Grammar Updates
8.74K subscribers
3.99K photos
1 video
180 files
57 links
Download Telegram
Useful Spelling Rules โ€“ Part II --- 11
=====================================
๐ŸŒผโ€˜seโ€™ and โ€˜ceโ€™; โ€˜syโ€™ and โ€˜cyโ€™
When two words, verb and noun, are spelt alike, โ€˜seโ€™ and โ€˜syโ€™ are verb endings; โ€˜ceโ€™ and โ€˜cyโ€™ are noun endings. The following are therefore verbs: license, practise, prophesy, advise.
The following are nouns: licence, practice, prophecy, advice
Promise is an exception to this rule. It is a noun.
This rule does not hold good when verb and noun are not spelt alike, so โ€˜suspenseโ€™ and โ€˜hypocrisyโ€™ are nouns.

๐ŸŒผThe final โ€˜eโ€™

๐ŸŽˆ1. When followed by โ€˜mentโ€™
Till recently the final โ€˜eโ€™ was dropped from words ending in โ€˜dgeโ€™. Example: judgment
Nowadays, it is not necessary to drop the final โ€˜eโ€™ before โ€˜mentโ€™. So you can write โ€˜judgementโ€™, โ€˜acknowledgementโ€™, โ€˜arrangementโ€™ and โ€˜advertisementโ€™.
(See The Concise Oxford Dictionary)

๐ŸŽˆ2. The final โ€˜eโ€™ must be dropped before โ€˜ableโ€™.
Move; movable (NOT moveable)
Like; likable (NOT likeable)
The exceptions are words ending in โ€˜geโ€™ and โ€˜ceโ€™. For instance
Change; changeable (NOT changable)
Peace; peaceable (NOT peacable)

๐ŸŽˆ3. The final โ€˜eโ€™ is also dropped before โ€˜ousโ€™, โ€˜ageโ€™ or โ€˜ishโ€™.
Virtue; virtuous
Mile; milage (occasionally still: mileage)
Blue; bluish
Courage is an exception to this rule. We write courageous and not couragous.

๐ŸŽˆ4. The final โ€˜eโ€™ is always dropped before โ€˜ingโ€™ except when it is preceded by a vowel with which it forms one sound.
Love; loving
Like; liking
See; seeing (Here the final โ€˜eโ€™ and the preceding vowel forms one sound.)
Dye; Dyeing (Here the final โ€˜eโ€™ and the preceding y forms one sound.)

๐ŸŒผWords ending in โ€˜cโ€™ and โ€˜ckโ€™
Words ending in โ€˜cโ€™ take โ€˜kโ€™ after the โ€˜cโ€™ before adding โ€˜edโ€™or โ€˜ingโ€™.
Examples:
Frolic - frolicked, frolicking
Mimic - mimicked,mimicking
picnic - picnicked, picnicking
======================
SV RAMANUJ
โค1
Spelling : capital letters --- 12
====================================
๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿป Capital letters are used at the beginning of the following kinds of words.

๐ŸŒบ1. the names of days, months and public holidays. The names of seasons do not usually begin with capital letters.
๐Ÿ”นSunday; Monday; Friday
๐Ÿ”นJanuary; March, August
๐Ÿ”นChristmas; Easter;
๐Ÿ”นsummer; autumn; winter; spring

๐ŸŒบ2. the names of people and places, including stars and planets
๐Ÿ”นShailesh; Alka; Tina
๐Ÿ”นIndia; Tokyo; Paris; Singapore
๐Ÿ”นJupiter; Mars; Neptune
(But the earth, the sun and the moon)

๐ŸŒบ3. peopleโ€™s titles
๐Ÿ”นMr Shah; Dr Dave; the Chairman; the Managing Director

๐ŸŒบ4. nouns and adjectives referring to nationalities and regions, languages, religions and ethnic groups
๐Ÿ”นHe is French.
๐Ÿ”นShe is Spanish.
๐Ÿ”นHe is a Sikh.
๐Ÿ”นChinese history

