EPP - ENGLISH PROFICIENCY PROGRAM

Week 7: Verbs (Part I) He looked as if she was going to cry (It doesn’t tell us what she did, only how
she appeared to be = linking verb)
Verbs are group of words that are used to express actions or state of being.
Every sentence cannot be complete without a verb, thus making the verb the most Linking verbs tell us what state the subject is in, what the subject is, etc.
important word as far as sentence construction is concerned. In a sentence, a verb
EXAMPLE: They are tired.
has a subject who does the action and an object who receives the action.
She is a nurse.
Some verbs require objects to complete the meaning. These verbs are called
transitive verbs. Verbs that are intransitive do not require objects. Transitive and
intransitive verbs are the two kinds of the so called action verbs.
Linking verbs are followed by an adjective, but not a direct object
EXAMPLE: He feels fine (“feels” is not an action verb because it’s followed by an
A transitive verb must have an object. Without an object, it does not convey a adjective)
clear meaning.
He feels the fine sand of the beach. (“feels” is an action verb)
EXAMPLE: He bought.
The question inevitably arises: “What did he buy?” No one knows the answer to this
question as there is no direct object to receive the action of the verb bought. The A pronoun following a linking verb should be in the subjective, not objective.
meaning becomes clearer when an object is added as follows: EXAMPLE: It was he they were looking for. (he = subjective pronoun)
EXAMPLE: He bought a cake. NOT: It was him they were looking for. (him = objective pronoun)
The subject of the verb He performs the action bought. The object of the action verb
bought is cake.
Linking verbs can be identified by replacing the verb with “to be” and see if it
makes sense. If it does, it is a linking verb/ otherwise, it isn’t.
Week 8: Verbs (Part II) EXAMPLE: He feels fine = He is fine. (It makes sense, so the verb is a linking verb)
Linking verbs link a subject to a word or phrase that describes or identifies He feels the fine sand of the beach = He is the fine sand of the beach. (It
the subject. They help to complete the expression about the subject. Linking verbs does not make sense, so it’s not a linking verb)
do not take on a direct object but are followed by and adjective. Any verb that
expresses an action is not a linking verb. The most common linking verbs: am, is, are, was, were

Linking verbs are not action words.

EXAMPLE: He looked at me. (It tells us what he did = action verb) Auxiliary verbs are sometime called helping verbs, act as helpers to other
verbs. They appear in front of action verbs and linking verbs.
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EXAMPLE: Joan is riding an elephant. Forming a sentence in the Present Simple is easy. To form a declarative
sentence, all you need is the subject of the sentence and the verb.
Ornel has gone with Irish to the zoo.

In the two examples, there are two verbs in each sentence – riding and gone
are known as the main verbs which are mostly action verbs, and they each has B. The Present Continuous is mainly used to express the idea that something is
another verb before it. They are is and has and these two verbs are known as happening at the moment of speaking. The Present Continuous also describes
auxiliary verbs. activities generally in progress (not at the moment). Another use of the tense is to
talk about temporary actions or future plans.
The most common auxiliary verbs: can, could, may, might, shall, will, has, have,
had, would, and should USES:
To distinguish between an auxiliary verb and a linking verb, simply look to  Present actions (ex. He is eating dinner.)
see whether an action verb immediately follows the “to be” verb.  Temporary actions (ex. I am riding a bicycle to get to work because my car is
broken.)
 Longer actions in progress (ex. Erwin is studying to become a doctor.)
Week 9: Verb Tenses (Part I)  Future (personal) arrangement and plans (ex. I am meeting George in the
PRESENT TENSE evening.)
 Tendencies and trends (ex. Our country is getting poorer.)
A. The Present Simple is the most basic and common tense in the English  Irritation or anger (ex. She is always asking stupid questions!)
language. It is also an interesting tense because it can express both the present and
the future. Below are the seven uses of this tense. To form a sentence in the Present Continuous, you have to know the proper
conjugation of the auxiliary verb and add the -ing suffix to the main verb to form
USES: the present participle of the verb.
 Facts, generalizations and universal truths (ex. Water boils at 100 degrees C. The Present Perfect is used to express actions that happened at an indefinite
Celsius.) time or that began in the past and continue in the present. This tense is also
 Habits and routines (ex. Jake visits her grandmother every Sunday.) used when an activity has an effect on the present moment.
 Permanent situations (ex. I study at St. John Paul II College of Davao.)
USES:
 Events that are certain to happen (ex. My father turns 80 this November.)
 Arrangements that we cannot change such as timetables and official  Actions which happened at an indefinite time before now (ex. He has been to
meetings (ex. The meeting starts at 4PM.) Manila.)
 State verbs (ex. I like swimming.)  Actions in the past which have an effect on the present moment (ex. He has
 Narrations, instructions, or commentaries (ex. Pacquiao punches finished his work [so he can now rest].)
Mayweather with his left. Mayweather answers with a right of his own.)
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 Actions which began in the past and continue to the present (ex. Amy has  Situations in the past [ex. I lived in Makati for 11 years. (I don’t live there
worked as a teacher for over 15 years now.) anymore)
 A series of actions in the past [ex. He entered the room, lit a cigarette, and
To form a sentence in the Present Perfect, you need the proper conjugation of
smiled at his guests.)
the auxiliary verb “to have” and the past participle of the main verb.
Forming a sentence in the Past Simple is easy. To form a declarative sentence,
all you need is the subject of the sentence and the past form of the verb.

