Punctuation

Punctuation is speaking, where we use pauses, intonation and voice modulation to make our meaning clear.

In writing we use punctuation marks to do so.

Punctuation is adding the right kind of points in a sentence to indicate expression, pauses and complition.

Punctuation is a system of signs and symbols used by a writer for the benefit of the reader, to show how a sentence is constructed and how it should be read.

There are some basic rules to be followed in punctuation.

Capital Letters

Capital letter is used at the beginning of the sentences. 

Example:- We can dance.

                Reena is preparing for her exam.

             

   They are used for proper nouns like personal names, names of companies, university, school, religions,nations etc.

Example 1.Rahul Gandhi is the son of Rajeev Gandhi.

2. Airtel has launched many schemes to attract its customers.

3. Monday is the first working day of the week.

4. Mahatma Gandhi is known as father of nation.

Full Stop

     ⚫We use the full stop at the end of a sentence which is a statement.

    

1. The deer ran away from the hunter.

2. I studied in Patiala.

 

    ⚫Full Stop is used after some abbreviations

     Example 

     M.A. Mr. Dr. Prof. Dept. Engg.

     Sun. Mon. Jan. Mar. P.R.Sharma

    ⚫ Full Stops are used as the decimal point in figures and amounts of money.

     Rs.75.75 145.70 km/h

   ⚫  Full Stops are used to separate parts of an email or web address.

     www.unicef.org

     Tanu_vk@, hotmail.com

     Question Mark

     Question Mark is used at the end of the sentences.

     Example.

1. What is your name?

2.  How old are you?

 

⚫   It is also used at the end of question tags.

  

      Example

        She is preparing for her exam, isn't she?

Exclamation mark !

An exclamation mark is used at the end of a sentence to show shock, surprise, horror or pleasure.

   Example

It is sad!

What a tall building it is!

Commas

Commas indicate a slight pause and are used to divide a Sentence into several parts so that it is easier to follow its meaning . 

They are used

⚫To separate words in a list, though they are often omitted before and 

Example 

a bedcover with green, pink and yellow circles.

tea, coffee,milk or hot chocolate.

⚫ to separate phrases and clauses.

Example 

If you keep calm, have patience, concentrate and believe in yourself,then you are likely to pass your entrance test.

⚫ to separate a tag question from the rest of the sentence

Example 

You live in Bengaluru, right?

⚫ before or after  'he said', etc.when writing down conversation

Example 

"Come back soon,"she said.

He said,"come back soon."

⚫ to separate an introductory word or phrase or an adverb or adverbial phrase that applies to the whole Sentence, from the rest of the sentence. 

 

Example 

Oh, so that's where it was.

By the way, did you hear what happened at night in your neighborhood?

Colon 

⚫ Colon  precedes a list,an explanation or an example.

Example 

There are two main branches of our school: Bhagat Puran Singh and Mata Mariam Block.

⚫to introduce a quotation, which may

be indented

Example 

As Shakespeare writes: 

   What's in name?A rose by any name would smell as sweet.

Semicolon

⚫ Semicolon is used to separate two Sentences that would have otherwise been joined with a word such as - and, because, since, unless or while.

Example 

It was a pleasure meeting you ; it was a wonderful experience.

Apostrophe  ( ' ) 

⚫An apostrophe before the letter ( ') indicates possession or belonging.

Example This is Nitu's house.

⚫ It is also used to show missing letters or numbers in shortened words.

Example It's a cold day today.We'll wear a thick cardigan.

'84.                                      (   1984.     )

The summer of '14.         (    2014.    )

Quotation Mark (" " )( ' ' )

⚫  Quotation Marks (single or double) are used to show words that are directly spoken in direct speech.

Example " Can you pass me that glass please? " said my sister.

⚫ They are used to show a quoted word,phrase or title.

Example "War and Peace" is a novel by Leo Tolstoy

Hyphen ( _) 

 ⚫Hypen is used to join two words or more to form compound words.

Example

There are ninety-nine rupees in my wallet.

Abbreviation

⚫Abbreviation is a shortened form of a word, with letters representing the whole world. Full stop is used after an abbreviation.

Example

Dr. Amit is an expert heart surgeon.

Now it's the practice time⏲️⏲️

Today we will study three very small but important words in English language: a,an and the. We use these words in almost every Sentence that we speak or write. They are known as article.

Articles

An article is a word that is used to point out or refer to a noun.

👩‍🏫Example--->

👉Our neighbour has a dog and a cat.

👉The earth revolves around the sun 🌞.

👉 My uncle gifted an umbrella.

Kinds Of Articles

Articles are of two kinds:

#Indefinite articles

#Definite articles

‌Indefinite articles.    

A and an are called indefinite articles since they donot refer to any particular person or thing.

⚫We use a before a singular (countable) noun that begins with a consonant sound.

Example. a book,. a girl,. a school 

⚫We use 'an' before a singular noun that begins with a Vowel sound.

