Sales Receipts

Assign one big basket for keeping all the receipts.

At the end of the month, categorize those as:

1. Receipts from major purchase. (electronic items, furniture etc.) – Save these either for tax purposes/warranty/rebates. Make a proper file for these.

2. Receipts from clothes / grocery shopping – shred or keep them as required. If possible, arrange them store-wise. Store them in a box/file as required.

You may use a gum stick to glue them all together.

Save the receipts year-wise. i.e. at the end of the year, keep file 1 and file 2 receipts in a permanent storage with year properly marked upon them – may be staple a year tag on these receipts(or shred them if no longer required).

Effective Documents/paper management at home

Make four bins:

1. Recycle (for newspapers/ magazines etc.)

2. Shredder bin (for important docs, sales receipts, credit card statements etc.)
3. Trash bin – Immediately trash all un-important papers, envelopes etc.

4. Donations to local library or Goodwill shops – Books already read or which are no longer required in your home library.

How are you feeling today?

Express your emotions / feelings using any of the below mentioned words or add your own feelings..expand your vocabulary and help others understand you better!

Happy

Festive
Contented
Relaxed
Calm
Satisfied
Joyous
Glad
Cheerful
Surprised
Merry
Jolly
Elated
Thrilled

Sad

Sorrowful
Unhappy
Depressed
Melancholy
Gloomy
Quiet
Sullen
In the dumps
Low
Out of sorts
Discouraged
Disappointed
Choked up
Ashamed
Useless
Worthless
Ill at ease

Angry

Resentful
Irritated
Enraged
Furious
Annoyed
Inflamed
Provoked
Infuriated
Offended
Sullen
Irate
Cross
Bitter
Frustrated
Grumpy
Boiling
Fuming
Belligerent
Confused
Bewildered

Afraid

Timid
Shaky
Fearful
Terrified
Panicky
Tragic
Alarmed
Cautious
Shocked
Insecure
Impatient
Nervous
Worried
Dismayed
Scared
Cowardly
Threatened
Appalled
Petrified

Eager

Keen
Earnest
Intent
Zealous
Anxious
Excited
Proud

Hurt

Injured
Isolated
Offended
Distressed
Pained
Suffering
Afflicted
Worried
Aching
Crushed
Heartbroken
Despair
Lonely
Pathetic
Upset

Fearless

Encouraged
Courageous
Confident
Secure
Independent
Bold
Brave
Daring/ Impulsive
Heroic

Interested

Concerned
Fascinated
Engrossed
Absorbed
Curious
Sincere
Inquiring
Creative
Inquisitive

Doubtful

Skeptical
Unbelieving
Suspicious
Dubious
Uncertain
Evasive
Wavering
Perplexed
Indecisive
Pessimistic

Physical feelings

Uptight
Tense
Strong
Weak
Tired
Alive
Feisty
Weary
Empty

Affectionate

Close
Loving
Tender
Sexy
Passionate
Appealing
Warm

Miscellaneous

Humble
Torn
Envious
Jealous
Preoccupied
Cruel
Distant
Bored
Cooperative

Outraged, surprised, relieved, appreciated, insulted, proud, despairing

Excited, tired, apprehensive

Festive, anxious, and melancholy

Paragraphs – 1

Competition

THE Paris Air Show, the aviation industry’s big annual jamboree, begins on Monday June 18th. Commercial and military aircraft will jostle, wing to wing on the ground and in the air, to attract buyers. The most important dogfight, as always, pits America’s Boeing against Europe’s Airbus. The rival jetmakers should each announce a raft of big deals before and during the show. Airbus needs to show renewed confidence after production troubles delayed the delivery of its A380 superjumbos and will hope for more orders for its proposed A350. The firm needs to make up ground on Boeing, whose competing model, the 787 Dreamliner, is set to enter service next year.

