82. No sooner ...than 

It is wrong to use when instead of than in these sentences. If no sooner begins the sentence, the auxiliary did or had must come immediately after it.

 • Incorrect: No sooner had she read the telegram when she fainted. 

• Correct: No sooner had she read the telegram than she fainted. 

• Incorrect: No sooner I heard the shot than I rushed to the spot. 

• Correct: No sooner did I hear the shot than I rushed to the spot. 

 81. Nominative and objective case 

Pronouns that are used as subjects of verbs are: I, he, she, we, they and you 

• Neither Alice nor I like the opera. (NOT Neither Alice nor me like the opera. 

Here the pronouns Alice and I are part of the subject.) Pronouns that are used as objects of verbs or prepositions are: me, him, her, us, them and you. 

Note that you do not change its form. 

• I tackled him. (NOT I tackled he. Here him is the object of the verb tackled.) 

 • She sat above me. (NOT She sat above I. Here me is the object of the preposition above.) 

• Between you and me there are few secrets. (NOT Between you and I there are few secrets. 

Here the pronouns you and me are the objects of the preposition between.)

 • There are no problems between him and her. (NOT There are no problems between he and she.) 

• Let you and me do it. (NOT Let you and I do it. Here you and me are the objects of the verb let.) 

• He has given great trouble to my father and me. (NOT He has given great trouble to my father and I. Here my father and I are the objects of the preposition to.)

 Grammarians formerly used to recommend that a pronoun used as the complement of the verb be (is/am/are/was/were), should be in the nominative (subject) form. 

Today the use of the nominative form in such cases is considered extremely formal and over-correct.

 Instead, we use the objective form. 

• It is me. (More natural than It is I.) 

• That was him. (More natural than That was he.) 

  80. Neither, nor and not...either 

Negative additions to negative remarks are made with nor/neither + auxiliary verb + subject 

• Incorrect: 'I can't swim.' 'I also can't'

 • Correct: 'I can't swim.' 'Neither/nor can I.' 

• Incorrect: John didn't come, and Peter didn't too. 

• Correct: John didn't come, neither/nor did Peter. 

Not either means the same as neither and nor. It is preceded by subject + auxiliary verb. 

• Incorrect: 'I can't swim.' 'I also can't.' 

• Correct: 'I can't swim.' 'I can't either.' 

 79. Much and many 

Much is used with singular nouns. 

Many is used with plural nouns. 

• There aren’t many people who can afford cars. 

• Have you got much work to do? 

Much and many are mostly used in questions and negative sentences. 

They are unusual in affirmative clauses except after words like as, so and too.

 • She has got lots of friends. (More natural than ‘She has got many friends.’) 

 78. Maybe and perhaps 

These two words mean the same.

 Maybe is more common in an informal style. 

• Maybe/perhaps he will come.

 Perhaps is often pronounced ‘praps’ by British people.

 In American English, perhaps is rather formal. 

 77. May and can 

Can expresses ability.

 • She can speak English. 

• He can play the piano. 

• Can you speak Hindi?

 Can is also used in the sense of may to give permission, though may is more correct. 

• You can take one of those books. OR You may take one of those books.

 • You can go now. OR You may go now. 

Nowadays, can is also being increasingly used to ask permission.

 • ‘Can I come in, Sir?’ 

 76. Many/much and plenty of/a lot of 

The expressions a lot of, plenty of and a great deal of are preferred in affirmative clauses. 

In questions and negatives, we usually use much or many. 

Compare: 

• I have a lot of work to do. (NOT I have much work to do.)

 • Do you have much work to do? (More natural than ‘Do you have a lot of work to do?’) 

• No, I don’t have much work to do. (More natural than ‘No, I don’t have a lot of work to do’) 

• Plenty of people want to buy cars. 

• Are there many people who want cars? 

• Yes, but there aren’t many people who can afford them. (NOT There aren’t plenty of people who can afford them.)

 Many is occasionally used in the affirmative, but much is almost never used in that way. 

The expressions a lot of, plenty of and a great deal of are almost never used in the negative, but they are occasionally used in questions. 

 75. Lose and loose 

Lose is an irregular verb (lose – lost – lost).

 Loose is the opposite of tight. It is an adjective.

 • She needs to lose oodles of weight. (NOT She needs to loose oodles of weight.) 

• This shirt is loose for me. (NOT This shirt is lose for me.) 

74. Look after and look for 

Look after means ‘take care of’. 

Look for means ‘try to find’.

 • Nurses look after sick people. (= Nurses take care of sick people.)

 • I am looking for my keys. (= I am trying to find my keys.) 

 73. Like and as 

As is followed by a clause. 

Like is followed by a noun. 

• Incorrect: He did like he was told. 

• Correct: He did as he was told. 

• Incorrect: He fought like a tiger does. 

• Correct: He fought like a tiger. 

• Correct: He fought as a tiger does. 

 72. Lie and lay 

• Incorrect: Dad has laid on the sofa all morning. 

• Correct: Dad has lain on the sofa all morning.

 • Incorrect: Mother says she has already lain the table. 

• Correct: Mother says she has already laid the table. 

• Incorrect: The book was lain on the table. 

• Correct: The book was laid on the table. 

• Incorrect: I would like to lay in the sun. 

• Correct: I would like to lie in the sun. 

To lie means to rest. Its different forms are given below: 

Infinitive: lie; -ing form: lying; Past tense: lay; Past participle: lain 

• I lie on the bed. 

