Tip 35: Animal Sounds

Click to enlarge table.

Tip 34: Sentence Variations

Example: The biggest coincidence that day happened when Jackie and I ended up sitting next to each other at the concert.

Possible Revisions:

• Coincidentally, Jackie and I ended up sitting right next to each other at the concert.

• In an amazing coincidence, Jackie and I ended up sitting next to each other at the concert.

• Sitting next to Jackie at the Super Bowl was a tremendous coincidence.

• But the biggest coincidence that day happened when Jackie and I ended up sitting next to each other at the concert.

• When I sat down at the concert, I realized that, by sheer coincidence, I was directly next to Jackie.

• By sheer coincidence, I ended up sitting directly next to Jackie at the concert.

• With over 50,000 fans at the concert, it took an incredible coincidence for me to end up sitting right next to Jackie.

• What are the odds that I would have ended up sitting right next to Jackie at the concert?

• Jackie and I, without any prior planning, ended up sitting right next to each other at the concert.

• Without any prior planning, Jackie and I ended up sitting right next to each other at the concert.

• At the crowded concert, packed with 50,000 screaming fans, Jackie and I ended up sitting right next to each other by sheer coincidence.

• Though I hadn't made any advance arrangements with Jackie, we ended up sitting right next to each other at the concert.

• Many amazing coincidences occurred that day, but nothing topped sitting right next to Jackie at the concert.

• Unbelievable, I know, but Jackie and I ended up sitting right next to each other at the concert.

• Guided by some bizarre coincidence, Jackie and I ended up sitting right next to each other at the concert.

Tip 33: NATIONALITIES

Jerrie's interest and concept of nationalities started with reading news snippets of the World Cup.

NATIONALITIES:

Brunei - Bruneian
Bulgaria - Bulgarian
Burkina Faso - Burkinabe
Burundi - Burundian
Cambodia - Cambodian
Cameroon - Cameroonian
Canada - Canadian
Cape Verde - Cape Verdian or Cape Verdean
Central African Republic Central African
Chad - Chadian
Chile - Chilean
China - Chinese
Colombia - Colombian
Comoros - Comoran
Congo, Republic of the - Congolese
Congo, Democratic Republic of the - Congolese
Costa Rica Costa Rican
Cote d'Ivoire - Ivorian
Croatia - Croat or Croatian
Cuba - Cuban
Cyprus - Cypriot
Czech Republic - Czech
Denmark - Dane or Danish
Djibouti - Djibouti
Dominica - Dominican
Dominican Republic - Dominican
East Timor - East Timorese
Ecuador - Ecuadorean
Egypt - Egyptian
El Salvador - Salvadoran
Equatorial Guinea - Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean
Eritrea - Eritrean
Estonia - Estonian
Ethiopia - Ethiopian
Fiji - Fijian
Finland - Finn or Finnish
France - French
Gabon - Gabonese
The Gambia - Gambian
Georgia - Georgian
Germany - German
Ghana - Ghanaian
Greece - Greek
Grenada - Grenadian or Grenadan
Guatemala Guatemalan
Guinea Guinean
Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissauan
Guyana - Guyanese
Haiti - Haitian
Honduras - Honduran
Hungary - Hungarian
Iceland - Icelander
India - Indian
Indonesia - Indonesian
Iran - Iranian
Iraq - Iraqi
Ireland - Irishman/woman or Irish
Israel - Israeli
Italy - Italian
Jamaica - Jamaican
Japan - Japanese
Jordan - Jordanian
Kazakhstan - Kazakhstani
Kenya - Kenyan
Kiribati - I-Kiribati
Korea, North - North Korean
Korea, South - South Korean
Kosovo - Kosovar
Kuwait - Kuwaiti
Kyrgyz Republic - Kyrgyz or Kirghiz
Laos - Lao or Laotian
Latvia - Latvian
Lebanon - Lebanese
Lesotho - Mosotho (plural Basotho)
Liberia - Liberian
Libya - Libyan
Liechtenstein - Liechtensteiner
Lithuania - Lithuanian
Luxembourg - Luxembourger
Macedonia - Macedonian
Madagascar Malagasy
Malawi - Malawian
Malaysia - Malaysian
Maldives - Maldivan
Mali - Malian
Malta - Maltese
Marshall Islands - Marshallese
Mauritania - Mauritanian
Mauritius - Mauritian
Mexico - Mexican
Federated States of Micronesia - Micronesian
Moldova - Moldovan
Monaco - Monegasque or Monacan
Mongolia - Mongolian
Montenegro Montenegrin
Morocco - Moroccan
Mozambique - Mozambican
Myanmar (Burma) - Burmese or Myanmarese
Namibia - Namibian
Nauru - Nauruan
Nepal N- epalese
Netherlands - Netherlander, Dutchman/
woman, or Dutch(collective)
New Zealand - New Zealander or Kiwi
Nicaragua - Nicaraguan
Niger - Nigerien
Nigeria - Nigerian
Norway - Norwegian
Oman - Omani
Pakistan - Pakistani
Palau - Palauan
Panama - Panamanian
Papua New Guinea - Papua New Guinean
Paraguay - Paraguayan
Peru - Peruvian
Philippines - Filipino
Poland - Pole or Polish
Portugal - Portuguese
Qatar - Qatari
Romania - Romanian
Russia - Russian
Rwanda - Rwandan
Saint Kitts and Nevis - Kittian and Nevisian
Saint Lucia - Saint Lucian
Samoa - Samoan
San Marino - Sammarinese or San Marinese
Sao Tome - Sao Tomean
Saudi Arabia - Saudi or Saudi Arabian
Senegal - Senegalese
Serbia - Serbian
Seychelles - Seychellois
Sierra Leone - Sierra Leonean
Singapore - Singaporean
Slovakia Slovak or Slovakian
Slovenia - Slovene or Slovenian
Solomon Islands - Solomon Islander
Somalia - Somali
South Africa - South African
Spain - Spaniard or Spanish
Sri Lanka - Sri Lankan
Sudan - Sudanese
Suriname - Surinamer
Swaziland Swazi
Sweden - Swede or Swedish
Switzerland - Swiss
Syria - Syrian
Taiwan - Taiwanese
Tajikistan - Tajik or Tadzhik
Tanzania - Tanzanian
Thailand - Thai
Togo - Togolese
Tonga - Tongan
Trinidad and Tobago - Trinidadian or Tobagonian
Tunisia - Tunisian
Turkey - Turk or Turkish
Turkmenistan - Turkmen(s)
Tuvalu Tuvaluan
Uganda - Ugandan
Ukraine - Ukrainian
United Arab Emirates - Emirian
United Kingdom - Briton or British (collective) (or Englishman or Englishwoman) (or Scot or Scotsman or Scotswoman) (or Welshman or Welshwoman) (or Northern Irishman or Northern Irishwoman or Irish [collective] or Northern Irish [collective])
United States - American
Uruguay - Uruguayan
Uzbekistan - Uzbek or Uzbekistani
Vanuatu - Ni-Vanuatu
Venezuela - Venezuelan
Vietnam - Vietnamese
Yemen - Yemeni or Yemenite
Zambia - Zambian
Zimbabwe - Zimbabwean

