Class 3: Other grammar concepts

Lesson Summary

Other Grammar Concepts:

 Article
 Demonstrative Pronoun
 Possessive Pronoun
 Object Pronoun
 Preposition

Article
Articles are words that define a noun as specific or unspecific. There are two types of
articles: the definite article and the indefinite article.
The definite article is the word the. It limits the meaning of a noun to one particular
thing.
For example:
This is the car I like to drive (in this case it’s a specific car).
It also apply for plural:
The computers of that store are fantastic (specific computers)
The indefinite article is the word a. It indicates that a noun refers to a general idea rather
than a particular thing. It has two forms:
The word a when it’s before a word that begins with a consonant sound.
The word an when it’s before a word that begins with a vowel sound.
For example:
Please give me a cup of coffee (in this case it’s any cup of coffee. We write a because it is
before the word cup that begins with consonant sound).
This is an interesting book (it’s any book. We write an because it is before the word
interesting that begins with vowel sound sound).
The indefinite article is only for singular, so if we say:
I want an puppies (it’s a mistake because it’s more than one).
We should say:
I want a puppy (only one).
Or
I want puppies (without article)

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Demonstrative Pronoun
Demonstrative pronouns are used to indicate something specific in a sentence. They can
be either singular or plural, near or far in time or space.

Quantity/Distance Singular Plural

Near This These
Far That Those

For example:
This graphic indicates an increase
This is the happiest moment
That rainbow is beautiful
That is a great idea!
These cups of coffee are hot
I like these books
Those mountains are big
Those tree are very tall!

Possessive Determiner
Possessive Determiners express possession. And we use them with nouns.

Personal Pronoun Possessive Determiner

I My
You Your
He His
She Her
It Its
We Our
They Their

For example:
He likes his big glasses.
Sidney is a nice city. Its weather is good. (Sidney can be replaced by it, so the possessive
determiner is its).
Their shoes are different.

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Possessive Pronoun
Possessive Pronouns express possession. And we use them as replacement of noun
phrases.

Personal Pronoun Possessive Pronoun

I Mine
You Yours
He His
She Hers
It Its
We Ours
They Theirs

Example 1:
Using a possessive determiner we would say:
This is her hat.
And now using the possessive pronoun we would say:
This hat is hers.
Or we can just say:
It is hers (because it is equal to this hat).
We can also say:
This is her hat. Mine is red (in this case mine is equal to my hat).

Example 2:
Using a possessive determiner we would say:
This is your tablet.
And now using the possessive pronoun we would say:
This tablet is yours.
Or we can just say:
It is yours (because it is equal to this tablet).
We can also say:
This is your tablet. Hers is bigger (in this case hers is equal to her tablet)

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Example 3:
Using a possessive determiner we would say:
This is our baby.
And now using the possessive pronoun we would say:
This baby is ours.
Or we can just say:
She is ours (because she is equal to this baby).
We can also say:
This is our baby. Theirs is younger (in this case theirs is equal to their baby)

Object Pronoun
Object pronouns function as an object of a verb. And we can use them as replacement of
noun phrases.

Personal Pronoun Object Pronoun

I Me
You You
He Him
She Her
It It
We Us
They Them

For example:
Tell me the good news (in this case the object of the verb is me).
I will take a photo of it (in this case the object of the verb is it)
That movie is fantastic. I love it (in this case the object of the verb is it and it is a
replacement of the noun that movie mentioned at the beginning of the sentence).
These applications are my favorite. I always use them (in this case the object of the verb
is them and it is a replacement of the noun these applications that is mentioned at the
beginning of the sentence).

Prepositions
Prepositions show a relationship in space or time or a logical relationship between two or
more people, places or things.
These are short words that are usually before nouns or after verbs.

