Grammar for

life

Book created by:

Aditya,Alefiya, Ammar,

Contents
Seri
al Topic
no.

Page no.

1.

Nouns

2.

Personal Pronouns

13

3.

Adjectives

18

4.

Active and Passive Voice

25

5.

Subject Verb Agreement

31

6.

Tenses

40

7.

Transitive and Intransitive

Verbs

50

8.

Assessment

54

NOUN
A noun is the name of a person, place,
thing, or idea. Whatever
exists, we
S
assume, can be named, and that name is a
Examples:

noun.

Late last year our neighbours

bought a goat.
Portia White was an opera singer.
The bus inspector looked at all the
passengers' passes.
According to Plutarch, the library
at Alexandria was destroyed in 48
B.C.
Philosophy is of little comfort to
the
starving.
A noun
can function in a sentence as a subject, a
direct object and an indirect object.
There are many types of nouns but we are going to
learn only 3 types ; proper, common and abstract
nouns.

Proper Nouns
You always write a proper noun with a capital letter, since
the noun represents the name of a specific person, place,
or thing. The names of days of the week, months,
historical documents, institutions, organizations,
religions, their holy texts and their adherents are proper
nouns. A proper noun is the opposite of a common noun.
3

In each of the following sentences, the proper nouns

are highlighted:

The Marroons were transported from Jamaica

and forced to build the fortifications in Halifax.
Beltane is celebrated on the first of May.
Abraham appears in the Talmud and in the
Koran.

Common Nouns
A common noun is a noun referring to a person,
place, or thing in a general sense - usually, you
should write it with a capital letter only when it
begins a sentence. A common noun is the opposite
of
proper
noun.
In a
each
of the
following sentences, the common nouns
are highlighted:

According to the sign, the nearest town is 60

miles away.
The road crew was startled by the sight of
three large moose crossing the road.
Many child-care workers are underpaid.
Sometimes you will make proper nouns out of
common nouns, as in the following examples:

The tenants in the Garnet Apartments are

appealing the large and sudden increase in
their rent.
The meals in the Bouncing Bean Restaurant
are less expensive than meals in ordinary
4

 Many witches refer to the Renaissance as

the Burning Times.
The Diary of Anne Frank is often a child's
first introduction to the history of the
Holocaust.

Abstract Nouns

An abstract noun is a noun which names anything

which you can not perceive through your five
physical
senses,
andinisthe
thefollowing
oppositesentences
of a concrete
The
highlighted
words
are all
noun. nouns:
abstract

Buying the fire extinguisher was an

afterthought.
Tillie is amused by people who are nostalgic
about childhood.
Justice often seems to slip out of our grasp.
Some scientists believe that schizophrenia is
transmitted genetically.

Collective Nouns

A collective noun is a noun naming a group of

things, animals, or persons. You could count the
individual members of the group, but you usually
think of the group as a whole is generally as one unit.
You need to be able to recognize collective nouns in
order to maintain subject-verb agreement. A
collective noun is similar to an uncountable noun.
5

In each of the following sentences, the highlighted

word is a collective noun.

The flock of geese spends most

of its time in the pasture.
The collective noun "flock" takes
the singular verb "spends."
The jury is dining on take-out
chicken tonight.
In this example the collective
noun "jury" is the subject of the
singular compound verb "is
dining."
The steering committee meets
every Wednesday afternoon.
Here the collective noun
"committee" takes a singular
verb, "meets."
The class was startled by the
bursting light bulb.
In this sentence the word "class"
refers to students in a collective
form and takes the singular
compound verb "was startled."

Exercises
A. Write down the nouns
Themajorthoroughfareswerealreadylitbythenewgas,butthiswas
you notice.

notthebrightandevenglareofthelateVictorianperiod:thelightflared
anddiminished,castingaflickeringlightacrossthestreetsandlending
tothehousesandpedestriansafaintlyunrealoreventheatricalquality.

B. Form Abstract Nouns from the

following.
scholar
wise
king

brother

know

lose

sell

great

think

strong

beautiful

long

C. Fill in the blank s with suitable

collective
nouns.
1.Aofbirdsflewhighinthesky.
2.Theysawaoflionsatthezoo.
3.Thefarmerhasaofcattleonhisfarm.
4.Heateaofgrapestoday.

5.Ourfriendshowsusaofstamps.
6.Wesawaofsheeponourwayhome.
7.Policehavearrestedaofthieves.
8.Sheboughtaofbananasfromthemarket.
9.Theofpupilsarelisteningattentivelytotheir
teacher.
10.Youcanputtheoftoolsinthatbox.

PEOPLE

an army of soldiers
a bevy of beauties/girls
a band of musicians
a band of robbers
a board of directors
a body of men
a bunch of crooks
a caravan of gypsies
a choir of singers
a class of pupils
a class of students
a company of actors
a company of soldiers
a congregation of
worshippers
a crew of sailors
a crowd of spectators
a crowd of people
a dynasty of kings
a galaxy of beautiful women
a galaxy of film stars
a gang of crooks
a gang of labourers
a gang of prisoners
a gang of robbers

