5 -Nouns often confused :
489 House and Home. Don't say: You should go to your house now.
Say: You should go home now.
Take care notto say my house, his house, or your house when you should say home. A house isanybuilding used fordwelling in,andhome is the particular house in which someone is living.
Note Home mayalso denote one's owncountry When an Englishman abroad says I'm going home this summer he means going to England .See Exercise 4 on pages 138-139.)
490 Story and History. (a) Story.
Don't say: She told me an interesting history.
Say: She told me an interesting story. (b) History. Don't say: We study the story of the Romans. Say: We study the history of the Romans. A story isanaccount ofevents which mayormaynotbetrue. History isa systematic record of past events . 491 Habit and Custom.
(a) Habit. Don't say: Telling lies is a very bad custom. Say: Telling lies is a very bad habit.
(b) Custom. Don't say:The Chinese have strange habits.
Say: The Chinese have strange customs . A habit belongs to the individual, but a custom belongs to a society
or country
(See Exercise 5 on page 139.)
492 Cause of and Reason for. (a) Cause of.
Don't say: What's the reason for a sandstorm.
Say; What's the cause of a sandstorm?
(b) Reason for.
Don't say: You have a good cause of coining. / Say: You have a good reason for coming.
A cause r. that which produces a result A reason >sthat which explains or justifies a result
493 Scene and Scenery,
(a) Scene.
Don'i say: The TV crew arrived at the scenery.
Say: The TV crew arrived at the scene. (b) Scenery. Don't say: The scene in Cyprus is beautiful Say: The scenery in Cyprus is beautiful. A scene refers to one particu'ar place, while scenery refers to the general appearance of the country We don't use scenery m the plural 194 Centre and Middle.
(a) Centre. Don't say: Stand in the middle ot the circle. / Say: Stand in the centre of the circle.
(b) Middle.
Don't say: He was in the centre of the street. / Say: He was in the middle of the street.
Centre is the point that is equidrstant from the edge of a circle. Mlddte isth. area equidistant from two sides: middle of the road, middle of the room, middle of the page, etc
495 Shade or Shadow. (a) Shade.
Don't say: I like to sit in the shadow. / Say: I like to sit in the shade.
(b) Shadow.
Don't say: The dog saw his shade in the water. «/ Say: The dog saw his shadow in the water.
Shade is a place sheltered from the sun. Shadow is a shade of a distinct forr as of a tree, a man, a dog, etc.
496 Customer and Client.
(a) Customer.
Don't say: That grocer has plenty of clients.
Say: That grocer has plenty of customers. (b) Client. Don't say: That lawyer has plenty of customers.
Say: That lawyer has plenty of clients. A person can be a customer at a shop, but a client of a lawyer, a hank, etc
497 Stranger for Guest. Don't say: They had some strangers last night.
Say: They had some guests last night. A guest is usually a friend who comes to our house tor a visit, while a
STIanger is 'a person unknown to us.
Note. A foreigner is a person from another country and speaking a foreign language .
498 Tfavel for Journey. Don't say: Our travel to Wales was lovely.
Say: Our journey to Wales was lovely.
Travel is a verb, used lo describe any type of movement from one place to another Journey is the noun but we also use (take a) trip for having a short jour ney: W e tooAr a trip to the seaside last Sunday. We also use travelling as noun1 Jim lows travelling We use a possessive pronoun with travels as an idiom Jenny is off on her travels again.
Note: We use the noun travel (1) in a general sense1 She loves travel. Q) m the plural: We has written a book about his travels
499 Foot for Leg. Don't soy: I hurt my foot - if the injury is anywhere above the ankle.
/ Soy: I hurt my leg. Leg is the part of the body from the hip down to the ankle, and foot is the part below the ankle. ( H a n d must also be carefully distinguished horn arm.) Mote: The leg of a chair, a table, a bed; the foot of a hill, a wall, a ladder,
a page.
500 Finger for Toe. Don't soy: I hurt a finger of my right foot.
Say: I hurt a toe of my right foot. Fingers are on the hand, and toes are on the foot.
501 Poetry for Poem. Don't say: I have a poetry to learn by heart.
Say: I have a poem to learn by heart.
Poetry is the form of literature dealing with poems. A poem is one piece of poetry.
502 Vieatre for Play. Don't say: Sarah is going to see a theatre tonight. Say: Sarah is going to see a play tonight.
A theatre isa building inwhich plays areacted, nottheplay itself.
503 Play for Game. Don't say: They had a nice play of football. Say: They had a nice game of football.
Avoid using play in the sense game. Play means amusement' He is fond of play .
504 Dress for Suit. Don't say: My elder brother has a new dress. Say: My elder brother has a new suit.
Oniy girls and women wear dresses; anyone can wear suits (a jacket with trousers or a skirt) Clothes is a general word: John (orMary-) is wearing new clothes.
Note Wesayamanin full evening dress, ormorning dress for traditional, formal clothes
505 Individual for Person/People. Don't say: There were five individuals intheshop.
Say: There were five people in the shop.
Use individual with a single person as opposed to the group: The individui must act for the good of the community.
506 Men for People. Don't say: All the streets were full of men.
Say: All the streets were full of people.
Use people andnotmen when thereference isto human beings in genera
507 Woman forWife. Don't use: The man took his woman with him. Say: The man took his wife with him.
In English, these two words are carefully distinguished wife is the woman in a marriage Both husbands and wives can be referred to as partners.
508 Cost for Price. Don't say: What's the cost of this watch?
Say: What's the price of this watch? Price is the amount of money paid by the customer Cost is the amount paid by the shopkeeper W e can say H o w much does it cost?
Note V a l u e is the usefulness or importance of something The value of milk, as a food, the value of education Face value is the amount printed on a piece of-paper-money or on a postage stamp
509 Air for Wind. Don't say: The strong air blew her hat away.
Say: The strong wind blew her hat away. Air is what we breathe, and wind is what makes the leaves of the trees move
510 Ground for Floor. Don't say: When I entered the room, I saw a book on the ground.
Say: When I entered the room, I saw a book on the floor.
