Useful grammar tips
 

[B][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Green"]Apostrophes[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

[B]Don't use an apostrophe to form a plural. A sentence like [U]Please keep the gate's clear[/U] is wrong. Use an apostrophe to indicate possession or to show that a word has been contracted[/B]

[B][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Green"]Dangling Participles [/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

[B]Dangling participles often make good jokes. But they can be confusing and it's best to avoid them. A participle should describe the grammatical subject of the main clause, as in the sentence [U]Walking down the road, I bumped into a friend.[/U] A dangling participle is one that the speaker really intends to describe something other than the grammatical subject of the sentence. If we interpret [U]Riding along on my bicycle, a dog knocked me over[/U] grammatically, the participle [U]riding [/U]must relate to [U]dog[/U], so we end up with a dog that has first stolen a bicycle and then ridden it carelessly! The speaker really means [U]riding [/U]to relate to [U]me[/U], and anyone reading or hearing the sentence would understand this. As a rule, however, it's best to construct sentences so that they say what you really mean them to. [/B]

[B][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Green"]As and like[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

[B]Use like before a noun, as in:

[U]She's very like her mother.[/U]

Where a clause follows, you should use as or as if, e.g.

He's behaving as if he owns the place. ---- This sentence is a right one.
He’s behaving like he owns the place. ---- This sentence is a wrong one.

Or

You don't know him as I do. ---- This sentence is a right one.
You don’t know him like I do. ---- This sentence is a wrong one.[/B]

[B][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Green"]Commas[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

[B]Why does the sentence 'People, who lived in the neighbourhood, were opposed to the building plans' sound funny?

If you are using a relative clause to identify the person or thing you are talking about, you should not separate it from the main clause with a comma.

The man who lives next door is very helpful.

In the above sentence, the words who lives next door tell us which man is being talked about.

You could only say:

The man,[U] who lives next door[/U], is very helpful.

If you had already identified the man in some other way, use commas to separate off a relative clause that gives more information, which may be interesting but is not essential if someone is to understand what you are saying, but don't use a comma if the relative clause is essential to the meaning of the sentence.[/B]

[B][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Green"]He or She or They[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

[B]People are increasingly using the plural pronoun [U]they [/U]to refer to one person if they do not know whether that person is male or female. Until quite recently, [U]he [/U]was generally used to refer to a person of either sex as in:[U] Every child needs to know that he is loved.[/U] But nowadays many people feel that such a use is sexist.

He or she is possible, but is rather awkward. [U]They [/U]is generally accepted in sentences using words such as [U]someone [/U]or [U]anyone[/U].

[I]Example[/I]:

Anyone can join if [U]they [/U]are a resident.

More people object to they being used after a single noun as in:

Ask a friend if they can help.

Interestingly, use of they in this way is not a modern invention. It was first recorded in the 16th century. [/B]

[B][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Green"]Less or Fewer [/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

[B]Use the comparative form [U]fewer [/U]with plural nouns.

Example:

There are fewer people here than there were yesterday. --- This is a wrong sentence.

There are less people here than there were yesterday. --- This is a right sentence.

Use [U]less [/U]with uncountable nouns - that is, ones with no plural form.

Example:

He has less money than I have.
[/B]

[B][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Green"]Haves and Have-Nots[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

[B]Remember the [U]had [/U]in sentences like [U]I had better go now[/U]. Because[U] I had[/U] can be contracted to [U]I'd[/U]. People often hear it as [U]I [/U]and leave out [U]had [/U]altogether. [U]I better go[/U] is not correct in Standard English.

Always use [U]I'd[/U] or [U]I had[/U].

Avoid [U]Should of[/U].

In sentences like I might have known them.

You should have gone.

Many people use [U]of [/U]instead of [U]have[/U].

This is wrong.

Remember to use [U]have[/U].[/B]

[B][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Green"]Double Negatives[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

[B]Be sure that you know what you are trying to say if you use two negative words in a sentence. In English, two negatives cancel each other out rather than double the negative force of your sentence. [U]I didn't see no one[/U] is a rather strange way of saying that you saw someone rather than an emphatic way of saying that you saw no one.

