Pair of Words in the use of adjectives-min

Pair of Words in the use of adjectives

Pair of Words in the use of adjectives

1. Some,  Any 

 Some is used in the affirmative sentences while ‘Any’ is used in the negative.

Examples:

i. I did not give him some money. (incorrect)

I did not give him any money.  (Correct)

ii. He has got no any book.(incorrect) (No any is wrong English)

He has not got any book. (Correct)

2. Much, Many  

Much denotes quantity.

With uncountable nouns.

Many denote numbers.

With countable nouns. 

Examples:

i. There is not many tea in the cup. (incorrect)

There is not much tea in the cup. (Correct)

ii. There are much boys in the class. (incorrect)

There are many boys in the class. (Correct)

3.Beside, Besides 

Beside     by the side 

Besides  (further)

Examples:

i. He is sitting besides me. (incorrect)

He is sitting beside me. (Correct)

ii. Beside this I have nothing to say. (incorrect)

Besides this I have nothing to say. (Correct)

4. Little,  A Little,  The Little:

1. Little means hardly any or not much. It has a negative meaning. 

2. A Little means some. It has a positive meaning. 

3. The Little  means something already present. 

Examples:

i. Little money is better than none. (incorrect)

A little money is better than none. (Correct)

ii. I am sorry to find that I have a little money. (incorrect)

I am sorry to find that I have little money. (Correct)

iii. He spent a little money he had. (incorrect)

He spent the little money he had. (Correct)

5. Few,  A Few,  The Few: 

1. Few: Means not any. It has a negative meaning. 

2. A Few denotes at least a certain number. It has a positive meaning.  

3. The Few: a certain number which is already present

Examples:

i. I am sorry, I have a few friends. (incorrect)

I am sorry, I have few friends. (Correct)

ii. He was glad to have few books. (incorrect)

He was glad to have a few books. (Correct)

iii. He reads a few books he had. (incorrect)

He reads the few books he had. (Correct)

6. Elder, Eldest:

Elder and eldest denote the position of one member of a family with reference to another. They are used for the members of the same family. As :

Eldest son, eldest daughter, etc.

If two members of the same family have to compete in age then use ‘elder’

Always use ‘to’ after elder and eldest. 

Example:

I am elder than my sister by two years. (incorrect)

I am elder to my sister by two years. (Correct)

Older,  Oldest:

1. Denotes other than blood relation. ا

2. Denotes more in age.  

3. Denotes old things. 

Examples:

i. He is my older brother. (incorrect)

He is my elder brother. (Correct)

ii. This is the eldest tree. (incorrect)

This is the oldest tree. (Correct)

iii. He is the eldest than his sister by two years. (incorrect)

He is the eldest to his sister by two years. (Correct)

7. Farther, Further:

1. Farther refers to more distance in space. 

2. Further means in addition to.

Examples:

i. Multan is further from Faisalabad than khanewal. (incorrect)

Multan is farther from Faisalabad than khanewal. (Correct)

ii. You must complete your work without farther delay. (incorrect)

You must complete your work without further delay. (Correct)

8. Last, Latest:

1. Last refers to position.  

2. Latest refers to time. It means new. 

Examples:

i. What is the last news. (incorrect)

What is the latest news. (Correct)

ii. I am the latest person in the interview. (incorrect)

I am the last person in the interview. (Correct)

9. Mutual, Common:

1. Mutual means reciprocal 

2. Common means shared by more than one person. 

Examples:

i. The common love between husband and wife was lost. (incorrect)

The mutual love between husband and wife was lost. (Correct)

ii. We went to the house of our mutual friend. (incorrect)

We went to the house of our common friend.(Correct) 

10. No Less than, No Fewer than: 

a. No less than  refers to quantity. 

With uncountables nouns. 

b. No fewer than refers to number.

With countable nouns.

Examples:

i. No less than forty soldiers were killed in the battle field. (incorrect)

No fewer than forty soldiers were killed in the battle field. (Correct)

ii. No fewer than water remains in the jug. (incorrect)

No less than water remains in the jug. (Correct)

11. Many a, A Great Many:

Both have the same meaning but ‘many a’ is used with a singular verb, whereas ‘a great many’ takes a plural verb. 

Examples:

i. Many a leader want to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan. (incorrect)

Many a leader wants to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan.(Correct)

ii. A great many Pakistani is in poverty and ignorance. (incorrect)

A great many Pakistani are in poverty and ignorance.(Correct)

12. Later,  Latter:

1. Later refers to time in the future or after something else, after the present time.

2. Later(adj.) before noun.  (later part of movie or drama)

The later lesson.

3. Latter refers to position. (of two things or persons, the one is mentioned second)

Examples:

i. She came latter than I. (incorrect)

She came later than I. (Correct)

ii. The last chapter of the book is interesting. (incorrect)

The later chapter of the book is interesting. (Correct)

iii. Ahmad and Akram are great friends. The later is more intelligent. (incorrect)

Ahmad and Akram are great friends. The latter is more intelligent. (Correct)

13. Nearest, Next:

1. Nearest refers to the distance.

2. Next refers to position.  

Examples:

i. I got admission in the next college. (incorrect)

I got admission in the nearest college. (Correct)

ii. What is the nearest programme on T.V.(incorrect)

What is the next programme on T.V.(Correct)

14. All, Whole:

1. All denotes number and quantity.

2. The whole denotes only the quantity. 

Note: If there is  proper nouns after ‘whole’, use ‘of’ with them.

As:

The whole of America, The whole of Pakistan, The whole of karachi.

Examples:

i. Have you spent the whole of money. (incorrect)

Have you spent the whole money.(Correct)

ii. I drank whole the milk in the bottle. (incorrect)

I drank all the milk in the bottle. (Correct)

iii. The whole Pakistan is facing unemployment. (incorrect)

The whole of Pakistan is facing unemployment.(Correct)

Hopefully, your concept about Pair of Words in the use of adjectives is clear now, This lecture is part of the whole series of English Grammar by Miss Nabila Gulzar, For Other Lectures Click Here also We have an Essay on every topic, Check the complete list here. If you are Studying in Matric Free Video Lectures of MathsPhysics and English are here, and we have got you covered for I.COM Business Maths also. 

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