EUROPEAN UNION leaders meet in Brussels for a two-day summit beginning on Thursday June 21st to salvage what they can of the European constitutional treaty, two years after its rejection by French and Dutch voters. They want the new treaty to be ratified by national parliaments, avoiding referendums. But the 27 countries are deeply split over which parts are useful and which will cause uproar.

Court terminology

AN IRAQI court is expected to deliver verdicts on Sunday June 24th in the trial of Ali Hassan al-Majid, also known as “Chemical Ali”, and five other former officials of Saddam Hussein’s regime, for attacks on the country’s Kurds. He was once a leading figure in Iraq (Saddam was his cousin) and is accused of launching gas attacks on northern Iraq in 1988. The prosecution claims that some 180,000 people, mainly civilians, were killed. He denies the use of chemical weapons and all the defendants say they were acting on orders in a campaign aimed at rebels. If convicted they face the death penalty.

After years of war, budget deficits, and middle-class wage stagnation, Democrats are promising a return to the sunny Clinton years, when peace prevailed and a rising tide lifted all boats.

Polls show that voters no longer regard the Republicans as the party of solid fiscal responsibility.

The implicit promise, echoed by various presidential hopefuls, is that more frugal fiscal policy, and a more balanced budget, will produce the same rapid growth in GDP, employment and tax revenue that graced the Clinton economy.

The lull in the market, coupled with sops, is good news for prospective buyers,

THIS looks like being another miserable summer for air travellers. Delays in America last year were the worst ever and could this year break even that grim record. America’s air-transport system is facing gridlock. Airports will only become more congested and aircraft fuller.

The harm could be amplified by the effects of other emissions from jet-engines at high altitude.

Airlines are starting to face up to their environmental responsibilities. Air transport should strive to become a zero-emissions industry. That is a vision for 50 years or more ahead. A more efficient industry would make flying less of a hassle.

Vocabulary – 2

nascent –

This surprising success prompted several other companies to enter this nascent market.

uxorious –

Excessively fond of or submissive to a wife.

Flagler seems to have been an uxorious, domestic man, who liked the comfort and companionship of a wife at his side.

apogee –

The farthest or highest point

But in retrospect, this period would prove to be the apogee of O’Sullivan’s career, although he always felt bigger and better things were on his way.

sycophant

A person who seeks favor by flattering people of wealth or influence

The praise Oxford received as a poet may simply have issued from the mouths of sycophants hungry for patronage.

sagacious

Of keen penetration and judgment;

John Adams, another of the doctor’s Congressional colleagues, said of him: “Franklin had a great genius, original, sagacious, and inventive, capable of discoveries in science no less than of improvements in the fine arts and the mechanic arts.

jocular

Characterized by joking; playful.

But when I saw him then, he did not labour under any lowness of spirits, but, on the contrary, was very jocular in his manner and language.

perfunctory

Done merely to carry out a duty; performed mechanically or routinely.

Clearly exhausted after a long day on her feet, our server gave us only a perfunctory greeting before taking our drink orders.

contrive

Come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort

They contrived to murder their enemy.

Express feelings

Identify the type of feeling – positive and negative

Outraged, embarrassed, I feel hurt and am disappointed, I get furious, I resent it

Intense

loved, adored, idolized, alive, wanted, lustful, worthy, pity, respected, empathy (Understanding and entering into another’s feelings) , awed (Having or showing a feeling of mixed reverence and respect and wonder and dread) , enthusiastic, zealous, courageous

Strong

enchanted, ardor (Feelings of great warmth and intensity) , infatuated, tender, vibrant (Vigorous and animated) , independent, capable, happy , proud, gratified (Make happy or satisfied) , worthy, sympathetic, important, concerned, appreciated, consoled, delighted, eager, optimistic, joyful, courage, hopeful, valiant, brave, brilliant

Moderate

liked, cared for, esteemed (Regard highly), affectionate, fond, excited, patient, strong, gay, inspired, anticipating, amused, yearning, popular, peaceful, appealing, determined, pleased, excited, jolly, relieved, glad, adventurous, peaceful, intelligent

