Book of correct english

from A
to Z
Book of
CorrectEnglish
How
to
use this
book
For
ease
of
reference, all
the
entries
in this book
have been
li
s
t
e
d
alphabetically rather than being divided
into
separate
s
p
e
lli
ng,
usage, punctuation and grammar
s

e
c
ti
on
s.
You will
therefore
fi nd hypocrisy
following
hy
ph
en
s
;
paragraphing
following
pa
raffin
;
who or
w
h
o
m
?
fo
ll
owin
g
wh

i
s
k
e
y
or
w
h
i
s
k
y?
;
and
so on.
WANT
TO CHECK A SPELLING?
Cr
os
s -
re
fe
re
nc
i
n
g
will help you
locate
wo

rd
s
with
t
ri
c
k
y
i
n
i
t
i
a
l
le
tt
e
r
s
.
aquaint
Wrong spelling. See
ACQUAINT
.
Plural
wo
rd
s
are given alongside singular nouns,

with
cr
os
s -
referencing
to
relevant rules
and
p
a
tt
e
rn
s.
knife (singular)
knives (pl ural). See
PLURALS
(v)
.
There is
a
l
s
o
a general section
on plurals and
another
o
n
fo

r
e
i
g
n
pl
ur
al
s
.
If it’ s the
complication
of
adding an ending that is
causing
you
trouble,
you will fi nd
some
wo
rd
s
listed
with
a useful
c
r
o
ss
-

reference.
dining or dinning?
dine
+
ing
=
di ning (as
in
dining
room)
din +
ing
=
dinning (no ise dinning
in
ea r
s)
See
ADDING ENDINGS
(i) and (ii)
.
There are individual entries
for
confusing endings
like
-a
b
l
e
/ -

i
b
l
e
;
-a
nc
e,
-a
nt
/-
ence
,-
en
t
;
-c
a
l
/-
c
l
e
;
-ise or
-ize?
and for
conf
us
in

g
beginnings
like
ante
-/
an
t
i
-
;
fo
r
- /
f
o
r
e
-
;
hy
pe
r
- /
h
y
p
o
-
;
in

te
r
- /
i
n
t
r
a
-
and
m any
o
t
h
e
r
s
.
vii
A
abandon
abandoned, abandoning,
a
b
a
n
d
o
n
m

e
nt
(
no
t
-bb -
)
abattoir
(
no
t
-bb -
)
abbreviate
abbreviated, abbreviating,
a
bb
r
e
vi
a
t
i
o
n
(
no
t
-b
- )

abbreviations
See
CONTRACTIONS.
-a
b
l
e
/ -
i
b
l
e
Adjectives ending
in
-
a
b
l
e
or
-
ib
l
e
can
be
difficult to
spell because
both
e

nd
in
gs
sound
identical.
You’ ll
always
need to
b
e
on guard with
these
wo
rd
s
and
check
each
word individually
when
you
are
in
doubt,
but
here are some
useful
g
u
id

el
i
n
es
:
(
i
)
Generally
use
-
ab
le
when the
companion
word
ends
in
-
at
io
n:
abominable,
a
b
o
m
i
na
ti

on
irri
ta
bl
e,
i
rr
i
t
a
ti
on
(
ii
)
Generally use
-
i
b
l
e
when
the
companion
word
ends
in
-
io
n:

comprehensible, comprehension
digestible, d
i
g
e
s
t
i
o
n
(
iii
)
Use
-
a
b
l
e
after
hard c
and
hard
g:
practicable
(
c
sounds
like
k

)
navigable
(
h
a
r
d
g)
(
i
v
)
Use
-
ib
le
after
soft
c
and soft
g
:
forcible
(c sounds
like
s)
leg ible (g s ou n ds
like
j
)

See also
ADDING ENDINGS
(ii
)
;
SO
FT C AND
SOFT G.
1
ABR
I
DGEMENT
/
ABRI
D
G
M
E
NT
ab
ri
dg
em
en
t/
Both spelling s are correc t. Use either but
be
abridgment
consistent
within one

piece
of
wr
it
i
n
g
.
abscess This is
a favourite
word in
s
p
e
lli
ng
qu
i
zz
e
s.
(
no
t
absess
or
a
b
c
e

ss
)
absence
absent
(
no
t
ab
sc
- )
absolute
absolutely
(
no
t
absoloute,
ab
so
l
o
u
t
e
l
y
)
absorb
absorption. Notice
how b
changes

to
p
here.
abstract nouns See NOUNS.
accept or
ex
ce
pt
?
We ACCEPT your apology.
Everybody was there
EXCEPT
St
e
p
he
n.
accessary If you
want
to
preserve the
tr
ad
i
t
i
o
n
a
l

or accessory?
distinction
in
m
e
a
n
i
n
g
between these
two
words,
use ACCESSARY to refer to
someone associated
with
a
crime
a
n
d
ACCESSORY to refer to
something that
is
add ed (a
fashion acce ssory
or
c
a
r

ac
ce
ss
or
ie
s )
.
However, the distinction h
a
s
now
become blurred
and it
is
perfectly
acceptable
to use one
spelling
to cover
both
meanings.
Of
the
two,
accessory
i
s
the
more
widely

used,
but both
a
r
e
co
rr
ec
t.
ac
ce
ss
ib
l
e
(
no
t
-a
bl
e
)
accidentally The
adverb is formed
by
adding
-
ly
to
accidental.