Tip 32: Common Mistakes in Usage of Similar-looking Words & Punctuations

1. Lose and Loose
Kids, and even adults make the mistake of using these two words interchangably. They must remember "You can lose your keys if you put them in your very loose pants!"

2. Affect and Effect
"Affect" is a verb while "effect" is a noun. Use them in the correct way. For instance, "If this incident affects your mood, it has an effect on you."

3. Semi-colons
Semi-colons are not commas, neither are they colons. A semi-colon is used between closely related independent clauses not conjoined with any coordinating conjunction.

For example,
"I went to visit John at the hospital; I was told that no visits are allowed."

Or between items in a series that has its own punctuation:
"I have three good buddies, Jackie, who is sister; Lea, who is my cousin; and Liming, who is my classmate.

4. It's and Its
The two are not interchangeable. "It's" is short for "it is". "Its" is the possessive form of "It." Thus, "It's a great day for roller-blading at East Coast Park." and "Leave the dog alone. Its tail was crushed by roller-blades at East Coast Park and it needs rest now."

5. Let's and Lets
The two are not interchangeable. "Let's" is short for "Let us". "Lets" is singular verb for "let". Thus, "Let's go swimming together." and "Mum lets me go swimming with my friends."

6. Then and Than
"Then" describes what happens next. "Than" is used in comparing two items. Hence, "I love painting more than drawing." and " I am going to draw first, then paint later.

Tip 31: Collective Nouns

Tip 30: Similes

1. as easy as ABC
2. as clear as crystal
3. as tinmid as a mouse
4. as blind as a bat
5. as busy as an ant/a bee
6. as clumsy as a bear
7. as a fast/swift as a dear
8. as gentle as a dove/lamb
9. as graceful as a swan
10. as happy as a lark/king
11. as obstinate as a mule
12. as proud as a peacok
13. as quiet as a mouse
14. as strong as a horse/an ox
15. as sick as a dog
16. as slippery as an eel
17. as sober as a judge
18. as good as gold
19. as like as two peas
20. as deaf as a doorpost
21. as cool as cucumber
22. as quick as lightning
23. as white as a sheet
24. as steady as a rock

Tip 29: Gender

Masculine & Feminine Words