The floor is the part of the room on which we walk. The ground is outside the house
511 Place for Room. Don't say: Is there place for me on the bus?
Say: Is there room for me on the bus? Don't use place in the sense of room, which means here unoccupied space.
512 Organ for Instrument. Don't say: What other organ can you play?
Say: What other instrument can you play?
The organ is a particular musical instrument used in some churches to accompany the singing of hymns. Don't use o r g a n to denote any other musical instrument .
513 Appetite for Desire, etc. Don't say: I've no appetite at all to study.
Say: I've no desire at all to study. Appetite is genera'lv used with food. Forstudy, work, or play w e use such
words as desire, disposition, and inclination. (See also Exercise 6 on page 139.)
=======================
Confusion of number
The following can't be used in the plural:
514 Advice.
Don't say: Nick gave me some good advices. / Say: Nick gave me some good advice.
Note'Whenwemeanonlyonethingwesayapieceofadvice:Letme give you 3 piece of advice.
515 Information. Don't say: Can you give me any informations?
Say: Can you give me any information? Note: When w e mean only onething w e sayan item or a bit of information
He gave me a useful item of information.
516 Furniture. Don't say: Furnitures are often made of wood.
Say: Furniture is often made of wood. Note: Furniture isa singular noun andalways takes a singular verband
pronoun. A piece of furniture means onething only
517 Luggage. Don't say: Her luggages are at the station.
Say: Her luggage is at the station. Note: Baggage, another word for luggage, can't beused in theplural either
The baggage is ready for the tram.
518 Damage. Don't say: The fire caused many damages.
Say: The fire caused much damage. Mote: The plural form d a m a g e s denotes money paid to make good a loss1 The
insurance company paid the man damages.
519 Work. Don't say: Today I've many works to do.
Soy: Today I've a lot of work to do. Note The plural form w o r k s means a factory or the writings of an author
The works of Shakespeare are many, I visited the steel works.
520 Character. Don't say:The school builds good characters.
Say: The school builds good character. Note. Tht plural form characters denotes the letters of the alphabet or the people in a book or play.
521 Hah. Don't say: That man has long hairs.
Say: That man has long hair. Note: When we use hair to denote a single thread, the plural form is hairs / found two long hairs in my food.
522 Bread. Don't soy: Breads are sold at the baker's.
Say: Bread is sold at the baker's. Note. We can say a loaf of bread and loaves of bread: I bought a loaf iwo.
three, etc , loaves) of bread.
523 Fish. Don't say: Yesterday we had fishes for dinner.
Say: Yesterday we had fish for dinner. Note: Fish as food or in bulk (= large numbers) is always singular W e rarely use
the plural form (fishes) which denotes fish individually: /caught three small fishes .
524 Fruit. Don't say: We didn't have many fruits this summer.
Say: We didn't have much fruit this summer. Noie: W e rarely usethe plural form fruits which means different kinds of fruit. Cyprus produces oranges, apricots, and other fruits
525 Grass. Don't say: The dog lay down on the grasses. Say: The dog lay down on the grass.
526 Dozen. Don't say: I want to buy three dozens eggs. Say: I want to buy three dozen eggs.
Note: (A dozen = 12): I'd like to buy a dozen eggs. When dozen isn't preceded by a numeral (like three) or by a w e use the plural form: There were dozens of eggs.
527 Hundred, etc. Don't say: The town has fifty thousands people. Say: The town has fifty thousand people.
Note. Hundred, thousand, andmillion take theplural form if they're not preceded by a numeral or by a: Thousands of people were present.
528 Sheep. Don't soy: Ten sheeps are grazing the field. Say: Ten sheep are grazing in the held.
Note. Sheep, deer, salmon, anda few other nouns have thesame form for singular andplural. W e sayone sheep or ten sheep.
529 Knowledge. Don't say: Karen has good knowledges of history. Say: Karen has a good knowledge of history.
530 Progress. Don't say: Tom has made great progresses.
Say: Tom has made great progress.
531 Thunder and Lightning. Don't say: There were thunders and lightnings.
Say: There was thunder and lightning.
Note When only one thing is meant we say a clap of Thunder and a flash or bolt o f lightning
532 Machinery.
Don't say: They're now using new machineries. Say: They're now using new machinery.
Note: Machinery is a singular noun and always takes a singula! verb and pronoun We can say a piece of machinery or pieces of machinery.
533 Mathematics, etc. + singular verb. Don't say: Mathematics are not easy to learn.
Say: Mathematics is not easy to learn.
Note The names of sciences and sublets ending in -ics (like mathematics, physics, politics, gymnastics) generally take a singular verb .
534 Money + singular verb.
Don't say; All her money are kept in the bank.
Say: All her money is kept in the bank.
Note Money is a singular noun ,tnd always takes a singular verb and pronoun .
535 News + singular verb. Don't say: I'm glad that the news are good.
Say: I'm glad that the news is good.
Note1 N e w s , though plural in form, always takes a singular verb If only one thing is meant we say a piece or an item of news This is a good piece of news.
536 Scissors, etc. + plural verb. Don't say: The scissor is lying on the table.
1/ Say: The scissors are lying on the table.
Note: All names of things consisting of t w o parts (like scissors, trousers, spectacles, shears, pliers) take a plural verb. W e can say: a pair of (scissors, etc.) Is ...
537 People + plural verb. Don't say:There is lots of people in the cinema.
Say: There are lots of people in the cinema. Note People, meaning nation, is singular The plural is peoples: The
Greeks are 3 brave people, The peoples of Europe are often engaged in war
538 Clothes + plural verb. Don't say: Your cloth is very fashionable.
Say: Your clothes are very fashionable.
Mote: Cloth, meaning the material of which clothes are made, is singular, and has a plural form cloths (without thee). She cleaned the table with a doth. Merchan ts sell different kinds of cloths.
539 Riches + plural verb. Don't say: All her riches was stolen.
Say: All her riches were stolen. Note Riches isa plural noun andalways takes a plural verb.
