ENGLISH GRAMMER | Cardinal numbers upto twelve should be written in?

March 29, 2023 / 11:59 AM IST

Common mistakes with pronouns (మార్చి 20 తరువాయి)

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.
Explanation
Adjectives in the superlative degree takes the article the before them.
Incorrect: The London is big city.
Correct: London is a big city.
Incorrect: I live in the Mumbai.
Correct: I live in Mumbai.
Explanation
Both London and Mumbai are proper nouns because they are the names of particular cities. Proper nouns do not take articles before them.
Remember that a noun can be proper in one sentence and common in another sentence; so it is useless to label a particular noun as proper or common.
Incorrect: The gold is yellow.
Correct: Gold is yellow.
Explanation
Material nouns (gold, rice, silver, iron, wood, marble etc.) do not take articles before them.
Incorrect: Himalayas are mountains.
Correct: The Himalayas are mountains.
Incorrect: We should love the God.
Correct: We should love God.
Incorrect: The man is a member of society.
Correct: Man is a member of society.
Explanation
Here the noun man refers to the whole of mankind. We do not use articles before a noun used to refer to the whole of its kind.
Incorrect: We had a picnics nearly everyday.
Correct: We had picnics nearly everyday.
Articles are not normally used before plural common nouns that do not refer to a particular person or thing.
Incorrect: Each of us loves our country.
Correct: Each of us loves his/her country.
Incorrect: None of the boys had brought their books.
Correct: None of the boys had brought his books.
Explanation
The pronoun referring back to singular words like each, every and none should be singular in number. Note that this rule is no longer strictly followed. Sentences like ‘Each of us loves our country’ and ‘None of the boys had brought their books’ are now considered correct in informal speech and writing. However, in a formal style you must stick to the rules and use the correct pronoun.
Incorrect: In our school the number of students is less.
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 comparison 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.
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.