Mild

friendly, regarded, benevolent, wide awake, at-ease, relaxed, comfortable, content, keen, amazed, alert, sure, attractive, approved, untroubled, graceful, turned on, warm, amused, daring, comfortable, smart, interested

Negative Feelings

Mild

unpopular, listless, moody, lethargic, gloomy, dismal, discontented, tired, indifferent, unsure, impatient, dependent, unimportant, regretful, bashful, puzzled, self-conscious, edgy, upset, reluctant, timid, mixed-up, sullen, provoked

Moderate

suspicious, envious, enmity, aversion, dejected, unhappy, bored, forlorn, disappointed, wearied, inadequate, ineffectual, helpless, resigned, apathetic, shy, uncomfortable, baffled, confused, nervous, tempted, tense, worried, perplexed, troubled, disdainful, contemptuous, alarmed, annoyed, provoked

Strong

disgusted, resentful, bitter, detested, fed-up, frustrated, sad, depressed, sick, dissatisfied, fatigued, worn-out, useless, weak, hopeless, forlorn, rejected, guilty, embarrassed, inhibited, bewildered, frightened, anxious, dismayed, apprehensive, disturbed, antagonistic, vengeful, indignant, mad, torn

Intense

hate, unloved, abhor, despised, angry, hurt, miserable, pain, lonely, cynical, worthless, impotent, futile, accursed, abandoned, estranged, degraded, humiliated, shocked, panicky, trapped, horrified, afraid, scared, terrified, threatened, infuriated, furious, exhausted

http://marriage.about.com/cs/dialogue/a/feelingwords_2.htm

http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/youth/health/relationships/feelingwords.htm

English grammar – More rules

Gerund

A gerund is a word with ing added such as walking, talking, running. When these words are used as nouns, they are called gerunds.

Example: Running is my favorite form of exercise.

Rule: if you place a pronoun in front of a gerund, use the possessive form (like My, their etc).

Correct Example: My running ahead bothered him.
Incorrect Example: Me running ahead bothered him.

Correct Example: Their separating does not mean they won’t continue to be good parents to their three children.
Incorrect Example: Them separating does not mean they won’t continue to be good parents to their three children.

Continual v. Continuous

Continual means repeated but with breaks in between; chronic
Example: The continual problem of our car not starting forced us to sell it.
Continuous means without interruption in an unbroken stream of time or space
Example: The continuous dripping of the faucet drove me crazy.

 The King and I/Me

If the pronoun I is acting as the subject of the sentence, such as in, “The King and I met for tea,” use I.
If the sentence is, “The people elected the King and me,” the pronoun me is not the subject here. It is the object.

Who or Whom

When you are trying to determine whether to use who or whom, try inserting he or him into the answer. If he sounds correct, use who. If him sounds correct, use whom. This trick will work most of the time.

Example: Who/Whom should we call to order our supplies?
Explanation: We should call him to order the supplies.
Answer: Whom should we call to order the supplies?

Example: Who/Whom would you say is the top candidate for the job?
Explanation: I would say he is the top candidate for the job.
Answer: Who would you say is the top candidate for the job?

Effect or Affect?

Rule 1. Use the verb effect when you mean bring about or brought about, cause or caused.

Example: He effected a commotion in the crowd.
Meaning: He caused a commotion in the crowd.

Rule 2. Use the noun effect when you mean result.

Example: What effect did that speech have?

Rule 3. Also use the noun effect whenever any of these words precede it: a, an, any, the, take, into, no. Note: These words may be separated from effect by an adjective.

Example: That book had a long-lasting effect on my thinking.
Has the medicine produced any noticeable effects?

Rule 4. Use the verb affect when you mean to influence rather than to cause.

Example: How do the budget cuts affect your staffing?

Rule 5. Affect is used as a noun to mean emotional expression.

Example: She showed little affect when told she had won the lottery.

Subject Verb agreement

The grammar crime: The subject of a sentence must agree with the verb of the sentence. How do they need to agree?

