English Grammar | We reached the airport at 9 pm
Common mistakes with pronouns
13 ఫిబ్రవరి తరువాయి
- Prepositions are not used in expressions of time beginning next, last, this, one, each, every, some, any and all.
Incorrect: See you on next Monday.
Correct: See you next Monday.
Incorrect: I will be rich on someday.
Correct: I will be rich someday.
Incorrect: We met on one Friday in February.
Correct: We met one Friday in February. - Prepositions are not used directly before the conjunction that.
Incorrect: I knew about that she had decided to quit.
Correct: I knew that she had decided to quit. OR I knew about her decision to quit.
Incorrect: I had no idea of that she had problems.
Correct: I had no idea that she had problems. (OR) I had no idea of her problems. - Prepositions are not normally used before infinitives in English.
Incorrect: I am thinking of to write a novel.
Correct: I am thinking of writing a novel.
Incorrect: I don’t like the idea of to get old.
Correct: I don’t like the idea of getting old.
Incorrect: She is very good at to cook.
Correct: She is very good at cooking.
Incorrect: He asked a holiday.
Correct: He asked for a holiday. - Use ask with for to ask somebody to give something.
- Use ask without for to ask somebody to tell something.
Incorrect: Due to illness, I could not go to school.
Correct: Owing to illness, I could not go to school. - Both due to and owing to mean ‘because of’. Some people believe that it is incorrect to use due to at the beginning of a clause, but the structure is common in educated usage.
Incorrect: He was prevented to come.
Correct: He was prevented from coming. - Prevent cannot be followed by to. It is followed by from + -ing form.
- The loud noise prevented me from sleeping.
Incorrect: I met with your friend.
Correct: I met your friend. - Meet means ‘come face to face with somebody or something’. With this meaning it is used without with.
- Meet with means ‘experience’.
- He met with misfortune. (NOT He met misfortune.)
Incorrect: She insisted to pay.
Correct: She insisted on paying. - Insist cannot be followed by to. It is followed by on + -ing form.
Incorrect: Let’s go for riding.
Correct: Let’s go riding. - Go is used with an –ing form in a number of expressions referring to sporting and leisure activities. No preposition is used in this structure.
Incorrect: We went a walk.
Correct: We went for a walk. - The structure ‘go for a / come for a’ is used in a number of fixed expressions referring to sporting and leisure activities.
Incorrect: He loves with me.
Correct: He loves me.
Incorrect: We discussed about the matter.
Correct: We discussed the matter.
Incorrect: We reached at the airport at 9 pm.
Correct: We reached the airport at 9 pm.
Incorrect: I have ordered for his dismissal.
Correct: I have ordered his dismissal.
Incorrect: He married with his friend’s sister.
Correct: He married his friend’s sister.
Incorrect: She entered into the room.
Correct: She entered the room.
Incorrect: The child resembles to its mother.
Correct: The child resembles its mother.
Incorrect: He is intelligence, but he lacks of experience.
Correct:He is intelligence but he lacks experience
Explanation
- Verbs such as enter, resemble, lack, discuss, marry, reach, order and approach are normally followed by direct objects without prepositions.
Incorrect: What is the time in your watch?
Correct: What is the time by your watch?
Incorrect: We traveled in train.
Correct: We traveled by train.
Explanation
- We write by train/car/bike /boat /plane/land/sea/air etc. But note that by is not used if there is an article. For example, we write in the car, on a bus, and not by the car or by a bus.
Incorrect: He is angry upon me.
Correct: He is angry with me.
Incorrect: I am pleased at you.
Correct: I am pleased with you.
Incorrect: He was trembling in rage.
Correct: He was trembling with rage.
Explanation
- We use with in a number of expressions which say how people express their feelings and sensations. Common examples are: white with fear/rage, red with anger/embarrassment, green with envy, blue with cold etc.
Incorrect: Who is in the phone? It is John.
Correct: Who is on the phone? It is John.
Incorrect: There was an interesting show at TV.
Correct: There was an interesting show on TV.
Explanation
- The correct expressions are on the radio, on TV, on the phone etc.
Incorrect: She washed her face in water.
Correct: She washed her face with water.
Incorrect: The snake was killed by a stone.
Correct: The snake was killed with a stone.
Explanation
- We use with to talk about instruments with which something is done.
Incorrect: I go to school by foot.
Correct: I go to school on foot.
Incorrect: I congratulated her for her success.
Correct: I congratulated her on her success.
Adjectives
- Adjectives are used to modify nouns. They are placed directly before the noun they modify.
Examples are: - She is a nice girl.
- That was a lovely song.
- He is an intelligent boy.
- Alice is an excellent actor.
- I bought an expensive watch.
- I want to buy a new car.
- Adjectives can also go after the verb ‘be’. In this case, the adjective describes the subject of the sentence.
- Alice is beautiful. (Here the adjective beautiful describes the subject she.)
- Susie was upset. (Here the adjective upset describes the subject Susie.)
- John was very tired. (Here the adjective tired describes the subject John.)
- Jane was excited. (Here the adjective excited describes the noun Jane.)
- Adjectives can also be used with verbs like feel, taste, smell, sound, appear and seem.
- The fish tasted delicious.
- Alice seemed upset.
Adverbs
- Adverbs are used to modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs. Most adverbs end in –ly. Of course, there are a few exceptions.
- Most adverbs are formed from adjectives.
- Adjective – nice / adverb – nicely
- Adjective – quick / adverb – quickly
- Most words that indicate time and place are also adverbs. Examples are: now, then, soon, yesterday, today, last week, upstairs, outside etc.
- Adverbs can go in different positions in a sentence.
- At the beginning of a clause
- Tomorrow I have got a meeting.
- Yesterday I had a strange experience.
- At the end of a clause
- I have got a meeting tomorrow.
- I met John yesterday.
- Adverbs can also go in mid position – after the auxiliary verbs and before other verbs.
- I often get headaches.
- He is always late for work.
Correct the mistakes
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, neit- her…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.