(
no
t
ac
ci
de
nt
ly
)
ac
co
mm
od
a
t
i
o
n This is
a favourite
word in
spelling
qu
i
zz
e
s
and
is frequently seen misspelt
on
p

a
i
n
t
e
d
si
gn
s.
(
no
t
accomodation
or
ac
co
mm
ad
at
i
o
n
)
accross
Wrong spelling. See
ACROSS.
accumulate
(
no
t

-m
m -)
2
ADDING
ENDINGS
achieve
achieved, achieving, achievement
(
no
t
-e
i
-
)
See also
ADDING ENDINGS
(ii
.);
EI/IE SPELLING
RULE.
ac
k
n
o
w
l
e
d
g
eme

n
t
/
Both
spellings are correct
but be
a
c
k
n
ow
l
e
dg
me
nt
consistent
within one
piece
of
wr
it
i
n
g
.
ac
qu
a
i

n
t
acquainted
(
no
t
aq
- )
acquaintance
(
no
t
-e
nc
e
)
ac
qu
i
e
s
c
e
acquiesced, acquiescing
(
no
t
aq
- )
ac

qu
i
e
s
c
e
nc
e
(
no
t
-a
nc
e
)
ac
qu
i
r
e
acquired, acquiring,
a
c
qu
i
s
i
ti
on
(

no
t
aq
- )
acreage Note
that there are
three
syllables here
.
(
no
t
ac
ra
ge
)
across
(
no
t
ac
cr
os
s)
addendum
(s
i
n
g
u

l
a
r
)
addenda
(
pl
ur
al
)
See
FOREIGN
P
L
U
R
A
L
S
.
adding endings Usually
endings
(s
uffi
xe
s)
can
be
added to
base

wo
rd
s
without any
co
m
p
l
ic
a
t
i
o
n
s
.
You
just add them
and that
is
t
h
a
t
!
e.g.
iron + ing = ironing
ste am
+ er
=

s
te
a
mer
list
+
l
e
ss
=
li
st
le
ss
However, there are
four
groups
of
wo
rd
s
which
need especial care.
Fo
rt
un
at
e
l
y

,
there are som e straightforward
r
u
l
e
s
-
3
adapter or
a
da
pt
or
?
Traditional
usage
would
d
i
s
t
i
n
g
u
i
s
h
between these

two
words and
r
e
s
e
rv
e
-er
for the
person (an
adapter of
n
o
v
e
l
s
,
for
i
n
s
t
a
nc
e)
and
-
or

for
the piece
of
electrical equipment. However,
the
distinction has become
very blurred
a
n
d
the two
spellings are considered
by
ma
ny
authorities
to be
interchangeable.
U
s
e
either
for
both meanings
but
be
co
ns
is
te

nt
within
a single piece
of
wr
it
i
n
g
.
ADDING
E
NDINGS
which
save
your
learning t
ho
usands
of
wo
rd
s
i
n
d
i
v
i
d

u
a
ll
y
.
(i)
The 1-1-1
r
u
l
e
This rule
applies
t
o
:
wo
rd
s
of ONE
sy
ll
a
b
l
e
ending
with ONE
co
n

s
o
n
a
n
t
preceded
by ONE vowel
e.g.
drop,
fl at, sun,
win.
When
you
add
an
ending
be
ginn
i
n
g
with
a consonant
to
a
l
-
l
-

l
word,
t
h
e
r
e
is no
change
to the
base
w
o
r
d
:
drop + let = droplet
fl at + ly =
fl
a
t
l
y
win + some =
winsome
When
you
add
an
ending

be
ginn
i
n
g
with
a
vowel to
a
l
-
l
-l
word, you
double
the fi nal letter
of
the
b
a
s
e
wo
rd
:
drop + ed = dropped
fl at +
est
=
fl a

tt
es
t
win +
ing
= wi
nn
in
g
sun + *y =
s
unn
y
*y
counts as a
vowel
when
it
sounds
like i or e.
See
VOWELS.
Treat
qu
as
one
le
tt
e
r

:
quit +
ing
=
quitting
quip + ed = quipped
Don’ t
double fi nal
w and x. They
would look very odd and
so
we
h
a
v
e
co
rr
ec
tl
y
:
tax
+
ing
=
ta
xi
ng
paw + ed =

p
a
w
e
d
(ii)
The magic -e
ru
le
This rule
applies
to
all
wo
rd
s
e
n
d
i
n
g
4
ADDING
ENDINGS
with
a silent
-
e
.

