Preposition off

Use the preposition off alone. Do not add from or of.

Correct: Sam ran off the stage.

Incorrect: Sam ran off from the stage.

Incorrect: Sam ran off of the stage.

Correct: She got off the bus at the next stop.

Incorrect: She got off from the bus at the next stop.

Articles

The words a, an and the are called articles.

Articles are of two types:

1. Definite article: The
2. Indefinite article: A, An

Indefinite article a and an tell us about any person or thing.

Definite article the tells us about a particular person or thing.

e.g.

• A copy (any copy)
• Please bring a pen. (any pen)
• The house that we stay in is beautiful. (A particular house)
• The cupboard is next to the door. (A particular cupboard)

As we all know there are 26 letters in all. Out of these a, e, i, o, u are vowels and the rest are called consonants.

A is used before the words that start with a consonant sound.
e.g.

• A girl
• A chair
• A peacock
• A box
• A violin

An is used before words that start with vowels a, e, i, o, u.
e.g.

• An apple
• An umbrella
• An orange
• An elephant
• An insect

We also use an before words that begin that begin with a consonant but have a vowel sound.

e.g.

• An honest man
• An hour

We also use a before words that begin with a vowel but have a consonant sound.

e.g.

• a one-horned deer
• a university 
• a unit

Indefinite articles are used before things that are only one and not more than one. A and An can never be used before things that cannot be counted.

e.g. 

• A boy, A girl, A man, A school, An item - correct
• An umbrellas, A boys, An items, A sugar, A water, A sand - incorrect

Note: Things that cannot be counted do not have an article before them. But if we add some word like a cup of milk. A has been used as a cup is a countable thing.

Definite article the is used before a particular person or thing. The is also used before the names of rivers, seas, oceans, mountains, holy books, newspapers.

e.g. 

• The Taj Mahal
• The Sun
• The Himalayas

Note: No article is used before a proper noun. Bangalore is a beautiful city.

TYPES OF NOUNS: Concrete and Abstract Nouns

 Concrete Noun: names something you can see, hear, touch, smell, or taste.

e.g. 

• The students enjoyed visiting the animal farm last Monday.
• My skin is very dry.
• The car that was involved in the crash has been towed away.
• I cannot find my mobile.
• This ring is precious.

Abstract Noun: names an idea or a quality.

e.g.

• Honesty is the best policy.
• What you do in anger, you'll often regret.
• Your idea was better than mine.
• Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.
• I love my family.

TYPES OF NOUNS: Common and Proper Nouns

Common Noun: A word used to name any person, place or thing.

e.g.

• A boy is playing.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil.
• You cannot teach an old dog new tricks.
• We play in the park.
• The red umbrella is nice.

Proper Noun: A word the we use to name common nouns.

e.g.

• I live in Bangalore.
• Sunday is the last day of the week.
• Rohan has a laptop.
• My sister's name is Pooja.
• Kaveri flows through Tamil Nadu.

Remember: A Proper noun starts with a capital letter. MINTS will help you remember.
M - Months, Day, Holidays
I - The name you call yourself
N - Name of people, places, rivers, mountains, buildings etc
T - Titles of books, movies etc.
S - Start of a sentence.

Capitalization Rules: Quick tips 8

1. Capitalize the first word of a quotation

• “How do you know I'm mad?” said Alice. - correct
• “how do you know I'm mad?” said Alice. - incorrect

• Alice whispered to her cat,“ If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense." - correct
• Alice whispered to her cat,“ if I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense." - incorrect

2. Do not capitalize the first word of a partial quotation.

• It’s difficult to say it will work, Sam concurred, “but I haven’t heard any better ideas.” - correct
• It’s difficult to say it will work, Sam concurred, “But I haven’t heard any better ideas.” - incorrect

• He called me “the worst excuse for a student” he had ever seen. - correct
• He called me “The worst excuse for a student” he had ever seen. - incorrect

Capitalization Rules: Quick tips 7

1. Avoid capitalizing compass directions. 

• We drove east for 100 miles. - correct
• We drove East for 100 miles. - incorrect

2. Avoid capitalizing the seasons of the year.

• Sarah's coming over for a month next summer. - correct
• Sarah's coming over for a month next Summer. - incorrect

Capitalization Rules: Quick tips 6

Capitalize all proper nouns and proper adjectives (name of a specific person, place or thing).

There are many common categories of proper nouns. Two of them are stated below.