• I am lying on the bed. 

• I was lying on the bed. 

• I lay on the bed. 

• I have lain on the bed. 

To lie also means ‘to not tell the truth’. Its different forms are given below: 

Infinitive: lie; -ing form: lying; past tense: lied; past participle: lied 

• I lie. • I am lying. • I was lying. • I lied. • I have lied.

 To lay means ‘to put something down.’

 Its different forms are: Infinitive: lay; -ing form: laying; past tense: laid; past participle: laid 

• I lay the plate on the table. 

• I am laying the plate on the table. 

• I was laying the plate on the table. 

• I laid the plate on the table. 

• I have laid the plate on the table. 

 71. Less and fewer 

Less refers to a quantity that cannot be counted. 

Fewer refers to a number that can be counted. 

Compare:

 • I am eating less meat. 

• We caught fewer fish. 

• There were fewer children in the class than expected.

 • We did less work today than yesterday. 

 70. Kind and kinds, sort and sorts etc.

 The words kind, sort, type and class are singular and should be used with this or that to modify a singular noun. 

The words kinds, sorts, types and classes are plural and should be used with these or those to modify plural nouns.

• Incorrect: I like these kind of mangoes.

 • Correct: I like these kinds of mangoes. 

• Incorrect: I don't like this sort of meat pies. 

• Correct: I don't like this sort of meat pie. 

• Incorrect: Those are the kinds of film I like to watch. 

• Correct: Those are the kinds of films I like to watch.

 • Incorrect: These type of cars are very fast. • Correct: These types of cars are very fast. 

 69. Keep and put 

• Incorrect: He kept the book on the table. 

• Correct: He put the book on the table.

 • Incorrect: He always puts his money in this box. 

• Correct: He always keeps his money in this box. 

Use keep of a more or less permanent resting place. Use put of only a temporary one.

 68. Joining sentences 

• Incorrect: This is my friend, he was at school with me. 

• Correct: This is my friend who was at school with me. 

• Incorrect: This is my house, I live here. 

• Correct: This is my house where I live. 

• Incorrect: This is an interesting story, I am reading it. 

• Correct: This is an interesting story which I am reading. 

Two main clauses which are not separated by a full stop should be linked by a conjunction or a relative pronoun. 

 67. Its and it’s 

These two words often cause confusion. 

Its is the possessive form of it. 

• Every country has its traditions. 

 It’s is the contracted form of it is or it has. 

• It’s raining. (= It is raining.)

 • It’s gone. (= It has gone.) 

 66. Inversion of subject and verb 

• Incorrect: Never I have seen such a sight.

 • Correct: Never have I seen such a sight.

 • Incorrect: Hardly I have had any rest for a week.

 • Correct: Hardly have I had any rest for a week. 

When the first word of the sentence is a negative, the main verb comes before the subject, as in a direct question. 

 65. Invent and discover 

• Incorrect: Who invented America?

 • Correct: Who discovered America? 

• Incorrect: Who discovered the telephone? 

• Correct: Who invented the telephone? 

Use invent of something which did not exist until man created it. 

Example: a computer or a telephone. 

Use discover of something which existed without man's knowledge. 

Example: mineral deposits, countries, continents, planets etc. 

 

64. Indirect questions 

The indirect question is really not a question at all. It has no inversion of subject and predicate as in a direct question. It does not use the auxiliary do either.

 Compare: 

• Direct: Where are you going?

 • Indirect: He asked me where I was going. (NOT He asked me where was I going?) 

 • Direct: When does he propose to start? 

• Indirect: I want to know when he proposes to start. (NOT I want to know when does he propose to start?) Note that we do not use a question mark at the end of an indirect question. 

 

 63. Imperative sentences 

• Incorrect: See that you will come for the meeting in time. 

• Correct: See that you come for the meeting in time.

 • Incorrect: Take care that you will not be cheated. 

• Correct: Take care that you are not cheated. 

It is wrong to use future tense in the subordinate clause when the verb in the main clause is in the imperative mood. 

In such clauses, the simple present should be used instead of the simple future. 

 62. If clauses 

• Incorrect: If it rains we would cancel the match. 

• Correct: If it rains we will cancel the match.

 • Incorrect: If you hit the dog, it would bite you. 

• Correct: If you hit the dog, it will bite you. 

 When the verb in the if-clause is in the simple present tense, we use will/shall/ can/may + infinitive in the main clause. 

• Incorrect: If you studied hard, you will get a first class. 

• Correct: If you studied hard, you would get a first class. When the verb in the if-clause is in the simple past tense, we use would/should/ could/might + infinitive in the main clause. Sentences of these types are used to talk about purely imaginary situations.

 • Incorrect: If you had studied hard, you would get a first class.

 • Correct: If you had studied hard, you would have got a first class. When the verb in the main clause is in the past perfect tense, we use would/ should/could/might + have + past participle in the main clause.

 61. I don't mind

 • Incorrect: 'Will you have some coffee?' 'I don't mind.' 

• Correct: 'Will you have some coffee?' 

'Thank you' 

OR 'No, thank you.' 

Say ‘Thanks’ or ‘Thank you’ while accepting an offer. 

Say ‘No, thanks’ or ‘No, thank you’ while declining an offer. 

'I don't mind' is rude. 

It shows indifference: that the person does not care whether he drinks coffee or not. 

'I don't mind' should be used only when it is permissible to indicate no strong preference.