Thursday 27 March 2014

Punctuation - When to use what ?


Apostrophe:
  • When the possessor is singular – man’s
  • When the possessors are plural – girls’
  • When a name ends with the letter s – James’ or James’s
  • The apostrophe is never used with possessive pronouns (his, hers, its, ours, yours, theirs). However, it is used with one.
  • An apostrophe is used to contract the words.

Comma:
  • Use commas to separate items in a list.
  • Use commas to separate words and word groups when there are three or more to avoid confusion.
  • A comma is used to separate two or more adjectives when the word and can be placed between them.
  • Use a comma after a name or title when starting a sentence, or surrounding it within a sentence, when a person is addressed directly.
  • Use a comma to separate the day and the month from the year and after the year. However, if any part of the date is omitted then the comma is not used.
  • Use a comma to separate a city from the state and after the state. However, if the two letter abbreviation of the state is used, the comma is omitted after it.
  • Use commas before and after degrees or titles used with names. Commas are no longer required to separate Jr. or Sr., and they are never used to separate II, III, etc.
  • Use commas to separate expressions that interrupt sentence flow.
  • Use a comma after a weak clause or phrase when it begins a sentence. These are meant to follow a strong clause without a pause of interruption.
  • Use commas to separate a nonrestrictive relative clause.
  • Use a comma to separate two clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction – and, but, or, for, nor. The comma can be omitted if the two clauses are short.
  • Use commas to introduce or interrupt direct quotations.
  • Use a comma to separate a statement from a question.
  • Use a comma to separate contrasting segments of a sentence.
  • Use a comma when you begin a sentence with an introductory word, such as yes, well, or now.
  • Use commas before and/or after words, such as however or therefore when they interrupt a sentence.
  • Use a comma (or semicolon) before introductory words, such as namely, that is, i.e., for example, e.g., or for instance.
  • Use a comma in a conditional sentence that uses the word then when omitting it.

Semicolon:
  • A semicolon provides a stronger pause than a comma, but is not quite as strong as a full stop (period).
  • Link Two Independent Clauses
  • Link Lists When Items Contain Commas
  • Link Lengthy Clauses Containing Commas
  • Link Clauses Connected by Conjunctive Adverbs or Transitional Phrases

Colon:
  • A colon is used to show that information is following.
  • Introduce a List
  • Introduce a Quotation that Follows an Introductory Sentence
  • After a Formal Business Letter Salutation
  • Between Standard Hours and Minutes of Time

Dash:
  • Use a dash before and after a strong interruption within a sentence.
  • Only one dash is used when the strong interruption comes at the beginning or end of the sentence.
  • Add Emphasis
  • Link Two Connected Words
  • Indicate a Range of Numbers
  • After a Quotation to Indicate the Author

Hyphen:
  • In between Compound Nouns (hyphenated, separate, one word)
  • In between Compound Verbs (hyphenated, one word)
  • In between Compound Adjectives (hyphenated)
  • In between Compound Adverbs (hyphenated, separate) - Use a hyphen when compound adverbs not ending in –ly are used before a noun. When used after a noun, do not hyphenate.
  • Numbers and Fractions: Hyphenate all numbers from twenty-one through ninety-nine. Also, hyphenate all fractions which are spelled out.
  • Vowel-ending Prefix with Vowel-beginning Root
    • Use a hyphen when a prefix ends in an a or i and the root word begins with the same letter.
    • Sometimes a hyphen is used, and sometimes it isn’t when the prefix ends in an e or o and the root word begins in the same letter.
    • Generally a hyphen is NOT used when the prefix begins with one vowel and the root word begins with another vowel.
  • Proper Nouns
  • Words with the Prefix Self
  • Words with the Prefix Ex
  • Words with the Prefix Re - Use a hyphen with words beginning with the prefix re ONLY when omitting the hyphen causes confusion with another word.

Window of Opportunity



























Don't Know what to do - Just relax and explore all the possibilities by drawing a similar picture as shown above and find out your strength, what you can do etc...
or
Feeling uncomfortable, want to identify the problem causing disturbance - explore it

An operation flow diagram






















A flow diagram representing a sequence of processes being carried out and is grouped to identify a broad step so as to easily distinguish.

Ideal Weight Chart

A tabular representation of certain characteristics or a weighted scale to find out one characteristic using another.

Flat Stomach Workout

A pictorial representation of workout/ exercise/ yoga etc to achieve certain objectives using a series of steps.

Wednesday 1 January 2014

How to decide the usuage of Coordinating Conjunctions



Correlative conjunction
Verb form – when used with two subjects
And
Both – And
Plural
But
Not only – but also
the subject which is closer to the verb determines whether the verb is singular or plural
Or
Either – or
Nor
Neither – Nor

When to you use what - differentiating the usuage of two similar tersm


Need / In need of
  • the verb need is followed by an infinitive verb.
  • Usually, when the subject of a sentence is an inanimate object, the verb need is followed by either a gerund (or “ing” verb), or the verb to be followed by the past participle of the action verb.
  • the word need is not a verb in the phrase in need of, it must be preceded by the verb be.

Know/ Know how
  • The verb know, when used by itself, is usually followed by a noun, a prepositional phrase, or a sentence.
  • Know how is used to indicate a skill, or ability to do something. This form is followed by the infinitive form of a verb.

Raise / Rise && set / sit && lay / lie
  • Raise, set and lay are transitive verbs and are followed by an object. Rise, sit and lie are intransitive verbs and are NOT followed by an object.

Representing tenses - Present / Past & Future