GRAMMAR and CORRECT

USAGE

A Career Service
Examination
Reviewer
grammar &correct
usage/msjbullagay

How many blocks are grammatically

correct?
A pleasant
Grammar
Its
We
fun
willto
must
going
give
study
will
good
to
help
our
with
discuss
morning
best.
us,
others.
isnt
The
about
toit?
all!
future
grammar.
is ours to take.

Commonly Misused Words

Advice vs. advise

Advice is a noun meaning an opinion given

Advise is a verb which means to give an opinion.
Say: Please advise me. I need your expert advice.

Affect vs. effect

Affect is a verb which means to act on or to
influence something/someone.
Effect is a noun which means a result
Say: The low score on the test affected the student
and its effect on him is evident in his silence.
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Commonly

Misused Words

Afraid vs. frightened

Afraid is a long time feeling of fear

Frightened means feeling a sudden fear
Say: I have long been afraid of snakes and now you
frighten me with one.
Aggravate vs. irritate
Aggravate means to make worse
Irritate means to annoy
Say: Do not irritate me. You are aggravating my ill
temper.

.
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Commonly Misused Words

All together vs. altogether

All together means at the same time

Altogether means wholly or entirely
I was altogether surprised that you were all together on
my birthday.

Ascent. Accent, assent

Ascent means rise or upward movement
Accent means stress in pronunciation
Assent means to agree.
Say: I assent with the team that we ascent the highest
mountain regardless of our language or accent.
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Commonly Misused Words

Beside vs. besides

Beside means at the side of

Besides means moreover
Say: Please stay beside me; besides; we are partners
in this talk show.

Between vs. among

Between involves two nouns
Among involves three or more nouns
Say: Between Terry and Jim, I trust Terry because
among my friends, she has never turned her back on
me.
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Commonly Misused Words

Commonly Misused Words

Bring vs. fetch

Bring means to come (with something or someone) from a distant

place to a nearer place
Fetch means to go and get somebody or something and to bring it
back
Say: Please bring home the trophy and fetch your sister when you
come here.

Borrow vs. lend

Borrow means to use something (e.g. money) after asking permission
Lend means to allow somebody to borrow something
Say: The manager lends money for his secretarys son because this
manager remembers how he used to borrow some during his difficult
years, too.

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Commonly Misused Words

Commonly Misused Words

Can vs. may

Can implies ability

May implies asking permission
Say: Everybody can speak any time but not everybody
may do so.

Compare vs. contrast

Compare means pointing the similarities between
nouns
Contrast means pointing the differences between nouns
Say: A lovely lady is compared to a rose and is
contrasted to a wild animal.
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Commonly Misused Words

Commonly Misused Words

Comprise vs. compose

Comprise means to include

Compose means to form the part of something
Say: The Bible which comprises many individual books reminds
us that humans are composed of body, soul, and spirit.

Continual vs. continuous

Continual implies an action occurring frequently/ regularly
Continuous means continuing without stopping
Say: There was a continual rainfall last July but just as our
hearts beat continuously, our hope for better days never
stops.

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Commonly Misused Words

Commonly Misused Words

Desert vs. dessert

Desert is a dry land area, consisting of sand; an action

word which means to abandon someone
Dessert sweet food usually eaten after meal
Say: If you are in a desert, imagine eating your favorite
dessert and you will not desert that place right away.

Discover vs. invent

Discover means to find out about something
Invent means to create something new
Say: We discovered that our classmate can invent a
buble gum out of baking soda.
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Commonly Misused Words

Commonly Misused Words

Elicit vs. illicit

Elicit means to provoke or produce a reaction

Illicit means illegal
Say: The illicit affair between a married man and
another woman elicited a negative reaction from the
people.

In vs. into
In means inside
Into implies a movement from the outside going inside
Say: we were in the canteen when we saw the
strangers car move into the gate.
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Commonly Misused Words

Commonly Misused Words

Its vs. its

Its is a pronoun showing ownership

Its - is a contraction for it is
Its a fact that a dog is faithful to its master.

Legible vs. readable

Legible means clear enough to be read
Readable means able to be read with pleasure
Say: The childs handwriting is legible and his
short story is readable
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Commonly Misused Words

Less vs. few

Less is for mass noun

Few is for count noun
Say: The problem has lesser complication because a few
people are involved.

Migrate vs. immigrate

Migrate means to move from one region to another
Immigrate means to move to another country to stay
there for good
Say: He migrated to Hongkong till he finally immigrated in
Canada.

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Commonly Misused Words

More vs. most

More is used to compare only two persons, places,

things
Most is used to compare more than two persons
Say: He is more considerate than his companion, but
she is the most considerate of them all.

