GRAMMAR AND CORRECT USAGE

Compiled by Francy C. Celzo

Mostly Used Words In Exams

1. debacle
a sudden and complete disaster
2. dragnet
a conical fishnet dragged through the water at great depths
3. accomplice
a person who joins with another in carrying out some plan
4. abduct
take away to an undisclosed location against their will
5. masticate
bite and grind with the teeth
6. oar
an implement used to propel or steer a boat
7. ewe
female sheep
8. manifest
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
9. motley
consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds
10. taxonomy
a classification of organisms based on similarities
11. entail
have as a logical consequence
12. empathize
be understanding of
13. ostentation
pretentious or showy or vulgar display
14. grubby
thickly covered with ingrained dirt
15. disingenuous
not straightforward or candid
16. iffy
subject to accident or chance or change
17. winch
a lifting device consisting of a cylinder turned by a crank
18. backtrack
retrace one's course
19. pique
a sudden outburst of anger
20. siphon
a tube used to move liquid from one vessel to another
21. edgy
being in a tense state
22. volte-face
a major change in attitude or principle or point of view
23. hokum
a message that seems to convey no meaning
24. onus
a burdensome or difficult concern
25. uppish
(used colloquially) overly conceited or arrogant
26. insidious
working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way
27. flaccid
drooping without elasticity
28. abject
of the most contemptible kind
29. bleak
unpleasantly cold and damp
30. chastise
censure severely
31. disdain
lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
32. encumbrance
an onerous or difficult concern
33. flimsy
a thin strong lightweight translucent paper
34. grisly
shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
35. hapless
unfortunate and deserving pity
36. intrigue
a crafty and involved plot to achieve your ends
37. jaded
exhausted
38. keen
intense or sharp
39. dainty
something considered choice to eat
40. tarry
leave slowly and hesitantly
41. knuckle
a joint of a finger when the fist is closed
42. discrete
constituting a separate entity or part
43. efface
remove by or as if by rubbing or erasing
44. evident
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
45. composure
steadiness of mind under stress
46. embargo
a government order imposing a trade barrier
47. interdict
command against
48. intrepid
invulnerable to fear or intimidation
49. importune
beg persistently and urgently
50. destitute
poor enough to need help from others
51. pauper
a person who is very poor
52. evacuation
the act of leaving a dangerous place in an orderly fashion
53. yuppie
a young upwardly mobile professional individual
54. silo
a cylindrical tower used for storing silage
55. demur
politely refuse or take exception to
56. acumen
shrewdness shown by keen insight
57. antebellum
belonging to a period before a war
58. bellicose
having or showing a ready disposition to fight
59. bowdlerize
edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate
60. abjure
formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief
61. circumlocution
an indirect way of expressing something
62. ameliorate
make better
63. accolade
a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
64. apprise
inform somebody of something
65. agile
moving quickly and lightly
66. clandestine
conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods
67. clemency
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders
68. conspicuous
obvious to the eye or mind
69. havoc
violent and needless disturbance
70. jeopardy
a source of danger
71. exorbitant
greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation
72. fiasco
a complete failure or collapse
73. sap
a watery solution in the vascular system of a plant
74. blend
mix together different elements
75. exultation
the utterance of sounds expressing great joy
76. forthwith
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
77. fortitude
strength of mind that enables one to endure adversity
78. jubilant
full of high-spirited delight
79. relinquish
turn away from; give up
80. redundant
more than is needed, desired, or required
81. sordid
foul and run-down and repulsive
82. sporadic
recurring in scattered or unpredictable instances
83. ruthless
without mercy or pity
84. heartfelt
earnest
85. amity
a state of friendship and cordiality
86. honorary
given as an award without the normal duties
87. excerpt
a passage selected from a larger work
88. amiable
diffusing warmth and friendliness
89. zenith
the point above the observer directly opposite the nadir
90. pinnacle
a slender upright spire at the top of a buttress of tower
91. dilemma
state of uncertainty in a choice between unfavorable options
92. paradox
a statement that contradicts itself
93. admonish
scold or reprimand; take to task
94. pilfer
make off with belongings of others
95. foe
an armed adversary
96. woe
misery resulting from affliction
97. mendicant
a pauper who lives by begging
98. importune
beg persistently and urgently
99. mull
reflect deeply on a subject

1. Factotum
Pronunciation: fak-toh-tuh m
Meaning: An employee or official who has various different responsibilities to handle
Synonyms: Retainer, Servant, workaholic, odd-job person
Usage: She might appear as the perfect factotum; and indeed she was.

2. Nostrum
Pronunciation: nos-truh m
Meaning: Patent medicine whose efficacy is questionable.
Synonyms: catholicon, elixir, medicine, remedy, treatment, cure, drug
Usage: Riyah gave her sister a nostrum to allay her allergy towards the pollen grains

3. Brook
Pronunciation: broo k
Meaning: A natural stream of water smaller than a river
Synonyms: beck, creek, streamlet, branch, river, watercourse, spring
Usage: This brook dried up every year in the summer

4. Liturgy
Pronunciation: lit-er-jee
Meaning: A form of public worship; ritual.
Synonyms: observance, rite, sacrament, celebration, ceremonial
Usage: People's faith is being choked out by the thorns of fabricated liturgy (Source: Church
Militant)
5. Larceny
Pronunciation: lahr-suh-nee
Meaning: The act of taking something from someone unlawfully
Synonyms: burglary, Crime, stealing, touch, stealing, pilfering
Antonyms: return, pay, reimbursement, compensation
Usage: The larceny is appalling at Kennedy International

6. Quixotic
Pronunciation: kwik-sot-ik
Meaning: Not sensible about practical matters; idealistic and unrealistic
Synonyms: dreamy, foolish, impractical, impulsive, unrealistic
Antonyms: hardheaded, hard-nosed, tough-minded, unsentimental; practical, pragmatic
Usage: Our quixotic prime minister may need Labour to save him in Europe. (Source: The
Guardian-20-Feb-2016)

7. Quash
Pronunciation: kwosh
Meaning: to put down or suppress completely; quell; subdue
Synonyms: crush, pull down, quell, repress, beat, overcome
Antonyms: abet, aid, assist, back, help, prop up, support; foment, incite
Usage: The Punjab and Haryana High Court today refused to quash an FIR registered against
two youngsters in a criminal intimidation case. (Source: Chandigarh Tribune)

8. Skullduggery
skuhl-duhg-uh-ree
Meaning: an instance of dishonest or deceitful behavior; trick.
Synonyms: crafty; trickery; chicanery; duplicity; guile; perfidy; falsehood
Antonyms: truthfulness; loyalty; trustworthiness; truthfulness; honesty
Usage: The tax is high on years of expediency and governmental skullduggery in arming and
feeding and giving harbour to such factions (Source: Firstpost)

9. Ludicrous
Pronunciation: loo-di-kruh s
Meaning: Broadly or extravagantly humorous; resembling farce
Synonyms: foolish, comical, outlandish, silly, laughable, crazy, funnys
Antonyms: grave, tragic, sensible, logical, reasonable
Usage: Meet the epically ludicrous instrument that uses 2,000 steel marbles to make music.
(source: Classic FM)

10. Lachrymose
Pronunciation: lak-ruh-mohs
Meaning: Showing sorrow;
Synonyms: sad, teary, weeping, weepy, melancholy, blue, dejected, gloomy
Antonyms: beaming, chuckling, giggling, grinning, laughing, smilings
Usage: While presidents, being also human, may be allowed some display of emotion, they
cannot be lachrymose all the time. (Source: Philippine Star)
11. Admonish
Pronunciation: ad-mon-ish
Meaning: Warn strongly; put on guard, to caution, advise, or counsel against something.
Synonyms: berate, censure, chide, rebuke, reprimand, scold, warn, hoists
Antonyms: approve, endorse, sanction; applaud, extol, hail, laud, praise, salute, tout
Usage: The two acts of mercy being focused on this March in the Archdiocese of Portland will
be to forgive offenses and to admonish sinners. (Source: Catholic Sentinel-15-Mar-2016)
12. Tirade
Pronunciation: tahy-reyd or tahy-reyd
Meaning: A speech of violent denunciation
Synonyms: harangue, ranting, screed, sermon, anger, censure, dispute
Antonyms: peace, harmony, agreement, calm, praise, accord, unperturbed
Usage: Australian movie star Rebel Wilson has launched a vitriolic Twitter tirade at a journalist
who allegedly “harassed” her sick grandmother. (Source: The New Daily-28-Feb-2016)
13. Labyrinthine
Pronunciation: lab-uh-rin-thin, -theen
Meaning: Resembling a labyrinth in form or complexity
Synonyms: intricate, meandering, serpentine, twisting, winding, complex, mazy
Antonyms: simple, straight, blunt, candid, apparent, clear, definite, even, explicit
Usage: The sentences that once sang became so labyrinthine in complexity that the reader got
lost in the maze. (Source: The Independent-28-Mar-2016)
14. Alacrity
Pronunciation: uh-lak-ri-tee
Meaning: Liveliness and eagerness
Synonyms: alertness, avidity, briskness, cheerfulness, sprightliness, willingnesss
Antonyms: apathy, aversion, slowness, dullness, delay, amble, lethargy
Usage: The Prime Minister asked the party to embrace technology with greater alacrity and
enthusiasm

15. Laconic
Pronunciation: luh-kon-ik
Meaning: luh-kon-ik
Synonyms: terse, pithy, brief, compact, crisp, curt, succinct
Antonyms: circuitous, circumlocutory, diffuse, long-winded, prolix, rambling, verbose, windy,
wordy
Usage: Greater difficulty exists to enforce the laconic safeguards of the Aadhaar Act. (source:
Medianama.com)

16. Amorphous
Pronunciation: uh-mawr-fuh s
Meaning: lacking definite form; having no specific shape; formlesss
Synonyms: irregular, unformed, unshaped, shapeless, unshaped, formless, vague
Antonyms: coherent, ordered, orderly, organized; clear, decided, definite, distinct
Usage: Transmission electron microscopy image showing different levels of crystallinity
embedded in the amorphous matrix of the alloy. (source: AZoM)
17. Wanton
Pronunciation: won-tn
Meaning: deliberate and without motive or provocation; uncalled-for; headstrong; willful;
sexually lawless or unrestrained
Synonyms: Lewd, promiscuous, abandoned, lax, libertine, libidinouss
Antonyms: correct, decorous, genteel, nice, polite, proper, respectable, seemly; innocuous
Usage: The park was full of people fishing and relaxing. I think it's shocking that they were just
walking along carrying out this wanton destruction (Source: lasgow Evening Times)

18. Vociferouss
Pronunciation: voh-sif-er-uh s
Meaning: Conspicuously and offensively loud; given to vehement outcrys
Synonyms: vehement, noisy, clamorous, boisterous, clamant, ranting
Antonyms: noiseless, quiet, silent, soundless, still; calm, hushed, subdued
Usage: The invasive gypsy moth is a vociferous eater during its caterpillar phase. (Source: The
News Tribune)

19. Utilitarian
Pronunciation: yoo-til-i-tair-ee-uh n
Meaning: having regard to utility or usefulness rather than beauty, ornamentation, etc
Synonyms: functional, pragmatic, effective, serviceable, useful
Antonyms: unserviceable, nonfunctional, impractical, unnecessary, useless
Usage: Modern philosophy was by two important “schools” of thought: individualism and
utilitarianism. (source: Business 2 Community)