e.g.
hope,
care, achieve,
sincere,
se
parate.
When
you
add
an
ending
be
ginn
i
n
g
with
a consonant,
keep
the
-
e
:
hope
+ ful =
hopeful
care
+
l
e

ss
=
ca
re
l
e
ss
sincere
+ ly =
s
i
n
c
e
r
e
ly
separate
+ ly =
se
parate
ly
achieve
+ ment =
a
c
h
i
e
ve

m
e
n
t
When
you
add
an
ending
be
ginn
i
n
g
with
a vowel,
drop
the
-
e
:
hope
+
ing
=
h
o
p
i
n

g
care + er = carer
sincere
+ ity = sincerity
separate
+ ion =
s
e
p
a
r
a
t
i
o
n
achieve
+ ed =
a
c
h
i
e
ve
d
Do,
however,
keep
the -e
in

wo
rd
s
like
singeing (diff erent
from
s
in
gi
ng
)
and
dyeing
(
di
ff e
re
nt
from
dy
in
g)
an
d
whenever
you
need
to keep the
identity
of the

b ase
word
clear
(
e
.
g
.
shoeing,
c
a
n
o
e
i
n
g
)
.
Do
remember
to
keep
the
-e
with
soft c
and
soft
g words.

I
t
’
s
the
e
t
h
a
t k eeps them soft
(
co
ur
ag
eo
us,
tr
a
c
e
a
b
l
e
)
.
(
S
ee
SOFT C AND SOFT

G
.)
Don’ t keep
the -e
with
t
h
e
s
e
eight
exceptions
to the
r
ul
e
:
truly,
duly,
ninth, argument,
wholly,
a
w
f
u
l
,
whilst,
w
i

s
d
o
m
.
(i
ii
)
-y
ru
le
This rule
applies
to
all
wo
rd
s
e
n
d
i
n
g
in
-y.
Look
at the
letter
before

the
-
y
in the
base
word.
It
doesn’ t matter at all what
kind of
ending
you
are adding. When
you
ad
d
an
ending
to
a
word
ending
in
a
-
5
ADDING
E
NDINGS
vowel + y,
keep

the
y
:
portray + ed =
p
o
r
t
r
a
y
ed
employ + ment
=
employment
When
you
add
an
ending
to
a
word
ending
in
a consonant
+ y,
ch
an
ge

the y to
i
:
try +al = trial
empty + er = emptier
pity +
l
e
ss
=
piti
le
ss
lazy +
ness
=
la
zi
ne
ss
Do keep the y
when adding
-i
ng.
T
w
o
i’ s together
would look very
od

d,
despite
our two
words
sk
i
-
i
n
g
a
n
d
ta
xi
-
i
n
g
.
try +
ing
=
tr
y
i
n
g
empty +
ing

=
em
pt
yin
g
Don’ t
apply the
rule in
these
fo
ur
te
en
ca ses:
daily,
gaily, gaiety,
laid,
paid,
said, slain, babyhood,
shyly,
sh
yn
e
ss
,
dryness, slyness,
wryly,
wr
y
n

e
ss
.
(iv)
The 2-1-1
r
u
l
e
This rule
applies
t
o
:
wo
rd
s
of TWO
sy
ll
ab
le
s
ending
with ONE
co
n
s
o
n

a
n
t
preceded
by ONE vowel.
With this rule, it
all
depe
nd
s
on
which
syllable
of
the
word is
st
re
ss
e
d
.
The
2
-
1
-
1
wo
rd

s
below are
s
t
r
e
ss
e
d
on
the fi rst syllable, and both
vowel
and
consonant endings are
a
dd
e
d
without
any
co
m
p
li
c
a
t
i
o
n

s
:
gossip
go
ss
ip
in
g
tar get
ta
r
g
e
t
e
d
limit
li
m
it
l
e
ss
eage r
ea
ge r
n
es
s
But

note that kidnap, outfi t,
worship,
always
double their
fi nal
l
e
tt
e
r:
6
ADDING
ENDINGS
kidnapped, outfi tter,
w
o
r
s
h
i
pp
i
n
g
Take
care
with
2-1-1 words
wh
ic

h
a
r
e
stressed
on the
second
s
y
ll
a
bl
e
.
There
is no
change w hen
you
add a
consonant
e
n
d
in
g:
forget
+ ful = f
o
r
g

e
tful
equip
+ ment =
e
qu
ip
m
e
n
t
Double
the fi nal consonant
of the
b
a
s
e
word
when
you
add a
vowel
en
di
ng
:
forget
+ ing = f
o

r
g
e
tt
in
g
equip
+ ed = equipped
forbid + en = forbidden
begin
+ er =
b
e
g
i
nn
e
r
This rule is really
valuable
but you
must
be
aware
of
some
e
x
c
ep

