CASH VS. CACHE

CASH VS. CACHE

As with other similar sounding words, cash and cache also cause confusion among people. Here are some tips to help you avoid these mixups.

Cash as a noun refers to “legal tender or coins that can be used to exchange goods, debt or services”. It is considered the physical form of money.

“Free pizza ‘more motivational than cash’ if you want staff to work harder”
Telegraph

“UniCredit CEO not worried bank’s cash call could overlap with Monte Paschi’s”
Reuters

“Abandoned bag of cash in Lower Sundon was found by a police dog”
BBC News

As a verb, cash means “give or obtain notes or coins for a check or money order”. The verb phrase cash in denotes “take advantage of or exploit a situation”.

“My Landlord Mom Refuses to Cash in on San Francisco’s Insane Housing Market”
VICE

“Columbia Heights cop fired over stake in check-cashing business”
Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Man charged after trying to cash $39,375 counterfeit check, authorities say”
AL.com

Meanwhile, cache as a noun refers to “a hiding place, especially one in the ground, for ammunition, food, treasures, etc.”

“Speeding Motorist Stopped, Police Discover Cache of Allegedly Stolen U.S. Mail”
Pasadena News Now

“Second cache of illegal wood found on military compound”
Myanmar Times

“Eleven militants apprehended, huge cache of arms seized in Assam”
Business Standard

In computing, cache is “a temporary storage space or memory that allows fast access to data”.

“Insecure Redis caches abused for Linux server attacks”
IT News

“RCom Brings Cache-Based Content Delivery Network”
CXOToday.com

“Quick Tip: Clearing Browser Cache and Using Back Button Browsing History in Microsoft Edge”
SuperSite for Windows

Cache may also be used as a verb which literally means “to place in a cache”.

“Could Netflix Someday Cache at Home?”
Light Reading

Basically, you can avoid using the wrong term by simply remembering their different uses. You can now place these terms in your cache of English words for writing.

SIMPLE PAST OR PRESENT PERFECT TENSE WORKSHEET

SIMPLE PAST OR PRESENT PERFECT TENSE 

Complete the following sentences using an appropriate simple past or present perfect tense.

1. I ………………….. her since she moved to Kolkata.

a) didn’t meet
b) haven’t met

2. The police …………………… the thieves yesterday.

a) arrested
b) have arrested

3. He ………………. voluntary retirement at the age of thirty-five.

a) took
b) has taken

4. The teacher ………………. the girl for her achievements.

a) praised
b) has praised

5. When I …………….. the door, the cat …………….. in.

a) opened, jumped
b) have opened, has jumped
c) have opened, jumped

6. This is where my mother ………………. her childhood.

a) spent
b) has spent
c) spend

7. You …………………….. me a drink.

a) have never bought
b) has never bought

8. We …………………. a gold medal in Olympics.

a) never won
b) have never won

9. I ………………….. to New Zealand.

a) never went
b) have never been

10. He ………………… in 2005.

a) graduated
b) has graduated

Answers

1. I haven’t met her since she moved to Kolkata.

2. The police arrested the thieves yesterday.

3. He took voluntary retirement at the age of thirty-five.

4. The teacher praised the girl for her achievements.

5. When I opened the door, the cat jumped in.

6. This is where my mother spent her childhood.

7. You have never bought me a drink.

8. We have never won a gold medal in Olympics.

9. I have never been to New Zealand.

10. He graduated in 2005.

SIMPLE PAST OR PRESENT PERFECT TENSE WORKSHEET

Simple past or present perfect tense worksheet

Complete the following sentences using an appropriate simple past or present perfect tense.