THINGS

an album of autographs
an album of photographs
an album of stamps
an anthology of poems
an archipelago of islands
a bale of cotton
a basket of fruit
a batch of bread
a battery of guns
a block of flats
a book of exercises
a book of notes
a bouquet of flowers
a bowl of rice

a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a

gang of thieves
horde of savages
host of angels
line of kings/rulers
mob of rioters
group of dancers
group of singers
pack of rascals
pack of thieves
party of friends
patrol of policemen
posse of policemen
regiment of soldiers
staff of employees
staff of servants
staff of teachers
team of players
tribe of natives
troop of scouts
troupe of artistes
troupe of dancers
troupe of performers
party of friends

a hail of bullets
a hand of bananas (each a finger)
a harvest of wheat/corn
a heap of rubbish
a heap of ruins
a hedge of bushes
a heap of stones
a layer of soil/dirt
a library of books
a line of cars
a list of names
a mass of ruins/hair
a necklace of pearls
an outfit of clothes

a bunch of bananas
a bunch of flowers
a bunch of grapes
a bunch of keys
a bundle of rags/old clothes
a bundle of firewood/sticks
a bundle of hay
a catalogue of prices/goods
a chain of mountains
a chest of drawers
a cluster of coconuts
a cluster of grapes
a cloud of dust
a clump of bushes
a clump of trees
a collection of coins
a collection of curiosities
a collection of pictures
a collection of relics
a collection of stamps
a column of smoke
a comb of bananas
a compendium of games
a constellation of stars
a cluster of diamonds
a cluster of stars
a clutch of eggs
a crate of fruit
a crop of apples
a fall of rain
a fall of snow
a fleet of motor-cars/taxis
a fleet of ships
a flight of aeroplanes
a flight of steps
a forest of trees
a galaxy of stars
a garland of flowers
a glossary of difficult
words/phrases
a group of islands
a grove of trees

an orchard of fruit trees

a pack of cards
a pack of lies
a packet of cigarettes
a packet of letters
a pair of shoes
a pencil of rays
a quiver of arrows
a range of hills
a range of mountains
a ream of paper
a reel of thread/film
a roll of film/cloth
a rope of pearls
a row of houses
a series of events
a set of china
a set of clubs
a set of tools
a sheaf of arrows
a sheaf of corn
a sheaf of grain
a sheaf of papers
a sheaf of wheat
a shower of blows
a shower of rain
a stack of arms
a stack of corn
a stack of hay
a stack of timber
a stack of wood
a stock of wood
a string of beads
a string of pearls
a suit of clothes
a suite of furniture
a suite of rooms
a tuft of grass
a tuft of hair
a wad of currency/notes
a wreath of flowers

10

ANIMALS

an army of ants
a bevy of quail
a brood/flock of chickens
a catch of fish
a cloud of flies
a cloud of insects
a cloud of locusts
a colony of gulls
a drove of cattle
a drove of horses
a flight of birds
a flight of doves
a flight of locusts
a flight of swallows
a flock of birds
a flock of geese
a flock of sheep
a gaggle of geese
a haul of fish
a herd of buffaloes
a herd of cattle
a herd of deer
a herd of elephants
a herd of goats
a herd of swine
a hive of bees
a host of sparrows
a kindle of kittens
a litter of cubs
a litter of piglets

a litter of kittens
a litter of puppies
a menagerie of wild
animals
a muster of peacocks
a nest of ants
a nest of mice
a nest of rabbits
a pack of hounds
a pack of wolves
a plague of insects
a plague of locusts
a pride of lions
a school of
herrings/other
smallaafish
a school of porpoises
a school of whales
a shoal of fish
a skein of wild geese in
flight
a string of horses
a stud of horses
a swarm of ants
a swarm of bees
a swarm of insects
a swarm of locusts
a team of horses
a team of oxen
a train of camels
a tribe of goats
a troop of lions
a troop of monkeys
a zoo of wild animals

11

SOME ABSTRACT NOUNS

ability
adoration
adventure
amazement
anger
anxiety
apprehension
artistry
awe
beauty
belief
bravery
brutality
calm
chaos
charity
childhood
clarity
coldness
comfort
communication
compassion
confidence
contentment
courage
crime
curiosity
customer service
death
deceit
dedication
defeat
delight
democracy
despair
determination
dexterity
dictatorship
disappointment
disbelief
disquiet
disturbance
education
ego
elegance

energy
enhancement
enthusiasm
envy
evil
excitement
failure
faith
faithfulness
faithlessness
fascination
favouritism
fear
forgiveness
fragility
frailty
freedom
friendship
generosity
goodness
gossip
grace
graciousness
grief
happiness
hate
hatred
hearsay
helpfulness
helplessness
homelessness
honesty
honour
hope
humility
humour
hurt
idea
idiosyncrasy
imagination
impression
improvement
infatuation
inflation
insanity

intelligence
jealousy
joy
justice
kindness
knowledge
laughter
law
liberty
life
loss
love
loyalty
luck
luxury
maturity
memory
mercy
motivation
movement
music
need
omen
opinion
opportunism
opportunity
pain
patience
peace
peculiarity
perseverance
pleasure
poverty
power
pride
principle
reality
redemption
refreshment
relaxation
relief
restoration
riches
romance
rumour

sacrifice
sadness
sanity
satisfaction
self-control
sensitivity
service
shock
silliness
skill
slavery
sleep
sophistication
sorrow
sparkle
speculation
speed
strength
strictness
stupidity
submission
success
surprise
sympathy
talent
thrill
tiredness
tolerance
trust
uncertainty
unemployment
unreality
victory
wariness
warmth
weakness
wealth
weariness
wisdom
wit
worry

12

PERSONAL
PRONOUNS

The personal pronouns in the

English language can have various
forms according to gender, number,
person, and case.
Personal pronouns represent specific
people or things. We use them
depending on:
number: singular (eg:I) or plural
(eg:we).

person: 1st person (eg:I), 2nd person

(eg:you) or 3rd person (eg:he).
gender: male (eg:he), female
(eg:she) or neuter (eg:it).
case: subject (eg:we) or object
We
use personal pronouns in place of the person or
(eg:us).
people that we are talking about. My name is Josef
but when I am talking about myself I almost always
use "I" or "me", not "Josef". When I am talking
direct to you, I almost always use "you", not your
name. When I am talking about another person, say
John, I may start with "John" but then use "he" or
When
about a
"him". we
Andare
so talking
on.
single thing, we almost always
useit. However, there are a few
exceptions. We may sometimes
refer to an animal
ashe/himorshe/her, especially
if the animal is domesticated or a
pet. Ships (and some other
vessels or vehicles) as well as
13

In each of the following examples the pronouns

representing the object is highlighted.

