1.

Empirical
Meaning: based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic
Synonym: observed, seen, factual, actual,
Antonym: theoretical
Sentence: "they provided considerable empirical evidence to support their argument"

2.Scurrilous
Meaning: Making or spreading scandalous claims about someone with the intention of damaging their
reputation.
Synonym: abusive, vituperative, derogatory, disparaging
Antonym: clean, decent, moral
Sentence: "a scurrilous attack on his integrity"

3.Superannuation
Meaning:regular payment made to a fund by an employee towards a future pension.
Synonym:allowance, annuity, grant, payment, premium
Sentence:"had he agreed to resign, he would have been entitled to his superannuation for 29 years' service"

4.Plausible
Meaning: (of an argument or statement) seeming reasonable or probable.
Synonym: credible, reasonable, believable, likely,
Antonym: unlikely, improbable
Sentence: "a plausible explanation"

5.Denigrate
Meaning: criticize unfairly; disparage.
Synonym: disparage, belittle, diminish, deprecate,
Antonym: extol
Sentence: "doom and gloom merchants who denigrate their own country"

6.Covenant
Meaning: an agreement., agree by lease, deed, or other legal contract.
Synonym: accord, deal, bargain, settlement
Antonym: disagreement, denial, misunderstanding, refusal
Sentence: "there was a covenant between them that her name was never to be mentioned"

7.Talisman
Meaning: an object, typically an inscribed ring or stone, that is thought to have magic powers and to bring good
luck.
Synonym: lucky charm, charm, fetish, amulet, mascot
Sentence "those rings, so fresh and gleaming, were their talismans":

8.Taciturn
Meaning: (of a person) reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little.
Synonym: untalkative, uncommunicative, reticent, unforthcoming
Antonym: talkative, loquacious
Sentence: "after such gatherings, she would be taciturn and morose"

9.Tantamount
Meaning: equivalent in seriousness to; virtually the same as.
Synonym: equivalent to, synonymous with
Antonym: different, opposite
Sentence: "the resignations were tantamount to an admission of guilt"
10.Inculcate
Meaning: instill (an idea, attitude, or habit) by persistent instruction.
Synonym: infuse, impress, imprint, introduce
Antonym: eliminate, remove, take away
Sentence: "I tried to inculcate in my pupils an attitude of inquiry"

1.Ignominious
Meaning: deserving or causing public disgrace or shame.
Synonym: humiliating, undignified, embarrassing,
Antonym: glorious, admirable
Sentence: "no other party risked ignominious defeat

2.ostentatious
Meaning:characterized by pretentious or showy display; designed to impress.
Synonym: showy, pretentious, conspicuous, obtrusive,
Antonym: plain, unobtrusive, restrained, modest
Sentence:"a simple design that is glamorous without being ostentatious"

3. Perjury
Meaning: the offence of willfully telling an untruth or making a misrepresentation under oath.
Synonym: violation of an oath, giving false evidence/testimony, bearing false witness/testimony, forswearing
oneself, making false statements, wilful falsehood
Sentence: "he claimed two witnesses at his trial had committed perjury"

4.Punitive
Meaning: inflicting or intended as punishment.
Synonym: penal, disciplinary, corrective,
Antonym: exonerating, condoning, pardoning
Sentence: "he called for punitive measures against the Eastern bloc"

5. Lackadaisical
Meaning: lacking enthusiasm and determination; carelessly lazy.
Synonym: lax, unenthusiastic, half-hearted, uninterested, lukewarm, indifferent,
Antonym: enthusiastic, excited
Sentence: "a lackadaisical defence left Spurs adrift in the second half"

6.Onus
Meaning: something that is one's duty or responsibility.
Synonym: burden, responsibility, liability,
Antonym: exculpation, exoneration, irresponsibility
Sentence: "the onus is on you to show that you have suffered loss"

7.Braggadocious
Meaning: boastful or arrogant.
Synonym: grandiloquence, magniloquence
Sentence: "it sounds braggadocious, but I don't think I ever dropped a pass in a game"

8.Ravenous
Meaning: extremely hungry.
Synonym: starved, famished;
Antonym: full
Sentence: "I'd been out all day and was ravenous"
9.Cacophony
Meaning: a harsh discordant mixture of sounds.
Synonym: din, racket, noise,
Sentence: "a cacophony of deafening alarm bells

10.Probity
Meaning: the quality of having strong moral principles; honesty and decency.
Synonym: integrity, honesty, uprightness, decency, morality
Sentence: "financial probity
1.Lampoon
Meaning: publicly criticize (someone or something) by using ridicule, irony, or sarcasm.
Synonym: satirize, mock, ridicule,
Antonym: flattery, praise
Sentence: "the actor was lampooned by the press"

2.Zenith
Meaning: the time at which something is most powerful or successful.
Synonym: highest point, high point, crowning point, height,
Antonym: nadir, bottom
Sentence:"the king was at the zenith of his power"

3.Insouciant
Meaning: showing a casual lack of concern
Synonym: nonchalant, untroubled, unworried,
Antonym: anxious, concerned
Sentence: "an insouciant shrug"

4.Repatriate
Meaning: send (someone) back to their own country.
Synonym: rehabilitation, reinstatement
Antonym: penalty, abolition.
Sentence: "the last German POWs were repatriated in November 1948"

5. Succinctly
Meaning: Briefly
Synonym: Shortly, summarily
Antonym: permanently, verbosely
Sentence:Please state your case as succinctly as possible.

6.Indolence
Meaning: avoidance of activity or exertion; laziness
Synonym: inactivity, inaction, inertia,
Sentence: "my failure is probably due to my own indolence"

7.Adulation
Meaning: Servile flattery; exaggerated and hypocritical praise
Synonym: applause, commendation, flattery
Antonym: abuse, criticism
Sentence:The nation, following the lead of the political leaders, joined in their adulation.
8. Abetment
Meaning: Assist or encourage, usually in some wrongdoing
Synonym: endorsement, succour, aid
Antonym: hindrance, obstruction, stoppage
Sentence:Did Herald aid and abet a crime?

9.Espouse
Meaning: support
Synonym: adopt, maintain, defend
Antonym: attack, reject
Sentence: He was an optimist or he would never have espoused the American cause.

10.Sporadic
Meaning: on and off
Synonym: occasional, infrequent, irregular
Antonym: common, constant, frequent
Sentence:At first resistance to Western encroachment was sporadic and uncoordinated.

1.Lecherous
Meaning: having or showing excessive or offensive sexual desire.
Synonym: lustful, licentious, lascivious,
Antonym: chaste, pure
Sentence: "she ignored his lecherous gaze"

2.Hoodwink
Meaning: deceive or trick
Synonym: dupe, outwit
Antonym: debunk, expose, reveal,
Sentence: "staff was hoodwinked into thinking the cucumber was a sawn-off shotgun"

3.Acerbic
Meaning: (especially of a comment or style of speaking) sharp and forthright.
Synonym: sharp, sarcastic, sardonic,
Antonym: mild, kind, sweet
Sentence: "his acerbic wit"

4.Panoramic
Meaning: (of a view or picture) with a wide view surrounding the observer; sweeping.
Synonym: sweeping, wide, extensive, bird's-eye, scenic
Antonym: restricted, narrow, limited
Sentence: "on a clear day there are panoramic views"

5.Tempest
Meaning:a violent windy storm.
Synonym: storm, gale, squall, superstorm,
Sentence:"a raging tempest"
6.Banter
Meaning: the playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks.
Synonym: wisecracks, crosstalk, wordplay; More
Sentence:"there was much good-natured banter"
7.Tempest
Meaning:a violent windy storm.
Synonym:storm, gale, squall, superstorm,
Sentence:"a raging tempest"

8.Tenuous
Meaning: very weak or slight.
Synonym: slight, insubstantial, flimsy, negligible,
Antonym: convincing, substantial, strong
Sentence: "the tenuous link between interest rates and investment"

9.Terrestrial
Meaning: on or relating to the earth.
Synonym: earthly, worldly, mundane, earthbound
Antonym: cosmic, heavenly
Sentence: "increased ultraviolet radiation may disrupt terrestrial ecosystems"

10.Taradiddle
Meaning: a petty lie., pretentious nonsense.
Synonym: fable, fabrication, falsehood,
Antonym:
Sentence: "no sane person would make up such a taradiddle"

1.Motley
Meaning: incongruously varied in appearance or character; disparate
Synonym: miscellaneous, disparate, diverse
Antonym: homogeneous, uniform
Sentence:"a motley crew of discontents and zealots"

2.vicissitude
Meaning: a change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant.
Synonym: mutation, modification, transition
Sentence: "her husband's sharp vicissitudes of fortune"

3. Alacrity
Meaning: brisk and cheerful readiness
Synonym: eagerness, willingness, readiness
Sentence: "she accepted the invitation with alacrity"

4. Agnostic
Meaning: a person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God
Synonym: sceptic, doubter,
Sentence: After my husband became agnostic, he stopped going to church because of his doubt
about god's existence

5.Punctilious
Meaning: showing great attention to detail or correct behaviour.
Synonym: meticulous, conscientious, careful, diligent, attentive,
Antonym: careless, easy-going, slapdash
Sentence: "he was punctilious in providing every amenity for his guests"
6. Labyrinth
Meaning: a complicated irregular network of passages or paths in which it is difficult to

find one's way; a maze

Synonym: maze, rabbit warren, warren
Sentence: a complex labyrinth of tunnels and chambers

7.Pusillanimous
Meaning: showing a lack of courage or determination; timid.
Synonym: cowardly, recreant, spineless, unheroic
Antonym: audacious, bold, brazen,
Sentence: pusillanimous politicians who vote according to whichever way the political wind is
blowing

8. Pliability
Meaning: Adaptability of mind or character
Synonym: flexible, ductile, elastic
Antonym: not flexible, hard
Sentence:"he was valued for his reliability and pliability"

9. Enormity
Meaning: Horribleness
Synonym: depravity, evil
Antonym: delight, esteem
Sentence:He turned over and closed his eyes, as if to reflect on its enormity.

10. Alms
Meaning: Money or goods contributed to the poor
Synonym: dole, donation, assistance
Antonym: hindrance, injury
Sentence: She stopped, gave him an alms and then continued on her way.

1.Largesse
Meaning: generosity in bestowing money or gifts upon others, money or gifts given generously
Synonym: generosity, liberality, munificence
Sentence: "presumably public money is not dispensed with such largesse to anyone else"
2.Catharsis
Meaning: the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.
Synonym: purging, purgation, purification, cleansing,
Sentence: "music is a means of catharsis for them"

3.Inebriate
Meaning: make (someone) drunk; intoxicate.
Synonym: besotted, drunk, intoxicated,
Antonym: sober, straight
Sentence: "I got mildly inebriated"

4.Bibliophile
Meaning: a person who collects or has a great love of books
Synonym: book lover, bookworm
Sentence: John is a bibliophile.
5. Lacklustre
Meaning: lacking in vitality, force, or conviction; uninspired or uninspiring.
Synonym: unimaginative, dull, humdrum, colourless
Antonym: inspired, brilliant
Sentence: "no excuses were made for the team's lackluster performance"

6.Purveyor
Meaning: a person who sells or deals in particular goods
Synonym: seller, vendor, trader, retailer, supplier
Sentence: "a purveyor of large luxury vehicles"

7. Vacillation
Meaning: fluctuation
Synonym: hesitation, doubt, indecision
Antonym: certainty, sure
Sentence: I vacillate between the red truck and the blue one

8.Incendiary
Meaning: Causing trouble,
Synonym: inflammatory, dangerous
Antonym: loyal, peace making
Sentence: His team continued to clear the building and toss flares into corners as they sought out any living
insurgents or incendiary devices.