Example. an elephant, an inkpot, an egg

⭐ Remember

We use a before the following words

a uniform, a university, a European, a unicorn

👉We use a because we find that the opening sound is that of a consonant,Yu even though they begin with a vowel.so we pronounce them as YUniform,YUniversity etc.

👉We use an before words that begin with a silent 'h' as in :

An honest man , an honour, an hour

👉 We use an because we find that the opening sound of these words begin with a vowel sound 'a' and 'au'

A and an goes only with the singular noun.

‌Definite articles:  

The is called definite articles because it indicates something or someone specific.

Examples The Earth, The Sharma, The UK.

Notes 

💁 Article the can be used before singular and plural nouns

Example 

The car under the tree is belongs to me.

💁 Article the can also be used with non count nouns.

 Example 

1.She fell into the water.

2.The milk in the glass is not fresh.

Use of The

We use definite article -The

1. Before a noun only one of its kind

Example. The earth revolves around the sun.

The Moon is very bright tonight.

2. Before superlative adjectives.

Example: Russia is the largest country in the world.

2. It is the oldest temple in the city.

3. Before only one in that place.

Example: We live in a house near the supermarket.

Look at the lady with pink dress , she is my aunt.

4. Before nouns already mentioned.

Example: The cow is sleeping under a tree, the cow is sick

Please give me a pen. The Pen should be blue.

5 Before nouns referring to the class.

Example: The Penguins 🐧 are not found in India🇮🇳.

Life can be hard for the poor.

6. Before the musical instrument.

Example: I am learning the piano🎹.

He plays the tabla very well.

7. Before a system or service

Example I heard it on the radio

 you should tell the doctor 👨‍⚕️.

8. We do not normally use the definite articles before names. 

But we used it before the names of:

👉 the countries that include the words Kingdom States Republic or have plural names, for example, the United Kingdom, the United state ,the Republic of China etc.

👉 geographical features for example the Himalayas, the Atlantic, the Amazon, the Panama canal.

👉 newspapers and some religious books for example The statesman, the Hindustan times, the Bible.

👉 well known buildings or works of art for example the India gate, the mona Lisa.

👉 Organisations for example the United Nations

👉 Hotels and restaurants for example the dominos ,the pizza hut.

👉 Families for example the a

Ambanis, the tatas, the obamas.



Let's practice a little now guys....

Conjunction

The words that join two or more words, phrases or clauses are called conjunctions.

Example.      

 

Words.                   Tea and coffee.  

Phrases.                Over the rivers and through                                    the tunnel.

Clauses.                The farmer ploughed the                                       field and his wife sowed                                         seeds.

           Kinds of CONJUNCTION

There are three kinds of Conjunction:

A. Co-ordinate Conjunction

B. Subordinate Conjunction

C. Co-relative Conjunction

    

             Co-ordinate Conjunction.

(For ,And ,Nor ,But , Or , Yet , So.=>FANBOYS )

Coordinating conjunctions join two or more statements of equal importance. This is the most common and simplest conjunction. Here are some examples of coordinating conjunctions with their functions.

For. Presents rationale. (reason).

Example. They can't write for they are illiterate.

And. presents non-contrasting items.

Example They gamble and they smoke.

Nor. presents a non-contrasting negative idea.

Example They do not smoke,nor do they gamble.

But. presents a contrast or exception.

Example. They gamble, but they do not smoke.

Or. presents an alternative items or idea.

Example Every day they gamble or they smoke.

Yet. presents a contrast or exception.

Example. They gamble, yet they do not smoke

So. presents a consequence.

Example. He gambled well last night so he smoked a cigar to celebrate.

               Subordinating Conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions connect two unequal parts i.e., dependent and independent clauses. Some common Subordinating conjunctions are :

After, although, as ,because ,before ,how, if, once ,since, then, that , though,till ,until ,when where, whether ,and , while...

Examples: 

1. It may rain after you leave.

2. He did swimming although it was raining.

3. They watched her as she climbed the ladder.

4. He failed because he did not work hard.

5. Did she take her lunch before she went out.

6. Let me show you how to knit.

7. Once you taste sweets,you will die for them.

8. Let's wait until the rain ☔🌧️ stops.

9. It was raining when we arrived.

10. She fell asleep while reading the novel.

               Correlative Conjunction

Correlative Conjunction are used in pairs to connect equivalent elements in a sentence.

There are six pairs of correlative Conjunction.

1 either...........or

2not only....... but (also)

3 neither.......nor

4 both....... and

5 whether......or

6 just as......so

Example 

1You, either help me or go to bed.

2 Not only is he handsome, but he is also brilliant.

3 Neither my mother nor my father is a non-vegetarian.

4 Both the arches and the shooters are doing well,

5 Whether you dance or sing,it is your choice.

I think now the concepts are crystal clear so why not we practice a bit...

And here's the answer key,,,

Prepositions and it's Types.

Prepositions

A preposition is a word that is used with a noun or pronoun and connects it with the other words in a sentence. It shows the relationship between these words.

