Skip to main content

Grammar

A great source to improve your grammar and writing skills.



Please Click here for the Grammar Handbook:



http://www.grammarly.com/handbook/


Parts of Speech Video:



Or take a look at these useful posts:


                  
                        
I'm   sure you will enjoy this.  I never knew one  word in  English language that can be a  noun, verb, adj, adv,   prep.    UP   
  
Read until  the end ... You'll laugh.      
 
This   two-letter word in English has more meanings  than  any other two-letter word, and that  word  is UP.'  It is listed in  the dictionary as an [adv],  [prep], [adj],  [n] or [v].   
 
It's   easy to understand UP,   meaning toward the sky or at the top of the  list,  but when we awaken in the morning,  why do we wake  UP?

 
At  a  meeting, why does a topic come UP?   Why do we speakUP,   and why are the officers UP for   election (if there is  a tie, it is a  toss  UP) and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?  We call UP our   friends, brighten UP a   room, polish UP the   silver, warm UP the   leftovers and clean UP the   kitchen.  We lockUP the house  and fix UP the   old car. 
At  other  times, this little word has real  special  meaning.  People stir  UP  trouble,   line UP for   tickets, work UP an   appetite, and think UP  excuses. 

 

To   be dressed is one thing but to be dressed   UP is   special. 
 
        
 
And   this UP is   confusing:  A drain must be opened   UP because   it is  blocked  UP.
  

 
We   open UP a   store in the morning but we close it   UP  at   night.  We seem to be pretty mixed   UP   about UP!
  
 
       
To   be knowledgeable about the proper uses of   UP,   look UP the   word UP  in the  dictionary.  In a desk-sized  dictionary,  it takes UP  almost 1/4  of the page and can add UP to   about thirty definitions. 
 

 
If   you are UP  to   it, you might try building UP a   list of the many ways UP  is   used.  It will take UP a   lot of your time, but if you don't give   UP,   you may wind UP   with (UP to)  a  hundred or more. 
 

 
When   it threatens to rain, we say it is  clouding  UP. When the sun comes out, we say it is clearing   UP.   When it rains, it soaksUP  the   earth.  When it does not rain for  awhile,  things dry UP.  One  could go on and on, but I'll wrap it   UP,   for now . . . My time is UP!

 
Oh  .  . . One more thing:  What is the  first  thing you do in the morning and the  last thing you  do at night?

    
 
U
  

 
P!
  
      
  
 
Did   that one crack you UP?
  
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
        
Don't mess UP..   Send this on to everyone you look  UP in   your address book . . . Or not . .  it's   UP  to   you. 
 

Now   I'll shut UP!


Lay Versus Lie 

(http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/lay-versus-lie?page=all)

First, we'll do the easy part, which is the present tense.
This is in the present tense, where you are talking about doing something now: you lie down on the sofa, and you lay down a book.

There are a bunch of ways to remember this part.

How to Remember the Difference

The way I remember is to think of the phrase lay it on me. You're laying something (it, the direct object) on me. It's a catchy, dorky, 1970s kind of phrase, so I can remember it and remember that it is correct.

What's that I hear, music in the background? I know I don't normally play music, but I love Eric Clapton, and his song Lay Down Sally can actually help you remember the difference between lay and lie... [record screeching soun because he's wrong.

To say “lay down Sally” would imply that someone should grab Sally and lay her down. If he wanted Sally to rest in his arms on her own, the correct line would be “lie down Sally.”
You lay something down, and peoplelie down by themselves.
We don't have to judge Clapton on his grammar; we can still love his music and at the same time know that it's grammatically incorrect! In fact, that helps us remember, and we can love him more.

If you're more of a Bob Dylan fan, you can remember that "Lay Lady Lay" is also wrong. The lyrics should be “Lie lady lie, lie across my big brass bed.”

OK, so that was the present tense. It's pretty easy; you lay something down, people lie down by themselves, and Eric Clapton can help us remember. Let's move on to the past tense—it's harder.

Lay Versus Lie in the Past Tense

But then everything goes all haywire, because lay is the past tense of lie. It's a total nightmare! I tried and tried to come up with a mnemonic for this, but I couldn't do it. Instead, I've made a table that you can print out from the website and tape up over your desk or in your notebook, because you just have to memorize this or look it up every time.