๐ŸŒบ5. the first word in the title of books, magazines, plays, pictures, magazines etc. Sometimes other nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs in the title also begin with capital letters.
๐Ÿ”นThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer or The adventures of Tom Sawyer
๐Ÿ”นGone with the Wind OR Gone with the wind

๐ŸŒผ Spelling :-ly
We normally change an adjective into an adverb by adding -ly.
๐Ÿ”นLate โ€“ lately
๐Ÿ”นReal โ€“ really
๐Ÿ”นRight โ€“ rightly
๐Ÿ”นDefinite โ€“ definitely
๐Ÿ”นHopeful โ€“ hopefully
๐Ÿ”นComplete โ€“ completely

๐ŸŒธ Exceptions
There are some exceptions to this rule.
๐Ÿ”นTrue โ€“ truly (NOT truely)
๐Ÿ”นFull โ€“ fully (NOT fullly)
๐Ÿ”นDue โ€“ duly (NOT duely)

๐ŸŒผ Y and I
The final -y in an adjective changes to -i- before adding -ly.
๐Ÿ”นHappy โ€“ happily
๐Ÿ”นMerry โ€“ merrily
๐Ÿ”นEasy โ€“ easily

๐ŸŒผ Adjectives ending in consonant + le
-le changes to -ly after a consonant
๐Ÿ”นIdle โ€“ idly
๐Ÿ”นNoble โ€“ nobly

๐ŸŒผ Adjectives ending in -ic
Adjectives ending in -ic, have adverbs ending in -ically.
๐Ÿ”นTragic โ€“ tragically
๐Ÿ”นPhonetic โ€“ phonetically

๐ŸŒธ Exception
๐Ÿ”นPublic โ€“ publicly
=======================
SV RAMANUJ
โค1
Spelling and Pronunciation --- 14
=================================
๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿป Words ending in -ize and -ise
In British English some words can be spelt with either -ize or -ise. In American English, the forms with -ize is more common.
Examples are given below:

๐Ÿ”ต British English
Realize / realise
Computerize / computerise
Mechanize / mechanise
Baptize / baptise

๐ŸŸฃ American English
Realize
Mechanize
Computerize
Baptize

๐Ÿ”ถMost words of two or more syllables have -ise in both British and American English.
Examples are:
Surprise, revise, exercise, advise, comprise, despise, compromise, improvise, supervise, televise, advertise
Notes:

๐Ÿ”ถIn American English, advertize is also possible.
If in doubt, remember that -ise is almost always correct in British English.

๐Ÿ”ถ Spelling and pronunciation
In English, spelling words is not easy. In fact, even native English speakers often find it difficult to spell words correctly. This is mainly because the pronunciation of many English words has changed over
the last few hundred years. The spelling system, on the other hand, has stayed more or less the same. Here is a list of some common words that often cause difficulty.

๐ŸŸฉ In the following words the letters in brackets are not pronounced.
Ev(e)ning
Asp(i)rin
Bus(i)ness
Choc(o)late
Diff(e)rent
Ev(e)ry
Marri(a)ge
Om(e)lette
Rest(au)rant
Sev(e)ral
Med(i)cine

๐ŸŸจ The following four syllable words are usually pronounced like three syllable words. The letters in brackets are usually not pronounced.
Comf(or)table
Int(e)resting
Temp(e)rature
Us(u)ally
Veg(e)table

๐Ÿ”‡ Silent letters
In the following words b is silent.
Climb, comb, dumb

๐Ÿ”ปIn the following words d is silent.
Handkerchief, sandwich, Wednesday

๐Ÿ”ปThe gh is silent in the following words.
Bought, caught, ought, thought, daughter, height, high, light, might, neighbour, right, sight, tight, straight, through, weigh

๐Ÿ”ปIn the following words h is silent
What, when, whip, why, honest, hour, honour
======================
SV RAMANUJ
๐Ÿ‘1
Words ending in -ise and -ize --- 15
===============================
๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿป Many English words can be spelt with either โ€“ise and โ€“ize. In American English, the spelling with โ€“ize is preferred. In British English, both forms are usually possible.