For  Example 

😺The cat is under the table.        👉Position

🚌The bus leaves at 10:00 a.m.   👉 Time

🕓The clock is on the wall.           👉Place

#Types of prepositions

1 Preposition of time

2 Preposition of a place

3 Preposition for direction.

4 Preposition for agent

5 Preposition for instrument

6 Prepositional phrases

Let use learn this in detail 😃

⭐Preposition of Time➡️

Preposition of time includes in, on, at etc. It is used before a month, a year particular time of day or a century.

For example, 

💁Gandhiji was born in October in 1869.

💁He used to get up early in the morning.

💁He was shoot dead in 20th century.

✍️On is used before day, date or a particular day

Example. 

💁 Gandhiji was born on 2nd October. He was a shoot dead on a Friday. We remember him on the Martyrs Day.

✍️At is it used full time of clock and point out precise time.

Example

💁 The school begins at 9:00.

💁Where were you at departure time?

⭐Preposition of place

The common preposition of place are in ,on and at

✍️In is usually used before places which have some boundary - Physical or virtual

Example

💁The teacher is in the classroom.

💁 Living conditions are good in Canada.

✍️On is used before surfaces.

Example. 

💁 There is a mark on your shirt.

💁 The clock is on the wall.

✍️At is used before specific places

Example 

💁We arrived early at the airport.

💁 My sister will be at home all morning.

   

⭐Preposition for directions. 

Prepositions like to, towards, through, into are used to indicate the direction.

     Example

💁 The apple fell to the ground.

💁 The boy jumped into the river.

💁She had her back towards me.

     

⭐Prepositions for agent.  

The most common prepositions used for an agent in a sentence are By and With

     Example

💁 Ramayana is written by Valmiki.

💁The bag was stuffed with dirty clothes.

⭐ Preposition for instrument 

Different prepositions like on ,by and with are used before different instruments and machines.

Example

💁She comes by bus daily.

💁May I finish my homework on your computer?

💁She opened the locked door with an old key.

⭐Prepositional phrases

Like adjectives and adverbs, Prepositional phrases provide more information about the nouns and verbs in sentences.

Example

💁He arrived in time .

💁Is she really going out with that guy ?

 

Collocation

Some prepositions are always used with certain words. There are are no rules to explain such a special combination. However, this combination is called as collocation.

Uses of Preposition

On and Upon 

⬛ On is used to donate a thing in resting position

⬛ Upon is used to denote things in motion

For example,

I have kept the book on the table .

The dog pounced upon the mouse.

Between and among

⬛ Between is used to denote something shared by two.

⬛ Among is used to indicate distribution where recipients are more than two.

For example

Arjun stood between John and Oliver.

Mother distributed chocolates among her kids.

Beside and Besides

⬛ Beside means by the side of

⬛ Besides means in addition to.

For example

I place my dream journal beside my bed every night.

She had two dogs besides three cats.

For and since

⬛ For is used to indicate a period of time.

⬛ Since is used to denote point of time.

For example,

I will be there for around 2 months.

He has not eaten since 7o'clock. 

Speaking skills

English is a fun language to learn , and even though it’s considered an accessible and relatively easy one to learn, with 750,000 words and spelling that can throw off even the most skilled learner, learning English fast can seem impossible. But I’m here to tell you that it isn’t – as long as you have the right strategy.

Informal contractions are short forms of other words that people use when speaking casually. They are not exactly slang, but they are a little like slang.Learn the list of informal contractions below to speak English faster.

Oh My God Synonyms!!! There are so many ways to say Oh My God that you can use. Below are common ways for English students.

Stay tuned for new English words....

Correct use of some Adverbs

Hey Guys, Let us learn the correct use of Adverbs which often confuse us in our day to day life

Correct use of some adverbs

1. Much, Very

💁Much qualifies adjectives adverbs in the comparative degree and very in the positive degree :,as,. 

👉The patient is much better today

👉The child works very slowly.

💁 Much is used before past particles, very before present participle.

👉The child was much delighted to see the mother.

👉A very pleasing give a sight greeted us.

 💁Very is often used as an adjective in the superlative degree to lay emphasis as,

👉He is the very best singer in the class

👉 He is much the best cricketer in the country.

💁Much is used to modify a verb and the adverb too as

👉You talk much

👉This question is too much difficult for me

💁Very is used to modify much as

👉I am very much pleased to see you.

Note : Very never  modifies a verb.

💁A Very is sometimes used as an adjective adjective as,

👉 This is very man whom I met this morning.

👉 This is the very novel I was looking for.

2. Too, Enough

The adverb too means excess of some kind or more than enough:, as,

Note: Too has a negative sense when followed by a to -infinitive.

💁Enough means sufficient .It is always used in the positive sense.

👉He is strong enough to do it.

👉The dog ran enough to overtake the cat.

Fairly, Rather

Fairly is chiefly used with favorable adjectives and adverbs like well ,bravely ,nice etc.

Rather is chiefly used before unfavourable adjectives and adverbs.

Before, Ago

The adverb before means formerly or on a former occasion as, 

Quite

💁Quiet means entirely fully completely it doesn't mean very as,

👉I am quite right.

👉This disease is quite dangerous.