Would – various usages
Would – various usages: ‘Would’ has various expressions of which a few are discussed here. (1) It is often meaningless to give students exercises requiring them to put ‘WILL’ into past tense unless ‘Past Reported Speech’ is intended. I said to her, “He will come for the party” (direct speech where ‘Will’ is used. I told her that he would come for the party. (indirect speech where ‘Will’ is converted into ‘would’. He said to us, “We will find a cure the deadly disease.” (direct…
Supposed to……..
(1) Be supposed to: it is believed/ said. It’s supposed to be the best restaurant available in the town. He is supposed to be a modern writer. He is supposed to be the richest person in the locality. (2) Something is supposed to happen = It is planned, arranged or expected. I am supposed to meet him at 10.00 am at the Hotel Casino. The attendant was supposed to keep the Board Room clean and tidy before the meeting. The train is supposed to arrive…
‘ENOUGH ‘ goes before nouns, but after adjectives and adverbs
‘ENOUGH’ goes before Nouns, but after Adjectives and Adverbs. (1) Before Nouns I haven’t enough money for a holiday. He has enough savings to purchase a flat. There are enough chairs for everyone to sit down. Please cooperate, we don’t have enough seats to accommodate all. You should have enough experience if you want to apply for the job. I get enough support from my parents in my studies. (2) After Adjectives and Adverbs. She is not old enough to apply for the job. He…
Either , Any , Neither ,None
Either : You can’t have either of these two books. (neither this, nor that one) Either of these two roads will take you to Nedumbassery Airport. Any : You can’t have any of these three( four, five…)books. Any of these three(etc..) roads will take you there. Neither : Neither of the two men was (or were) present. Neither of them is (or are) fit for the job. None : None of the three was ( or were) present. There were ten candidates for the post. …
Should have – various usages.
Should have – various usages. To denote something that was more desirable than what was available . Or a situation where one was doing something which was not the proper/appropriate thing compared to what they should have been doing. That is not the kind of job you should have been doing.(i.e the speaker thinks more appropriate kind of job was something else instead of what he was doing) He was sitting idle while he should have been studying his lessons. (i.e the speaker thinks that…
TO and TO THE
TO and TO THE : When we go to a building (eg .hospital, school, church, prison etc)for the purpose for which it is constructed , we use ‘To’ (without ‘the’). Otherwise ‘To the’ is usually used. He went to school at 8.30 a.m .( he went to school for studying – See ‘to school’ The mother went to the school to see her son.( not for studying)- ‘ to the school’ He had an accident yesterday. He was taken to hospital immediately.( i.e for treatment)…
Should – various usages.
Should – various usages : To give advice, opinion etc You look tired. You should go to bed. You should seek the advice of the Principal before taking an action. Should we hire a taxi or go by bus? 2 .We use ‘should’ with” I think/I don’t think/Do you think? “etc I think you should consult a doctor. I don’t think you should submit the resignation now. A: Do you think I should apply for this job? B: Yes, I think you should. 3. Should/should…
Other uses of IN CASE.
In case of = in the event of In case of fire, ring the alarm bell. In case of any difficulty, please contact me over the phone. In case of any complications we sought the opinion of senior doctors ( past) In any case = whatever happens or may have happened. He will not help me in any case. In any case we are not going to give in to his pressure tactics. In any case the project should be completed within the stipulated time.…
Difference between ‘In case’ and ‘ If’
There is a clear-cut difference in the usage of IN CASE and IF. In the case of ‘In case”, something is being done in anticipation of something else. Similarly we did ( or not) something anticipating something else. But in the case of ‘IF’ , nothing is being done anticipating something else. We do something only if a need arises. When ‘In case ‘ is used in the past , it explains why we did something in the past. IN CASE and IF compared. You…
OUGHT TO and SHOULD
OUGHT TO and SHOULD : They are often interchangeable but only in the sense of obligation. Similarly ‘ Ought to have -ed ‘ can be replaced by ‘ Should have -ed ‘. The moral force of ‘Ought to ‘ is more than ‘ Should ‘ , but less than ‘ Must ‘. The moral force concerning the above can be arranged in the following ascending order. SHOULD——— OUGHT TO———–MUST. You ought to help him. OR -You should help him. (i.e you are obliged to help…