This is our dog Rusty.He's an Alsation.

TheTitanicwas a great ship butshesank on
her first voyage.
We
Myoften
first useitto
car wasintroduce
a Mini and
I treatedherlike
a remark:
my
wife.
Itis
nice to have a holiday sometimes.
Isitnormal to see them together?
We also often useitto talk about the weather,
temperature, time and distance:

It's raining.
Itwill probably be hot tomorrow.

14

EXERCISES :

A. Use the correct personal

pronouns. Watch the words in
brackets.
Example:___oftenreadsbooks.(Lisa)
Answer:Sheoftenreadsbooks.
1)____________isdreaming.(George)
2)____________isgreen.(theblackboard)
3)____________areonthewall.(theposters)
4)____________isrunning.(thedog)
5)____________arewatchingTV.(mymotherandI)
6)____________areinthegarden.(theflowers)
7)____________isridinghisbike.(Tom)
8)____________isfromBristol.(Victoria)
9)____________hasgotabrother.(Diana)
10)Have____________gotacomputer,Mandy?

B. Rewrite the sentences replacing

the underlined words by a personal
pronouns. Dont use contractions
(aren't, isn't, he's, she's, etc)
1. MaryandIarestudents.
Ans:_____________________________________________
2.Melissaisn'tanengineer.Melissaisanarchitect.
Ans:_____________________________________________
3. Bobismyclassmate.
Ans:__________________________________________
15

4. My teachers are from the USA and are very experienced.

Ans:_________________________________________
5. Are Melissa and Pamela from England?
Ans:_________________________________________
6. Tommy,BobandIareneighborsandverygoodfriends.
Ans:_____________________________________________
7. AreyousurethatIsPauladentist?
Ans:_____________________________________________
8. YouandFredaren'tfromItaly.
Ans:_____________________________________________
9. Louiseisnotmymother'sfriend.
Ans:_____________________________________________
10. AreyouandIgoodfriends?
Ans:_____________________________________________

in the correct pronouns.

1.MysisterJanelovesbooks.Thisnovelisfor_________.
2.MychildrenlikeDisneyfilms.Thevideoisfor__________.
3.MybrotherMattcollectspicturepostcards.Thesepostcardsarefor
__________.
4.MyparentslikeLatinmusic.TheCDisfor__________.

16

5.Ilikewatches.Thisnicewatchisfor__________.
6.MywifeandIlovesweets.Thesesweetsarefor___________.
7.Mynephewlikescars.Thetoytruckisfor____________.
8.MyneighborwantstogotoCalifornianextyear.Theguidebookis
for____________.
9.Hereisanothersouvenir.Idon'tknowwhattodowith__________.
10.Mothernatureisgettingdestructed!Weneedtosave___________.

17

ADJECTIVES

What is an adjective?

An adjective is a word that describes a noun or a

pronoun.
Example: Biancas cute monkey ate the yellow

banana.

Tim washed the dirty dishes.

Gary Questions?
plucked the beautiful flowers.
The Adjective
Which one

tall candles

What kind

scented candles

How many
Whose

seven candles
Beths candles

Comparatives and
Superlatives
Many adjectives can have differentdegrees. By this
I mean that something can have more or less of an
adjective's quality.
For instance, you may find the weather in California
to behot, Dubais weather to behotter, and the
Sahara Desert's to be thehottest.
See how there are differentdegreesof the
adjectivehot? We've just used
thecomparativeandsuperlativeforms of the
18

Positive

Comparativ
e

Superlative

Positive degree of adjective

good
better
best
An adjective that describes only 1 object.
Possible
littleformats: less
least
Keep the word as it is. (Sean is an excellent
student.)
With + word (With intense concentration Ive

been able to
topic.)

understand this

Word + -fully (Sarah sang the song

emotionally.)

Comparative degree of adjective

An adjective used to compare 2 objects
Possible formats:
Adjective + -er (The suns rays seem to shine
brighter today.)
More + adjective (Science is more difficult
than Math.)
Less + adjective (Bianca is less attractive

than her sister.)

Superlative degree of adjective

An adjective used to compare 3 or more objects
Possible formats:
Adjective + -est (Sean is the rudest of his

friends.)

19
Most + adjective (Mariya is the most graceful

Exerci
A. Fill in the comparative and
ses of the
superlative degrees

Positive
Comparative
Superlative
corresponding adjectives.
cheap
late
much
Beautiful
cruel
broad
expensive
hard
angry
poor
fit
great
important
big
dull
hungry
few
clever
obnoxious
outrageous

B.Underline
Adjective.

and

identify

the

1. Thetwofatbirdschirped.
2. Thecutestbabywasabductedfromthematernityward.
3.
4. Thelargestboxofthosethreefellonthefloor.
5. Thelovely,scentedcandleburned.
6. Walterquicklyranhome.
7. Thelargebookwaskeptonthetable.
8. PeterisslowthanJackinwriting.
9. Thebrowndogwassleeping.

