Key Differences

The modal verbs can and could represent the ability of a person or thing in doing something. However, there is a difference in their usage, as 'can' is used in present situation, whereas we can use 'could' for talking about a past ability. Both are followed by a base form of the verb. Now look at the example given below to understand their difference in a better way: When I was young, I could only sing bhajans, but now I can sing classical songs. My aunt could only crawl before the … [Read more...]

Principal, means the main element, the senior most person in an organization. On the contrary, Principle implies the primary belief of fundamental importance that governs the life of an individual or acts as a rule on which something operates. There are many words in English that not only look alike but also sound alike and one such pair of words is 'Principal and Principle'. Nevertheless, these two words are not similar in their meaning, but as they are homonyms, people commonly use them … [Read more...]

Whenever we talk about actions, we use the words do, does and did. Do and does represents the simple present forms of the verb 'do', while did is its simple past form. These are primarily used to form negative and interrogative sentences. Do is used with personal pronouns, I, we, you, they. On the other hand, does is used with personal pronouns he, she and it. Let's take an example to understand the two: Do it as he does. I do have some work, but she doesn't have any. The first … [Read more...]

In the English language, when we want to express possession, we either use have or has, depending on the person. Most of the time, the words has and have are being used interchangeably, but there are certain rules concerning their use in the sentences which must be followed for making it gramatically correct. We use 'has' with a third person, i.e. He, She, It, etc. whereas we mainly use 'have' with a first and second person, i.e. with I, We, You, etc. and also with the third person when the … [Read more...]

The words much and many are two quantifiers, that is used to indicate a large amount, degree or quantity of something, but not in exact terms. So, they are commonly interchanged, but they are different in the sense that much is primarily used with singular uncountable nouns whereas we use many with plural countable nouns. Let's look at the examples given below for understanding the difference between much and many. You don't have to take much tension for the exams, as you have already … [Read more...]

Some and any are the two quantifying determiners which are often used when the exact number of things or the amount thereof is not known, or it is irrelevant. Some refer to unspecified number or amount of a particular entity. When we use some in a sentence we mean a few people or things, but not all the people or things. Conversely, Any means one or more of something, without indicating the number or amount of it exactly. Now, have a look at the examples given below which will help you in … [Read more...]

In English Grammar, the words may and might are the modal auxiliary verbs, which are used in sentences with other verbs to express tenses, voice, mood etc. As they both reflect the possibility of any event, there are instances when people use them interchangeably. It happens due to lack of proper understanding regarding how, when and where to use them. May can be used when there is a strong possibility of happening of an event. On the contrary, we use might when there are very fewer chances … [Read more...]

In English, 'than' and 'then' are the most commonly confused terms, due to their same pronunciation, however, they have different meanings. Both than and then are action words, wherein than is used for comparing two elements or representing contrast or exception. As against then is mainly used in relation to time, to show when something has happened, or the sequence in which events took place. The example given below will explain how these two differ: Then there comes a day when it is … [Read more...]

In English, the words accept and except sound a bit similar in pronunciation, but they are spelt differently. While accept in basic terms means 'to agree with' or 'to hold certain proposition as true'. But when you talk about except, it means 'not including' or 'other than'. With the example given below, you might be able to understand the difference between accept and except clearly: The company accepted all the conditions of the workers, except the third one. Here, all the … [Read more...]

Most of us do not understand where to use less and fewer. These are the two comparative adjectives, which are used in a sentence, where comparison of two entities is to be made. As both the two quantifiers mean a smaller amount of something, people get confused between the two easily. However, there is a difference between them, as in, you can use less when you are mentioning something which is uncountable or that does not have a plural. Nevertheless, there are certain exceptions to the above … [Read more...]