๐ŸŒบ Examples are:

๐ŸŸก British English
๐Ÿ”นRealize / realise
๐Ÿ”นMechanize / mechanise
๐Ÿ”นComputerize / computerise
๐Ÿ”นBaptize / baptise

๐ŸŸค American English
๐Ÿ”ธRealize
๐Ÿ”ธMechanize
๐Ÿ”ธComputerize
๐Ÿ”ธBaptize

๐ŸŽˆSome words have โ€“ise in both British and American English. Examples are:
๐Ÿ”นsurprise; revise; advise; comprise; despise; compromise; exercise; supervise; televise; advertise

In American English advertize is also sometimes possible.

๐ŸŒธ Exception
๐Ÿ”ธCapsize has โ€“ize in both British and American English.

๐Ÿ”ฎ If you are in doubt, remember that in British English the forms with โ€“ise are almost always possible.

๐ŸŽˆAdverb formation
We normally change an adjective into an adverb by adding โ€“ly.
๐Ÿ”นPale โ€“ palely
๐Ÿ”นRight โ€“ rightly
๐Ÿ”นShy โ€“ shyly
๐Ÿ”นSly โ€“ slyly
๐Ÿ”นCoy โ€“ coyly
======================
SV RAMANUJ
Some useful spelling rules --- 16
===========================
๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿป When the word ends in a consonant
If the accent falls on the last syllable, the consonant is doubled to form the past tense.

๐ŸŒทSo we have
Occur โ€“> occurred
Transfer โ€“> transferred

When the word ends in a short vowel + consonant, the final consonant is not usually doubled to form the past tense.

๐ŸŒทTherefore
Offer โ€“> offered (NOT Offerred)
Budget โ€“> budgeted

๐Ÿƒ Short monosyllabic words always double their final consonant.

๐ŸŒทExamples are:
Shop โ€“> shopping
Let โ€“> letting
Cut โ€“> cutting

๐ŸŒปโ€˜ieโ€™ and โ€˜eiโ€™
The general rule is โ€˜iโ€™ before โ€˜eโ€™ except after โ€˜cโ€™
Examples are:
Siege, believe, friends

๐ŸŒžBut
Receive, deceive, ceiling (after โ€˜cโ€™, we use โ€˜eโ€™ before โ€˜Iโ€™)

๐Ÿƒ There are however several exceptions to this rule. Examples are: reign, heir, seize, weird. As you can see, in all of these words, the letter โ€˜eโ€™ goes before the letter โ€˜iโ€™.

๐ŸŒผDis and mis
Never double the โ€˜sโ€™ of these prefixes. In some words, you may notice a second โ€˜sโ€™, but remember that it is the first letter of the next syllable.

๐ŸŒผSo we have
Dismiss (NOT Dissmiss)
Misplace
Misunderstand
Dispel

๐ŸŒบSe and Ce
Se and sy are usually verb endings and ce and cy are usually noun endings. So the following words are verbs: license, practise, advise, prophesy

๐Ÿƒ And the following words are nouns: licence, practice, prophecy, advice

๐ŸŒThe word promise is an exception to this rule. Although it ends in โ€“se, it is a noun.
Note that this rule does not hold good when verb and noun are not spelt alike.

๐ŸUs and ous
Nouns end in โ€˜usโ€™. Adjectives end in โ€˜ousโ€™.
So we have:
โ›„๏ธNouns: census, phosphorus, genius
โ›„๏ธAdjectives: jealous, unanimous, tremendous
======================
SV RAMANUJ
๐Ÿ‘1
Spelling Exercise --- 17
=================================
๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿป There are some words which can cause confusion in meaning if we are not careful about their spelling because they can be confused for another word which is very similar in spelling.

๐Ÿ”ถ Here are some commonly confused verbs

๐Ÿ”นdie / dying / died
๐Ÿ”นdye / dyeing / dyed
๐Ÿ”นhop / hopping / hopped
๐Ÿ”นhope / hoping / hoped
๐Ÿ”นmop / mopping / mopped
๐Ÿ”นmope / moping / moped
๐Ÿ”นscrap / scraping / scraped
๐Ÿ”นlie (recline) / lying / laid or lain
๐Ÿ”นlie (tell a lie) / lying / lied
==================
Complete the following sentences.

