Indifferent

Indifferent = without interest or concern; not caring; apathetic; having no bias, prejudice, or preference; impartial; disinterested; neither good nor bad in character or quality; average; routine; not particularly good, important, etc.; unremarkable; unnotable; of only moderate amount, extent, etc.

Synonyms: aloof, apathetic, blasé, callous, cold, cool, detached, diffident, disinterested, dispassionate, distant, equitable, haughty, heartless, heedless, highbrow, impartial.

Example – He has an indifferent attitude toward the suffering of others.

Usage in Sentence: Indifferent to, not for.

Don’t say: They are indifferent for politics.

ü Say: They are indifferent to politics.

Guard

Guard = to keep safe from harm or danger; protect; watch over; to keep under close watch in order to prevent escape, misconduct, etc; to keep under control or restraint as a matter of caution or prudence; to provide or equip with some safeguard or protective appliance, as to prevent loss, injury, etc.

Synonyms: Protect, safeguard, security, watch, lookout, alert, sentry,

Example: Online shoppers fail to guard against fraud.

Usage in Sentence: Guard against, not from.

Don’t say: You must guard from bad habits.

ü Say: You must guard against bad habits.

Good

Good = Possessing desirable qualities; adapted to answer the end designed; promoting success, welfare, or happiness; serviceable; useful; fit; excellent; admirable; commendable; not bad.

Synonyms: satisfactory, acceptable, solid, superb, high-quality, fine, excellent, superior.

Example – He is very good at his work.

Usage in Sentence: Good at, not in.

Don’t say: My sister is good in mathematics.

ü Say: My sister is good at mathematics.

Full

Full = Containing all that is normal or possible; complete in every particular; of maximum or highest degree; the maximum or complete size or amount.

Synonyms: abounding, abundant, adequate, awash, big, bounteous, brimful, burdened, bursting, competent, complete, crammed, crowded, entire

Example: My stomach is full but my mouth is hungry.

Usage in Sentence: Full of, not with or from.

Don’t say: The jar was full with (or from) oil.

ü Say: The jar was full of oil.

Exchange

Exchange = To give in return for something received; trade: to give and receive reciprocally; interchange: exchange gifts; exchange ideas; to give up for a substitute; to turn in for replacement.

Synonyms: change, interchange, transfer, replace, substitute.

Example: He exchanged a position in the private sector for a post in government sector.

Usage in Sentence: Exchange for, not to.

Don’t say: He exchanged his collection of coins by some foreign stamps.

ü Say: He exchanged his collection of coins for some foreign stamps.

Exception

Exception = the act of excepting or the fact of being excepted; something excepted; an instance or case not conforming to the general rule; an adverse criticism, especially on a particular point; opposition of opinion; objection; demurral.

Example – Her statement was liable to exception.

Usage in Sentence: Exception to, not of.

Don’t say: This is an exception of the rule.

ü Say: This is an exception to the rule.

Doubt

Doubt = to be uncertain about; consider questionable or unlikely; hesitate to believe; to distrust.

Example – But then she proved her unearthly power beyond a doubt.

Usage in Sentence: No doubt of or about, not for.

Don’t say: I have no doubt for his ability.

ü Say: I have no doubt of (or about) his ability.

Disappointed

Disappointed = To fail to satisfy the hope, desire, or expectation of; To frustrate or thwart.

Example – I will not disappoint the confidence you have put in me.

Usage in Sentence: Disappointed with, by, about or at, not from.

Don’t say: Jane was disappointed from her son.

ü Say: Jane was disappointed with her son.

Deprive

Deprive = To take something away from; to refrain from possessing or enjoying; deny; to remove.

Synonyms: divest; bereave; rob; strip; dispossess.

Example: They were deprived of a normal childhood by the war.

Usage in Sentence: Deprive of, not from.

Don’t say: Nelson Mandela was deprived from his freedom.

ü Say: Nelson Mandela was deprived of his freedom.

Cure

Cure = a means of healing or restoring to health; remedy; a method or course of remedial treatment, as for disease; successful remedial treatment; restoration to health..

Synonyms: aid, alleviation, assistance, corrective, counteractant, counteragent, countermeasure, drug, elixir, fix, healing, healing agent, help, medicament, medicant.

Example: Unfortunately, the cure was worse than the condition..

Usage in Sentence: Cure of, not from.

Don’t say: The man was cured from his illness.

ü Say: The man was cured of his illness.

Covered

Covered = To place something upon or over, so as to protect or conceal; To overlay or spread with something; To put a cover or covering on.

Synonyms: wrapped up, enclosed, roofed, masked, coated.

Example – Their faces will never be covered with shame.

