sir, I have been confused by the use of articles. Can you please explain where to use a, an, the?

• A/ an and the are called articles.A/an' must be used before countable singulars in English.

         Things we count like, one, two,

        three, etc. are countables.

           Eg: book, man, town, river, etc.
               Things we don't count but weigh or mea- 
               sure like oil, sugar, milk, etc., are uncounta-bles.
               No 'a/ an' before uncountables. 

★

A = an. However, before countable singu-

lars beginning with vowel sounds that is,

English words beginning with the Telugu

sounds,

Å, Ç, É, Ñ, Ö, Ü, á, à, â, ä, ã, å

,

'an' is used, and before words beginning

with consonant sounds, that is, sounds other

than '

Å

' to '

å

', 'a' is used.

Eg:

a bell, a cat, etc. an umbrella, an idea, an

owl etc. 

★ 

'A/ an' is used with the meanings of one,

someone, certain.

'The' we use, when we talk of

something we have already referred

to.

Eg:  a) I bought a

book yesterday.

The book is very interesting.

In the second sentence we talk

about the book we have already

mentioned in the first sentence. 
b) He met a man and the man told him that he

was from England.

There are other uses of 'the'. Any good

grammar book will give you the uses of 'the'.

Please refer to them.

Q: Sir please let me know the kinds of verbs/

Types of verbs.

A: There are mainly two types of verbs -

1) Transitive verbs and 2) Intransitive verbs.

Transitive verbs have objects. That is, if

you put the question 'What'/ 'Whom', you get

an answer.

Eg: a) He is eating a mango - The verb in the

sentence is 'is eating'. Put the question

'What' to the verb.

★

He is eating what? - You get the answer 'a mango'. So it is a  transitive verb.

b) She wrote a letter - The verb here is wrote.

Put the question: She wrote what? You get

the answer, a letter. So wrote (and so write) is a transitive verb.

c) Krishna helped Rama. The verb here is,

'helped'. Put the question, Krishna helped

whom? You get the answer 'Rama'. So

helped (and so help) is a transitive verb.

2) Intransitive Verbs:

Intransitive verbs do

not answer to the question, whom/ what

★

He goes there everyday. The verb here is, goes (that is, go). Put the question, go what go whom

No answer. So 'go' is an intransitive verb.

★

A good number of verbs have more than

one meaning. Such verbs may be transitive

with one meaning, and intransitive with

another meaning.

Eg: The verb, run. Run has more than one

meaning - the first one, of course, is move

very fast 

★

He runs very fast. The verb is runs - Put the question, runs

what , whom

- No answer. So with the meaning

'run' is intransitive

★ 

'Run' also means, managing

Eg: He runs a school. Put the question 'What?'

He runs what ? - Answer: a school, so runs,

here is a transitive verb.

Only transitive verbs have passive voice.

Intransitive verbs do not have passive voice,

except in imperative sentences (commands, requests, etc).

These are the two important kinds of verbs.

There are other kinds too, but to be able to

write and speak good English, we need not

know them

Q: Sir, how to use the word "Rather than".

Also please explain how to use the word

'"As such". 

Please explain the difference

between "left for" and "have been to" and

when to use these words with examples. 

A: 1) When we compare two things of differ-

ent kinds, we use rather than in the comparative degree. 

Eg: a) I would rather walk than go by bus.

             b) He is rather industrious than intelligent.

2) As such = as things are

3) Left for - The past tense of leave for = to start for a place. / to go to a place. 

★ 

He left for Delhi yesterday = He started for Delhi and is perhaps there now.

4) Have been to = visit / go to a place and stay there for some time. 

  I have been to Delhi a number of times


★ 
 

Kindly clarify the following:

Difference between the words and their usages:

1. Gist / Summary

2. Illustration / Example

3. Rein / Reign 

4. Bill / Invoice

A:   1) Gist = The central idea of a passage;

Summary = a brief statement of the

main points of a piece of writing. A gist

gives central idea of a passage and is

therefore very brief. On the other hand

a summary contains all the main points

in the passage. 

2) Illustration = example. An illustration how-

ever has other meanings too. 

3) Rein = The leather straps by which you

control a horse.

Reign = Rule by a king.

4) A bill shows the amount you pay for something you have bought.

An invoice shows the amount you have to

pay for things already delivered to you. 