 

They must agree in two ways:

• in number: singular vs. plural

• in person: first, second, or third person

Question: How do we know we have disagreement between the subject and verb?

 

Outlaw: They is my favourite Canadian authors.

• The subject: They (plural)

• The verb: is (singular)

• The subject and verb disagree in number. Therefore, this is a subject-verb disagreement outlaw.

Question: How do we catch subject-verb disagreement?

The following are six situations in which subject-verb disagreement errors can be more difficult to spot.

 

1. When the subject and verb are separated

• Find the subject and verb and make sure they agree.

• Ignore the words in-between because they do not affect agreement.

Outlaw	rehabilitated
The characters in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night lives in a world that has been turned upside-down.	The characters in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night live in a world that has been turned upside-down.

 

2. Compound subjects

• If the two subjects are joined by “and” the verb will be plural in most situations

  • exception: when the joined subjects are preceded by “every,” “no,” or “nothing”

• If the subjects are joined by “nor” or “or,” the verb agrees with the closer subject (the last one)

Outlaw	Rehabilitated
Christie and Prin is characters from Laurence’s The Diviners.	Christie and Prin are characters from Laurence’s The Diviners.
Neither Edna’s neighbours nor her husband agree with her decision.	Neither Edna’s neighbours nor her husband agrees with her decision.

 

3. Indefinite pronouns

• single indefinite pronoun: e.g., anyone, anybody, each, either, none

  • They use singular verbs.

• plural indefinite pronouns: both, few, many, several

  • They use plural verbs.

• All, any, most, and some depend on the situation. They can be either singular or plural.

Outlaw	Rehabilitated
Each of Sylvia Plath’s “bee poems” use the theme of beekeeping to express aspects of the human condition.	Each of Sylvia Plath’s “bee poems” uses the theme of beekeeping to express aspects of the human condition.
Both of the main characters in Waiting for Godot believes Godot is the purpose of life.	Both of the main characters in Waiting for Godot believe Godot is the purpose of life.

 

4. Collective nouns

• These are nouns that are singular in form, but plural in meaning.

• Examples: band, minority, majority, class, community, dozen, family, public, team

• When they act as one entity, use a singular verb.

• When they do separate things, use a plural verb, BUT it is easier to reword the sentence. For example, write “the members of the team” instead of “the team.”

Outlaw	Rehabilitated
The majority of English majors read Conrad’s Heart of Darkness while at university.	The majority of English majors reads Conrad’s Heart of Darkness while at university.

 

5. Plural nouns that are singular in meaning

• Some plural nouns take singular verbs, for example, athletics, economics, politics, news, mumps, and measles.

Outlaw	Rehabilitated
Politics are an issue in R. K. Narayan’s The Man-eater of Malgudi.	Politics is an issue in R. K. Narayan’s The Man-eater of Malgudi.

 

6. Titles

• When used in sentences, the titles of books, plays, poems, movies, and so on are singular.

Outlaw	Rehabilitated
Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children are my favourite novel.	Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children is my favourite novel.

Basic Rule      The basic rule states that a singular subject takes a singular verb while a plural subject takes a plural verb. The trick is in knowing whether the subject is singular or plural. The next trick is recognizing a singular or plural verb.
Hint: Verbs do not form their plurals by adding an s as nouns do. In order to determine which verb is singular and which one is plural, think of which verb you would use with he or she and which verb you would use with they.
Example     talks, talk
Which one is the singular form?
Which word would you use with he?
We say, “He talks.” Therefore, talks is singular.
We say, “They talk.”
Therefore, talk is plural.

Rule 1     Two singular subjects connected by or or nor require a singular verb.
Example     My aunt or my uncle is arriving by train today.

Rule 2     Two singular subjects connected by either/or or neither/nor require a singular verb as in
Examples     Neither John nor Susan is available.
Either Kiana or Casey helps today with stage decorations.

Rule 3     When one of your two subjects is I, put it second and follow it with the singular verb am.
Example     Neither she nor I am going to the festival.

