Test preparation

The Subject is the core component of a sentence in English language. It is the 'thing' that is being talked about or described in the sentence. The subject can be the noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that performs the action of the verb. For example: The girl is eating her food: The subject here is the 'girl' as she is the one who is doing the action, that is, eating her food.

Grammatically, in home and at home are correct. However, their usage varies in terms of context. The use of 'at home' shows something or someone is located in the home. However, 'in home' describes something that happens in the home. For more clarity, have a look at the examples below:

• At home: I left the keys at home.
• In home: The keys are placed over the refrigerator in home.

The commonly used 6 prepositions of place are:

• In: The box is in the almirah.
• On: The plate is on the kitchen slab.
• At: The car is parked at the station.
• Under: Yohan threw the toys under the bed.
• Over: The dog jumped over the barrier.
• Between: The table is between the chairs.

The Preposition of Place describes the place where something or someone is located. The commonly used Preposition of Place words are in, on, at, under, over, above, below, in front of, next to, beneath, beside, near, by, in front of, next to, between, among, etc.

Implied metaphors, mixed metaphors, dead metaphors are considered as special cases of metaphor. More than special cases, these are more of different ways in which the concept of metaphor is applied and interpreted in English language.

A Metaphor is made up of four things:

·       Tenor

·       Vehicle

·       Ground

·       Tension

A tenor refers to the thing being described, and a vehicle is the thing it's being compared to. Shared characteristics are the ground that connect them. Tension is the difference between the tenor and the vehicle, which helps create a vivid comparison.

A dead metaphor occurs when the original meaning of the comparison is lost either due to excessive repetition or a semantic shift (words losing or changing their initial meaning over time). For example: Roll up the window (Originally referring to the action of rolling up a window in a car, it now refers to closing a window in general).

This is an example of Standard metaphor which compares the two things directly. This metaphor 'Laughter is a medicine for the soul', compares laughter with medicine that cures and helps keeping good health.

Metaphor in English language is a figure of speech where we compare two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'. They create a bright imaginary picture in the mind of the reader by using sensory details and descriptive language. For example: He has a heart of gold. (describing a person to be extremely kind, generous and empathetic).

Simple Present Tense Rule:

Subject + base verb (s/es for he/she/it)

Example: She goes to college.

Shows habit, facts, and routines.

Present Continuous Tense Rule:

Subject + is/am/are + verb-ing

Example: She is going to college.

Shows actions happening now or temporary actions.