9.Precedence
Meaning: the condition of being considered more important than someone or something else; priority in
importance, order, or rank.
Synonym: outweigh, supersede,
Sentence: "his desire for power soon took precedence over any other consideration"

10.Hierarchy
Meaning: a system in which members of an organization or society are ranked according to relative status or
authority
Synonym: pecking order, ranking, grading, ladder, social order, social stratum
Antonym: disordered, free-for-all
Sentence: "the initiative was with those lower down in the hierarchy"

1.Versatile
Meaning: able to adapt or be adapted to many different functions or activities.
Synonym: flexible, all-round, multifaceted, multitalented,
Antonym: inflexible, limited
Sentence: "a versatile sewing machine"

2.Vernacular
Meaning: the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people of a country or region.
Synonym: everyday language, spoken language, colloquial speech,slang
Sentence: "he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience"
3.Puerile
Meaning: childishly silly and immature
Synonym: jejune, infantile
Antonym: mature, adult
Sentence: "a puerile argument"

4. Afflicting
Meaning: Cause or become hurt
Synonym: annoy, rack, grieve
Antonym: Aid, delight
Sentence: Not only does she afflict my children; but my cattle, my gun and myself have been bewitched by her.

5. Allure
Meaning: Appeal
Synonym: attraction, charm, glamor
Antonym: repulsion
Sentence: They allure and baffle us, as the smile on the lips of the Mona Lisa.

6.Wanton
Meaning: (of a cruel or violent action) deliberate and unprovoked
Synonym: deliberate, malicious,
Antonym: justifiable
Sentence: "sheer wanton vandalism"

7.Uncouth
Meaning: lacking good manners, refinement, or grace.
Synonym: uncivilized, uncultured, uncultivated, unrefined,
Antonym: refined, cultivated, polite
Sentence: "he is unwashed, uncouth, and drunk most of the time"

8.Loquacious
Meaning: tending to talk a great deal; talkative.
Synonym: talkative, garrulous,
Antonym: reticent, taciturn
Sentence: "never loquacious, Sarah was now totally lost for words"

9. Ambidextrous
Meaning: able to use the right and left hands equally well.
Synonym: two-handed, equipoised
Antonym: right-handed
Sentence: "few of us are naturally ambidextrous"

10.Amalgamation
Meaning: the action, process, or result of combining or uniting.
Synonym: combination, union, merger, blend, mixture
1.Vanquish
Meaning: defeat thoroughly.
Synonym: conquer, defeat
Antonym: surrender
Sentence: "he successfully vanquished his rival"
2.Alliteration
Meaning: the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
Synonym: exaggeration, expression.
Sentence: "the alliteration of ‘sweet birds sang’

3. Tarnish
Meaning: lose or cause to lose luster, especially as a result of exposure to air or moisture
Synonym: discolour, stain, rust, oxidize, corrode, deteriorate;
Antonym: brighten, polish
Sentence: "silver tarnishes too easily"

4. Mortify
Meaning: cause (someone) to feel very embarrassed or ashamed.
Synonym: embarrass, humiliate, chagrin,
Antonym: indulge, heal
Sentence: "she was mortified to see her wrinkles in the mirror"

5. Temerity
Meaning: excessive confidence or boldness; audacity
Synonym: audacity, boldness
Sentence: "no one had the temerity to question his conclusions"

6. Moribund
Meaning: (of a thing) in terminal decline; lacking vitality or vigour.
Synonym: waning, dying, stagnating, stagnant, decaying,
Antonym: thriving, recovering, flourishing
Sentence: "the moribund commercial property market"

7.perennial
Meaning:lasting or existing for a long or apparently infinite time; enduring or continually recurring
Synonym:everlasting, perpetual, eternal,
Antonym: ceasing, ending, halting, infrequent, intermittent, interrupted, occasional, temporary
Sentence:"his perennial distrust of the media"

8.perdition
Meaning:(in Christian theology) a state of eternal punishment and damnation into which a sinful and
unrepentant person passes after death
Synonym:damnation, eternal punishment;
Sentence:"she used her last banknote to buy herself a square meal before perdition"

9.pendant
Meaning:a piece of jewelry that hangs from a chain worn round the neck.,
Synonym:locket, medallion, drop, stone;
Sentence:"a jade-green pendant on a gold chain"

10.penance
Meaning:punishment inflicted on oneself as an outward expression of repentance for wrongdoing
Synonym:atonement, expiation, self-punishment
Sentence:"he had done public penance for those hasty words"
1.Banal
Meaning: so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring.
Synonym: trite, hackneyed, clichéd,
Antonym: original
Sentence:"songs with banal, repeated words"

2.Pilfer
Meaning: steal (things of little value).
Synonym: snatch,embezzle
Sentence: "she produced the handful of coins she had managed to pilfer"

3.Maraud
Meaning: go about in search of things to steal or people to attack., raid and plunder (a place).
Synonym: plunder, go looting
Antonym: Guard, protect
Sentence: "bands of robbers crossed the river to maraud

4.Reverberate
Meaning: (of a loud noise) be repeated several times as an echo.
Synonym: resound, echo, repeat, resonate, pulsate, vibrate,
Antonym: dampen, deaden, dull, quiet
Sentence: "her deep booming laugh reverberated around the room"

5.Revulsion
Meaning: a sense of disgust and loathing.
Synonym: disgust, repulsion, abhorrence,
Sentence:"news of the attack will be met with sorrow and revulsion"

6.Badinage
Meaning: humorous or witty conversation
Synonym: repartee
Sentence: "he developed a nice line in badinage with the Labour leader"

7.Banter
Meaning: the playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks.
Synonym: wisecracks, crosstalk, wordplay; More
Sentence:"there was much good-natured banter"

8. Sobriquet
Meaning: a person's nickname.
Synonym: alias, byname, cognomen, epithet
Sentence: "she was a vast and haughty person who answered to the sobriquet ‘Duchesse’"

9.Skulduggery
Meaning: underhand, unscrupulous, or dishonest behaviour or activities.
Synonym: trickery, swindling, fraudulence
Sentence: "a firm that investigates commercial skulduggery"

10. Sinister
Meaning: giving the impression that something harmful or evil is happening or will happen.
Synonym: menacing, threatening, ominous
Antonym: auspicious, benign, bright, encouraging, favorable
Sentence: "there was something sinister about that murmuring voice"
1.Perfidious
Meaning: deceitful and untrustworthy.
Synonym: treacherous, duplicitous, deceitful, disloyal, faithless, unfaithful, traitorous
Antonym: faithful, loyal
Sentence: "a perfidious lover"

2.Revulsion
Meaning: a sense of disgust and loathing.
Synonym: disgust, repulsion, abhorrence,
Sentence:"news of the attack will be met with sorrow and revulsion"

3.Eulogize
Meaning: praise highly in speech or writing.
Synonym: acclaim, extol;
Antonym: criticize
Sentence: "he was eulogized as a rock star"

4.Valorize
Meaning: give or ascribe value or validity to.
Synonym: Price -fixing
Sentence: the culture valorizes the individual"

5.Lamentation
Meaning: the passionate expression of grief or sorrow; weeping.
Synonym: crying, sobbing, moaning
Sentence: "scenes of lamentation"

6.Malady
Meaning: a disease or ailment.
Synonym: illness, sickness, ailment, disorder
Sentence: "an incurable malady"

7.Astute
Meaning: having or showing an ability to accurately assess situations or people and turn this to
one's advantage
Synonym: shrewd, sharp, sharp-witted
Antonym: stupid
Sentence: 'an astute businessman"

8.Pragmatism
Meaning: an approach that evaluates theories or beliefs in terms of the success of their
practical application.
Synonym: Logical, practical
Sentence: "ideology had been tempered with pragmatism"

9. Sombre
Meaning: having or conveying a feeling of deep seriousness and sadness
Synonym: solemn, earnest, serious,
Antonym: cheerful, bright
Sentence: "he looked at her with a sombre expression"
10. Solvent
Meaning: having assets in excess of liabilities; able to pay one's debts.
Synonym: financially sound, able to pay one's debts, debt-free
Antonym: in debt
Sentence: "interest rate rises have very severe effects on normally solvent companies"
1.Repercussion
Meaning: an unintended consequence of an event or action, especially an unwelcome one.
Synonym: consequence, result, effect, outcome,
Sentence: "the move would have grave repercussions for the entire region"

2.Pristine
Meaning: in its original condition; unspoilt.
Synonym: immaculate, in perfect condition
Antonym: dirty, sullied
Sentence: "pristine copies of an early magazine"

3. Sporadic
Meaning: occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered or isolated
Synonym: occasional, infrequent, irregular, periodical
Antonym: frequent, regular, steady, continuous
Sentence: "sporadic fighting broke out"

4. Soporific
Meaning: tending to induce drowsiness or sleep., a drug or other substance that induces
drowsiness or sleep.
Synonym: sleeping pill, sleeping potion, sedative, calmative, tranquillizer, narcotic, opiate;
Antonym: invigorating, stimulant
Sentence: "the motion of the train had a somewhat soporific effect"

5.Opulent
Meaning: ostentatiously costly and luxurious.
Synonym: luxurious, sumptuous, palatial
Antonym: penniless, poor, impoverished, penurious
Sentence: "the opulent comfort of a limousine"

6.Tautology
Meaning: the saying of the same thing twice over in different words, generally considered to
be a fault of style
Synonym: repetition, repetitiveness
Sentence: When the lawyer spoke to the jury, he used tautology to make the jurors aware of his point
without being repetitive.

7.sinuous,
Meaning: having many curves and turns.
Synonym: windy, serpentine, curving, twisting
Antonym: straight
Sentence: "the river follows a sinuous trail through the dale"

8.altercation
Meaning: a noisy argument or disagreement, especially in public.
Synonym: argument, quarrel, squabble, fight,
Sentence:"I had an altercation with the ticket collector"
9.Sentinel
Meaning: a soldier or guard whose job is to stand and keep watch.
Synonym: guard, keeper
Sentence: "soldiers stood sentinel with their muskets"

10.Laggard
Meaning: a person who makes slow progress and falls behind others.
Synonym: straggler, loiterer, lingerer, dawdler
Sentence:"staff were under enormous pressure and there was no time for laggards"

2.Prima donna
Meaning: the chief female singer in an opera or opera company.
Synonym: leading soprano, leading lady, diva
Sentence: "this solo was added to give the prima donna another aria"

3.Proclivity
Meaning: a tendency to choose or do something regularly; an inclination or predisposition

towards a particular thing.