1. Public areas and bodies of water

• There is an incredible view of the Arabian Sea from Bekal Fort, Kerala.- correct
• There is an incredible view of the Arabian sea from Bekal Fort, Kerala. - incorrect

• Blue whales are found in all oceans except the Arctic Ocean. - correct
• Blue whales are found in all oceans except the Arctic ocean. - incorrect

2. Landmarks and geographical locations

• The "People of the Blue-Green Waters" live in Havasu Canyon in the middle of Grand Canyon. - correct
• The "People of the Blue-Green Waters" live in Havasu Canyon in the middle of grand canyon. - incorrect

• The Continental Divide Trail is approximately 800 miles in length in Montana and Idaho. - correct
• The continental divide Trail is approximately 800 miles in length in Montana and Idaho. - incorrect

Capitalization Rules: Quick tips 5

Capitalize all proper nouns and proper adjectives (name of a specific person, place or thing).

There are many common categories of proper nouns. Two of them are stated below.

1. Ethnic groups, races, languages, nationalities

• A white person of European descent is an example of a Caucasian. - correct
• A white person of European descent is an example of a caucasian. - incorrect

• What's the difference between Hispanic and Latino? - correct
• What's the difference between hispanic and latino? - incorrect

2. Works of art and literature

• The Julius Caesar play is set in Rome in 44 BCE. - correct
• The julius caesar play is set in Rome in 44 BCE. - incorrect

• Paulo Coelho (de Souza) is most famous for writing his novel The Alchemist. - correct
• Paulo Coelho (de Souza) is most famous for writing his novel The alchemist. - incorrect

Capitalization Rules: Quick tips 4

Capitalize all proper nouns and proper adjectives (name of a specific person, place or thing).

There are many common categories of proper nouns. Two of them are stated below.

1. Special events, calendar events

• The United Nations designated World Bee Day to raise awareness of the importance of bees. - correct
• The United Nations designated world bee day to raise awareness of the importance of bees.  - incorrect

• The venue for all Aero India Shows is located in Bangalore, India. - correct
• The venue for all aero india shows is located in Bangalore, India. - incorrect

2. Names of people and places

• Robert Frost was born in California in March of 1874. - correct
• Robert frost was born in california in March of 1874. - incorrect

• India's rising urban centers include Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Chennai. - correct
• India's rising urban centers include bangalore, ahmedabad and chennai. - incorrect

Capitalization Rules: Quick tips 3

Capitalize all proper nouns and proper adjectives (name of a specific person, place or thing).

There are many common categories of proper nouns. Two of them are stated below.

1. Holidays

• They had guests over Christmas. - correct
• They had guests over christmas. - incorrect

• The Holi festival commemorates the victory of good over evil. - correct
• The holi festival commemorates the victory of good over evil. - incorrect

2. Historical events, periods, documents

• The Civil War was a crucial event in the development of nineteenth-century Chicago. - correct
• The civil war was a crucial event in the development of nineteenth-century Chicago. - incorrect

• The major periods in world history includes broad global eras, such as the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age - correct
• The major periods in world history includes broad global eras, such as the stone age, the bronze age and the iron age. - incorrect

Capitalization Rules: Quick tips 2

Capitalize all proper nouns and proper adjectives (name of a specific person, place or thing).

There are many common categories of proper nouns. Two of them are stated below.

1. Days of the week

• We go to temple on Tuesdays. - correct
• We got to temple on tuesdays. - incorrect

• It's my birthday next Monday. - correct
• It's my birthday next monday. - incorrect

• She visited me last Sunday. - correct
• She visited me last sunday. - incorrect

2. Months of the year

• Sam is retiring next March. - correct
• Sam is retiring next march. - incorrect

• Sarah left on 29 February. - correct
• Sarah left on 29 february. - incorrect

• My daughter's birthday is in January. - correct
• My daughter's birthday is in january. - incorrect

Capitalization Rules: Quick tips 1

Capitalize the first word of a sentence

• The lockdown days have been as a testing time for everybody. - correct
• the lockdown days have been as a testing time for everybody. - incorrect

If the first word in a sentence is a number, write it as a word.

• Twenty patients were hospitalized. - correct
• 20 patients were hospitalized. - incorrect

What is a Sentence?

A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought.

• These are sentences.

1. The cat stole some food.
2. The dog is barking.

• These are not sentences.

1. The cat. (This group of words does not tell what the cat did.)
2. Stole some food. (This group of words does not tell who stole some food.)

Exercise

Identify the group of words that are sentences.

1. The woman had suddenly disappeared.
2. At the end of a long comedy series.
3. Forgot my name.
4. Tourists come to see the pyramids.
5. The winner was Sarah.