ti
on
s:
"
2-1-1 words ending
in
-
l
seem
to
ha
ve
a
rule
all
of their own. Whether
the stress
is on the
fi rst
or
the
se
co
n
d
syllable, there
is no
change w he n a
consonant ending is
a

dd
e
d
:
quarrel
+ some =
qu
a
rr
el
so
me
instal
+ ment =
in
st
a
l
m
e
nt
Double
the
-
l
when adding a
vowel
en
din
g:

quarrel
+
ing
=
qu
a
rr
e
lli
n
g
instal
+ ed =
in
st
a
ll
e
d
excel + ent = excellent
"
Notice how
the change
of
stress
in
these words aff ects
the
s
p

e
ll
in
g:
conf
e
r
conf
e
rr
e
d
co
n
f
e
rr
i
ng
conf
e
r
en
ce
defer
deferred
deferring
de
fe
r

e
n
c
e
infer
inferred
in
f
err
i
n
g
i
n
f
eren c
e
prefer
pre f
err
e
d
pre f
err
i
n
g
pre f
eren c
e

refer
referred
referring
r
e
fe
r
e
nc
e
transfer transferred
t
r
a
n
s
f
e
rr
i
ng
transference
See also
-A
BL
E/
-I
BL
E
;

-AN
CE
,-
AN
T/
-E
NC
E,
-E
NT
;
-
CA
L/-C
LE
;
-F
UL
;-
LY
.
7
ADDRESS
address
(
no
t
ad
r-
)

adieu
(s
i
n
g
u
l
a
r
)
adieus
or adieux
(
p
l
u
r
a
l
)
See
FO
RE
IG
N
P
L
U
R
A

L
S
.
ad
r
e
n
a
li
n/
ad
r
e
n
a
li
ne
Both
spellings are
correct.
adress
Wrong spelling.
S
ee
ADDRESS.
ad
va
nt
a
g

e
o
u
s
advantage
+
ou
s
Keep the
-e
in
this
i
n
s
t
a
nc
e
.
See
SOFT C AND SOFT G.
adverse or
a
ve
r
s
e
?
These

two
wo
rd
s
have diff erent m
e
a
n
i
n
g
s
.
The
ferries were cancelled owing
to
ADVERSE
weather
c
on
diti
on
s.
(
=
un
fa
vo
ur
ab

l
e
)
She
is
not AVERSE to publicity.
(
=
oppo
se
d)
advertisement
advertise
+ ment
See
ADDING ENDINGS (ii).
advice or
ad
vi
s
e
?
My ADVICE is to
forget
all
about
it.
(noun
=
r

eco
mmen
da
ti
on
)
What
would you ADVISE
me
to
do
?
(verb
=
r
e
co
mm en
d)
adviser or
a
d
v
i
s
o
r
?
Adviser is the traditionally correct
Br

i
t
i
s
h
spelling. Advisor is more common
in
American
English.
advisory
(
no
t
-e
ry
)
ae
r
i
a
l
Use
the same spelling
for
the
noun
(a
television
AE
RI

AL
)
and
the
a
dject
ive
(
a
n
AERIAL
ph
ot
og
ra
ph
).
aff ect or
e
ff
e
c
t
?
Use
these exem plar sen ten ces as a
gu
id
e
:

Heavy
drinking
will AFFECT your liver.
(v
er
b)
The EFFECT on her
health
w
a
s
immediate.
(n
ou
n)
The new
manager
plans to
EFFE
CT
sweeping changes. (verb
= to
b
r
i
n
g
a
bout
)

8
ALLEY OR
ALLY
?
af
r
a
i
d
(
no
t
aff
ra
id
)
ageing or aging? Both
spellings are correct
but
many
would
prefer
ageing as
it
keeps the
identity of
the
base
word
(ag e) m ore

ea
si
ly
recognised.
See
ADDING ENDINGS
(ii
).
aggravate
Strictly speaking, aggravate means
to
m
a
k
e
worse.
His rudeness
AGGRAVATED an already
explosive
s
i
t
u
a
ti
on
.
It is,
however,
widely

used
in
the sense
of
to
irritate
or to
annoy.
Be
aw are
that
some
au
th
or
it
ie
s
would
regard
th
i
s
se
co
n
d
usage as
incorrect.
aggressive

(
no
t
ag r-
)
agree
t
o
/
a
g
r
ee
w
i
t
h The choice of
preposition alters
the
meaning
of
the
ve
rb
:
I AGREED TO do
what
he
ad
v

i
s
e
d.
I AGREED TO all the conditions.
I AGREED WITH all
they
s
a
i
d
.
Se
e
PR
EP
OS
ITION
S
.
agreeable
(
no
t
ag
re
a
b
l
e