Synonym: liking, inclination, tendency, leaning, disposition, propensity,
Sentence: "a proclivity for hard work"

4.Terrestrial
Meaning: on or relating to the earth.
Synonym: earthly, worldly, mundane, earthbound
Antonym: cosmic, heavenly
Sentence: "increased ultraviolet radiation may disrupt terrestrial ecosystems"

5.Resuscitate
Meaning: revive (someone) from unconsciousness or apparent death.
Synonym: revive, resurrect, restore, regenerate, revitalize
Antonym: extinguish, kill, quench, suppress
Sentence: "an ambulance crew tried to resuscitate him"

6. Ostensible
Meaning: stated or appearing to be true, but not necessarily so.
Synonym: apparent, seeming, outward, surface, superficial,
Antonym: real, genuine
Sentence: "the real dispute which lay behind the ostensible complaint"

7.Alteration
Meaning: the action or process of altering or being altered.
Synonym: change, adjustment, adaptation, modification,
Sentence: "careful alteration of old buildings"

8. Aloof
Meaning: not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant.
Synonym: distant, detached, unresponsive, remote,
Antonym: familiar, friendly
Sentence: "they were courteous but faintly aloof
9.Agile
Meaning: able to move quickly and easily.
Synonym: acrobatic, dexterous, deft,
Antonym: clumsy, stiff, slow, dull
Sentence: "Ruth was as agile as a monkey"

10.Aghast
Meaning: filled with horror or shock.
Synonym: horrified, appalled, astounded, amazed, dismayed,
Antonym: fearless, unafraid
Sentence: "she winced, aghast at his cruelty"
Sentence: "separating authentic and spurious claims

1.Resuscitate
Meaning: revive (someone) from unconsciousness or apparent death.
Synonym: revive, resurrect, restore, regenerate, revitalise
Antonym: extinguish, kill, quench, suppress
Sentence: "an ambulance crew tried to resuscitate him"

2.Banal
Meaning: so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring.
Synonym: trite, hackneyed, clichéd, platitudinous
Antonym: original
Sentence: "songs with banal, repeated words"

3.Barbarian
Meaning: (in ancient times) a member of a people not belonging to one of the great
civilisations (Greek, Roman, Christian).
Synonym: savage, uncivilised, barbaric, barbarous, primitive,
Sentence: "the city was besieged by the barbarians"

4.Innocuous
Meaning: not harmful or offensive.
Synonym: harmless, safe, non-dangerous,
Antonym: harmful, obnoxious
Sentence: "it was an innocuous question"

5.Indolence
Meaning: avoidance of activity or exertion; laziness
Synonym: inactivity, inaction, inertia,
Sentence: "my failure is probably due to my own indolence"

6.Inexorable
Meaning: impossible to stop or prevent.
Synonym: relentless, unstoppable, unavoidable
Antonym: flexible, lenient
Sentence: "the seemingly inexorable march of new technology"

7. Pensive
Meaning: engaged in, involving, or reflecting deep or serious thought.
Synonym: thoughtful, thinking, reflective
Antonym: unreflective
Sentence: "a pensive mood"
8. Solace
Meaning: comfort or consolation in a time of great distress or sadness, give solace to
Synonym: comfort, consolation, cheer, support, relief
Antonym: distress, heartache, heartbreak, torment, torture
Sentence: "she sought solace in her religion"

9. Aloft
Meaning: up in or into the air; overhead.
Synonym: into the sky, skyward, on high, heavenward
Antonym:down
Sentence:"the congregation sways, hands aloft"

10.Ameliorate
Meaning: make (something bad or unsatisfactory) better.
Synonym: improve, amend, better, enhance, enrich
Antonym: damage, endamage, harm, hurt, impair, injure, spoil, tarnish, vitiate
Sentence: "the reform did much to ameliorate living standards
1.Extravagant
Meaning: lacking restraint in spending money or using resources.
Synonym: spendthrift, profligate, unthrifty
Antonym: cheap, thrifty
Sentence: "it was rather extravagant to buy both"

2.Pertinent
Meaning: relevant or applicable to a particular matter; apposite.
Synonym: relevant, to the point
Antonym: irrelevant, inappropriateSentence:"she asked me a lot of very pertinent questions"

3.Scarce
Meaning: (especially of food, money, or some other resource) insufficient for the demand.
Synonym: scanty, meagre, sparse
Antonym: plentiful, abundant
Sentence: "as raw materials became scarce, synthetics were developed"

4.Usurp
Meaning: take (a position of power or importance) illegally or by force.
Synonym: seize, take over, expropriate,
Antonym: release, relinquish
Sentence: "Richard usurped the throne"

5.Pugnacious
Meaning: eager or quick to argue, quarrel, or fight.
Synonym: combative, aggressive, antagonistic,
Antonym: peaceable, friendly
Sentence: "the increasingly pugnacious demeanour of right-wing politicians"

6.Innocuous
Meaning: not harmful or offensive.
Synonym: harmless, safe, non-dangerous,
Antonym: harmful, obnoxious
Sentence: "it was an innocuous question"
7.Inexorable
Meaning: impossible to stop or prevent.
Synonym: relentless, unstoppable, unavoidable
Antonym: flexible, lenient
Sentence: "the seemingly inexorable march of new technology"

8.Inebriate
Meaning: make (someone) drunk; intoxicate.
Synonym: besotted, drunk, intoxicated,
Antonym: sober, straight
Sentence: "I got mildly inebriated"

9. Slander
Meaning: the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person's
reputation.
Synonym: besmirch, tarnish, taint, misrepresent
Sentence: "he is suing the TV company for slander"

10. Perfunctory
Meaning: (of an action) carried out without real interest, feeling, or effort.
Synonym: cursory, desultory
Antonym: careful, thorough
Sentence: "he gave a perfunctory nod"
1.Abstemious
Meaning: indulging only very moderately in something, especially food and drink
Synonym: temperate, abstinent, austere, moderate
Antonym: self-indulgent, intemperate
Sentence: "‘We only had a bottle.’ ‘Very abstemious of you.’"

2.Forebear
Meaning: an ancestor.
Synonym: predecessor, progenitor, father, grandfather
Sentence: "generations of his forebears had lived in London"

3. Perturbed
Meaning: Trouble
Synonym: Bothered, Upset
Antonym: benefit , calm
Sentence:The more he loses, the more perturbed he gets

4. Amicable
Meaning: Friendly
Synonym: Cordial, Harmonious
Antonym: impolite, uncivil
Sentence:The business coach for the small company owner served as an amicable executive mentor

5.Maraud
Meaning: go about in search of things to steal or people to attack., raid and plunder (a place).
Synonym: plunder, go looting
Antonym: Guard, protect
Sentence: "bands of robbers crossed the river to maraud
6.Egregious
Meaning: outstandingly bad; shocking, remarkably good.
Synonym: atrocious, deplorable
Antonym: concealed , good
Sentence: "egregious abuses of copyright"

7.Acrimony
Meaning: bitterness or ill feeling.
Synonym: ill feeling, ill will, bad blood, animosity, hostility, enmity,
Antonym: goodwill
Sentence:"the AGM dissolved into acrimony"

8.Imbibe
Meaning: absorb or assimilate (ideas or knowledge).
Synonym: assimilate, absorb, soak up, take in, digest
Antonym: abstain, fast
Sentence:"if one does not imbibe the culture one cannot succeed"

9.Adage
Meaning: a proverb or short statement expressing a general truth.
Synonym: saying, maxim, axiom, proverb,
Sentence: "the old adage ‘out of sight out of mind’"

10. Prudent
Meaning: Careful and sensible; marked by sound judgment
Synonym: wise, sensible, reasonable
Antonym: careless, indiscreet, inattentive
Sentence:"That sacrifice may also be a prudent action," observed Madeleine.

1.perdition
Meaning:(in Christian theology) a state of eternal punishment and damnation into which a sinful
and unrepentant person passes after death
Synonym:damnation, eternal punishment;
Sentence:"she used her last banknote to buy herself a square meal before perdition"

2.pendant
Meaning:a piece of jewelry that hangs from a chain worn round the neck.,
Synonym:locket, medallion, drop, stone;
Sentence:"a jade-green pendant on a gold chain"

3.pejorative
Meaning:expressing contempt or disapproval.
Synonym:disparaging, derogatory, deprecatory,
Antonym:complimentary,
Sentence:"permissiveness is used almost universally as a pejorative term"

4.penance
Meaning:punishment inflicted on oneself as an outward expression of repentance for wrongdoing
Synonym:atonement, expiation, self-punishment
Sentence:"he had done public penance for those hasty words"
3.Pusillanimous
Meaning: showing a lack of courage or determination; timid.
Synonym: cowardly, recreant, spineless,
Antonym: audacious, bold, brazen,
Sentence: pusillanimous politicians who vote according to whichever way the political wind is
blowing

4. Lackluster
Meaning: lacking in vitality, force, or conviction; uninspired or uninspiring.
Synonym: unimaginative, dull, humdrum, colourless
Antonym: inspired, brilliant
Sentence: "no excuses were made for the team's lackluster performance"

5.Purveyor
Meaning: a person who sells or deals in particular goods
Synonym: seller, vendor, trader, retailer, supplier
Sentence: "a purveyor of large luxury vehicles"

6.Kingpin
Meaning: a person or thing that is essential to the success of an organization or operation.
Synonym: bigwig,
Antonym: inferior, subordinate, underling; mediocrity,
Sentence: "the kingpins of the television industry

7. Slander
Meaning: the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person's
reputation.
Synonym: besmirch, tarnish, taint, misrepresent
Sentence: "he is suing the TV company for slander"

8. Ameliorate
Meaning: make (something bad or unsatisfactory) better.
Synonym: improve, amend, better, enhance, enrich
Antonym: damage, harm, hurt, impair, injure, spoil, tarnish, vitiate
Sentence: "the reform did much to ameliorate living standards

9.Laconic
Meaning: (of a person, speech, or style of writing) using very few words.
Synonym: brief, concise, terse, succinct, short, economical,
Antonym: verbose, long-winded, loquacious
Sentence: "his laconic reply suggested a lack of interest in the topic"

10.Punitive
Meaning: inflicting or intended as punishment.
Synonym: penal, disciplinary, corrective,
Antonym: exonerating, condoning, pardoning
Sentence: "he called for punitive measures against the Eastern bloc"
1.Alliteration
Meaning: the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely
connected words.
Synonym: exaggeration, expression.
Sentence: "the alliteration of ‘sweet birds sang’
2.Cantankerous
Meaning: bad-tempered, argumentative, and uncooperative
Synonym: irascible, irritable
Antonym: good-natured, affable
Sentence: "he can be a cantankerous old fossil at times"

3.Insouciant
Meaning: showing a casual lack of concern
Synonym: nonchalant, untroubled, unworried,
Antonym: anxious, concerned
Sentence: "an insouciant shrug"

4. Sobriquet
Meaning: a person's nickname.
Synonym: alias, byname, cognomen, epithet
Sentence: "she was a vast and haughty person who answered to the sobriquet ‘Duchesse’"

5.Skulduggery
Meaning: underhand, unscrupulous, or dishonest behaviour or activities.
Synonym: trickery, swindling, fraudulence
Sentence: "a firm that investigates commercial skulduggery"