How to Conjugate Lay and Lie

Here's how to conjugate these two verbs:

The past tense of lie is lay, so

Last week, Steve lay down on the floor.
The cat lay in the mud after it rained yesterday.

The past tense of lay is laid, so

Last week, I laid the TPS report on your desk.
Mary forcefully laid her ring on the table.

The past participle of lie is lain, so

Steve has lain on the floor for days.
The cat has lain in the mud for hours.

The past participle of lay is laid, so

I have laid the TPS report on your desk.
Mary has forcefully laid her ring on the table.

Don't feel bad if you can't remember these right away. Practice will help, and truthfully, I still have to look them up every time I use them. It's just important to know what you know, and what you don't know, and to go to the trouble to look it up and get it right because these are hard-and-fast rules.

Download the Chapter on "Dirty Words" From Grammar Girl's Book

"Lay" versus "lie" is just one of the many confusing word choices that Mignon Fogarty covers in the "Dirty Words" chapter of her book, Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing. You can download the chapter by clicking here.
You can order a copy of the paperback edition from any of these online retailers or pick one up at your favorite bookstore:
The book is also available in an e-book edition.  You can download a copy wherever e-books are sold.
 Think you understand the difference between "lay" and "lie"?  Take the quiz!
- See more at: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/lay-versus-lie?page=all#sthash.XhDk9Uk4.dpuf





I know Black Friday was a while ago now, and you’re probably not too interested in my exact location a month and half ago.  However, I will brazenly pretend that you are and tell you that I was up in the Bay Area that day — which also happened to be my birthday.  (It is not pleasant to have people refer to your birthday with the same name as the days that saw the Fisk-Gould market-cornering scheme, the slaughter of Iranian protesters, and theinvasion of the Falkland Islands.  Then again, my birthdays have a tendency to involve some unpleasantness, such as the year my friends stole my bed as part of an elaborate birthday prank, the year my friends threw eggs at me as part of a less elaborate birthday prank, or the year that my friend threw a single egg at me as an allusion to the previous year’s egg-throwing.  So I suppose if someone’s birthday has to be called Black Friday, I can take one for the team.)
In honor of my ability to remain alive for a quarter-century, my dear friends fed me the Old Bay ice cream they had made and took me to the best place for Black Friday shopping: a used bookstore.  There, in the extreme bargain section at the front of the store, I saw The World According to Clarkson, a book written by Jeremy Clarkson, the overbearing but hilarious co-host of Top Gear.  And this is what, at long last, leads to the grammar portion of the post.
I finally got around to reading the book, and found this sentence in it:
(1) None of the people who run it is getting any sleep.
If you are in the newspaper biz, you probably thought nothing of that sentence, aside from some minor curiosity about what it refers to. (It’s the European Union, if you were concerned.)   But to me, the sentence was a fingernail caressed gently along a chalkboard: I could stand it, but I wanted badly to read the sentence with are replacing is.  I didn’t dare; Clarkson’s authoritative voice rumbled through my mind, dissuading me from disagreeing with his usage. Yet well after I finished reading the sentence, the question still smoldered in my head. Is Clarkson right? Is none singular, as he and many others make it, or plural, as I’d prefer to?
As is nearly always the case here at Motivated Grammar, the answer is that both are fine and have been for a long time. (“Home of the friendly grammarians!” could be the blog slogan just as easily as “Prescriptivism Must Die!”)  We can start our analysis by quickly checking in with other grammarians — and, stunningly, they are fairly quiet about the issue.  In fact, pretty much everyone agrees on three basic facts:
  • when none quantifies a singular or mass noun, only singular agreement is acceptable
  • when none quantifies a plural noun, both singular and plural agreements are acceptable.
  • when none doesn’t quantify anything, both agreements are acceptable.
To check how this jibes with real English usage, I ran some quick Google searches (drawing the numbers from page 10 of the results to improve accuracy):
isare
None of the food142003
None of the projects27302870
None23500002990000
Hooray!  We’ve got a match! And what’s more, the singular and plural usages are basically equally common.  Sure looks like the facts are right.
But not everyone agrees with this; some claim that none must always be singular. The source of this belief is the canard that none is a contraction of not one, which must be singular.  Now, supposing that were the case, it is argued that (2a) being unacceptable would imply (2b) is unacceptable as well:
(2a) ?? Not one of the readers are interested in this.
(2b) None of the readers are interested in this.
But that’s just wrong, at every step of the way. First off, the fact that two words are semantically equivalent does not mean that they have the same grammar.  This is a common misconception, which I addressed in a previous post on different than.  The key point is that there are many semantically equivalent constructions in English that do not employ the same grammar. Therefore, even if not one and none were semantically equivalent, it wouldn’t mean they were both syntactically singular. And as it turns out, not one andnone aren’t quite the same semantically anyway:
(3a) *Not one of the blind mice can see each other.
(3b) None of the blind mice can see each other.
If you’ll excuse a bit of linguistic terminology, (3b) shows that none can take the reciprocal anaphor each other. An anaphor is a pronoun that refers to some other entity in the discourse, and a reciprocal anaphor is one that refers to each of the members of that entity.  There are two reciprocals in English: each other or one another.  So when you say Bill and Linda like each other, you’re saying that Bill likes Linda and that Linda likes Bill.  You can’t use a reciprocal anaphor unless its referent can be thought of as a plural set.  This is why you can’t say *I like each other. (You’d use myself, a reflexive anaphor, instead.) None can be thought as a plural set, but not one apparently can’t.  They’re not quite the same.
The fact that you can’t use a reciprocal with not one but can with none is compelling evidence that none isn’t just a contraction of not one.  Yes, not oneand none have the same source; according to MWDEU, Old English nan ‘none’ formed from of ne an ‘not one’.  But shared history does not make none andnot one the same any more than shared ancestors make two species the same.
Anyway, putting that canard behind us, MWDEU cites plural usage all the way back to King Alfred the Great in 888.  In fact, none can always be plural, except in a situation like (4):
(4) None of the food has/*have gone bad.
Otherwise, you’re free to choose between singular and plural.  I think I almost always use the plural, but it’s up to you to decide how you want to treat it.
Summary: None can be singular or plural, unless it quantifies a singular or mass noun. Don’t believe anyone who says none has to be singular because it’s a contraction of not one.  Both none of the meals is and none of the meals are are okay, and both none is and none are are okay.  *None of the stuff are is ungrammatical, though.