D. The Present Perfect Continuous is used to emphasize the duration of an

activity that began in the past and continues into the present. It often uses time
words or phrases. It may be used to refer to continuing activity that is recent. B. The Past Continuous is used to talk about activities that lasted for some time in
the past. The actions can be interrupted by something or can be happening at
USES:
the same time.
 Actions that started in the past and continue in the present (ex. He has been
USES:
painting the house for five hours.)
 Actions that have recently stopped (I have been waiting for you for half an  Duration in the past [ex. I was watching TV yesterday in the evening.]
hour!)  Interrupted actions in progress [ex. I was talking to Jane when the phone
 Temporary actions and situations (Brent has been staying at a nearby hotel rang.]
for the past three days.)  Actions in progress at the same time [ex. Mary was washing the dishes and
William was sweeping the floor.]
To form a sentence in the Present Perfect Continuous, you need the proper
 Timid/polite questions [ex. I was wondering if you could open the window.
conjugation of the auxiliary verb “to have”, the auxiliary verb “to be” in the Past
Participle form been, and the Present Participle of the main verb.  Irritation [ex. She was always asking stupid questions!]
To form a sentence in the Past Continuous, you need the proper conjugation of the
auxiliary verb in the past form and the present participle of the verb.
Week 10: Verb Tenses (Part II)
PAST TENSE
C. The Past Perfect is used to emphasize that an action in the past finished before
A. The Past Simple is used to talk about actions that happened at a specific time another action in the past started. This tense also used in reported speech, third
in the past. The actions can be short or long. There can be a few actions happening conditional sentences, or to show dissatisfaction with the past.
one after another.
USES:
USES:
 Completed action before another action in the past [ex. I had finished my
 Past actions that are now finished [ex. He ate dinner.] homework before I played with my friends.]
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 Third conditional [ex. If we had gone by taxi, we wouldn’t have been late.] Forming a sentence in the Future Simple is easy. To form a declarative
 Reported speech [ex. He asked if I had read Harry Potter.] sentence, all you need is the subject of the sentence, the auxiliary verb “will” or
 Dissatisfaction with the past [ex. I wish I had eaten more food at the buffet.] “shall” and the basic form of the main verb.