6. Sinister
Meaning: giving the impression that something harmful or evil is happening or will happen.
Synonym: menacing, threatening, ominous
Antonym: auspicious, benign, bright, encouraging, favorable
Sentence: "there was something sinister about that murmuring voice"

7. Ambidextrous
Meaning: able to use the right and left hands equally well.
Synonym: two-handed, equipoised
Antonym: right-handed
Sentence: "few of us are naturally ambidextrous"

8. Labyrinth
Meaning: a complicated irregular network of passages or paths in which it is difficult to
find one's way; a maze
Synonym: maze, rabbit warren, warren
Sentence: a complex labyrinth of tunnels and chambers

9. Lackadaisical
Meaning: lacking enthusiasm and determination; carelessly lazy.
Synonym: lax, unenthusiastic, half-hearted, uninterested, lukewarm, indifferent,
Antonym: enthusiastic, excited
Sentence: "a lackadaisical defence left Spurs adrift in the second half"

10.Laggard
Meaning: a person who makes slow progress and falls behind others.
Synonym: straggler, loiterer, lingerer,
Sentence: "staff were under enormous pressure and there was no time for laggards"
1. Perjury
Meaning: the offence of willfully telling an untruth or making a misrepresentation under oath.
Synonym: violation of an oath, giving false evidence/testimony, bearing false witness/testimony,
forswearing oneself, making false statements, wilful falsehood
Sentence: "he claimed two witnesses at his trial had committed perjury"

2. Solace
Meaning: comfort or consolation in a time of great distress or sadness, give solace to
Synonym: comfort, consolation, cheer, support, relief
Antonym: distress, heartache, heartbreak, torment, torture
Sentence: "she sought solace in her religion"

3. Ostensible
Meaning: stated or appearing to be true, but not necessarily so.
Synonym: apparent, seeming, outward, surface, superficial,
Antonym: real, genuine
Sentence: "the real dispute which lay behind the ostensible complaint"

4. Agnostic
Meaning: a person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of
God
Synonym: sceptic, doubter,
Sentence: After my husband became agnostic, he stopped going to church because of his doubt
about god's existence

5.Agile
Meaning: able to move quickly and easily.
Synonym: acrobatic, dexterous, deft,
Antonym: clumsy, stiff, slow, dull
Sentence: "Ruth was as agile as a monkey"

6.Aghast
Meaning: filled with horror or shock.
Synonym: horrified, appalled, astounded, amazed, dismayed,
Antonym: fearless, unafraid
Sentence: "she winced, aghast at his cruelty"
Sentence: "separating authentic and spurious claims"

7. Percussion
Meaning: musical instruments played by striking with the hand or with a stick or beater, or by shaking,
including drums, cymbals, xylophones, gongs, bells, and rattles.
Synonym: crash, bang, smash, clash, bump

Sentence: "percussion instruments"

8. windfall
Meaning: a large amount of money that is won or received unexpectedly.
Synonym: bonanza, jackpot,
Sentence: "members are to get an average £520 cash windfall for voting ‘yes’ to the merger"

9.Punctilious
Meaning: showing great attention to detail or correct behaviour.
Synonym: meticulous, conscientious, careful, diligent, attentive,
Antonym: careless, easy-going, slapdash
Sentence: "he was punctilious in providing every amenity for his guests"

10.Opulent
Meaning: ostentatiously costly and luxurious.
Synonym: luxurious, sumptuous, palatial
Antonym: penniless, poor, impoverished, penurious
Sentence: "the opulent comfort of a limousine"

1.Astute
Meaning: having or showing an ability to accurately assess situations or people and turn this to one's
advantage
Synonym: shrewd, sharp, sharp-witted
Antonym: stupid
Sentence: 'an astute businessman"

2.Amalgam
Meaning: a mixture or blend.
Synonym: combination, union, merger, blend, mixture, mingling
Antonym: division, separation
Sentence: "a curious amalgam of the traditional and the modern

3.Innate
Meaning: inborn; natural
Synonym: congenital, inherent, intrinsic
Antonym: acquired
Sentence: "her innate capacity for organization"

4.Taradiddle
Meaning: a petty lie., pretentious nonsense.
Synonym: fable, fabrication, falsehood,
Sentence: "no sane person would make up such a taradiddle"

5. Monologue
Meaning: a long speech by one actor in a play or film, or as part of a theatrical or
broadcast programme.
Synonym: soliloquy, speech, address, lecture, oration, sermon,
Sentence: "he was reciting some of the great monologues of Shakespeare"

6. Ominous
Meaning: giving the worrying impression that something bad is going to happen;
threateningly inauspicious.
Synonym: threatening, menacing, baleful, forbidding, sinister,
Antonym: promising, auspicious, propitious
Sentence: "there were ominous dark clouds gathering overhead"

7. Pernicious
Meaning: having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way.
Synonym: harmful, damaging, destructive, injurious
Antonym: beneficial, benign, favourable
Sentence: "the pernicious influences of the mass media"
8. Perfidious
Meaning: deceitful and untrustworthy.
Synonym: treacherous, duplicitous, deceitful, disloyal, faithless, unfaithful, traitorous
Antonym: faithful, loyal
Sentence: "a perfidious lover"

9. Peremptory
Meaning: insisting on immediate attention or obedience, especially in a brusquely imperious
way.
Synonym: high-handed, brisk, abrupt, summary, commanding, authoritative,
Antonym: humble, meek, modest, unassuming
Sentence: "‘Just do it!’ came the peremptory reply"

10. Penury
Meaning: the state of being very poor; extreme poverty.
Synonym: pennilessness, impecuniousness, impoverishment, indigence,
Antonym: wealth, affluence
Sentence: "he couldn't face another year of penury"

1.Scarce
Meaning: (especially of food, money, or some other resource) insufficient for the demand.
Synonym: scanty, meagre, sparse
Antonym: plentiful, abundant
Sentence: "as raw materials became scarce, synthetics were developed"

2.Usurp
Meaning: take (a position of power or importance) illegally or by force.
Synonym: seize, take over, expropriate,
Antonym: release, relinquish
Sentence: "Richard usurped the throne"

3.Sentinel
Meaning: a soldier or guard whose job is to stand and keep watch.
Synonym: guard, keeper
Sentence: "soldiers stood sentinel with their muskets"

4.Wanton
Meaning: (of a cruel or violent action) deliberate and unprovoked
Synonym: deliberate, malicious,
Antonym: justifiable
Sentence: "sheer wanton vandalism"

5.Uncouth
Meaning: lacking good manners, refinement, or grace.
Synonym: uncivilized, uncultured, uncultivated, unrefined,
Antonym: refined, cultivated, polite
Sentence: "he is unwashed, uncouth, and drunk most of the time"
6.perennial
Meaning:lasting or existing for a long or apparently infinite time; enduring or continually recurring
Synonym:everlasting, perpetual, eternal,
Antonym: ceasing, ending, halting, infrequent, intermittent, interrupted, occasional,

temporary
Sentence:"his perennial distrust of the media"

7. Allude
Meaning: suggest or call attention to indirectly; hint at, mention without discussing at length.
Synonym: refer to, suggest, hint at, imply, mention,
Antonym: announce, declare, proclaim; elucidate, explain, spell out
Sentence: she had a way of alluding to Jean but never saying her name"

8. Specious
Meaning: superficially plausible, but actually wrong., misleading in appearance, especially
misleadingly attractive
Synonym: misleading, deceptive, false, fallacious,
Antonym: candid, direct, foursquare,
Sentence: "a specious argument"

9. Alliteration
Meaning: the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely
connected words.
Sentence: "the alliteration of ‘sweet birds sang’"

10.Alleviate
Meaning: make (suffering, deficiency, or a problem) less severe.
Synonym: reduce, ease, relieve
Antonym: aggravate
Sentence: "he couldn't prevent her pain, only alleviate it"
1.vicissitude
Meaning: a change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant.
Synonym: mutation, modification, transition
Sentence: "her husband's sharp vicissitudes of fortune"

2.Vicarious
Meaning: experienced in the imagination through the feelings or actions of another person.
Synonym: indirect, second-hand, secondary, derivative,
Sentence: "this catalogue brings vicarious pleasure in luxury living"

3.Versatile
Meaning: able to adapt or be adapted to many different functions or activities.
Synonym: flexible, all-round, multifaceted, multi talented,
Antonym: inflexible, limited
Sentence: "a versatile sewing machine"

4.Vernacular
Meaning: the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people of a country or region.
Synonym: everyday language, spoken language, colloquial speech,slang
Sentence: "he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience"
5.Probity
Meaning: the quality of having strong moral principles; honesty and decency.
Synonym: integrity, honesty, uprightness, decency, morality
Sentence: "financial probity

6.Repercussion
Meaning: an unintended consequence of an event or action, especially an unwelcome one.
Synonym: consequence, result, effect, outcome,
Sentence: "the move would have grave repercussions for the entire region"

7.Pristine
Meaning: in its original condition; unspoilt.
Synonym: immaculate, in perfect condition
Antonym: dirty, sullied
Sentence: "pristine copies of an early magazine"

8.Ravenous
Meaning: extremely hungry.
Synonym: starved, famished;
Antonym: full
Sentence: "I'd been out all day and was ravenous"

9.Penal
Meaning: relating to, used for, or prescribing the punishment of offenders under the legal
system.
Synonym: disciplinary, punitive, corrective,
Antonym: compensatory; acquitting,
Sentence: "the campaign for penal reform"

10.Alteration
Meaning: the action or process of altering or being altered.
Synonym: change, adjustment, adaptation, modification,
Sentence: "careful alteration of old buildings"

GRAMMAR TIP 1
Possessive case of a noun (nouns with 's) is used with living things.
Example : Mohan' s cap, Ram's school, sister's right
Incorrect : This room's carpet must be changed.
Correct : The carpet of this room must be changed. (Room is a lifeless thing)

GRAMMAR TIP 2
Sometimes 's is wrongly put in the place of preposition.
Incorrect : This author's book is not good. (Book possessed by this author)
Correct : The book of this author is not good. (Book written by this author)

GRAMMAR TIP 3
Double possessives should not be used.
Incorrect : My mother's brother's daughter came.
Correct : The daughter of the brother of my mother came.

GRAMMAR TIP 4
In the case of 'somebody else', 'everyone else ',' anybody else' etc., 's is put after else.
Incorrect : This is somebody's else job.
Correct : This is somebody else's job.

GRAMMAR TIP 5
When two nouns are joined by 'and' then 'apostrophe s' ('s) is added to both if we want to denote the possession
of both & to last if we denote joint possession.
Incorrect : Suzy's and Juicy's father was present.
Correct : Suzy and Juicy's father was present.

GRAMMAR TIP 6
When we speak of two things of the same class, the word 'other' should not be left out.
Incorrect : Neither his brother nor any member of the family helped him.
Correct : Neither his brother nor any other member of the family helped him.

GRAMMAR TIP 7

Present Indefinite
Verb form I [ s, es]
He works hard.

Present Continuous
is/am/are + verb form I + ing
He is working hard.

Present Perfect
has/have + verb form III
He has worked hard.

Present Perfect Continuous

has/have + been + verb form I + ing
He has been working hard.

GRAMMAR TIP 8

Past Indefinite
verb form II [ did + verb form I]
He worked hard.