Rule 4     When a singular subject is connected by or or nor to a plural subject, put the plural subject last and use a plural verb.
Example     The book or the magazines are on the shelf.

Rule 5     When a singular and plural subject are connected by either/or or neither/nor, put the plural subject last and use a plural verb.
Example     Neither Jenny nor the others are available.

Rule 6     As a general rule, use a plural verb with two or more subjects when they are connected by and.
Example     A car and a bike are my means of transportation.

Rule 7     Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by words such as along with, as well as, besides, or not. Ignore these expressions when determining whether to use a singular or plural verb.
Examples     The politician, along with the newsmen, is expected shortly.
Excitement, as well as nervousness, is the cause
of her shaking.

Rule 8     The pronouns each, everyone, every one, everybody, anyone, anybody, someone, and somebody are singular and require singular verbs. Do not be misled by what follows of.
Examples     Each of the girls sings well.
Every one of the cakes is gone.
NOTE: Everyone is one word when it means everybody. Every one is two words when the meaning is each one.

Rule 9

With words that indicate portions—percent, fraction, part, majority, some, all, none, remainder, etc.—look at the noun in your of phrase (object of the preposition) to determine whether to use a singular or plural verb. If the object of the preposition is singular, use a singular verb. If the object of the preposition is plural, use a plural verb.

NOTE: Apparently, the SAT testing service considers none as a singular word only.
Examples     Fifty percent of the pie has disappeared.
Pie is the object of the preposition of.
Fifty percent of the pies have disappeared.
Pies is the object of the preposition.
One-third of the city is unemployed.

One-third of the people are unemployed.

NOTE: Hyphenate all spelled-out fractions.
All of the pie is gone.
All of the pies are gone.
Some of the pie is missing.
Some of the pies are missing.

Rule 10     When either and neither are subjects, they always take singular verbs.
Examples     Neither of them is available to speak right now.
Either of us is capable of doing the job.

Rule 11     The words here and there are never subjects because they are not nouns. In sentences beginning with here or there, the true subject follows the verb.
Examples     There are four hurdles to jump.
There is a high hurdle to jump.

Rule 12     Use a singular verb with sums of money or periods of time.
Examples     Ten dollars is a high price to pay.
Five years is the maximum sentence for that offense.

Rule 13     Sometimes the pronoun who, that, or which is the subject of the verb in the middle of the sentence. The pronouns who, that, and which become singular or plural according to the noun directly in front of them. So if that noun is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.
Examples     Charlene is the scientist who write/writes the reports.
The word in front of who is scientist, which is singular. Therefore, use the singular verb writes.
He is one of the men who does/do the work.
The word in front of who is men, which is plural. Therefore, use the plural verb do.

Rule 14     Collective nouns such as team and staff may be either singular or plural depending on their use in the sentence.
Examples     The staff is in a meeting.
Staff is acting as a unit here.
The staff are in disagreement about the findings.
The staff are acting as separate individuals in this sentence.
The sentence would read even better like this:
The staff members are in disagreement about the findings.

 

Sentence correction

1. Identify verbs and their respective subject.

2. Identify pronoun errors.

3. A pronoun should be plural when it refers to two nouns joined by “and”.

4. A pronoun should be singular when it refers to two nouns joined by or or nor.
eg. Neither Jane nor Katarina believes she passed the final.

eg. You enter this world with no responsibilities. Then comes school, then work, then marriage and family. No wonder, you look longingly to retirement.

5. As a general rule, a modifier should be placed as close as possible to what it modifies.

6. Center on vs. Center around
Center around is colloquial. It should not be used in formal writing.

(Faulty) The dispute centers around the effects of undocumented workers.

(Correct) The dispute centers on the effects of undocumented workers.

Doubt that vs. Doubt whether
Doubt whether is nonstandard.

(Faulty) I doubt whether his new business will succeed.

(Correct) I doubt that his new business will succeed.

This bid is identical with the one submitted by you.