540 Wages + plural verb. Don't say: Keith complains that his wage is low.
Say: Keith complains that his wages are low. Note. Wages isa plural noun andtakes a plural verb. W e say: a living wage
541 Billiards. Don't say: Billiard is a very difficult game.
Say: Billiards is a very difficult game. Note: Billiards, draughts, darts arealways plural, butarefollowed by verbs in the singular .
542 Misuse of the adjective in the plural. Don't say: The rich have a duty to help the poors.
Say: The rich have a duty to help the poor. Note: Adjectives can't take theplural form, even when they're used as nouns in
the plural.
543 Misuse of as well as with a plural verb.
Don't say: Tom as well as Mark are coming.
Say: Tom as well as Mark is coming. Two singular nouns |oined by as well as require the verb to be singular.
544 Misuse of all (~ everything) with a plural verb.
Don't say: Nothing's left; all are lost.
Say: Nothing's left; all is lost. All meaning everything, takes a singular verb, all meaning everybody, takes a plural verb: Alt of us are present.
545 Misuse of the plural before kind or sort.
Don't say: I don't like these kind of games.
Say: I don't like this kind of game. Or: I don't like games of this kind.
Note: Thedemonstrative word (this/that etc.) must agree-with itsnoun. In the example, kind issingular andsothis must agree with it
546 Misuse of the plural with the name of a language.
Don't say: English are easier than German.
Say: English is easier than German. Names of languages aresingular andalways take a singular verb.
547 Misuse of one and parts of one with the singular.
Don't say: I read it in one and a half hour.
Say: I read it in one and a half hours. In English, use the plural w'th anything greater than one, even rf it'sless than two.
Have another look at . . .
Singular and plural
1 We generally form the plural of nouns by adding -es or, when the noun ends in consonant y, ~ies to the singular:
book church knife city journey
books churches knives cities journeys .
2 The following nouns have irregular plurals:
Singeular =
man woman child ox tooth foot goose mouse
Plural =
men women children oxen teeth feet geese mice
3 We don't use some nouns in the plural:
advice, information, knowledge, news, progress, work, money, luggage, furniture, scenery, machinery or item.
Note: When only one thing is meant, we say a piece of advice (information, news, work, money, furniture, luggage, machinery).
4 We don't use some nouns in the singular:
people, riches, clothes, wages, trousers, scissors, spectacles.
Note; We often use names of things consisting of two parts with the word pair: a pair of trousers {scissors, spectacles, e t c . ) .
5 Some nouns have the same form for the singular as for the plural: sheep, deer, salmon.
548 Misuse of the singular with a collective noun of plurality.
Don't say: The class was divided in its opinion.
Say: The class were divided in their opinions.
A collective noun usually lakes a singular verb, butwhen it denotes the individual members of thegroup and notthegroup asa whole use a plural verb
549 The number and A number. (a) The number.
Don't say: The number of pupils are increasing.
Say: The number of pupils is increasing. (b) A number. Don't say: A number of pupils is absent today.
Say: A number of pupils are absent today. When weprecede number bythe itdenotes a unit andissingular When it's preceded by a it means several or many and is plural.
550 Misuse of This for These. Don't say: This errors are sometimes made by foreigners.
Say: These errors are sometimes made by foreigners.
This changes to these if the noun that follows is in the plural.
Note: Also avoid the use of this instead of the personal pronoun John had the hook but he gave this to his brother should be John had the book but he gave it to his brother
551 Misuse of There is for There are. Don't soy: There is some girls waiting outside.
Soy: There are some girls waiting outside. There is changes to there are if the noun that follows is the plural
552 Misuse of You was for You were. Don't say: You was very foolish to do that. Say: You were very foolish to do that.
Say: A large supply of toys is expected.
When thesubject issingular, theverb must besingular andwhen thesubject is plural, the verb must also be plural Take care when a plural noun comes between a singular subject anditsverb, as in theexample above.
(See Exercises 1 and 2 on pages 137-138.)
Was is singular and were is plural, butwith thepronoun you, even when it's singular in meaning, w e always use were.
Note: Iri conditions and wishes wecanuse were with thesingular- Ift we you,I'dgo,IwishIwererich.
553 Misuse of life, etc., for Jives, etc. Don't say: Many people lost their life at sea.
Say: Many people lost their lives at sea. In English, w e usewords like life, heart, soul, body, mind in the plural when
they refer to more than one person.
554 Agreement of number between noun and verb.
Don't say: A large supply of toys are expected.
555 As and Like. Don't say: You don't look as your mother.
Say: You don't look like your mother.
As isaconjunction, andisusually followed byanoun orpronoun in the nominative case Like isn't a conjunction, butan adjective which behaves likr.' a preposition in being followed by a noun or pronoun in the objective case.
(See Exercise 89 on page 176.)
556 So and Such.
(a) So.
Don't say: It's such small that you can't see it.
Say: It's so small that you can't see it.
(b) Such. Don't say: I've never seen a so large animal before.
Say: I've never seen such a large animal before. So is an adverb, andmust qualify an adjective or another adverb. Such isan
adjective a n d must qualify a noun.
557 No and Not. (a) No.
Don't say: I've not made any mistakes in dictation.
Say: I've made no mistakes in dictation.
(b) Not.
Don't say: I have made no any mistakes in dictation.
Say: I haven't ( - have not) made any mistakes in dictation.
W e use no meaning not any, as an adjective to qualify the noun. If the noun is already qualified by an ad[ective, like any. much, enough, w e must use the adverb not.
Note: W e only use no as an adverb before a comparative: /have no more to say.
(See Exercise 90on page 176.)
558 Fool and Foolish.
(a) Fool.
Don't say: Anne said to me, 'You're fool.'
Say: Anne said to me, 'You're a fool.' (b) Foolish. Don't say: Anne said to me, 'You're a foolish.