To form a sentence in the Past Perfect, you need the proper conjugation of the
auxiliary verb “to have” in the past form and the past participle of the main verb. B. The Future Continuous is mainly used to indicate that we will be in the middle
of doing something in a specified time in the future.
USES:
 Future actions in progress [ex. In the evening, I will be baking a birthday
cake.]
D. The Past Perfect Continuous is used to talk about actions or situations that  Guesses [ex. Janice will be getting married very soon.]
were in progress before some other actions or situations.
 Questions [ex. Will you be coming home tonight?]
USES:
To form a sentence in the Future Continuous, you need the auxiliary verb “will” or
 Duration of past action [ex. I had been dating Liza for five years before we “shall”, the auxiliary verb “be” and the Present Participle of the main verb.
got married.] C. The Future Perfect is used to talk about actions that will be finished before some
 Showing cause [ex. The road was wet because it had been raining.] point in the future. We also use this tense to express situations that will last for a
To form a sentence in the Past Perfect Continuous, you need the proper specified period of time at a definite moment. The last use is to express certainty
conjugation of the auxiliary verb “to have” in the past form, the auxiliary verb “to that an action was completed
be” in the Past Participle form been, and the Present Participle of the main verb. USES:
 Completion before a specified point in the future [ex. Alex will have eaten by
Week 11: Verb Tenses (Part III) the time the party starts.]
 Duration in the future [ex. Paolo will have worked at his company for 5 years
FUTURE TENSE by 2021.]
A. The Future Simple is used in many situations such as when making promises  Certainty that an action was completed [ex. The bus will have left by now.]
or predictions
To form a sentence in the Future Perfect, you need the auxiliary verb “will” or
USES: “shall”, the auxiliary verb “have”, and the past participle of the main verb.

 Promises [ex. I promise I will buy you a new phone.]

 Unplanned actions/spontaneous decisions. [I will close the door because it’s
starting to rain.]
 Predictions [ex. The sun will show in a moment.)
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D. The Future Perfect Continuous is used to express situations that will last for a 3. The pronouns each, either, neither, one, everyone, no one, nobody, anyone,
specified period of time at a definite moment in the future. We also use this anybody, someone, everybody, and much are singular and will require a verb with
tense to express certainty about the cause of some future situation. an -s ending.
USES: EXAMPLE: Everyone in the class is going on the trip.
 Duration at a definite moment in the future [ex. By the next year, I and my Someone living on our street is building a new deck.
wife will have been living together for 3 years.]
4. The pronouns several, few, both, many, and others are plural and require a
 Cause of a future situation [ex. He will be very tired later because he will
verb without an -s ending.
have been driving the car for 6 hours by then.]
EXAMPLE: Several of my friends are work in the library.
To form a sentence in the Future Perfect Continuous, you need the auxiliary
verb “will” or “shall”, the auxiliary verb “have”, the auxiliary verb “to be” in the Many on the honor roll study long hours.
Past Participle form been, and the Present Participle of the main verb.
5. The pronouns some, any, none, all, and most may be either singular or plural.
EXAMPLE: Some of the cake was eaten.
Week 13: Subject-Verb Agreement
Some of the students were tired from the trip.
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT RULES PART I: Singular & Plural
6. When a sentence has two or more subjects joined by and, a verb without an -s
A single subject demands a singular verb; a plural subject demands a plural is needed.
verb. That is the simple principle behind subject-verb agreement.
EXAMPLE: Students and teachers park in front of the auditorium.
Subject-verb agreement can be particularly challenging. Identifying the subject and
Pizza, cake and ice cream have always been his favorite foods.
the verb of a sentence is not enough. The two must agree.
1. If the subject is singular refers to one person or thing), the verb will have an –s
ending. SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT PART II: Delayed Subjects
EXAMPLE: The boy walks home. Often, the subject of a sentence will come after the verb. A simple way to identify the
subject is as follows:
He throws the ball.
1. First identify the verb
2. If the subject is plural (refers to more than one person or thing), the verb will not
end in -s. 2. Then ask the question “Who or what...?”
EXAMPLE: The girls write long essays. These steps may help you select the subject of most sentences. Other points to
remember:
The computers work well.
1. The subject is never within a prepositional phrase.
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2. To find the subject of a question, turn the question into a statement. EXAMPLE: You must be tired after the long journey.
3. The words there and here are never the subjects. I was bored with the boxing match.
We use the present participle of verbs as adjectives to describe the thing or person
that produces the feeling.
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT PART III: Compound Subjects
EXAMPLE: It must have been a very tiring journey.
When two or more subjects are joined by a conjunction, the result is a compound
subject. A compound subject joined by the conjunction and is usually plural and It was a boring boxing match.
therefore requires a verb that does not end in -s.
When two or more subjects are joined by the conjunction or or nor, the verb agrees
We can make adjectives stronger or weaker with words like very, a bit, quite,
with the subject that is closer to it.
extremely, etc. But we cannot put these words before some adjectives because
they are already extreme. Examples of these “extreme” adjectives are wonderful,
fantastic, excellent, awful, terrible, etc. We can, however, use absolutely or
Week 14: ADJECTIVES
really before these adjectives.
An adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun by describing, identifying, or
quantifying words. An adjective usually precedes the noun or pronoun which it
modifies. Unlike a noun or pronoun, an adjective has no plural form. MULTIPLE ADJECTIVES
EXAMPLE: The small boat floundered on the sea. Sometimes, two or more adjectives can be used before a noun. Adjectives which
express opinion always go before other adjectives. Other adjectives usually go in the
The backroom was filled with large, yellow rain boots.
order given below.
There are certain adjectives that we normally use with linking verbs. The most
Number -> Order -> Size -> Age -> Shape -> Color -> Origin -> Material ->
common are well, ill, afraid, alive, alone, asleep, aware, content, glad, ready,
Purpose
and sure.
EXAMPLE: The two beautiful small old round red Italian clay cooking
EXAMPLE: The students were ill.
pots were very expensive.
Jacob was afraid.
There are many adjectives formed from either the past participle or present
COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES
participle form of a verb.
We use comparatives or superlatives to show how people or things are different in
EXAMPLE: surprised – surprising bored – boring tired – tiring
some way. We normally use comparatives to compare two things. Comparative
We use the past participle of verbs as adjectives to describe how one feels about show more of a quality or characteristic. We use than in sentences where two
something or someone. people or things are compared using a comparative adjective.
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EXAMPLE: I am faster than John. To what extent does Jane understand English? She understands it extremely
well.
It is hotter today than yesterday.

