Convert to = Change from one form to another; to a new religion, belief, opinion

Convert into = Change the nature, purpose, or function of something

After marriage, Sara made Adam convert to vegetarianism.

When she was a baby, she was raised by a priest and then converted to Catholicism.

Lara is a new convert to Christianity.

Jack always shied away from exercise, but his friend converted him (to it).

Before going through customs, they converted all their cash from Euros into dollars.

Hoping that the markets will improve, many small investors have converted their bonds into equity.

Adam has such strength of character that in a short span of time, he converted his most of critics into colleagues.

As the government is not capable to handle the affairs of beggars, they have converted the small sidewalk into a living room.

Can somebody tell the formula for converting yards into metres?

At the end of the 2000s, many residential areas converted into shopping malls.

Without to/ into

Most of the families in the community converted for fear (that) they would be killed.

The house, known as haunted, was attractively converted in 2005.

Penalty kicks most of the times have been converted. (in sport)

Normally, we write master’s degree, with the apostrophe. Here, the s in master’s shows a possessive (the degree of a master), not a plural. However, when we talk of a degree in a specific field, like the Science or Arts, we drop the apostrophe and the s. Instead, capitalize both the words “master” and the field: Master of Art, Master of Science. The same rule is applicable to a bachelor’s degree.

Peter finally took his Master’s degree from University of Massachusetts in 2017. (Here, Master is capitalised, but not degree).

Also: He earned a Master of Fine Arts from Harvard. When you abbreviate these academic degrees, it would be a good idea if you check the style book to follow consistency. The rules vary from one style book to another.

These academic degrees can be abbreviated as MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M. (A Master of Science; Latin: Magister Scientiae), likewise, MA or M.A., and if the concerned university insists on Latin phrases, we can abbreviate it as AM or A.M. from the Latin Artium Magister.

Bachelor’s Degree adopts the same spelling rules as master’s degree. When we talk about the degree in general, we don’t need to capitalize it, the bachelor’s is written as a possessive, not a plural:

He has become so wayward, neglecting his studies and hanging around with bad company, that it wouldn’t be easy for him to get his bachelor’s degree.

He did his Bachelor of Science in Radiology at Boston College.

Mark will finally get a Master of Arts degree from the Occidental College.

Jane did an MA in fine arts at Louisiana State University.

Sophia had earned a Master’s Degree in business administration at the Guilford College before she migrated to Canada. 

Can you suggest how I can get a bachelor’s degree without going to college?

Whether we treat the US as singular or plural, it depends on what we want to say about it. For example, if we’re treating the United States as the country, the singular form is OK:

The United States is a federal republic consisting of 50 states.

On the other hand, if we talk about the government in the United States which consists of a number of people, we may use a plural noun:

The United States choose not to overreact to criticism.

From the 18th century to the much of the 19th century, United States had been written as plural; however, towards the latter half of the 19th century, the singular usage came to the fore. In modern English, both the singular and plural usages are acceptable.

This singular plural difference is also evident from many other nouns in English. When we’re talking about the noun team:

The team gets a standing ovation from the crowd at the end of the game.

Here, the noun team is considered one unified thing. However, if the team consisting of several members who have some issues within the team, then this group of nouns can be treated as singular or plural depending on what it refers to.

Similarly, when we talk about the police, the navy, or the army, we can use singular or plural depending on the context. However, one thing is clear: when we consider them as a collection of individuals, we use a plural noun and when they are treated as a unified entity, they are considered plural.

As all these words denote the same meaning in the English language, don’t use any two words together in a sentence:

Suppose if the doctor operated on him in time, his life would be saved.     ✗

Supposing = Used at the beginning of a sentence or clause to denote ‘what would happen if’:

Supposing (that) the would-be in-laws ask you why you left so lucrative job — what would be your reply?

However, we use be supposed to to express obligations and arrangements; it doesn’t mean for suggestions.

You are not supposed to stay here in the hospital after mid-night.

In conditional clauses, we use the present simple to refer to the future with if, in case and provided:

We’ll have the party in the house itself this Saturday if Father is out of town.

We often use be to + infinitive to express that something must happen first in the main clause, before the other thing can take place in the if-clause:

Anna Veith needs to improve her techniques, if she is to keep her hopes of gold alive at the next Olympics.

We use if…were + to-infinitive to say imaginary future situations (Unreal conditionals):

If the government funding were to become available, those neglected community hospitals would be better taken care of.

If she were to have a chance of winning gold in the next Olympics, she would need to train herself by a world-class expert.

