Good is an adjective. It is used to modify a noun. Well is an adverb. It is used to modify a verb.

Incorrect: She sings good.

Correct: She sings well.

Incorrect: She can speak English good.

Correct: She can speak good English. / She can speak English well.

Incorrect: Our team played good yesterday.

Correct: Our team played well yesterday.

More examples are given below.

A good player plays well. (NOT A good player plays good.)

Everyone/ everybody and every one / every body

Everyone / everybody is a pronoun. It is used to refer to all the people in a group.

I want everyone to come to my birthday party.

Everybody has turned up.

Every one

Every one and every body refer to each one in a group.

I have invited every one of my friends to my birthday party.

Every one of my students wants to learn English.

Then vs. Than

Then is an adverb of time.

We were living in France then.

Will you still be here then?

Then can also mean ‘next’, ‘after that’ and ‘afterwards’.

We will go to Paris first, then to Rome.

Than

Than is used for comparisons.

Jack is taller than Peter.

Than is used in expressions like ‘none other than’ and ‘nothing else than’.

I met none other than my old friend Peter today.

It was nothing else than bad luck that they lost the game.

So do I, neither did I

The structure ‘so + auxiliary + subject’ is used to add a positive remark to a positive statement.

My father likes theater. So do I. (= Both my father and me like theater.)

‘I am interested in the supernatural.’ ‘So am I.’

My sister wants to be a pilot. So do I. (= Both of us want to be pilots.)

Neither do I

The structure ‘neither + auxiliary verb + subject’ is used to add a negative remark to a negative statement.

James didn’t come. Neither did Peter.

My mother doesn’t eat meat. Neither do I.

‘I haven’t seen a good movie for a long time.’ ‘Neither have I.’

He won’t be able to attend the conference. Neither will I.

Such and so

Such is used before a noun (with or without an adjective).

She is such a beautiful girl.

So is used before an adjective.

She is so beautiful.

So…that, such…that

Such in ‘such…that’ is followed by a noun phrase or its equivalent.

It was such a cold afternoon that we didn’t go out.

So in ‘so…that’ is followed by an adjective.

It was so cold that we didn’t go out.

A sentence must end with a full stop, a question mark or an exclamation mark.

She is a lovely girl.

Is that your sister?

How sweet!

A new sentence that follows a question mark, a full stop or an exclamation mark has a capital letter.

Incorrect: I looked out of the window. it was raining again.

Correct: I looked out of the window. It was raining again.

The punctuation mark should come immediately after the last letter of the word followed by a space.

Incorrect: He is tall,dark and handsome.

Correct: He is tall, dark and handsome.

When you list items separate them with a comma. A comma is not usually used with and between the last two items unless these are long.

I went to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. (GB)

In American English, a comma can be used between the last two items.

I went to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. (US)

We do not put full stops, question marks or interrogation marks before or after grammatically incomplete sentences.

Incorrect: I helped him. Because I liked him.

Correct: I helped him because I liked him.

1. a) He asked had we taken our food. / b) He asked if we had taken our food.

2. a) He asked where I was going. / b) He asked that where I was going.

3. a) He asked to her why she was angry. / b) He asked her why she was angry.

4. a) No one cared for him after his wife died. / b) No one took care of him after his wife had died.

5. a) When I went there I found that the bag had disappeared. / b) When I went there I found that the bag was disappeared.

6. a) I did not stop because he had gone out before I arrived. / b) I did not stop because he went out before I arrived.

7. a) When I go to Bombay I will see him. / b) When I will go to Bombay I will see him.

Answers

1. He asked if we had taken our food.

2. He asked where I was going.

3. He asked her why she was angry.

4. No one took care of him after his wife had died.

5. When I went there I found that the bag had disappeared.

6. I did not stop because he had gone out before I arrived.

7. When I go to Bombay I will see him

Incorrect: They objected to John playing for the team.
Correct: They objected to John’s playing for the team.

A noun or pronoun used with a gerund should be in the possessive case.

Incorrect: There is no danger of the roof’s crashing.
Correct: There is no danger of the roof crashing.

The possessive case should not be used with the gerund when the noun denotes a lifeless thing.

Incorrect: I am thinking to write my autobiography.
Correct: I am thinking of writing my autobiography.

Incorrect: The clever girl was confident to win the gold medal.
Correct: The clever girl was confident of winning the gold medal.

Incorrect: I am hopeful to secure a loan to build my house.
Correct: I am hopeful of securing a loan to build my house.

After certain verbs and adjectives a preposition + gerund is used instead of an adjective.

Incorrect: To die with honor is better than live with dishonor.
Correct: To die with honor is better than to live with dishonor.

Incorrect: To attack is better than wait indefinitely.
Correct: To attack is better than to wait indefinitely.

In structures like this, the infinitive should be used in both clauses.

Incorrect: She looked much frightened.
Correct: She looked very frightened.

When a past participle is used as a gradable adjective, it can usually be modified by very. Much cannot be used in this case. Past participles referring to mental states, reactions and feelings are usually used in this way.

Incorrect: That is James, unless I am very mistaken.
Correct: That is James, unless I am much mistaken. OR That is James, unless I am very much mistaken.

