ENGLISH

ENGLISH TIPS TO COMPITATIVE EXAMS

BHAJI PATHAN

GOLDEN POINTS

Here is this material that contains the full notes on English which is useful
 MICE

ENGLISH
101 Golden points to solve spotting errors
Here is the list of 101 golden points used for solving spotting errors in English language on
competitive exams.
POINT NUMBER 1:-
Some nouns like to be plural form but they are singular. For those subjects we always treat
them singular form and we use that verb in singular form.
Here is the list of them
 Scenery  Poetry
 Advice  Business
 Information  Economics
 Machinery  Physics
 Stationary  Mathematics
 Furniture  Ethics
 Fuel  Athletics
 Rice  Innings
 Issue  Gallows (a wooden frame to use for a
 Bedding  punishment of hanging up the criminals)…
criminals) … etc
  News
Example:-
 The scenery of Kashmir are enchanting ( wrong)
 The scenery of Kashmir is enchanting ( correct)
 He has given advice
 They have given me some pieces of advice
POINT NUMBER 2:-
Some nouns are look like singular in form but they are used as plural and always take a plural
verb.
Here is the list of them
 Cattle  People
 Gentry (the people who belongs to high  Clergy
class society)  Company
 Peasantry  Police….
Police…. etc
 Actuary (large weapons taken on one
Example:-
 The cattle is grassing in the ground ( wrong)
 The cattle are grassing in the ground ( correct )
POINT NUMBER 3:-
Some nouns are always used in plural form and take plural verbs.
Here is the list of them
 Trousers  Goods
 Scissors  Alms
 Spectacles  Premises
 Stockings  Thanks
 Shorts  Tides….etc
 Missile
Examples:-
 Where is my trousers (wrong)
 Where are my trousers ( correct )
 Spectacles is now costly item (wrong)
 Spectacles are costly item (correct )
POINT NUMBER 4:-
Some nouns that give the measurements like fallows
 Money
  Number
 measure
 weight…etc
When they are preceded by a numeral, they remain unchanged in form.
Example:-
 It is a 3 years degree course. (wrong)
 It is a 3 year degree course. ( correct )
 I have 10 dozens of shoes. ( wrong)
 I have 10 dozen of shoes. ( correct )
POINT NUMBER 5:-
Collecting nouns such as public, team, commute, government, audience, orchestra,
company…etc are both as singular and plural depending on the meaning.
When that word indicates that a unit the verb is singular otherwise it will be plural.
Example:-
 The team hasn‟t come yet
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POINT NUMBER 6:-
Some nouns have one meaning in singular another in plural
Here is some list of those
 Advice = counsel; advices = information
 Air = atmosphere; airs = proud
 Good = complement; goods = properties
 Iron = metal; irons= chains
 Force = strength; forces = army
 Content = satisfaction; contents = things contained
 Physic = medicine; physics = physical science
 Respect = regards; respects = complements
 Work = job; works = composition
 Quarter = one forth of something; quarters = buildings or houses
Example:-
 Airs are necessary for all breathers (wrong)
 Air is necessary for all breathers (correct )
 It is bad to put on air ( wrong)
 It is bad to put on airs ( correct )
POINT NUMBER 7:-
 Family members is wrong ; members of family is correct
 English teacher is wrong ; teacher of English is correct
 Cousin brother or sister is wrong ; cousin is correct
 Brother-in-laws is wrong ; brothers-in-law is correct
 Place in the compartment or on the bench is correct ; room in the compartment or room on the
 bench is wrong
 Our’s, your’s , thair’s are wrong; ours, yours, theirs are correct  in here no use of apostrophe
 Wages in singular number is punishment
Example;-
 The wages of sin is death
 When it is in plural number it means charges for the labor
 The wages of daily workers have been raised
POINT NUMBER 8:-
There are some particular nouns in English language which shows related but difference in
meaning here is the some list of those English words
 MICE

Habit/custom
The noun „ habit’ applies only to individuals where as „ custom’ applies to society or country
Cause and reason
„Cause’ produces a result, while reason gives that the explanation of the cause
Example:-
 Scientists try to find out the cause of a phenomenon (a disaster).
 You have a good reason to be pleased with your students.
POINT NUMBER 9:-
A) Man/gentleman
„Man’ is used in ordinary sense while „ gentleman’ is a man of character
Example:-
 Man is mortal
 He is a gentleman at large
B) Man/people
„Men’ is plural form of man; „ people’ is used for persons
Example:-
 There are 5 men in the room
 The people at Bihar are simple
C) Shade/shadow
„Shade’ is a place sheltered from sun; „shadow’ means the shade of a distant form of object
Example:-
 The villagers sat under shade of a tree.
 He is even afraid of his own shadow.
D) Cost/price
„Cost’ is amount paid by the shopkeeper or the manufacture; „ price’  amount paid by the
customer.
Example:-
 The cost of production of automobile item is gone up.
 For some items the buyers have to pay higher price for necessary items.

