Understanding Some Common Errors In English To Avoid Them

Understanding Some Common Errors In English To Avoid Them English is a subtle language with many tricky grammatical patterns. Even a well versed person in English tends to err in English grammar and more so in the case of a common practitioner of the language. English grammar is tricky with rules and exceptions to rules. Writing English with flawless grammar is a matter of practice and it needs extended knowledge in the grammatical patterns of the language. Following are some common grammatical errors caused by misunderstandings and insufficient knowledge in English grammar Confusion in placing apostrophes Confusion in placing apostrophes is a very common error. For example, The word ‘It‘ is a pronoun and its without apostrophe means its possession. Examples are A) The bird is beautiful. Its feathers are multi colored. B) It’s perching on the branch of a tree. In the first sentence, the phrase ‘its feathers’ denotes the feathers of the bird and thus the word ‘its’ (without apostrophe) denotes possession. In the second sentence, the word ‘it’s’ (with apostrophe) is the contraction of the words ‘it is’. It denotes the action of the bird (perching). Access Online #English Tutor For Mastery Of 4 #Language #Skills http://t.co/jJ1rfCHwCI pic.twitter.com/ZWHZSDJFu3 â€" Tutor Pace (@TutorPace) July 27, 2015 It is important to know where to use apostrophes. Same confusion can be felt in the next example as well. C) There are 20 students in the class. D) Many students’ books were lost. E) A student’s money was also lost. In the first sentence, the word ‘students ‘denotes the number (how many) of the students. So, it is just a plural noun where there is no need for any apostrophe. In the second sentence, ‘students’ points out the meaning- books belong to students (possession). So, there is a need for using apostrophe in ‘students’. Third sentence contains a singular noun ‘student’ where apostrophe falls in between the letters ‘t’ and s’ to specify the singularity of the noun. If we misuse the apostrophe, the sentence loses its sense. Confusing pronouns Pronouns are the words used in the place of nouns. Confusing first person pronouns is a very common error found in English language usage. For example, ‘He and I went for a party yesterday’ is the correct sentence and if one uses He and me went for a party yesterday’, it is wrong. Same way, you should not use ‘He talked to I’. Instead you should say ‘He talked to me’. It is because the letter I is the subject pronoun and ‘me is the object pronoun and they cannot be misplaced. Same way, ‘myself’ is the reflexive pronoun which should be used only for repetition as in ‘I patted myself for the good job done’. Mixing homophones Homophones are words that have similar sound patterns but are different in meaning and in most cases carry different spellings. If one changes the homophones, the entire meaning changes or there is no sense at all. When you write ‘bow’ in the place of ‘bough’, the entire meaning is lost as in the sentence ‘The hunter took the arrow and bough to hunt the deer’- bough and bow sound the same but they differ in spelling and meaning. Bough is the branch of a tree and the other bow goes with the arrow. Similarly then denotes time and than is a comparative word. The pairs like there and their also are homophones often confused. Confusing words of quantity Countable and uncountable words are often confused by people. Examples are ‘A number of people attended the meeting yesterday’- The word ‘number’ is used, as the noun ‘people’ is countable. ‘He withdrew a large amount of money from the bank’-the word ‘amount’ is used with ‘money’, since it is uncountable. Agreement of the verb with the subject Using plural verbs in the place of singular ones is a common error. Take the word ‘mathematics’ or ‘news’. Though they end in the letter ’s’, they are not plural in meaning. So, one should write ‘The news is false’ and ‘Mathematics is an interesting subject’. Same way, collective nouns do not take plural verbs as in 1000 million dollars is a big sum. Why You Need To Focus On Your #English #Skills For Success In Your #career And Life http://t.co/4z4qVBMUNR pic.twitter.com/B6gSw2goLe â€" Tutor Pace (@TutorPace) July 28, 2015 Many more errors in English usage are there. If students find them hard to fix, they can take recourse to an online English tutor who sets them right for him through customized solutions. Online English tutoring is the best bet for students who struggle in English grammar.

5 Tips to Give Your Student an Advantage

5 Tips to Give Your Student an Advantage There is no magic bullet to ensure that your child will be an excellent student who never experiences problems or challenges. However, there are several things parents can do to help your child stay focused and work more efficiently, thereby setting him or her up for success: Work on basic skills. If your child is struggling with basic concepts and this is causing problems in class and during homework, it may be time to investigate. Consider having your child assessed to get more details on what academic skills he or she may be lacking. Huntington Learning Center offers an academic evaluation that can pinpoint any student's needs based on their strengths and weaknesses. Constant reading. A confident reader will find school to be easier overall. Reading is essential in every subject, and teachers will increasingly expect your child to offer opinions on and insight into the things he or she reads. Make reading a frequent family activity by carving out time on a daily basis and encourage your child to read for fun, both aloud and independently. Critical thinking. No matter what subject your child studies, critical thinking is an important skill that you can and should hone from an early age. Encourage your child to analyze, question and express opinions on books, articles, news and more. When reading stories, discuss the characters and main messages and have your child share his or her thoughts and ideas. Even with subjects like math and science, teach your child to think through problems and talk about the practical application of math and science concepts. The more your child develops such essential higher-order thinking abilities, the more capable your child will be as a student. Establish guidelines. Clearly defined rules create a home environment conducive to maximum learning, eliminating wasted time and encouraging children to work more efficiently. On the other hand, a lack of structure can result in a child feeling unorganized and overwhelmed. Just as your childs teacher does in the classroom, establish and maintain clear routines for study time at home. Once you have established and communicated those rules, hold your child to them. The less time spent on getting settled into homework, organizing or finding ones things, the more time can be spent on learning. Foster good study habits. Many children who are otherwise capable students are hampered by disorganization and poor study skills. Teach your child the basics, such as maintaining a neat workspace and backpack, embracing a system for tracking homework and projects (and their due dates), and making all study and homework sessions efficient. Ask for suggestions from your childs teacher as well. Finally, one of the most important things parents can do to benefit their children is to talk about school. It sounds simple, and it isbut study after study proves the positive effects of parental involvement on students long-term educational outcomes. Communication between parent and student improves not only student behavior and attendance but also affects student achievement. A small amount of effort today will help your child build a strong foundation for school and life success.