(identical to is wrong)

In contrast to the conservative attitudes of her time, Mae West was quite provocative.

Independent of

The reason …. is because: the reason why .. is because.
Both the above structures are wrong.

Q. Since the advent of cable telivision, the video industry took a giant stride.

Ans. took –> has taken

Q. When I came home, the children still didn’t finish dinner.

A. still didn’t –> still hadn’t

Conditional sentences

If I have time, I will do it tomorrow.

If I had time, I would do it now.

If I had had time, I would have done yesterday.

inspite of is equivalent to despite

They came in spite of the rain.

They came despite the rain.

Connectors

and, too, as well as, not only … but also, both ….and, so that

Q. Do you know when does the movie start?

Ans. Do you know when the movie starts?

Note: The second part should not be interrogative.

Those kinds

double negative is wrong –> hadn’t hardly is wrong.

Q. Having stole the money, the police searched the thief.

Ans. stole –> stolen, the thief was searched by the police.

Q. The process by which the community influences the actions of its members.

Ans. community –> singular, influences, its –> singular.

Q. We want the teacher to be he, who has the best rapport with the students.

Ans. who –> pronoun, he –> subject

Q. With the exception of Frank and I, everyone in the class finished the assignment before the bell rang.

Ans. I –> me, finished –> had finished.

I. Please don’t do that.

II. Would you please not do that.

I. I am an American and so is she.

II. I am an American and she is too.

III. I am not an American and he isn’t either.

IV. I am not an American and neither is he.

Math

PEMDAS

How to recognize multiples of:

2 – Last digit is even

3 – Sum of digits are multiple of 3

4 – last two digits are multiple of 4

5 – Last digit is 5 or 0

6 – multiple of 2 & 3

9 – Sum of digits is a multiple of 9

10 – last digit is 0

12 – multiple of 3 & 4

The average of evenly spaced numbers is simply the average of the smallest number and the largest number.

eg. The average of all the integers from 13 to 77, is the same as the average of 13 and 77.

(13 + 77) /2 = 45

What is the sum of the integers from 10 to 50, inclusive?

Average= (a+b)/2 =  30

Number of terms = (a-b+1) =41

Sum = avg * number of terms = 30 * 41

Median – Put the numbers in numerical order and then

odd – The middle number

even – The average of the two numbers in the middle

Mode – The number that appears more often.

Range – The positive difference between the highest and the lowest values

Area of a triangle = 1/2 * base * height

Isosceles triangle = Has 2 equal sides and 2 equal angles

Equilateral triangles – 3 equal sides and 3 equal angles (60 degrees)

Similar triangles – corresponding angles are equal and corresponding sides are proportional.

Right angle triangle – a2 + b2 = c2

area of a parallelogram = base * height

area of trapezoid = (avg of parallel sides) * height

circumference of a circle = 2 pi r

area of a circle = pi r * r

slope of a line =  (change in y)/ (change in x)

English Vocabulary – Day 1

Cajole / coax – urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering

One of Virgil’s great accomplishments was his ability to charm, cajole, weasel people out of their bad moods, especially when their bads moods inconvenienced him.

Caucus (noun, verb)- A group of like-minded people with shared concerns

Collude – Act in unison or agreement and in secret towards a deceitful or illegal purpose

Expansive

wine made the guest expansive

an expansive lifestyle

Resilience – An occurrence of rebounding or springing back

Splendor – A quality that outshines the usual

it is the university that gives the scene its stately splendor

From the Bhagavad Gita, the jewel of Sanskrit literature : If the light of a thousand suns suddenly arose in the sky, that splendor might be compared to the radiance of the Supreme Spirit.

Frantic – Excessively agitated; some violent emotion

frantic with anger and frustration”

something frantic in their gaiety”

Repeal – an official or legal cancellation

Amnesty – Grant a pardon to (a group of people)

 retrospective   –  Concerned with or related to the past, An exhibition of a representative selection of an artist’s life work

eg. Karl Sims Retrospective