English Grammar Test - Fill in the blanks

Fill in the blanks with have, have had or had had.

1. I ........................... a headache since morning.

have

had

have had

had had

2. I ............................ a headache in the morning.

have

had

had had

3. I .......................... a headache. I don't want to go to the party.

have

had

have had

4. The Prime Minister ............................ discussions with the President.

has had

had have

have had

5. I ........................... several problems recently.

have had

have

had

6. The cat ............................ her kittens.

had

have had

have

has had

7. I ......................... any rest for days.

haven't had

haven't

don't have

8. She .......................... five children in six years.

has

has had

had has

9. I .......................... this car for ten years.

have had

had had

had

10. I ........................... enough of your impertinence.

have had

had

have

11. I ........................... that car for ten years before I sold it.

have had

had have

had had

12. I ............................... a call from my boss.

Please select 2 correct answers

have just had

just have

just had

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Source: https://www.englishgrammar.org

English Grammar Quiz

 English Grammar Quiz

1. I told my teacher that I _________ what she said.

 did not believe
 was not believing

2. I ________ the number 12 bus just down the road.

 could see
 was seeing

3. At the moment Maria ________ her homework, as she does every day.

 does
 is doing

4. The baby ________ 21 inches long.

 measures
 is measuring

5. Please be quiet. I ________ to the radio.

 listen
 am listening

6. Everything on the menu ________ delicious.

 tastes
 is tasting

7. Why ________ so selfish about this?

 are you
 are you being

8. Was he on time or was he ________ ?

 late
 being late

9. He told the police he'd only had a small drink and was ________ not to drive too fast.

 careful
 being careful

10. Is she always ________ with children and animals?

 so patient
 being so patient

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Source: EnglishClub

The Basic Writing Skills Required for Writing

Writing is a medium of communication and having writing skills would help you to express ideas, opinions, and thoughts in an easy and clear way. To have the basic writing skills:

1. Learn to write in simple language. Avoid slang, fancy words and abbreviations.

2. Use paragraphs so that the readers do not get bored. The transition from one paragraph to another must happen smoothly so that there is a connection between the paragraphs.

3. Use proper punctuation, correct spellings and grammar and develop fine vocabulary.

4. Proofread and edit. Once you finish your writing, it is the time to do editing and proofreading. For instance, check for spelling, grammar, punctuation, voices, speech, and sentence formation and other errors. Also, check for commonly misused words like ‘affect’ and ‘effect’, ‘your’ and ‘you’re (you are)’, ‘its’ or ‘it’s’ (it is), 'there' or 'their', etc.

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Improve Your Writing With 3 Easy Steps

Writing is an indispensable skill that requires real effort and dedication if you want to do it properly. It’s also the most important skill to master before you enter the workforce, because the strength of your writing skills may very well determine the chances that you’ll find decent employment. Writing a resume, a cover letter, and email correspondence to a potential employer takes finesse and skill.

Unfortunately, strong writing skills are becoming scarcer as fewer young professionals get proper training in the discipline; even many college students lack proper writing skills when they graduate. Obviously, most people know how to write, but they just don’t know how to write for their audience (namely for an employer or job recruiter) in a captivating and compelling manner.

Allow me to share with you some indispensable writing skills that will set you apart when you’re applying for jobs.

Active voice and descriptive language

When you’re writing any sort of correspondence to a potential employer, you want to sound like you know what you’re talking about. To do that, you have to keep your language clear and concise at all times: you don’t have any room to expand sentences with useless phrases or impressive-but-empty words. Use only active and powerful verbs to describe your goals, your inspirations, and your qualifications. That means doing away with any “to be” verbs and other weak verbs that do nothing more than take up space on a page. In essence, you want to be assertive and descriptive with every single word. Your employer should fully understand your application and your background by the time they finish reading what you’ve written.

Check and double check for errors

You can avoid most common grammatical mistakes and spelling errors that go unnoticed by spellcheck if you simply look over your writing before you submit it. You’d be amazed (and embarrassed) by the number of errors you can write into any resume or job application. Some people don’t look over their work more than once because they assume that if nothing shows up on spellcheck then there’s nothing wrong with the piece, but the truth is that most spellchecking systems miss a great deal of errors. So whenever you finish a draft of a resume or a cover letter, do yourself a favor by printing it out and going over the text line by line with a pen. That way you’ll be sure to catch any potentially disastrous mistake!