Oral vs. verbal

Oral is always spoken
Verbal may be spoken or written
Say: The orators verbal skill is commendable and his
oral delivery is superb.
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Commonly Misused Words

Persecute vs. prosecute

Persecute means to oppress others

Prosecute means to try one in court
Say: Many persecuted Jesus but He did not prosecute
anyone.

Peace, piece, peas

Peace means calm, freedom from war or conflict
Piece means part of a whole
Peas round green seeds
Say: A piece of white cloth with a V-sign is a sign of
peace.
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Commonly Misused Words

Pupil vs. student

Pupil refers to younger learners

Student refers to all who go to school/ college/
university
Say: The college students took care of the grade 1
pupils.

Recollect vs. remember

Recollect means to remember with effort
Remember can be done subconsciously
Say: We need to focus to recollect our thoughts and
sift through what we usually remember.
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Commonly Misused Words

Right, rite, write

Right means correct

Rite refers to a ceremonial act
Write is to put ones thoughts on paper
Say: The authors write about the right of a person to
conduct the rite of passage.

Same vs. similar

Same means alike or identical
Similar means having likeness but not identical
Say: The twins look the same but they are only similar
in few respects.
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Commonly Misused Words

Their, theyre and there

Their is a possessive pronoun

Theyre - is a contraction for they are
There is an adverb of place; may also be used to start a sentence
Say: Theyre the artists whom I admire because of their talent and
humility. There are many fans who look up to them here and
there.

Two, to, and too

Two refers to the number 2
To is a preposition
Too means also, or very
Say: Two teams battled for the championship. They both wanted to
win so that they could go to the World Cup, too. The stakes,
however, are too high to reach.
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Prepositional Idioms

Afraid of vs. afraid to

Afraid of is followed
by noun, gerund
Say: I am afraid of
heights.
I am afraid of going
back to square one.
Afraid to is followed
by verb
Say: Lyra is afraid to
leave alone.

Agree to, agree on, agree with

Agree to is followed by a verb

Say: I agree to meet you.
Agree on is followed by a noun
Say: They agree on one goal.
Agree with is followed by a person, or
a pronoun
Say: We agree with everything that
leads to peace.
We agree with you.

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Prepositional Idioms

Apologize to vs. apologize

for
Apologize to is followed
by person/people/
pronoun
Say: We should
apologize to all whom we
have hurt.
Apologize for is followed
by something done
Say: We should apologize
for hurting other people

Back down, back off, back out, back

up
Back down means to turn back

from a belief for fear of opposition

Say: The witness did not back down

despite the death threats he got.

Back off means move away
Say: The firemen wanted everyone

to back off from the burning

building.
Back out means withdraw from a

commitment
Say: The principal sponsor backed

out so the couple need to look for a

replacement.
Back up means support
Say: Dont worry. I am here to back

you up.
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Prepositional Idioms
Break

off, break out, break into, break

through, break up
Break off means to take off a piece of
something or to discontinue a relationship
Say: Its hard to break off from old friends.
Break out means to happen suddenly.
Say: The fire broke out in the squatters
area.
Break into - means to enter (a
house/building) illegally
Say: The burglars broke into the mansion
when the guards were out.
Break through means to quickly move
through an obstruction
Say: When the fans saw their idol, they
broke through the barricade just to see him.
Break up means to divide
Say: Lets break up in five teams.
Break up also means to end a relationship
Say: After two years, the couple broke up.

Differ in, differ with, differ from

Differ in/from is followed by a noun
Say: The twins differ in hair style.
Say: How does Gilas team differ

from Korean team?

Differ with is followed by someone
Say: How do you differ with your

twin sister in your style?

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Prepositional Idioms

Dwell in, dwell on

Dwell in is usually

followed by a place
Say: Their family
dwells in a farm near
our town.
Dwell on means to
think of something for
a long time
Say: We should not
dwell on our mistakes.

Fill in vs. fill out, fill up

Fill in means to give information;

to put something on an empty

space
Say: Fill in the blank with the best

answer.
Say: The dentist filled her teeth in

with amalgam.
Fill out means to complete the

blank spaces (as in a form)

Say: Please fill out the application

form.
Fill up means to make something

full
Say: We need to fill up the tanks

with water for the dry season.

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Prepositional Idioms

Hear of, hear from, hear

out
Hear of to consider
Say: He would not hear of
their excuses.
Hear from means get a
news from someone
Say: Have you heard from
the missing OFW?
Hear out means to listen
until someone is done
talking
Say: Please hear me out
first before judging me.

Keep on, keep out, keep to, keep

from
Keep on means to continue doing

something
Say: Keep on helping other people.
Keep out means not to enter
Say: This is a private property.