Say: Anne said to me, 'You're foolish. Foot isa noun, and requires thearticle when we useitwith theverb to be. Foolish isan adjective, andcan't be used with thearticle after theverb to be. Note: A fool or a foolish person doesn't mean an insane person, but one who acts thoughtlessly. W e tend to usesilly or stupid instead of foolish m modern usage.
559 Misuse or' due to as a preposition. Don't say: William came late due to an accident.
-/ Say: William came late because of an accident.
Don't use due to as a preposition rneanmo because of Due, as an adjective here, is used correctly only when it qualifies some noun: His de<ay ,vjs due to an accident
560 Misuse of rest as an adjective. Don't say: I spent the rest day at home.
Say: I spent the rest of the day at home. Here, restisanoun,andwecan'tusenasanadjectiveinthemeaningof
what"s ieft
561 Misuse of raiser as an adjective. Don't say: Jill loved money; she was miser.
Say: Jill loved money; she was a miser. ?*1isev is a noun, and w e can't use it as ^n adjective fh^- ^dj^cuvc is miserly
Sh<? was rrtiteriy.
562 Misuse of opened as an adjective. 'Don't say: I found all the window? opened.
Say: found all the windows open. The adjective is open. Thepast participle is opened Somebody
the windows
563 Misuse of friendly as an adverb.
Don't say; Andrew behaves friendly.
h*i opened all
Soy: Andrew behaves in a friendly way. The adverbial form is in a friendly w a y Friendly is an adjective a
friendly game, to have friendly relations with one's neighbours, c-tc
564 Misuse of truth as an adjective. Don't soy: Is it truth that Diana's very ill?
/ Say: Is it true that Diana's very ill? Truth isn'tanadjectivebutanoun Theadjectiveistrue, andweuse•!withno
article between it andtheverb to be .
565 Misuse of plenty as an adjective. Don't say: Mike tiad plenty work to do.
Say: Mike had plenty of work to do.
P l e n t y isn't an adjective, but a noun meaning a large number or amount. The
566 Misuse of coward as an adjective. Don't say: She said, 'You are a coward boy.
Say: She said, 'You are a coward.'
plentiful Coward 1=one withonl courage) K Ihe noun. The adjective is cowardly.
567Misuse of others as an adjective. Don't My:The others boys aren't here.
Say:The other boys aren't here.
Others isn't an adjective but a pronoun The adjective is other (without *he s) W e can s.iy The others aren't here omitting the noun boys .
568 Misuse of died for dead. Don't say: I think his grandfather is died. Say: I think his grandfather is dead.
Died is the past tense ot die. The cTJjetJive is dead (See Exercise 91 on page 177.)
569 Misuse of shoot for shot. Don't say: I had a good shoot at the goal.
Say: I had^a good shot at the goal.
Shoot On football] is the verb The noun is shot
570 Misuse of it's for its. Don't write:The bird was feeding it's young.
Write: The bird was feeding its young.
The possessive adjective- its is correctly written without the apostrophe So also hers, ours, yours, theirs take no apostrophe.
(See Exercise 92 on page 177.)
571 Misuse of hot as a noun. Don't say.There's much hot this summer.
Say: It's very hot this summer. Hot isanadjective only, and wecan't useitasa noun. Thenoun isheat.
572 Misuse of pain as a verb. Don't say: I pain my leg or My leg is paining.
Say: There's (or I've got) a pain in my leg. We generally usepain asa noun, andprecede it by have or feel.
573 Misuse of worth as a verb. Don't say; My bicycle worths £150. Say: My bicycle is worth £150.
Worth isn't a verb, butan adjective.
574 Misuse of able as a verb. Don't soy; The poor man doesn't able to pay.
Say: The poor man isn't able to pay.
Ableisanadjective,andwecan't useitasaverb.
575 Misuse of afraid as a verb. Don't say: John doesn't afraid of anybody. Say: John's not afraid of anybody.
Afraid isn't a verb but an adjective, and w e generally useit with the verb to be
576 Misuse of weight as a verb. Don't say: Have you weighted the letter?
Say: Have you weighed the letter?
Weight isa noun andwecan't useitasa verb. Theverb isweigh {without the t).
577 Misuse of good for weU. Don't say; The goalkeeper plays very good.
Say: The goalkeeper plays very well. Good isanadjective only, andwecan't useitasan adverb (See Exercise 93 on pages 177-178.)
578 Misuse of adjective for adverb. Don't say: The little girl sang beautiful.
Say: The little girl sang beautifully. W e use an adverb, and not an adjective, to qualify a verb
Note After verbs such as took, feel, sound, taste, smell usean adjective instead of an adverb: Suga' tastes sweet (not sweetly).
579 Misuse of after for afterwards, etc. Don't say: After we went home for dinner.
Say: Afterwards we went home for dinner.
After is a preposition and w e must use it with an object. Afterwards, then, after that areadverbs oftime andwecanusethem alone
580 And the two, etc., used for both, etc.
Don't say: I've seen and the two of them.
Say: Eve seen both of them. Never sayand the two instead of both. Also avoid and the three, four,etc.
Say, all three, four, etc
531 Misuse of and for also or too. Don't say: Let me do and the next exercise.
Say: Let's also do the next exercise. Or: Let me do the next exercise too.
And isa conjunction, andcanonly join similar forms of speech Hecame and sacdown. Wecan'tuseitinsteadoftheadverbsalsoand too.
582 Misuse of and for even. Don't say: She doesn't trust and her friends.
Say: She doesn't trust even her friends. And is a conjunction only, and we can't use it instead of the adverb even
583 Misuse of loose for iose. Don't say: Be careful not to loose your money.
Say: Be careful not to lose your money.
Lose (with one o) is the common verb meaning not to be able to find. Loose (with double 0) is an adjective meaning unfastened, free' The horse was loose in The field .
584 Misuse of past for passed. Don't say: I past by your house yesterday.
Say: I passed by your house yesterday. Past isn't a vetb The past tense arid past participle ot the verb to pass is passed .
Note' We can use past as a noun, Don't think of the past: an adjective. The past week was warm: a preposition, We walked past the church: an adverb, The train went past
(See Exercises 94 and 95 on page 178.)