Avoid templates and overused phrases

If you lack confidence in your writing abilities, you might be tempted to look up a writing template on the web as a guide for your material. You might also fall back on common catchphrases and clichés in lieu of original material because you’re either too afraid or too lazy to express yourself to a potential employer. While this is certainly a quick way to finish a job application, it certainly won’t assure you a job. You want to stand out among other job applicants competing for the position that you’ve applied for, but how can you expect to do that if you use the same old phrases that everyone else uses? Unless you make the effort to distinguish yourself, you employers will throw away your job application just as they threw away countless identical applications.

How do you refine your writing skills?
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Author:
This guest post is contributed by Lauren Bailey, who regularly writes for online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: blauren99 @gmail.com

How to Write Right

How to write right… it’s a bit of a contradiction because there’s really no right or wrong way to right, only general guidelines that you want to keep in mind as you put pen to paper, or in a more modern sense as you type words onto a screen. Writing is such a singular, individual task that you can’t tell someone exactly how they should be writing; you can only guide them down a path in an attempt to help them find themselves as a writer. When you write, keep these guidelines in mind:

1.      Write in your own voice – One problem that plagues many aspiring writers is trying to mimic their favorite authors writing style. But that’s not going to get you very far as a writer because it’s not you. Instead you have to find your own writing voice and embrace it! Once you find your writing voice everything is going to become more fluid and easy.

2.      Paragraphs don’t have to be 2-3 sentences long– I know, I know. All through your English and writing classes you were told to make sure that your paragraphs had at a minimum of 2-3 sentences in them so that you could get your point across. That’s just not true though. Sometimes the most effective paragraphs are those that are only one sentence long. They hammer home a particular point, make the reader think, and then carry on to the next paragraph.

Right? Right.

Moving on.

3.      Don’t overuse commas – Overuse of commas is one of the most common mistakes people make. People like to place commas everywhere, but in reality you don’t need them nearly as often as you might have initially thought. Read the sentence out loud before adding in a comma – if you wouldn’t naturally pause there in everyday speech don’t use the comma!

4.      Keep it conversational – Writing should never sound stilted or forced unless you’re writing something technical. To really engage readers in your writing you have to write in a more conversational tone. And if you’re unsure if you’re writing conversationally or not then try reading it out loud. You’ll notice right away if something doesn’t sound natural.

5.      Be concise –Being a writer it’s easy to get caught up writing long, verbose sentences full of words that no one has ever heard of in an attempt to capture something truly unique. The only problem? Unless you’re writing English literature no one wants to read sentences that take up half the page. Be short and to the point and use words that everyone can understand.

Writing well is an art form that takes practice and time to perfect. You will continually evolve as a writer as different outside forces influence your thinking, your tone, and your writing. Embrace it; the beauty of writing is finding new ways to uniquely embody yourself.

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Author:

This is a guest post from Laura Backes, she enjoys writing about all kinds of subjects and also topics related to internet providers in my area.  You can reach her at: laurabackes8 @ gmail.com.

Great Tips that Can Help You to Improve Your Writing Skills

1.Keep your writing short and simple. Don't use many complicated sentences.

2.Use words that the reader is familiar with. Don't use words that the reader might find difficult to understand.

3.Don't make all the sentences the same length. Make some sentences longer, while keeping the other sentences shorter.

4.Try to write in the active voice. Use the active voice when you want your writing to be simple, direct, clear and easy to read. If you’re not very confident about your writing, using the active voice can be an easy way to improve a boring piece of writing.

5. Avoid excessive punctuation. Only one exclamation mark or question mark should be used at a time.

More Tips for Better English Writing:
https://www.perfectediting.com/tips-for-better-english-writing.html
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How to Write a 'Congratulations' E-mail Message

Example of an email message to send to someone
who has found a new job.

Subject Line: Congratulations On Your New Position

Content of the E-mail:

Hello Richard,

I was thrilled to hear about your new job
with the (Name of the Company). Having
known and worked with you, I believe you
are ready for such a challenge. You have
the required skills and experience,
and undoubtedly you will make a terrific
Team Leader.

