ENGLISH GRAMMAR | Less is the comparative of ____?

April 17, 2023 / 05:01 PM IST

10 ఏప్రిల్‌ తరువాయి

Common Errors in the Use of Verbs – Part II

Incorrect: He has stole my pen.
Correct: He has stolen my pen.
Incorrect: John has often beat meat tennis.
Correct: John has often beaten me at tennis.
Reason
After the auxiliaries has, have and had, we use the past participle form of the verb.
Incorrect: They didn’t invited us.
Correct: They didn’t invite us.
Incorrect: He did came.
Correct: He did come.
Reason
After did, we use the present tense form (bare infinitive) of the verb.
Incorrect: Neither he came nor he wrote.
Correct: Neither did he come nor did he write.
Incorrect: Seldom I go to the hills.
Correct: Seldom do I go to the hills.
The adverbs neither and seldom have negative meanings. When sentences begin with a negative word we use the inverted word order with do/did.
Incorrect: Never I have seen such a mess.
Correct: Never have I seen such a mess.
Reason
When sentences begin with a negative word, we use the inverted word order. When there is an auxiliary verb in the sentence, we put that auxiliary verb before the noun (subject). When there is no auxiliary verb, we put do/did before the subject.
Incorrect: He said that he saw him last year.
Correct: He said that he had seen him last year.
Reason
Here the error lies in the failure to use the past perfect tense when the time of one past tense verb is more past than that of another.
Incorrect: If I shall do this, I shall be wrong.
Correct: If I do this, I shall be wrong.
Incorrect: If I did this, I shall be wrong.
Correct: If I do this, I shall be wrong.
Reason
When the main clause is in the future tense, the subordinate clause should be in the present tense.
Incorrect: He had to leave his rights.
Correct: He had to abandon (or relinquish) his rights.
Reason
We ‘leave a place’ or ‘leave some thing at some place’ or ‘leave someone to do something’. We do not ‘leave our rights’ or something like that.
Incorrect: I take my food.
Correct: I have my food.
Reason
‘Take my food’ is not wrong, but English people do not normally use this expression.
Incorrect: I take your leave.
Correct: I must leave now. OR I must say goodbye.
Reason I take your leave is not wrong, but is extremely formal.
Incorrect: They cut Charles I’s head.
Correct: They cut off Charles I’s head.
Reason
When the cutting divides what is cut into pieces, use cut off, cut up or cut into.

Common Erros with Adjectives
Incorrect: Every one knows this.
Correct: Everyone knows this.
Explanation Everyone should be written as one word.
Incorrect: He held the bag in the both hands.
Correct: He held the bag in both hands.
Correct: He held the bag in both his hands.
Explanation We do not use the before both.
Incorrect: Everybody should do some or other work.
Correct: Everybody should do some work or other.
Incorrect: Iron is more useful than any other metals.
Correct: Iron is more useful than any other metal.
Incorrect: Winston Churchill is greater than any other British politicians.
Correct: Winston Churchill is greater than any other British politician.
Explanation In these comparative sentences we should use a singular noun after any other.
Incorrect: He came a 3rd time.
Correct: He came a third time.
Incorrect: He is in class eighth.
Correct: He is in class eight.
Correct: He is in the eighth class.
Incorrect: He opened the book at six page.
Correct: He opened the book at page six.
Incorrect: This is a portrait of King George the sixth.
Correct: This is a portrait of King George VI.
Explanation
The numbers of kings and queens should be written in Roman characters. Examples are:
Elizabeth II, Louis XIV
Ordinal numbers (e.g. first, second, tenth etc.) up to twelfth should be written in words except in dates.
Examples
18th October 2003 (NOT Eighteenth October 2003)
This is the fifth time you have asked the same question. (NOT This is the 5th time …)
Dates should be written as follows: July 7th or 7th July. (NOT 7th of July or seventh of July)
Cardinal numbers up to twelve should be written in words except when telling the time.
Examples
He came at 10 am. (NOT He came at ten am.)
She has seven siblings. (NOT She has 7 siblings.)
Cardinal and ordinal numbers above twelve and twelfth may be written in either words or figures.
Incorrect: He is worst than you.
Correct: He is worse than you.
Incorrect: Mumbai is hot than Delhi.
Correct: Mumbai is hotter than Delhi.
Explanation
Only an adjective or adverb in the comparative degree can be used before than.
Incorrect: A horse is usefuller than a car.
Correct: A horse is more useful than a car.
Adjectives and adverbs having more than one syllable form their comparative and superlative forms by the addition of more and most.

Common Erros with Adjectives II
Correct: In our school the number of students is small.
Explanation
Less is the comparative of little. Comparative forms are not used in sentences where no comp- arison is implied. But is the sentence ‘In our school the number of students is little’ correct? No. The adjective little can be used only in the attributive position (before a noun). In the predicative position (after a verb like is) we have to use a word with a similar meaning.
Incorrect: From the two she is pretty.
Correct: She is the prettier of the two.
Incorrect: Of the two routes this is the short.
Correct: Of the two routes this is the shorter.
Explanation When a comparison is made between two people or things we use a structure with of, not from. Note that we use an adjective or adverb in the comparative form to compare two people or things.
Incorrect: From the three he is the smarter.
Correct: He is the smartest of the three.
Explanation
To compare more than two people or things we use an adjective or adverb in the superlative degree.
Incorrect: There is a best student in that class.
Correct: There is a very good student in that class.
Explanation
It is wrong to use comparative and superlative forms when no comparison is implied.
Compare:
Charles is the smartest boy in the class. (Here Charles is being compared with other boys in the class. Therefore, we use a superlative adjective.) He is the smarter of the two brothers. (Here a comparison is made between two people. Therefore we use a comparative adjective.)
He is a smart boy. OR He is very smart. (Here no comparison is implied. Therefore we use a positive adjective.)
Incorrect: I have never seen a so good boy.
Correct: I have never seen such a good boy.
Correct: I have never seen so good a boy.
Incorrect: He was a so big man that he could not sit in that chair.
Correct: He was so big a man that he could not sit in that chair.
Explanation So is very often used in the rather formal structure so + adjective + a/an + singular countable noun. Note that it is wrong to put the article before so in this structure.
Incorrect: Yours affectionate brother
Correct: Your affectionate brother
Correct: Yours affectionately
Incorrect: Your lovely friend
Correct: Your loving friend
Lovely doesn’t mean the same as loving.

Common Erros with Adjectives III
Incorrect: We live in city.
Correct: We live in a city.
Explanation

A singular common noun (e.g. city, state, country, boy, girl, teacher etc.) takes the article a/an before it. But if the common noun refers to a particular person or thing it requires the definite article the whether the noun is singular or plural.
Compare: We live in a city. (Here we use the indefinite article because we are not referring to any particular city.)
The city is very big. (Here we use the definite article (the) because we are referring to a particular city that has already been mentioned in a previous sentence.)
Incorrect: He is best player.
Correct: He is the best player.
Incorrect: She is a most intelligent girl in the class.
Correct: She is the most intelligent girl in the class.