20. Vicissitude
Pronunciation: vi-sis-i-tood, -tyood
Meaning: a change or variation occurring in the course of something; interchange or alternation
Synonyms: variation, fluctuation, permutation, alteration, diversity
Antonyms: uniformity, stability, similarity, stagnation, conformity
Usage: However, our ancestors concluded that the vicissitude could be corrected by better
government. (Source: Patriot Post)

21. Upbraid
Pronunciation: uhp-breyds
Meaning: Express criticism towardss
Synonyms: admonish, berate, chide, blame, reams
Antonyms: approve, forgive, laud, compliment, praise
Usage: approve, forgive, laud, compliment, praise

22. Vilify
Pronunciation: vil-uh-fahy
Meaning: Spread negative information about
Synonyms: defame, malign, mistreat, jinx, slander
Antonyms: favour, glorify, laud, exalt, praise
Usage: The pair have since been vilified for their actions and have been accused of being
"spiteful". (Source: Belfast Telegraph)

23. Desiccate
Pronunciation: des-i-keyts
Meaning: Lacking vitality or spirit; lifeless; to dry thoroughly
Synonyms: preserve, dehydrate, keep, divest, drain
Antonyms: dampen, grow, moisten, expand, soak
Usage: As an organic farmer, he couldn't use a chemical to desiccate the wheat, and it's highly
unlikely the rabbi would have allowed it anyway. (source: ew York Times)

24. Smitheeens
Pronunciation: smith-uh-reenz
Meaning: A collection of small fragments considered as a whole
Synonyms: chunk, atom, crumb, iota, fraction
Antonyms: entire, total, lot, whole, complete
Usage: Two main classrooms were "smashed to smithereens", with the school swimming pool
caved in and tennis courts destroyed. (Source: Waikato Times)

25. Whimper
Pronunciation: hwim-per, wim
Meaning: to cry with low, plaintive, broken sounds
Synonyms: moan, weep, blubber, fuss, snivel
Antonyms: bawl, bark, clamor, shriek, rout
Usage: The Broadcast Media Law ended with a whimper yesterday but there was still time for a
last tussle in Congress (Source: Buenos Aires Herald)

26. enthrall
Pronunciation: en-thrawl
Meaning: Hold spellbound
Synonyms: beguile, bewitch, enchant, intrigue, rivet
Antonyms: bore, disgust, incite, repel, liberate
Usage: It was his oratory, imbedded with moral values of mankind, that did enthrall not only the
senior students but also the primary class' kids (Source: E-Pao.net)

27. Catastrophic
Pronunciation: kat-uh-strof-ik
Meaning: of the nature of a catastrophe, or disastrous event
Synonyms: calamitous, cataclysmic, disastrous, fatal, ruinous, tragic
Antonyms: calamitous, cataclysmic, disastrous, fatal, ruinous, tragic
Usage: A Latvian farm worker driving in Scotland for the first time killed a Perthshire father in a
"catastrophic" collision (Source: BBC News)

28. Zenith
Pronunciation: zee-nith OR zen-ith
Meaning: The culminating-point of prosperity, influence, or greatness.
Synonyms: acme, apex, apogee, pinnacle, summit
Antonyms: acme, apex, apogee, pinnacle, summit
Usage: Modern Times, released on April 2, 1981, represents the zenith of the brief heavier-
rocking period between Jefferson Starship‘s Marty Balin era (Source: ultimateclassicrock.com)

29. Zealot
Pronunciation: zel-uh t
Meaning: One who espouses a cause or pursues an object in an immoderately partisan manner.
Synonyms: activist, diehard, fanatic, radical, militant
Antonyms: conservative, moderate, balanced, cautious, gentle
Usage: Iran is bolstering its key ally Syria by sending a paramilitary force full of zealot student
soldiers fiercely loyal to the Islamic Republic (source: Daily Caller)

30. Writhe
Pronunciation: rahyth
Meaning: To twist the body, face, or limbs or as in pain or distress.
Synonyms: wince, wiggle, agonize, distort, suffer
Antonyms: straighten, uncoil, align, uncurl, unravel
Usage: The prawns are seen wriggling and writhing on the skewers, which are placed on a plate
on the table. (Source: The Sun)
Also Read: Best Books to prepare for XAT 2020
31. Wizen
Pronunciation: wiz-uh n; wee-zuh n
Meaning: To become or cause to become withered or dry.
Synonyms: divest, drain, parch, wither, devitalize
Antonyms: fill, grow, expand, moisturize, soak
Usage: After they chewed through my carpet, I started to wizen up. (Source: Top Dog Tips)

32. Witticism
Pronunciation: wit-uh-siz-uh m
Meaning: A witty, brilliant, or original saying or sentiment.
Synonyms: gibe, gag, jest, pun, sally
Antonyms: dullness, gravity, seriousness, sobriety, solemnity, stolidity, stupidity
Usage: That witticism leaps to mind as the economics world gushes over India's new central
bank head Urjit Patel. (Source: Barron's)
33. Vincible
Pronunciation: vin-suh-buh l
Meaning: Conquerable.
Synonyms: conquerable, vulnerable, vanquishable, surmountable, indefensible
Antonyms: unconquerable, defendable, indomitable, invincible, insurmountable
Usage: The core of the team also is the same as the one that proved all too vincible last year.
(source: Sporting News)
34. Vignette
Pronunciation: vin-yet
Meaning: A picture having a background or that is shaded off gradually.
Synonyms: sketch, picture, illustration, portrait, depiction
Antonyms: original, real, camouflage, substantive, Landscape
Usage: Every Olympic closing ceremony features a small vignette made by the next host city to
get people. (SOURCE: SB Nation)

35. Vertigo
Pronunciation: vur-ti-goh
Meaning: Dizziness
Synonyms: giddiness, lightheadedness, abscess, wooziness, instability
Antonyms: stability, penetration, gravity, clear-headed, languid
Usage: He can be seen twirling at high speed at the very edge of the roof – which might make
those suffering from vertigo want to look away. (Source: RT)

36. Usurp
Pronunciation: yoo-surp, -zurp
Meaning: To take possession of by force.
Synonyms: take over, seize, confiscate, expropriate, annex
Antonyms: relinquish, surrender, accede, acquiesce, resign
Usage: Opponents argue that such an approach would usurp states' rights and create an unneeded
new layer of bureaucracy. (source: Baltimore Sun)

37. Undulate
Pronunciation: uhn-juh-leyt
Meaning: To move like a wave or in waves.
Synonyms: roll, wave, ripple, swing, oscillate
Antonyms: peaceful, smooth, serene, flat, stick
Usage: The Krall swarm looks absolutely fantastic, the way the ships undulate and move like
they are almost alive is wonderfully creepy. (Source: Redshirts Always Die)

38. Tyranny
Pronunciation: tir-uh-nee
Meaning: Absolute power arbitrarily or unjustly administrated.
Synonyms: despotism, dictatorship, autocracy, monocracy, autarchy
Antonyms: democracy, republic, liberty, autonomy, compassion
Usage: Majoritarian governments were often thought of as being characterised by the tyranny of
the numbers (Source:Kathmandu Post)

39. Turgid
Pronunciation: tur-jid
Meaning: Swollen
Synonyms: tumid, inflated, bombastic, tumescent , bloated
Antonyms: deflated, decreased, diminished, contracted, chapfallen
Usage: Returning Griezmann fails to inspire turgid visitors. (Source: FourFourTwo)

40. Trepidation
Pronunciation: trep-i-dey-shuh
Meaning: Nervous uncertainty of feeling.
Synonyms: perturbation, uneasiness, agitation, dismay, anxiety
Antonyms: calm, equanimity, contentment, assurance, peace
Usage: Maybe they will encounter other Muslims with less fear, trepidation and, just perhaps,
with more friendliness. (Source: Bucks County Courier Times)

41. Transgress
Pronunciation: trans-gres
Meaning: To break a law.
Synonyms: infringe, violate, trespass, disobey, contravene
Antonyms: comply, acquiesce, comply, acquire, obey
Usage: The officers should be careful not to transgress human rights. (Source: The Hindu)

42. Tranquilize
Pronunciation: trang-kwuh-lahyz
Meaning: To soothe.
Synonyms: soothe, pacify, appease, sedate, sedate,
Antonyms: agitate, incite, commove, perturb, foment
Usage: A buffalo that ran amok near Medical College here on Monday was shot dead as the
authorities concerned failed to tranquilize it. (Source: Times of India)

43. Sybarite
Pronunciation: sib-uh-rahyt
Meaning: A luxurious person.
Synonyms: hedonist, epicurean, gourmet, bon vivant, wanton
Antonyms: puritan, ascetic, prude, austere, Spartan
Usage: At the top of the list: the duck-fat burger at Sybarite Pig in Boca Raton. (source: New
Times Broward-Palm Beach)

44. Swarthy
Pronunciation: swawr-th ee
Meaning: Having a dark hue, especially a dark or sunburned complexion
Synonyms: raven, ebony, dusky, sable, brunet
Antonyms: blond, luminous, pallid, pasty, bright
Usage: Terrorist was 29-year-old Islamic radical," shrieked TMZ's headline, accompanied by a
photo of the swarthy killer. (Source: Mic)

45. Surreptitious
Pronunciation: sur-uh p-tish-uh s
Meaning: Clandestine
Synonyms: stealthy, covert, secretive, concealed, sneak
Antonyms: honest, overt, evident, apparent, unconcealed
Usage: The CEO of First in Dallas offered up a large conference room and some office space to
our bank for a surreptitious conduct of the examination (Source: Banking Exchange)

46. Subterfuge
Pronunciation: suhb-ter-fyooj
Meaning: Evasion
Synonyms: artifice, deception, wile, maneuver, deceit
Antonyms: honesty, openness, artlessness, bluntness, disbursement
Usage: But the court rightly dismissed those arguments, finding them to be mere subterfuge in an
effort to block women from getting abortions. (Source: Norwich Bulletin)

47. Subservience
Pronunciation: suh b-sur-vee-uh nt
Meaning: The quality, character, or condition of being servilely following another's behests
Synonyms: servility, obedience, subjection, docility, humility
Antonyms: domination, obstinacy, sovereignty , arrogance, balkiness
Usage: Ordinary people can defeat the Right, but doing so will require ending our subservience
to the Democratic Party (Source: Jacobin magazine)

48. Suave
Pronunciation: swahv
Meaning: Smooth and pleasant in manner.
Synonyms: urbane, unctuous, courteous, debonair, gracious
Antonyms: gawky, awkward, inelegant, acidulous, brusque
Usage: The Portuguese coach looked suave in a suit as he headed out to his car before being
driven away (Source: Mirror.co.uk)

50. Stratagem
Pronunciation: strat-uh-juh m
Meaning: Any clever trick or device for obtaining an advantage.
Synonyms: artifice, dodge, manoeuvre, wile, intrigue
Antonyms: counsel, artlessness, advocate, caution, advise
Usage: There is also one other gaping flaw in Smith's grand stratagem. (Source: Daily Mail)

