English Grammar - Confusions Solved

Hi Readers,

Many of you are finding difficult to tackle English language section. Grammar is the base of every language. Today I am solving Confusions in English language.

Certain verbs do not have ING form. It means that these verbs will not be used in either continuous tense or Perfect continuous tenses:

Verbs of perception :- see, taste, smell prefer, hear, please, notice recognize

Verbs of Thinking process :- Think, know, mean, mind, remember, suppose

Verbs of showing possession :- Own, have, belong, comprise, possess, contain, consist

Verbs expressing feeling or state of mind :- Believe, like, dislike, love, adore, want, wish, desire, hate, agree, trust, imagine

Verbs in general :- Look, seem, appear, resemble, cost, require, become, hope, refuse

Some nouns look plural and they are always used as plurals :

Scissors, tongue, pliers, pincers, bellows, trousers, pants, pajamas, shorts, gallows, fangs, spectacles, goggles, binoculars, eyeglasses, Alms, amends, archives, arrears, auspices, congratulations, embers, fireworks, lodgings, outskirts, particulars, proceeds, regards, riches, remains, savings, shambles, surroundings, tidings, troops, tactics, thanks, valuables, wages, belongings, braces etc.

Some nouns look plural but in meaning they are singulars therefore they are always used as  singular verbs :-

News, innings, politics, Summons, Physics, Economics, Ethics, Mathematics, Mumps, Measles, Rickets, Shingles, Billiards, Draughts, Athletics etc.

Some nouns look singular but always used as plural :-

Cattle, cavalry, infantry, poultry, peasantry, children, gentry, police, people

Some nouns are used always as singular form. These are uncountable nouns and therefore we don’t use article a/an before them.

Scenery, poetry, Furniture, Advice, information, hair, business, mischief, bread, stationary, crockery, luggage, baggage, postage, knowledge, wastage, money, Jewellery, breakage, equipment, work, evidence, word(when it means discussion, message or conversation), paper etc.

Some nouns are same in both singular and plural forms :-

Deer, sheep, series, species, fish, crew, team, jury, aircraft, counsel etc.

With two subjects, we use verb according to first subject :-

First subject

With Along with Together with As well as And not Like/ unlike Besides Rather than But except In addition to

Second subject

Verb (According to the subject)

For example :-

1. All but he him has have followed.

2. The captain along with all the sailors has have sunk drowned.

3. My father unlike my uncles is very strict.

4. I and not my friends am are to be blamed.

With two subjects, we use verbs according to the nearest subject :

Neither	First subject	nor	Second subject	Verb(according to nearest subject)
either		or
		nor
		or
Not only		but also

For example

1. Neither they nor I am guilty of the act.

2. Aren’t they or I guilty of the fact?

3. Either Rohit or his Parents have taken a wrong decision.

4. Has Rohit or his parents taken a wrong decision?

Not only…………..	but also
Neither…………….	nor
Either……………….	or
Hardly………………	when
Scarcely……………	when
No sooner…………	than
Lest…………………..	should
Superior…………...	to
Inferior……………..	to
Senior……………….	to
Junior…………..	to
Prefer……………	to
Admittance to; uses between and among; discussed about; invention/discovery; each other/one another; eminent/imminent; wear/put on; put up/ put out/ put off;

1. It’s time (high time) I should complain complained against him. (with “high time” always use Verb 2nd form)

2. It’s time to have fun.

3. By the time I reach the station, the train will have left. (Present indefinite & Future perfect)

4. By the time I reached the station, the train had left. (Past indefinite & Past perfect)

5. We have reached the moon.

6. We reached the moon on 22^nd Oct 1984.

7. The judge tested the accused to see if he would could read English.

8. Some of the people were standing on the street watch watching cricket match, while others were sitting.

9. Martin Luther King was one of the leaders who has have followed Mahatma Gandhi.

10. My sister asked me that how long I would stay there.

11. The cruel lady made her step daughter to do all the household chores.

12. You can eat as much as you can at the newly lunch launched bar.

13. Sam is working has been working in a bank in Chennai for the past five years.

14. People living in low-lying areas find it difficult to cope up with the floods.

15. The manager told the boys that one ought to work hard to earn his one’s living.

16. Kalidas is a the Shakespeare of India.

17. The more you think of it, the worse it becomes.

18. My elder brother asked me what was I was doing.

19. We shall go out if it does not rains rain.

20. While he was working at the construction site, the block of wood suddenly hit his right shoulder.

21. The weather in the region has been pleasant recently.

Kindly comment, for any query...