It is also wrong to say something like [U]There wasn't hardly anyone there.[/U]

Hardly and scarcely should not be used with negatives.

Similarly, the verb [U]miss [/U]already has a negative meaning and doesn't need to have a negative added:

Right Sentence : I miss seeing her.

Wrong Sentence : I miss not seeing her.
[/B]

[B][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Green"]Lying and Laying[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

[B]Don't mix up [U]lie [/U]and [U]lay[/U]. You [U]lay [/U]something as in:

They are going to lay the carpet.

But you [U]lie [/U]down on a bed or other flat surface.

Sentences such as the following ones are wrong.

He is laying on the bed or why don't you lie it on the bed?

[U]Correct forms are:[/U]

He is lying on the bed and why don't you lay it on the bed?

The past tense and past participle of [U]lay [/U]is [U]laid[/U].

They laid the groundwork.

She had laid careful plans.

The past tense of [U]lie [/U]is [U]lay [/U]and the past participle is [U]lain[/U].

He lay on the floor.

She had lain on the bed for hours. [/B]

[B][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Green"]I or me [/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

[B]Be careful to use the pronouns [U]I [/U]and [U]me[/U], [U]he [/U]and [U]him[/U], [U]she [/U]and [U]her[/U], [U]we [/U]and [U]us [/U]and [U]they [/U]and [U]them [/U]in the right place.

Use [U]I[/U], [U]we[/U], etc. when you are talking about someone who has done something (i.e. who is the subject of the sentence).

Use [U]me[/U], [U]us[/U], etc. when you are talking about someone who has had something done to them (i.e. who is the object of the sentence).

People most often make mistakes over this when they are talking about more than one person:

Me and Annie had a dog once.

Adrian and me were going out.

Both these sentences are wrong.

In these sentences you should use [U]I, not me[/U]. Because the two people are the subject in both.

Annie and I had a dog once.

Watch Helen and I while we show you.

The above sentence is a wrong one. You need [U]me [/U]here as the object of watch.

Watch Helen and me while we show you.

The above sentence is the right one.

Everything depends on you and I.

The above sentence is a wrong one. Use me, us, etc. after prepositions.

Everything depends on you and me.

The above sentence is the right one.

A good guide in cases like these is to see whether the sentence sounds right with only the pronoun.

If[U] Me had a dog[/U] is wrong, then so is [U]Annie and me had a dog[/U].

If you wouldn't say [U]Watch I while I show you[/U], you shouldn't say [U]Watch Helen and I.[/U]

It's right to say [U]between you and me[/U] and wrong to say [U]between you and I[/U]. This is because a preposition such as [U]between [/U]should be followed by an object pronoun such as me, him, her and us rather than a subject pronoun such as I, he, she and we. [/B]

[B][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Green"]Might or May[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

[B]People often confuse [U]may have[/U] and [U]might have[/U].

[U]May have[/U] should be used only when you are not sure whether or not something happened. If you want to say that at some time in the past it was possible for something to happen but in fact it did not, use [U]might have[/U].

An accident in which two people may have drowned happened in a village yesterday.

This sentence implies that you do not know whether the people are alive or dead. If you say [U]two people might have drowned[/U] you are implying that they survived, although the accident could in other circumstances have led to their deaths. [/B]

[B][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Green"]Which or That[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]
[B]
What is the difference between [U]which [/U](or [U]who[/U]) and [U]that[/U]? How can you tell which one to use?

The basic question is whether you or the person you are talking to already know what it is that you are talking about. In the sentence:

I've lost the book that I was reading yesterday.

[U]That [/U]introduces information that the listener needs in order to know what book is being talked about.

[U]You can also say:[/U]

I've lost the book which I was reading yesterday.

In this sentence:

This book, which I bought yesterday, is very interesting.

[U]Which [/U]tells the listener something new about a book that has already been identified.

You shouldn't use [U]that [/U]in sentences of this kind.[/B]

[B][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Green"]Possessives[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

[B]To form a possessive from a singular noun, add an apostrophe followed by [U]s[/U]: the girl's book.

Add an apostrophe to plurals ending in [U]s[/U]: the girls’ books.

If a plural noun does not end in [U]s[/U], add an apostrophe followed by [U]s[/U]: the children's toys.