C. Fill in the blanks with adjectives.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Myhouseis_________thanyours.(big)
Thisfloweris__________thantheotherone.(beautiful)
Thisisthe_____________bookIhaveeverread.(interesting)
Non-smokersusuallylive______thansmokers.(long)
Whichisthe__________animalintheworld.(dangerous)
A holiday in Dubai is ________ than a holiday in Afghanistan.
(good)
7. Acokeisoften__________thanabeer.(expensive)
8. Whoisthe_________manontheearth.(rich)
9. The weather this summer is _________ than the weather last
summer.(bad)
10. Hewasthe________thiefofall.(clever)

20

D. Frame sentences using the

following
1. Obnoxious: adjectives:

2. Mostadventurous:

3. Cautious:

4. Impossible:

5. Enchanting:

6. Mysterious:

7. Abundant:

21

Appearanc Appearanc Condition

e
e

Contd.

alive
adorable long
annoying
adventuro magnificen bad
us
t
better
aggressive misty
beautiful
alert
motionless brainy
attractive muddy
breakable
average
oldbusy
beautiful fashioned careful
blue-eyed plain
cautious
bloody
poised
clever
blushing precious clumsy
bright
quaint
concerned
clean
shiny
crazy
clear
smoggy
curious
cloudy
sparkling dead
colorful
spotless
different
crowded stormy
difficult
cute
strange
doubtful
dark
ugly
easy
drab
ugliest
expensive
distinct
unsightly famous
dull
unusual
fragile
elegant
wide-eyed frail
excited
gifted
fancy
helpful
Filthy
helpless
glamorous
horrible
gleaming
important
gorgeous

graceful
grotesque
handsome
homely
light

Condition
Contd.

Feelings
(Bad)

Feelings
(Bad)

Contd.
impossible
angry grumpy
inexpensiv annoyed helpless
e
anxious
homeless
innocent arrogant hungry
inquisitive ashamed hurt
modern
awful
ill
mushy
bad
itchy
odd
bewildered jealous
open
black
jittery
outstandin blue
lazy
g
bored
lonely
poor
clumsy
mysterious
powerful combative nasty
prickly
condemne naughty
puzzled
d
nervous
real
confused nutty
rich
crazy
obnoxious
shy
flipped-out outrageou
sleepy
creepy
s
stupid
cruel
panicky
super
dangerous repulsive
talented defeated scary
tame
defiant
selfish
tender
depressed sore
tough
disgusted tense
uninterest disturbed terrible
ed
dizzy
testy
vast
embarrass thoughtles
wandering ed
s
wild
envious
tired
wrong
evil
troubled
fierce
upset
foolish
uptight
frantic
weary
frightened wicked22

Feelings
Feelings
(Good)
(Good)

Contd.

agreeable happy
amused
healthy
brave
helpful
calm
hilarious
charming jolly
cheerful
joyous
comfortabl kind
e
lively
cooperativ lovely
e
lucky
courageou nice
s
obedient
delightful perfect
determine pleasant
d
proud
eager
relieved
elated
silly
enchantin smiling
g
splendid
encouragi successful
ng
thankful
energetic thoughtful
enthusiasti victorious
c
vivacious
excited
witty
exuberant wonderful
fair
zealous
faithful
zany
fantastic
fine

Shape

broad
chubby
crooked
curved
deep
flat
high
hollow
low
narrow
round
shallow
skinny
square
steep
straight
wide

Size

big
colossal
fat
gigantic
great
huge
immense
large
little
mammoth
massive
miniature
petite
puny
scrawny
short
small
tall
teeny
teeny-tiny
tiny

Sound

Time

cooing
ancient
deafening brief
faint
Early
harsh
fast
highlate
pitched
long
hissing
modern
hushed
old
husky
oldloud
fashioned
melodic
quick
moaning rapid
mute
short
noisy
slow
purring
swift
quiet
young
raspy
resonant
screeching
shrill
silent
soft
squealing
thundering
voiceless
whispering

23

Taste/Touch

bitter
delicious
fresh
juicy
ripe
rotten
salty
sour
spicy
stale
sticky
strong
sweet
tart
tasteless
tasty
thirsty
fluttering
fuzzy
greasy
grubby
hard
hot
icy
loose

Taste/Touch
Contd.

melted
nutritious
plastic
prickly
rainy
rough
scattered
shaggy
shaky
sharp
shivering
silky
slimy
slippery
smooth
soft
solid
steady
sticky
tender
tight
uneven
weak
wet
wooden
yummy

Touch

boiling
breezy
broken
bumpy
chilly
cold
cool
creepy
crooked
cuddly
curly
damaged
damp
dirty
dry
dusty
filthy
flaky
fluffy
freezing
hot
warm
wet

Quantity

abundant
empty
few
heavy
light
many
numerous
substantial

24

Active and
Verbs are also said to be invoices either active
Passive
voice or
passive voice.Voice
Theactive voiceis the "normal" voice. This is the
voice that we use most of the time. You are
probably already familiar with the active voice.
In an active sentence, thesubjectis doing the
action. In the active voice, theobjectreceives the
action of the verb.

subject verb

object

Thepassive voiceis less

usual. In the passive
voice,
thesubjectreceives the
action of the verb and is
at times unimportant.

object

verb

subject

25

The passive is particularly useful in two

situations:
In each of the following cases the Voice has been
highlighted.
If the action is more
important then the agent.
(This draws a persons
attention.) : The

unidentified victimwas
apparently struckduring
the early morning hours.
When the doer or agent in
the situation is not
important:The aurora

borealiscan be observedin
the early morning hours.