489 House and Home. Don't say: You should go to your house now.
Say: You should go home now.
Take care notto say my house, his house, or your house when you should say home. A house isanybuilding used fordwelling in,andhome is the particular house in which someone is living.
Note Home mayalso denote one's owncountry When an Englishman abroad says I'm going home this summer he means going to England .See Exercise 4 on pages 138-139.)
490 Story and History. (a) Story.
Don't say: She told me an interesting history.
Say: She told me an interesting story. (b) History. Don't say: We study the story of the Romans. Say: We study the history of the Romans. A story isanaccount ofevents which mayormaynotbetrue. History isa systematic record of past events . 491 Habit and Custom.
(a) Habit. Don't say: Telling lies is a very bad custom. Say: Telling lies is a very bad habit.
(b) Custom. Don't say:The Chinese have strange habits.
Say: The Chinese have strange customs . A habit belongs to the individual, but a custom belongs to a society
or country
(See Exercise 5 on page 139.)
492 Cause of and Reason for. (a) Cause of.
Don't say: What's the reason for a sandstorm.
Say; What's the cause of a sandstorm?
(b) Reason for.
Don't say: You have a good cause of coining. / Say: You have a good reason for coming.
A cause r. that which produces a result A reason >sthat which explains or justifies a result
493 Scene and Scenery,
(a) Scene.
Don'i say: The TV crew arrived at the scenery.
Say: The TV crew arrived at the scene. (b) Scenery. Don't say: The scene in Cyprus is beautiful Say: The scenery in Cyprus is beautiful. A scene refers to one particu'ar place, while scenery refers to the general appearance of the country We don't use scenery m the plural 194 Centre and Middle.
(a) Centre. Don't say: Stand in the middle ot the circle. / Say: Stand in the centre of the circle.
(b) Middle.
Don't say: He was in the centre of the street. / Say: He was in the middle of the street.
Centre is the point that is equidrstant from the edge of a circle. Mlddte isth. area equidistant from two sides: middle of the road, middle of the room, middle of the page, etc
495 Shade or Shadow. (a) Shade.
Don't say: I like to sit in the shadow. / Say: I like to sit in the shade.
(b) Shadow.
Don't say: The dog saw his shade in the water. «/ Say: The dog saw his shadow in the water.
Shade is a place sheltered from the sun. Shadow is a shade of a distinct forr as of a tree, a man, a dog, etc.
496 Customer and Client.
(a) Customer.
Don't say: That grocer has plenty of clients.
Say: That grocer has plenty of customers. (b) Client. Don't say: That lawyer has plenty of customers.
Say: That lawyer has plenty of clients. A person can be a customer at a shop, but a client of a lawyer, a hank, etc
497 Stranger for Guest. Don't say: They had some strangers last night.
Say: They had some guests last night. A guest is usually a friend who comes to our house tor a visit, while a
STIanger is 'a person unknown to us.
Note. A foreigner is a person from another country and speaking a foreign language .
498 Tfavel for Journey. Don't say: Our travel to Wales was lovely.
Say: Our journey to Wales was lovely.
Travel is a verb, used lo describe any type of movement from one place to another Journey is the noun but we also use (take a) trip for having a short jour ney: W e tooAr a trip to the seaside last Sunday. We also use travelling as noun1 Jim lows travelling We use a possessive pronoun with travels as an idiom Jenny is off on her travels again.
Note: We use the noun travel (1) in a general sense1 She loves travel. Q) m the plural: We has written a book about his travels
499 Foot for Leg. Don't soy: I hurt my foot - if the injury is anywhere above the ankle.
/ Soy: I hurt my leg. Leg is the part of the body from the hip down to the ankle, and foot is the part below the ankle. ( H a n d must also be carefully distinguished horn arm.) Mote: The leg of a chair, a table, a bed; the foot of a hill, a wall, a ladder,
a page.
500 Finger for Toe. Don't soy: I hurt a finger of my right foot.
Say: I hurt a toe of my right foot. Fingers are on the hand, and toes are on the foot.
501 Poetry for Poem. Don't say: I have a poetry to learn by heart.
Say: I have a poem to learn by heart.
Poetry is the form of literature dealing with poems. A poem is one piece of poetry.
502 Vieatre for Play. Don't say: Sarah is going to see a theatre tonight. Say: Sarah is going to see a play tonight.
A theatre isa building inwhich plays areacted, nottheplay itself.
503 Play for Game. Don't say: They had a nice play of football. Say: They had a nice game of football.
Avoid using play in the sense game. Play means amusement' He is fond of play .
504 Dress for Suit. Don't say: My elder brother has a new dress. Say: My elder brother has a new suit.
Oniy girls and women wear dresses; anyone can wear suits (a jacket with trousers or a skirt) Clothes is a general word: John (orMary-) is wearing new clothes.
Note Wesayamanin full evening dress, ormorning dress for traditional, formal clothes
505 Individual for Person/People. Don't say: There were five individuals intheshop.
Say: There were five people in the shop.
Use individual with a single person as opposed to the group: The individui must act for the good of the community.
506 Men for People. Don't say: All the streets were full of men.
Say: All the streets were full of people.
Use people andnotmen when thereference isto human beings in genera
507 Woman forWife. Don't use: The man took his woman with him. Say: The man took his wife with him.
In English, these two words are carefully distinguished wife is the woman in a marriage Both husbands and wives can be referred to as partners.
508 Cost for Price. Don't say: What's the cost of this watch?
Say: What's the price of this watch? Price is the amount of money paid by the customer Cost is the amount paid by the shopkeeper W e can say H o w much does it cost?
Note V a l u e is the usefulness or importance of something The value of milk, as a food, the value of education Face value is the amount printed on a piece of-paper-money or on a postage stamp
509 Air for Wind. Don't say: The strong air blew her hat away.
Say: The strong wind blew her hat away. Air is what we breathe, and wind is what makes the leaves of the trees move
510 Ground for Floor. Don't say: When I entered the room, I saw a book on the ground.
Say: When I entered the room, I saw a book on the floor.