ENGLISH

 

If you want to discuss the meaning of a word, it helps to know the difference between denotation and connotation. These two terms are easy to confuse because they describe related concepts. Additionally, both denotation and connotation stem from the Latin word notāre, meaning “to note.”

The denotation of a word or phrase is its explicit or direct meaning. Another way to think of it is as the associations that a word usually elicits for most speakers of a language, as distinguished from those elicited for any individual speaker because of personal experience.
The connotation of a word or phrase is the associated or secondary meaning; it can be something suggested or implied by a word or thing, rather than being explicitly named or described.
For example, the words home and house have similar denotations or primary meanings: a home is “a shelter that is the usual residence of a person, family, or household,” and a house is “a building in which people live.” However, for many, these terms carry different associations or secondary meanings, also known as connotations. Many people would agree that home connotes a sense of belonging and comfort, whereas house conveys little more than a structure.
The connotation of a word depends on cultural context and personal associations, but the denotation of a word is its standardized meaning within the English language. One way to remember the difference between the terms is to take a hint from the prefixes: con- comes from Latin and means “together; with,” reminding us that the connotation of a word works with or alongside its more explicit meaning or denotation.

                      must watch

Q: We feel difficulty/ difficult whenever/ when we are asked to explain punctuation marks, how can it be overcome? 

Moreover is it necessary to learn punctuation marks and simple, complex & compound sentences to speak English fluently?

 

A: If it is only to speak English, you need not know punctuation marks and simple, complex and compound sentences.

However knowing simple, complex and compound sentences can help you to have variety in your speech

Both different from and different than are accepted in standard American English, and both have been in use for the last 300 years. But is one of these phrases more correct than the other?
In formal writing, different from is generally preferred to different than. This preference has to do, in part, with the historical use of the word than. This term entered English as a conjunction often used with comparative adjectives, such as better, taller, shorter, warmer, lesser, and more, to introduce the second element in a comparison. Different is not a comparative adjective. Thus, when different than first started appearing in English, it sounded grating or less natural to discerning ears.
From has been used with the verb differ since at least the 1500s, which paved the way for different from to be readily accepted into the lexicon. William Shakespeare used different from in The Comedy of Errors: “This week he hath been heavy, sour, sad, / And much different from the man he was…” Other pairings have popped up over the years, including different against, but  different from and different than remain the two most useful among English speakers. Different than is common in American English, but might sound strange to British ears, and in the UK, different to is a common alternative that is seldom used in the US.
When in doubt, stick with different from. However, note that there is a time and place for different than. When what follows is a clause, than can be the more elegant choice: My grandmother looks different than I remember. From works best when what follows is a noun or noun phrase: My grandmother looks different from that old photograph of her.

The difference between the verbs lay and lie is one of English’s thornier cases of confusion. Both words involve something or someone in a horizontal position, but where the two words deviate has to do with who or what is horizontal—the subject of the verb (the one doing the action) or the direct object (the person or thing being acted upon).
To lay means “to put or place in a horizontal position,” and is a transitive verb, meaning it requires a direct object (e.g. I lay the quilt on the couch. I lay the book on the table). To lie means “to be in a horizontal, recumbent, or prostrate position” and “to rest, remain, be situated, etc.” Lie is an intransitive verb, meaning it does not take a direct object (e.g. I lie on the couch). If you’re the one lying comfortably on your back you want the verb lie, but if you can replace the verb with “place” or “put” (e.g. I place the book on the table) then use the verb lay.
Transitivity is a basic distinction between verbs, and the lay/lie distinction is by no means unique. You’ve probably already mastered when to use rise over raise, or sit instead of set. Lie and lay are no different—the words may be similar, but they are not interchangeable.
Unfortunately, the straightforward answers stop there. Once you move into the past tense it gets trickier. The past tense of lay is laid, but the past tense of lie takes the irregular form lay. So although lay and lie are two different verbs, lie in the past tense looks like lay. The past participle forms of lay and lie (formed with the helping verb “have”) are also distinct: lay maintains its past form laid , but lie takes the new ending lain. To complete the paradigm, the present participle form of lay is laying, and the present participle of lie is lying.
Let’s explore these nuances with a few example sentences:
Present
·    Lie:  The cat hops up on the bed and lies down.
·    Lay: You lay your book down and pet her.
Past
·     Lie:  Last night, you lay awake for hours, unable to go to sleep.
·     Lay:  Last night, you laid all of the ingredients on the kitchen counter for the upcoming feast.
Past participle
·     Lie:  You had just lain down to sleep when a noise jolted you awake.
·     Lay:  The book, which you had laid on the bedside table, had fallen.
Present participle
·     Lie: You are lying on the grass in the park and soaking up the sun.
·     Lay:  Your friend is laying a towel on the grass beside you.
So, how to remember? First, take comfort in the fact that few of us do. But it’s a good idea to know the distinction for formal writing (and to impress your friends with your grammar prowess).
Simple expressions like lay it on me are useful tools to remember that lay always takes a direct object (in this case “it”). And when in doubt, if you can replace the verb with “place” or “put” then the verb you want is lay. As for lie, its homophone lie (as in “to fib”) can actually help, because both forms of lie are intransitive. If you can replace the meaning of lie for the meaning of fib and the sentence is still grammatical, you’re using the correct term (e.g. I lie on the couch is grammatical; I lie the cat next to me is not.)