)
agreement For
grammatical agreement,
se
e
SINGULAR OR
PL
UR
AL
?
.
ag
r
e
ss
i
v
e
Wrong spelling. See
AGGRESSIVE.
alga
(s
in
gu
la
r)
algae
(
p
l

u
r
a
l
)
See
FOREIGN
P
L
U
R
A
L
S
.
allege
(
no
t
-dge
)
alley or
a
ll
y
?
An ALLEY is
a
little
l

a
n
e
.
An ALLY
is a
friend.
alley
(
si
ng
ul
ar
)
,
alleys
(
p
l
u
r
a
l
)
ally
(s
i
n
g
u

l
a
r
)
,
a
lli
e
s
(p
lu
ra
l)
See
PL
UR
AL
S
(ii
i
)
.
9
ALL MOST OR ALMOS
T
?
all
most or
a
l

m
o
s
t
?
There is a diff erence
in
meaning.
U
s
e
these exemplar sentences as a
g
u
i
d
e
:
They
were
ALL (=
e
v
e
ry
o
n
e
)
MOST kind.

The child
was
ALMOST
(=
ne
ar
ly
)
a
sl
ee
p.
allowed or
a
l
o
u
d
?
There is a diff erence
in
meaning.
U
s
e
these exemplar sentences as a
g
u
i
d

e
:
Are we ALLOWED (=
permitted)
to
smoke
in
h
e
r
e
?
I
was just thinking
ALOUD (= out
l
ou
d).
all
ready or
a
l
r
e
a
d
y
?
There is a diff erence
in

meaning.
U
s
e
these exemplar sentences as a
g
u
i
d
e
:
We are ALL (=
e
v
e
ry
o
n
e
)
RE
AD
Y
.
It is ALL
(
=
e
v
e

r
yt
hi
ng
)
RE
AD
Y
.
She
was
ALREADY
dead
(= by
th
en
)
.
all
r
i
g
h
t
or
al
r
i
g
h

t
?
Traditiona l usag e woul d conside r
ALL
RIGHT
to
be correc t and
ALRIGHT to be
inco rrect . However , the use
of
‘ alright’ is
so
widesprea d that som e woul d see
it
a
s
acceptabl e althoug h the majorit y
of
educated
users woul d take care
to
avoid
it.
all
so or
a
l
s
o
?

There is a diff erence
in
meaning.
U
s
e
these exemplar sentences as a
g
u
i
d
e
:
You
are
ALL
(
=
ev
er
y
o
n
e
)
SO kind.
You
are
ALSO
(

=
in
ad
diti
on
)
g
e
n
e
r
o
u
s
.
a
ll
together or
There is a diff erence
in
meaning.
U
s
e
al
to
ge
th
er
?

these exemplar sentences as a
g
u
i
d
e
:
They
were
ALL (=
e
v
e
ry
b
ody
)
huddled
TOGETHER for
w
a
r
m
t
h
.
His situation
is ALTOGETHER
(
=

to
ta
ll
y
)
diff erent
from
y
o
u
r
s
.
allude or elude?
There is a diff erence
in
m
ea
ni
ng.
ALLUDE
means
to
refer
to indirectly.
ELUDE
means
to
evade capture
or recall.

10
ALTERNATIVES
allusion,
d
e
l
u
s
i
o
n
There is a diff erence
in
m
ea
ni
ng.
or
il
lu
si
on
?
An ALLUSION is an indirect reference.
A DELUSION
is a false belief
(
o
f
t

e
n
associated
with
a
m
e
n
t
a
l
d
i
s
o
r
d
e
r
)
.
An ILLUSION is
a deceptive
ap
pe
ar
a
n
c
e

.
all
ways or
a
l
w
a
y
s
?
There is a diff erence
in
m
ea
ni
ng.
These three routes
are ALL (=
each
of
th
e
m
)
WAYS into town.
She ALWAYS
(
=
at
all

t
im
e
s
)
tells
th
e
truth.
almost
See
ALL MOST OR ALMOST?.
a
lot
Write
as
two
words,
not
as one. Bear
in
mind
that this construction is slang
a
n
d
not to be
used
in
a

fo
rm
a
l
context.
aloud
See
ALLOWED OR
A
LO
U
D
?
.
already
See
ALL READY OR
AL
REA
DY
?
.
altar or
a
lt
er
?
There is a diff erence
in
m

ea
ni
ng.
The
bride
and
groom stood
s
o
l
e
m
n
l
y
before the
AL
TA
R
.
Do you
wish
to ALTER
(
=
ch
an
g e
)
t

h
e
arrang
e
m
e
n
t
s
?
alternate or We visit our
grandparents
on
al
te
r
n
a
t
i
v
e
?
ALTERNATE
Saturdays.
(
=
every other
S a
tu

rd
ay
)
I ALTERNATE
between hope and
de
s
p
a
i
r
.
(
=
have each mood
in
tu
rn
)
An ALTERNATIVE
plan
would be to
g
o
by
boat.
(
=
another
po