The floor is the part of the room on which we walk. The ground is outside the house
511 Place for Room. Don't say: Is there place for me on the bus?
Say: Is there room for me on the bus? Don't use place in the sense of room, which means here unoccupied space.
512 Organ for Instrument. Don't say: What other organ can you play?
Say: What other instrument can you play?
The organ is a particular musical instrument used in some churches to accompany the singing of hymns. Don't use o r g a n to denote any other musical instrument .
513 Appetite for Desire, etc. Don't say: I've no appetite at all to study.
Say: I've no desire at all to study. Appetite is genera'lv used with food. Forstudy, work, or play w e use such
words as desire, disposition, and inclination. (See also Exercise 6 on page 139.)
=======================
Confusion of number
The following can't be used in the plural:
514 Advice.
Don't say: Nick gave me some good advices. / Say: Nick gave me some good advice.
Note'Whenwemeanonlyonethingwesayapieceofadvice:Letme give you 3 piece of advice.
515 Information. Don't say: Can you give me any informations?
Say: Can you give me any information? Note: When w e mean only onething w e sayan item or a bit of information
He gave me a useful item of information.
516 Furniture. Don't say: Furnitures are often made of wood.
Say: Furniture is often made of wood. Note: Furniture isa singular noun andalways takes a singular verband
pronoun. A piece of furniture means onething only
517 Luggage. Don't say: Her luggages are at the station.
Say: Her luggage is at the station. Note: Baggage, another word for luggage, can't beused in theplural either
The baggage is ready for the tram.
518 Damage. Don't say: The fire caused many damages.
Say: The fire caused much damage. Mote: The plural form d a m a g e s denotes money paid to make good a loss1 The
insurance company paid the man damages.
519 Work. Don't say: Today I've many works to do.
Soy: Today I've a lot of work to do. Note The plural form w o r k s means a factory or the writings of an author
The works of Shakespeare are many, I visited the steel works.
520 Character. Don't say:The school builds good characters.
Say: The school builds good character. Note. Tht plural form characters denotes the letters of the alphabet or the people in a book or play.
521 Hah. Don't say: That man has long hairs.
Say: That man has long hair. Note: When we use hair to denote a single thread, the plural form is hairs / found two long hairs in my food.
522 Bread. Don't soy: Breads are sold at the baker's.
Say: Bread is sold at the baker's. Note. We can say a loaf of bread and loaves of bread: I bought a loaf iwo.
three, etc , loaves) of bread.
523 Fish. Don't say: Yesterday we had fishes for dinner.
Say: Yesterday we had fish for dinner. Note: Fish as food or in bulk (= large numbers) is always singular W e rarely use
the plural form (fishes) which denotes fish individually: /caught three small fishes .
524 Fruit. Don't say: We didn't have many fruits this summer.
Say: We didn't have much fruit this summer. Noie: W e rarely usethe plural form fruits which means different kinds of fruit. Cyprus produces oranges, apricots, and other fruits
525 Grass. Don't say: The dog lay down on the grasses. Say: The dog lay down on the grass.
526 Dozen. Don't say: I want to buy three dozens eggs. Say: I want to buy three dozen eggs.
Note: (A dozen = 12): I'd like to buy a dozen eggs. When dozen isn't preceded by a numeral (like three) or by a w e use the plural form: There were dozens of eggs.
527 Hundred, etc. Don't say: The town has fifty thousands people. Say: The town has fifty thousand people.
Note. Hundred, thousand, andmillion take theplural form if they're not preceded by a numeral or by a: Thousands of people were present.
528 Sheep. Don't soy: Ten sheeps are grazing the field. Say: Ten sheep are grazing in the held.
Note. Sheep, deer, salmon, anda few other nouns have thesame form for singular andplural. W e sayone sheep or ten sheep.
529 Knowledge. Don't say: Karen has good knowledges of history. Say: Karen has a good knowledge of history.
530 Progress. Don't say: Tom has made great progresses.
Say: Tom has made great progress.
531 Thunder and Lightning. Don't say: There were thunders and lightnings.
Say: There was thunder and lightning.
Note When only one thing is meant we say a clap of Thunder and a flash or bolt o f lightning
532 Machinery.
Don't say: They're now using new machineries. Say: They're now using new machinery.
Note: Machinery is a singular noun and always takes a singula! verb and pronoun We can say a piece of machinery or pieces of machinery.
533 Mathematics, etc. + singular verb. Don't say: Mathematics are not easy to learn.
Say: Mathematics is not easy to learn.
Note The names of sciences and sublets ending in -ics (like mathematics, physics, politics, gymnastics) generally take a singular verb .
534 Money + singular verb.
Don't say; All her money are kept in the bank.
Say: All her money is kept in the bank.
Note Money is a singular noun ,tnd always takes a singular verb and pronoun .
535 News + singular verb. Don't say: I'm glad that the news are good.
Say: I'm glad that the news is good.
Note1 N e w s , though plural in form, always takes a singular verb If only one thing is meant we say a piece or an item of news This is a good piece of news.
536 Scissors, etc. + plural verb. Don't say: The scissor is lying on the table.
1/ Say: The scissors are lying on the table.
Note: All names of things consisting of t w o parts (like scissors, trousers, spectacles, shears, pliers) take a plural verb. W e can say: a pair of (scissors, etc.) Is ...
537 People + plural verb. Don't say:There is lots of people in the cinema.
Say: There are lots of people in the cinema. Note People, meaning nation, is singular The plural is peoples: The
Greeks are 3 brave people, The peoples of Europe are often engaged in war
538 Clothes + plural verb. Don't say: Your cloth is very fashionable.
Say: Your clothes are very fashionable.
Mote: Cloth, meaning the material of which clothes are made, is singular, and has a plural form cloths (without thee). She cleaned the table with a doth. Merchan ts sell different kinds of cloths.
539 Riches + plural verb. Don't say: All her riches was stolen.
Say: All her riches were stolen. Note Riches isa plural noun andalways takes a plural verb.