Past Continuous
was/were + verb form I + ing
He was working hard.

Past Perfect
had + verb form III
He had worked hard.

Past Perfect Continuous

had + been + verb form I + ing
He had been working hard.

GRAMMAR TIP 9
Future Indefinite
will/shall + verb form I
He will work hard.

Future Continuous
will/shall + be + verb form I + ing
He will be working hard.

Future Perfect
will/shall + have + verb form III
He will have worked hard for 20 years before he retires.

Future Perfect Continuous

will/shall + have + been + verb form I + ing
He will have been working hard for more than 8 hours.
There are six basic kinds of errors in the grammar of a sentence.

☞Error type-1 Subject -verb agreement

☞Error type -2. Errors of modifiers
Modifiers are words / group of words / phrases in one part of sentence , which modify another part
of the sentence.
In correct written English ,the modifier has to be kept as close as possible to the word or clause it
modifies.

Ex- bruised and battered, Ravi gave his Car to the mechanic.
Bruised and battered , the car was given to the mechanic by Ravi.

☞Errors type -3 errors in the usage of Pronouns .

The pronouns used in a sentence should agree with their antecedents.

☞Error type - 4 error in the tense of the verbs.

☞Error type - 5 errors of parallelism
☞Error type -6 error in the use of singular words/ idioms and phrases.
Proper use of adverbs , prepositions. Conjunctions. Adjectives.

Q.1 With the advent of YouTube, Facebook, and Flickr, many savvy political consultants
undertook revolutionary micro-targeting and get-out-the-vote techniques that enabled political
candidates with cash-strapped budgets to be able to reach numerous likely voters and succeed
in raising large numbers of money from enthusiastic and committed supporters in a short
period of time.

A.cash-strapped budgets to be able to reach numerous likely voters and succeed in raising large
numbers of money
B.cash-strapped budgets to reach numerous likely voters and be successful in raising large amounts
of money

C.cash-strapped budgets to reach numerous likely voters, succeeding in raising large amounts of
money

D.cash-strapped budgets to reach numerous likely voters and succeed in raising large amounts of
money

E.cash-strapped budgets to be able to reach numerous likely voters and succeed in raising large
amounts of money

Explanation: Option(D) is correct

☞The sentence must be constructed such that corresponding consequences of an action are
parallel. Specifically, the sentence should read enabled political candidates with cash-strapped
budgets to x and y where x and y are parallel.

☞The phrase to be able to z is redundant and should be replaced by to z

☞ The phrase numbers of money should be amounts of money since number is only used when
the object in question can be counted and money cannot be counted (i.e., you do not say 1 money,
2 money, 3 money). Note: By comparison, dollars can be counted (i.e., you would say 1 dollar, 2
dollars, 3 dollars) and as a result, we would say: the number of dollars.

a.the phrase to be able to reach is redundant and can be shortened as follows: to reach; large
numbers of money is not grammatically correct since money itself cannot be counted and, as a
result, amount should be used instead

b.the phrase to reach...and be successful is not parallel

c.this sentence is set up such that succeeding modifies reaching voters instead of being a separate
action on its own

d.the phrase is parallel (i.e., to reach...[to] succeed); to be able to reach is replaced by the
shorter to reach

e.the phrase to be able to reach is redundant and should be replaced by to reach

Q.2 With his sub-four minute mile Bannister broke a psychological barrier, inspiring thousands
of others to attempt overcoming seemingly insurmountable hurdles.

A.inspiring thousands of others to attempt overcoming

B.inspiring thousands of others to attempt to overcome

C.inspiring thousands of others to overcome

D.and inspired thousands of others to attempt to overcome

E.and inspired thousands of others to attempt overcoming

Explanation: Option(D) is correct

In (A) the word ‘inspiring’ seems incorrectly to refer to the word ‘barrier’; also the expression
‘attempt overcoming’ is unidiomatic.

In D, the correct answer, ‘inspired’ is correctly parallel to ‘broke’, and ‘attempt to overcome’ is
idiomatic.

Q.3 An analysis of sixteenth century probate inventories in the major English towns show that
even some artisans and yeomen owned silver spoons, cups or salt cellars.

A.show that even some artisans and yeomen owned silver spoons, cups or

B.show that some artisans and yeomen even owned silver spoons, cups or

C.show that even some artisans and yeomen owned silver spoons, cups and

D.shows that some artisans and yeomen owned even silver spoons, cups and

E.shows that even some artisans and yeomen owned silver spoons, cups or

Explanation - Option(E) is correct

The subject of the sentence is ‘analysis’ and therefore the verb should be the singular ‘shows’.
Hence either D or E must be correct.

The word ‘even’ should be in front of the word which it qualifies. The intention is to express
surprise that some artisans owned silver, as indicated in E by putting ‘even’ in front of ‘artisans’,
and not surprise at the spoons as implied in D.

In E, the correct answer, the word ‘or’ seems preferable because the artisan or yeoman might own
any of the items and not necessarily all the items as would be implied by the use of ‘and’.

Q.4 In archaeological terms the university was a latecomer to the town, which was already
centuries old by the time we first hear of the establishment of a community of scholars and
teachers in the late 12th Century.

A.which was already centuries old by the time we first hear of the establishment of

B.already centuries old by the time we first hear of its establishment of

C.which was centuries old already when we first hear of the establishment of

D.that was already centuries old by the time we first are hearing of the establishing of

E.that was already centuries old by the time we first hear that they had established

Explanation -Option(A) is correct

There is nothing wrong with the use of ‘which’ in choice A, since the description correctly refers to
the work in front of the comma. It is better not t spend time worrying over the choice between
‘that’ and ‘which’ – look for other clear-cut problems.
We can eliminate E because the pronoun ‘they’ does not have an antecedent. We can eliminate D
because it is too wordy and uses ‘establishing’ when ‘establishment’ would have been better.

We can eliminate C because ‘already’ is in the wrong place. And finally we can eliminate B because
the use of ‘its’ makes the sentence less clear than what we have in A

Q5.The United Nations’ Human Development Index takes into account life expectancy,
education, as well as income per person

A.into account life expectancy, education, as well as income per person

B.life expectancy, education, as well as income per person into account

C.into account life expectancy and education, as well as income per person

D.into account life expectancy, and education, and income per person

E.life expectancy, education, and income per person in its account

Explanation : Option(C) is correct

The problem with the original sentence is the list: we need to have an ‘and’ at the right point. We
can have a list such as ‘a, b, and c’ when we intend the items to have equal weight.

Or we can have a list such as ‘a and b, as well as c’ if the first two items are to be taken together.

But we cannot have a list like this: a, b, as well as c. Nor can we have ‘a and b and c’. Using this
information we can eliminate A, B and D.

Of the remaining choices, C is best as E is awkward and brings in an unnecessary ‘its’.

Q.6 Ricks has written extensively on not only major figures in English poetry like Milton and
Housman, but also on the lyrics of Bob Dylan.

A.on not only major figures in English poetry like Milton, but also on

B.not only on the poetry of such major figures as Milton and Housman, but also on

C.not only on major figures in English poetry like Milton and Housman, but also on

D.on major figures in English poetry like Milton and Housman, as well as

E.on major figures in English poetry such as Milton and Housman, but also on

Explanation: Option(B) is correct

In A the paired conjunctions ‘not only... but also’ are not used with correct parallel phrases: if ‘not
only’ is followed by a prepositional phrase, ‘but also’ should also be followed by a preposition. The
parallelism is not correct in D either.
The expression ‘such as’ is better than ‘like’ when we are giving examples, and so we can focus on
B and E. B is better as the poetry of major figures (not the figures themselves) is contrasted to the
lyrics of Dylan. In answer E the ‘but also’ is not correct without a ‘not’ earlier in the sentence.

Q.7 Because chickens lack teeth, they need another way to break apart the food they eat
before reaching the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they
swallow are used to grind their food.

A.before reaching the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they
swallow are used to grind their food.

B.before it reaches the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they
have swallowed is used to grind their food.

C.before it reaches the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they
swallow are used to grind their food.

D.before reaching the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they
have swallowed is used to grind their food.

E.before it reaches the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they
have swallowed are used to grind their food.

Explanation : Option(E) is correct

This question focuses on verb tense and agreement, as well as general rhetorical construction. In
this sentence all of the verbs agree with their subjects. However, the phrase before reaching the
stomach does not have a clear subject. It appears to modify they, the chickens, instead of food.
The present tense verb swallow should be replaced with the present perfect verb have swallowed
in order to indicate that the swallowing occurred before the use of the stones.

Q.8 The publishers, unwilling to shoulder the entire risk, insisted that the author should pay
half the cost of the initial print run of his controversial new book.

A.The publishers, unwilling to shoulder the entire risk, insisted that the author should pay half the
cost of the initial print run of his controversial new book.

B.The publishers, unwilling to shoulder the entire risk, insisted that the author should be paying
half the cost of the initial print run of the author’s controversial new book.

C.The publishers, unwilling to shoulder the entire risk, insisted that the author pay half the cost of
the initial print run of his controversial new book.

D.Unwilling to shoulder the entire risk, the publishers insisted the author should pay half the cost
of the initial print run of his controversial new book.

E.Unwilling to shoulder the entire risk, the author was required by the publisher to pay half the
cost of the initial print run of his controversial new book.

Explanation : Option(C) is correct

The subjunctive expression ‘insisted that the author pay’ is correct in C. A, B and D are wrong
because they incorrectly insert ‘should’.

E is incorrect because the ‘unwilling to shoulder the entire risk’ is incorrectly attributed to the
author (dangling modifier problem).

Q.9 A course of cognitive behavior therapy can be as effective, if not more so, than drug
therapy and without the side effects, in helping the elderly to overcome insomnia.

A.as effective, if not more so, than drug therapy and without the side effects, in helping the
elderly to overcome insomnia

B.more effective than drug therapy and without the side effects, in helping the elderly to
overcome insomnia

C.at least as effective in helping the elderly overcome insomnia as drug therapy, and is without the
side effects of drug treatment

D.at least as effective as drug therapy in helping the elderly to overcome insomnia without side
effects

E.equally effective as drug therapy in helping the elderly to overcome insomnia without side
effects

Explanation : Option(C) is correct

The original version is incorrect because ‘as... as’, is correct, not ‘as... than’. Options B and E
change the meaning – we need to convey that CBT is ‘at least as effective’, and so we should
consider only C and D.

Although D is shorter, it is not correct because it seems to suggest that insomnia is without side
effects. And so the answer is C.

Q.10 Studies show that teachers unconsciously assume that students who regularly perform
poorly on assessments have below-average abilities, and in neglecting to provide the academic
challenges that would catalyze their intellectual potential, the students often accept this
damaging diagnosis and the life limits it implies.

(A) in neglecting to provide the academic challenges that would catalyze their intellectual
potential

(B) when they neglect providing the academic challenges that would be catalyzing their
intellectual potential

(C) when teachers neglect to provide the academic challenges that would catalyze their students’
intellectual potential

(D) in neglecting in providing the academic challenges that would catalyze their students’
intellectual potential

(E) in being neglectful with respect to providing the academic challenges that would be catalyzing
their intellectual potential
Explanation: 3) Split #1: modifier problem. The sentence begins with an independent clause, then
a comma and the word “and”, introducing a second independent clause, the main clause of which
follows the underlined part. If the underlined part begins with participial phrase, this must modify
“the students”, the subject of the second independent clause. This is problematic, because the
students don’t “neglect to provide the academic challenges” — that’s a teacher’s job, not a
student’s job! Choices (A) & (D) & (E) all have a participial phrase that illogically modifies “the
students”, so these are incorrect.

