Daily Grammar – Week 1

DAILY GRAMMAR (DG) 07-03-2018

  1. Unfortunately, thieves attacked him at home and carted away all his properties. (No)

Unfortunately, thieves attacked him at home and carted away all his property. (Yes)

(“Property”, meaning “personal possessions”, is an uncountable noun. However, it is countable when it means “house” as used by estate agents and lawyers who are involved in the business of houses and land as well as when it is used as a “peculiarity” of something. For example, “the properties of soil include its texture, structure, porosity, chemistry and colour.”)

  1. If you are successful, you cannot escape the gossips of detractors. (No)

If you are successful, you cannot escape the gossip of detractors. (Yes)

(“Gossip”, meaning ” idle talk” or “rumour”, has no plural form. However, it is pluralised when it refers to the person who gossips. For example, “those girls are a bunch of gossips, I don’t care about them.” Then, it is also used as a verb as used previously in “a person who gossips.”)

  1. At 19, she is a matured student that should be very careful. (No)

At 19, she is a mature student that should be very careful. (Yes)

(“Mature” as an adjective is used before a noun to mean “experienced” or “adult”. ” “Matured” is the past tense or past participle of “mature”, a verb. For example, “the young actor has matured now to a fully grown (or full-grown) man.”)

Did You Know?

The dot over the letter, “i”, is known as a “tittle”.