Have you ever heard someone use the word supposably and wondered what they meant? Maybe it’s a synonym for supposedly? Or a mistake? Supposedly and supposably are often confused, most famously by Joey from Friends. Both of these words come from the English word suppose, which is a combination of sup- (a variant of sub- meaning “slightly,” “imperfectly,” “nearly”) and pose meaning “to assert, state, or put forward.” Supposedly predates supposably by more than 100 years. What is the difference between these two words today?
Supposedly is an adverb that means “according to what is accepted or believed to be true; seemingly, purportedly.” It is typically used when someone wants to convey doubt, as in this recent op-ed from the New York Times: “The other risk, raised by some City Council members and advocates for the poor and working class, is that supposedly ‘affordable’ rents can still be too high for too many struggling New Yorkers.”
Though the strict grammarians at BuzzFeed have lamented that our world is ending because so many people use supposably, it is a valid word that is recorded in several dictionaries of English, including Dictionary.com. However, it has historically carried a slightly different meaning than supposedly; supposably means “conceivably.” Most people use it interchangeably with supposedly, which is technically incorrect (despite the fact that the meaning is typically understood).
In this 1845 example, the author considers scenarios in which a parent’s authority may be revoked: “The only justifiable, or supposeably proper, occasion for taking this business out of the hand of the parent [...] is, that he will not attend to it [...]. This is a case which may be supposed.”
In our research, we encountered a strange and extreme spike in the use of the word supposably between the 1860s and the 1930s in Google Ngram. This word never came close to the usage volume as supposedly, but the trend is notable.
Which one should you use? Since there is much ado about supposably and its meaning is very specific, we recommend that you stick with supposedly.

Both for all intents and purposes and for all intensive purposes are widely used to mean “for all practical purposes” or “virtually.” But which one is correct? The standard idiom is for all intents and purposes, not for all intensive purposes, though if you were to say these two forms out loud it might be hard to tell the difference between the two.
The cause of the confusion is rooted in this phonetic similarity. For all intensive purposes is what is known as an eggcorn, a label invented in the early 2000s by linguist Geoffrey Pullum to describe words or phrases that are misheard and consequently reform into a new word or phrase. Like, for example, hearing someone say “acorn” and thinking they said “eggcorn,” which is how this phenomenon got its name. The difference is stark when written down, but when spoken, the two words sound very much alike. Unlike mondegreens, eggcorns generally retain the same meaning as the original form, as in the case of for all intensive purposes.
The nonstandard for all intensive purposes seems to have first appeared in the 1950s according to the Google Books Ngram Viewer, while a version of the standard idiom, “to all intents, constructions, and purposes,” is cited in the OED as early as 1546. Historically, the dominant form of the idiom was to all intents and purposes, but over the past several decades that has gradually waned as the “for” form has increased in popularity.
The number of linguistic features that change due to a simple mishearing are numerous. The word apron, for instance, used to begin with the letter n, but the audible difference between “a napron” and “an apron” is so infinitesimal that speakers removed the n entirely, assuming it was part of the word “an” rather than “napron.” The word orange has a similar story, as do scads of other words and phrases across numerous other languages.
All in all, right and wrong can be a bit fuzzy in language, but for now, for all intents and purposes, you should opt for the proper idiom over the eggcorn alternative. This is especially important in your writing, where the nonstandard for all intensive purposes cannot be misheard