ss
i
b
ili
t
y
)
The ALTERNATIVES are
s
im
pl
e
:
work or
go
hungry.
(
=
two
ch
oi
c
e
s
)
al
te
r
n
a

t
i
v
e
s
Strictly speaking, the
choice
can
be
between
only two
alternatives
(
o
n
e
choice
or the
o
t
h
e
r
)
.
However,
the word
is frequently u
s
e

d
more
loosely
and this precise defi nition
i
s
becoming
l
o
s
t
.
11
ALTOGETHER
altogether
See
ALL TOGETHER OR
ALT
OG
ET
HE
R?
.
Alzheimer’ s
d
i
s
e
a
s

e
(
no
t
Al
ze
- )
amateur
(
no
t
-m m -
)
am
bi
gu
i
t
y
Always
try to
anticipate any
po
ss
ib
le
confusion
on
the
part of your reader.

Check that you
have made
yo
ur
m ean
in
g
absolutely cl
e
a
r
.
(
i
)
Bea r
in
mind that pronouns can
be
very
vague. Consider
th
is
se
nt
e
n
c
e
:

My
brother
told
his friend that
HE
had won
fi rst
prize in
the
local
photographic
exhibition.
Who
is
‘ he’ , my
brother
or
his
fr
ie
nd
?
Rewrite more
c
l
e
a
r
l
y

:
( a)
My
brother congratulated
h
i
s
fr
ie
nd
on
winning fi rst prize
in the local
photographic
exhibition.
(b)
My
brother, delighted
to
have
won
fi rst
prize in
the
l
oc
a
l
p
h

o
t
o
g
r
a
p
h
i
c
exhibition,
told
his
friend.
The
other
po
s s
i
b
ili
t
y
is rather
c
l
u
m
s
y

but
is otherwise cl
ear:
(c)
My
brother
told
his friend
that he
(
h
is
fr
ie
nd
)
had won
fi
rs
t
p
ri
ze.
(d)
My
brother
told
his
friend
that

he
(my
b
r
o
t
h
e
r
)
had
won
fi rst
prize.
(
ii
)
Position the
adverb
ONLY with
gr
e
a
t
care. It will refer to the word
n
e
a
re
st

to it,
usually the
word
following. Th
i
s
may not be the
meaning
you
intended. See
how
crucial
to the
meaning the position
of ‘ only’
can
b
e:
ONLY
Sean eats
fi sh on
F
ri
da
y
s
.
(
=
No one

else
but
Sean eats
fi sh on
Fr
i
d
a
y
s
.
)
12
AM
B
I
GU
IT
Y
Sean
ONLY
eats
fi sh
o
n
F
ri
da
y
s

.
(
=
Sean does nothing else
to
t
h
e
fi s
h
on
Fridays
but
eat
it. He
do
e
s
n
’
t
buy
it, cook it, look
at
it,
smell
it
. . . .
)
Sean eats

ONLY fi sh on
F
ri
da
y
s
.
(
=
Sean eats nothing
but
fi s
h
o
n
Fr
i
d
a
y
s
.
)
Sean eats
fi sh ONLY on
F
r
i
d
a

y
s.
Sean eats
fi sh on
Fridays
ON
LY
.
(
=
Sean eats
fi sh on
this
one
da
y
i
n
the week
and
never on
a
n
y
ot
he
r.
)
(
iii

)
Take care
with
the positioning
of
BADL
Y
.
This room
needs
c
le
an
in
g
BADL
Y
.
Does it?
Or
does
it not need cl
ea
ni
ng
we
ll
?
Rewrite
like

th
i
s
:
by not
introducing a
comma
to
indicate a
p
a
u
s
e
.
The
shabby
little
riverside
c
a
f
e
´
wa
s
em pty and
full of
wasps and
fl i

es
.
Empty
and
fu
ll
?
The
shabby
little
riverside
c
a
f
e
´
wa
s
em pty,
and full of
w asps and
fl
i
e
s.
See
COMMAS
(i
x).
(v)

Avoid the
danger
of
writing
no
ns
e
n
s
e
!
DRIVING slowly
along the roa d,
TH
E
CASTLE
dominated the
la
nd
sc
a
p
e
.
The
castle
i
s
d
r

i
v
i
ng
?
Re
wr
it
e
:
As we drove
s
l
o
w
l
y
along
the
r
o
a
d
,
we
saw
how the
castle
d
o

m
i
n
a
t
e
d
This room BADLY
ne
e
d
s
c
le
an
in
g.
(
i
v
)
Beware
of
causing
i
n
i
t
i
a

l
be
wi
ld
e
r
m
e
nt
th
e
la
nd
sc
ap
e.
-
13
AMEND OR EMEND?
COOKED slowly,
the
FAMILY wi
ll
enjoy the cheaper cuts
of
m
ea
t
.
Re

wr
it
e
:
If the
cheaper cuts
of
meat
are
cooked
slowly,
the family
will
e
n
j
o
y
them.
See
PA
RTI
CI
PL
ES
.
(
v
i
)