Best of luck as you advance in your career,
and please keep me updated as to how
things are going!

Sincerely,

Peter Brown
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The Qualities of a Good Writer

Discipline - A writer has to be disciplined. Prepare
yourself a timetable for writing and try to stick to it.

Keeping it simple - A writer should write in a simple
language. Complex sentences tend not to please
readers. Instead, most readers prefer a simple, straight
to the point style.

Observation - A writer must be a good observant.
Writers watch people and events and store away
material which they can use later in their writings.

Imagination - The need for this quality must be obvious
if you are a novelist or short-story writer, especially
since it can provide material which lies outside your
experience and cannot be taken from observation.

Experience - All authors who write fiction draw on their
own experiences, and so do those in the factual field.

A Professional Attitude - Tell yourself that you are a
professional writer, and then behave like one. Taking a
serious attitude to your work, trying to perfect your
skills, learning something about publication processes,
and generally meeting the criteria needed for success
will help you become a good writer.

Use of Right Spelling and Grammar - The one mistake
which every reader will spot is spelling the word wrong. So,
avoid making spelling mistakes. A writer also must know when
to use a rule. Why it is made the way it is? What is the
point of the phrase? When should we break the rule? Spelling
and grammatical errors can automatically disqualify you
from being a good writer. A writer MUST be careful about
spelling and grammar.

More Tricky Words

The following words seem to create confusion. This list will help you find just the right word and its correct usage.

Disinterested, Uninterested

Disinterested means objective or impartial, not influenced by personal advantage. Uninterested means indifferent or lacking interest in an outcome.

A disinterested scientist is not uninterested in the result of his experiments.

Insure, Ensure, Assure

All these three words mean to make certain or secure.

"Victory is assured." (or ensured or insured)

Assure means setting someone's mind at peace. Both ensure and insure mean to make secure from harm. Only insure should be used regarding guaranteeing of life or property against risk.

More examples:

He assured his mother that he would be all right in the plane.

She ensured that her children should get higher education.

Is the car insured or the driver?
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7 Tips for Writing a Story

You already know how to tell a story, because every day you are doing it. Every time you tell someone about something that happened to you or something you did, you are telling the "story" of what happened. You just need to know how to write it down.

Get Started

There's a scary blank piece of paper lying in front of you. What do you write on it? Here are a few tips to help you get started developing ideas and writing a story.

Tips

1. Pay attention - Paying attention to the world around you is the first step in developing ideas.

2. Listen - How do people put words together and construct sentences when they talk? The more you listen to others, the better writer you will become.

3. Think - When somebody tells you about something, think about it for a minute. Question things. You'll be surprised how many ideas you'll get that way. When you think, you have gathered enough material for your story.

4. Get used to writing - To write even a simple story requires some practice. Start writing in a diary. Whenever you see something interesting or whenever something happens, make sure to write it down in your diary. Your diary doesn't need to be beautiful. A small notebook will serve the purpose.

5.Read a book - Pick up a book and start reading. Regular habit of reading books will eventually improve your hold over the language.

6. About that blank piece of paper - Pick up your pen . . .Close your eyes. . . . Write any word you can think of now. The paper is no longer blank and your story has started. If you are typing, close your eyes and hit some keys. It really doesn't matter what word you are writing or typing. Get that paper dirty so that it's no longer blank.

7. Proofread - When you've finished writing, always proofread your work to check your spelling, punctuation and grammar. Don't spoil your hard work by presenting an unprofessional image to your readers.
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Tricky Words-3

The following words seem to create confusion. This list will help you find just the right word and its correct usage.

Meantime, Meanwhile

Meantime is a noun that refers to an interval between events.

We will meet at 7.30 p.m. In the meantime, prepare your responses to the board’s questions.

Meanwhile is an adverb meaning during the intervening time.

Meanwhile, you check this out….

Note: You may interchange in the meantime and meanwhile, but do not write “in the meanwhile”.

Pore, Pour

The verb pore means reading or scrutinizing intently, and pour means to let flow. The noun pore is a minute surface opening, as in the skin of an animal.

While Jack was poring over the newspaper, he poured himself a glass of juice.