540 Wages + plural verb. Don't say: Keith complains that his wage is low.
Say: Keith complains that his wages are low. Note. Wages isa plural noun andtakes a plural verb. W e say: a living wage
541 Billiards. Don't say: Billiard is a very difficult game.
Say: Billiards is a very difficult game. Note: Billiards, draughts, darts arealways plural, butarefollowed by verbs in the singular .
542 Misuse of the adjective in the plural. Don't say: The rich have a duty to help the poors.
Say: The rich have a duty to help the poor. Note: Adjectives can't take theplural form, even when they're used as nouns in
the plural.
543 Misuse of as well as with a plural verb.
Don't say: Tom as well as Mark are coming.
Say: Tom as well as Mark is coming. Two singular nouns |oined by as well as require the verb to be singular.
544 Misuse of all (~ everything) with a plural verb.
Don't say: Nothing's left; all are lost.
Say: Nothing's left; all is lost. All meaning everything, takes a singular verb, all meaning everybody, takes a plural verb: Alt of us are present.
545 Misuse of the plural before kind or sort.
Don't say: I don't like these kind of games.
Say: I don't like this kind of game. Or: I don't like games of this kind.
Note: Thedemonstrative word (this/that etc.) must agree-with itsnoun. In the example, kind issingular andsothis must agree with it
546 Misuse of the plural with the name of a language.
Don't say: English are easier than German.
Say: English is easier than German. Names of languages aresingular andalways take a singular verb.
547 Misuse of one and parts of one with the singular.
Don't say: I read it in one and a half hour.
Say: I read it in one and a half hours. In English, use the plural w'th anything greater than one, even rf it'sless than two.
Have another look at . . .
Singular and plural
1 We generally form the plural of nouns by adding -es or, when the noun ends in consonant y, ~ies to the singular:
book church knife city journey
books churches knives cities journeys .
2 The following nouns have irregular plurals:
Singeular =
man woman child ox tooth foot goose mouse
Plural =
men women children oxen teeth feet geese mice
3 We don't use some nouns in the plural:
advice, information, knowledge, news, progress, work, money, luggage, furniture, scenery, machinery or item.
Note: When only one thing is meant, we say a piece of advice (information, news, work, money, furniture, luggage, machinery).
4 We don't use some nouns in the singular:
people, riches, clothes, wages, trousers, scissors, spectacles.
Note; We often use names of things consisting of two parts with the word pair: a pair of trousers {scissors, spectacles, e t c . ) .
5 Some nouns have the same form for the singular as for the plural: sheep, deer, salmon.
548 Misuse of the singular with a collective noun of plurality.
Don't say: The class was divided in its opinion.
Say: The class were divided in their opinions.
A collective noun usually lakes a singular verb, butwhen it denotes the individual members of thegroup and notthegroup asa whole use a plural verb
549 The number and A number. (a) The number.
Don't say: The number of pupils are increasing.
Say: The number of pupils is increasing. (b) A number. Don't say: A number of pupils is absent today.
Say: A number of pupils are absent today. When weprecede number bythe itdenotes a unit andissingular When it's preceded by a it means several or many and is plural.
550 Misuse of This for These. Don't say: This errors are sometimes made by foreigners.
Say: These errors are sometimes made by foreigners.
This changes to these if the noun that follows is in the plural.
Note: Also avoid the use of this instead of the personal pronoun John had the hook but he gave this to his brother should be John had the book but he gave it to his brother
551 Misuse of There is for There are. Don't soy: There is some girls waiting outside.
Soy: There are some girls waiting outside. There is changes to there are if the noun that follows is the plural
552 Misuse of You was for You were. Don't say: You was very foolish to do that. Say: You were very foolish to do that.
Say: A large supply of toys is expected.
When thesubject issingular, theverb must besingular andwhen thesubject is plural, the verb must also be plural Take care when a plural noun comes between a singular subject anditsverb, as in theexample above.
(See Exercises 1 and 2 on pages 137-138.)
Was is singular and were is plural, butwith thepronoun you, even when it's singular in meaning, w e always use were.
Note: Iri conditions and wishes wecanuse were with thesingular- Ift we you,I'dgo,IwishIwererich.
553 Misuse of life, etc., for Jives, etc. Don't say: Many people lost their life at sea.
Say: Many people lost their lives at sea. In English, w e usewords like life, heart, soul, body, mind in the plural when
they refer to more than one person.
554 Agreement of number between noun and verb.
Don't say: A large supply of toys are expected.
555 As and Like. Don't say: You don't look as your mother.
Say: You don't look like your mother.
As isaconjunction, andisusually followed byanoun orpronoun in the nominative case Like isn't a conjunction, butan adjective which behaves likr.' a preposition in being followed by a noun or pronoun in the objective case.
(See Exercise 89 on page 176.)
556 So and Such.
(a) So.
Don't say: It's such small that you can't see it.
Say: It's so small that you can't see it.
(b) Such. Don't say: I've never seen a so large animal before.
Say: I've never seen such a large animal before. So is an adverb, andmust qualify an adjective or another adverb. Such isan
adjective a n d must qualify a noun.
557 No and Not. (a) No.
Don't say: I've not made any mistakes in dictation.
Say: I've made no mistakes in dictation.
(b) Not.
Don't say: I have made no any mistakes in dictation.
Say: I haven't ( - have not) made any mistakes in dictation.
W e use no meaning not any, as an adjective to qualify the noun. If the noun is already qualified by an ad[ective, like any. much, enough, w e must use the adverb not.
Note: W e only use no as an adverb before a comparative: /have no more to say.
(See Exercise 90on page 176.)
558 Fool and Foolish.
(a) Fool.
Don't say: Anne said to me, 'You're fool.'
Say: Anne said to me, 'You're a fool.' (b) Foolish. Don't say: Anne said to me, 'You're a foolish.
Say: Anne said to me, 'You're foolish. Foot isa noun, and requires thearticle when we useitwith theverb to be. Foolish isan adjective, andcan't be used with thearticle after theverb to be. Note: A fool or a foolish person doesn't mean an insane person, but one who acts thoughtlessly. W e tend to usesilly or stupid instead of foolish m modern usage.