The terms and empathy and sympathy are often confused, and with good reason. Both of the words deal with the relationship one has to the feelings and experiences of another. Today we explore the differences between these terms and how they are most commonly used.
Both sympathy and empathy have roots in the Greek term páthos meaning “suffering, feeling.” The prefix sym- comes from the Greek sýn meaning “with, together with” and the prefix em- derives from the Greek en- meaning “within, in.”
Sympathy is the older of the two terms. It entered English in the mid-1500s with a very broad meaning of “agreement or harmony in qualities between things or people.” Since then, the term has come to be used in a more specific way. Nowadays sympathy is largely used to convey commiseration, pity, or feelings of sorrow for someone who is experiencing misfortune. This prevailing sense is epitomized in the category of greeting card most often labeled “sympathy” that specializes in messages of support and sorrow for those in a time of need.
Consider the following examples:

“There was little sympathy in England for David Beckham … when he received a red card in a 1998 World Cup loss to Argentina.” –New York Times,  July 2, 2015

“…the new [Facebook] feature would automatically replace the existing ‘like’ button with a ‘sympathize’ one when users tag their statuses with a negative emotion, like ‘sad’ or ‘depressed.’” –New York, December 6, 2013

Empathy entered English a few centuries after sympathy—in the late 1800s—with a somewhat technical and now obsolete meaning from the field of psychology, which referred to the physiological manifestation of feelings. Unlike sympathy, empathy has come to be used in a more broad way than it was when it was first introduced into the lexicon; the term is now most often used to refer to the capacity or ability to imagine oneself in the situation of another, thereby vicariously experiencing the emotions, ideas, or opinions of that person.
Consider the following examples:

“…many of us believe that if more lives are at stake, we will — and should — feel more empathy (i.e., vicariously share others’ experiences) and do more to help.” –New York Times, July 10, 2015

“I think that’s almost what it is sometimes if you sum up what acting is. It’s just the ultimate expression of empathy.” –Emily Blunt, Los Angeles Times, December 8, 2014

To sum up the differences between the most commonly used meanings of these two terms: sympathy is feeling compassion, sorrow, or pity for the hardships that another person encounters, while empathy is putting yourself in the shoes of another.

Is the head of a school called a principal or a principle? These two words are frustratingly similar, leaving even the most experienced English speakers to second-guess which word means what. Today, we’ll discuss the distinct meanings between these easy-to-confuse terms and a little trick to help differentiate between your principals and your principles.
A principal is a chief or head, particularly of a school. Principal can also be used as an adjective meaning “first or highest in rank, importance, or value,” as in The principal objective of this article is to teach you the difference between two words. A principle, on the other hand, is “rule of action or conduct” or “a fundamental doctrine or tenet.” Principle is often attached to the word moral, meaning “of, relating to, or concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong.”
As you may have guessed, principal and principle are linguistically related. Principal stems from prīncipālis, a word meaning “first, chief.” Principle comes from prīncipium, meaning “beginning, origin, fundamental truth, or basis.” Both terms can ultimately be traced to the Latin word prīmus, meaning “prime; first.”
If you find yourself having trouble choosing between principal and principle, think about the context. Use principal in reference to a person who is in leadership or to describe the importance of something; use principle to refer to a standard, rule, or guiding belief. One popular mnemonic device to remember this difference is the isolation of “pal” from principal. The principal of your school is your “pal.

 The expressions in detail :

                            1. Giving something a go - Present participle of ‘Give something a go’ = Try something or make an attempt

                             2 .Got a taste of his own medicine - Pasttense of, ‘get a taste of one’s own medicine’= having the bad things that one has

been causing others. 

                             3 . Don’t judge a book by its cover = We           should not form an opinion about a person or a thing by

their appearance

The triumvirate of their, there, and they’re can flummox writers at all levels. The confusion stemming from these words is that they are homophones, meaning they have the same pronunciation but differ in meaning and derivation. Today we explore the differences between their, there, and they’re.
Their is the possessive case of the pronoun they, as in They left their cell phones at home. Their is generally plural, but is increasingly accepted in place of the singular his or her after indefinite singular antecedent, such as someone: Someone left their book on the table.
There is an adverb that means “in or at that place,” as in She is there now. In this sense, there is essentially the opposite of here. There is also used as a pronoun introducing a sentence or clause, as in There is still hope.
They’re is a contraction of the words they and are, as in They’re mastering the differences between their, there, and they’re.
If you find yourself coming up blank when trying to determine which one to use, take a hint from the spelling of each: Their has the word heir in it, which may remind you that the term indicates possession. There has the word here within it. This should serve as a reminder that it is appropriate for talking about places, whether figurative or literal. And the apostrophe in they’re should tip you off that it’s the product of two words: they are. If you can substitute they are into your sentence and retain the meaning, then they’re is the correct homophone to use.