51. Stolid
Pronunciation: stol-id
Meaning: Expressing no power of feeling or perceiving.
Synonyms: phlegmatic, doltish, stoical, apathetic, indifferent
Antonyms: vivacious, fervent, exuberant, sagacious, mawkish
Usage: No matter how freewheeling the music, though, Gunn kept a stolid, even stern expression
and generally low profile while he played. (Source: The Quietus)

52. Somniferous
Pronunciation: som-nif-er-uh s
Meaning: Tending to produce sleep.
Synonyms: soporific, somnific, somnolent, drowsy, slumberous
Antonyms: simulative, awakening, invigorating, refreshing, reviving
Usage: Ms. Schwend's play “The Other Thing,” at Second Stage uptown last year, turned
thrilling after a somniferous first half (source: New York Times)

53. Sluggard
Pronunciation: sluhg-erd
Meaning: A person habitually lazy or idle
Synonyms: lazybones, slouch, dawdler, fainéant , slacker
Antonyms: hummer, hustler, rustler, highflier, toiler
Usage: Does it really make players, particularly your sluggard, moping millennial, go out and
get some sunshine and exercise? (Source: Long Beach Press Telegram)

54. Geniality
Pronunciation: jeen-yuh li-tee
Meaning: Warmth and kindliness of disposition
Synonyms: cordiality, amiability, affability, bonhomie, benevolence
Antonyms: discourtesy, grumpiness, incivility, aloofness, asperity
Usage: But while his geniality and ability both seem nearly endless, the Met and Mr. Nézet-
Séguin would do well (Source: New York Times)

55. Gibe
Pronunciation: jahyb
Meaning: To utter taunts or reproaches
Synonyms: Sarcasm, Swipe, derision, taunt, sneer
Antonyms: Admire, applause, laud, approve, endorse
Usage: Mr. Trump's campaign did not respond to questions about its social media director's gibe
at Mr. Ryan (Source: CNBC)

56. Glutinous
Pronunciation: gloot-n-uh s
Meaning: Sticky
Synonyms: viscid, viscous, mucilaginous, gelatinous, clammy
Antonyms: capricious, fluent, non-adhesive, baffling, erratic
Usage: The pulut udang is made from only two ingredients; glutinous rice with a filling of spicy
dried shrimps. (Source: Malay Mail Online)

57. Gourmand
Pronunciation: goo r-mahnd
Meaning: A connoisseur in the delicacies of the table.
Synonyms: epicure, gourmet, glutton, connoisseur, bon vivant
Antonyms: muncher, nibbler, blamer, consumer, eroder
Usage: People who had psychosomatic complaints were probably malingering

58. Grotesque
Pronunciation: groh-tesk
Meaning: Incongruously composed or ill-proportioned
Synonyms: bizarre, outlandish, queer, freakish, ludicrous
Antonyms: aesthetic, classy, bonny, comely, elegant
Usage: During the pro-life event, a local Satanist group arrived and conducted a disturbingly
grotesque counter-protest. (source: LifeNews.com)
59. Harangue
Pronunciation: huh-rang
Meaning: A tirade
Synonyms: screed, spiel, oration, jeremiad, hassle, exhortation
Antonyms: tribute, homage, eulogy, citation, accolade
Usage: In the digital age, what would matter was crudeness of the harangue. (source: Miami
Herald)

60. EMULATE
Pronunciation: em-yuh-lit
Meaning: imitate with effort to equal or surpass
Synonyms: imitate, mimic, compete, mirror, echo
Antonyms: derive, jostle, neglect , repulse, transfer
Usage: Ahmed Musa wants to emulate former Arsenal striker Nwankwo Kanu ahead of his
debut Premier League campaign with Leicester. (Souce: Teamtalk.com)
Also Read: How to Quickly Solve Reading Comprehension Questions
61. Fanatical
Pronunciation: fuh-nat-i-kuh l
Meaning: motivated or characterized by an extreme
Synonyms: zealot, extremist, freak, radical, bigot
Antonyms: cynic, apostate, passionless, moderate, temperate
Usage: Thunder evens series with more physical, fanatical approach. (Source: NewsOK.com)

62. MELLIFLUOUS
Pronunciation: muh-lif-loo-uh s
Meaning: sweet-sounding
Synonyms: dulcet, mellow, honeyed, melodic, lyrical
Antonyms: jarring, blatant, grating, coarse, gruff
Usage: Audiences were spellbound by mellifluous singing of Bhajans presented at the Katha
(source: Free Press Journal)

63. DELECTABLE
Pronunciation: dih-lek-tuh-buh l
Meaning: delightful
Synonyms: delicious, scrumptious, ambrosial, savory, dainty
Antonyms: offensive, repulsive, unpleasant, distasteful, unsavory
Usage: Symphony in C is a delectable degustation of a ballet, with each rich course immensely
satisfying in itself (source: dailytelegraph.com.au)

64. Sumptuous
Pronunciation: suhmp-choo-uh s
Meaning: entailing great expense
Synonyms: luxurious, lavish, opulent, magnificent, palatial
Antonyms: ascetic, austere, destitute, impoverished, abstinent
Usage: Young certainly made the most of the music's variety, whether it was diaphanously light
or rich and sumptuous (Source: The Guardian)

65. ABSCOND
Pronunciation: ab-skond
Meaning: Run away
Synonyms: flee, skedaddle, depart, scram, elope
Antonyms: abide, yield, endure, dwell, adhere
Usage: Petronijevic added that the Serbian government had provided guarantees that Karadzic
would not abscond. (source: Balkan Insight)

66. INVEIGH
Pronunciation: in-vey
Meaning: Complain bitterly
Synonyms: object, berate, declaim, scold, censure
Antonyms: flatter, praise, acclaim, cajole, idolize
Usage: Politicians who inveigh against corruption in countries where it's chronic will lose
credibility (Source: Reuters UK)

67. ARRANT
Pronunciation: ar-uh nt
Meaning: Without qualification
Synonyms: utter, flagrant, absolute, gross, unmitigated
Antonyms: jejune, defective, mitigated, conditional, contingent
Usage: No wonder why Frederick Douglass thought the socialists were speaking arrant
nonsense. (Source: Reason)

68. ASSIDUOUS
Pronunciation: uh-sij-oo-uh s
Meaning: Marked by care and persistent effort
Synonyms: industrious, sedulous, diligent, indefatigable, laborious
Antonyms: latent, quiescent, inoperative, inactive, adventitious
Usage: No wonder, then, that the Maori Party is the most assiduous anti-smoking legislator in
Parliament. (Source: New Zealand Herald)

69. IMPASSIVE
Pronunciation: im-pas-iv
Meaning: Having or revealing little emotion or sensibility
Synonyms: stolid, phlegmatic, deadpan, callous, stoic
Antonyms: fervent, passionate, expressive, fiery, effusive
Usage: It's an interesting cross-section of people and situations, mostly presented to the reader in
impassive but well-detailed fashion (source: Deccan Herald)
70. TRACTABLE
Pronunciation: trak-tuh-buh l
Meaning: Easily managed
Synonyms: compliant, docile, pliant, ductile, obedient
Antonyms: headstrong, defiant, mulish, obdurate, balky
Usage: Mr Obama has sometimes entertained the hope that the deal might strengthen moderates
in Tehran and make Iran a more tractable partner. (source: The Economist)

71. FACSIMILE
Pronunciation: fak-sim-uh-lee
Meaning: An exact copy or reproduction
Synonyms: replica, imitation, clone, dupe, counterpart
Antonyms: aboriginal, archetype, paradigm, prototype
Usage: Yet while All For One avoids smoking wreck status, it nonetheless feels like a facsimile
of a facsimile. (Source: Irish Independent)

72. PRECARIOUS
Pronunciation: pri-kair-ee-uh s
Meaning: dependent on circumstances beyond one's control
Synonyms: perilous, dubious, unstable, insecure, ticklish
Antonyms: certain, stable, assured, confirmed, conclusive
Usage: The 24-year-old works 20 hours a week at Pearson as a passenger service agent, a
precarious job that earns her $12.75 an hour. (Source: Toronto Star)

73. TORPOR
Pronunciation: tawr-per
Meaning: Inactivity resulting from lethargy and lack of vigor or energy
Synonyms: languor, inertia, sloth, lassitude, stupor
Antonyms: vibrancy, vigor, animation, liveliness, dynamism
Usage: After the torpor of Van Gaal anybody – or any style of football – is likely to be more
enjoyable (Source: The Guardian)

74. AGGRANDIZE
Pronunciation: uh-gran-dahyz
Meaning: Make appear better or greater (in power, wealth, quality, etc.) than reality
Synonyms: magnify, extend, expand, amplify, augment
Antonyms: degrade, lower, debase, abate, diminish
Usage: Not only do we aggrandize entrepreneurs who simply look and act the part and claim
moral outrage when they fail to deliver the goods (Source: Fortune)

75. ANTEDILUVIAN
Pronunciation: an-tee-di-loo-vee-uh n
Meaning: Of or relating to the period before the biblical flood
Synonyms: ancient, antiquated, archaic, primitive, primordial
Antonyms: contemporary, modernistic, modern, up-to-date, present-day
Usage: His Antediluvian Tea was basically a laxative dressed up in a teabag. (Source: Boing
Boing)

76. BEDIZEN
Pronunciation: bih-dahy-zuh n
Meaning: Decorate tastelessly
Synonyms: adorn, dandify, emblazon, beautify, ornament
Antonyms: blemish, darken, stain, taint, deface
Usage: Naturally, the whole cabin is bedizen with OLED technology, including a further
development of Audi's virtual cockpit (Source: Carscoops)

77. BLANDISHMENT
Pronunciation: blan-dish-muh nt
Meaning: Flattery intended to persuade
Synonyms: cajolery, flattery, adulation, wheedling, sycophancy
Antonyms: repulsion, affront, criticism, dig, aversion
Usage: Since these feudal lords soon grew well accustomed to the blandishment that sprouted
from their acquaintances. (Source: Huffington Post)

78. BUCOLIC
Pronunciation: byoo-kol-ik
Meaning: Relating to shepherds or herdsmen or devoted to raising sheep or cattle
Synonyms: pastoral, rustic, Arcadian, campestral, provincial
Antonyms: urban, metropolitan, civic, refined, cosmopolitan
Usage: Your self-professed 'bucolic socialist' style bring to mind the likes of Jean-Jacques
Rousseau. (Source: The Independent)

79. CANARD
Pronunciation: kuh-nahrd
Meaning: A deliberately misleading fabrication
Synonyms: rumor, fabrication, falsity, hoax, bruit
Antonyms: verity, reality, actuality, veracity, authenticity
Usage: The canard upon which he based his campaign was that Jews were planning to destroy or
take over Muslim holy sites. (Source: Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in
America)

80. COMPENDIUM
Pronunciation: kuh m-pen-dee-uh m
Meaning: A concise but comprehensive summary of a larger work
Synonyms: summary, epitome, abridgment, abstract, précis
Antonyms: broadening, salubrious, elongate, extension, exposition
Usage: That should not occlude the fact the Olympics is a compendium of everything that is
awful about sports. (Source: The Big Lead)