TYPES OF ADVERBS
We use superlatives to talk about a person or thing who has more of a particular
quality than all others of their type. We always use the definite article the before the 1. Adverbs of Manner – provide information on how someone does something.
superlative forms and we do not use than.
EXAMPLE: Jack drives very carefully.
EXAMPLE: I am the fastest runner in the class.
2. Adverbs of Time – provide information on when something happens
Today is the hottest day of the week.
EXAMPLE: We’ll let you know our destination next week.
3. Adverbs of Frequency – provide information on how often something happens
Week 15: ADVERBS
EXAMPLE: They usually get to work at eight o’clock.
An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Adverbs
4. Adverbs of Degree – provide information concerning how much of something
answer the following questions: Where? How often? How long? When? To what
is done.
extent? How much? How?
EXAMPLE: They like playing golf a lot.
When adverbs modify verbs, adverbs usually tell how, when, or where.
5. Adverbs of Place – provide information about where something happens or
EXAMPLE: How did Nilda run? She ran quickly.
where something is.
When did Nilda run? She ran yesterday.
EXAMPLE: His children go everywhere with him.
Where did Nilda ran? She ran away.
6. Adverbs of Comment – provide a comment or opinion about a situation
EXAMPLE: Fortunately, there were enough seats left for the concert.
When they modify adjectives, adverbs usually tell how or to what extent.
EXAMPLE: How silly is Mr. Bean? He is very silly.
To what extent is Ms. Smith serious? She is too serious.

Adverbs that modify other adverbs by telling how or to what extent.