1. The rabbit .......................... across the field.
hopped
hoped

2. I was ........................... that you could lend me a pound.
hoping
hopping

3. Divya ........................ the skirt to match her blouse.
died
dyed

4. The poor woman is ...........................
dying
dyeing

5. The rough surface of the floor made ........................ difficult.
mopping
moping

6. I slipped and .......................... an elbow.
scrapped
scraped

7. The witness .......................... to the jury.
lied
laid

8. The king ............................ now in his final resting place.
lays
lies

9. I .......................... down on the couch yesterday.
lie
lay

10. Please .................................. the plate down now.
lie
lay
lain

11. The tiles were .......................... in a geometric pattern.
lied
laid

12. It is a mistake to .............................. too much emphasis on grades.
lie
lay
======================
๐ŸŸขAnswers๐ŸŸข

1. The rabbit hopped across the field.
2. I was hoping that you could lend me a pound.
3. Divya dyed the skirt to match her blouse.
4. The poor woman is dying.
5. The rough surface of the floor made mopping difficult.
6. I slipped and scraped an elbow.

7. The witness lied to the jury.
8. The king lies now in his final resting place.
9. I lay down on the couch yesterday.
10. Please lay the plate down now.
11. The tiles were laid in a geometric pattern.
12. It is a mistake to lay too much emphasis on grades.
====================
SV RAMANUJ
Hyphens --- 18
==============================
๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿป Hyphens are the short lines that separate the words in the expressions โ€˜non-Englishโ€™ and โ€˜ex-husbandโ€™.

โ˜บ๏ธ When to use hyphens?
We usually use a hyphen between the two words in a two-part adjective in which the second part ends in -ed or -ing.

๐Ÿ”นGood-looking
๐Ÿ”นBroken-hearted
๐Ÿ”นBlue-eyed

๐Ÿ”—Two-part adjectives which contain the sense of โ€˜betweenโ€™ are also hyphenated.
๐Ÿ”นthe India-Pakistan match (= the match between India and Pakistan)
๐Ÿ”นthe Anglo-French agreement

๐Ÿ”—A longer phrase used as an adjective before a noun is also hyphenated.
Compare:
๐Ÿ”นAn out-of-work singer
๐Ÿ”นHe is out of work. (NOT He is out-of-work.)

๐ŸŸก Prefixes
The prefixes co-, non- and ex- are sometimes separated from the following words by hyphens.
๐Ÿ”นEx-lover
๐Ÿ”นNon-cooperation
๐Ÿ”นCo-production

๐Ÿ”—Hyphens are also used to separate the parts of a long word at the end of a written or printed line. To see where to divide words look in a good dictionary.

๐Ÿ˜ฅ Are hyphens disappearing?
The rules about the usage of hyphens are very complicated. Needless to say, people seem to be using hyphens less. Many short compound words are now written with no separation between the two parts.
๐Ÿ”นExamples are:
weekend, takeover ,cooperation etc.

๐Ÿ“ŽMany longer compound words are now written as completely separate words.
๐Ÿ”นExamples are:
bus driver, living room etc.

๐Ÿ“ŽIt is also not unusual to find the same word written in three different ways.
๐Ÿ”นExamples are:
living-room, living room, livingroom

๐Ÿ˜Œ If you do not know whether to use a hyphen or not, the best thing to do is to write the words without a hyphen.
==================
SV RAMANUJ
Apostrophe --- 19
=============================
The punctuation mark (โ€˜) is called apostrophe. It has the following functions.

๐ŸŒบIn writing a contraction
The apostrophe is used in writing a contraction. It shows the place of the omitted letters.
Examples are:
๐Ÿ”นitโ€™s (for it is or it has)
๐Ÿ”นhasnโ€™t (for has not)
๐Ÿ”นdoesnโ€™t (for does not)

๐ŸŒบThe apostrophe is also used in writing certain words which were formerly contractions.
Examples are:
๐Ÿ”นoโ€™clock (of the clock)
๐Ÿ”นo'er (over)
๐Ÿ”นLet's (let us)
๐Ÿ”น'tis (it is)

๐ŸŒบIn writing most possessives
The apostrophe is used in writing most possessives.