Principal, Principle

Principal functions as both noun and adjective. The noun refers to the head of a school or firm, or to capital that earns interest; the adjective means chief or main. Principle is a noun meaning rule or standard.

The principal’s principal principle is “Be ready for any situation.”
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Numbers

When you should write numbers as words and when as figures depends on the nature of your writing. But, still, certain rules are there about how to apply numbers in different situations. Today, let us discuss the cases where you should write numbers as figures.

1. For 10 and above (journalism, science, business); 100 and above (literary writing)

"My efforts to cut out 50,000 words may sometimes result in my adding 75,000."

2. When numbers both below and above 10 refer to the same general subject

4 of 22 employees.
from 5th to 11th grade

3. When you refer to parts of a book

Chapter 5, Figure 9, page 45, Table 2.

4. With dates and times

21st century, 6 p.m., 6-year plan

5. When they precede units of time, measurement, or money

19 years old, $100, 5 o' clock, 2 hours 25 minutes 22 seconds.

Tricky Words-2

The following words seem to create confusion. This list will help you find just the right word and its correct usage.

Different from, Different than

Different from is preferred in most cases, especially if it is followed by a single noun, pronoun, or short phrase.

Her reading style is different from mine.

Different than is used if it avoids wordiness or is followed by a clause.

Wordy: Writing style today is different from what it was a century ago.
Better: Writing style today is different than a century ago.

Fewer, Less

Fewer is used with individual items that can be counted (fewer potatoes); less is used for bulk, when the item is regarded as a single entity (less oatmeal).

The fewer mistakes you make, the less guilty you feel.

Note: When Less is used, a singular verb is used, while when Fewer is used, a plural verb is used.

"Less fat is needed if fewer calories are to be consumed."

I, Me, Myself

I should be used when it is the subject of a sentence.

My sister and I went to the cricket match.

Me should be used when it is the object of the action or thought conveyed by the verb of the sentence, or when it is the object of a preposition.

Rebecca invited Ron and me to her birthday party.

Myself is correctly used for emphasis ( I, myself, will look into the matter ) or as a reflexive ( I hurt myself falling from the chair ).

Note: Do not use myself as a substitute for I and me.

Wrong: The documents were given to my partner and myself.
Right: The documents were given to my partner and me.

Wrong: Rohan and myself are writing software programmes for creating a new application.
Right: Rohan and I are writing software programmes for creating a new application.
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Tricky Words

The following words seem to create confusion. Go through the list to see if it includes words you use and if you are using them correctly. This list will help you find just the right word and its correct usage.

A While, Awhile

While means a period of time, awhile means for a period of time. Thus, the sentence "She will be gone for awhile" is incorrect, as it doubles up on the word for. So, write "She will be gone for a while" or " She will be gone awhile."

Complement, Compliment

Complement is both a verb and a noun, meaning to complete a whole or satisfy a need. Compliment also functions as both verb and noun, meaning praise.

Rahul's efforts complemented those of the rest of the team. (verb)

A complement of fifteen laborers performed the task. (noun)

Rohan complemented her on the cake she had baked.(verb)

His compliment was sincere. (noun)

Due to, Because of

In formal writing, careful writers use because of to indicate a cause-and-effect relationship and keep due to for use after forms of the verb to be.

The driver lost control of the bus because of faulty brakes.

The accident was due to faulty brakes.

Advice, Advise

The noun advice means a suggestion or opinion concerning a course of action. The verb advise means to give advice. Someone who gives advice is either an adviser or an advisor; both spellings being correct.

Top Ten Tips for Inexperienced Writers

If you are an inexperienced writer and would like to improve your writing skills, then here are some quick tips to help you get started.

1. Use simple words. Writing that is hard to understand is poorly written, not impressive.

2. Prefer the short word to the long. Keep your sentences also fairly short. Clarity and precision can be achieved if you use short words and short sentences.

3. Make sure that your sentences flow together well. Sometimes, inexperienced writers simply break longer sentences into smaller ones that do not blend together smoothly. Rewrite the sentences to improve the flow of your writing and also to ensure that there is a proper sequencing.

4. Do not use the the same word too frequently, as this can make one’s work sound repetitive.

5. Get yourself a thesaurus and a dictionary. These are extremely helpful tools when you are struggling to find the right word. The correct word usage is extremely important.