Split #2: choice (B) makes the classic repeated pronouns mistake. “… when they[the teachers]
neglect providing the academic challenges that would be catalyzing their [the students’]
intellectual potential …” The pronoun “they”/”their” refers to two different antecedents in the
same sentence! That’s 100% illegal on the GMAT. (B) is incorrect.

This leaves (C) as the only possible answer.

Q11. Simon Bolivar (1783 – 1830) is remembered in that he led the independence revolutions
in several South American counties, like Venezuela and Bolivia, and for instilling the ideals of
democracy across the continent.

(A) in that he led the independence revolutions in several South American counties, like Venezuela
and Bolivia, and for instilling

(B) to have led the independence revolutions in several South American counties, such as
Venezuela and Bolivia, and that he instilled

(C) to have led the independence revolutions in several South American counties, including
Venezuela and Bolivia, and having instilled

(D) for leading the independence revolutions in several South American counties, like Venezuela
and Bolivia, and to have instilled

(E) for leading the independence revolutions in several South American counties, such as Venezuela
and Bolivia, and for instilling

Explanation :
#1: the idiom “P is remembered for doing X” is elegant way to refer to someone’s famous
achievement. The constructions “P is remembered in that he did X” and “P is remembered to have
done X” are far more awkward and less smooth. This is a problem with (A) & (B) & (C) & (D) all
have problems with these.

Split #2: parallelism. The overall structure is “Bolivar is remembered ___ and ___” — those two
blanks must have matching grammatical forms. Let’s look at what’s in those slots:

(A) “in that he led … and for instilling” = NOT parallel

(B) “to have led … and that he instilled” = NOT parallel

(C) “to have led … and having instilled” = NOT parallel

(D) “for leading … and to have instilled” = NOT parallel

 (E) “for leading … and for instilling” = CORRECT!

From either of these splits, we see that (E) is the only possible answer.

PRONOUNS
Personal Pronoun
“A pronoun is a word used instead of a Noun”.
(I, we, you, he, she, it, they) are called personal pronouns because they stand for the three persons.

(i) The person speaking

(ii) The person spoken to, and
(iii) The person spoken of.

‘You’ is both singular and Plural.

Nominative case Objective case Possessive case

(Subjective) (Accusative) (Genitive)

First Person I me my, mine,

we us our, ours
Second Person you you your, yours

Third person he him his

she her her, hers
it it its
they them their, theirs

Pronouns are used so that our language is not cumbersome with the same nouns being repeated over and over in
a paragraph.

Subject Pronoun: (Subjective case)

(I, we, you, he, she, it, they)

Example: She is at work.

‘She’ is main subject of the sentence, hence in the sentence, ‘She’ is the subjective personal pronoun.

Objective pronoun (objective case)

Example: He will meet us later.
‘Us’ is the objective personal pronoun, as it is the object of the verb ‘meet.’

Possessive pronoun (possessive case)

Example: That is our clubhouse.

‘Our’ shows the possession of the object ‘clubhouse’.

Gender

Example: He went to the market.

He is used for male gender.
Other examples – (his, him, he etc.)
Example: She is doing the laundry.
‘she’ is used for female gender.
(Her, hers, etc.)

Example: It is important to them.

‘It’ is gender neutral as it shows an object,

‘Them’ is also gender neutral as ‘Them’ can consists of both genders.

Others gender neutral pronouns are - (Their, they, its.)

Number
Singular Pronoun – where the pronoun is only referring to one specific Noun.
Example: That book belongs to me.

Plural Pronoun – where the pronoun is used to refer to a number of nouns.

Example: That is Their book, not yours.

REFLEXIVE PRONOUN

“They are object pronouns that we use when the subject and the object are the same Noun.”

Example: I told myself not to bet all my money on one horse.

Example: The robber hurt himself chasing me through the alley.

“Reflexive pronouns are those which are used to indicate a noun which has been used in an earlier part of the
same sentence.
(myself, themselves, yourself, ourselves, herself, himself, itself.)

Example: She blamed herself for the accident.

He is himself today.

EMPHATIC/INTENSIVE PRONOUN

“These pronouns are used to emphasize a Noun or pronoun.

(myself, himself, herself, themselves, itself, yourself, yourselves and ourselves.)

Example: He himself is his worst critic.

“These pronouns act as appositives of nouns or pronouns for the sake of emphasis,”

Example: You yourself wrote those words.

This request came from the employee themselves.

They themselves know that the Prank was in bad taste.

Avoid reporting things that you yourself haven’t witnessed.

DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN

“Demonstrative pronouns are used to show or identify one or a number of nouns that may be far or near in
distance or time.
They are only four in number (This, that, these, those)
This, that → Singular demonstrative pronoun
These, those → Plural demonstrative pronouns.

Example: That is a beautiful house.

They can also be used to show an unspecified quantity in a sentence.

Example: These were made by me.

(These is showing an unspecified quantity of something that was made by a person.)

Example: Everyone remembers those days.

(Those is showing a particular time or period of days in the past, it is being used in place of a noun that could be
– school, summer, college etc.)

Example: This is what he is charging.

This is used as pronoun in place of a number.

These pronouns point out someone or something.

They are identical in form to demonstrative adjective/determiners.

The difference is that…

→ A demonstrative pronoun stands alone (because it is a substitute for a noun or noun phrase)

→ But a demonstrative adjective is accompanied by the noun it modifies.

Example: She gave me this gift.

(This – demonstrative adjective)

I like this.
(This – demonstrative pronoun)

(More example of demonstrative pronoun)

These are my children.
That is a good idea.
The streets of Delhi are more crowded than those of Mumbai.

INDEFINITE PRONOUN

“These pronouns do stand for some person or thing, but we don’t know for exactly whom.”

When we say, “somebody stole my watch.”

(We don’t know to whom the word ‘somebody’ refers to. The word ‘somebody’ is an indefinite pronoun.

Example: One should speak the truth.

Somebody immediately called the doctor.
Anybody can solve this problem.
Nobody was present.
Many are called, but few are chosen.
Do good to others.

(Few, all, some, none, everything- indefinite pronouns)

DISTRIBUTIVE PRONOUN

“These Pronouns refer to individual elements in a group or a pair, one individual at a time.”
Example: Each of the boys gets a prize.
Either of these roads leads to the railway station.
Either of you can go.
Neither of the accusations is true.
You may bring any of your friends
None of our students failed last year.

Each, either, neither are called distributive pronouns because they refer to persons or things, one at a time.

Each →used to denote every one of a number of persons or things taken singly.

Either means the one or the other of two.

Neither means not the one nor the other of two.
It is negative of either.

Either and Neither should be used only in speaking of two persons or things.

When more than two are spoken of (Any, No one, and none) should be used.

RECIPROCAL PRONOUN

Each and one really belong to the subject, Other and another are objects, but Each other and one another have
become compound pronouns, (and are called reciprocal pronouns) and are rarely separated even by a
preposition)

Example: The brothers quarreled with each other.

They all gave evidence against one another.
Jamie and Jack always sit beside each other in break.

They haven’t seen one another since last year.

RELATIVE PRONOUN

These pronouns are used to connect a clause or phrase to a noun or pronoun.

These are: who, whom, which, whoever, whomever, whose, whichever and that.

Example: The driver who Ran the stop sign was careless.

Which and that are generally used for objects.

Who and whom are used for people and whose is used to show possession.

Example: she will choose the color which looks good on everyone

She is complaining to whoever she comes across nowadays.

There is a car in the parking lot that someone has painted a bright pink.

Is there anyone here whose mobile phone has a signal?

I met Hari who had just returned.
I have found the pen which I lost.
There is the book That you lent me.

INTERROGATIVE
Who, whom, which and what are interrogative pronouns as they are used to ask questions about a person or
object that we do not know about.

Compounds of these words are made by attaching (–ever) to the words to strengthen the emphasis on the word.

Example: which one would you like?

What is your Name?
Who will be managing the bullet?
Whom did you tell about this?
Whoever could have done this?
Whichever one will you choose?

‘Who’ is always the subject of the verb.

‘Whom’ is never the subject of the verb.
It is object of the verb.
It is used to show the person to or for whom the action is being done.

Example: whom were you meeting with?

PRONOUN (RULES)

☞1. Since a personal pronoun works in place of a noun, the number, gender and person of the
pronoun must be according to the noun only.
Ex.- Ram has lost his books. (Not their)
She loves his husband. (Incorrect)
She loves her husband. (Correct)

☞2. When two or more singular nouns are joined by ‘AND’ the Pronoun for them always in the
plural number.
Ex.- Mohan and Sohan have lost his books. (Incorrect)
Mohan and Sohan have lost their books. (Correct)

☞3. When two or more singular nouns joined by ‘AND’ are preceded by ‘EACH’ and ‘EVERY’ the
pronoun must be singular.
Ex.- Every student and every teacher took his or her seat.
Each of Ram and Shyam has done his work.
Each man and each boy in the party has got his share.

☞4. When a singular nouns ad a plural noun are combined by ‘OR’, ‘EITHER’ OR ‘NEITHER’ NOR
the singular noun usually comes first in the student and the pronoun must be in the plural number.
Ex.- Either the manager or his subordinates failed in their duty in sending the official message.

☞5. When two or more singular nouns are joined by Either OR, neither nor the pronouns is always
in the singular
Ex.- Ram or Mohan should invest his money in some business.
Neither Ram nor Shyam confessed his guilt Either Sita or Kamla forgot to take her prize.

☞6. Either or neither are always used in relation to two things or two persons for more than two
‘ANY’, or ‘NONE’ must be used.
Ex.- Either of the two girls can pay for it.
Neither of the two brothers has been selected.
Any one of the employees can claim it.
Now of the students of this class has passed.

☞7. When in a sentence ‘one’ is used as the subject all the pronouns in the sentence must be
changed into ‘one’ or one’s and not his, her or him.
Ex.-One should keep one’s promise.
One should do one’s duty.
One must finish one’s task in time.

☞8. When any pronoun functions as the complement of the verb ‘To be’, it is always in the
nominative case.
Ex.- It is me who have to go. (Incorrect)
It is I who have to go. (Correct)
It is him who is to blame. (Incorrect)
It is he who is to blame. (Correct)
It was he who could solve the problem Easily.

☞9. Whenever any pronoun functions as an object to a verb or a preposition, it is in the objective
case.
Ex.- It is for he to consider. (Incorrect)
It is for him to consider. (Correct)
Ask he to go. (Incorrect)
Ask him to go. (Correct)

☞10. When two singular nouns joined by AND denote the same person or thing the pronoun used
for them must be singular in number. The article ‘THE’ is placed before the first Noun.
Ex.- The accounts officer and treasures should be careful in his work of keeping accounts.