๐Ÿ”นRiyaโ€™s mother
๐Ÿ”นPriyaโ€™s car
๐Ÿ”นChildrenโ€™s books
๐Ÿ”นtwo weeksโ€™ vacation

๐ŸŒบNote that the apostrophe is not used in writing the possessive forms of most pronouns.
๐Ÿ”นThe cat closed its eyes. (NOT The cat closed itโ€™s eyes.)
๐Ÿ”นWhose bag is this? (NOT Whoโ€™se bag is this?)
๐Ÿ”นThese toys are hers. (NOT These toys are herโ€™s.)

๐ŸŒบIn writing the plurals of letters
Although the apostrophe is not used in writing plurals, it is used in writing the plurals of letters and other forms which would be difficult to read without the apostrophe.
๐Ÿ”นDot the iโ€™s and cross the tโ€™s
๐Ÿ”นMind your pโ€™s and qโ€™s
๐Ÿ”นDo's and Dont's
=================
SV RAMANUJ
๐Ÿ“ข Comma โ€“ Part I --- 20
========================
๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿป The punctuation mark comma (,) has the following uses.

๐ŸŸฃ To connect the items in a list

๐ŸŒผCommas are used to connect the items in a list, except for the last two which are usually connected by a coordinating conjunction like and or or.

๐Ÿ”นMy favorite writers are Charles Dickens, Emily Bronte and Jane Austen.
๐Ÿ”นThe Three Musketeers were Arthos, Porthos and Aramis.

๐ŸŒผTo join two complete sentences into a single sentence
A comma is used to join two complete sentences into a single sentence. It is usually followed by a connecting word like and, but, or, while or yet.
๐Ÿ”นShe had very little to live on, but she would never take what was not hers.

๐Ÿ“Ž Notes
Short clauses connected by and, but or or are not usually separated by commas.
๐Ÿ”นShe is poor but she is honest. (NOT She is poor, but she is honest.)

๐ŸŒผTo show that certain words have been omitted
A comma can be used to show that certain words have been omitted.
๐Ÿ”นAnkita decided to order to steak pie and Peter, the chicken pathia. (The omitted words are โ€˜decided to orderโ€™.)

๐ŸŸค Subordinate clauses
When subordinate clauses begin sentences, they are often separated by commas.
๐Ÿ”นWhen the rain stopped, we went out. OR We went out when the rain stopped.

๐ŸŒผCommas are also used to set off words or expressions that interrupt the natural progression of a sentence
๐Ÿ”นMy friends, however, did not come.
๐Ÿ”นNeha had, surprisingly, did everything.
======================
๐Ÿ“ข Comma โ€“ Part II
======================
๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿป To separate adjectives used in the predicative position

๐ŸŒธAdjectives used in the predicative position are always separated by commas.
๐Ÿ”นHe is tall, dark and handsome.
๐Ÿ”นThat was a lovely, long, cool drink.

๐ŸŒธSometimes commas are not used between the last two adjectives which are usually separated by a conjunction like and or or.
Commas are sometimes dropped between short adjectives.

๐ŸŸก In direct speech
A comma is generally used between a reporting verb and a piece of direct speech.
๐Ÿ”นLooking at the painting, she said, โ€˜I like this one.โ€™

๐ŸŒธ If the reporting verb follows a piece of direct speech, we usually use a comma instead of a full stop before the closing quotation mark.
๐Ÿ”นโ€˜I donโ€™t like this,โ€˜ said Siya.

๐Ÿ”ต Numbers
Large numbers are often divided into groups of three figures by using commas.

โ—พ๏ธ Examples are:
๐Ÿ”น5,768 (NOT 5.768)
๐Ÿ”น6, 567, 873

๐ŸŒธCommas are sometimes not used in four figure numbers.
๐Ÿ”น5,378 or 5378

๐ŸŒธCommas are never used in dates.
๐Ÿ”นThe Year 1953 (NOT The Year 1,953)

๐ŸŒธCases where commas are not used
Commas are not used before that, what, where etc in indirect speech structures.
๐Ÿ”นNobody realized that the child was missing. (NOT Nobody realized, that the child โ€ฆ)
๐Ÿ”นShe didnโ€™t know what to do. (NOT She didnโ€™t know, what to do.)