                              WATCH DIS

Does one accept an invitation or except it? If someone is left off of an invitation list, has she been excepted or accepted? What’s the difference between these two terms, and how can we keep them straight?
Accept means, most broadly, “to take or receive (something offered)” or “receive with approval or favor,” as in I accept this trophy.
Except has a verb sense of “to exclude; leave out,” as in the phrase present company excepted. But it’s also used as a preposition and a conjunction, as in the following examples, respectively: They were all there except me; Every inch of the facility was well fortified except here. The term is widely used in the phrase except for meaning “were it not for,” as in She would travel more except for lack of money.
As with some other commonly confused terms, accept and except share a linguistic ancestor. Both can be traced to the Latin verb capere meaning “to take.” The prefix ex- means “out of.” The prefix ac- is a variant of ad-, which occurs in loanwords from Latin where it meant “toward.”
One easy way to keep these two terms straight is to zero in on the ex- in except and associate it with exclude. This association should help cement the meaning of except. When determining whether to use except or accept in a sentence, consider first what part of speech the context calls for. If you need a verb, and if that verb could be replaced with exclude without losing the intended meaning of the sentence, then choose except. If the meaning is lost with exclude, then opt for accept. If you need a preposition or conjunction (or anything other than a verb), except is the term for you as accept is only used a verb.

Over the last 200 years, the pronoun whom has been on a steady decline. Despite its waning use in speech and ongoing speculation about its imminent extinction, whom still holds a spot in the English language, particularly in formal writing. Understanding when and how to use this embattled pronoun can set your writing apart.

Whom is often confused with who. What’s the difference between these two pronouns? Who is a subjective-case pronoun, meaning it functions as a subject in a sentence, and whom is an objective-case pronoun, meaning it functions as an object in a sentence. Who, like I, he, she, and they, performs actions, as in Who rescued the dog? (who is doing the rescuing in this sentence). Whom, like me, him, her, and them, is acted on, as in Whom did you see? (whom is being seen here, not doing the seeing). Whom more commonly appears when it follows a preposition, as in the salutation To Whom it may concern (Does it concern he? No. Does it concern him? Yes.) or in the title of Ernest Hemingway’s 1940 novel For Whom the Bell Tolls.
How do you decide which one to use? When in doubt, substitute him (sometimes you’ll have to rephrase the sentence) and see if that sounds right. If him is OK, then whom is OK. If the more natural substitute is he, then go with who. For example: You talked to whom? It would be incorrect to say You talked to he? but saying You talked to him? makes grammatical sense.
That said, in informal speech and writing, speakers will often opt for who where whom has traditionally been used. This choice sounds more natural and less formal to most native English speakers.
Do you ever use whom?

The similar spellings and pronunciations of allusion and illusion can cause even seasoned writers to second-guess their choice of words. Today we will examine and clarify the differences between these two terms.
An allusion is a reference, direct or implied, to something or someone. Allusions are often found in books, songs, TV shows, and movies. For instance, the title of Aldous Huxley’s classic novel Brave New World is allusion to a work by William Shakespeare; the phrase “brave new world” is spoken by Prospero’s daughter, Miranda, in the The Tempest:
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in ’t!
An illusion, on the other hand, is something that deceives the mind or senses by creating a false impression of reality. Illusions are often (though not always) related to visual perception, as in optical illusion. A mirage, such as the phenomenon of perceiving a sea of water in a desert, is a type of illusion.
Allusion and illusion are both related to the Latin term lūdere meaning “to play,” along with their linguistic cousin delusion. Although the prefix de-, denoting privation or negation, provides a hint to the more serious contexts in which this term is sometimes used.
A delusion is a false belief or opinion. In the context of mental health, a delusion can be defined as a fixed false belief that is resistant to reason or confrontation with actual fact, as in “paranoid delusion.”
To keep them straight, try associating the “i” in illusion with an eye, relating the term to optical illusions.