81. DENOUEMENT
Pronunciation: dey-noo-mahn
Meaning: The outcome of a complex sequence of events
Synonyms: conclusion, outcome, solution, consummation, culmination
Antonyms: success, embark, actuate, advent, commence
Usage: Staving off several break points as he served for the title in a denouement he described as
"the hardest game of life" (Source: The New Indian Express)
82. ENCOMIUM
Pronunciation: en-koh-mee-uh m
Meaning: A formal expression of praise
Synonyms: panegyric, eulogy, tribute, commendation, paean
Antonyms: rebuke, admonition, reprimand, censure, denunciation
Usage: You shouldn't repose your trust on the industrialists who shower encomium on you
(Source: Business Standard)

83. ERUDITE
Pronunciation: er-yoo-dahyt
Meaning: Having or showing profound knowledge
Synonyms: learned, scholarly, profound, enlightened, highbrow
Antonyms: uneducated, benighted, uncultured, fatuous, uninstructed
Usage: The students found it difficult to follow the erudite lecture. (Source: The Hindu)

84. FILIBUSTER
Pronunciation: fil-uh-buhs-ter
Meaning: A legislator who gives long speeches in an effort to delay or obstruct legislation that
he (or she) opposes
Synonyms: procrastination, hindrance, corsair, stall, linger
Antonyms: catalyst, impetus, incentive, progression, expedition
Usage: Hillary Clinton filibustered legislation to reform Fannie and Freddie Mae – institutions at
the center of the Great Recession (Source: PolitiFact)

85. FRACAS
Pronunciation: frey-kuh s
Meaning: Noisy quarrel
Synonyms: brawl, affray, donnybrook, rumpus, tumult
Antonyms: peace, harmony, amity, compromise, concord
Usage: Eleven people arrested during a fracas at Epsom Downs Racecourse after Saturday's
Derby have been bailed. (Source: BBC News)

86. GOSSAMER
Pronunciation: gos-uh-mer
Meaning: Characterized by unusual lightness and delicacy
Synonyms: diaphanous, sheer, delicate, flimsy, ethereal
Antonyms: coarse, massive, ponderous, rugged, anaerobic
Usage: If you don't know the deft and gossamer music of Bryn Harrison, this album would be a
beautiful place to start. (Source: The Guardian)

87. HETERODOX
Pronunciation: het-er-uh-doks
Meaning: Characterized by departure from accepted beliefs or standards
Synonyms: dissident, heretical, nonconformist, unorthodox, iconoclastic
Antonyms: agnostic, devout, mainstream, nonsectarian, orthodox
Usage: It's not just taxes where Trump betrays his heterodox rhetoric to embrace unpopular,
orthodox conservative policy. (Source: Vox)

88. IMPRECATION
Pronunciation: im-pri-key-shuh n
Meaning: A slanderous accusation
Synonyms: curse, malediction, oath, fulmination, blasphemy
Antonyms: blessing, benediction, benison, anoint, commendation
Usage: Feelings flow like molten lava. The dialogue overflows with edgy wit and acidulous arias
of imprecation (Source: Telegraph.co.uk)

89. INCHOATE
Pronunciation: in-koh-it
Meaning: Only partly in existence; imperfectly formed
Synonyms: incipient, embryonic, rudimentary, amorphous, inceptive
Antonyms: developed, advanced, abounding, acatalectic, admirable
Usage: An idea, however inchoate, is in the air in Hanoi - and the government would very much
like to see the concept grow. (Source: Huffington Post)

90. INSIPID
Pronunciation: in-sip-id
Meaning: Lacking taste, flavor or tang
Synonyms: vapid, tedious, prosaic, jejune, banal
Antonyms: delicious, poignant, savory, piquant, palatable
Usage: In one of the most insipid Liberal campaigns since John Hewson's Fightback, a double
dissolution election was called over union corruption. (Source: The Australian)

91. IRRESOLUTE
Pronunciation: ih-rez-uh-loot
Meaning: Uncertain how to act or proceed
Synonyms: vacillating, uncertain, indecisive, indefinite, unsteady
Antonyms: vacillating, uncertain, indecisive, indefinite, unsteady
Usage: But a U.S. president threatening nations that don't comply doesn't advance U.S. interests;
it makes us seem bullying and irresolute (Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune)

92. JUGGERNAUT
Pronunciation: juhg-er-nawt
Meaning: A massive inexorable force that seems to crush everything in its way
Synonyms: steamroller, barrage, cavalcade, monster, blitz
Antonyms: surrender, subjugate, withstand, succumb, acquiesce
Usage: WASPS back row juggernaut Nathan Hughes has been called up to train with England
this week for the first time. (Source: Express.co.uk)

93. LAMBASTE
Pronunciation: lam-beyst
Meaning: Censure severely or angrily
Synonyms: thrash, lash, pummel, wallop, scourge
Antonyms: extol, compliment, laud, bless, applaud
Usage: West Tisbury residents lambaste film festival land deal. (Source: Martha's Vineyard
Times)

94. OBSEQUIOUS
Pronunciation: uh b-see-kwee-uh s
Meaning: Attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
Synonyms: servile, sycophantic, fawning, subservient, cringing
Antonyms: arrogant, assertive, disobedient, rebellious, defiant
Usage: Josh Jeffers is simply terrific as the obsequious and put upon Malvolio. (Source:
Greenville News)

95. OPPROBRIUM
Pronunciation: uh-proh-bree-uh m
Meaning: A state of extreme dishonor
Synonyms: disgrace, infamy, obloquy, odium, ignominy
Antonyms: admiration, repute, appreciation, notoriety, adoration
Usage: Social opprobrium is fairly effective at shaming bigots into curtailing or even, in some
cases, rethinking their opinions. (Source: Salon)

96. OVERWEENING
Pronunciation: oh-ver-wee-ning
Meaning: Unrestrained, especially with regard to feelings
Synonyms: haughty, presumptuous, conceited, uppity, insolent
Antonyms: modest, demure, meek, mousy, restrained
Usage: George Osborne had many failings, but perhaps his greatest was an overweening self-
belief. (Source: The Times)

97. PATOIS
Pronunciation: pah-twah
Meaning: A characteristic language of a particular group
Synonyms: argot, dialect, jargon, lingo, vernacular
Antonyms: standard, literary, colloquial, customary, conventional
Usage: In local patois, bangla refers to country liquor, a fact that has caused much mirth on
social media. (Source: The Quint)

98. PELLUCID
Pronunciation: puh-loo-sid
Meaning: Transmitting light; able to be seen through with clarity
Synonyms: transparent, limpid, clear, crystalline, see-through
Antonyms: cryptic, foggy, incomprehensible, indefinite, nebulous
Usage: Girls walk around with pellucid plastic covering the fresh ink on their reddened skin.
(Source: Irish Independent)

99. PUISSANT
Pronunciation: pyoo-uh-suh nt
Meaning: Powerful
Synonyms: potent, mighty, vigorous, strong, energetic
Antonyms: impotent, helpless, convivial, feeble, impuissant
Usage: France had suddenly grown to her full stature; like the contemporary England of John
Milton, she was become a " noble and puissant nation, rousing herself like a strong man after
sleep. (Source: yourdictionary.com)
100. QUALM
Pronunciation: kwahm
Meaning: Uneasiness about the fitness of an action
Synonyms: misgiving, scruple, uncertainty, demur, queasiness
Antonyms: confidence, certitude, assuredness, brashness, constancy
Usage: The poison is killing them but they are willing to swallow it without a slight qualm

PREPOSITION
Preposition Meaning Example

above higher than, The sun is above the

or over clouds.

across from one side It's dangerous to

to the other run across the road.

after - following - The boy

something ran after the ball.
- later than - I'll phone
you after lunch.

against - in - Stealing
opposition to is against the law.
- in contact - The sofa
with isagainst the wall.

along from one end They are

to the other walking along the
street.

among surrounded by Peter was among the

spectators.

around - in a circle - He
- near, walked around the
approximately table.
- It costs around 50
euros.
before - earlier than - The
- in front of day beforeyesterday.
- He
bowed before the
king.

behind at the back of Passengers

sit behind the driver.

below lower than His shorts

are below his knees.

beneath under The pen

was beneath the
books.

beside next to The bank

is beside the cinema.

between in the space Mary

separating sat between Tom and
two things Jane.

by - near, at the - The restaurant

side of is by the river.
- not later - The boss wants the
than report byFriday.

close to near The school is close

to the church.

down from higher to She pulled down the

lower blind.

for what is I bought this

intended book for you.

from where The wind is

something blowing fromthe
starts or north.
originates

in at a point The pen is in the

within an area drawer.

in front of directly The child ran out in

before front of the bus.
inside on the inner The bird is inside the
part of cage.

into enter a closed He went intothe

space shop.

near close to The school is near

the church.

next to beside The bank is next

to the cinema.

off down or away He fell off the horse.

from

on in a position The plate is on the

touching a table.
surface

onto move to a The cat

position on a jumped onto the roof
surface of the car.

opposite facing, on the Eva sat opposite Tom

other side at the table.

out of - move from a - He got out ofthe

closed space taxi.
- without - She's out ofwork.

outside - opposite of The garden is

inside outside the house.
- on the outer
side

over - above/across - The plane

- on the flew over the
surface of Atlantic.
- She put a
sheet over the
furniture.

past beyond She drove past the

supermarket.

round in a circular The earth

movement moves roundthe sun.
 through from one side The Seine
to the other flows through Paris.

throughout in every part The virus

of spread throughout the
country.

to in the direct On the way tothe

of; towards station.

towards in the The child

direction of ran towards her
father.

under beneath, Water

below flows under the
bridge.

underneath beneath There was

dust underneath the
rug.

up towards or in She walked upthe

a higher stairs.
position

within inside They live within the

old city.

without not have or I don't like

lacksomething coffee without

SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT

Basic Rule. A singular subject (she, Bill, car) takes a singular verb (is, goes, shines), whereas a
plural subject takes a plural verb.
Example: The list of items is/are on the desk.
If you know that list is the subject, then you will choose is for the verb.

Rule 1. A subject will come before a phrase beginning with of. This is a key rule for
understanding subjects. The word of is the culprit in many, perhaps most, subject-verb mistakes.

Hasty writers, speakers, readers, and listeners might miss the all-too-common mistake in the
following sentence:
Incorrect: A bouquet of yellow roses lend color and fragrance to the room.
 Correct: A bouquet of yellow roses lends . . . (bouquet lends, not roses lend)

Rule 2. Two singular subjects connected by or, either/or, or neither/nor require a singular verb.
Examples:
My aunt or my uncle is arriving by train today.
Neither Juan nor Carmen is available.
Either Kiana or Casey is helping today with stage decorations.

Rule 3. The verb in an or, either/or, or neither/nor sentence agrees with the noun or pronoun
closest to it.
Examples:
Neither the plates nor the serving bowl goes on that shelf.
Neither the serving bowl nor the plates go on that shelf.
This rule can lead to bumps in the road. For example, if I is one of two (or more) subjects, it
could lead to this odd sentence:
Awkward: Neither she, my friends, nor I am going to the festival.
If possible, it's best to reword such grammatically correct but awkward sentences.
Better:
Neither she, I, nor my friends are going to the festival.
OR
She, my friends, and I are not going to the festival.

Rule 4. As a general rule, use a plural verb with two or more subjects when they are connected
by and.
Example: A car and a bike are my means of transportation.
But note these exceptions:
Exceptions:
Breaking and entering is against the law.
The bed and breakfast was charming.
In those sentences, breaking and entering and bed and breakfast are compound nouns.