1. I ………………….. her since she moved to Kolkata.

a) didn’t meet
b) haven’t met

2. The police …………………… the thieves yesterday.

a) arrested
b) have arrested

3. He ………………. voluntary retirement at the age of thirty-five.

a) took
b) has taken

4. The teacher ………………. the girl for her achievements.

a) praised
b) has praised

5. When I …………….. the door, the cat …………….. in.

a) opened, jumped
b) have opened, has jumped
c) have opened, jumped

6. This is where my mother ………………. her childhood.

a) spent
b) has spent
c) spend

7. You …………………….. me a drink.

a) have never bought
b) has never bought

8. We …………………. a gold medal in Olympics.

a) never won
b) have never won

9. I ………………….. to New Zealand.

a) never went
b) have never been

10. He ………………… in 2005.

a) graduated
b) has graduated

Answers

1. I haven’t met her since she moved to Kolkata.

2. The police arrested the thieves yesterday.

3. He took voluntary retirement at the age of thirty-five.

4. The teacher praised the girl for her achievements.

5. When I opened the door, the cat jumped in.

6. This is where my mother spent her childhood.

7. You have never bought me a drink.

8. We have never won a gold medal in Olympics.

9. I have never been to New Zealand.

10. He graduated in 2005.

POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES AND PRONOUNS

POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES AND PRONOUNS

Complete the following sentences using possessive adjectives or possessive pronouns.

Possessive adjectives are words like our, my, his, her, their, your and its. They go before nouns.

Possessive pronouns are words like ours, mine, his, hers, theirs and yours.

1. This house is ……………….. (our / ours)

2. We are visiting ………………. home tomorrow. (their / theirs)

3. This is ………………. laptop. (my / mine)

4. This laptop is ………………… (my / mine)

5. She has handed in …………….. work. (her / hers)

6. He is waiting for ……………….. sister. (his / him)

7. ………………….. cupboard was full of nice clothes. (Her / Hers)

8. That house is ……………….. (their / theirs)

9. This is not …………….. bag (your / yours). It is ………………. (her / hers)

10. Are these hens ………………….(your / yours)?

11. I will buy ribbons for ……………….. curly hair. (my / mine)

Answers

1. This house is ours.

2. We are visiting their home tomorrow.

3. This is my laptop.

4. This laptop is mine.

5. She has handed in her work.

6. He is waiting for his sister.

7. Her cupboard was full of nice clothes.

8. That house is theirs.

9. This is not your bag. It is hers.

10. Are these hens yours?

11. I will buy ribbons for my curly hair.

SUBJECT AND PREDICATE

SUBJECT AND PREDICATE

Identify the subject and the predicate in the following sentences.

1. The sun was shining brightly.

2. The dogs were barking loudly.

3. The pretty girl was wearing a blue frock.

4. My younger brother serves in the army.

5. The man and his wife were working in their garden.

6. My mother and my aunt are trained classical dancers.

7. You don’t have to wait for me.

8. We will no longer tolerate this.

9. The little tree was covered with needles instead of leaves.

10. A rich merchant was passing by the shoemaker’s window.

Answers

1. The sun (subject) / was shining brightly (predicate).

2. The dogs (subject) / were barking loudly (predicate).

3. The pretty girl (subject) / was wearing a blue frock (predicate).

4. My younger brother (subject) / serves in the army (predicate).

5. The man and his wife (subject) / were working in their garden (predicate).

6. My mother and my aunt (subject) / are trained classical dancers (predicate).

7. You (subject) / don’t have to wait for me (predicate).

8. We (subject) / will no longer tolerate this (predicate).

9. The little tree (subject) / was covered with needles instead of leaves (predicate).

10. A rich merchant (subject) /was passing by the shoemaker’s window (predicate).

ENGLISH VOCABULARY EXERCISE

ENGLISH VOCABULARY EXERCISE

Complete the following sentences using an appropriate form of the word given in the brackets.

1. You will find it ……………………. to learn Hindi before visiting India. (advantage)

2. He is an ……………….. man, unafraid of risks. (adventure)

3. ………………… winds prevented us from arriving on time. (adversity)

4. Sweet are the uses of ……………………. (adverse)

5. It is ……………….. for all children to get vaccinations. (advice)

6. The judge gave the careless driver an ………………. (admonish)                                    

7. She is famous for her ……………….. of equal rights for women. (advocate)

8. She has an ……………………. relationship with her grandparents. (affection)

9. The two hospitals have a close ……………….. (affiliate)

10. We are expecting an …………………… answer. (affirmation)

Answers

1. You will find it advantageous to learn Hindi before visiting India.

2. He is an adventurous man, unafraid of risks.

3. Adverse winds prevented us from arriving on time.

4. Sweet are the uses of adversity.

5. It is advisable for all children to get vaccinations.

6. The judge gave the careless driver an admonition.

7. She is famous for her advocacy of equal rights for women.

8. She has an affectionate relationship with her grandparents.

9. The two hospitals have a close affiliation.

10. We are expecting an affirmative answer.

AWHILE VS. A WHILE

AWHILE  VS. A WHILE

Distinguishing the terms awhile and a while can be tricky. This may be due to the fact that both these terms are used to express time and commonly used.