An example of passive voice in each tense :

Auxiliary

Past
Participl
e

Tense

Subject

Singular
Plural
/

Present

The
car/cars

is
/

are

designed.

Past

The
car/cars

was
/

were

designed.
26

To change a passive voice sentence into an

active voice sentence, simply reverse the
steps shown above.
1. Move the passive sentence's subject into the active
sentence's direct object slot.

2. Remove the auxiliary verbbe from the main verb

and change main verb's form if needed

3. Place the passive sentence's object of the

prepositionbyinto the subject slot.

27

As the examples below illustrate, a sentence

in active voice flows more smoothly and is
easier to understand than the same sentence
in passive voice. The examples also show you
the conversion from active voice to passive
voice.

28

Exerc
A. Identify the
1. Theylistento music.
ises
voices.
2. Lots of houseswere
destroyedby the earthquake.
3. Youshould openyour
workbooks.
4. The report must be completed
by next Friday.
5. 'Red Sunset was painted in
1986 by Smithers.
6. The students will finish the
course by July.

hange to passive.

Peterwill builda house as soon as he is able to arrange

for the money required. He has decided to hand over the
contract to a gullible friend of his who is a renowned
builder. He wants a huge mansion, with a beautiful hall
coated with marble floors and 3 bedrooms designed
sophistically. He wants it the way he dreams it to be.

29

C. Change the voices.

Active

Passive

Tomcleansthe house once a

week.
The carwas repairedby
Sam.
Someonewill finishthe work
by 5:00 PM.
Sallyis going to makea
beautiful dinner tonight.

Professor Villa
gaveJorgean A.
The students handed in the
reports.
A piece of plastic was
swallowed by the child.
Bicyclesmust not be left
in the
driveway.

ey built that skyscraper in 1934.

id the plan interest you?

Someone will speak
Japanese at the meeting.

30

Subject verb
agreement
Subjects and verbs must AGREE with one another in
number (singular or plural). Thus, if a subject is singular,
its verb must also be singular; if a subject is plural, its
verb must also be plural.
In present tenses, nouns and verbs form plurals in
opposite
ways:
nouns ADD an s to
the singular
.

form,

BUT
Verbs REMOVE an s from the
singular form.

Here are nine subject-verb agreement rules:

1. A phrase or clause between subject and
verb does not change the number of the
subject.
Examples:

31

2. Indefinite pronouns as subjects

Singular indefinite pronoun subjects take singular
verbs.

Plural indefinite pronoun subjects take plural verbs.

Plural: several, few, both, many.

32

Some indefinite pronouns may be either

singular or plural: with uncountable, use
singular; with countable, use plural.

Either singular or plural: some, any, none, all, most

r is uncountable; therefore, the sentence has a singula

Marbles are countable; therefore, the sentence has

a plural verb.
3. Compound subjects joined by and are
always plural.

4. With compound subjects joined by or/nor,

the verb agrees with the subject nearer to it.

In this example, the singular verb are agrees with

the nearer subject director.
33

In the above example, the plural verb is agrees with

the nearer subject actors.
5. Inverted Subjects must agree with the verb.

6. Collective Nouns (group, jury, crowd, team, etc.)

may be singular or plural, depending on meaning.

In this example, the jury is acting as one unit;

therefore, the verb is singular.

In this example, the jury members are acting as twelve

individuals; therefore, the verb is plural.

34

7.

Titles of single entities (books, organizations,

countries, etc.) are always singular.

8. Plural form subjects.

Plural form subjects with a singular meaning
take a singular verb. (e.g. news, measles, mumps,
physics, etc.)

Plural form subjects with singular or plural

meaning take a singular or plural verb, depending
on meaning. (e.g. politics, economics, etc.)

In this example, politics is a single topic; therefore,

the sentence has a singular verb.

In this example, politics refers to the many aspects

of the situation; therefore, the sentence has a plural
verb.
35

Plural form subjects with a plural meaning

take a plural verb. (e.g. scissors, trousers)

Note: In this example, the subject of the sentence

is pair; therefore, the verb must agree with it.
(Because scissors is the object of the preposition,
scissors does not affect the number of the verb.)
9. With subject and subjective complement of
different number, the verb always agrees
with the subject.

36

Exercises

ne the answer which you think is corre

1. EmilyandGreg(comes,come)tomyhouseeveryFridayforlunch.
2. There(is,are)timetowatchthemovie.
3. Myfriendswhoareintheband(wants,want)metoplayamusical
instrument.
4. Myfatherormybrothers(is,are)comingwithmetotheballgame.
5. Everyone(needs,need)timetorelax.
6. Thatbagoforanges(looks,look)fresh.
7. Thelacrosseteam(hopes,hope)towinthetournamentnextweek.
8. Yourtrousers(needs,need)tobecleaned.
9. Someofthebooksontheshelf(is,are)dusty.
10. Eventhoughthestudentsliketheclass,afew(thinks,think)thatitis
toocomplicated.
11. Mumps(is,are)notcommonamongadults.
12. Virusesfromthirdworldcountries(is,are)amajorconcern.
13. Mostofthesand(is,are)wetfromthehightide.
14. Eitherthetwokittensorthepuppy(sits,sit)inmylapwhileIwatch
television.
15. Asubjectofgreatinterest(is,are)rainforests.
16. HanselandGretel(is,are)afamouschildren'sstory.
17. Theteammembers(is,are)arguingoverthedefensetactics.
18. Theeconomicsofthetrip(was,were)pleasing.
19. Why(is,are)yourparentsgoingtoAfricaforavacation?
20. Themayorandthegovernor(hopes,hope)thatthebillwillsoon
becomealaw.