Rule 5a. Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by such words as along with, as well
as, besides, not, etc. These words and phrases are not part of the subject. Ignore them and use a
singular verb when the subject is singular.
Examples:
The politician, along with the newsmen, is expected shortly.
Excitement, as well as nervousness, is the cause of her shaking.

Rule 5b. Parentheses are not part of the subject.

Example: Joe (and his trusty mutt) was always welcome.
If this seems awkward, try rewriting the sentence.

Rule 6. In sentences beginning with here or there, the true subject follows the verb.
Examples:
There are four hurdles to jump.
 There is a high hurdle to jump.
Here are the keys.
NOTE:
The word there's, a contraction of there is, leads to bad habits in informal sentences like There's a
lot of people here today, because it's easier to say "there's" than "there are." Take care never to
use there's with a plural subject.
Rule 7. Use a singular verb with distances, periods of time, sums of money, etc., when
considered as a unit.
Examples:
Three miles is too far to walk.
Five years is the maximum sentence for that offense.
Ten dollars is a high price to pay.
BUT
Ten dollars (i.e., dollar bills) were scattered on the floor.

Rule 8. With words that indicate portions—e.g., a lot, a majority, some, all—Rule 1 given earlier
in this section is reversed, and we are guided by the noun after of. If the noun after of is singular,
use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.
Examples:
A lot of the pie has disappeared.
A lot of the pies have disappeared.
A third of the city is unemployed.
A third of the people are unemployed.
All of the pie is gone.
All of the pies are gone.
Some of the pie is missing.
Some of the pies are missing.

Rule 9. With collective nouns such as group, jury, family, audience, population, the verb might
be singular or plural, depending on the writer's intent.
Examples:
All of my family has arrived OR have arrived.
Most of the jury is here OR are here.
A third of the population was not in favor OR were not in favor of the bill.

NOTE
Anyone who uses a plural verb with a collective noun must take care to be accurate—and also
consistent. It must not be done carelessly. The following is the sort of flawed sentence one sees
and hears a lot these days:
The staff is deciding how they want to vote.
Careful speakers and writers would avoid assigning the singular is and the plural they to staff in
the same sentence.
Consistent: The staff are deciding how they want to vote.
Rewriting such sentences is recommended whenever possible. The preceding sentence would
read even better as:
The staff members are deciding how they want to vote.
Rule 10. The word were replaces was in sentences that express a wish or are contrary to fact:
Example: If Joe were here, you'd be sorry.
Shouldn't Joe be followed by was, not were, given that Joe is singular? But Joe isn't actually
here, so we say were, not was. The sentence demonstrates the subjunctive mood, which is used
to express things that are hypothetical, wishful, imaginary, or factually contradictory. The
subjunctive mood pairs singular subjects with what we usually think of as plural verbs.
Examples:
I wish it were Friday.
She requested that he raise his hand.
In the first example, a wishful statement, not a fact, is being expressed; therefore, were, which
we usually think of as a plural verb, is used with the singular it. (Technically, it is the singular
subject of the object clause in the subjunctive mood: it were Friday.)

Normally, he raise would sound terrible to us. However, in the second example, where a request
is being expressed, the subjunctive mood is correct.

Note: The subjunctive mood is losing ground in spoken English but should still be used in
formal speech and writing.

Preposition Rules

There are two major rules when it comes to the use of prepositions.
1. The first major rule deals with preposition choice. Certain prepositions must follow certain
words, and the correct preposition must be used to make relationships between words in the
sentences clear.
2. The second major rule deals with the prepositions place in the sentence. Prepositions must
be followed by nouns, and prepositions can only go on the end of the sentence in certain
situations.

Preposition Choice
Determining the correct preposition to use can be a tricky proposition. This can be especially
difficult when dealing with idioms - expressions in the English language that don't necessarily
make sense when taken literally. Idiomatic expressions are expressions you just have to
memorize, and when errors are made, they are almost always preposition errors.
Here are some examples of idioms, along with the correct prepositions:
 Able to
 Capable of
 Preoccupied with
 Concerned by
 Prohibited from
Each of the italicized words are the only acceptable prepositions to follow these words. It would
not be grammatically correct to say "able with" or "capable to"
Prepositions In the Context of Sentences
Prepositions must always be followed by a noun or pronoun. That noun is called the object of the
preposition. A verb can't be the object of a preposition.
 The bone was for the dog. This is correct- the preposition for is followed by the noun "dog."
 The bone was for walked. This is not correct. The preposition for is followed by a verb
"walked." Walked can't be the object of a preposition.
This rule may seem confusing at first, because you may have seen words that look like verbs
following the preposition to in sentences; for example:
 I like to ski. These boots are for skiing.
However, in these examples, "ski" and "skiing" are not actually acting as verbs.
 In the first example, to ski is part of the infinitive. An infinitive is NOT a verb. An infinitive
occurs when a verb is used as a noun, adjective, or adverb. Here, to ski is a THING that the
person likes doing, not an action that they are doing. It is a verbal noun.
 In the second example, skiing is a gerund. Like an infinitive, a gerund is NOT a verb, but is
instead a noun, adjective or adverb. Here, skiing is a THING that the boots are for. No one in
this sentence is doing the action of skiing.
Using Prepositions at the End of Sentences
Because prepositions must be followed by a noun and have an object, they usually shouldn't be
used at the end of a sentence. For example, it is not correct to say:
 The table is where I put my books on.
However, there are certain circumstances where it is acceptable to end a sentence with a
preposition. These exceptions exist where the preposition is not extraneous. In other words, the
preposition needs to be there, and if it wasn't, the meaning of the sentence would change.
In the above example, "The table is where I put my books on" the use of the preposition "on"
isn't necessary. We could take the "on" out of the sentence and the meaning would be the same.
So, the use of the preposition was extraneous or unnecessary and we don't need it.
However, here is an example where it is perfectly acceptable to use a preposition to end a
sentence:
 "I turned the TV on."
If you removed the "on" from the end of this sentence, it would change the meaning. Instead of
switching on the set, you would be saying that you turned the TV itself.
Six Preposition Rules
Prepositions form a small but very important word class. We use prepositions very frequently
used. In fact, the prepositions to, of, in, for, on, with, at, by, from are all in the top 25 words in
English. If you can understand and correctly use prepositions, it will greatly improve your
fluency. And remember, there are not very many prepositions.
1. A preposition must have an object
All prepositions have objects. If a "preposition" does not have an object it is not a preposition—
it's probably an adverb. A preposition always has an object. An adverb never has an object.
Look at these example sentences:
 They are in the kitchen. (preposition in has object the kitchen)
Please come in. (adverb in has no object; it qualifies come)
 There was a doorway before me. (preposition before has object me)
I had never seen it before. (adverb before has no object; it qualifies seen)
  I will call after work. (preposition after has object work)
He called soon after. (adverb after has no object; it qualifies called)
2. pre-position means place before
The name “preposition” indicates that a preposition (usually) comes before something
(its object):
 I put it in the box.
But even when a preposition does not come before its object, it is still closely related to its
object:
 Who did you talk to? / I talked to Jane.
3. A pronoun following a preposition should be in object form
The noun or pronoun that follows a preposition forms a ‘prepositional object’. If it is a pronoun,
it should therefore be in the objective form (me, her, them), not subjective form (I, she, they):
 This is from my wife and me.
 That’s between him and her.
 Mary gave it to them.
4. Preposition forms
Prepositions have no particular form. The majority of prepositions are one-word prepositions, but
some are two- or three-word phrases known as complex-prepositions:
 one-word prepositions (before, into, on)
 complex prepositions (according to, but for, in spite of, on account of)
5. to preposition and to infinitive are not the same
Do not confuse the infinitive particle “to” (to sing, to live) with the preposition “to” (to
London, to me).
to as preposition
 I look forward to lunch
I look forward to seeing you
I look forward to see you
 They are committed to the project.
They are committed to keeping the price down.
They are committed to keep the price down.
 I am used to cars.
I am used to driving.
I am used to drive.
to as infinitive particle
 They used to live in Moscow.
 They love to sing.
6. The golden preposition rule
A preposition is followed by a "noun". It is NEVER followed by a verb.

How to Use Preposition in English Grammar (On, At, In, Of, For)

Prepositions are the words that join a noun, pronoun or the noun phrases and make each sentence
complete. However, learning preposition is little tricky and hence, students should be conscious
while reading a book or other documents and check the usage of the preposition.
On :
On (refers a surface of something)- I kept the dishes on the dining table.
On (specifies days and dates)- I will come on Monday.
Radha was born on 15th August.
On (refers TV or other devices)- She is on the phone.
My favorite movie will be on TV now.
On (refers the parts of the body) — I keep wearing my wedding ring on my finger.
On (to refer a state)- The products available in the store are on sale.
At :
At (to indicate a place)- There are a good number of people at the park.
At (to refer an email address)- Please mail in detail @ (at) radha@def.com
At (to refer a time) — Meet me at 5 p.m. tomorrow.
At (indicate one’s activity)-John laughed at my acting in the play.
In :
In (to indicate a location)- I am in my friend’s place now.
In (used while doing something) — The tagline should be catchy in marketing a product.
In (to indicate opinion, belief, feeling, etc.)- I believe in hardworking.
In (specify day, month, season, year) — I prefer to do Maths in the morning.
The new academic session will commence in March.
In (to indicate color, shape and size) — This dress comes in four sizes.
To :
To (to indicate the direction, place)- The friends went to the restaurant.
I am heading to my college.
To (to indicate relationship) — Do not respond to the annoying persons.
Your answer is important to me.
To (to indicate a limit) — The old newspapers were piled up to the roof.
To (to refer a period) — I am here from 10 to 5.
Of :
Of (to indicate relating to, belonging to) — I always dreamed of being famous.
Of (to indicate reference) — This is a picture of my last birthday.
Of (to specify the number or an amount) — A good number of people understand Hindi.
For :
For (to indicate the reason or because of) — I am really happy for you.
For (to indicate the duration or time) — I attended the session for one year only.
For (specify the use of something) — She is preparing for her final exam.
Subject-Verb Agreement

ADJECTIVE AND ADVERB

An adjective is a word or set of words that modifies (i.e., describes) a noun or pronoun.
Adjectives may come before the word they modify.
Examples:
That is a cute puppy.
She likes a high school senior.
Adjectives may also follow the word they modify:
Examples:
That puppy looks cute.
The technology is state-of-the-art.
An adverb is a word or set of words that modifies verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Adverbs
answer how, when, where, why, or to what extent—how often or how
much (e.g., daily, completely).
Examples:
He speaks slowly (tells how)
He speaks very slowly (the adverb very tells how slowly)
She arrived today (tells when)
She will arrive in an hour (this adverb phrase tells when)
Let's go outside (tells where)
We looked in the basement (this adverb phrase tells where)
Bernie left to avoid trouble (this adverb phrase tells why)
Jorge works out strenuously (tells to what extent)
Jorge works out whenever possible (this adverb phrase tells to what extent)
Rule 1. Many adverbs end in -ly, but many do not. Generally, if a word can have -ly added to its
adjective form, place it there to form an adverb.
Examples:
She thinks quick/quickly.
How does she think? Quickly.