Here’s how to avoid the confusion:

While they sound and look very similarly, these terms actually represent different parts of speech. The word awhile is an adverb used to denote “for a short time”.

“It clearly will take awhile for Bears offense to take shape”
Chicago Tribune

“Interview: UFC SLC’s Jason Novelli: UFC call ‘took awhile to actually set in'”
Bloody Elbow

“What Is The Joker’s Real Name? You Might Have To Wait Awhile To Find Out”
Bustle

In all three examples, awhile is used to refer to the amount of time it took or people waited for a certain condition or event to happen.

On the other hand, a while is a two-word expression used as a noun phrase consisting of the article a and the noun while. The phrase a while generally means “a period, length or interval of time”.

“Bowled in a T20 tie at Chepauk after quite a while and it felt nice: Balaji”
Times of India

“Trump and Clinton Will Go Down in History — For a While”
Wall Street Journal

“Apple iPhone estimates raised for the ‘first time in a while’ at UBS”
MarketWatch

It is important for you to remember that a while can and often follows a preposition such as for and in as you can see from the examples above. Meanwhile, awhile can never follow a preposition since it functions as an adverb.

We waited awhile before the food was served.

We waited for a short time before the food was served.

His heart stopped for a while before he was resucitated.

His heart stopped for a period of time before he was resucitated.

Now, can you come up with your own sentences using a while andawhile?

WORDS CONFUSED

WORDS CONFUSED

Affection and affectation

These words are often confused.

Affection means love, fondness, emotional attachment, tenderness or warmth.

·         She feels great affection for her parents.

Affection can also mean sickness, illness or disease.

He died of a consumptive affection.

Affectation means pretence, sham or false mannerism.

·         He affected a Canadian accent.

To affect is to make a pretense of.

·         She is from Canada but she affects a strong British accent.

Affluent and effluent

These words are often confused.

Affluent means rich, wealthy, prosperous, well-off etc.

·         She married an affluent widower.

·         People living in affluent societies are not always happy.

Effluent means liquid waste discharged into a river.

·         The effluent stream has polluted water in the nearby wells as well.

Exercise

Complete the following sentences using appropriate words.

1. Her finishing-school accent is just an ………………….. (affection / affectation)

2. Wealth and fame has made him so ………………. that I no longer like him. (affected / effected)

3. The two colleges have a strong …………………, sometimes sharing faculty. (affinity / affiliation)

4. There is a close ……………….. between lemons and limes. (amity / affinity)

5. In a truly ……………….. society, there is more than enough for all. (affluent / effluent)

Answers

1. Her finishing-school accent is just an affectation.

2. Wealth and fame has made him so affected that I no longer like him.

3. The two colleges have a strong affiliation, sometimes sharing faculty.

4. There is a close affinity between lemons and limes.

5. In a truly affluent society, there is more than enough for all.

TIME EXPRESSIONS USED WITH VARIOUS TENSE FORMS

TIME EXPRESSIONS USED WITH VARIOUS TENSE FORMS

Usually, never, seldom, always, generally

These expressions are almost always used with the simple present tense.

·         He seldom donates money to charities.

·         He always wears neat clothes.

·         You never thank me for anything.

·         I usually drink coffee in the morning.

At present, now, at the moment, right now etc

These expressions are usually used with the present continuous tense.

·         I am learning German now.

·         He is working on a new novel at present.

·         He is doing research in molecular biology at the moment.

Already, just, yet

These expressions are usually used with the present perfect tense.

·         I have already watched that movie.

·         We have not yet heard from them.

·         John has just left.

Since and for

These time expressions are usually used with the present perfect and present perfect continuous tenses.

·         We have lived here since 1999.

·         I have been working since morning.

·         It has been raining for hours.

·         We have been living here for six years.

Yesterday, last year, some years ago

Use these expressions with the simple past tense.

·         I met him yesterday.

·         His father died three years ago.

·         I visited Japan last year.

Tomorrow, next year, next month

These expressions are usually used with the simple future tense.

·         I will talk to him tomorrow.

·         We will move to our new home next month.

·         He will retire next year.