Make sure
the
d
e
s
cr
ip
t
i
v
e
de
ta
il
s
describe
the
right
no
un
!
For
s
a
l
e:
1995
Peugeot
205 – one
owner with

p
o
w
e
r
-
a
ss
is
te
d
s
t
ee
r
i
n
g
.
Re
wr
it
e
:
For
s
a
l
e:
1995

Peugeot
205 with
power-assisted steering
– one
owner.
amend or
eme
n
d
?
Both
words mean
‘ to
make changes
in
order to
i
m
p
r
o
v
e
’
.
Use AMEND or
EMEND when
referring
to
the

co
rr
e
c
t
i
on
of
written
or
printed
text.
Use AMEND in
a
wider
context such
a
s
AMENDING the
law
or
AM
EN
DI
NG
behaviour.
ammount
Wrong spelling.
S
ee

AMOUNT.
among
(
no
t
am
ou
ng
)
among/amongst Either form can be
u
s
e
d.
among or b
et
we
en
?
Use BETWEEN
when something is
s
h
a
re
d
by two
people.
Use AMONG
when

it is
shared
by three or more.
Share
the
swee ts
BETWEEN the two
of
you.
Share
the
swee ts
AMONG
y
o
u
r
s
e
lv
es
.
However,
BETWEEN is
used
with
numbers
l
a
r

g
e
r
than two when it
m
e
a
n
s
an exact
geographical location
or
when
it
refers
to
re
la
ti
on
sh
i
p
s
.
14
-ANCE,-ANT/-
E
N
CE,-ENT

S a
rd
in
ia
lies
BETWEEN
S
p
a
i
n
,
Al
ge
ri
a,
Corsica and
Italy.
It will
take a long time before the
rift
BETWEEN
the
fi ve
main parties
h
e
a
l
s

.
am
or
a
l
or
im
mo
r
a
l
?
There is a diff erence
in
m
ea
ni
ng.
AMORAL
m eans
not
being governed
by
moral
laws, acting outside
them.
(note
-
m
- )

IMMORAL
means breaking
t
h
e
m
or
al
laws.
(
n
o
t
e
-m m -
)
amoung
Wrong spelling. See
AMONG.
amount
(
no
t
am
m
o
un
t
)
amount or nu

mb
er
?
AMOUNT
is used
with
non-count
n
o
un
s
:
a sma ll
AMOUNT of
sugar; a
s
u
r
p
r
i
s
i
n
g
AMOUNT of
go
ss
ip
.

NUMBER is
used
with plural
no
un
s:
a
NUMBER of
mi
st
ak
e
s
;
a
NUMBER of
re
a s
on
s.
an
a
l
y
s
e
(
no
t
-ize as

in
American
Engl
is
h)
an
a
l
y
s
is
(s
i
n
g
u
l
a
r
)
analyses
(
p
l
u
r
a
l
)
See

FO
RE
IG
N
P
L
U
R
A
L
S
.
-a
nc
e,
-a
nt
/-
ence
,-
en
t
Wo
rd
s
with
these endings are
difficult to
spell
and

you’ ll
always need
to be on
your guard with
them. Check each
word
in
di
v
i
d
u
a
ll
y
when in
doubt, but here
a
r
e
some useful
gu
id
e
li
n
e
s
:
(

i
)
People are generally
-an t:
at
t
e
n
d
a
n
t
,
lieutenant, occupant,
se
rg
ea
nt
,
t
e
n
a
n
t
(
b
u
t there are exceptions
like

superintendent,
p
r
e
s
i
de
nt
,
re
si
de
nt
. . . .
)
.
(
ii
)
Use
-
an
c
e
,
-
an
t,
where the
co

m
p
a
n
i
o
n
wo
rd
s
ends
in
-
a
t
io
n:
dominance,
dominant, d
o
m
i
n
a
t
io
n,
variance,
v
ar

ia
nt
,
v
a
r
ia
ti
on
.
-
15
AND/B
U
T
(
iii
)
Use
-
e
n
c
e,
-ent
after
qu
:
co
n

s
e
qu
e
nc
e
,
co
n
s
eque
nt
,
eloquence, eloquent.
(iv) Us e -ance , -ant afte r har d
c or
hard
g
:
signifi cance , signi fi cant (c sou nds
li
ke
k)
elegance, elegant (hard
g
)
(v) Use
-
e
n

c
e,
-ent
after
soft
c or soft
g:
innocence, innocent
(
c
sounds
like
s)
intelligent , intelligenc e (g sound s
like
j)
See
SOFT C AND SOFT G.
and/but Many of us
have been taught never
to
begin a sentence
with AND or BUT.
Generally speaking this is good
a
d
v
ic
e
.