E) House/home
„House’ - a building to living
„Home’- one‟s native place
Example:-
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 My home town is Markapur.

F) Customer/client
„Customer’ - is a buyer of goods.
„Client’ is one who avails one‟s self at a service.
Example: -
 The shopkeeper are welcomes the customers with a smile.
 The lower discuses the cases of his clients.
POINT NUMBER 10:-
A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in person number and gender
Example:-
 Every man must bring his luggage.
 Each student must bring his books.
 Each of the girls must carry her own bag.
While using every one, anyone, everybody, each the pronoun of the Macklin gender or the feminine
gender is to be used according to the contest
Example:-
 Anyone can do this job if he tries.
 Each of the six boys in the class has finished his tasks.
POINT NUMBER 11:-
The pronoun „ one’ must be followed by „ one’s’
Example:-
 One must complete his task in time ( wrong)
 One‟s must complete his task in time (correct)
POINT NUMBER 12:-
List of verbs
Enjoy Avail
Apply Pride
Resign Absent….etc
Drive
When used as transitive verb always take a relative pronoun after them.
Example:-
 He absented himself from school.
 He drove himself to Chennai
POINT NUMBER 13:-
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Example:-
 Markapur is the largest commercial center in our area.
D) Before abstract nouns used in general scene.
Example:-
 Beatty fascinates the people.
E) Before names of languages
Example:-
 Telugu is a difficult language to learn when compared to English.
F) Before imitations or organizations like school, collage, church, bed, table, temple, hospital,
market, jail and prison when these places are used or visited for their common purpose.
Example:-
 My Christian friends go to the church every Sunday. ( wrong)
 My Christian friends go to church every Sunday. ( correct )
G) Before names of relations like father, mother, sister, brother….etc
Example:-
 Father is very happy today.
H) Before predicative nouns denoting a unique position that is normally held at onetime by one
 person only.
Example:-
 He was elected chairman of the board.
POINT NUMBER 55:-
Use of „The‟
a) When the object is unique like follows
 The earth
 The sky
 b) Before superlative of the objects like follows
 The best
 The finest
c) With proper nouns like seas, rivers, group of islands, chain of mountains, deserts, news papers,
 buildings, religious books, gulfs.
 The Arabian sea
 The Gangas
 The Taj mahal
 The Times of India
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d) Before a proper noun

 The immortal kalidasa
 The brave allure sita ramaraju
 The line hearted Kandukuri Veeresalingam
e) Before an adjective when the noun is hidden/ before positive degree of adjectives to refer
whole class.
 The rich should be kind and helping
f) Before musical instruments
 I know how to play harmonium
 I cannot play the guitar
g) With a class of things
 The cow is a useful animal
h) „The‟ should be used before both comparative degrees, when they are used in a sentence for
 proportion.
 The harder you work the luckier you become essay.
 The higher you go the colder you get.
POINT NUMBER 56:-
“What to speak of” is wrong the correct expression is “not to speak of”
Example:-
 What to speak of running he cannot even walk. ( wrong)
  Not to speak of running he cannot even walk. ( correct )
POINT NUMBER 57:-
When there is sense of dislike, hesitation, risk… etc in a sentence we should be used gerund
instead of a verb after them.
 Note:-
Here gerund means the verb which passing but not in all contest
Example:-
 I dislike to see film late in the night. ( wrong)
 I dislike seeing film late in the night. (correct )
 Young girls hesitate to take to strange. ( wrong)
 Young girls hesitate to talking to strange. ( correct )
POINT NUMBER  58:-
“Cent percent” and “word to word” or “word by word” are wrong „100 percent‟ and „word for
word‟ are wrong.
 MICE

 You are never cent percent sure of your success. (wrong)

