Tip 57: "EN" in words

en route: on the way or along the way, eg I rested en route. eg There was an en route delay. Pronounced: on-root (British), n-root (American). (French-origin)

en bloc: as a whole, eg en bloc sale. Pronounced: on-blok. (French-origin)

en core: again, eg an en core of the singing performance. Pronounced: on-core. (French-origin)

Other similar words with "on" pronunciation: entourage (on-tow-rarch), entree, entrepreneur, ensemble

Tip 56: Commonly Misused Words

1. Not "I will revert to you" but "I will get back to you later"
2. Not "Try to meet the dateline" but "Try to meet the deadline"
3. Not "Many elderlies" live here" but "Many elderly live here"
4. Not "Do it irregardless of what others think" but "Do it regardless of what others think"
5. Not "Do not mispell my name" but "Do not misspell my name"
6. Not "She has alot of patience" but "She has a lot of patience"
7. Not "He has many loyal staffs" but "He has many loyal staff"
8. Not "We bought many pieces of new equipments" but "We bought many pieces of new equipment"
9. Not "I am a licenced seller" but "I am a licensed seller"
10. Not "He has been adviced many times not to do this" but "He has been advised many times not to do this"
11. Not "She has a humourous boyfriend" but "She has a humorous boyfriend"

Tip 55: Beside Versus Besides

Beside (preposition)
Please stand beside me. (Used to mean next to)
This is beside the point (Used as a phrase to mean irrelevant point)


Besides (advert)
Besides the ice-cream, we also have fruits fro dessert. (Used to mean in addition)
Besides you, nobody knows this secret. (Used to mean apart from)
No one besides Tom is able to accomplish this mission. (Used to mean apart from)
I'm not going to the party. Besides, I was not invited. (Used to mean furthermore, moreover)

Tip 54: Words Singaporeans Often Mispronounce

I suggest after reading each of the following words aloud, click to hear what it should have been. How close or far are you from the recorded pronunciation? How many did you get correct?

1.     Exaggerate 

2.     Salmon

3.     Sumptuous 

5.     Believe

6.     Abalone

7.     Doubt 

8.     Debt

9.     Subtle

10.  Jostle

11.  Bustle

12.  Hustle

13.  Baggage 

14.  Bargain

15.  Children

16.  Athlete 

17.  Colleague 

18.  Fragile

19.  Mischievous 

20.  Lullaby

21.  Character

22.  Wednesday

23.  Restaurant

24.  Receipt 

25.  Sponge 

26.  Debut

27.  Reservoir

28.  Espresso

29.  Poignant 

30.  Infamous 

31.  Vehicle 

32.  Jewelry 

33.  Mammoth 

34.  Resonate

35.  Gourmet

36.  Exactly

37.  Resound

38.  Envelope

39.  Lettuce
40.  Salivate
41. Marijuana
42. Steak
43. Sorbet
44. Connoisseur

Tip 53: Tricky Subject-Verb Agreement

We all know that a singular subject goes with a singular verb and a plural subject goes with a plural verb. However, it is sometimes not easy to identify the subject of the verb and when the subject and verb are not matched correctly, a grammar mistake is made. Look at each of the following examples and see if the answer is always so straightforward for you.

Examples:

1.     The list of grocery items has been recorded into my smart phone.

2.     The herds of elephants are escaping from the forest fire.

3.     Neither Jerrie nor Jackie knows how to swim.

4.     Neither Jerrie nor her friends like swimming. (Verb agrees with the closest noun)

5.     Either Jerrie or Jackie is helping me with lunch.

6.     Either of the sisters is helping me with dinner.

7.     Neither of the brothers is joining us for tea.

8.     Neither Moses nor I am looking forward to going to the banquet. (Verb agrees with the closest noun)

9.     Moses and I are invited to the banquet.

10. Bread and butter is my favourite breakfast. (Bread and butter is a compound noun)

11. Bed and breakfast is my preferred kind of accommodation for vacation. (Bed and breakfast is a compound noun)

12. Jerrie, along with her best friends, is expected to arrive anytime.

13. Jackie, as well as her teachers, is very excited about this event.

14. Amos, not his parents, is to be blamed.

15. All of the cakes are gone.

16. All the cake is gone.

17. Half of the people are not showing up.

18. There are obstacles to clear.

19. There is one more obstacle to clear.

20. A lot of people are coming today.

21. Three hours is too long to wait for the doctor. (Three hours is treated as a unit.)

22. Ten dollars is too much for a pen. (Ten dollars is treated as a unit.)

23. Ten dollars were found in in the dustbin. (Ten dollars are interpreted as dollar notes.)

24. The couple was presented a gift.

25. The staff was in a training this morning.

26. I wish Shaun were here. (Hypothetical/wishful statement.)

27. I wish it were Sunday. (Hypothetical/wishful statement.)

28. I saw him fall and break his nose. (“fall” and “break” are 'bare' infinitives, ie infinitives without 'to'.)

29. We all have seen her dance. (Infinitive “dance”.)

30. We heard the bell ring. (Infinitive “ring”.)

Tip 52: Maybe vs May be & Everyday vs Every day

Do you know that there are differences in meaning for the following pairs? Or have you been using them interchangeably?