She is a quick/quickly thinker.

Quick is an adjective describing thinker, so no -ly is attached.

She thinks fast/fastly.

Fast answers the question how, so it is an adverb. But fast never has -ly attached to it.

We performed bad/badly.
Badly describes how we performed, so -ly is added.

Rule 2. Adverbs that answer the question how sometimes cause grammatical problems. It can be
a challenge to determine if -ly should be attached. Avoid the trap of -ly with linking verbs such
as taste, smell, look, feel, which pertain to the senses. Adverbs are often misplaced in such
sentences, which require adjectives instead.
Examples:
Roses smell sweet/sweetly.
Do the roses actively smell with noses? No; in this case, smell is a linking verb—which
requires an adjective to modify roses—so no -ly.

The woman looked angry/angrily to us.

Did the woman look with her eyes, or are we describing her appearance? We are describing
 her appearance (she appeared angry), so no -ly.

The woman looked angry/angrily at the paint splotches.

Here the woman actively looked (used her eyes), so the -ly is added.

She feels bad/badly about the news.

She is not feeling with fingers, so no -ly.

Rule 3. The word good is an adjective, whose adverb equivalent is well.

Examples:
You did a good job.
Good describes the job.

You did the job well.

Well answers how.

You smell good today.

Good describes your fragrance, not how you smell with your nose, so using the adjective is
correct.

You smell well for someone with a cold.

You are actively smelling with your nose here, so use the adverb.

Rule 4. The word well can be an adjective, too. When referring to health, we often
use well rather than good.
Examples:
You do not look well today.
I don't feel well, either.

Rule 5. Adjectives come in three forms, also called degrees. An adjective in its normal or usual
form is called a positive degree adjective. There are also
the comparative and superlative degrees, which are used for comparison, as in the following
examples:
Positive Comparative Superlative
sweet sweeter sweetest
bad worse worst
efficient more efficient most efficient
A common error in using adjectives and adverbs arises from using the wrong form of
comparison. To compare two things, always use a comparative adjective:
Example: She is the cleverer of the two women (never cleverest)
The word cleverest is what is called the superlative form of clever. Use it only when comparing
three or more things:
Example: She is the cleverest of them all.
Incorrect: Chocolate or vanilla: which do you like best?
 Correct: Chocolate or vanilla: which do you like better?

Rule 6. There are also three degrees of adverbs. In formal usage, do not drop the -ly from an
adverb when using the comparative form.
Incorrect: She spoke quicker than he did.
Correct: She spoke more quickly than he did.
Incorrect: Talk quieter.
Correct: Talk more quietly.

Rule 7. When this, that, these, and those are followed by a noun, they are adjectives. When they
appear without a noun following them, they are pronouns.
Examples:
This house is for sale.
This is an adjective.

This is for sale.

This is a pronoun.

Common mistakes with nouns

Incorrect: I would like to buy some furnitures.

Correct: I would like to buy some furniture.
Incorrect: Have you got any informations?
Correct: Have you got any information?
Incorrect: Have you packed your luggages?
Correct: Have you packed your luggage?
Incorrect: Is there any breads?
Correct: Is there any bread? OR Are there any loaves?
Explanation: Nouns like scenery, furniture, news, information, luggage and bread are
always used in the singular. They do not have a plural form.
Incorrect: He told these news to me.
Correct: He told me this news.
Explanation: The noun news is only used in the singular. So, we cannot use these before news.
When a verb (e.g. told) takes two objects, we prefer to put the indirect object (e.g. me) before the
direct object (e.g. this news). Note that the indirect object is usually a person as in the above
example.

Incorrect: The government should pay attention to the problems of the poors.
Correct: The government should pay attention to the problems of the poor.
Incorrect: He provided the blinds with food.
Correct: He provided the blind with food.
Explanation: Expressions like the poor, the dead, the blind, the unemployed are always plural.
You don’t have to say the poors or the blinds
Some nouns only have a plural form, ending with s or without.
The police are looking for the robbers.
I like these pants / jeans / shorts.
 Use either scissors or nail clippers.
Binoculars are stronger than any glasses.
Other nouns ending with s only have a plural form only with certain meanings.
customs (at the airport, not practices), guts (courage, not intestines)
quarters (lodgings, not 1/4s), clothes (garments, not fabrics)
goods (merchandise, not the opposite of bad), arms (weapons, not limb)

2. Singular Nouns with an S Ending

Pay attention!

Some nouns end with s but are usually singular. They take a singular verb with an s ending
in the Present Simple.
Diseases: measles, rabies.
Fields of study and occupation: economics, ethics, linguistics, politics, physics, gymnastics.
Games: dominoes, darts, cards
I study mathematics, which is very difficult. Dominoes is my favorite pastime.
Some nouns have an identical form for singular and plural that both end with s.
Barracks, means, headquarters, crossroads,
a TV series – many TV series,
Money is a means to an end.
Newspapers and TV are means of mass-communication.
 There is one species of humans but many species of cats.

Endings Singular Plural

um – ia
One bacterium can multiply into millions.
one datum
The Internet is the newest medium.
Each school should have a curriculum. • Bacteria multiply rapidly.
Use this data for your calculations.
The media is everywhere.
Curricula.
on – a
one criterion
a natural phenomenon • several criteria
natural phenomena
is – es
psychological analysis
the oil crisis
the basis for the hypothesis • financial analyses
many life crises
the bases of the hypotheses
a – ae
the TV antenna
sea alga • TV antennas, insect antennae
 sea algae
us – i
a circle’s radius
a fungus
an alumnus • the circles’ radii
fungi
alumni
ex/ix – ices
an index
The matrix
appendix • Indices, indexes
matrices
Book appendices, appendixes in the abdomen
o–i
graffito
concerto
virtuoso
graffiti
concerti
virtuosi

Nouns with a plural form and a singular meaning

Certain nouns have a plural form (ending in -s) but a singular meaning: news; shingles, mumps,
rickets; dominoes, billiards, darts etc.:
What's the news?
Shingles is caused by the same virus as chicken pox.
Billiards is a game which connects mathematics and football.
Nouns ending in -ics can either take a singular (if they are considered as the name of a science)
or a plural verb (if they express a specific application of the science):
Mathematics was never easy for Tom.
The teacher told him that his mathematics were well below the standard. (his understanding of
mathematics or his results)
Rhetorics was one of the seven free arts.
His rhetorics were doing more harm to our case than any mistake we had ever made. (his way of
expressing ideas)
Acoustics is the study of sounds.
Poor classroom acoustics create a negative learning environment for many students. (audibility
in the classroom)

PRONOUN

A pronoun (I, me, he, she, herself, you, it, that, they, each, few, many, who, whoever, whose,
someone, everybody, etc.) is a word that takes the place of a noun. In the sentence Joe saw Jill,
and he waved at her, the pronouns heand her take the place of Joe and Jill, respectively. There
are three types of pronouns: subject (for example, he); object (him); or possessive (his).
Rule 1. Subject pronouns are used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence. You can
remember subject pronouns easily by filling in the blank subject space for a simple sentence.
Example: ___ did the job.
I, he, she, we, they, who, whoever, etc., all qualify and are, therefore, subject pronouns.

Rule 2. Subject pronouns are also used if they rename the subject. They will follow to be verbs,
such as is, are, was, were, am, will be, had been,etc.
Examples:
It is he.
This is she speaking.
It is we who are responsible for the decision to downsize.
NOTE
In informal English, most people tend to follow to be verbs with object pronouns like me, her,
them. Many English scholars tolerate this distinction between formal and casual English.
Example: It could have been them.
Technically correct: It could have been they.
Example: It is just me at the door.
Technically correct: It is just I at the door.

Rule 3. This rule surprises even language watchers: when who refers to a personal pronoun (I,
you, he, she, we, they), it takes the verb that agrees with that pronoun.
Correct: It is I who am sorry. (I am)
Incorrect: It is I who is sorry.
Correct: It is you who are mistaken. (you are)
Incorrect: It is you who's mistaken.

Rule 4. In addition to subject pronouns, there are also object pronouns, known more specifically
as direct object, indirect object, and object of a preposition (for more detail, see the definition
of a verb in the Finding Nouns, Verbs, and Subjects section). Object pronouns
include me, him, herself, us, them, themselves.
Examples:
Jean saw him.
Him is the direct object of the verb saw.

Give her the book.

The direct object of give is book, and her is the indirect object. Indirect objects always have
an implied to or for in front of them: Give [to] herthe book. Do [for] me a favor.

Are you talking to me?

Me is the object of the preposition to.

Rule 5. The pronouns who, that, and which become singular or plural depending on the subject.
If the subject is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.
 Example: He is the only one of those men who is always on time.
The word who refers to one. Therefore, use the singular verb is.
Sometimes we must look more closely to find a verb's true subject:
Example: He is one of those men who are always on time.
The word who refers to men. Therefore, use the plural verb are.
In sentences like this last example, many would mistakenly insist that oneis the subject,
requiring is always on time. But look at it this way: Of those men who are always on time, he is
one.

Rule 6. Pronouns that are singular (I, he, she, everyone, everybody, anyone, anybody, no one,
nobody, someone, somebody, each, either, neither, etc.) require singular verbs. This rule is
frequently overlooked when using the pronouns each, either, and neither, followed by of. Those
three pronouns always take singular verbs. Do not be misled by what follows of.
Examples:
Each of the girls sings well.
Either of us is capable of doing the job.
Neither of them is available to speak right now.
Exception: When each follows a noun or pronoun in certain sentences, even experienced writers
sometimes get tripped up:
Incorrect: The women each gave her approval.
Correct: The women each gave their approval.
Incorrect: The words are and there each ends with a silent vowel.
Correct: The words are and there each end with a silent vowel.
These examples do not contradict Rule 6, because each is not the subject, but rather
an adjunct describing the true subject.

Rule 7. To decide whether to use the subject or object pronoun after the words than or as,
mentally complete the sentence.
Examples:
Tranh is as smart as she/her.
If we mentally complete the sentence, we would say Tranh is as smart as she is.
Therefore, she is the correct answer.

Zoe is taller than I/me.

Mentally completing the sentence, we have Zoe is taller than I am.

Daniel would rather talk to her than I/me.

We can interpret this sentence in two ways: Daniel would rather talk to her than to
me. OR Daniel would rather talk to her than I would. A sentence's meaning can change
considerably, depending on the pronoun you choose.

Rule 8. The possessive pronouns yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs, and whose never need
apostrophes. Avoid mistakes like her's and your's.
Rule 9. The only time it's has an apostrophe is when it is a contraction for it is or it has. The only
time who's has an apostrophe is when it means who isor who has. There is no apostrophe
in oneself. Avoid "one's self," a common error.
Examples:
It's been a cold morning.
The thermometer reached its highest reading.
He's the one who's always on time.
He's the one whose wife is always on time.
Keeping oneself ready is important.

