, some, none, everything- indefinite pronouns)
DISTRIBUTIVE PRONOUN
These Pronouns refer to individual elements in a group or a pair, one individual at a time.
Example:

Each of the boys gets a prize.

Either of these roads leads to the railway station.
Either of you can go.
Neither of the accusations is true.
You may bring any of your friends
None of our students failed last year.

Each, either, neither are called distributive pronouns because they refer to persons or things, one
at a time.
Each used to denote every one of a number of persons or things taken singly.
Either means the one or the other of two.
Neither means not the one nor the other of two.
It is negative of either.
Either and Neither should be used only in speaking of two persons or things.
When more than two are spoken of (Any, No one, and none) should be used.
RECIPROCAL PRONOUN
Each and one really belong to the subject, Other and another are objects, butEach other and one
another have become compound pronouns, (and are called reciprocal pronouns) and are rarely
separated even by a preposition)
Example:

The brothers quarreled with each other.

They all gave evidence against one another.

Jamie and Jack always sit beside each other in break.
They havent seen one another since last year.

RELATIVE PRONOUN
These pronouns are used to connect a clause or phrase to a noun or pronoun.
These are: who, whom, which, whoever, whomever, whose, whichever and that.
Example: The driver who Ran the stop sign was careless.
Which and that are generally used for objects.
Who and whom are used for people and whose is used to show possession.
Example: she will choose the color which looks good on everyone
She is complaining to whoever she comes across nowadays.
There is a car in the parking lot that someone has painted a bright pink.
Is there anyone here whose mobile phone has a signal?
I met Hari who had just returned.
I have found the pen which I lost.
There is the book That you lent me.
INTERROGATIVE
Who, whom, which and what are interrogative pronouns as they are used to ask questions about a
person or object that we do not know about.
Compounds of these words are made by attaching (ever) to the words to strengthen the emphasis
on the word.
Example:

which one would you like?

What is your Name?
Who will be managing the bullet?
Whom did you tell about this?
Whoever could have done this?
Whichever one will you choose?

Who is always the subject of the verb.

Whom is never the subject of the verb.
It is object of the verb.
It is used to show the person to or for whom the action is being done.
Example: whom were you meeting with?

PRONOUN (RULES)

 1. Since a personal pronoun works in place of a noun, the number, gender and person of the
pronoun must be according to the noun only.
Ex.Ram has lost his books. (Not their)
She loves his husband. (Incorrect)
She loves her husband. (Correct)

2. When two or more singular nouns are joined by AND the Pronoun for them always in the plural
number.
Ex.- Mohan and Sohan have lost his books. (Incorrect)
Mohan and Sohan have lost their books. (Correct)

3. When two or more singular nouns joined by AND are preceded by EACH and EVERY the
pronoun must be singular.
Ex.- Every student and every teacher took his or her seat.
Each of Ram and Shyam has done his work.
Each man and each boy in the party has got his share.

4. When a singular nouns and a plural noun are combined by OR, EITHER OR NEITHER NOR
the singular noun usually comes first in the sentence and the pronoun must be in the plural number.
Ex.- Either the manager or his subordinates failed in their duty in sending the official message.

5. When two or more singular nouns are joined by Either OR, neither nor the pronouns is always in
the singular
Ex.- Ram or Mohan should invest his money in some business.
Neither
Ram
nor
Shyam
Either Sita or Kamla forgot to take her prize.

confessed

his

guilt

6. Either or neither are always used in relation to two things or two persons for more than two
ANY, or NONE must be used.
Ex.- Either of the two girls can pay for it.
Neither of the two brothers has been selected.
Any one of the employees can claim it.
None of the students of this class has passed.

7. When in a sentence one is used as the subject all the pronouns in the sentence must be changed
into one or ones and not his, her or him.
Ex.-One should keep ones promise.
One should do ones duty.
One must finish ones task in time.

8. When any pronoun functions as the complement of the verb To be, it is always in the nominative
case.
Ex.- It is me who have to go. (Incorrect)
It is I who have to go. (Correct)
It is him who is to blame. (Incorrect)
It is he who is to blame. (Correct)
It was he who could solve the problem Easily.