Maybe Vs May be

Maybe - perhaps, possibly.
Eg. Will you be at Tom's party tonight?
Maybe

May be - verb referring to a possibility
Eg. Any trouble? I may be of help.


Everyday Vs Every day

Everyday - an adjective to mean normal/ordinary/common
Eg. This pair of shoes is for everyday use.

Every day - each day
Eg. I wear this pair of shoes every day.

Tip 51: Countering Negatives in Question Tags

Note the different effects in the use of "hardly" in the following sentences:
1. Peter hardly reads, does he?
negative statement  => affirmative tag


2. John never acts like a gentleman, does he?
negative statement => affirmative tag


3. There is hardly any crowd at the market, isn't there?
affirmative statement => negative tag


4. Jenny could barely breathe in the thick smoke, couldn't she?
affirmative statement => negative tag


5. Nothing will cure his illness, will it?
 negative statement => affirmative tag

Tip 50: Plural or Singular? Think Twice!

1. Tony was one of the boys who was/were here yesterday.
2. None of them has/have come.
3. Each of you/us/them has/have a valid point.
-
-
-
-
Answers:
1. were (this verb does not go with the subject "Tony" but with "the boys".)
2. both was and were are acceptable (but it seems that the schools have taught them to go for the singular - was.)
3. has (Don't be misled by "you/us/them".)

Tip 49: Rather....than" or Rather...than to"

"rather...than" versus "rather...than to...."
Eg He would rather swim than jog.
Eg He would prefer to swim than to jog.

Tip 48: You and I or You and Me

"you and me"
Mum told you and me a secret. (You and me - object)
This a secret between you and me. (This is an exception)

"you and I"
You and I should talk openly. (You and I - subject)
You and I are best of friends. (You and I -subject)

Tip 47: Plural words with no "s"

Plural of these words remain the same, with no "s" added:
Furniture
Luggage
Salmon
Fish
Deer
Sheep

No singular or plural forms for these words:
Barracks
Scissors
Trousers
Shears
Tongs
Oats
Measles
Tweezers
Mumps

Tip 46: Synthesis

Kim was very insistent. She finally got her way.

Due to ______________________________________________________________________

CORRECT: Due to her insistence, Kim finally got her way.

WRONG: Due to the fact that Kim was very insistent, she finally got her way.

Tip 45: Whose, Whom, Who

Whose, whom, and who - use them correctly.

1. John whose mother is a principal, topped the class in the exam.
2. John, who has a principal mother, topped the class in the exam.

3. John whom we met yesterday topped the class in the exam.

Tip 44: STARTLING

This word is special. It remains a word when a letter is removed at each of the 8 steps.

STARTLING

Step 1: Remove L --> STARTING
Step 2: Remove T --> STARING
Step 3: Remove A --> STRING
Step 4: Remove R --> STING
Step 5: Remove T -->  SING
Step 6: Remove G -->  SIN
Step 7: Remove S -->  IN
Step 8: Remove N -->  I

What a startling word!

Tip 43: Unless versus Until

"Unless" and "if" have a different effect on the meanings of words.
Eg: She cannot go to the party unless she finishes her homework.
Eg She cannot go to the party if she cannot finish her homework.

"Unless" and "until" have the same effect on the meanings of words.
Eg: She cannot go to the party unless she finishes her homework.
Eg She cannot go to the party until she finishes her homework.

Tip 42: Silent Letters

We know that words are not always pronounced according to the way they are spelt. In many cases, this has to do with silent letters.

See if you have been saying these words correctly.

Silent "b"
bomb, climb, crumb, dumb, lamb, limb, numb, plumber, thumb, tomb, womb, debt, doubt, subtle, succumb, aplomb.

Silent "g"
gnat, design, sign, assign, reign, resign, gnarl, consign, align, gnash, gnaw, feign, cologne, benign, foreign, campaign, champagne

Silent "k"
knew, knack, kneel, knot, knowledge, knead, know, knit, knock, knife, knee.