Rule 10. Pronouns that end in -self or -selves are called reflexive pronouns. There are nine
reflexive pronouns: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, oneself, ourselves,
yourselves, and themselves.
Reflexive pronouns are used when both the subject and the object of a verb are the same person
or thing.
Example: Joe helped himself.
If the object of a preposition refers to a previous noun or pronoun, use a reflexive pronoun:
Example: Joe bought it for himself.
Reflexive pronouns help avoid confusion and nonsense. Without them, we might be stuck with
sentences like Joe helped Joe.
Correct: I worked myself to the bone.
The object myself is the same person as the subject I, performing the act of working.
Incorrect: My brother and myself did it.
Correct: My brother and I did it.
Don't use myself unless the pronoun I or me precedes it in the sentence.
Incorrect: Please give it to John or myself.
Correct: Please give it to John or me.
Correct: You saw me being myself.
Myself refers back to me in the act of being.
A sentence like Help yourself looks like an exception to the rule until we realize it's shorthand
for You may help yourself.
In certain cases, a reflexive pronoun may come first.
Example: Doubting himself, the man proceeded cautiously.
Reflexive pronouns are also used for emphasis.
Example: He himself finished the whole job.

Rule 11. The use of they and their with singular pronouns is frowned upon by many
traditionalists. To be consistent, it is a good practice to try to avoid they and its variants
(e.g., them, their, themselves) with previously singular nouns or pronouns.
Not consistent: Someone has to do it, and they have to do it well.
The problem is that someone is singular, but they is plural. If we change they to he or she, we get
a rather clumsy sentence, even if it is technically correct.
Technically correct: Someone has to do it, and he or she has to do it well.
Replacing an inconsistent sentence with a poorly written one is a bad bargain. The better option
is to rewrite.
Rewritten: Someone has to do it, and has to do it well.
Many writers abhor the he or she solution. Following are more examples of why rewriting is a
better idea than using he or she or him or her to keep sentences consistent.
Inconsistent: No one realizes when their time is up.
Awkward: No one realizes when his or her time is up.
Rewritten: None realize when their time is up.
Inconsistent: If you see anyone on the trail, tell them to be careful.
Awkward: If you see anyone on the trail, tell him or her to be careful.
Rewritten: Tell anyone you see on the trail to be careful.
Please see our note regarding the word none under Rule 6 of Subject-Verb Agreement.
Rule 12. When a pronoun is linked with a noun by and, mentally remove the and + noun phrase
to avoid trouble.
Incorrect: Her and her friend came over.
If we remove and her friend, we're left with the ungrammatical Her came over.
Correct: She and her friend came over.
Incorrect: I invited he and his wife.
If we remove and his wife, we're left with the ungrammatical I invited he.
Correct: I invited him and his wife.
Incorrect: Bill asked my sister and I.
If we remove my sister and, we're left with the ungrammatical Bill asked I.
Correct: Bill asked my sister and me.

Rule 13. If two people possess the same item, and one of the joint owners is written as a
pronoun, use the possessive form for both.
Incorrect: Maribel and my home
Incorrect: Mine and Maribel's home
Correct: Maribel's and my home
Incorrect: he and Maribel's home
Incorrect: him and Maribel's home
Correct: his and Maribel's home
Incorrect: you and Maribel's home
Incorrect: yours and Maribel's home
Correct: Maribel's and your home

IDIOMS
Idioms are a collection of words or phrases which have a figurative meaning that is generally well
established and known. So these words can’t be taken at their literal meanings since they would
sound farcical. Idioms, at times, seem grammatically unusual as well.
Idioms are a useful tool in linguistics. They add life and colour to the prose. It allows the authors to
play with words and make it an interesting read, rather than straightforward boring paragraphs.
Idioms are often used in stories, poems and even in the spoken words. The origins of these idioms
are not always known, but they said to originate from stories and creative writing, and are modified
over time.

Let us take a look at some really creative examples of idioms and their subsequent meanings.
Idiom Meaning
Penny for your thoughts Asking someone what is on their minds
Beat around the bush Trying to avoid a subject/person/situation
Burn the midnight oil Work or labour late into the night
Judge a book by its cover Rely on outward appearances
Takes two to tango Most deeds/actions/misdeeds require participation from
two people
Kill two birds with one stone Accomplish two things with the same effort
A piece of cake An easy task/job
Whole nine yards The entire thing, all of something
A dime a dozen Very common/commonplace
Bite off more than you can chew Try to take on a task too big for oneself
Cry over spilled milk Regret/complain about something that cannot be rectified
Hit the road Begin one’s journey
Once in a blue moon Once in a while, infrequently
Have a blast To enjoy oneself, have a good time

Phrases
A phrase is a small group of words that are like a unit. These units are a part of a bigger sentence or
a clause. Phrases are unlike idioms, they are actually direct and to the point. They do not figurative
meanings, the expression means what the words indicate.
A phrase, unlike a complete sentence, does not have a subject and a verb. So it does not express a
complete sentence, they are a unit of a complete sentence. There are broadly eight types of phrases –
noun, verb, infinitive, gerund, appositive, participial, prepositional and absolute phrases.
Some examples of phrases are
 The phone was on the table
 The children were giggling and laughing when the teacher left the room
 The nice neighbour offered him a glass of water.

Solved Question for You
Q: Choose the option that best describes the underlined idiom: It will take him some time to get a
handle on how things run in this part of the world.
a. Teach himself
b. Develop an understanding of
c. Write it down
d. Explain to someone
Ans: The correct option is B. “Get a handle on” means to understand and comprehend something or
some situation. So in the context of the sentence, the person will need to understand how things
work in this part of the world.
Share with friends

TYPES OF FIGURES OF SPEECH

Now there are dozens of types of figures of speech. But here we will be focusing on the five main
ones we use in our daily prose.
1] Simile
A simile is a figure of speech that uses comparison. In a simile, we use two specific words “like”
and “as” to compare two unlikely things, that actually have nothing in common. This is done to
bring out the dramatic nature of the prose and invoke vivid images and comparisons. It is one of the
most common forms of a figure of speech and is used in everything from day-to-day talk to poems.
Let us see some examples of simile. “She is as brave as a lion”. Here you will notice a girl and her
bravery are being compared to a lion. this is an unusual and illogical comparison, but it brings out
the vivid imagery and lyrical quality in the sentence. The literal sentence would have read “She is
brave”, but using the simile makes it sound much better. Other such examples can be
 quite like a mouse
 as tall as a mountain
 as strong as an ox
 precious like an angel

2] Metaphor
A metaphor and a simile are quite similar actually. A metaphor also uses compares to things that are
in no way similar. It does so to bring out the symbolism. A metaphor is a word or phrase used to
show its similarity to another thing. It helps to explain an idea, but if you take a metaphor at its
literal meaning it will sound absurd.
An example of a metaphor is “Alex is a chicken”. Literally, this sounds so very absurd. But this is a
metaphor which suggests that Alex is a coward, or frightened. It compares or implies that Alex is a
chicken to bring out the symbolism. Some other examples are ‘love is a battlefield”, “all the world’s
a stage”, “that technology is a dinosaur” etc.
While a simile and metaphor seem to be very similar, there is one basic difference between the two.
In a simile, the comparison happens with the help of the words “as” and “like”. A metaphor will not
have either of those two words.

3] Personification
Another very interesting figure of speech is personification. In this, we personify or represent a non-
human entity as human. We give an inanimate object or an intangible idea of some human qualities
such as emotions, or gestures or even speech. this is done to portray the object as alive and help the
listener or reader paint a vivid picture. Again, if we take the words at their literal meaning they will
sound absurd.
“The wind howled as the storm grew stronger”. Here we have taken an object, the wind, and
personified it as a living thing by claiming it howled. Other such examples could be, “time ran away
from him”, “the boat danced in the puddle”, “the car died in the middle of the road” etc.

4] Hyperbole
Hyperbole in the Greek language translates to ‘excess’. And that is what it does, it exaggerates. We
use hyperboles to emphasize the importance or the overstate something. This exaggerates claims
and statements are never meant to be taken at their literal meaning. They are used to create a strong
and lasting impression
An example would be “Since he has been away from home he has gotten as thin as a toothpick“.
Obviously, he has not gotten as thin as a toothpick, we only exaggerate to emphasize on how thin he
has become. Some other examples are, “Those shoes cost a king’s ransom”, “For the millionth time,
clean the kitchen”, “his grandfather is older than the hills”.
5] Onomatopeia
This is a figure of speech where words or phrases indicate sounds. Often to bring about more
imagery and better describe a setting, authors use words to involve all five of our senses.
Onomatopeia refers to those words that imitate the sounds of an object or person.
For example “The bees buzzed around in the garden”. Here the word ‘buzzed’ is indicating the
sound coming from the bees. Some other examples are “the leaves were rustling”, “the door was
squeaking”, “he closed the book with a thud” etc.
Learn the difference between ‘Single Inverted Comma and Double Inverted Comma.”
Solved Question for You
Q: Identify the figure of speech in the following
a. The cat ran away like the wind
b. Suddenly in the middle of the night, the dog started barking.
c. Variety is the spice of life
Ans: The figures of speech are as follows
a. Simile. The cat (and its speed) speed is compared to the wind. And since the word ‘like’ is
used, it is a simile
b. Onomatopeia. Barking is a word that indicates sound.
c. Metaphor. Here the two things are compared without the use of ‘as’ or ‘like’. The sentence
indicates that one of the things is similar to the other.

Homonyms
Homonyms are words in the English language that have the same spelling, and even the same (or
very similar) pronunciation, but has two distinctly different meanings. The origin and the syntax of
the words will also differ, while the spelling remains the same. You can see how this can be
confusing, right?
Let us take an example to showcase this confusion. One just funny sentence, often attributed to
American writer and comedians Groucho Marx is as follows, “time flies like an arrow;
fruit flies like a banana.” The first ‘flies’ here is a verb and implies the act of flying away fast. The
second ‘flies’ is a noun, as in fly the insect.
Homographs and Homophones
There are actually two types of homonyms. When the words have the same spelling, and yet have
different meanings we call them homographs. here the pronunciations may also differ. Take for
example the word “lead”. It can mean to guide or pilot someone or something. It can also be the
noun form, lead as in the metal.
Then we have the Homophones. These words have the same sound (pronunciation) but their
spellings are slightly different. And they obviously have different meanings. Take for example the
word desert and dessert. “Desert” is the barren land or to abandon something. And “dessert” is the
sweets we eat at the end of a meal.
Let us now take a look at some examples of homonyms that we use in our vocabulary. It is
important to have clarity about the spellings and the meanings of these words so that we use them in
the correct syntax. Take a look at the comprehensive list given here, and then let us solve some
examples.

(Source: gramatichomonyms)
Solved Questions for You
1] Pick the correct homonyms for the given sentences.
Q: The king was in desperate need of a ______ to secure the future of his kingdom. (air or heir)
Ans: Heir. The king was looking for a successor.
Q: She ____ the ball so far that it landed in the neighbour’s garden. (threw, through)
Ans: Threw. The ball was thrown by her (verb)
Q: He could not __ to see his friend suffer. (bare or bear)
Ans: Bear. Bare means naked. Bear in this context means to carry something or some emotion.
Q: My aunt just landed up at our house with her dog in ____. (toe, tow)
Ans: Tow, which means accompanying someone or something. Toe is a body part.

2] Arrange the homonyms in the correct order.