559 Misuse or' due to as a preposition. Don't say: William came late due to an accident.
-/ Say: William came late because of an accident.
Don't use due to as a preposition rneanmo because of Due, as an adjective here, is used correctly only when it qualifies some noun: His de<ay ,vjs due to an accident
560 Misuse of rest as an adjective. Don't say: I spent the rest day at home.
Say: I spent the rest of the day at home. Here, restisanoun,andwecan'tusenasanadjectiveinthemeaningof
what"s ieft
561 Misuse of raiser as an adjective. Don't say: Jill loved money; she was miser.
Say: Jill loved money; she was a miser. ?*1isev is a noun, and w e can't use it as ^n adjective fh^- ^dj^cuvc is miserly
Sh<? was rrtiteriy.
562 Misuse of opened as an adjective. 'Don't say: I found all the window? opened.
Say: found all the windows open. The adjective is open. Thepast participle is opened Somebody
the windows
563 Misuse of friendly as an adverb.
Don't say; Andrew behaves friendly.
h*i opened all
Soy: Andrew behaves in a friendly way. The adverbial form is in a friendly w a y Friendly is an adjective a
friendly game, to have friendly relations with one's neighbours, c-tc
564 Misuse of truth as an adjective. Don't soy: Is it truth that Diana's very ill?
/ Say: Is it true that Diana's very ill? Truth isn'tanadjectivebutanoun Theadjectiveistrue, andweuse•!withno
article between it andtheverb to be .
565 Misuse of plenty as an adjective. Don't say: Mike tiad plenty work to do.
Say: Mike had plenty of work to do.
P l e n t y isn't an adjective, but a noun meaning a large number or amount. The
566 Misuse of coward as an adjective. Don't say: She said, 'You are a coward boy.
Say: She said, 'You are a coward.'
plentiful Coward 1=one withonl courage) K Ihe noun. The adjective is cowardly.
567Misuse of others as an adjective. Don't My:The others boys aren't here.
Say:The other boys aren't here.
Others isn't an adjective but a pronoun The adjective is other (without *he s) W e can s.iy The others aren't here omitting the noun boys .
568 Misuse of died for dead. Don't say: I think his grandfather is died. Say: I think his grandfather is dead.
Died is the past tense ot die. The cTJjetJive is dead (See Exercise 91 on page 177.)
569 Misuse of shoot for shot. Don't say: I had a good shoot at the goal.
Say: I had^a good shot at the goal.
Shoot On football] is the verb The noun is shot
570 Misuse of it's for its. Don't write:The bird was feeding it's young.
Write: The bird was feeding its young.
The possessive adjective- its is correctly written without the apostrophe So also hers, ours, yours, theirs take no apostrophe.
(See Exercise 92 on page 177.)
571 Misuse of hot as a noun. Don't say.There's much hot this summer.
Say: It's very hot this summer. Hot isanadjective only, and wecan't useitasa noun. Thenoun isheat.
572 Misuse of pain as a verb. Don't say: I pain my leg or My leg is paining.
Say: There's (or I've got) a pain in my leg. We generally usepain asa noun, andprecede it by have or feel.
573 Misuse of worth as a verb. Don't say; My bicycle worths £150. Say: My bicycle is worth £150.
Worth isn't a verb, butan adjective.
574 Misuse of able as a verb. Don't soy; The poor man doesn't able to pay.
Say: The poor man isn't able to pay.
Ableisanadjective,andwecan't useitasaverb.
575 Misuse of afraid as a verb. Don't say: John doesn't afraid of anybody. Say: John's not afraid of anybody.
Afraid isn't a verb but an adjective, and w e generally useit with the verb to be
576 Misuse of weight as a verb. Don't say: Have you weighted the letter?
Say: Have you weighed the letter?
Weight isa noun andwecan't useitasa verb. Theverb isweigh {without the t).
577 Misuse of good for weU. Don't say; The goalkeeper plays very good.
Say: The goalkeeper plays very well. Good isanadjective only, andwecan't useitasan adverb (See Exercise 93 on pages 177-178.)
578 Misuse of adjective for adverb. Don't say: The little girl sang beautiful.
Say: The little girl sang beautifully. W e use an adverb, and not an adjective, to qualify a verb
Note After verbs such as took, feel, sound, taste, smell usean adjective instead of an adverb: Suga' tastes sweet (not sweetly).
579 Misuse of after for afterwards, etc. Don't say: After we went home for dinner.
Say: Afterwards we went home for dinner.
After is a preposition and w e must use it with an object. Afterwards, then, after that areadverbs oftime andwecanusethem alone
580 And the two, etc., used for both, etc.
Don't say: I've seen and the two of them.
Say: Eve seen both of them. Never sayand the two instead of both. Also avoid and the three, four,etc.
Say, all three, four, etc
531 Misuse of and for also or too. Don't say: Let me do and the next exercise.
Say: Let's also do the next exercise. Or: Let me do the next exercise too.
And isa conjunction, andcanonly join similar forms of speech Hecame and sacdown. Wecan'tuseitinsteadoftheadverbsalsoand too.
582 Misuse of and for even. Don't say: She doesn't trust and her friends.
Say: She doesn't trust even her friends. And is a conjunction only, and we can't use it instead of the adverb even
583 Misuse of loose for iose. Don't say: Be careful not to loose your money.
Say: Be careful not to lose your money.
Lose (with one o) is the common verb meaning not to be able to find. Loose (with double 0) is an adjective meaning unfastened, free' The horse was loose in The field .
584 Misuse of past for passed. Don't say: I past by your house yesterday.
Say: I passed by your house yesterday. Past isn't a vetb The past tense arid past participle ot the verb to pass is passed .
Note' We can use past as a noun, Don't think of the past: an adjective. The past week was warm: a preposition, We walked past the church: an adverb, The train went past
(See Exercises 94 and 95 on page 178.)
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق