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Training and ScholarshipDepartment
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GSIS 2Internal Use Only
VOCABULARY BUILDING SKILLSContext Clues
--Bits of information from the text that, when combined with thereader's own knowledge, allow the reader to "read between the
lines," figure out the meaning of the text, or determine the
meaning of unknown words in the text.
Using words around the unknown word to guess the meaning
Examples:
1)I took the tome off the shelf and opened it to page 94. Then I
began to read.A) some food C) a cigarette
B) a bad dream D) a book
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GSIS 3Internal Use Only
VOCABULARY BUILDING SKILLS
Context Clues
Examples:
2) This virus has really sapped my energy. I get tired just walking
across the room. I hope to get better soon because I need to
return to work.
A) give, increase C) take away, drain
B) make slow D) enhance
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GSIS 4Internal Use Only
VOCABULARY BUILDING SKILLS
Use of Morphemes as Clues
Morphemes are the smallest units of a word thathave meaning.
Prefixes (before the root word) ; suffixes (after theroot word) and root words
The word uninterested, for example, is comprised ofthree morphemes: the prefix un-meaning not, thebase wordinterest, and the suffix -edwhichindicates that the action happened in the past.
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GSIS 5Internal Use Only
VOCABULARY BUILDING SKILLS
Use of Morphemes as Clues
Prefix Meaning of Prefix Words Formed Using the Prefix
re again replay, resend, replace
hyper over hypersensitive, hyperactive, hyperventilate
un not unclear, undo, uninvited
mis wrong misunderstand, misconduct, misspell
trans across transport, transmission, transaction
omni all omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient
sub below subway, substandard, submerge
pre before premeditate, precursor, prepay
inter between Intermediate, interview, intercollegiate
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GSIS 6Internal Use Only
VOCABULARY BUILDING SKILLS
Use of Morphemes as Clues
Suffix Meaning of Suffix Words Formed Using the Suffix
-able, -ible forms adjectives andmeans capable or
worthy of
likable, flexible, palpable
-ation forms nouns fromverbs
creation, civilization, automation,speculation, information
-fy, -ify forms verbs andmeans to make or
cause to become
purify, acidify, humidify
-ment forms nouns fromverbs
entertainment, amazement, statement,banishment
-ty, -ity forms nouns fromadjectives
subtlety, certainty, cruelty, frailty, loyalty,royalty; eccentricity, electricity, peculiarity,similarity, technicality
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GSIS 7Internal Use Only
ANALOGY
a similarity between like features of two things, on which a
comparison may be based explains the relationship between words or ideas
may be a comparison to show the similarity between 2 or more
objects on a certain limited number of features or details
The relationship may be shown in various ways:
1.synonym (big : huge ::hostility: antagonism)
2. antonym (dull: bright :: discard: accept)
3. cause and effect or effect and cause relationship (clogging: flood::
logging: denudation of forest)
4. person and object/instrument (carpenter: hammer: : judge: gavel)
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GSIS 8Internal Use Only
ANALOGY
5. whole- part relationship(flashlight: battery:: computer: hard drive)
6. geography/capital of countries (China: Beijing: : Vietnam: Hanoi)
7. Unit of Measurement (distance: kilometer: : weight: pounds)
8. Classification (juice: liquid: : meat: solid)
9. Characteristics (pillow: soft: : sandpaper: rough)
10. Currency (baht: Thailand :: dinnar: Bahrain)
11. Parents and offspring (hen: chick: : tigress: cub)
12. Gender (stallion: mare: : jack-ass: jenny-ass)
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GSIS 9Internal Use Only
ANALOGY
Test-Taking Strategies:
Determine the relationship between stem words and find the
same relationship in one of the answers.
Use the answer choices to help you establish if the stem words
are nouns or verbs.Identify the relationship in the given analogy.
The answers must be nearly related in the same way as the
words in the original pair.
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GSIS 11Internal Use Only
PARAGRAPH ORGANIZATIONExample:
Louis [XIV] was not a stupid man; he was handsome and
lazy. Madame de Pompadour was his most celebrated mistress;
she was not the only one. Apart from women, be had few interests
and no desire to 'waste" his energies on projects he deemed
relatively unimportant. His kind, dull wife bore him ten children in
hardly more than ten years, but she could never hold his attention.Women were his great diversion. One followed another. The post
of "king's head mistress" became the most coveted in the realm.
Father sought it for their daughters, husbands for their wives. A
favorite mistress, like Madame de Pompadour or Madame du
Barry (c. 1746-1793), wielded power. To offend such a person
might be to risk the monarch's wrath. (A History of the Western
World by Solomon Modell.)
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GSIS 12Internal Use Only
PARAGRAPH ORGANIZATION2. SEQUENCE OF EVENTS/CHRONOLOGICAL
Author lists details in the order in which they occurred.
Method of Attack - Note signal words, the beginning and ending
thoughts and the type of intermediate steps.
Signal words: when, then, first, second, next, finally, last
Example:Here is a method which can help you prevent your mind
from wandering while reading. First, before you attempt to readanything, look over the length of the material to see if you havetime to read it: if not, mark a spot where you intend to stop.
Second, read the title and the first paragraph, looking for the mainidea of the article. Next, read the boldface headings, if there is any,and the first sentence of each paragraph. And finally, read the lastparagraph, which will probably contain a summary of the material.By doing this, you condition your mind to 'accept the material youwant to read, and thus reduce mind wandering.
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GSIS 13Internal Use Only
PARAGRAPH ORGANIZATION3. COMPARISON CONTRAST
Author relates ideas/objects to one another by showing how they arealike and how they are different.
Method of Attack - Look for signal words. Read to locate the twoideas that the writer is comparing or contrasting.
Signal words:
Similarities: also, in addition, likewise, further
Differences: but, however, although, even so, in contrast, on the otherhand, nevertheless, yet
Example:
There is a growing controversy over the use of drugs insports. Denny McLain, pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, claims that he
needs pep pills or something to keep him going, especially when he isexpected to be good 162 ball games a year. However, Dr. William H.Fowler, Jr. of the UCLA medical school claims that studies show thereis no increase in strength, motor performance, or vital capacities.(Theodore Irwin, "Doping Athletes," Parade, September 6, 1978.)
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GSIS 14Internal Use Only
PARAGRAPH ORGANIZATION
4. CAUSE AND EFFECT
Author uses one item as having produced another element.Author explains why something occurred or what happened asa result of something.
Method of Attack - Look for interrelationships of ideas. Bealert to reasons why something happened.
Example:What circumstances lead a person to follow a life of
crime? There is no easy answer to this question: however,psychologists have suggested that clues may be found in thechildhood of the criminal. If a child is reared in a negative
environment, he may be more likely to turn to crime than a childwho has had more positive influences. For example, a child ofvery strict parents or from an extremely poor home may run agreater risk of being involved in crimes as he reachesadolescence.
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GSIS 15Internal Use Only
PARAGRAPH ORGANIZATION
Some researchers have suggested that a basic personality flaw
may be responsible for forcing a person into committing crimes.It is, in other words, a factor within the genes that mightpredispose persons to criminal actions. Still another theory isbased upon the growing evidence that pressures within ourmodern world have caused the rapid growth in the crime rate. Aperson may be unable to cope with the fast pace and complex
lifestyles that exist in our present society: as a result, evensomeone who is an unlikely "criminal type" might be forced intocrime.
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GSIS 16Internal Use Only
ENGLISH GRAMMAR AND CORRECT USAGE(IDENTIFYING ERROR)
I. Subject- Verb AgreementA. Singular and Plural form
When a noun stands for one thing, it is singular.
Examples: dog, student, city
When a noun stands for more than one thing, it is plural.Examples: dogs, students, cities
Verbs too have singular and plural forms.
Singular: The class votes. The team wins.
Plural: The classes vote. The teams win. Most verbs drop s to form the plural form.
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GSIS 17Internal Use Only
Special Forms of Certain Verbs
Is, Was, Are, and Were. The verb is and was are singular.The verbs are and were are plural.
Singular: Ms. Di is present today. She was here yesterday.
Plural: They are present today. They were here yesterday.
Has and Have. The verb has is singular. The verb have isplural.
Singular: Jebbie has a blue shirt.
Plural: Jebbie and Benjo have blue shirts.
Does and Do. The verb does is singular. The verb do isplural.
Singular: Glenn does the driving
Plural: We do the driving.
ENGLISH GRAMMAR AND CORRECT USAGE(IDENTIFYING ERROR)
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GSIS 18Internal Use Only
ENGLISH GRAMMAR AND CORRECT USAGE(IDENTIFYING ERROR)
Subject- Verb Agreement Rules1. The verb must agree with its subject in number.
My colleagues plan to visit us next week.
plural plural
Mafi cooks for us everyday.
Singular Singular
2. The Pronoun You. Unlike other pronouns, the pronoun you is thesame for both singular and plural. But you is never used with asingular verb. It is always used with plural verbs.
You have my best wishes.
You were next on the list last week.
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GSIS 19Internal Use Only
ENGLISH GRAMMAR AND CORRECT USAGE(IDENTIFYING ERROR)
3. the Pronoun I. Although I stands for a single person, it does notusually take a singular verb form. The only singular verb formsused with it are am and was.
I am a teacher
I was here last night.
Otherwise, the verb form used with I is the same as the pluralform:
I do it every morning.
I live in Bulacan.
I have good friends.
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GSIS 20Internal Use Only
ENGLISH GRAMMAR AND CORRECT USAGE(IDENTIFYING ERROR)
4. Agreement in Inverted Sentences In most sentences, the subject comes before the verb. A person
is likely to say, for example, A river lies beyond the mountains.
However, for emphasis, a writer or speaker may say, Beyond
the mountains lies a river. The second sentence is called an
inverted sentence. In each sentence the subject is river and theriver is lies.
In inverted sentences, as in ordinary ones, the subject and verbmust agree.
Examples:
Up above flutter a thousand flags. (flags flutter) Through the museum stream tourists by the thousands. (tourists
stream)
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GSIS 21Internal Use Only
ENGLISH GRAMMAR AND CORRECT USAGE(IDENTIFYING ERROR)
5. Verbs with there. When there begins a sentence, look forthe subject farther on in the sentence. Be careful to makethe verb of the sentence agree in number with the realsubject of the sentence.
There is a penon my desk.subject
There areabsenteesin my class.
subject
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GSIS 22Internal Use Only
ENGLISH GRAMMAR AND CORRECT USAGE(IDENTIFYING ERROR)
6. Singular Indefinite Pronouns such as each, either, neither, one,everybody, no one, nobody, anyone, anybody, someone,somebody, something, anything, everything take singular verbs.
Everybody is enjoined to participate.
Is anybody home?
Each contestant has a chance to win.
7. Plural indefinite pronouns such as a few, many, both, severaltake plural verbs.
Many books were returned on time. Both of my grandparents live with us.
Several fables interest the kids.
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GSIS 23Internal Use Only
ENGLISH GRAMMAR AND CORRECT USAGE(IDENTIFYING ERROR)
8. The number of the subject is not changed by a prepositionalphrase after the subject.
One (of the chairs) is broken.
The history (of the Filipinos) still lingers in my memory.
The girls (on the team) believe in the power of cooperation.
9. When all and some are followed by a mass noun (noun thatcannot be counted), the singular inflection is used; when all andsome are followed by a plural noun, the plural inflection is used.
All of the sugar was sold.
All of the children enjoy the activities every morning. Some of the vinegar spills every time you move.
Some of the plates were newly- bought
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GSIS 24Internal Use Only
ENGLISH GRAMMAR AND CORRECT USAGE(IDENTIFYING ERROR)
10. Nouns plural in form but singular in meaning such as news,series, physics, mathematics, measles, gymnastics,aeronautics, calisthenics, take a singular verb.
Calisthenics makes me physically fit.
Economics is a subject in fourth year.
Physics helps us understand the law of motion.
11. Agreement with a compound subject:
a. A compound subject connected by and generally takes a pluralverb.
Jomar and Liza are my friends. Apple and grapes have been my favorite fruits for years.
Heavy rains and high winds usually hit the coast.
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GSIS 25Internal Use Only
ENGLISH GRAMMAR AND CORRECT USAGE(IDENTIFYING ERROR)
b. Compound subjects that are closely related or that refer to thesame person or thing take a singular verb.
My friend and colleague has a new job.
Rice and fish was served to us.
The president and leader of the group calls the attention of theaudience.
c. A compound subject involving the use of each or every takes asingular verb.
Each male and female dancer has an instructor.
Every boy and girl is invited. Every man, woman and child does volunteer for the medical
mission.
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GSIS 26Internal Use Only
ENGLISH GRAMMAR AND CORRECT USAGE(IDENTIFYING ERROR)
D. Compound subjects joined by either- or and neither- nor takesingular or plural verbs depending upon the nearer subject.
Neither mother nor father has called.
Either Macahr or the seminarians are coming.
Neither the children or I am at fault.
12. Intervening words like together with, in addition to, along with,as well as, including and similar constructions following thesubject do not affect the number of the subject.
Anita, together with Wee and Jon, plans to work.
Michelle, as well as Sonny boy believes in ghosts. The group, including all the trainers, joins the contest.
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GSIS 27Internal Use Only
ENGLISH GRAMMAR AND CORRECT USAGE(IDENTIFYING ERROR)
13. Words or phrases expressing periods of time, weight,measurement, and amounts of money are usually regarded assingular.
Five billion pesos is more than enough for the project. (money)
Two weeks was given to me to decide on this. ( time)
Is twenty kilometers that far? (distance)
14. Fractions may take singular or plural verbs depending on theof phrase.
One-fourth of the tomatoes were rotten. Half of the population speaks in English.
Two- thirds of the pie was eaten.
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GSIS 28Internal Use Only
ENGLISH GRAMMAR AND CORRECT USAGE(IDENTIFYING ERROR)
15. Collective nouns take singular verbs when they are used todenote a unit; they take plural verbs when used to refer to theindividual member of the group.
The jury have left their seats but will soon return.
The team has won several times.
The entire faculty joins the field trip.
16. When the subject and the predicate noun are of differentnumbers, the verb agrees with the subject, not with thepredicate noun.
The ships cargo is coconuts. Coconuts are the ships cargo.
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GSIS 29Internal Use Only
ENGLISH GRAMMAR AND CORRECT USAGE(IDENTIFYING ERROR)
17. The expression the number takes a singular verb; theexpression a number takes a plural verb.
The number of actors performs well.
A number of applicants are fresh graduates.
18. The title of a book, story or article, the name of anestablishment, even when plural in form, takes a singularverb.
The three Musketeers is an entertaining story.
MDCG Enterprises requests for your presence in theconference.
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GSIS 30Internal Use Only
ENGLISH GRAMMAR AND CORRECT USAGE(IDENTIFYING ERROR)
19. Arithmetical operations take the singular form.
Twenty plus two is twenty-two.
Fifteen minus eight is equal to seven.
Three times four equals to twelve.
20. Adjectives used as subjects take plural verbs.
The poor are blessed.
The rich make things possible.
The tough get going.
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GSIS 31Internal Use Only
IDENTIFYING ERROR:
1. Theres 47 different kinds of headaches. NO ERROR
1 2 3 4 5
2. Nobody know what his future will be. NO ERROR
1 2 3 4 5
3. The crowd is appreciative of our performances. NO ERROR
1 2 3 4 5
4. The number of job opportunities limit the potentials of the graduates.
1 2 3 4
NO ERROR
5
5. Each learner has to be prioritized. NO ERROR
1 2 3 4 56. Five miles on the Kennon Road seem fifty. NO ERROR
1 2 3 4 5
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GSIS 32Internal Use Only
IDENTIFYING ERROR:
7. Many hearts have been broken by his honeyed tongue.1 2 3 4
NO ERROR
5
8. Either of the answers are wrong. NO ERROR
1 2 3 4 5
9. Echel, including her family plans to leave the country soon.
1 2 3 4
NO ERROR
510. Neither you nor I am needed here.
1 2 3 4
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GSIS 33Internal Use Only
PRONOUN USAGE Pronouns are words that stand for the nouns.
Pronouns get their meaning from the words they stand for.These words are called antecedents.
Examples:
Mary Ann said she lost her money.
When my relatives moved, they gave their pets to us.
A. Personal Pronouns
The most common pronouns are those that you use to refer toyourself and the people and things around you. These pronounsare called personal pronouns.
Personal pronouns refer to (1) the person speaking or the first-person, (2) the person spoken to or the second-person or (3) theperson, place or thing spoken about or the third-person.
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GSIS 34Internal Use Only
PRONOUN USAGE PERSONAL PRONOUNS
Singular PluralFirst Person I, me, my, mine We, us, our, ours
Second person You, your, yours You, your, yours
Third person He, him, his
She, her, hersIt, its
They, them
Their, theirs
Examples:
First person: I left my bag at home.
Second person: If you come to the party, dont forget your gift.Third Person: The girls took their swimsuits with them.
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GSIS 35Internal Use Only
PRONOUN USAGE
B. Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns
A reflexive pronoun ends inself orselves and adds
information to a sentence by pointing back to a noun or
pronoun earlier used in the sentence.
An intensive pronoun ends inself orselves and simply
adds emphasis to a noun or pronoun in the same
sentence.
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GSIS 36Internal Use Only
PRONOUN USAGE
Singular Plural
First Person Myself Ourselves
Second person Yourself Yourselves
Third person Himself, herself, itself themselves
Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns
Reflexive:
Iyah poured herself some juice.
The visitors entertained themselves.
Intensive:
Edgar himself joined the youth camp.
Jon-Jon himself fixed the electric fan.
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GSIS 37Internal Use Only
PRONOUN USAGE
RELATIVE PRONOUNS
Independent Clause Dependent Clause
Ric made the difference that inspired others.
Ate Fe sold her bracelet which was brought in
Singapore.
Mae is my student who greeted me first.
Sherwin is my tutee whom the teachers
chose for the contest.
Miko visited Mhil whose house is locatedin Cebu.
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GSIS 38Internal Use Only
PRONOUN USAGE
Who/whoever - refers chiefly to persons
Which/whichever refers to animals, things, collective nouns
That refers to persons, animals and things
Whom refers to persons and used when the pronoun is the object ofa verb or preposition
Whose shows possession
INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS
What, which, who, whom, whose
An interrogative pronoun may or may not have a specific antecedent.
Examples:
What are you trying to point out? Which of the slacks do you like?
To whom will I give the flowers?
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GSIS39Internal Use Only
IMPROPRIETIES
--A functional impropriety is the use of a word as the wrong
part of speech.
--The wrong meaning for a word can also be an impropriety.
--To avoid this, always be reminded of the diction or choice
of word that is acceptable to formal English grammar.
Example: Is that alright with you? (informal/conversational)
Is that all right with you? (formal)
Love just aint enough. (nonstandard)
Love just isn't enough. (standard)
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GSIS40Internal Use Only
Proper use of words
1. Any more is always written as two words. It is used only for anactivity which has been discontinued.
Example: Although I have accompanied you on the piano severaltimes, I wont be able to do so any more.
2. Ashamed implies a feeling of guilt. Use shy, timid or embarrassed if
nothing wrong is meant.Examples: You failed to do your assignment again.Arent you
ashamed of yourself?
Do not be too shy to sing in front of an audience.
3. Ask an apology. Apology is a noun that means the act of askingforgiveness and cannot be used as a verb. Use the word apologizeinstead.
Examples: Mr. Gomez demands your apology.
Learn to apologize if it is really your fault.
IMPROPRIETIES
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GSIS41Internal Use Only
4. Compromise implies the settlement of a dispute by meeting theother person halfway. Use commitment or previous engagementto indicate a promise or an agreement.
Examples: I cant attend the meeting this afternoon because I alreadyhave a previous engagement with the homeowners.The two parties compromised to pay for the damages
made.5. Condition indicates a particular state of being or existence or
something required as part of an agreement. It should not be used toindicate the health of a person.
Examples: We hope that you are all in good health.I can approve this proposal in one condition: you need to
comply with the requirements of the company.6. Vacant means empty . Use free if you want to indicate nothing to
do.Examples: Do you have your free time this afternoon?
Is this room vacant from two to four oclock?
IMPROPRIETIES
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GSIS42Internal Use Only
7. Dress vs. Dress up. Dress means to change clothes suitable for
street or ordinary wear. Dress up means to put on ones bestclothes.
Examples: You need to dress up for the prom tonight.
You got drenched so get dressed immediately.
8. Innocent Ignorant. One who is not guilty is innocent, while the one
who has no knowledge of something is ignorant.Examples: The man was set free because it was proven that he was
innocent of the crime.
For you not to be called ignorant, you need to develop the
sense of readership in you.
9. Transferred-Moved. Move indicates a change in residence, whiletransfer can be used to show a change from one thing, person orpoint to another.
Examples: Have you already transferred your son to a new school?
Weve just moved to our new home.
IMPROPRIETIES
IMPROPRIETIES
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GSIS43Internal Use Only
10. Alumnus-Alumna
An alumnus is a male graduate and its plural form is alumni /a-
lm-nai/. An alumna is a female graduate and its plural form isalumnae /a-lm-nee/.
Examples: During the alumni homecoming, he was the only
alumnus to represent the Class of 98. The girls were alumnae
of Class 99.
11. Childish-Childlike
Both of these words refer to the characteristics of children.
Unpleasant characteristics are referred to as childish, while
pleasant characteristics are called childlike.
Examples: Mrs. de Castro was childlike in her trust in her husband
and her childlike charm won his love. However, her husband
became irritated when she exhibited childish ways of crying and
sulking to get what she wanted.
IMPROPRIETIES
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GSIS44Internal Use Only
12. Uninterested-Disinterested
One who does not care about what happens is uninterested. One who
feels an interest but tries to remain neutral or does not take sides is
disinterested.
Examples: We need an interested person to listen to our problems but we
do not want him to be the judge. The complainant is his first cousin and
it is doubtful if he can remain disinterested.
13. Incredible-Incredulous
Examples: A story or report is incredible if it is hard to believe. A person
who is hard to persuade or who finds it hard to believe a thing is
incredulous.
Germans story about being held up by five masked men whom he
fought was incredible. The boys listened open-mouthed to their hero
while an incredulous bystander laughed at him.
IMPROPRIETIES
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14. Among/between: Among is used for more than two persons or
things; between is used to refer to only two persons or thingsExamples: Among the three of them, Luisa is the most beautiful.
Between the two of you, Hilda is more easygoing.
15. Besides/beside: Besides- moreover or also, in addition to
Beside - meaning next to or sometimes apartfrom or aside from
Your argument is definitely beside the point.
Stay beside me.
I cant go there because of my medical check up and besides,
still have to review for the test.
IMPROPRIETIES
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Common Usage Problems
1. accept (verb): to receive willingly
except ( preposition): not included
I will really accept his apology. No one came except the teacher.
2. adapt ( verb): to change
adopt ( verb): to take as onesown
She tried to adapt the lyre to make it more appropriate for theband.
The young girl adopted her idols fashion statement.
3. advice (noun): opinion
advise (verb): to give an opinion to.
Please give me some advice regarding my problem.
My psychiatrist advised me to take some rest to overcome mydepression.
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GSIS47Internal Use Only
4. affect (verb): to have an influence on
effect (noun): the influence exerted on something
effect ( verb): to bring about or cause to happen
The new law does not affect me.
The new law has no effect on me.
The convict effected an escape from prison.
The Zonta International effected many significant reforms.
5. all ready (adjective): everyone or everything is prepared
already (adverb): at this time or before this time.
The scouts are all ready for the camping.
The store is already closed.
Common Usage Problems
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6. all together (adverb): everyone acts in unisonaltogether (adverb): wholly or completely.
Sing all together now. Your proposal is altogether unsatisfactory.
7. amount ( noun): used to designate a quantity that cant benumbered
number ( noun): used to designate a quantity divisible intoseparate units. I have a small amount of fertilizer left. The company transports a great number of sacks of sugar every
month.8. anywhere, everywhere, nowhere, somewhere
None of these adverbs should end with ans. Nonstandard: The lad lost his money somewheres on the field. Correct: The lad lost his money somewhere on the field.
Common Usage Problems
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GSIS49Internal Use Only
9. anyway (adverb) in my caseany way (noun) a possible way to do something
I didnt want to play the part anyway. Can you find any way to pay the rent?
10. awhile (adverb) for a while a while (an article and a noun) usually used after the
preposition for Rest awhile. For a while, he remained still.
11. bring (verb) to carry from a distant place to a nearer one.take (verb) to carry from a near place to a more distant place
Bringyour envelope here. Take these records to the registrar.
Common Usage Problems
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GSIS51Internal Use Only
The council voted for the tax increase. Will you counsel me so that I can enroll properly?
My father needs a legal counsel to help him solve this problem.15. credible (adjective) believable
creditable (adjective) worthy of praisecredulous (adjective) willing to believe readily or easily imposed
upon.
The childs explanation is credible. The teams performance during the championship wascreditable.
The guard was so credulous that he believed the culpritsexcuse.
16. healthful (adjective) referring to things
healthy (adjective) used when referring to people Fresh green salads are healthful. My parents see to it that we are regularly examined by the
doctor for us to stay healthy.
Common Usage Problems
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17. in (preposition) refers to positioninto (preposition) suggests motion
The glasses are in the cupboard. He ran into the rest room as fast as he could.18. later (adverb) at a time after a specified time
latter (adjective) nearer the end or the last mentioned The Magna Carta came later than the Norman Conquest. Our national elections always come in the latter part of the year.19. lay (transitive verb) to place an object somewhere
(principal parts: lays laid, laid)lie (intransitive verb) to be in or take a reclining position(principal parts: lie, lay, lain)
I will lay the book on the table. Have you already laid your cards on the table?
I will lie down this afternoon. Yesterday, I lay down. I have lain down every afternoon for the past few weeks.
Common Usage Problems
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20. there (adverb) a place
(expletive) used to introduce sentences
their (possessive pronoun) belonging to them
theyre (contraction) they are
Adverb: The man was found there.
Expletive: There were questions asked by the judge.
Pronoun: The spectator gave their resounding applause to theperformers.
Contraction: Theyre waiting for you at the gate.
21. come (verb) approach, arrive from a distant place to a nearer one
go (verb) to move or proceed to a distant place from a nearer one
Come here immediately.
Go there quickly.
Common Usage Problems
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complement / compliment
Complementis a noun or verb that means something thatcompletes or makes up a whole
The red sweater is a perfect complement to the outfit.
Complimentis a noun or verb that means an expression ofpraise or admiration
I received compliments about my new outfit.
elicit / illicit
Elicitis a verb that means to draw out.
Illicitis an adjective meaning unlawful.
No matter how hard I tried to elicit a few scandalous stories fromher, she kept all knowledge of illicit goings-on discreetly toherself.
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hanged / hungHangedis the past tense and past participle of hang when themeaning is to execute by suspending by the neck:
The convicted killer was hanged at dawn.
Hungis the past tense and participle of hang when the meaning
is to suspend from above with no support from below:The painting was hung at a crooked angle.
stationary / stationery
Stationaryis an adjective that means fixed or unmoving
They maneuvered around the stationary barrier in the road.Stationeryis a noun that means writing materials
We printed the letters on company stationery.
Common Usage Problems
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FAULTY SENTENCE CONSTRUCTIONS
Double Negatives
A double negative is the use of two negative words in a sentence whenone is sufficient. Do not write sentences with double negatives.
Correcting Double Negative
Double Negatives Corrections
I didnt see nobody. I didnt see anybody.
I did see nobody.
I havent no excuse. I havent any excuse.
I have no excuse.
I couldnt hardly see the light. I could hardly see the light.
I couldnt see the light.
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FAULTY SENTENCE CONSTRUCTIONS
Exercise: Choose the word that completes each sentence without forminga double negative.
1. He has never done (anything, nothing) to help them.
2. I promise not to tell (nobody, anybody) about our secret.
3. Sheryn did not do (anything, nothing) wrong.
4. Lily (could, couldnt) scarcely catch her breath.
5. We havent (any, no) questions about it.6. I couldnt have (anything, nothing) for lunch.
7. Dont throw your rubbish (anywhere, nowhere).
8. I did (none, any) of the things they accused me of.
9. The guests didnt like (any, none) of their dessert.10. We (could, couldnt) hardly get to work.
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FAULTY PARALLELISM
In writing, the word parallelism suggests similarity or close
resemblance. When two or more ideas in a sentence are related in
form and purpose, they can and should be phrased in the same
grammatical form.
Gelyn is sweet but talkative. (words)
Dee loves to read both at home and at school. (phrases)
He was shocked when he discovered that one tire was flat and that
the wrench was missing. (clauses)
I came. I saw. I conquered. (sentences)
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Faulty parallelism can destroy the flow of ideas, disrupt the
balance of the sentence and confuse the reader.
WRONG: The man was delighted to see her refreshing smile, to
hear her soothing voice and feeling her warm embrace.
RIGHT: The man was delighted to see her refreshing smile, to hear
her soothing voice and to feel her warm embrace.
WRONG: Several committee members were at the secret meeting
but not agreeing to change their votes.
RIGHT: Several committee members were at the secret meetingbut did not agree to change their votes.
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FAULTY SENTENCE CONSTRUCTIONS
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WRONG: Penniless, alone and without a home, the man left the hall.
RIGHT: Penniless, alone and homeless, the man left the hall.
WRONG: That soap opera was dramatic, exciting and had an involvedin plot.RIGHT: That soap opera was dramatic, exciting and involved in plot.
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REMEMBER:
If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail because
chances favor only the prepared minds.