If there are two auxiliary verbs, the adverb…..?

1. The car either dashed against a goat or a donkey.
2. Neither he would eat nor allow us to eat.
3. He enquired that where was the office.
4. He asked that what was my name.
5. Alice is as tall if not taller than Mary.
6. Though he was poor but he was happy.
7. Hardly I had reached the station when the train steamed out.

Answer

1. The car dashed against either a goat or a donkey.
2. He would neither eat nor allow us to eat.
3. He enquired where the office was.
4. He asked what my name was.
5. Alice is as tall as Mary, if not taller.
6. Though he was poor, he was happy. OR He was poor but he was happy.
7. Hardly had I reached the station when the train steamed out.

Notes

The correlatives either&or, neither &nor, both&and, not only&but also should go immediately before the words they relate to.

The relative pronoun that cannot be used before interrogatives like what, where, when, whether and why.Sentences beginning with negative words like hardly, scarcely and no sooner follow the inverted word order. That means the auxiliary verb comes before the subject.

Good Vs Well

Good is an adjective. It is used to modify a noun. Well is an adverb. It is used to modify a verb.
Incorrect: She sings good.
Correct: She sings well.
Incorrect: She can speak English good.
Correct: She can speak good English. / She can speak English well.
Incorrect: Our team played good yesterday.

Correct: Our team played well yesterday.

More examples are given below.

• A good player plays well. (NOT A good player plays good.)
• Everyone/ everybody and every one / every body
• Everyone / everybody is a pronoun. It is used to refer to all the people in a group.
• I want everyone to come to my birthday party.
• Everybody has turned up.
• Every one
• Every one and every body refer to each one in a group.
• I have invited every one of my friends to my birthday party.
• Every one of my students wants to learn English.

Then vs. Than

• Then is an adverb of time.
• We were living in France then.
• Will you still be here then?
• Then can also mean ‘next’, ‘after that’ and ‘afterwards’.
• We will go to Paris first, then to Rome.

Than

• Than is used for comparisons.
• Jack is taller than Peter.
• Than is used in expressions like ‘none other than’ and ‘nothing else than’.
• I met none other than my old friend Peter today.
• It was nothing else than bad luck that they lost the game.
• Common mistakes are mistakes that people make all the time. There are several common mistakes in English.
• The most common among them are given below.

So do I, neither did I

• The structure ‘so+auxiliary + subject’ is used to add a positive remark to a positive statement.
• My father likes theater. So do I. (= Both my father and me like theater.)
• ‘I am interested in the supernatural.’ ‘So am I.’
• My sister wants to be a pilot. So do I. (= Both of us want to be pilots.)

Neither do I

• The structure ‘neither + auxiliary verb + subject’ is used to add a negative remark to a negative statement.
• James didn’t come. Neither did Peter.
• My mother doesn’t eat meat. Neither do I.
• ‘I haven’t seen a good movie for a long time.’ ‘Neither have I.’
• He won’t be able to attend the conference. Neither will I.

Such and so

• Such is used before a noun (with or without an adjective).
• She is such a beautiful girl.
• So is used before an adjective.
• She is so beautiful.

So&that, such&that

• Such in ‘such&that’ is followed by a noun phrase or its equivalent.
• It was such a cold afternoon that we didn’t go out.
• So in ‘so&that’ is followed by an adjective.
• It was so cold that we didn’t go out.

In each of the following pairs of sentences, one sentence is correct, and the other is wrong. Choose the correct sentence.
1. a) He asked had we taken our food. / b) He asked if we had taken our food.
2. a) He asked where I was going. / b) He asked that where I was going.
3. a) He asked to her why she was angry. / b) He asked her why she was angry.
4. a) No one cared for him after his wife died. / b) No one took care of him after his wife had died.
5. a) When I went there I found that the bag had disappeared. / b) When I went there I found that the bag was disappeared.
6. a) I did not stop because he had gone out before I arrived. / b) I did not stop because he went out before I arrived.
7. a) When I go to Bombay I will see him. / b) When I will go to Bombay I will see him.

Answers

1. He asked if we had taken our food.
2. He asked where I was going.
3. He asked her why she was angry.
4. No one took care of him after his wife had died.
5. When I went there I found that the bag had disappeared.
6. I did not stop because he had gone out before I arrived.
7. When I go to Bombay I will see him
Incorrect: They insisted on me resigning the post.
Correct: They insisted on my resigning the post.
Incorrect: They objected to John playing for the team.
Correct: They objected to John’s playing for the team.

A noun or pronoun used with a gerund should be in the possessive case.

Incorrect: There is no danger of the roof’s crashing.
Correct: There is no danger of the roof crashing.
The possessive case should not be used with the gerund when the noun denotes a lifeless thing.
Incorrect: I am thinking to write my autobiography.
Correct: I am thinking of writing my autobiography.
Incorrect: The clever girl was confident to win the gold medal.
Correct: The clever girl was confident of winning the gold medal.
Incorrect: I am hopeful to secure a loan to build my house.
Correct: I am hopeful of securing a loan to build my house.

After certain verbs and adjectives a preposition + gerund is used instead of an adjective.

Incorrect: To die with honor is better than live with dishonor.
Correct: To die with honor is better than to live with dishonor.
Incorrect: To attack is better than wait indefinitely.
Correct: To attack is better than to wait indefinitely.

In structures like this, the infinitive should be used in both clauses.

Some words ending in ly are adjectives, and not normally adverbs. Examples are: costly, cowardly, deadly, friendly, likely, lively, lonely, silly, miserly and unlikely.

Incorrect: He behaved cowardly.
Correct: He behaved in a cowardly manner.
Correct: He behaved like a coward.
Incorrect: He laughed silly.
Correct: He gave a silly laugh.
Incorrect: He lives miserly.
Correct: He lives in a miserly way.

In the sentences given above the words cowardly, silly and miserly are all adjectives which cannot be used to modify verbs. And because there are no adverbs for these meanings we have to use adverb phrases like ‘in a cowardly manner’ and ‘in a miserly way’ to express the same idea.

Incorrect: Just I had gone whenhe came.
Correct: I had just gone when he came.
Incorrect: Still I love you.
Correct: I still love you.

The adverbs still and just go before the verb. If there is an auxiliary verb, the adverb goes after the auxiliary verb and before the main verb. If there is no auxiliary verb, the adverb goes before the main verb. If there are two auxiliary verbs, the adverb goes between them.

am still waiting for your reply. (NOT I still am waiting for your reply.) (NOT I am waiting still for your reply.)They have just been informed. (NOT They have been just informed.) She has just arrived. (NOT She just has arrived.)

B.Vivekananda Sr. Faculty Hyderabad: 9912343401