9. Whenever any pronoun functions as an object to a verb or a preposition, it is in the objective case.
Ex.- It is for he to consider. (Incorrect)
It is for him to consider. (Correct)
Ask he to go. (Incorrect)

Ask him to go. (Correct)

10. When two singular nouns joined by AND denote the same person or thing the pronoun used for
them must be singular in number. The article THE is placed before the first Noun.
Ex.- The accounts officer and treasures should be careful in his work of keeping accounts.

11. When a personal pronoun is connected by a conjunction with some other word in the objective
case, it must be in the objective or accusative case.
Ex.- These clothes are for you and me. (not I)

12. A pronoun should be used in the objective case in a sentence beginning with Let.
Ex.- Let him go to his office
Let her submit the records in time.

13. While confessing a fault (or expressing a negative idea) the sequence of the personal pronouns
should be as follows:
I, you and he are in the wrong and will be punished.
[First person first, second person next and third person last]

14. While expressing a positive idea or praise, the sequence of the personal pronouns should be as
follows:
You, He and I will get an award for the good work we have done.
[Second person (2), third person (3), and first person (1)]
You, he and I have finished the work.
Ram, I and you have finished our studies. (Incorrect)
You, Ram and I have finished our studies. (Correct)

15. After BUT, EXCEPT, BETWEEN and LET the pronoun is used in objective case where as
after such as in the subjective case
Ex.Everyone laughed but I. (Incorrect)
Everyone laughed but me. (Correct)
Now attended the meeting except he. (Incorrect)
Now attended the meeting except him. (Correct)
Let we laugh away our sorrows. (Incorrect)
Let us laugh away our sorrows. (Correct)
This is between you and I. (Incorrect)
This is between you and me. (Correct)
They do not have a liking far such a person as me. (Incorrect)
They do not have a liking for such a person as I. (Correct)

16. Some is used in affirmative sentences to express quantity or degree.

Any is used in Negative or interrogative sentences.
Ex.I shall buy some apples.
I shall not buy any apples.
Have you bought any apples?
I shall read any book. (Incorrect)
I shall read some book. (Correct)

17. Enjoy, apply, resign, acquit, drive, exert, avail, pride, absent, drink, oversleep, overreach,
Revenge, present etc. when used as transitive verbs, always take a reflexive pronoun after them.
Ex.He absented from the class. (Incorrect)
He absented himself from the class. (Corrected)
He presented himself before the manager.

He absented himself from the office today.

18. When a pronoun stands for a collective noun, it must be in the singular number and in the
neuter gender if the collective noun is viewed as a wholeEx.The Jury gave its verdict.
The Jury were divided in their opinions.

19. (a) Each other is used about two persons.

Ex.The two brothers disliked each other.

Romeo and Juliet loved each other.
The two children quarreled with each other.
(b) One another is used about more than twoEx.Good boys do not quarrel with one another.
All the students of the class are friendly, they like one another.

20. The pronouns who, whom, whose are generally used for persons

Who
Nominative case
Whom Objective case
Whose Possessive case (this/that)
Ex.Shikha is the student who got an award.
They are the thieves whom the police caught. (whom matlab= jisko ya jinko)
This is the student whose certificates are lost. ( whose matlab= jiska hindi me)

21. Use of WHICH

(a)
For infants, small animals and objects.
Ex.This is the baby which was lost in the theatre.
This is the dog which my friend bought from the U.S.
(b)
When selection is expressed.
Ex.Which of these television sets do you want to purchase?
(c)
To refer to a sentence
Ex.He was said to be drunk, which was not true.

22. Uses of THAT

(a)
For persons, lifeless things and small animals in the singular or in the plural number.
Ex.This is the girl that failed in the exam.
This is the Radio that I bought Yesterday.
(b)
As a substitute for a singular noun already mentioned.
Ex.The weather of Hyderabad is far better than Chennai. (Wrong)
The weather of Hyderabad is far better than that of Chennai. (Right)