When one situation is dependent on another situation or on a person, we use if it wasn’t/ weren’t for…:

If it wasn’t/ weren’t for Sharon, his acting career wouldn’t begin to take off.

If it hadn’t been for Sharon, his acting career wouldn’t have begun to take off.

Were it not for Sharon, his acting career wouldn’t begin to take off.                          (Formal & Literary)

Had it not been for Sharon, his acting career wouldn’t have begun to take off.         (Formal & Literary)

We can use if…will when we talk about a result of something in the main clause.

Switch off the lights if it will help you to sleep.

However, using will twice in the same sentence is incorrect because adverbial clauses with when, if, provided, suppose, in case do not usually use the modal will. To indicate the future time within an if-clause, use the simple present:

The teacher will punish you if it will turn out that you stole the pen from Suzanne’s bag. ✗            

We also use if…happen to, if…should, or if…should happen to to say about something which may be possible, but is unlikely to happen:

If you (should) happen to pass by my house, call in and have a cup of tea.

(Don’t use this pattern in unreal conditionals which express impossible events in the if-clause.)

If there was a blizzard, the school would be out before its schedule.

When two possibilities have been talked about or when we are not sure about something, we use whether/ if:

The Law makers couldn’t decide whether/ if it is worth trying to abstain from voting.

I’m not sure whether/ if Jane agrees with me on walking down the street in such late hours.

Provided (that) = If or only if:

Provided (that) the right teaching methods are available, we shall be able to solve the illiteracy problem in this village.

Some community services arrange for schoolchildren to work during their holidays and free time provided (that) proper government funding is available.

In case = if something happens:

Martha will bring a powerbank to the camping in case the battery runs low.

In case the car breaks down on your way home, ask someone for a ride.

Too + adj…infinitive = We use too as an intensifier that expresses that something is deficient and less than what is desirable or extra or more than what is desirable. This expression is supplemented by an infinitive (nonfinite infinitive clause):

Mrs. Joseph is too ill to need a doctor.  (The chances of her getting well are very slim.)

Mr. Wilson is too old to stand in that queue for an hour. (He cannot stand in the queue.)

My cellphone battery is too weak to last two hours. (It cannot last two hours.)

Jill is too short to touch the ceiling. (She cannot touch the ceiling.)

The thesis is too large to write in a few months.This maths problem is too difficult to solve.

Freddie’s throat is too bad this morning to enter for the singing competition.

Adjective + enough + infinitive clause = Enough expresses that something is enough and sufficient, within the limits of desirability.  This expression is also supplemented by an infinitive (nonfinite infinitive clause). The infinitive may be followed by a subject introduced by for (for sb) to do.

Mrs. Joseph is ill enough to need a doctor.  (It is high time that she needed a doctor.)

Mr. Wilson is old enough to stand in the queue of senior citizens. (He has surpassed the age limit of senior citizens.)

My cellphone battery is strong enough to last two hours. (It can last for two hours.)

Jill is tall enough to touch the ceiling. (She can touch the ceiling.)

This parking lot is just about large enough for one hundred cars to accommodate.

The lintel of the building has to be strong enough to withstand the weight of that tower.

We also use for, if there is a need to mention the people or things that are referred to in the sentence.

The bag is too small (for him) to get all his groceries in.

We can also use too + adjective + a/an + noun which is rather formal.
I hope I am not going to have too antagonistic a class on my first day.

Richard is too gentle a person to oppose in the election.

We use the correlative conjunctions both … and to emphasise two coordinated elements in a sentence. Subjects joined with both … and take the plural conjugation. Both … and makes a stronger connection in comparison with ‘and’ alone. We can use the pair both … and as objects of verbs, however, we don’t need to conjugate verbs:

Both Jane and Brad are tired.

Children are going to visit both grandmother and uncles in winter holidays.

She was both upset and apologetic when we pointed out to her mistake.

The suspense of the story went both swiftly and artfully throughout the end.

‘The Missing Girl’ is available both at the library and at the neighbourhood store.

Pamela both respects and loves Mrs. Joseph.

Hawkins wanted both to win Oscar and to earn money for his movie.

Mr. Robert ended up both extending working hours and cutting down on wages for his workers. 

She was determined both to win over Peter to her side and to cut Nancy down to size.

She was both determined to win over Peter to her side and to cut Nancy down to size.     ✗

She was determined both to win over Peter to her side and cut Nancy down to size.         ✗

The above constructions lack symmetry and stumble rather awkwardly.

