S Upendran has been writing the column, Know Your English, since 1992. He is Professor in the Department of Materials Development at the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad. The selections in this book are those that featured since 1992.

5 x 20 = 100
A hundred years
About/Around
About 7 o’clock/Around 7 o’clock/7-ish
Abroad/Overseas
Absorbed
Access
Accommodation
According to his opinion
According to me
Acting pricey
Adage
Advice
Affiliated
Afraid
Aid
Ailments
Ain’t
Aircraft
Alcohol
All
All in all
All kinds/sorts/types of
Almost
Along with
Alongside
Always
Always
‘And’ at the beginning of a sentence
Angry
Announce
Anxious
Any
Anyone
Anyways
Anywhere
Apart from/Aside from
Appeal
Appointed
Approach
Approve/Approve of
Around/At/By 10 o’clock
As well as
As/Like
Ask about/after
At arm’s length
At/In
Audience
Aunty
Avail
Avoid presentations
Await
Back answer
Backbencher
Backside
Backward/Backwards
Baffled by/with
Baggage/Luggage
Balcony
Banging
Banian
Basically
Bath
Beach
Bed tea
Beef
Been there, done that
Behalf
Believe you me
Bested
Bestest
Bit
Bite
Bite someone’s head off
Bless you
Boarding and lodging
Bogie/Coach
Bon voyage
Both
Both/Each
Bouquet
Brand new
Bread/Toast
Breakfasted
Breaking my head
Burst crackers
Bus stand
Bussed
Busybody
But then
By heart
By/Near
By the bye/By the by
Call at/on
Can/Could/May I?
Cardboard
Catch/Get hold of
Catch on
Cattle
Cent per cent
Chalk piece
Chaste
Cheatercock
Chewing gum
Child’s play
Chit
(In) Church/(In the) Church
Clean bowled
Clean chit
Close down/Close up
Close proximity
Co-brother-in-law/Co-brother
Co-son-in-law/Co-daughter-in-law
Coffee/Tea
Cognizant of/about
Colour/Coloured
Combat
Come in/on in
Come to mind
Command over
Commence
Commentate
Commit an accident
Competent enough
Comprise
Concerned officer/Officer concerned
Condition
Confident on/of
Congratulate
Congratulations
Cook
Cool drink
Cooling glasses
Cope
Couple has/have
Couple of
Cover
Cribbing
Criterion
Crowdy
Cured
Cut
Dagger look
Damage
Data
Day scholar
Dead certain
Decision
Definite article
Dependent
Depromoted
Describe
Description about/of
Desk
Dessert
Deter
Dickey
Die
Diet
Difficulty
Dinner/Lunch is on me
Dirty linen
Disagree
Disapprove
Discourage
Diseases
Disorientated
Dispose
Disrepair
Divorce
Do
Do one thing
Do someone down/in
Doesn’t suffer fools gladly
Donkey’s work
Doomed
Downstairs
Dream about/of
Dress
Dress for/to
Dress up/Get dressed
Drive someone round the bend
Drunk/Drunken
Each and every
Each is/are, has/have
Each other/Themselves
Easy come, easy go
Eating/Sitting on someone’s head
Education
Elder
Emphasise
Enamoured of/about
Enclosed herewith
Engaged
Enter
Entertainment
Equipment
Esquire
Et al.
Etc.
European
Eve teasing
Even so/Even though
Every
Everyone
Evidence
Exam (give or take)
Exam (in/on)
Exchange with/for
Explain
Eyewash
Fact
Fair something out
Fairly/Rather
Family
Family way
Farm
Fascinated
Fashionably late
Fatal
Favour
Favourite
Feared killed/Killed
Fees
Fiction
FIR
Forbid
Forenoon
Fractions
Free time
Frightfully good/nice
Fruit
Full-hand shirt
Furniture
Garbage
Gave out
Get down
Get into/on
Get off of
Give someone a buzz
Glass pane
Go ballistic
Go bananas
Going to be 60
Gone down
Gone for a toss
Gone off
Gonna
Good evening/Good night
Good morning
Good name
Good self
Gotten
Government
Grateful/Thankful
Great deal of
Guarantee
Guys
Hail
Half pant/Half pants
Hanged
Happen on someone
Happy anniversary/Happy returns of the day
Hardly/Scarcely/Seldom
Has/Has got
Has its moments
Have you/Have you got?
Hazard a guess
He/Him
Headbath
Headquarters
Headweight
Heart
Heart of hearts
Heartfelt congratulations
Here
Herself
High/Low regard
High time
Him/Her or They/Them
History sheeter
Home
Home
Home
Homely
Homework, housework, work
Hope
Horn
Hospital
Hostelite
Hotel
Hour
House
How come?
How do you do/How are you?