6. Do not rely too much on your word processor’s grammar and spelling checking features. Their capabilities are limited. Also, a spell checker is just a tool. It does not know the difference between "they're," "there" and "their." It can not determine whether a particular spelling is the correct one for the context. The easiest way to improve spelling and grammar is to read good books.

7. Target your writing towards an intelligent, enthusiastic, but non-expert reader and your writing confidence will grow. If you present too much information too quickly, chances are that the readers will balk. When you are done, go through the same questions you asked yourself when starting to write. Have you said what you wanted to say? Did you use as few words as possible? Will your readers be still with you at the end? If your answers are all positive, it means you have done a wonderful job.

8. Get a copy of "The Elements of Expression: Putting Thoughts into Words" by Arthur Plotnik. This book is incredibly helpful.

9. There's a saying, "Practice makes perfect". If you want to be a good writer, then keep writing. A little time and lots of practice are all that you need now.

10. Proofread your work over and over again. When you have finished writing, have a professional proofreader check your final work.

The most important thing an inexperienced writer should do is to make the reader's job easier. You should be able to communicate what you want to communicate. An ill-formed, confusing sentence can eventually be understood, but there is no need to waste the reader's time trying to figure out what you have meant. So, practice writing. The more you practice good writing, the easier it becomes. Best of luck!!
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Reproduction of A Story-Poem

What you have to do here is to tell in your own words the story which is told in a poem. Therefore, the first thing is to read the poem as a story, so that you know what the story is; and the next is, to tell the same story in your own words and your own way.

HINTS

1. Read the whole poem through, slowly and carefully. If after the first reading, the story is not clear to you, read the poem again, until you are confident about the meaning of the poem.

2. Write down briefly the main facts of the story, in order to help yourself in your narration. Do not leave out any important point.

3. Now, try to write out the story in simple, straightforward English, mentioning the incidents of the story in their natural order.

4. Use your own words in telling the story. Do not just copy the language of the poem. Write the story using simple, plain words.

5. When you have finished writing the story, read the poem once again to see if you have left out any important fact or have stated any point wrongly.

6. Finally, proofread your composition, so that there is no mistake in spelling, grammar and punctuation. Also, see that your sentences are properly constructed, and that the whole composition reads well.

How to Write Business Letters

Business Letters - Business Letters are much more formal in style than friendly letters. These letters should be clear and to the point. Use certain forms of polite expressions, and at the same time avoid certain phrases of business "jargon". There are different types of Business Letters, including

- Letter of Inquiry
- Letter of Reply
- Letter of Order
- Letter of Acknowledgment
- Letter of Giving Instruction
- Letter of Claim
- Letter of Adjustment
- Letter of Sales
- Letter of Application
- Letter of Advertisement
- Letter to Newspapers

Let us today discuss about Letters of Application and Letters to Newspapers.

Letters of Application – If you are writing a letter applying for employment, remember the following points:

a) A short introduction stating whether you are answering an advertisement or applying on your own responsibility.

b) A background of your education and experience.

c) Tell the employer how you can help his/her company.

d) ASK for an interview clearly and directly.

While writing a letter of application, use the same form as used in business letters.

Letters to Newspapers - These letters should always be addressed to "The Editor", and they usually end with "Yours faithfully".

The form of Salutation is Sir/ Dear Sir.

If you write such a letter and do not want your name to be published, you can sign your name with words like "Interested", "Anxious", "Indignant", "One who knows", etc. Otherwise, you must mention your name and address (in a covering letter) to the Editor, because a respectable newspaper usually does not publish anonymous letters.

The art of letter-writing, therefore, is no mere ornamental accomplishment, but something that every educated person must acquire for practical reasons. So, regular practice in letter writing will help you master the art.

How to Write Social Letters

Every educated person should know how to write a clear and readable letter. So, let us now discuss how to write Friendly Letters and Notes of Invitations, both of which fall under the main category, Social Letters.

Friendly Letters - Letters to relations and intimate friends are informal and free-and-easy as compared to essays. Just as what we do in a friendly chat, in a friendly letter too, we can touch on many subjects and in whichever order we like. We can also use colloquial expressions which we can never even think of using in formal essays or letters.

