Intelligent Learning – Grammar

Some words are restricted to very particular uses. If you have learnt a word in one grammatical context, don’t automatically assume that you can use it in another context.
Suppose you come across a sentence like this: Michelangelo was a consummate draughtsman. You look up consummate. Your dictionary tells you it mean’s supremely accomplished or skilled’. This is true enough, as far as it goes.
A few days later, when the right opportunity presents itself, you glibly announce that ?? Michelangelo’s draughtsmanship was consummate.
Unfortunately you have overstepped the grammatical limitations on the word. Consummate is not, as the dictionary seems to suggest, an adjective like accomplished and skilful that can be used either before or after the noun it refers to. It can be used only in certain positions in the sentence. Consider these two sentences: He’s an utter idiot; X This idiot is utter. The second is clearly wrong. Utter can be used only before the noun it qualifies. So too with consummate above.
To avoid such confusions, try to keep your first attempts at using a new word close to the way it was used when you made its acquaintance. As you come to hear or read it more often, so you will come to be increasingly confident of its grammar.
For Scientific english editing and Medical Writing Services visit www.manuscriptedit.com