Silent "w"
wrath, wrap, wrist, wrinkle, wring, wrench, write, wry, wreak, whole, two, whom, whose, playwright, wrestle, wreath, wrap, wrapper, sword, who

Silent "s"
fascinate, science, scent, descent, ascent, muscle, scene, obscene, conscience, isosceles, disciple, conscious, miscellaneous, scissors

Silent "h"
whack, whiff, while, whip, whine, whet, what, whim, wheel, whale, wheeze, wheat, whisk, whiskers, whirl, why, wharf, which, whisper, white

Silent "u"
baguette, biscuit, circuit, guitar, built, guinea pig, guide, guess, guise, queue

Silent "n"
condemn, solemn, autumn, column, hymn

Silent "t"
tsunami, often, soften, jostle, apostle, rustle, christen, bristle, wrestle, nestle, castle, whistle, bustle, moisten, listen, glisten, mortgage, hustle

Silent "p"
psychology

Silent "es"
shoppes

Tip 41: Singular or Plural for "Anyone"?

This one might just stump you:
Which is correct? "Does any...?" or "Do any...?"
What's your verdict?
.
.
.
.
.
.
I would go with,
"Does anyone know where my wallet is?"
"Do any of you know where my wallet is?"
"Does any of the twins know where my wallet is?"
"Do any of the students in your class know where my wallet is?"

Tip 40: Bring, Take, Fetch

Most of us, both children and adults, are confused by the use of bring, take, fetch.
These rules will straighten things out:

Bring: "from there to here"
E.g Uncle Peter, thanks for bringing us to this fabulous beach!
E.g Ming, I promise I'll bring the book with me tomorrow.

Take: "from here to there"
E.g Dad likes to take this laptop with him when he goes overseas.
E.g Mum, are you free to take us to the movies?

Fetch/Get: "from here to there and back to here again"
E.g I need to fetch my daughter from school at 6pm everyday.
E.g Jack went to fetch/get a pail of water.

Tip 39: Animal Verbs

A list of animal verns --> wolf, dog, bear, fox, crow, hawk, fish, duck, rabbit, ape, bull, worm, hare, bat, seal, ferret, hound, badger, yak, crane, goose, cow, leech, peacock, parrot, hog, squirrel away, monkey, weasel into, horse around, horse play, bull-up, snake, chicken, outparrot, pig out, swan around, cod.

wolf = to eat voraciously; gobble. Eg wolfed down five ham burgers
dog = to remain persistently attached to. Eg. He had been dogged by ill-health all his life.
bear = to be able to accept and deal with something unpleasant.
fox = to trick or confuse somebody. Eg The sly thief outfoxed all the detectives.
crow = to brag. Eg He has been crowing about his winning since morning.
hawk = to try to sell things by going from place to place asking people to buy them= peddle.
fish = to search for something or information. Eg Quit trying to fish for any information from me! Mother rummaged through her bag and fished out her handphone.
duck = To move your head or body downwards to avoid being hit or seen.
rabbit on = to talk continuously about somebody or something that is not important or interesting; to babble.
ape = to mimic somebody else behaves or talks in order to make fun of them.
bull = to push ahead or through forcefully. Eg He bulls through the press horde that encircles the car.
worm = to work (one's way or oneself) subtly or gradually; or artful or devious means. Eg She wormed her way into his confidence. He can't worm out of this situation.
hare = to move hurriedly, as if hunting a swift quarry. Eg. He went haring off after a lower-priced car.
bat = Informal To discuss or consider at length. Eg bat an idea around.
seal= to prove authenticity or attest to accuracy, quality.
ferret = to uncover and bring to light by searching. Eg ferret out the solution to a mystery.
hound = To pursue relentlessly and tenaciously; to urge insistently; nag. Eg hounded me until I agreed to cut my hair.
badger = To harry or pester persistently.
yak = To talk persistently and meaninglessly; chatter.
crane = To stretch one's neck toward something for a better view.
goose = to startle someone by pinching or poking him with a finger. Eg The CEO goosed her by the photocopier.
cow = to intimidate someone using threats or violence:
leech = to attach oneself to another in the manner of a leech.
peacock = To strut about like a peacock; exhibit oneself vainly.
parrot = to repeat words without understanding them
hog = to have more than your fair share – Eg Don't hog the biscuits. Pass them down to this end.
squirrel away =- to hide something in a secret place
monkey = fool around. Eg Let's not monkey around with this...."
weasel into = to be sneaky.
horse around = to play dangerous games, "horse play"
bull-up = to shine, or smarten up. He bulled up his uniform for inspection.
snake = to wind, The road snaked through mountain passes
chicken out - to give up out of fear
parrot = to mimic
pig out = to eat like there is no prospect of food for the next four days.
swan around = to behave arrogantly.
cod = to deceive

Tip 38: Why Notes Are Powerful

Never knew what I've been doing since I was a student was powerful.