☞11. When a personal pronoun is connected by a conjunction with some other word in the objective
case, it must be in the objective or accusative case.
Ex.- These clothes are for you and me. (not I)

☞12. A pronoun should be used in the objective case in a sentence beginning with Let.
Ex.- Let him go to his office
Let her submit the records in time.

☞13. While confessing a fault (or expressing a negative idea) the sequence of the personal pronouns
should be as follows:
I, you and he are in the wrong and will be punished.
[First person first, second person next and third person last]

☞14. While expressing a positive idea or praise, the sequence of the personal pronouns should be as
follows:
You, He and I will get an award for the good work we have done.
[Second person (2), third person (3), and first person (1)]
You, he and I have finished the work.
Ram, I and you have finished our studies. (Incorrect)
You, Ram and I have finished our studies. (Correct)
☞15. After ‘BUT’, ‘EXCEPT’, ‘BETWEEN’ and ‘LET’ the pronoun is used in objective case where as
after such as in’ the subjective case
Ex.- Everyone laughed but I. (Incorrect)
Everyone laughed but me. (Correct)
Now attended the meeting except he. (Incorrect)
Now attended the meeting except him. (Correct)
Let we laugh away our sorrows. (Incorrect)
Let us laugh away our sorrows. (Correct)
This is between you and I. (Incorrect)
This is between you and me. (Correct)
They do not have a lining far such a person as me. (Incorrect)
They do not have a liking for such a person as I. (Correct)

☞16. ‘Some’ is used in affirmative sentences to express quantity or degree.

‘Any’ is used in Negative or interrogative sentences.
Ex.- I shall buy some apples.
I shall not buy any apples.
Have you bought any apples?
I shall read any book. (Incorrect)
I shall read some book. (Correct)

☞17. Enjoy, apply, resign, acquit, drive, exert, avail, pride, absent, drink, oversleep, overreach,
Revenge, present etc. when used as transitive verbs, always take a reflexive pronoun after them.
Ex.- He absented from the class. (Incorrect)
He absented himself from the class. (Corrected)
He presented himself before the manager.
He absented himself from the office today.

☞18. When a pronoun stands for a collective noun, it must be in the singular number and in the
neuter gender if the collective noun is viewed as a whole-
Ex.- The Jury gave its verdict.
The Jury were divided in their opinions.

☞19. (a) Each other is used about two persons.

Ex.- The two brothers disliked each other.
Romeo and Juliet loved each other.
The two children quarreled with each other.
(b) One another is used about more than two-
Ex.- Good boys do not quarrel with one another.
All the students of the class are friendly, they like one another.

☞20. The pronouns who, whom, whose are generally used for persons
Who - Nominative case
Whom - Objective case
Whose - Possessive case
Ex.- Shikha is the student who got an award.
They are the thieves whom the police caught.
This is the student whose certificates are lost.

☞21. Use of ‘WHICH’

(a) For infants, small animals and objects.
Ex.- This is the baby which was lost in the theatre.
This is the dog which my friend bought from the U.S.
(b) When selection is expressed.
Ex.- Which of these television sets do you want to purchase?
(c) To refer to a sentence
Ex.- He was said to be drunk, which was not true.

☞22. Uses of ‘THAT’

(a) For persons, lifeless things and small animals in the singular or in the plural number.
Ex.- This is the girl that failed in the exam.
This is the Radio that I bought Yesterday.
(b) As a substitute for a singular noun already mentioned.
Ex.- The weather of Hyderabad is for better than Chennai. (Wrong)
The weather of Hyderabad is far better than that of Chennai. (Right)
VERB (RULES)

(SUBJECT AND VERB AGREEMENT)

General Rule
The verb must agree with its subject in number and person

☞Rule-1 When two subjects are joined by ‘AND’ the verb is plural
Ex.-My friend and his father are in India

☞Rule-2 When two singular nouns joined by AND refer to the same person or thing, the verb
is singular.
Ex.-The secretary and treasurer has been arrested.
The district magistrate and collector is on leave today

☞Rule-3 Article ‘THE’ is used only once when the two nouns refer to the same person or
thing. If the two nouns refer to different persons or things, article ‘THE’ is used before each
noun. In such cases, the verb will be in the plural form.
Ex.-The secretary and the president have been given warm welcome.

☞Rule-4 If two different singular nouns express one idea, the verb should be in the singular
form.
Ex.-Bread and milk is good for Breakfast.
Rice and curry is my favorite dish
This is the long and the short of the matter.

☞Rule-5 When two singular subjects are practically synonymous the verb should be in the
singular form.
Ex.-The law and order situation in the state is under control
His power and influence is on the decline.
Power and position has no charm for my friend.
Peace and Prosperity is the need to the day.
☞Rule-6 If two singular subjects combined by AND are preceded by each or every, the verb
should be in the singular.
Ex.-Every boy and girl was present in the class Yesterday.
Every man and every woman has the right to express his or her view.

☞Rule-7 When the subjects joined by (Either-or), (Neither-nor) are of different persons, the
verb will agree in person and number with the noun nearest to it.
Also, the plural subject must be placed nearest to the verb.
Ex.-Either Radha or Rani has done this mischief.
Neither Mohini nor Ragini is beautiful
Either the CM or the Cabinet Ministers are responsible for this problem.
Neither you nor he is to take up this task.
Either you or I am responsible for this mistake.

☞Rule-8 If connectives like with, together with, ‘as well as’ accompanied by etc. are used
to combine two subjects the verb agrees with the subject mentioned first.
Ex.-The president of India together with his personal secretaries is invited to this function.
The actress, along with her manager and some friend, is attending the function.
Mr. Michael, accompanied by his wife and children is arriving tonight by train.

☞Rule-9 When (Not only-but also) is used to combine two subjects, the verb agrees with the
subject close to it
Ex.-Not only Hari, but also his brothers were arrested.

☞Rule-10 Use of None/No.

None can take either a singular or a plural verb depending on the noun which follows it.
Structure [None + of the + (non-count noun) + singular verb]
Ex.-None of the counterfeit money has been found
Structure [None + of the + (plural count. noun) + plural verb]
Ex.-None of the students have finished the exam yet.

No can take either a singular or plural verb depending on the noun which follows it.
Structure : [No + Singular Noun + Singular Verb ]
ex- No employee has received the salary.
Structure : [No + plural Noun + plural Verb ]
Ex.- No examples are relevant to this case.

☞Rule-11 Many words indicating a number of people or animals are singular.

The following nouns are usually singular.
(If the individual members are acting separately, they are plural and take plural verb.)
[Congress, Family, Group, Committee, Class, Organisation, Team, Army, Club, Crowd, Government,
Jury, Minority, Public]
Ex.-The family was happy at the news
The family were fighting over inheritance.
Our team is certain to win the match.
The committee have arrived by different trains.
The crowd was wild with excitement.

☞Rule-12 Majority can be singular or plural. If it is alone it is usually singular, if it is followed

by a plural noun, it is usually plural.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Majority by itself is singular but when majority refers to a set of people it is
plural.
e.g. A majority is always right.
e.g. A majority of students are right.

☞Rule-13 The number/A number

The number is singular: The number of acres destroyed by wildfires has increased dramatically over
the past several years.
A number is plural: A number of students are standing outside the office.

☞Rule-14 Collective nouns indicating time, money and measurements used as a whole are
Singular and take a singular verb.
Twenty five rupees is not such a big amount for him
Two miles is too much for this man to run.

☞Rule-15 when a lot of, a great deal of, plenty of, most of and some of refer to number, a
plural verb is used.
Ex.-A lot of people were present in the party.
Some of the students were absent.
But, if these expressions refers to an amount, the verb is in the singular number.
Ex.-A lot of work has to be completed before we go.
A great deal of work has been finished

☞Rule-16 When the percentage or a part of something is mentioned with plural meaning the
plural verb is used.
Ex.-30 % of Indian women are literate.
Three-quarters of the food has been eaten.
(Here the reference is to the food as a whole)

☞Rule-17 Barracks, Headquarters, Whereabouts, Alms etc. take a singular verb, as well as
plural verb.
Ex.-The headquarters of the UNO is/are New York

☞Rule-18 In sports, while referring to the players, the name of the country is followed by
plural verb.
Ex.-England have won the World Cup.

☞Rule-19 When the word ENEMY is used in the sense ‘Armed forces’ of a nation with which
one’s country is at war, we have to use the plural verb.
The enemy were forced to Retreat.

☞Rule-20 Use of Lay and Lie

The verb Lay is transitive and is always followed by an object
The verb Lie is intransitive and cannot have an object.
(Lay – Laid – Laid)
Ex.-Lay the child on the bed.
I laid the book on the table.
(Lie – Lay – Lain)
Let me lie here.
He lay under that tree.

☞Rule 21. When sentences start with “there” or “here,” the subject will always be placed
after the verb, so care needs to be taken to identify it correctly.
Examples:
There are four hurdles to jump.
There is a high hurdle to jump.
Here are the keys.
There is a problem with the balance sheet.
Here are the papers you requested.

☞Rule 22 : Titles of books, movies, novels, etc. are treated as singular and take a singular
verb.
The Burbs is a movie starring Tom Hanks.

☞Rule 23: When gerunds are used as the subject of a sentence, they take the singular verb
form of the verb; but, when they are linked by and, they take the plural form.
Standing in the water was a bad idea.
Swimming in the ocean and playing drums are my hobbies.

☞Rule 24 :If two infinitives are separated by and they take the plural form of the verb.
To walk and to chew gum require great skill.

☞Rule 25: Don’t get confused by the words that come between the subject and verb; they
do not affect agreement.
Ex- The dog, who is chewing on my jeans, is usually very good.

☞Rule 26: Inverted Sentences

Usually in a sentence the subject always precedes the verb, but sometimes they can reverse this
order, so that the verb comes before the subject.

Incorrect: Through the Golden Eagle Bridge passes thousands of vehicles every day.
In the above sentence, the singular verb passes is not referring to the singular Golden Eagle Bridge
but to the plural thousands of vehicles. Hence, the correct verb will be the plural pass.

Correct: Through the Golden Eagle Bridge pass thousands of vehicles every day.

☞27. Final Rule – Remember, only the subject affects the verb!
ADVERB
“An adverb is a word which modifies the meaning of verb, an adjective or another adverb.”

☞Rule-1 Adverb of manner are mostly formed from adjective by adding (ly)
Ex.- (Clever -Cleverly),
(Wise -Wisely),
(Kind - Kindly),
(Foolish - Foolishly)
☞Rule-2 When the adjective ends in (y) preceded by a consonant, change (y) into (i) and add
(ly)
Ex.- Happy - Happily
Ready - Readily
Heavy - Heavily

☞Rule-3 Adverb of manner are generally placed after the verb or after the object if there is
one.
Ex.- It is raining heavily.
He is walking slowly.
Ram speaks English well.
He does his work carefully.

☞Rule-4 Adverbs of frequency are normally placed before the main verb and after the
auxiliary (is, am, are, was, were, had, have, will, shall etc.)

Adverb of frequency (always, never, often, rarely, usually, generally, sometimes,

almost, already, hardly, nearly, just, quite, occasionally)
Ex.- He always comes late.
He is always late.
He often visits the U.S.
His brother never takes alcohol
He is never punctual.