๐ŸŒธCommas are not used between two grammatically independent sentences. Instead we use a full stop or a semicolon.
๐Ÿ”นThe blue dress was cheap. On the other hand, the pink dress was better.
๐Ÿ”ธOR The blue dress was cheap; on the other hand, the pink dress was better.
๐Ÿ”ป(NOT The blue dress was cheap, on the other hand, โ€ฆ)
==========================================
SV RAMANUJ
Punctuation: Colon
================
๐Ÿ’งThe colon (:) marks a bigger pause than that is expressed by the semicolon. It is sometimes used with a dash after it.
๐Ÿ”ธWe cancelled our decision to go on a holiday: we had too little money.
๐Ÿ”ธSonal had to be hospitalized: she had heart trouble.

๐Ÿ’งDirect speech
A colon is used when famous sayings are quoted.
๐Ÿ”ธBacon says: โ€˜Reading makes a full man, writing an exact man, speaking a ready man.โ€™

๐Ÿ’งA colon is also used when direct speech is introduced by a name.
๐Ÿ”ธPolonius: What do you read, my lord?
๐Ÿ”ธHamlet: Words, words, words.

๐Ÿ’งIn other cases, direct speech is usually introduced by a comma.
๐Ÿ”ธShailesh looked at the photo and said, โ€˜Who is this beautiful girl?โ€™

๐Ÿ’งLists
A colon can introduce a list.
๐Ÿ”ธThe three tenses are: the present tense, the past tense and the future tense.
๐Ÿ”ธWe need three kinds of support: financial, political and moral.

๐Ÿ’งIn a title or heading, a colon is often used to introduce a subdivision of a subject.
๐Ÿ”ธTenses: the present tense
๐Ÿ”ธPunctuation: colon

๐Ÿ’งCapital letters
In British English, we do not normally use a capital letter after a colon. In American English, colons are more often followed by capital letters.
๐Ÿ”ธVerbs: transitive verbs (GB)
๐Ÿ”ธVerbs: Transitive verbs (US)

๐Ÿ’งLetters
In letters Americans usually put a colon after the opening salutation.
๐Ÿ”ธDear Mr. Ramanuj:
I am writing toโ€ฆ

๐Ÿ’งBritish people prefer a comma in this case. Sometimes they do not use any punctuation mark at all.
๐Ÿ”ธDear Mr Ramanuj,
I am writing toโ€ฆ
๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ
SV RAMANUJ
Punctuation Exercise
==================
Use appropriate punctuation marks in the following sentences.

1. We had a great time in France the kids really enjoyed it
2. Some people work best in the mornings others do better in the evenings
3. What are you doing next weekend
4. Mother had to go into hospital she had heart problems
5. Did you understand why I was upset

6. It is a fine idea let us hope that it is going to work
7. We will be arriving on Monday morning at least I think so
8. A textbook can be a wall between teacher and class
9. The girls father sat in a corner
10. In the words of Murphys Law Anything that can go wrong will go wrong
=============================
๐ŸŸขAnswers๐ŸŸข

1. We had a great time in France โ€“ the kids really enjoyed it.
2. Some people work best in the mornings; others do better in the evenings.
3. What are you doing next weekend?
4. Mother had to go into hospital: she had heart problems.
5. Did you understand why I was upset?

6. It is a fine idea; let us hope that it is going to work.
7. We will be arriving on Monday morning โ€“ at least, I think so.
8. A textbook can be a โ€˜wallโ€™ between teacher and class.
9. The girlโ€™s father sat in a corner.
10. In the words of Murphyโ€™s Law: โ€˜Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.โ€™
๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ
SV RAMANUJ
Uses of comma in a simple sentence
==============================
๐Ÿ’ฆThe comma is the shortest pause between words.
The comma has the following uses in a simple sentence.