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Preposition Usage Example
-For days of the week
On Mondays I work on
-Being on a Surface
On the computer that is on
-For TV, radio, Internet,
the desk
Computer
-For months, time of the
day, year.
-For entering a room, I always get in a taxi in
In building, street town, 8th Street in the evening
country
-For entering car, taxi

-For night, weekend, a

certain point of time
-For table, events First, we were at the
-For places where you cinema and at night we
At
do daily activities were at the concert
(university, work,
cinema)

A page of the book

Of -Belonging
We are talking about
About -For topic, meaning
politics
-From a certain point of We have been studying
Since
time since 7 am
-Over a certain period of I exercised for two hours
For time for losing weight
-For a purpose
We got married two
-A certain time in the
Ago years ago
past
-Earlier than a certain I read the newspaper
Before
point of time before working
After reading the
-Later than a certain
After newspaper, I start
point of time
working
-Telling the time From Monday to Friday, I
-Movement to a place go to my house at a
To
-Marking an end of a quarter to 6 pm
period of time
-Marking an end of a She is on vacation until
Until
period of time Friday
-Leaving a car, taxi or I got out of the taxi at
Out of
place 6pm
By -Up to a certain time
-Left or right of
I will drive by car to be
somebody or something
back by 5pm to be by the
-Who made it
museum made by Jhon
-For mean of
transportation (car,
airplane, train, ship) Page 5

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 Preposition Usage Example

-Left or right of The yellow door is next to

Next to
somebody or something the blue one

-On the ground, lower They are under the tree

Under
than something else
-Lower than something The woman is below the
Below
else but above ground umbrella
-At, into, or across the
They crossed the border
space separating two
between Canada and
Between objects or regions
USA between 5 and 6 pm
-The period separating
two points in time
-Covered by something With the sport clothes
else over her body, in over
-Meaning more than than a second, she ran
Over -Getting to the other side over the other side and
(also across) jumped over the finish
-Overcoming an line
obstacle
-Higher than something There is a big bridge
Above else, but not directly above the lake
over it
-At the front part of The couple is in front of
In front of someone or something the sculpture
else
-Further back than The house is behind of
Behind of
something or someone the girl
-Getting to the other side The man walks across
Across
the bridge
-Something with limits They drive through the
Through on top, bottom and the tunnel
sides
-Enter a room / a He walks into the office
Into
building
-Use to specify a starting She is from China. She
point in space or time traveled from China to
From
-Used to indicate source USA
or origin

Bonus!
Differences between ‘Under’ and ‘Below’
Both prepositions ‘Under’ and ‘Below’ are used to indicate, simply, that one thing is at a
lower level than another. However, there are a few differences between them:
We use ‘Under’:
 When referring to a lower level, with which there is physical contact.

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My dog loves to hide under the covers.
 When indicating what passes underneath something.
He was crawling under the table.
 With the meaning of `less than'.
You can´t enter here if you are under 18.

We use ‘Below’:
 When referring to a lower level, with which there is no physical contact.
Your essay is below average.
 When indicating a sub-zero temperature.
The temperature is 10 degrees below zero.

Always use a Gerund Verb after a Proposition

For example:
After having a shower, I waited for Steven.
The tablet must not be taken before getting up in the morning.
I manage it by working much longer than 40-hour weeks.
What was her reaction on hearing the news?

Use infinitive after certain verbs, particularly verbs of thinking and feeling:
Afford, agree, aim, appear, arrange, bother, care, claim, condescend, consent, demand,
determine, endeavor, fail, guarantee, happen, hasten, have, hesitate, hope, learn, long,
manage, offer, prepare, pretend, proceed, promise, propose, prove, refuse, resolve, seek,
seem, strive, swear, tend, threaten, trouble, undertake, volunteer, vow, choose, decide,
expect, forget, hate, intend, like, love, mean, plan, prefer, remember, want, would like,
would love, etc.
For example:
I love to go to the cinema.
They decided to start a business together.

Use gerund after certain verbs:

Avoid, celebrate, consider, contemplate, defer, delay, detest, dislike, dread, enjoy, entail,
escape, excuse, finish, forgive, involve, keep, loathe, mind, miss, pardon, postpone,
prevent, resent, resist, risk, save, stop, etc.
For example:
I avoid going to the dentist.
She misses taking walks in the morning.

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