English Grammar | If there is an auxiliary verb, the adverb goes after ____?

February 27, 2023 / 01:35 PM IST

common mistakes with pronouns

ఫిబ్రవరి 20 తరువాయి
common mistakes in the use of punctuation marks

English makes liberal use of punctuation marks. In fact, written English would hardly make sense if no punctuation marks were used. Here are some common mistakes in the use of punctuation marks.
A sentence must end with a full stop, a question mark or an exclamation mark.
She is a lovely girl.
Is that your sister?
How sweet!
A new sentence that follows a question mark, a full stop or an exclamation mark has a capital letter.
Incorrect: I looked out of the window. it was raining again.
Correct: I looked out of the window. It was raining again.
The punctuation mark should come immediately after the last letter of the word followed by a space.
Incorrect: He is tall,dark and handsome.
Correct: He is tall, dark and handsome.
When you list items separate them with a comma. A comma is not usually used with and between the last two items unless these are long.
I went to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. (GB)
In American English, a comma can be used between the last two items.
I went to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. (US)
We do not put full stops, question marks or interrogation marks before or after grammatically incomplete sentences.
Incorrect: I helped him. Because I liked him.
Correct: I helped him because I liked him.

Common mistakes in the use of Gerunds

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 confi- dent to win the gold medal.
Correct: The clever girl was confi dent 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.

Common Mistakes with some Adjectives and Adverbs

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 can not 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 when he 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.
I 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.)
Verbs: common errors
Incorrect: He is taking his food.
Correct: He is having his food.
‘Taking his food‘ is not wrong, but native English speakers rarely use this expression.
Incorrect: I take your leave.
Correct: I must say goodbye.
‘I take your leave’ is not wrong, but it is extremely formal.
Incorrect: He knows to swim.
Correct: He knows how to swim.
Incorrect: Do you know to cook?
Correct: Do you know how to cook?
Know cannot be followed directly by an infinitive. We use the structure ‘know how to’.
Incorrect: Students should not cut jokes in class.
Correct: Students should not make jokes in class.
Incorrect: He cut his pencil.
Correct: He sharpened his pencil.
Incorrect: Should I cut this word?
Correct: Should I erase this word?
Correct: Should I scratch out this word?
Incorrect: The prisoner’s head was cut.
Correct: The prisoner’s head was cut off.
When the cutting divides what is cut into pieces, use cut off, cut up and cut into.
Incorrect: My back is paining.
Correct: I have a pain in my back.
Correct: My back is hurting.
Incorrect: My tooth is paining.
Correct: My tooth is aching.
Pain is a transitive verb. It must have an expressed object. When there is no object, use other words like ache or hurt.
Incorrect: He asked had we taken our food.
Correct: He asked if / whether we had taken our food.
Explanation
We use a conjunction like if or whether to introduce indirect yes/no questions. Note that indirect questions have the same word order as assertive sentences – that is, the subject comes before the verb.
Incorrect: She asked him what was he doing.
Correct: She asked him what he was doing.
Incorrect: John asked to Peter why their father is angry.
Correct: John asked Peter why their father was angry.
Explanation
When the main clause is in the past tense, the subordinate clause will also be in the past tense.
Incorrect: He asked that what am I doing.
Correct: He asked what I was doing.
Incorrect: He does not care for my words.
Correct: He pays no attention to what I say.
Incorrect: No one cared for the children after their mother died.
Correct: No one took care of the children after their mother died.
Incorrect: He does not care for money.
Correct: He does not take care of his money.
Explanation
The misuse of care for is very common and the sentences given above need practice.
Incorrect: When we went there we found that the lion was disappeared.
Correct: When we went there we found that the lion had disappeared.
Incorrect: He said that his father died last year.
Correct: He said that his father had died last year.
Incorrect: I did not see him because he went out before I arrived.
Correct: I did not see him because he had gone out before I arrived.
Incorrect: He got angry before I said a word.
Correct: He got angry before I had said a word.
Incorrect: I met a man who was my classmate 20 years ago.
Correct: I met a man who had been my classmate 20 years ago.
Explanation
The sentences given above are the examples of the common failure to use the past perfect tense when the time of one past tense verb is more past than that of another.

Sentence agreement: common mistakes

Incorrect: The news are too good to be true.
Correct: The news is too good to be true.
Incorrect: Politics are a dirty game.
Correct: Politics is a dirty game.
Some nouns are plural in form, but singular in meaning. They should be followed by singular verbs. Examples are: news, politics, maths, measles etc.
Incorrect: A thousand dollars are not a small sum.
Correct: A thousand dollars is not a small sum.
Incorrect: A thousand dollars was distributed among the prize winners.
Correct: A thousand dollars were distributed among the prize winners.
When the subject is a sum of money considered as a whole, the singular verb is used. When the subject is a sum of money and the reference is to the bills or coins considered separately, the plural verb is used.
Incorrect: Neither the officer nor his assistants was present at the meeting.
Correct: Neither the officer nor his assistants were present at the meeting.
When the subjects connected by or or nor are of different numbers, the plural subject should be written last and it should be followed by a plural verb.
Incorrect: Neither you nor Tom seem to be capable of doing this.
Correct: Neither you nor Tom seems to be capable of doing this.
When the subjects connected by or or nor are of different persons, the verb should agree in person with the subject nearest to it. Note that the subjects should be arranged in the proper order – the person spoken to, first; the person spoken of, second; and the speaker, last.