http://motivatedgrammar.wordpress.com/2009/01/08/none-is-none-are-grammar-according-to-clarkson/


Jack Lynch’s Guide to Grammar and Style – an English professor from my old New Jersey stompin’ grounds who I think has it mostly right. Lots of good stuff on usage, delivered not as a browbeating to scare you into agreeing with him, but as gentle advice to avoid pitfalls and punks who believe their language usage doesn’t stink.
Paul Brians’s list of errors and non-errors – tons of advice, most of which (if at times a bit harsh) seems to jibe with my intuitions. His list of non-errors is top-notch, denouncing oodles of bad advice that old curmudgeons brainlessly repeat.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary of English Usage (full view on Google Books) – a quite nice reference on both proper and actual usage.  Pretty up-to-date (1994), and not wedded to old beliefs.  Sufficiently popular amongst linguists manning the ramparts against prescriptivism that we just call it MWDEU — which is still an unfortunately awkward name.
Famous Grammarians
William Strunk’s The Elements of Style (1918) – predecessor to that little book foist upon you as a college freshman, full of questionably valid complaints about what those kids and business folks are saying and writing. Somewhat less supercilious than most grammar books, but still utterly convinced of its moral rectitude.
H. W. Fowler’s The King’s English (1908) – from the pen of the man who first suggested that which and that should carve other their own niches. It’s about British English though, so some of the prescriptions might seem a bit daft, while others might go so far as to be crackers.
Why are you saying these things?
The Normative Reference to h3h English – an example of the sort of thing that I hope you do not do. In some ways this is a great idea – everyone has their own style and it’s nice to see someone actually specify their conventions. The problem in the blind application of some of the rules (e.g., writing et. al. instead of et al. to put periods after every word in an abbreviation, even though et is not an abbreviation in et al.) and the vicious defense of the questionable motivation behind some of the rules (e.g., the hopefully tongue-in-cheek claimthat using different from upholds “correctness and patriotism”).
Actual usage
The Oxford English Dictionary (1989 edition, subscription-based) – definitions, complete with etymologies and timelines of cited usage. It’s sufficiently conservative that few would fault you as a crusader for common usage(!) if you cite usage data from here.


