main
/meɪn/adjective
उच्चारण मेन
मुख्य, प्रमुख
Basic wordPYP · asked 6 times
Asked in previous papers
as synonym
+1 more
SSC Exams before 2018- 1
[only before noun]
being the largest or most important of its kind
मुख्य, प्रमुख
- the main gate
- the main reason
- The main road is blocked because of repairs.
+ 2 more examples
- Rice is the main food in this region.
- What is the main idea of this paragraph?
Synonyms chief principal primary major central
Opposite minor secondary subsidiary subordinate
§Structures (grammar patterns) 4
main + noun (attributive only)
Main comes before a noun and cannot be used after a linking verb. We say the main road, but not the road is main.
'Main' संज्ञा से पहले आता है और linking verb के बाद नहीं आ सकता। हम 'the main road' कहते हैं, 'the road is main' नहीं।
- The main gate of the school closes at eight.
- What is the main reason for the delay?
no comparative or superlative
Main already means most important, so mainer and the most main are wrong. Use chief or principal for variety.
'Main' का अर्थ पहले से सबसे महत्त्वपूर्ण है, इसलिए 'mainer' या 'most main' गलत हैं।
- Agriculture is the main occupation in the village.
the main + noun / the mains
The mains (plural) are the large public pipes or wires that carry water, gas or electricity into buildings.
बहुवचन 'the mains' वे बड़ी सार्वजनिक पाइप या तार हैं जो भवनों तक पानी, गैस या बिजली पहुँचाते हैं।
- Switch off the mains before repairing the fan.
in the main (adverb phrase)
In the main means generally or for the most part. It is placed at the start or end of a sentence.
'In the main' का अर्थ प्रायः या अधिकांशतः है। यह वाक्य के आरंभ या अंत में आता है।
- In the main, the students were well prepared.
+Collocations 4
main + noun (place)
roadentrancegatehallstation
- Wait for me at the main entrance of the hospital.
main + noun (idea)
reasonpointideapurposecause
- The main cause of the accident was speeding.
main + noun (meal, story)
coursedishcharacterattractionevent
- We had paneer as the main dish at the wedding.
main + noun (things)
aimsourceproblemsupplystreet
- Rainfall is the main source of water for farmers here.
“More examples 5
- The main advantage of the plan is its low cost.
योजना का मुख्य लाभ उसकी कम लागत है।
- Delhi is the main railway junction for the northern region.
दिल्ली उत्तरी क्षेत्र का मुख्य रेलवे जंक्शन है।
- The main character in the novel is a young teacher.
उपन्यास का मुख्य पात्र एक युवा शिक्षक है।
- A water main burst near the bus stand this morning.
आज सुबह बस स्टैंड के पास पानी की मुख्य पाइपलाइन फट गई।
- Radhika's main concern is her mother's health.
राधिका की मुख्य चिंता उसकी माँ का स्वास्थ्य है।
!Common mistakes 3
✗ This is the most main issue of the debate.
✓ This is the main issue of the debate.
Main already means most important, so most is not needed.
'Main' का अर्थ पहले से सबसे महत्त्वपूर्ण है, इसलिए 'most' की आवश्यकता नहीं।
✗ The mains reason for failure was lack of practice.
✓ The main reason for failure was lack of practice.
Main is an adjective and does not take s before a noun.
'Main' विशेषण है और संज्ञा से पहले इसमें 's' नहीं लगता।
✗ Mane gate of the college is closed.
✓ The main gate of the college is closed.
Main (important) and mane (hair of a lion or horse) sound alike but differ in meaning and spelling.
'Main' (मुख्य) और 'mane' (अयाल) का उच्चारण समान है, पर अर्थ और वर्तनी अलग हैं।
≠Thesaurus: which synonym when
Main, chief and principal all mean most important, but each fits certain nouns.
तीनों का अर्थ सबसे महत्त्वपूर्ण है, पर हर शब्द कुछ विशेष संज्ञाओं के साथ अधिक स्वाभाविक है।
The ordinary word for most important in size or use.
आकार या उपयोग में सबसे महत्त्वपूर्ण के लिए सामान्य शब्द।
- The main road is crowded.
Highest in rank or importance, often for people and causes.
पद या महत्त्व में सर्वोच्च, प्रायः व्यक्तियों और कारणों के लिए।
- Poverty is the chief obstacle.
More formal; first in importance, as in principal reason.
अधिक formal; महत्त्व में प्रथम, जैसे principal reason।
- Rice is the principal crop here.
¶Idioms 1
in the main
used to say that a statement is true in most cases
अधिकतर, मुख्य रूप से
- The students were, in the main, well prepared.
◇Word family
≈Synonyms and antonyms
?Which word?
Homophone, asked often: main (most important) and mane (the long hair on a horse's or lion's neck) are both pronounced /meɪn/.
Homophone अक्सर पूछा जाता है: main (मुख्य) और mane (घोड़े या शेर की गर्दन के लंबे बाल, अयाल) दोनों की pronunciation /meɪn/ है।
§Grammar and usage
In English grammar, a main clause can stand alone as a sentence; a subordinate clause cannot.
Main clause अकेले वाक्य बन सकता है; subordinate clause नहीं।
“Collocations, idioms and sayings
In the main (mostly).
Idiom 'in the main' (अधिकतर)।