This is a guide to help learners to communicate easily in both speech and writing through a better understanding of the English language.
A / an
Use ‘a’ before words beginning with a consonant except silent ‘h’ and before all words beginning with vowels which are sounded like consonants:
A good girl, a mango tree, a history book, a hotel, a uniform, a European
Use ‘an’ before words beginning with a vowel or a silent ‘h’:
An uncle, an hour, an umbrella, an aunt
The use of ‘a’ or ‘an’ before initial letters pronounced as letters depends on whether they have a consonant or vowel sound at the beginning:
An SOS signal, an MP, a BSc degree, a B.A. degree
Abbreviations and contractions
Abbreviations are usually followed by a full stop, but there is an increasing tendency to omit the full stop in contractions:
Dr Suren, Mr Perera
The full stop is frequently omitted from abbreviated titles of organisations which are usually known by their initials:
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporations), NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
Ability / capacity
‘Ability’ is the power to accomplish things, whether physical or mental, and the skill displayed in so doing.
Sanath Jayasuriya showed great ability as a cricketer.
‘Capacity’ is the power to absorb and hold things, such as ideas, impressions or knowledge.
The manager had a great capacity for hard work.
Abjure / adjure
‘Abjure’ is to state publicly that you will give up a particular belief or a way of behaviour.
‘Adjure’ is to try very hard to persuade someone to do something.
Sam adjured his assistant to be truthful.
-able
Adjectives ending in ‘-able’ may be formed from any transitive verb and from some nouns.
If the verb ends in a silent ‘-e’, it is usually dropped in the adjectives:
Desire: desirable
Pleasure: pleasurable
Insure: insurable
Debate: debatable
If the silent ‘-e’ is preceded by a soft ‘c’ or ‘g’, it is retained:
Service: serviceable
Replace: replaceable
Change: changeable
Manage: manageable
However, there are exceptions to the general rule:
Blame: blamable or blameable
Rate: ratable or rateable
Sale: salable or saleable
Final consonants are usually doubled before ‘-able’:
Defer: deferrable
Forget: forgettable
Regret: regrettable
There are exceptions:
Prefer: preferable
Transfer: transferable
When a verb ends in ‘y’ preceded by a consonant, the ‘y’ becomes ‘i’:
Deny: deniable
Justify: justifiable
Rely: reliable
If there is a vowel before the ‘y’, it is retained:
Pay: payable
Enjoy: enjoyable
Abnormal / subnormal
‘Abnormal’ means ‘very different from usual in a way that seems strange, worrying, wrong, or dangerous.’
Susie was worried about her child’s abnormal behaviour.
‘Subnormal’ means ‘less or lower than normal,’ as in subnormal temperatures.
Aboriginal
As an adjective ‘aboriginal’ means ‘connected with the people or animals that have existed in a place or country from the earliest times.’
As a noun ‘aboriginal’ means ‘an aborigine.’