Q: Please ___ down the ____ answer. (write and right)
Ans: Please write down the right answer.
Q: My __ wife had no idea that the ___ was heading towards her car. (deer, dear)
Ans: My dear wife had no idea the deer was heading towards her car.
Q: John was in a ____ for many ___ after the accident. (daze, days)
Ans: John was in a daze for many days after the accident
Q: The thief had come to _____ the diamonds, but the room was protected by a ___ door. (steel,
steal)
Ans: The thief had come to steal the diamonds, but the room was protected by a steel door

Phrases
A phrase is a group or combination of two or more words. It is a unit of a complete sentence. By
itself, a phrase is not a complete sentence, as it does not relay a complete thought. It does not
contain the subject and the predicate both, so it is not a clause either.
The length of the phrase may differ from two words to many more words. This does not have any
connection to whether it is a phrase or a sentence. For example “old dog” is a phrase. So is “the old,
smelly, shivering dog” is also a phrase.

Types of Phrases

1] Noun Phrases
These are the phrases contains a noun- name, place or things and at least one modifier associated to
the noun. The modifier can prefix or suffix the noun. The entire phrase will act as a noun for that
particular sentence. Here are some examples,
 He was wearing a black linen shirt.
 They lived in a small, tidy cottage
 Alex rode her old bicycle to their shiny new school
 The black car got towed.

2] Verb Phrases
Every sentence will generally contain a verb. But sometimes the action being described requires a
more nuanced multi-words verb phrase. The phrase consists of the main verb/verbs and then
auxiliary verbs, i.e. helping verbs. Some such verb phrases are as follows,
 The teacher is writing the answer
 They have been playing since the last two hours
 You must call your mom at once
  He has taken the dog along

3] Prepositional Phrase
Any phrase that consists of a preposition, and the object of the preposition, which will be a noun or
a pronoun s what we call a prepositional phrase. Such a phrase also at times consists of other
modifiers describing the object of the prepositional phrase. Let us look at some examples,
 Students are advised to be on time
 Please turn towards the right at the intersection
Now there are certain times where a prepositional phrase will act as an adjective for a sentence. It
will be the answer to the question “which one?”. For example,
 Please get the book above the cupboard. (Which book?)
 The student at the end of the line is misbehaving again. (Which student?)
And then the prepositional phrase can be seen as the adverb of a sentence. How? Where? or When?
are the questions that it answers.
 The cat is hiding behind the tree. (Where is the cat?)
 The family headed to church after breakfast. (When did the family leave?)

4] Infinitive Phrases
A phrase that includes an infinitive along with a simple verb is an infinitive phrase. There may also
be modifiers attached to the object in the phrase, It contains a verb, so it plays the role of expressing
an action in the sentence. Infinitive phrases can act as a noun, adjective or adverb in a complete
sentence.
 Alex likes to read comics (functions as a noun here)
 To attend the morning lecture, I set my alarm for 6 am. (noun form)
 To keep his dogs calm, Alex turned on the radio. (functions as an adverb here)

5] Participle Phrases
A participle phrase will begin with a participle, which can be a present participle (ending with -ing)
or a past participle (ending with -ed). There may be a few modifiers and associated words included
in the phrase. One thing to remember is that a participle phrase always takes the form of an
adjective in a sentence. Some examples of the participle phrase are,
 We got a call from my aunt today telling us the good news.
 The house was severely damaged by the flood.
 Please sit down without making a sound

6] Gerund Phrases
Now a gerund is a word that invariably ends with “-ing”, without exception. So a gerund phrase is a
phrase that contains an ‘ing” word, with some modifiers in some cases. But participle phrases also
have a similar pattern (-ing words), so how do you tell the difference between the two?
Well while participle phrases function as adjectives, Gerund Phrases exclusively function as nouns.
Let us look at some examples,
 She is currently writing her memoir.
 Washing the dishes is Alex’s chore
 Waking up before sunrise had become his habit.
7] Absolute Phrase
An absolute phrase will contain a noun or a pronoun with a participle. Again it may also contain
additional associative words and modifiers. An absolute participle will modify a whole clause, or
even a whole sentence, not only one word. However, it does not constitute a complete sentence or a
clause. Generally, an absolute phrase is separated by commas. Let us take a look at a few examples,
 He looked towards the beggar, his face expressing pity
 We were glued to the match, our eyes always following the ball.
 He sat on the bed, his clothes neatly folded by his side.
Solved Question for You
Q: She went to the tiny red house on the hill. Identify the type of phrase.
Sol: This is a noun phrase. It consists of one noun (house) and two modifiers for the noun (tiny, red)

ANTONYMS, SYNONYMS, AND HOMONYMS

Examples of Antonyms, Synonyms, and Homonyms

The English language is nothing if not complex. And that complexity lends itself well to some of
the finest prose in history. The fact that we can say one thing a hundred different ways is surely
part of the magic.
Certain words have identical meanings; some have similar meanings; others are as distinct as
night and day. As for words with similarities, they're known as synonyms. Antonyms, however,
are words that have opposite meanings.
Then, there's one other category of -nym words full of interest and intrigue. Homonyms are
words that are pronounced and spelled the same, although they have different meanings. Let's
dive into an array of examples of antonyms, synonyms, and homonyms.
Antonym Examples
Antonyms can be used to demonstrate contrast between two things or provide clues as to what is
meant. Here is a list of antonyms for you to review:

Achieve - Fail Giant - Dwarf Random - Specific

Afraid - Confident Gloomy - Cheerful Rigid - Flexible
Ancient - Modern Individual - Group Shame - Honor
Arrive - Depart Innocent - Guilty Simple - Complicated
Arrogant - Humble Knowledge - Ignorance Single - Married
Attack - Defend Liquid - Solid Sunny - Cloudy
Blunt - Sharp Marvelous - Terrible Timid - Bold
Brave - Cowardly Noisy - Quiet Toward - Away
Cautious - Careless Partial - Complete Tragic - Comic
Complex - Simple Passive - Active Transparent - Opaque
Crazy - Sane Permanent - Unstable Triumph - Defeat
 Crooked - Straight Plentiful - Sparse Union - Separation
Demand - Supply Positive - Negative Unique - Common
Destroy - Create Powerful - Weak Upset - Relaxed
Divide - Unite Praise - Criticism Urge - Deter
Drunk - Sober Private - Public Vacant - Occupied
Expand - Contract Problem - Solution Vague - Definite
Freeze - Boil Professional - Amateur Villain - Hero
Full - Empty Profit - Loss Wax - Wane
Generous - Stingy Quality - Inferiority Wealth - Poverty
Synonym Examples
Synonyms provide variety in our speech or writing. And, since there are endless arrays of
synonyms, it's possible to avoid over-usage and repetition. Let's take a look at some examples of
synonyms:
Amazing: astounding, Fertile, fruitful, abundant, Polite: courteous, cordial,
surprising, stunning productive gracious
Annihilation: destruction, Gargantuan: colossal, Portion: piece, part,
carnage, extinction mammoth, tremendous segment
Hungry: empty, ravenous, Risky: dangerous,
Benefit: profit, revenue, yield
starved perilous, treacherous
Brave: courageous, valiant, Injured: damaged, wounded, Sleepy: drowsy, listless,
heroic harmed sluggish
Cohesive: united, connected, Intelligent: brilliant, clever, Senseless: absurd,
close-knit smart illogical, unreasonable
Tumultuous: hectic,
Cunning: keen, sharp, slick Kindle: ignite, inflame, burn
raucous, turbulent
Destitute: poor, bankrupt, Vacant: empty, deserted,
Loyal: faithful, ardent, devoted
impoverished uninhabited
Deterioration: pollution, Veracity: authenticity,
Old: elderly, aged, senior
defilement, adulteration credibility, truthfulness
Enormous: huge, gigantic, Organization: association,
Wet: damp, moist, soggy
massive institution, management
Partner: associate, colleague, Young: budding,
Feisty: excitable, fiery, lively
companion fledgling,tenderfoot
Homonym Examples
Homonyms are words that have the same spelling and pronunciation but different meanings.
Here are some common homonym examples:
 Atmosphere - the gases surrounding the earth / the mood of a situation
 Bail - to clear out water / to release a prisoner
 Band - a ring, sometimes symbolizing eternity / a musical group
 Beat - to overcome something / to feel exhausted
 Capital - the chief city of a state / a crime punishable by death
 Cleave - to split or sever / to adhere to
 Dive - to go down quickly / an unpleasant place
 Employ - to put into use / to hire someone for a job
 File - to store computer data / to make a formal request
 Fine - being of high quality / sum of money used as a penalty
 Grave - something very serious / a place to bury the dead
 Hide - to keep something secret / the skin of an animal
 Iron - to press or smooth / silvery-gray metal
 Jade - a hard, green stone / a hardened or bad-tempered woman
 Lark - a small bird / something done for fun
 Objective - not being influenced by prejudice / the lens of a microscope or camera
 Plaque - an ornamental plate or slab that commemorates a person or event / a deposit on
teeth prone to bacteria
 Refrain - to stop oneself from doing something / a repeated line in music or poetry
 Reticule - at a distance or disconnected / an unlikely possibility
 Tender - sensitive or painful to the touch / soft food i.e. a chicken tender
Homonyms are not to be confused with homographs - words that are spelled the same but have
different pronunciation and meanings - or homophones - words that are pronounced the same but
have different spellings and meanings. YourDictionary has more Examples of Homonyms for
you to enjoy.

Examples of Homonyms

Homonyms are two words that are spelled the same and sound the same but have different
meanings. The word "homonym" comes from the prefix "homo-," which means the same, and
the suffix "-nym," which means name. Therefore, a homonym is a word that has the same name
as another word, meaning that the two words look and sound exactly alike.
A simple example of a homonym is the word "pen." This can mean both "a holding area for
animals" and "a writing instrument." Another example is "book," which can mean "something to
read" or "the act of making a reservation." In both cases, the sound and spelling are the same,
and only the definition changes.
Homonym Examples
Here are 30 more examples of homonyms. Note that some homonyms have more than two
meanings (for example, "tender" can also mean sensitive, easily chewed, or even refer to chicken
strips), but to keep things simple we've only included two in our homonyms list:
 Address - to speak to / location
 Air - oxygen / a lilting tune
 Arm - body part / division of a company
 Band - a musical group / a ring
 Bark - a tree's out layer / the sound a dog makes
 Bat - an implement used to hit a ball / a nocturnal flying mammal
 Bright - very smart or intelligent / filled with light
 Circular - taking the form of a circle / a store advertisement
 Current - up to date / flow of water
 Die - to cease living / a cube marked with numbers one through six
 Express - something done fast / to show your thoughts by using words
 Fair - equitable / beautiful
 Jag - a sharp, jutted object / a crying spree
 Kind - type / caring
 Lie - to recline / to tell a falsehood
 Match - to pair like items / a stick for making a flame
 Mean - average / not nice
 Pole - a person from Poland / a piece of metal that holds a flag
 Pound - unit of weight / to beat
 Quarry - a site for mining stone / to extract or obtain slowly
 Ream - a pile of paper / to juice a citrus fruit
 Ring - a band on a finger / something circular in shape
 Right - correct / direction opposite of left
 Rock - a genre of music / a stone
 Rose - to have gotten up / a flower
 Spring - a season / coiled metal
 Stalk - a part of a plant / to follow or harass someone
 Tender - gentle / offer of money
 Tire - to grow fatigued / a part of a wheel
 Well - in good health / a source for water in the ground