37

B. Pick out the answer which you

think
is correct.
1. There____________severalreasonswhyyoushouldreconsider
yourdecision.(are/is)
2. HowardandVincent,who____________acopycenterintown,
havedecidedtoexpandtheirbusiness.(run/runs)
3. Bothofthestatuesontheshelf____________broken.(are/is)
4. Thefishingboatthathasbeentiedupatthepierforthreedays
____________finallyonitswaythismorning.(was/were)
5. Thechairman,alongwithhistwoassistants,____________to
attendtheannualconvention.(plan/plans)
6. Theissuesofinflationandtaxreform____________tobeon
everyone'smind.(continue/continues)
7. JuanorJulian____________theconferenceroomeachweek.
(prepare/prepares)
8. Notoneoftheperformers____________atthepartyafterthe
concert.(were/was)
9. Theresultsoftheelection____________notavailablefortwo
days.(were/was)
10. Whenthere_______thunderstormsapproaching,wearealways
remindedofthethreatoftornadoes.(is/are)
11. Eitherthephysiciansinthishospitalorthechiefadministrator
____goingtohavetomakeadecision.(is/are)
12. ______mybossormysistersintheuniongoingtowinthis
grievance?(is/are)
13. Someofthevotes__________tohavebeen
miscounted.(seem/seems)
14. Thetornadoesthattearthroughthiscountyeveryspring_____more
thanjustanuisance.(are/is)

38

15.Everyoneselectedtoserveonthisjury_____tobewillingtogive
upalotoftime.(have/has)
16.KaraWolters,togetherwithherteammates,_________a
formidableopponentonthebasketballcourt.(presents/present)
17.Heseemstoforgetthatthere__________thingstobedonebefore
hecangraduate.(are/is)
18. There_______tobesomepeopleleftinthattownafteryesterday's
flood.(have/has)
19. Three-quartersofthestudentbody__________againstthetuition
hike.(is/are)
20.Ahighpercentageofthepopulation_________votingforthenew
school.(is/are)

39

Verbs
A verb is often defined as a word which shows
action or state of being. The verb is the heart of a
sentence every sentence has one. Recognizing
the verb is often the most important step in
understanding the meaning of a sentence. In the
sentence The dog bit the man, bit is the verb and
the word which shows the action of the
sentence.Verbs present the actions of a doer or a
happening.

Simple
Present
The simple present tense is used for two main types of
action:
Tense
Habits

Actions which happen regularly (for example,

every day or every week)

States

Things which do not often change (for example,

opinions and conditions)

Type of
action

Examples

Habit

Young-Mi goes to class

Every day is a habit.
every day.
It rains a lot in
This means that it rains
often.
Vancouver.

State

Explanations

When we like something,

Martin likes chocolate. usually we will always
like it.
Beliefs and opinions are
Anna believes in God. states. They don't often

40

Facts, Generalizations and Universal Truths.

We use the simple present tense to talk about
universal truths or things we believe are, or are not,
true.
In the following examples the verbs are highlighted.

Waterboilsat 100 degrees Celcius.(universal

truth)
Itisa big house.(fact)
Dogsarebetter than cats.(generalization)
Berlinisthe capital city of Germany.(fact)
The Elephantdoesn't fly.(fact)

Simple Past Tense

Thesimple past tenseis one of the most common

tenses in English. It is usually formed by adding -ED
to the verb. However, with some verbs, you need to
add -D or change the ending a little. This page will
explain the rules for forming the tense with regular
verbs.
Verb
ending in... How to make the simple past Examples
e

Add-D

live-lived
date -dated

Consonant +y

Changeytoi, then add-ED

try -tried
cry -cried

One vowel +
Double the consonant, then
one consonant
add-ED
(but NOTwory)

tap-tapped
commit
-committed

anything else
includingw

boil -boiled
fill -filled
hand -handed

Add-ED

41

The three most important irregular verbs.

The three most important irregular verbs
areBE,HAVE, andDO. The simple past forms
forBEare different depending on the subject.
Pronoun

BE

HAVE

DO

was

had

did

You

were

had

did

He / she /
it

was

had

did

We

were

had

did

They

were

had

did

Other irregular verbs

Other irregular verbs fall into three main categories:
Category

Examples

Verbs which don't change

cut - cut
hit - hit
fit - fit

Verbs which change their

vowel

get - got
sit - sat
drink - drank

Verbs which change

completely

catch - caught
bring - brought
teach - taught

42

Simple Future
In
English, there are many ways of expressing
Tense
future time. One of the most common is using the
modal auxiliary verb will. This page will explain
the main meanings of will and show you how to
form the
Using
will
futurewith
withverbs
will.
Will, like all modal verbs in English, does not
change its form, and it is followed by the simple
form of the main verb. Will is NOT usually used in
first person questions. Note also thatwillis often
shortened toll. This diagram should make the
situation Statement
clearer:
Subject
Question
I

I will stop smoking.

I'll stop smoking.

[not usually used]

You

You will stop smoking.

You'll stop smoking.

Will you stop smoking?

He

He will stop smoking.

He'll stop smoking.

Will he stop smoking?

She

She will stop smoking.

She'll stop smoking.

Will she stop smoking?

It

It will be hard to stop.

It'll be hard to stop.

Will it be hard to stop?

We

We will stop smoking.

We'll stop smoking.

[not usually used]

They

They will stop smoking.