Incorrect: She is a very known writer.
Correct: She is a well-known writer.

These are exceptions to the rule given above. Certain past participles like mistaken and known are not used with very.

Incorrect: He is very admired by his followers.
Correct: He is much admired by his followers. OR He is very much admired by his followers.

When a past participle is used as part of a passive verb, we use much or very much to modify it.

Grammar notes

With some adjectives referring to emotional states and reactions (e.g. amused), all of these degree modifiers can be used.

I was very amused by her performance.
I was much amused by her performance.
I was very much amused by her performance.

Incorrect: He behaved cowardly.
Correct: He behaved in a cowardly manner.
Correct: He behaved like a coward.

Incorrect: He laughed silly.
Correct: He gave a silly laugh.

Incorrect: He lives miserly.
Correct: He lives in a miserly way.

In the sentences given above the words cowardly, silly and miserly are all adjectives which cannot be used to modify verbs. And because there are no adverbs for these meanings we have to use adverb phrases like ‘in a cowardly manner’ and ‘in a miserly way’ to express the same idea.

Incorrect: Just I had gone when he came.
Correct: I had just gone when he came.

Incorrect: Still I love you.
Correct: I still love you.

The adverbs still and just go before the verb. If there is an auxiliary verb, the adverb goes after the auxiliary verb and before the main verb. If there is no auxiliary verb, the adverb goes before the main verb. If there are two auxiliary verbs, the adverb goes between them.

I am still waiting for your reply. (NOT I still am waiting for your reply.) (NOT I am waiting still for your reply.)
They have just been informed. (NOT They have been just informed.)
She has just arrived. (NOT She just has arrived.)

Use ask with for to ask somebody to give something.
Use ask without for to ask somebody to tell something.

Incorrect: Due to illness, I could not go to school.
Correct: Owing to illness, I could not go to school.

Both due to and owing to mean ‘because of’. Some people believe that it is incorrect to use due to at the beginning of a clause, but the structure is common in educated usage.

Incorrect: He was prevented to come.
Correct: He was prevented from coming.

Prevent cannot be followed by to. It is followed by from + -ing form.

The loud noise prevented me from sleeping.

Incorrect: I met with your friend.
Correct: I met your friend.

Meet means ‘come face to face with somebody or something’. With this meaning it is used without with.

Meet with means ‘experience’.

He met with misfortune. (NOT He met misfortune.)

Incorrect: She insisted to pay.
Correct: She insisted on paying.

Insist cannot be followed by to. It is followed by on + -ing form.

Incorrect: Let’s go for riding.
Correct: Let’s go riding.

Go is used with an –ing form in a number of expressions referring to sporting and leisure activities. No preposition is used in this structure.

Incorrect: We went a walk.
Correct: We went for a walk.

The structure ‘go for a / come for a’ is used in a number of fixed expressions referring to sporting and leisure activities.

‘Taking his food‘ is not wrong, but native English speakers rarely use this expression.

Incorrect: I take your leave.
Correct: I must say goodbye.

‘I take your leave’ is not wrong, but it is extremely formal.

Incorrect: He knows to swim.
Correct: He knows how to swim.

Incorrect: Do you know to cook?
Correct: Do you know how to cook?

Know cannot be followed directly by an infinitive. We use the structure ‘know how to’.

Incorrect: Students should not cut jokes in class.
Correct: Students should not make jokes in class.

Incorrect: He cut his pencil.
Correct: He sharpened his pencil.

Incorrect: Should I cut this word?
Correct: Should I erase this word?
Correct: Should I scratch out this word?

Incorrect: The prisoner’s head was cut.
Correct: The prisoner’s head was cut off.

When the cutting divides what is cut into pieces, use cut off, cut up and cut into.

Incorrect: My back is paining.
Correct: I have a pain in my back.
Correct: My back is hurting.
Incorrect: My tooth is paining.
Correct: My tooth is aching.

Pain is a transitive verb. It must have an expressed object. When there is no object, use other words like ache or hurt.

Incorrect: Politics are a dirty game.
Correct: Politics is a dirty game.

Some nouns are plural in form, but singular in meaning. They should be followed by singular verbs. Examples are: news, politics, maths, measles etc.

Incorrect: A thousand dollars are not a small sum.
Correct: A thousand dollars is not a small sum.

Incorrect: A thousand dollars was distributed among the prize winners.
Correct: A thousand dollars were distributed among the prize winners.

When the subject is a sum of money considered as a whole, the singular verb is used. When the subject is a sum of money and the reference is to the bills or coins considered separately, the plural verb is used.

Incorrect: Neither the officer nor his assistants was present at the meeting.
Correct: Neither the officer nor his assistants were present at the meeting.

When the subjects connected by or or nor are of different numbers, the plural subject should be written last and it should be followed by a plural verb.

Incorrect: Neither you nor Tom seem to be capable of doing this.
Correct: Neither you nor Tom seems to be capable of doing this.

When the subjects connected by or or nor are of different persons, the verb should agree in person with the subject nearest to it. Note that the subjects should be arranged in the proper order – the person spoken to, first; the person spoken of, second; and the speaker, last.