Please keep out.

Keep to means to stick to

something like a plan

Say: Whatever happens, keep to

the agreed route.

Keep up means to maintain

something in a certain level

Say: Keep up the good work!

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Prepositional Idioms

Look for, look into, look out,

look out for, look forward to

Look for means to try to find

something
Say: Graduates need to look

for a job.
Look into means to

investigate something
carefully.
Say: Kindly look into the root

of the problem.
Look out means to be

careful
Say: Look out! Theres a bus

behind you.
Look out for means to take

care of
Say: Brothers look our for

Pick, pick up, pick out

Pick means to take

Say: Kindly pick me as a

team member.

Pick up means to lift

something from the ground.
Say: Lets pick up scattered
pieces of paper on the floor.
Pick out means to choose
something or someone from a
group.
Say: Pick out the bag that
you like from all of these
boxes.

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Grammar Rules

grammar &correct
usage/msjbullagay

Use of Articles

grammar &correct
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Use of Articles

Do not put an article before abstract nouns, before

names of a place, town, or country (except when a

country has many states or islands), and before
names of materials

Examples:
Wrong: Please do not lose a hope.
Right: Please do not lose hope.
Wrong: We visited the Cebu.
Right: We visited Cebu.
Wrong: Many dream to be in United States.
Right: Many dream to be in the United States.
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Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Pronouns should agree with the antece

Wrong: Everybody wanted their share.
Right: Everybody wanted his or her share.
Wrong: The gentlemen proved his worth.
Right: The gentlemen proved their worth.
Wrong: The muse got his sash.
Right: The muse got her sash.

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Cases of Personal Pronoun

nominative case objective case

possessive case

me

my, mine

We

us

our, ours

You

you

your, yours

He

him

his

She

her

her, hers

It

it

Its

They

their

their, theirs
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Use the nominative case in the subject position or in the subjective complement position.

Wrong: Melvin and me renewed our

license.
Right: Melvin and I renewed our license.
Wrong: The speaker is her.
Right: The speaker is she.
Note: Also use the nominative case in
comparisons .
Wrong: Nisha is more adorable than him.
Right: Nisha is more adorable than he.
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Use the objective case after a verb or a preposition.

Wrong: Please tell Keith and she to wait.

Right: Please tell Keith and her to wait.
Wrong: Between you and I, the secret is safe.
Right: Between you and me, the secret is

safe.
Wrong: Angelo talked to Robin and she about
the house blessing.
Right: Angelo talked to Robin and her about
the house blessing.

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Use the possessive case to show ownership.

Wrong: The house belongs to the Palaroan

family. It is them.
Right: The house belongs to the Palaroan
family. It is theirs./ It is their house.

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Use the objective case after a verb or a preposition.

Subject-Verb Agreement

If the subject is singular, use the s-form of the verb (the

verb that ends in s); If the subject is plural, use the base
(the simplest) form of the verb.

Wrong: A rose symbolize love and passion.

Right: A rose symbolizes love and passion.
If the subject is plural in form but singular in meaning,

use the s-form of the verb.

Wrong: Measles attack during summer.
Right: Measles attacks during summer.
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Subject-Verb Agreement
Use the objective case after a verb or a preposition.

Subject-Verb Agreement

If the compound subject is connected by and, use

the base form of the verb.

Wrong: The hero and the director discusses the

play.
Right: The hero and the director discuss the play.
Exception: If the compound subject refers to the
same entity, use only one article, and use the sform of the verb.
Wrong: The hero and director promote the play.
Right: The hero and director promotes the play.
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Subject-Verb Agreement
Use the objective case after a verb or a preposition.

Subject-Verb Agreement

If the compound subject is connected by or, the verb should

agree with the subject nearest the verb.

Wrong: Either the students or their teacher have seen the

drama.
Right: Either the students or their teacher has seen the drama.

Intervening phrases such as, along with, and together with, do

not affect the number of the subject.

Wrong: The leader, along with his followers, sign the proposal.
Right: The leader, along with his followers, signs the proposal.
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Subject-Verb Agreement
Use the objective case after a verb or a preposition.

Subject-Verb Agreement

If a collective noun acts as a unit, use the s-

form of the verb; however, if the collective

noun refers to the individual members that
make it up, use the base form of the verb.
Wrong: The panel have a unanimous decision.
Right: The panel has a unanimous decision.
Wrong: The panel disagrees about the result

of the contest.
Right: The panel disagree about the result of
the contest.
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Subject-Verb Agreement
Use the objective case after a verb or a preposition.

Subject-Verb Agreement

Use the s-form of the verb for indefinite pronouns like each, either,

everything, someone, anybody, another used as a subject.