They'll stop smoking.

Will they stop smoking?

43

The meaning of will future forms

Will is usually used in three situations:
Situation

Example

Volunteeringto do something

Will someone open the

window for me?
I'll do it!

Decidingto do something

I've made up my mind. I'll

go to Whistler for my
vacation.

Forcingsomeone to do
something.

Dad, I don't want to clean

my room!
You'll do it, and you'll do it
NOW!

In the following examples on simple present, past and

future the verbs are highlighted.

The Earth rotates around the Sun.

If we do not change now, there are no hopes
for our future.
The meetingstartsat 3 PM.
ShaunastudiedJapanese for five years.
Didyouplaya musical instrument when you
were a kid?
Sheworkedat the movie theater after school.
We are sayingwhat we think will happen.
Peoplewon't goto Jupiter before the 22nd
century.
44

The Simple Tense Simplified.

VERB
Tosee
Todo
Togo
Totake
Togive
Toeat
Toknow
Tobreak
Towrite
Tosteal
Tosing
Tofall
Totry
Towatch

SIMPLE
PRESENT
Hesees
Hedoes
Hegoes
Hetakes
Hegives
Heeats
Heknows
Hebreaks
Hewrites
Hesteals
Hesings
Hefalls
Hetries
Hewatches

SIMPLEPAST
Hesaw
Hedid
Hewent
Hetook
Hegave
Heate
Heknew
Hebroke
Hewrote
Hestole
Hesang
Hefell
Hetried
Hewatched

SIMPLE
FUTURE
Hewillsee
Hewilldo
Hewillgo
Hewilltake
Hewillgive
Hewilleat
Hewillknow
Hewillbreak
Hewillwrite
Hewillsteal
Hewillsing
Hewillfall
Hewilltry
Hewillwatch

45

Exerci
A. Write down the form of tense for
ses.
each of the following sentences.

B. Pick out and write the

1.Whichisnotapastformofaverb?
correct
answer.
washadlookedspokehear
________________________________________
2.Whichisnotapresentformofaverb?
aresawhastalkspeak
________________________________________
3.Whichisnotapluralformofaverb?
arewereamhavedo
________________________________________
4.Whichisnota3rdpersonsingularformofaverb?
goeshaswasaredoes
_______________________________________
5.Whichisinthesimplepasttense?
looksawisspeakwillhear
________________________________________

46

6.Whichisnotafuturetenseofaverb?
willmoveheardwillspeakwilltalkwillsee
________________________________________
7.Whichisnotusedasanauxiliaryofaverb?
washavedidwillsees
________________________________________
8.Whichverbcanbebothsingularandplural?
seeshasdoamis
________________________________________
9.Whichverbcanbebothsingularandplural?
wasdoeshavecomeshears

________________________________________

C. Complete the following

sentences using the correct form
of verb from the brackets.
1. Imyhomeworkeverydayafterschool.(Do)
2. Hehowtoswim.(Know)
3. IamovieeveryFriday.(Watch)
4. Jilltovisithisgranddadoften.(Go)
5. Sueverywellandsoisinthechoir.(Sing)
6. Jacktodohisbestatschool.(Try)
7. Timdownthestairswhileclimbingthem.(Fall)
8. Therobberthemoneyfromabank.(Steal)
9. Thedoctorthechildamedicineforhiscold.(Give)
10. StevetheEiffelToweronhistriptoFrance.(Saw)
11. Hetoswimeveryday.(Go)
12. Tomharderinhisnextproject.(Try)
13. Theladylittlebecausesheisonadiet.(Eat)
14. Thestudentforhistest.(Study)

47

D. Fill in the correct form of verb

1.
Every Monday,
(drive)her kids to
provided
inSally
the bracket.

football practice.
2. Usually, I
(work)as a secretary at ABT,
but this summer
I
(study)French at
a language school in Paris. That is why I am in Paris.
3. Don't forget to take your umbrella. It
(rain).
4. The business cards (be) normallyprinted by a
company in New York. Their prices (be)inexpensive,
yet the quality of their work is quite good.
5. This delicious chocolate (be)made by a small
chocolatier in Zurich, Switzerland.
6. I
(try)to change a light bulb that had
burnt out.
7. After I (find)the wallet full of money, I
(go) for shopping.
8. The doctor (say)that Tom (be)too sick to go to work
and that he (need)to stay at home for a couple of
days.
9. Sebastian
(arrive)at Susan's house a
little before 9:00 PM, but she
(be)
notthere.
10. I (call)you last night after dinner, but you
(be) notthere. Where were you?
11. I
(watch)a mystery movie on TV when
the electricity went out. Now I am never going to find
out how the movie ends.
12. Sharon
(be)in the room when John
told me what happened, but she didn't hear anything
because she was sleeping.
48

15. After I (find)the wallet full of money, I

(go) for
shopping.
16. The doctor (say)that Tom (be)too sick to go to
work and that he (need)to stay at home for a couple
of days.
17. Sebastian(arrive)atSusan'shousealittlebefore

9:00PM,butshe(be)notthere.
18.I(call)youlastnightafterdinner,butyou(be)
notthere.Wherewereyou?
19.It'sstrangethatyou(call)merightnow.
20.Thefiremen(rescue)theoldwomanwho
wastrappedonthethirdflooroftheburningbuilding.