EXAMPLE: How does Mark drive? He drives very fast.
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over against before

Week 16: PREPOSITIONS

 Prepositions of Place: At, On, and In
A preposition, sometimes called a function word or a relational word, shows the
relationship between its object and another word in the sentence. It may appear in We use AT for specific addresses.
the form of a single word: in, on, at, for, or in the form of a phrase that functions as
Example: John lives at 55 Boretz Road in Durham.
a unit: in spite of, in front of, in accordance with. A preposition is always followed
by a noun or pronoun. We use ON to designate names of streets, avenues, etc.
EXAMPLE: The association adopts a new set of guidelines. Example: Her house is on Boretz Road.
The boys were complimented on their writing. We use IN for the names of land areas (towns, counties, states,
countries, and continents)
Example: She lives in Durham
The noun or pronoun that follows the preposition is called the object of the
preposition.

LIST OF PREPOSITIONS INDICATING TIME

LIST OF PREPOSITIONS INDICATING DIRECTION AND MOTION at after through in
for around throughout by
in across at through on during since before
into by way of up toward until till
to out of off around  Prepositions of Time: At, On, and In
by from over down
onto via We use AT to designate specific times
Example: The train is due at 12:15 pm.
LIST OF PREPOSITIONS INDICATING PLACE AND POSITION
We use ON to designate days and dates.
at above in below
on under in front of off Example: My brother is coming on Monday.
beneath ahead of across underneath We use IN for non-specific times during a day, a month, a season, or a
beyond about inside along year.
around outside next to between
by close to among beside Example: in the morning, in Christmas
far from throughout near after
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Like coordinating conjunctions, correlative conjunctions connect similar elements in
a sentence (the same part of speech or structure), such as adjectives, nouns, and
clauses. However, unlike coordinating conjunctions, correlative conjunctions are
Week 17: CONJUNCTIONS combinations of coordinating conjunctions, not just a single word. Correlative
conjunctions always work in pairs and link grammatically equivalent items. Some
Conjunctions can join words, phrases, or clauses and are typically separated into
common correlative conjunctions are: Both...and, Either...or, Not only...but also,
four classifications: coordinating conjunctions, correlative conjunctions,
Neither...nor, Not...but, Whether...or, As...as.
subordinating conjunctions, and adverbial conjunctions,
EXAMPLE: To alleviate stress, you must not only recognize the stressors in
A. Coordinating Conjunctions
your life but also find methods of coping with such stress.
Join equals to one another i.e, words, phrases, and clauses.
Tonight, we can either go out to dinner or call for take-out.
Coordinating conjunctions are: and, nor, but, yet, or, so, for.
C. Subordinating Conjunctions
Note: Coordinating conjunctions go in between items joined, not at the start or
Subordinating conjunctions form sentences into word clusters called subordinates or
end.
dependent clauses, which serve as parts of sentences. Dependent clauses cannot
1) When joining two words, phrases, or dependent/subordinate clauses, no comma stand alone and must be connected to independent clauses to form complex
is used. sentences. Some subordinating conjunctions are: unless, although, because,
whether, though, rather than, whenever, since.
EXAMPLE: Mary and Jane often came to the library. (words)
EXAMPLE: John cries in lavatory whenever he scores poorly in a quiz.
Mary corrected her essay and handed it in. (phrases)
Everyone is excited because the semester is almost over.
Mary asked Jane what she did in her essay and why she was able to do so.
(subordinate clauses) Ben would be fine not getting an allowance rather than being forced to eat
vegetables.
2) When joining more than two words, phrases, or subordinate/dependent clauses,
a comma is used between each section for the series and may or may not be used D. Adverbial Conjunctions
before the coordinating conjunction.
Adverbial conjunctions serve as a link between two independent clauses. They
EXAMPLE: Mary asked questions, received answers (,) and did well on her explain how the first sentence relates to the second. They can be considered both
essay. adverbs and conjunctions because they modify clause and connect the second
clause to the first. Adverbial conjunctions can be moved to different positions in a
3) When joining two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction creates a clause. Some common adverbial conjunctions are: also, however, moreover,
compound sentence, a comma should be placed before the conjunction. similarly, nevertheless, meanwhile, otherwise, incidentally, therefore.
EXAMPLE: Mary went to the library, but Jane went home. EXAMPLE: Donna is cute; however, Jenny is cuter.
B. Correlative Conjunctions Louie didn’t go home; instead, he went to Siargao.
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