☞Rule-5 The auxiliaries ‘have to’ and ‘used to’ prefer the adverb before them.
Ex.- I often have to go to college by walk.
He never used to agree with me.

☞Rule-6 Adverb ‘ENOUGH’ is always placed after the word which it qualifies.
Ex.- Is the hall big enough ?
He spoke loud enough to be heard.
She is wise enough to understand your intention.
He had enough money to buy this car. (Correct)
(Noun)
He is faster enough to defeat you. [use fast]
He is bravest enough to be selected for the post of soldier [use brave]

☞Rule-7 ‘Seldom or Never’ and ‘Seldom if ever’ are both correct but ‘Seldom or ever’ is
incorrect.
Ex.- We seldom or ever visit Delhi. (Incorrect)
We Seldom or never visit Delhi. (Correct)

☞Rule-8 ‘Else’ should be followed by ‘but’

Ex.- It is nothing else than pride. (Incorrect)
It is nothing else but pride. (Correct)
Rohit has no one else to talk to except his wife. (Incorrect)
Rohit has no one else to talk to but his wife. (Correct)

☞Rule-9 The use of ‘NEVER’ for ‘NOT’ is Incorrect

Ex.- I never broke your windopanes. (Incorrect)
I did not break your windowpanes. (Correct)

☞Rule-10 Adverbs [Seldom, nowhere, never, nothing, hardly, scarcely, neither, barely,
rarely] are not used with other negative words.
Ex.- I rarely went to meet nobody. (Incorrect)
[Use ‘anybody’ in place of ‘Nobody’]
I rarely went to meet anybody. (Correct)

She hardly knows nothing about me. (Incorrect)

She hardly knows anything about me. (Correct)

☞Rule-11 Adverb ‘AS’ is used with the following verbs

[Regard, Describe, define, treat, view, know]
Ex.- I regard him as my brother.
Biology had been defined as the study of organism.
Adverb ‘AS’ is not used with the following verbs-
[Name, elect, think, consider, call, appoint, make, choose]

☞Rule-12 ‘SO’ as an adverb of degree must not be used without a correlative.

Ex.- He is so weak. (incorrect)
He is very weak (Correct)

It was so lovely.(InCorrect)
It was very lovely. (Correct)
He is so weak that he cannot walk. (Correct)

☞Rule-13 The adverb ‘too’ means ‘more than enough’ and should not be used instead of
‘every’ or ‘much’
The news is too good to be true.
He is too weak to walk.

☞Rule-14 ‘Rather’ is used as comparative adverb for the sake of emphasis.

Ex.- We should think of living rather or dying.
[This sentence is correct because there is comparison between living and dying]
You are rather very clever. (Incorrect)
You are very clever. (Correct)

☞Rule-15 In order to make our meaning clear, an adverb must be placed as near as possible
to the word it modifies
Ex.- She has only three dollars with her.
(Adv.) (Adj.)
We only have four hours to finish this paper. (Wrong)
We have only four hour to finish this paper (Right)
That building nearly costs sixty thousand rupees. (Wrong)
That building costs nearly sixty thousand rupees.(Right)
She just wants to take one class. (Wrong)
[Not anything else]
She wants to take just one class.(Right)
[Not even second]

☞Rule-16 When an adverb modifies an intransitive verb, it usually follow it.

Ex.- She sang melodiously.
She writes neatly
The birds fly swiftly

☞Rule-17 When a verb consists of an auxiliary and a main verb, the adverb which qualifies is
placed between the auxiliary and the main verb.
Ex.- I have told him often not to come late. (Wrong)
I have often told him not to come late. (Right)

☞Rule-18 When an adverb modifies an adjective or another adverb, the adverb usually
comes before it.
Ex.- The cuckoo sings quits sweetly.
Do not speak so fast.

☞Rule-19 Use of hard, hardly, scarce, scarcely

Hard – as an adverb means ‘Diligently’. It usually follows the verb.
Ex.- He works hard to make both ends meet.
Our team played hard in Pakistan.
I tried hard to succeed.
Hardly – When used as an adverb means scarcely, barely. It conveys a negative meaning.
Hardly (Scarcely) had he reached the station, when the train left.
[Hardly and scarcely are followed by when]

[No sooner is followed by than]

Scarce – as an adjective means ‘not plentiful, hard to find, not often found.
Ex.- Coal has become scarce in England.
Scarcely – as an adverb is almost synonymous ‘Hardly’
I can scarcely hear you.
They have scarcely enough to look after their children

☞Rule-20 Use of MUCH, VERY

‘Much’ qualifies adjectives or adverbs in the comparative degree; ‘very’ in the positive.
Ex.- The air is much hotter today than yesterday.
This book is much heavier than that.
This book is very useful
He spoke very loudly.

ADJECTIVE
☞Rule-1 Adjective of quantity like much, LITTLE, ENOUGH, SUFFICIENT, WHOLE, etc. must
be used with uncountable nouns only as they express quantity and not number.
Ex.-Many (not much) boys are absent from the class today.
Many (not much) boys failed in the examination.

☞Rule-2 The use of ‘few’, ‘a few’ and ‘the few’ should be used with care they denote
number. Few means ‘NOT MANY’.
Few has negative meaning
A few means ‘SOME AT LEAST’
The few means ‘WHATEVER THERE IS’.

Ex. I read few books.

I Read a few books.
I Read the few books I had.
A few men are true from fault. (Incorrect)
Few men are true from fault. (Correct)

☞Rule-3 Use of little, a little, the little

Little means ‘hardly any’ in quantity.
Ex.-He had little money
There is little water in the bottle
There is a little hope of his recovery (Incorrect)
There is little hope of his recovery (Correct)
A little means ‘Some’ in quantity if not much.
Ex.-Little knowledge is a dangerous thing. (Incorrect)
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing
He had a little money.
There is a little water in the bottle.
The little means ‘not much in quantity but all that is’.

Ex.-I spent the little money I had.

A little water that is in the bottle may be used for the patient. (Incorrect)
A little water that is in …………….. (Correct)
CONJUNCTIONS
“A word that is used to join words or phrases or sentences is called a conjunction.”
Ex.-God made the country and man made the town.
Three and three make six.
She must work hard, or she will fail.
[(As soon………..As), (Both……..and), (Either………..or), (Neither ……….. Nor), (Lest……….. should),
(Not only………but also), (Hardly……….. before or when), (Though ……….yet),
(Whether …………..or), (Scarcely…………… when or before), (No sooner………..than)

Rule-1 when ‘as well as’, ‘along with’, ‘together with’ , ‘No less than’, ‘In addition to’ and
‘Not’ and ‘with’ join two subjects, the verb will be according to the first subject.
Ex.-Ram, as well as his ten friends, are going. (Incorrect)
Ram, as well as his ten friends, is going. (Correct)

The teacher, along with the students, were going (Incorrect)

The teacher along with the students, was going (Correct)
Rule-2‘A great many’ is always followed by a plural noun and a plural verb.
Ex.-A great many students have been declared successful.

Rule-3 If two subjects are joined by ‘Either-Or’, ‘Neither-Nor’, the verb agrees with the
subject that is near.
Ex.-Either Ramesh or I are to do this work. (Incorrect)
Either Ramesh or I am to do this work. (Correct)

Neither he nor his friends is reading. (Incorrect)

Neither he nor his friends are reading. (Correct)

Rule-4‘One of’ always takes a plural noun after it.

Ex.-It is one of the important day in my life. (Incorrect)
It is one of the important days in my life. (Correct)

Rule-5 Use of (Not only - but also)

Ram is not only handsome but also intelligent.
(Here one person - two qualities)

Not only India but also Pakistan is poor.

(Here two persons - common quality)
When two subjects are joined by (Not only-but also) the verb must agree with the ‘second subject:
Ex.-Not only the students but also the teacher are playing. (Incorrect)
Not only the students but also the teacher is playing. (Correct)

He ate not only bananas but also apples.

He not only comes for swimming but also for coaching the learners. (Incorrect)
He comes not only for swimming but also for coaching the learners. (Correct)

Rule-6 ‘Scarcely’ and ‘Hardly’ are followed by ‘WHEN’ and not by ‘THAN’.
Ex.-I had Scarcely entered the room WHEN the phone rang.
Hardly had he seen his father when he stopped smoking.

Scarcely had he entered the room when the light came.

Hardly had he reached the school when it began to rain.

Rule-7 ‘Though’ is followed by ‘yet’ and not by ‘but’.

Ex.-Though he is poor but he is honest (Incorrect)
Though he is poor, yet he is honest. (Correct)

Although he is rich yet he is miser.

Though he is lame yet he can walk fast.

Rule-8 ‘No sooner’ is followed by ‘than’.

Ex.-No sooner had I entered the class than the students stood up.
No Sooner did I step out than it started raining.

No Sooner did I see my father than I stop smoking

No Sooner had I reached the station than the train departed.

Rule-9 ‘Lest’ must be followed by ‘should’.

Ex.-Read regularly lest you will fail. (Incorrect)
Read regularly lest you should fail. (Correct)
Run with care lest you should fall.

Rule-10 ‘Such’ is followed by ‘As’.

Ex.-Such a boy as I know is at the party.
He is Such a writer as everybody should read his books.

Rule-11 ‘So’ is followed by ‘That’.

Ex.-He is so weak that he cannot walk.
He is so handsome that every girl will be ready to marry him.

Rule-12 ‘UNLESS’ expresses a condition, It is always used in the negative sense. Thus ‘NOT’
is never used with ‘unless’.
Ex.-Unless you do not labor hard, you will not pass (Incorrect)
Unless you labor hard you will not pass (Correct)

Rule-13 ‘Until’ expresses time. It has a negative sense and thus ‘not’ should never be used
with it.
Ex.-Wait here until I do not return (Incorrect)
Wait here until I Return.(Correct)

Rule-14 ‘Since’ indicates a point of time and ‘for’ stands for the length of time.
Ex.-He had been reading the book for two hours.
It has been raining since Monday last.

Ex.-15 ‘As if’ is used to convey the sense of pretension.

When 'as if' is used in this sense, ‘WERE’ is used in all cases, Even with third person singular.
Ex.-He behaves as if he was king. (Incorrect)
He behaves as if he were a king (Correct)

Rule-16 ‘BOTH’ is followed by ‘AND’ not (as well as, but)

Ex.-Ram is both tall and handsome.

Rule-17 Use of (Since, Because, For, As)

Ex.-It has been a year since I saw him
Since he is my father, I respect him.
I respect him because he is my father.
As he is my neighbour, I respect him
As he was not feeling well, he did not eat anything

Rule-18 ‘OR’ is used to introduce an alternative.

Ex.-Do or die.
Your purse ‘OR’ your life.

‘OR’ is used to mean ‘otherwise’

We must hasten or night will overtake us.

OR is used to show several Alternatives

He may study physics or chemistry or Biology or he may enter into trade.

Rule-19 ‘WHILE’ IS USED TO MEAN-

(i)During the time that, as long as
While there is hope there is life.
While he was sleeping, an enemy entered in the house.

(ii)At the same time that

The girl sang while the boys danced

Rule-20 ‘ONLY’ as a conjunction means-Except that

Ex.-A very pretty woman, only she squints a little .