DO and MAKE


Do and Make are two verbs which frequently confuse students. Here we will learn about the difference between Do and Make and when to use each one.

When do you use DO?

DO is used as follows:
1. DO is used when talking about work, jobs or tasks. Note, they do not produce any physical object.
  • Have you done your homework?
  • I have guests visiting tonight so I should start doing the housework now.
  • I wouldn't like to do that job.
2. DO is used when we refer to activities in general without being specific. In these cases, we normally use words like thing, something, nothing, anything, everything etc.
  • Hurry up! I've got things to do!
  • Don't just stand there – do something!
  • Is there anything I can do to help you?
3. We sometimes use DO to replace a verb when the meaning is clear or obvious. This is more common in informal spoken English:
  • Do I need to do my hair? (do = brush or comb)
  • Have you done the dishes yet? (done = washed)
  • I'll do the kitchen if you do the lawns (do = clean, do = mow)
Remember Do can also be as an auxiliary verb (for making questions in the present tense - Do you like chocolate?) For more about Do used in this case, see our page about Do vs Does. Here we will be talking about Do as a normal verb.

When do you use MAKE?

Make is for producing, constructing, creating or building something new.
It is also used to indicate the origin of a product or the materials that are used to make something.
  • His wedding ring is made of gold.
  • The house was made of adobe.
  • Wine is made from grapes.
  • The watches were made in Switzerland
We also use Make for producing an action or reaction:
  • Onions make your eyes water.
  • You make me happy.
  • It’s not my fault. My brother made me do it!
You make after certain nouns about plans and decisions:
  • make the arrangements,
  • make a choice
We use Make with nouns about speaking and certain sounds:
  • make a comment
  • make a noise
  • make a speech
We use Make with Food, Drink and Meals:
  • make a cake
  • make a cup of tea
  • make dinner

Compare Do and Make

A: You have to make a cake for Simon.
B: I’ll do it later.
Notice how in the response the verb DO is used. This is because the meaning is clear and to avoid saying “I’ll make it later.” which could sound repetitive.

Do vs. Make Comparison Chart

The difference between Do vs Make in English

Common Expressions with Do and Make

The following expressions are set collocations (combinations of words that frequently appear together) that you need to learn:

Expressions with DO

The following words are normally used with Do:
  • a burp
  • a course
  • a crossword
  • a dance
  • a drawing
  • a fart
  • a favor / favour
  • a job
  • a painting
  • a project
  • a service
  • an assignment
  • anything
  • badly
  • business
  • chores
  • damage
  • everything
  • exercises
  • good
  • harm
  • laundry
  • nothing
  • research
  • right (the right thing)
  • something
  • the gardening
  • the housework
  • the ironing
  • the dishes
  • the rest
  • the shopping
  • the washing
  • well
  • work
  • wrong (the wrong thing)
  • your best
  • your hair
  • your homework
  • your job
  • your nails
  • your work


Expressions with MAKE

The following words are normally used with MAKE:
  • a bet
  • a cake
  • a call
  • a change
  • a choice
  • a comment
  • a complaint
  • a confession
  • a connection
  • a cup of coffee / tea
  • a date
  • a decision
  • a demand
  • a difference
  • a discovery
  • a face
  • a fool of yourself
  • a fortune
  • a friend
  • a fuss
  • a joke
  • a line
  • a list
  • a living
  • a loss
  • a mess
  • a mistake
  • a noise
  • a pass at someone
  • a plan
  • a point
  • a prediction
  • a profit
  • a promise
  • a reservation
  • a sandwich
  • a scene
  • a sound
  • a speech
  • a statement
  • a suggestion
  • advances
  • alterations
  • an appointment
  • an announcement
  • an attempt
  • an effort
  • an error
  • an escape
  • an exception
  • an excuse
  • an impression
  • an observation
  • an offer
  • amends
  • arrangements
  • breakfast
  • certain
  • clear
  • dinner
  • faces
  • famous
  • fun of someone
  • love
  • lunch
  • inquiries
  • peace
  • possible
  • progress
  • money
  • room
  • sales
  • sense
  • someone rich
  • someone smile
  • sure
  • trouble
  • war
  • your bed
  • your mind up
  • your way
Try our interactive games to practice this: Do vs. Make


Comments

Popular posts from this blog