Both
words are conjunctions
and
w
ill
therefore
be
busy joining
wo
rd
s
within
the
s
e
n
t
e
nc
e
:
I
should love
to
come
AND I look forward
to
the part y very
much.
They wante d

to
com e
BUT
sadl y they
had
to
visi t a frien d
in
hospita l som e mile s
away.
However, there are some occasions
w
h
e
n
you
m ay
need the
extra emphasis
th
at
starting a
new
sentence
with AND or
BUT would
give.
If you
hav e a
good

reason
to
break the rules,
do
so
!
an
gs
i
e
t
y
Wrong spelling.
See
AN
XI
ET
Y
.
an
gs
i
o
u
s
Wrong spelling. See
ANXIOUS.
annex or
a
nn

e
x
e
?
To ANNEX is to
take possession
of
a
country
or
part
of
a
country.
An ANNEX is
another
word for
an
appendix in an
offi
c
i
a
l
document.
An ANNEXE
is a building adde d
to the
main
building.

annoint
Wrong spelling. See
ANOINT.
announce
announced, announcing,
an
no
un
c
e
r
,
announcement
(
no
t
-n
- )
16
APOLOG
Y
annoy
annoyed, annoying,
a
nn
oy
an
ce
(
no

t
anoy or
a
nn
o
i
e
d
)
an
nu
l
annulled, annulling,
a
nnu
l
m
e
nt
See
ADDING ENDINGS
(iv
).
anoint
(
no
t
-nn -
)
anounce

Wrong spelling. See
ANNOUNCE.
anoy
Wrong spelling. See
AN
NO
Y
.
ante
- /
an
ti
-
A
N
T
E
-
means
before.
antenatal
=
before
birth
AN
TI
-
means
a
g

a
i
n
s
t
.
antifreeze
=
a
g
a
i
n
s
t
f
r
ee
zi
ng
antecedent This
means earlier
in
time
or
an an
ce
st
or
.

(
no
t
an
ti
- )
Se
e
ANTE
-/
AN
TI
-
.
antediluvian This
means very
o
l
d
-
f
a s
hi
on
ed
and
primitive, literally
‘
b
e

f
o
r
e
the
fl ood
of Noah’ .
(
no
t
an
ti
- )
Se
e
ANTE
-/
AN
TI-
.
antenna This word
has
two
plurals, each used
in
a
diff erent
se
ns
e:

Use ANTENNAE to refer to
i
n
s
e
c
t
s
.
Use ANTENNAS to refer to
t
e
l
e
v
i
s
i
o
n
ae
ri
al
s.
See
FOREIGN
P
L
U
R

A
L
S
.
anticlimax
(
no
t
ante
- )
Se
e
ANTE
-/
AN
TI-
.
an
ti
rr
h
i
nu
m
(
no
t
-rh -
)
antisocial

(
no
t
ante
- )
Se
e
ANTE
-/
AN
TI-
.
anxiety
(
no
t
an
g s
- )
anxious
(
no
t
an
g s
- )
ap
ol
og
is

e/
a
p
o
l
og
i
z
e
Both
spellings are correct.
(
no
t
-pp)
apology
apologies
(
pl
ur
al
)
See
PLURALS
(i
ii
).
17
APON
apon

Wrong spelling. See
UPON.
apostrophes
(i)
Apostrophes
can be
used
to
s
ho
w
t
h
a
t
letters have been
o
m
i
tt
e
d
:
"
in
co
n
t
r
a

ct
io
ns
didn’ t
o’ cloc
k
you’ v
e
won’ t
"
in
po
et
r
y
o’ er
vales and
hi
ll
s
where’ er
you
w
a
l
k
"
in
di
al

ec
t
’ Ere’ s,
’
Arry
"
in
r
e
t
a
i
l
pick ’ n’
mix
salt
’ n’
v
in
eg
ar
(
ii
)
Apostrophes can
be
used
to show
ownership.
Follow

these
s
i
m
pl
e
guidelines
and you’ ll
never
put
t
h
e
apostrophe
in the
wrong
place.
S
i
n
g
u
l
a
r
nouns
or
‘
ow
ne

r
s
’
The
tail
of
the
do
g
The
d
o
g
’
s
ta
il
Who ‘ owns’
the
ta
il
?
the
do
g
Put
the
ap
os
tr

op
he
after the
owner. the
d
o
g
’
Add
-s.
the
d
o
g
’
s
Add
what is
‘ owned’ .
the dog’ s t
a
il
The
sm ile
of the
p
r
i
nc
e

ss
The
princess’ s
s
m
il
e
Who ‘ owns’
the
sm
il
e
?
the
p
r
i
nc
e
ss
Put
the
ap
os
tr
op
he
after the
owner. the
p

r
i
nc
e
ss
’
Add
-s.
the
p
r
i
nc
e
ss
’
s
Add
what is
‘ owned’ .
the
pr
i
n
c
e
ss
’ s
sm
il

e
18