๐Ÿ’ฆTo mark off nouns, pronouns or phrases in apposition
๐Ÿ”ปShailesh, my neighbor, is a teacher.
๐Ÿ”ปWordsworth, the famous English poet, was a lover of nature.

๐Ÿ’ฆTo mark off each one of a series of words belonging to the same part of speech
๐Ÿ”ปHe spoke easily, clearly and eloquently.
๐Ÿ”ปThe children laughed, danced, jumped and cried for joy.

๐Ÿ’ฆA comma is generally not placed before a word preceded by and.
๐Ÿ”ปThe farmer owned sheep, cattle and poultry.

๐Ÿ’ฆTo mark off a nominative of address
๐Ÿ”ปDoctor, the patient is ill.
๐Ÿ”ปGentleman, I bring good news.

๐Ÿ’ฆAfter a nominative absolute
๐Ÿ”ปGod willing, we shall meet again.

๐Ÿ’ฆTo mark off a direct quotation from the rest of the sentence
๐Ÿ”ปโ€˜I am not tired,โ€™ said James, โ€˜but I am very hungry.โ€™

๐Ÿ’ฆTo separate each pair of words connected by โ€˜andโ€™
๐Ÿ”ปYoung and old, high and low, rich and poor, all praised the little boyโ€™s clever tricks.

๐Ÿ’ฆBefore and after words, phrases and clauses let into the body of a sentence.
๐Ÿ”ปHis conduct, to say the least, was disgusting.
๐Ÿ”ปHe did not, however, agree.

๐Ÿ’ฆThe following words and expressions are also separated from the rest of the sentence by means of a comma:
๐Ÿ”ปat least, indeed, well, all the same, however, of course, on the whole, in short, in particular etc.
๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ
SV RAMANUJ
Using the apostrophe
====================
๐ŸŒžAn apostrophe (โ€™) is used to create possessive forms, contractions and some plural forms. It indicates where the letter has been omitted.
๐Ÿ”นI am = Iโ€™m
๐Ÿ”นHeโ€™s = he is
๐Ÿ”นTheyโ€™re = they are
๐Ÿ”นDo not = donโ€™t
๐Ÿ”นIโ€™d = I would or I had
๐Ÿ”นShe would have failed. = She wouldโ€™ve failed.

๐ŸŒžContracted forms are not considered appropriate in formal writing. However, it is basically a matter of personal choice.
Before writing contractions in a paper that is going to be graded, you should ask your tutor whether it is appropriate to include them in your writing.
Apostrophes are used in writing possessives.
While writing possessives, the position of the apostrophe depends on whether the noun is singular or plural.

๐ŸŒžIf the noun is singular, the apostrophe goes before the โ€“s.
๐Ÿ”นExample: the girlโ€™s parents
If the noun is plural, the apostrophe usually goes after the โ€“s.
๐Ÿ”นExample: the girlsโ€™ parents
If the plural form of the noun does not end in โ€“s, the apostrophe goes before the โ€“s.
๐Ÿ”นExample: the menโ€™s hostel

๐ŸŒžYou can also create possessive forms with of. In this case, no apostrophes are used.
๐Ÿ”นA friend of mine works abroad.

๐ŸŒžCommon mistakes
The words its and itโ€™s are often confused.
๐Ÿ”ธIts is a possessive word.
๐Ÿ”นThe dog wagged its tail.
๐Ÿ”ธItโ€™s means it is or it has.
๐Ÿ”นItโ€™s your book. (= It is your book.)
๐Ÿ”นItโ€™s stopped raining. (= It has stopped raining.)

๐ŸŒžTheyโ€™re and their
These two expressions are also confused.
Theyโ€™re means they are. Their is a possessive word.
๐Ÿ”นThey took their children along.
๐Ÿ”นTheyโ€™re waiting for us. (= They are waiting for us.)

๐ŸŒžโ€˜There areโ€™ does not have an appropriate contracted form.

๐ŸŒžAn apostrophe is also used to form the plurals of letters and digits. This is particularly common when the letters are written in the small case.
๐Ÿ”นMind your pโ€™s and qโ€™s.
๐Ÿ”นShe got 4 aโ€™s this term.