49

Transitive and
Intransitive Verbs
What is a transitive
A transitive verb requires an object in the form of a
verb
?
noun or pronoun
to complete its meaning. This
object answers to the questions who(m) or what.
Example:
The students write
composition.
What do the students write?
Compositions.
Peter loves Mary.
Who does Peter love? Mary.
Formula: Subject +
Verb + Object

What is an intransitive
An intransitive verb is one that does not require an
verb
object to ?
complete its meaning. The sentence may
end with the verb, an adjective, or an adverb. The
questions one may ask with these forms are when,
where,
how, or why.
Example:
The children sat.
The children sat at 7:30 pm.
The children sat at the table.
The children sat quietly.
The children sat because their mother
50

Exercise
A. Lets see ifsyou can identify the

verbs in the following examples. Draw

a line under the verb and in the blank
space, write transitive or intransitive.
1.Themathprofessorexplainsthelesson.verb.
2.Idrivemycartoworkeveryday.verb.
3.Manystudentssleeplateontheweekends.verb.
4.Louisefinallygotherlicense.verb.
5.DoesyourfamilyliveinMinnesota?verb.

B. Underline the verb in each

sentence and indicate whether it is
being used as a transitive verb or
an intransitive verb.
1.Manycontemporarytelevisionprogramsexposechildrentoviolence
andvulgarlanguage.
2.Myexamgradewillexcludemefromthesoccergame.
3.Aliceimaginedaworldfulloffascinatingcreatures.
4.Jamesranintheparkeveryafternoon.
5.Thetornadodestroyedentirebuildingswhenitstruck.
6.IrakedtheyardonSaturday.
7.Theboilingwaterscaldedmyhand.
8.Wetalkedaboutthenewsallevening.
51

C. Tell which of the following verbs

are transitive and which are
1.Anneloveshermother.
intransitive.
2.Thegoldengateopened.
3.Themoonsilversthedistanthills.
4.Maryfoundherring.
5.Jameswritespoetry.
6.Thesnowmelts.
7.Theicychainsbreak.
8.Theinnocentlambdied.
9.Thechildrenplayed.
10.Thechildrenplayedagame.
11.Doriswaselectedpresidentoftheclass.
12.Danisthefirstbaseman.

D. Write an appropriate subject

and object for each of the following
Fortheverbto
ring,write:ringsthechurchbell(object).
verbs using
the following model:
1.tolearn
2.tofind
3.tohide
4.tofear
5.toremember
6.toinflict
7.toreceive
8.tolift
9.tohear
10.torenew

52

E. State whether the verbs in the

following sentences are transitive or
intransitive. Name the object of each
transitive verb.
1. Thedogbarks.

2. Heraisedhishands.
3. Theinformationprovedfalse.
4. Thechildhasfallenasleep.
5. Thedonkeykeptbraying.
6. Theteaishot.
7. Theresultsareout.
8. Shecalledagainandagain.
9. Wearehumanbeings.
10. Theyarrivedhereviametro.

53

Assessment

5 adjectives and 5 nouns .

x k n z u e l c h a i r t a
y l

e w s y p n v d u l

d n p t b l v r d o n ma u
z q k a e g s b a f p y m c
t r t q r u b q n a o s e k
b y a s c k a h c t o z b y
md l p m z p f e m r h i

a o l p o o r z s q l a t p
wb t x e g s t r s n q i

54

Comprehension

Learning something new can be a scary experience. One

of the hardest
thingssomething
I've ever had
do was learn how to
Learning
new;toswimming.
swim. I was always afraid of the water, but I decided that
swimming was an important skill that I should learn. I
also thought it would be good exercise and help me to
become physically stronger. What I didn't realize was that
learning to swim would also make me a more confident
person.
New situations always make me a bit nervous, and my
first swimming lesson was no exception. After I changed
into my bathing suit in the locker room, I stood timidly by
the side of the pool waiting for the teacher and other
students to show up. After a couple of minutes the
teacher came over. She smiled and introduced herself,
and two more students joined us. Although they were
both older than me, they didn't seem to be embarrassed
about not knowing how to swim. I began to feel more at
ease.
We got into the pool, and the teacher had us put on
brightly colored water wings to help us stay afloat. One of
the other students, May, had already taken the beginning
class once before, so she took a kickboard and went
splashing off by herself. The other student, Jerry, and I
were told to hold on to the side of the pool and shown
how to kick for the breaststroke. One by one, the teacher
had us hold on to a kickboard while she pulled it through
the water and we kicked. Pretty soon Jerry was off doing
this by himself, travelling at a fast clip across the short
end of the pool.

55

Things
not quite that easy for me, but
the teacher was very patient. After a few more
weeks, when I seemed to have caught on with my
legs, she taught me the arm strokes. Now I had two
things to concentrate on, my arms and my legs. I
felt hopelessly uncoordinated. Sooner than I
imagined, however, things began to feel "right" and
I
able to swim! It was a wonderful free
feeling - like flying, maybe - to be able to shoot
across the water.
Learning to swim
not easy for me, but in
the end my persistence paid off. Not only did I learn
how to swim and to conquer my fear of the water,
but I also learned something about learning. Now
when I
faced with a new situation I am not
so nervous. I may feel uncomfortable to begin with,
but I know that as I practice being in that situation
and as my skills get better, I
A. Investigate the meaningsfeel
ofmore
the
and more comfortable. It
a wonderful, free
following
words
: a goal you have set for
feeling when you
achieve
yourself.
ExperienceTimidlyEmbarrassedUncoordinatedPersistenceConquerAchieveConfidentSituation56

B. Pick out any five pronouns from

the passage.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

C. Write down 2 sentences that are

passive and two sentences that are
active.
D. In the last 2 paragraphs fill in
the correct forms of verbs keeping
in mind the rules of subject verb
agreement.

57