How ever
Humble/Generous to a fault
Humour me
Hungry
I dare say
I/Me/Myself
I/Me
Ice/Iced tea
If
If only
If you will/would
Ignorant about/of
I’m afraid
Impersonate
In the meanwhile
Indeed
Independent
Inferior/Superior
Inform
Information
Ink
Intention
Interview
Invest
Irregardless
Issue
It’s your funeral
Jargon
Jealous
Jeans, pants, trousers, shorts
Jewellery
Join
Jolly good
Jokes
Just as good
Kind
Laid down with
Late/The late
Lay/Lie down
Leather hunt
Leave (n)
Leave
Leave
Left and right
Lest
(To) Let
Level best
Lightning, thunder
Lip service
Listen
Live on/in
Living/Staying
Livestock
(For a) Long time
Long time, no see
Look/Looking forward to
Luck
Luck out
Machinery
Majority of
(The) Majority
Majorly
Make a practice of
Man of his word
Many/Many a
Marry
May we/Shall we
May/Might
May/Might
MBBS/MP/NGO/SC/ST
Meals
Me/I am
Me neither/either
Me too
Media
Medical hall
Meet
Mention
Mention not
Midday
Middle age
Midnight
Mind
Mind blowing
Mistake
Monday through/to Friday
Monday
More number of
More
More than one person is/are
Mothers-in-law, mother-in-laws
MP
Mr. or Mr?
Mrs
Mrs. & Mr. Rao or Mr. & Mrs. Rao
Much regards
Must not/Mustn’t
My bad
My Mrs
Myself
Name
Native place
Nearly as good
Neck to neck
Needful
Needn’t/Didn’t need
Needless to say
Neither nor
Neither of
News
Next
Next week/The next week
NGO
Nice and quiet
Nice to meet you/Nice meeting you
No doubt/Without (a) doubt
No ifs and buts
No great shakes
No love lost between them
No mention
No sooner than
Nobody
None (of)
No-nonsense
Nook and corner
Nose cut
Not
Nothing but
Nothing but
Nothing to write home about
Novice
Now and again/then
Number
(A good) Number of
On par with/On a par with
On the anvil
On/Off the lights/fan/AC
Once for all, once and for all
One
One of
Only
Onned/offed
Operate (surgery)
Opinion
Opposite
Opposition
Out of station
Outskirts
Over
Over a meal
Overseas
Overspeeding
Pack my luggage
Pair of
Parapet wall
Part from/with
Pass out
Pay in/by cash
Peon
Percent/Per cent
Percent
Percentage
Pete’s sake
Petrol bunk
Pin drop silence
Pity
Place
Please come/do come
Police is/are
Police station/Fire station
Position
Prefer
Premises
Prepare the vegetables
Prepone
Presently
Pressure
Prevent
Printer’s devil
Prison
Progress
Prohibit
Promise
Property
Protested against/Protest
Purse
Pushing 70
Put in one’s papers
Put something past someone
Put up
Putting up a play
Quarters
Questions
Quite
Quite impossible
Quite so
Ranker
Rather good
Read/Did read
Reading
Reason why
Receive
Rectify
Refrain
Regard
Regardless
Regret
Relieved
Remanded in/to
Repeat again
Research
Residence
Respite
Retiring room
Return back
Revert back
Reverted
Rich/Poor
Rude to/with
Rules
Run after/into
Run into rough weather
Run that by me again
Running forty
Same
Same difference
SC/ST
Scenery
School
Scorn at
Screamingly
Search for someone/Search someone
Search me
See him/Be seeing him
See you on Saturday/See you Saturday
Selection
Set
Shall we
Shall/Will
She
Shift
Shocked at/by
Shoebite
Shot
Should
Shout at/to
Sic
Simply
Sit an exam
Smell
Snap out of it
So far, till now
Soft corner/spot
Some house
Sorry
Soup
Speak to/with
Spelling
Sponsorer
Spoonfuls/Spoonsful
Staff
Stand corrected
Stand first
Stands cancelled
Stepney
Stinking
Student life
Stupidest
Suffering
Summer
Summer time
Sunday is longer than Monday
Surrounded
Swim
Take a call on
Take (a) rest
Talk at/to
Talking terms
Take leave of someone
Team
Telephoned
Tense
Tension
Terminated
Terribly
Test
Thank you
Thank you
Thanks, but no thanks
The VC/The VC herself
Then and there
Think out of the box
Third-class fellow
Three-day State visit
Thrice
Throw
Throw in/into
Tiffin carrier
Till/Until/To
Time immemorial
Timepass
Timings
To some place
Told
Tomorrow week
Too clever by half
Too close to call
Topper
Traffic
Transportation
Tread on/upon
Trespass
Twenty miles/rupees is/are
Two-wheeler/Three-wheeler
Under scanner
Undertrial
Underwear
Unfriend
Unique
University
Up to/Until
Vacancies
Vexed
Viz
Vocabulary
Walk in/into
Walkable distance
Walking papers
Want/Would like
Ward
Wash my hands
Waste not, want not
Weary of/with
Week
Weekends
Weeks: in/for
Weightage
Welcome address
Well versed
What can I do you for?
What have you been up to?
What on earth?
What’s eating/bugging you?
What’s your take on?
What/That
Wheatish
Whereabouts
White money
Whom/Who
Will/Would
Winningest
With a view to
With regards
Wonder(ed)
Won’t/Willn’t
Work
Worst comes to the worst
Would-be wife
Wrong/Right side of 30/40/50
Year
Years
Yellow
Yes/Yeah
Yesterday
You/Yourself