Again, balance in the following sentences is missing:

Though the movie was given ‘R’, it is suitable both for children and adults.              ✗

Though the movie was given ‘R’, it is both suitable for children and adults.              ✗

Here, in the following examples ‘both’ and ‘and’ carry equal weight:

Though the movie was given ‘R’, it is suitable for both children and adults. √  

OR  

Though the movie was given ‘R’, it is suitable for both children and for adults. √                    

Between … and … = In or through the space that separates two things, places, or people

Between … to … = Ungrammatical

He held the stone between his thumb and forefinger.   

The agreement has been signed between US and Japan.                                                   

Sitting between Pamela and me was my small Cooper.   

Dr. Harvard is available on alternate Saturday mornings between 9 am to 4.30 pm.            ✗

How many even numbers come between 9 to 35?     ✗                                                    

On the train I was sitting between two very big women.

My keys dropped down between the paving stones.  

Mr. Wilson has no claim to that parking area between our houses.                                     

The small waiting room was filled with people leaving for some gulf country and only an elbow of space was left between the receptionist and the manager. 

The Prime Minister walked into the room between two of his cabinet ministers.                  

The trees were planted close to each other with hardly any space between them.                             

Police finally caught up with the man who had stolen the car from between the police post and that house.                      

Don’t push me back, there’s sufficient space between you and the man in front.                

The reason why… that = We use the reason why before a clause

The reason why…because = Ungrammatical; do not use why and because in a single sentence.

The reason why is accompanied by the ‘result’ of the situation:

The reason why we couldn’t attend Barbara’s party was that it was raining heavily.   √       

The reason why he didn’t take her out to dinner was because he had got his pocket picked.     ✗

The reason why he left the light on was that he had forgotten to switch it off.          √
We sometimes omit why, especially in statements:

The reason (why) the doctor didn’t operate on him was that he was breathing his last.

Many established writers object to the use of the reason why as redundant. They argue why denotes ‘for what reason,’ exemplifying ‘reason for what reason.’ The counter-argument about it is that the redundancy is idiomatic and sometimes is ignored for the sake of clarity or emphasis.

Anyways, those who are averse to ‘the reason why’ will go for ‘the reason that’:

The reason (that) we didn’t leave the gate open is that the wind was blowing strongly.                   √

The reason … is because = The reason I didn’t attend the meeting is because I got caught in a traffic jam, is also not acceptable to many, on the grounds that either ‘the reason’ or ‘because’ is redundant; however, to avoid controversy, it is on the safe side to use ‘that’ instead (the reason I didn’t attend the meeting is that …) or rephrase altogether (I didn’t attend the meeting because …). All the same, both the constructions are well established and are acceptable in Standard English.

We use the expression it’s (high) time + subject + past verb form to say that something is already late and it should be done now.

It’s high time = It’s high time you got those shoes mended. The heel will fall off.

It’s time = It’s time you got those shoes mended. They may come apart.  (This pattern shows a little less urgency.)

It is high time that we got rid of that old car.                          

It is high time that we got on with the actual business.                     

It is time that we got even with Susanne.

Gosh! It’s almost dark. It’s time we left this place.                            

It is high time that we severed all links with that company.              

It is time you got a bit hard on children.                                             

It is time you started your own business.      

It’s time with a verb in the to-infinitive form can also denote the speaker and the listener together.

It’s time to marry her off to any man who came along. She’s already 35. (= It’s time we (parents) marry her off ….)

Both when and while are used for action; however, there is quite a bit difference between them.

When = To introduce a single completed event that happens in the middle of a longer event:

When the gardener was playing piano, Nancy plucked the flowers.
She threw empty bottles on the street When I passed by.
Who will babysit Hilda when Martha leaves?
What did you do when somebody stole the money from your wallet?
Martha always listens to children except when she is getting off. 

While = When we have two continuous actions, irrespective of them being in the present or in the past, we use while:

Nancy plucked the flowers while the gardener was playing piano.
She threw empty bottles on the sidewalk while I was passing by.
You should brush up on your English while she’s in the town.
He was seeing another woman while the wife was away.
I heard somebody climb through the window into the kitchen while you were fast asleep.

When there is a single action before a continuous action, any one of these two is OK:

The lights went out when Mrs Joseph was ironing the clothes.        √
The lights went out while Mrs Joseph was ironing the clothes.         √

However, when a continuous action is followed by a single action, when is used:

Mrs Joseph was ironing the clothes when the lights went out.          √
Mrs Joseph was ironing the clothes while the lights went out.          ✗