by R. S. Karunaratne

How to use conjunctions

We use conjunctions to join sentences together. Coordinating conjunctions are used to join pairs of nouns, adjectives, adverbs, verbs, phrases and clauses.

Amanda plays table tennis and netball.

I work and he pays me a salary.

Journalists have to work quickly and accurately.

Amanda plays table tennis and netball

Sam is small but strong.

Some children are intelligent but lazy.

David passed the written examination but failed the practical test.

Grandfather doesn’t smoke or drink.

Some villagers cannot read or write.

You can walk to school or take the bus.

Deaf people can neither hear nor speak.

Not only men but also women were elected to Parliament.

Subordinating conjunctions are “if, that, though, although, unless and when.”

Although vegetables are expensive, we have to buy them.

John says that he’ll pass the examination, though I don’t think he will.

Sando got the job although he had no qualifications.

Although he didn’t study well, he passed the examination.

Unless you’ve got experience, you can’t get a job.

When it rains, buses are crowded.

If the weather is good, we can play cricket.

Besides precedes a gerund.

Besides doing the gardening he looks after the house.

However precedes its adjective or adverb.

However hard I work, I don’t get a substantial salary.

Otherwise means “if not.”

We must go early, otherwise we won’t get a seat.

So precedes its adjective or adverb.

The milk was so hot that I couldn’t drink it.

Sam is small but strong

Therefore can be used instead of “so.”

There was fog at the airport; therefore the plane had to be diverted.

Still means “nevertheless.”

I knew that you aren’t rich; still you can help me.

Yet means “nevertheless.”

Nora was a plain girl; yet he married her.

Despite means “in spite of.”

Despite the poor salaries, we are compelled to work here.

While can mean “but” when it is used to emphasise a contrast.

Rich people waste money while the poor haven’t enough.

Activity

Use suitable conjunctions and check your answers with the key.

1. It was raining .......... she wanted to go home.
2. I like her ........... she hates me.
3. Grandfather tried to get up ............. he cannot walk.
4. We don’t buy much ice cream ............... it is expensive.
5. I’ll phone you...... I get stranded.

Key:

1. but 2. but 3. although 4. because 5. if

Match words and meanings

Here’s an exciting way to enrich your vocabulary. Match the words in column “A” with their meanings in column “B’ and check your answers with the key. The first has been done for you.

Column A

Y 1. doff
... 2. dog days
... 3. dogged
... 4. doggerel
... 5. dogleg
... 6. dog-tired
... 7. doleful
... 8. dollop
... 9. dolorous
.. 10. dolt
.. 11. domain
.. 12. dome
.. 13. domicile
.. 14. dominant
.. 15. dominate
.. 16. domineering
.. 17. dominion
.. 18. doodle
.. 19. doom
.. 20. doomsday
.. 21. dope
.. 22. dormitory
.. 23. dosage
.. 24. dot
.. 25. dotage

[Column B]

A. extremely tired
B. a small amount of something soft
C. an area of interest over which a person has control
D. the place where a person lives
E. to draw pictures or patterns while thinking about something else
F. death or destruction
G. the hottest days of summer
H. to have control over a place or person
I. control over a country or people
J. a sharp bend in a road
K. the end of the world
L. any type of illegal drug
M. a large room containing many beds
N. the amount of medicine you should take at one time
O. sad or causing sadness
P. very determined to do something
Q. a stupid person
R. a rounded roof on a building
S. more important
T. trying to control other people
U. a very small round mark
V. old age with some loss of mental ability
W. very sad
X. badly written poetry
Y. to remove your hat to show respect

Key:

2. G 3. P 4. X 5. J 6. A 7. W 8. B 9. O 10. Q 11. C 12. R 13. D 14. S 15. H 16. T 17. I 18. E 19. F 20. K 21. L 22. M 23. N 24. U 25. V

Starters:

How to use prepositions

Part 1

The student has two main problems with prepositions. He has to know whether a preposition is necessary in a given situation. Secondly, he should know which preposition to use. These problems are especially troublesome for those who are learning English as a link language. Although no comprehensive set of rules can be given, the student can learn how to use prepositions by reading books written by eminent authors and grammarians.

Prepositions of place

Learn how the prepositions are used as regards places.

You can dive into a swimming pool

Birds are kept in cages.

Birds lay eggs in their nests.

You can dive into a swimming pool.

Most children love to play in water.

I saw the detective getting out of the car.

A lot of people are waiting outside the bank.

Keep this book on the table.

Your briefcase is on top of the cupboard.

The tourist is putting his luggage onto the trolley.

The workman fell off the ladder.

I saw him at the bus halt.

There is a small table beside the bed.

Sit next to me if you want to see the procession.

The airport is near the Free Trade Zone.

The train is leaving for Kandy.

Father is going to Jaffna tomorrow.

I received a letter from Mary.

The beggar is walking towards the market.

The thief is running away from the police.

There is a new bridge over the Kelani river.

The mechanic is under the bus repairing the engine.

There is a ceiling above me.

What will happen if the temperature falls below zero?

A motorcyclist without a helmet was riding in front of my car.

The child ran behind the car until it disappeared.

She is scared of going up the ladder.

What goes up will have to come down.

Never run across the road when there is heavy traffic.

The express train is going through a tunnel.

I met my long-lost friend when I was walking along the street.

We sped past many green fields.

I found myself among strangers.

Moratuwa is between Ratmalana and Panadura.

At the restaurant I had to sit opposite a strange man.

In Sinhala and Hindi films we see lovers running around trees.

The dog was sleeping under the table.

I found many books lying on the floor.

The manager came into the office.

I was at the doctor's when you rang.

Quiz on idioms

An idiom is a special kind of phrase. It is a group of words which have a different meaning when used together from the one it would have if the meaning of each word were taken individually. Tick the meaning of the following idioms and check your answers with the key.

1. If someone is knocking on the door of a club ...

(a) they are trying to join it

(b) they are trying to disturb the proceedings

(c) they are trying to find what is happening

2. If you lay something at someone's door ...

(a) you expect them to accept it

(b) you praise them for something pleasant

(c) you blame them for something unpleasant

3. If someone is pushing at an open door ...

(a) they are trying to enter by force

(b) they are finding it very easy to achieve their aims

(c) they are behaving violently

4. If you talk about the revolving door of an organisation ...

(a) the people working in it do not stay there for very long

(b) the people working in it are very happy

(c) the people working there are very unhappy

5. If people have talks behind closed doors ...

(a) they are plotting

(b) they have talks in public

(c) they have talks in private

6. The dos and dont's of a situation are ...

(a) things you should and should not do

(b) things you should do

(c) things you should not do

7. If you do something on the dot ...

(a) you do it after some time

(b) you do it punctually

(c) you never do it

8. If you do something on the double ...

(a) you postpone doing it

(b) you never do it

(c) you do it very quickly

9. If someone is down and out ...

(a) they have nowhere to live

(b) they are ill

(c) they are unhappy

10. If something goes down the drain ...

(a) it is getting worse

(b) it is improving

(c) it is happening slowly

Key:

1. (a) 2. (c) 3. (b) 4. (a) 5. (c) 6. (a) 7. (b) 8. (c) 9. (a) 10. (a)