Usage in Sentence: Covered with, not by.

Don’t say: The mountains are covered by snow.

ü Say: The mountains are covered with/in by snow.

Congratulate

Congratulate = Give (someone) one's good wishes when something special or pleasant has happened to them; Praise (someone) for a particular achievement.

Synonyms: confidence, assurance, aplomb, self-confidence, self-possession.

Example – We should congratulate everybody involved in the project.

Usage in Sentence: Congratulate on, not for.

Don’t say: I congratulate you for your success.

ü Say: I congratulate you on your success.

Compose

Compose = To make up the constituent parts of; constitute or form; To make or create by putting together parts or elements; To create or produce; To arrange aesthetically or artistically; assembled or made out of something.

Synonyms: put together, make up, constitute, comprise, make, build, form, fashion, construct, compound.

Example: This cloth is composed of a number of different kinds of fibers.

Usage in Sentence: Composed of, not from.

Don’t say: Our class is composed from thirty students.

ü Say: Our class is composed of thirty students.

Complain

Complain = Express dissatisfaction, pain, uneasiness, censure, resentment, or grief; find fault; to tell of one's pains, ailments, etc; to make a formal accusation.

Synonyms: accuse, ascribe, carp, charge, criticize, defy, demur, denounce, deplore, deprecate, differ, disagree, disapprove, dissent, expostulate, find fault, fret, grieve, groan, grumble, whine.

Example – If you think you've been swindled, complain to the police.

Usage in Sentence: Complain about, not for.

Don’t say: Annette complained for the weather.

ü Say: Annette complained about the weather.

Cheerful

Cheerful = Noticeably happy and optimistic; Causing happiness by its nature or appearance; full of cheer; in good spirits; pleasant; bright; hearty or ungrudging

Synonyms: merry, jolly, joyful, happy, glad, blithe, cheery.

Example – The staff here is friendly and cheerful.

Usage in Sentence: Cheerful in, not of.

Don’t say: Tina is very cheerful of nature.

ü Say: Tina is very cheerful in nature

Believe

Believe = to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so; trust; rely on.
Example – Some people don't believe in luck.
Usage in Sentence: Believe in, not to.
Don’t say: We believe to God.
Say: We believe in God.

Anxious

Anxious = full of mental distress; uneasiness; greatly worried; solicitous; earnestly desirous; eager.
Example: Her parents were anxious about her poor health.
Usage in Sentence: Anxious about, not for.
Don’t say: They are anxious for his health.
Say: They are anxious about his health.

Aim at

Aim at = To direct the intention or purpose; to attempt the accomplishment of a purpose; to try to gain; to endeavor; intention; purpose; design; scheme.
Example: I aimed at the public's heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach.
Usage in Sentence: Aim at, not on or against.
Don’t say: She aimed on (or against) the target.
Say: She aimed at the target.
Note: Use the preposition at to denote direction: throw at, shout at, fire at, shoot at. Shoot (without the at) means to kill: He shot a bird (= he hit and killed it).

Accustomed

Accustomed = Customary or usual habitual; usual; wonted; customary; ordinary; frequently practiced, used, or experienced
Example: I have become accustomed to watching the 5am news, not the 5pm news.
Usage in Sentence: Accustomed to, not with.
Don’t say: I’m accustomed with hot weather.
Say: I’m accustomed to hot weather.

Accuse

Accuse = Charge (someone) with an offense or crime; claim that (someone) has done something wrong; to charge with a shortcoming or error; to charge formally with a wrongdoing.
e.g : I was accused of cheating when I didn’t.
Usage in Sentence: Accuse of, not for.
Don’t say: She accused the man for stealing.
Say: She accused the man of stealing.

Would

When you are talking about the present or the future and you imagine something that is untrue or unlikely, use the past tense (‘lived’) in the if clause (NOT would): ‘If I knew her address, I’d send her a gift.’ ‘If I won a lot of money, I’d buy a new car.’
When you are talking about the past and you imagine something that is impossible, use the past perfect tense (‘had caught’) in the if clause (NOT would have): ‘If he hadn’t got on the plane, he would still be alive.’
When you are talking about the present or the future and you imagine something that is possible but unlikely, use if … should (NOT if … would): ‘If anyone should need me, I’ll be back in half an hour.’

Worth

Worth is usually used as a preposition: ‘A four-bed roomed house in the middle of town is probably worth about $200,000.’
The noun related to worth is value: ‘The current value of property is very low compared with this time last year.’
Be worth very little/a fortune etc.: ‘These old computers aren’t worth much nowadays.’
It’s worth doing sth; sth is worth doing (NOT to do): ‘It’s worth remembering that these old cars can be very expensive to run.’