Wrong: Everybody want to have a break from the stressful work.
Right: Everybody wants to have a break from the stressful work.

All, any, some, more, most, and none may need a singular or a plural

verb, depending on the context in which they are used.

Wrong: All hope are gone.

Right: All hope is gone.
Wrong: Some of the pizza were eaten.
Right: Some of the pizza was eaten.
Wrong: Most of the pizzas was eaten.
Right. Most of the pizzas were eaten.

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Subject-Verb Agreement
Use the objective case after a verb or a preposition.

Subject-Verb Agreement

Use the s-form of the verb for words that express amount,

time, distance. The same rule applies to company names,

geographical locations, and titles of literary works.

Wrong: Three hours were spent by the students in reviewing

their notes.
Right: Three hours was spent by the students in reviewing
their notes.
Wrong: Procter and Gamble Philippines produce a number of
products.
Right: Procter and Gamble Philippines produces a number of
products.
Wrong: Four Sisters and a Wedding make me laugh and cry.
Right: Four Sisters and a Wedding makes me laugh and cry
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Us e t he objective cas e aft er a verb or a preposit ion.

tense

example
Verb Tens es

function

present

go/goes
She goes to school daily.

indicates an action that

happens at the present time/
also used to express
conditions that are true

past

went
She went here yesterday.
will go
She will go there soon.
has/have gone
I have gone to Boracay.

indicates an action that

happened in the past
indicates an action that will
happen in the future
indicates a completed action
during an indefinite time and
an action that continues up to
the present

past perfect

had gone
I had gone to Boracay before
I saw you.

indicates a past action

completed before another
past action

future perfect

will /shall have gone

indicates a future action
I will have gone to Boracay by completed before another
the time you will graduate
future action
next year.

future
present perfect

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Us e t he objective cas e aft er a verb or a preposit ion.

tense

example
Verb Tens es

function

present progressive

is working
She is working now.

indicates a long continuing

action and an action going on
at the time of speaking

past progressive

was working
She was working in the
library.

indicates a long continuing

action in the past

future progressive

will/shall be working
She shall be working here
next year.

indicates a continuing future

action

present perfect progressive

has/have been working

I have been working here in
PSU.

indicates an action that

started in the past but is
continuing up to the present

past perfect progressive

had been working

He had been working here
until he went abroad

indicates a continuing action

interrupted by another past
action

future perfect progressive

will/shall have been working

By the time you arrive, your
classmate shall have been
working here.

indicates a continuing future

action completed before
another
future
action
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VOICE of VERBS

Voice refers to the relation of the subject to the verb. If

the subject is the doer of the action expressed by the

verb, the verb is in the active voice; however, if the
subject is the receiver of the action expressed by the
verb, the verb is in the passive voice.
Do not shift from active to passive voice and vice versa.
Wrong: Ivan called Mariz and the assignment was

completed.
Right: Ivan called Mariz and they completed the
assignment
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Adjectives in Series

When more than one adjective is in a

sentence, the following order should be

followed: number, size, shape, quality,
color, kind.
Wrong: I want to buy cuddly, Australian,

one, pink, big, stuffed toy.

Right: I want to buy one, big. cuddly, pink,
Australian stuffed toy.
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Comparison of Adjectives

Positive
Degree

good

Comparative
Degree
better

Superlative
Degree
best

bad/ill

worse

worst

much

more

most

little

less

least

lovely

lovelier

loveliest

honest

more honest

most honest
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Adjectives as Subject

Adjectives, unlike nouns, are always in the

singular form.

Wrong: The olds need our understanding.

Right: The old need our understanding.

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Adjective and Adverb Confusion

Example: She acts motherly and she is

nurturing. (adverb)
She is motherly and she is nurturing.
(adjective)
Wrong: He thinks that the test is easily.
Right: He thinks that the test is easily.
Wrong: He easy found his way out.
Right: He easily found his way out.
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Avoiding Dangling Modifiers

Modifiers should be placed closest to the

word they describe.

Wrong: We saw the bird in the cage having

colorful feathers.
Right: We saw the bird having colorful
feathers in the cage.
Wrong: Written in bold letters, I typed the
title.
Right: I typed the title written in bold letters.
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Conjunction

Kind

description

example

Sample sentence

Coordinate

joins two or more

independent
clauses

and, or, but

The team fights and

each member never
gives up.

subordinate

joins one
independent clause
and one or more
dependent clauses

while, since,
because,
nonetheless, if
unless, until

They push through

their goal until they
reach the top.

Correlative

always come in
pairs

neithernor
not only but also

Everyone is not only

determined but is
also focused on the
goal.

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God bless you all.

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