 You are never 100 percent sure of your success. ( correct )
 I can reproduce this lessen word by word. ( wrong)
 I can reproduce this lessen word for word. ( correct)
POINT NUMBER 59:-
„Since‟, „because‟, „as‟ and „for‟ are means „because‟, but there is difference in their degree.
„Since‟ and „because‟ are used for stranger reasons and „as‟ and „for‟ are used weaker reasons.
Example:-
 I respect him as he is my teacher. ( wrong)
 I respect him since/because he is my teacher. (correct )
 I could not attend meeting because it was very hot in day. ( wrong)
 I could not attend meeting as it was very hot in day. ( correct )
POINT NUMBER 61:-
Use of „when‟ and „while‟ proper attention must be paid for these words „when‟ indicates a
general sense,
„While‟ implies the time during the process of doing a work.
Example:-
 When learning to swim, one of the most important things is to relax. (wrong)
 While learning to swim, one of the most important things is to rel ax. ( correct)
POINT NUMBER 61:-
Sometimes the error lies in the use of words proper attention must be given to the appropriate
words.
Example:-
 Prakash was leading a happy leisurely life after his retirement from his service. (wrong)
 Prakash was living a happy leisurely life after his retirement from his service. (correct )
 Note:-
Here the word leading is in appropriate one leads a group, team, moment..Etc, but not life.
POINT NUMBER 62:-
If in a sentence an opposition has been used the verb will follow not the opposition the noun,
 pronoun preceding it.
Example:-
 You, my son is a very good boy.
POINT NUMBER 63:-
Proper, abstract and material nouns have no plural form except when they are used as common
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Example:-
 The house is built of bricks. ( wrong)
 The house is built of brick. ( correct)
 Note:-
When such nouns are used in plural they become common nouns with changed meaning as
follows
Coppers:-
 I found some coppers while flowing the field
Irons:-
 This chair is made up of iron.
Tins:-
 This container made up of tin.
 Cans made of tin
Woods-forest:-
 Tribal‟s living in the wood. ( wrong)
 Tribal‟s living in the woods. ( correct )
POINT NUMBER 64:-
Clauses in a sentence beginning with a relative pronoun.
(„who‟, ‟which‟, ‟that‟) take a verb according to the noun or pronoun preceding the relative
 pronoun.
Example:-
 The boy he is my cousin who stood first in the mile race. ( wrong)
 The boy, who stood first in the mile race, is m y cousin. ( correct )
POINT NUMBER 65:-
When two singular nouns joined by „and‟ are preceded by „each‟ or „every‟ the pronoun used
for the subject is singular.
Example:-
 Each man and each boy is responsible for their act ions. (wrong)
 Each man and each boy is responsible for his action. ( correct )
POINT NUMBER 66:-
The relative pronoun should be places as the near as possible to its antecedent no ambiguity
arrives
Example:-
 The boy, who stood first in the mile race, is m y cousin.
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POINT NUMBER 97:-
Adverb „as‟ is not used with verbs like „appointed‟, „electe d‟, ‟selected‟, ‟considered‟ ,‟called‟ but is
used with regard.
Example:-
 He was elected as president of our society. ( wrong)
 He was elected president of our society. ( correct )
 I regard Ramesh my friend. ( wrong)
 I regard Ramesh as my friend. ( correct )
POINT NUMBER 98:-
After the verb, „doubt‟ in reporting verb „that‟ should not be used „if‟ or „whether‟ should be
used in its place.
Example:-
 I doubt that Ravi will come. ( wrong)
 I doubt if Ravi will come. ( correct )
POINT NUMBER 99:-
After a mistake is committed in the use at adjectives and adverb, an adjecti ve wrongly used
with the verb when the same quality of subject, rather t han at action of the verb is to be expressed.
Example:-
 The flowers smelt sweetly. ( wrong)
 The flowers smelt sweet. (correct )
POINT NUMBER 100:-
It is a common practice in conversation to make a statement and as per conformation; as it is
had isn‟t it two points are kept to be kept two points are to be kept in mind it the statement is +ve the
tag question is – ve.
Example:-
 It is raining, is it? (wrong)
 It is raining, isn‟t it? (correct )
 You are not busy, aren‟t you? ( wrong)
 You are not busy, are you? ( correct )
POINT NUMBER 101:-
There are certain common errors which should be avoided
a) The „two first is meaningless is employees that two first two things may be first.
We should say the „first two‟
Example:-
 MICE

 The first two chapters of novels are dull. ( correct )

 b) „only‟ should be placed immediately before the word its qualified
Example:-
 He only lost his ticket in the stamped. ( wrong)
 Only he lost his ticket in the stamped. ( correct )
c) An infinite verb should not be split,
 I request you to kindly help me. ( wrong)
 I request you kindly to help me. ( correct )
d) „Care‟ should be taken in the use of verb according to their sense.
 The doctor sea the pulse of the patient. ( wrong)
 The doctor felt the pulse of the patient. ( correct )
 He told the truth. ( wrong)
 He spoke the truth. ( correct )
 Do not speak lie. ( wrong)
 Do not tell lie. ( correct )
 He is taking bath. (wrong)
 He is having bath. (correct)
 I tell my prayers in the morning. ( wrong)
 I say my prayers in the morning. ( correct )