Also add an apostrophe to a name ending in -[U]es [/U]that is pronounced like the word [U]is[/U]: Moses' mother[/B]

[B][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Green"]Equally[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

[B]Don't say [U]equally as[/U].

This model is equally as effective. This sentence is a wrong one.

You can use either [U]equally [/U]or as on its own.

In sentences such as [U]My new car is just as good as the old one[/U] where two nouns are compared, you could replace [U]just as with as[/U], but it would be wrong to use [U]equally[/U]. [/B]

[B][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Green"]Contraction[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

[B]In words such as [U]isn't[/U], [U]I'm[/U] or [U]don't[/U], the apostrophe indicates that one or more letters have been left out.

[U]It's[/U] is the contracted form of [U]It is[/U] or [U]It has[/U] : not the possessive of it. The possessive is its with no apostrophe.

[U]So you should say:[/U]

It's a lovely day

Or

It's been a lovely day.

The dog is in its kennel. – This sentence is a wrong one.

[U]You’re[/U] is a contraction of [U]You are[/U]. The possessive is [U]your[/U].

You're my best friend. --- This is a right sentence.

Your my best friend. --- This is a wrong sentence.

Where is your friend? --- This is a right sentence.

Where is you’re friend? --- This is a wrong sentence.
[/B]

[B][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Green"]This or These [/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

[B]A common mistake is to use the expression [U]These kind[/U] or [U]These sort[/U] as in the following sentence.

These sort of situations are always difficult.

The correct forms are:

This kind of situation…

And

These kinds of situations …

You could say either:

This kind of situation is difficult.

Or

These kinds of situations are difficult.

A more formal expression is:

Situations of this kind… [/B]

[B][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Green"]Sounds Like[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

[B][U]Sometimes a word sounds as though it contains another familiar word:[/U]

There is no cocoa in a coconut.

Bated breath has nothing to do with bait.

Corridor is not related to door.

Sacrilege has the i first and the e second, unlike religion.

Abseiling is quite different from sailing.

[U]Sometimes it is just part of another word that causes a mistake:[/U]

Privilege has no [U]d[/U], unlike, e.g., knowledge.

Attach and detach end in -[U]ach[/U], not -[U]atch[/U], unlike dispatch.

A protuberance is something that protrudes; but it has no [U]r [/U]after the [U]t[/U].

Dissect has a double [U]s[/U], though bisect has only one.

Psychedelic has an [U]e [/U]after psych, unlike psychology.[/B]

[B][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Green"]Adverbs[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

[B]The normal way to form an adverb is to add -[U]ly [/U]as in stupidly, publicly or humorously. However, there are exceptions:

If the word ends in -[U]ll[/U], add -[U]y [/U](e.g. fully).

For words of more than one syllable that end in -[U]y[/U], remove the -y and add -[U]ily [/U](e.g. happily).

Most single-syllable words ending in -[U]y [/U]are regular, except for daily and gaily. [/B]

[B][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Green"]Paired Words[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

[B]When you use pairs like [U]both [/U]. . . [U]and, not only[/U] . . . [U]but also[/U] or [U]neither [/U]. . . [U]nor[/U], make sure that each word in the pair is in the right place. The two words should introduce symmetrical structures.

[U]Example:[/U]

We met both at home and at work. --- This sentence is a right one.

We met both at home and work. --- This sentence is a wrong one.

Strictly speaking, you should say either one of the following two sentences.

He looked neither to right nor to left.

Or

He looked to neither right nor left.

But the following sentence is a wrong one.

He looked neither to right nor left.

Similarly, a sentence like the following one is a wrong expression.

She is not only a talented singer but writes her own songs. --- This sentence is a wrong one.

You could rewrite it as either one of the following two sentences.

She is not only a talented singer but also a composer.

Or

She not only sings but also writes her own songs.[/B]

control on grammar
 

Bro can you give me some idea for how to have a control on sentences. mean while having many problems attempting paragraphs, where grammar is not much supportive.
just give a view of understanding on how to understand grammar,example how to put commas.
In nut shall, give me an idea to improve English grammar in some days to bring improvement in my writing.