But, this does not mean that we can be careless. However easy and conversational our style may be, we must keep in mind the rules of spelling, grammar and punctuation as we remember them while writing the most formal essay. Mistakes in spelling, grammar and punctuation at once stamp a letter-writer as uneducated. So, proofread your letter several times before you send it to someone.

In friendly letters, the proper form of address is the name (without surname) of the person to whom you are writing, prefixed by such qualifying terms as Dear, My Dear, Dearest, etc. For example:- My dear Richard, etc. But, if you are writing to an ordinary friend, who is much older than you, or of a superior rank, it is respectful to use a prefix like Mr., Mrs., etc. For example:- Dear Mrs. Anjana Singh.

The forms of subscription are varied. You may use words like Yours affectionately, Your loving son or brother or friend. In concluding letters to friends and acquaintances whom you address as Mr. or Mrs., you should use the word sincerely in the subscription; and this may be preceded by With Kind Regards.

Please note that sincerely should not be used in letters beginning with the formal Dear Sir, after which the proper word of subscription is faithfully or truly.

Notes of Invitations - A formal invitation is generally written in the third person and should not contain any heading, any salutation, and any complimentary close. If you write such a letter, mention your name in the body of the letter, whereas write the address and the date to the left, below the communication.

If you reply to such a note, write it also in the third person, repeating the date and time mentioned in the invitation.

Informal notes of invitation, acceptance and refusal are like ordinary friendly letters, though using more formal language. Address them to the recipient by name and use any of the following close: Yours sincerely, Yours affectionately.

Paraphrasing

The word "paraphrase" has been derived from a Greek word, meaning "equivalent sentence". It is defined as "restatement of the sense of a passage in other words."

Method of Procedure

1. Read the passage slowy and carefully until you have completely understood its general meaning. You may read the passage repeatedly if one reading does not help you to understand the gist.

2. Next, read the passage again with a view to its details. You need to express not only the substance, but also the details, of the passage in your own words.

3. Reproduce the passage in simple and direct English, keeping in mind the main gist of the passage.

4. Treat the passage as a whole. Do not work word by word, or line by line.

5. Rearrange, if required, the order of sentences, and even of the whole passage, if this helps in making the meaning clear.

6. Break up a long sentence into many short ones, or combine the several short sentences into one long, if that helps the whole to be more easily understood.

7. Do not change words just for the sake of change. Do not change the words in the original that are already simple in meaning. Change only those words that are uncommon, difficult and technical. Never substitute a difficult or complicated word for a simple and familiar word.

8. Explanatory notes have no place in a paraphrase. If any sentence in the paraphrase requires a note to expalin it, rewrite the sentence until it explains itself.

9. Write out a rough draft of your paraphrase. Proofread the draft carefully. Correct any mistake in spelling, grammar, punctuation, idiom, etc. Make the draft completely error-free.

10. Write down the final draft neatly if you feel the paraphrase is as good as you can make it.

How To Write A Paragraph

"A paragraph is a number of sentences grouped together and relating to one topic; or, a group of related sentences that develop a single point."

In writing essays or other compositions, it is important to know how to divide them properly into paragraphs. These paragraphs are not mere arbitrary divisions. The beginning of a new paragraph marks a change of topic, or a step in the development of a story or of an argument.

There is no rule as to the length of paragraphs. A paragraph may contain a single sentence or many sentences.

Principles of Paragraph Structure

UNITY – The most important principle to be observed in constructing a paragraph is that of Unity. Each paragraph must deal with one topic or idea. And, every sentence in the paragraph must be closely connected with the main topic of the paragraph. The theme or subject of a paragraph is often expressed in the first sentence of the paragraph. This sentence is called the key-sentence.

ORDER – The second principle of a paragraph construction is Order – i.e., the logical sequence of thought or development of the subject. Events must be related in the order of their occurrence, and all ideas should be connected with the main idea and arranged according to their importance and order.

The two most important sentences in the paragraph are the first and the last. The first sentence should evoke the interest of the reader, while the last sentence should bring the whole paragraph on this topic to a conclusion.

VARIETY - To avoid monotony, the paragraph of a composition should be of different lengths, and it should not always be of the same sentence construction.