๐ŸŒžApostrophes are no longer used to form plurals of years.
๐Ÿ”นExample: 1990s (more natural than 1990โ€™s)
๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ
SV RAMANUJ
Using the quotation marks
=====================
๐Ÿ—ฃQuotation marks (โ€œ โ€) are used to set off text that denotes quoted or spoken language.
Quotation marks are also used to set off titles of stories, novels and poems.

๐Ÿ—ฃIn American English, it is not uncommon for periods and commas to go inside quotation marks.
For example, an American may write:
๐Ÿ”นMy favorite novel is โ€œGulliverโ€™s Travels.โ€

๐Ÿ—ฃThis use of punctuation marks within the quotation marks is not considered appropriate in British English.
So if you follow the rules of British English, you are more likely to write:
๐Ÿ”นMy favorite novel is โ€˜Gulliverโ€™s Travelsโ€™.

๐Ÿ—ฃNote that if the text inside the quotation marks is a sentence, then a full stop can be used at the end.
๐Ÿ”นHe always said, โ€œBe careful what you wish for.โ€
๐Ÿ”นHe always said, โ€œBe careful what you wish forโ€.

๐Ÿ—ฃWe use quotation marks when we quote direct speech. Single quotation marks (โ€˜ โ€™) are more common in British English and double quotation marks (โ€œ โ€) in American English.
๐Ÿ”นAlbert said, โ€œGet that woman out of here.โ€

๐Ÿ—ฃA long passage of direct speech inside the quotation marks may be introduced by a colon.
๐Ÿ”นAnnouncing the quarterly earnings, the Chairman said: โ€œA number of factors have contributed to the stellar performance of the company.โ€

๐Ÿ—ฃA colon is also used when direct speech is introduced by a name.
๐Ÿ”นLord Polonius: โ€œNeither a borrower nor a lender be.โ€

๐Ÿ—ฃIn reporting words that are said internally, but not spoken out loudly, the writer may or may not use quotation marks.
๐Ÿ”นโ€œWhat a lovely morning!โ€ Maya said to herself.
๐Ÿ”นWhat a lovely morning, Maya said to herself.
๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ
SV RAMANUJ
Uses of the comma
===================
๐ŸŒผThe comma is used to indicate a pause between parts of a sentence.

๐ŸŒผUses of the comma
Before and after words used in apposition to a noun
๐Ÿ”นWinston Churchill, the statesman, was also an eminent writer.
๐Ÿ”นRiya, my sister, is an eminent cardiologist.

๐ŸŒผTo separate two or more nouns, adjectives, or adverbs that come together
๐Ÿ”นEngland, Russia and France formed an alliance.

๐ŸŒผTo separate a participial phrase
๐Ÿ”นFeeling tired, I went to bed.
๐Ÿ”นBeing fat, she couldnโ€™t run fast.

๐ŸŒผTo mark off a noun
๐Ÿ”นShailesh, can we bank on him?
๐Ÿ”นMaya, have your meals.
๐Ÿ”นSatish, come here.

๐ŸŒผAfter an introductory phrase or clause
๐Ÿ”นTo be honest, I have little interest in politics.
๐Ÿ”นFor Godโ€™s sake, leave me alone.
๐Ÿ”นIn the name of justice, be fair to that poor man.

๐ŸŒผTo indicate the omission of a verb in cases where repetition should be avoided
๐Ÿ”นMy brother bought a watch and my sister, a camera. (= My brother bought a watch and my sister bought a camera.)

๐ŸŒผBefore and after words or phrases let into the body of a sentence
๐Ÿ”นShe had, surprisingly, paid for everything.
๐Ÿ”นThe boy had, in spite of all the hardships he faced, managed to succeed.

๐ŸŒผTo separate a subordinate clause from the main clause
๐Ÿ”นAfter he had finished his job, he went out.
๐Ÿ”นWhen I opened the door, the cat jumped in.

๐ŸŒผThe comma can be omitted when the subordinate clause goes after the main clause.
๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ
SV RAMANUJ