Name- Himanshu Pal

CENTER FOR DISTANCE AND ONLINE EDUCATION

ASSIGNMENT-JULY 2023

Sub. Name: - General English

BCA – 101: Online Mode

Q1. Define Sentence. Give examples.

Ans-1 Meaning and Definition

A sentence is an array of multiple words arranged in a particular order. It has to be

complete in itself and should convey meaning. It can express a general idea, pose a question
or argument, provide a suggestion, make an order or request, and so much more.

The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines a sentence as “a set of words expressing a

statement, a question or an order, usually containing a subject and a verb”. According to the
Cambridge Dictionary, a sentence is defined as “a group of words, usually containing a verb,
that expresses a thought in the form of a statement, question, instruction, or exclamation”.

Formation of Sentences in English

When constructing sentences, you have to follow a particular word order. They consist
of words, phrases and clauses that have to be arranged sequentially in order to make sense.
In most cases, the subject with or without the determiner comes first, followed by the verb.

Let us look at the parts and components of a sentence and understand further how
sentences are formed.

Parts of a Sentence

The basic division of sentences is in terms of,

• Subjects – A noun, noun phrase or pronoun that does the action mentioned in the
sentence. It mostly occurs at the beginning of the sentence.

• Predicates – The remaining part of the sentence. It begins with the verb.

Here are a few examples.

Example 1: Daisy teaches English.

Subject – Daisy

Predicate – Teaches English

Example 2: Anitha called me yesterday.

Subject – Anitha

Predicate – Called me yesterday

Example 3: The girl wearing the yellow dress is my new neighbour.

Subject – The girl wearing the yellow dress

Predicate – Is my new neighbour

Components of a Sentence

There are five components that can make up a sentence. They are,

• Subject – The doer of the action

• Verb – The action in the sentence

• Object – The receiver of the action

• Complement -A word/phrase that modifies the subject or object in the sentence

• Adjunct – An adverb or an adverb clause that provides us with more information

about the verb, complement or another adjunct in the sentence

While most sentences contain a subject and a verb, there are sentences that start with a
verb.

Go through the article on sentence structure to learn the different ways in which sentences
can be constructed.

Types of Sentences

Sentences can be classified into types based on two aspects – their function and their
structure. They are categorised into four types based on their function and into three based
on their structure. Assertive/declarative, interrogative, imperative and exclamatory
sentences are the four types of sentences. The three types of sentences, according to the
latter classification, are simple, complex and compound sentences.

Let us look at each of these in detail.

 • An assertive/declarative sentence is one that states a general fact, a habitual action,
or a universal truth. For example, ‘Today is Wednesday.’

• An imperative sentence is used to give a command or make a request. Unlike the

other three types of sentences, imperative sentences do not always require a
subject; they can start with a verb. For example, ‘Turn off the lights and fans when
you leave the class.’

• An interrogative sentence asks a question. For example, ‘Where do you stay?’

• An exclamatory sentence expresses sudden emotions or feelings. For example,

‘What a wonderful sight!’

Now, let us learn what simple, compound and complex sentences are. This categorisation is
made based on the nature of clauses in the sentence.

• Simple sentences contain just one independent clause. For instance, ‘The dog chased
the little wounded bird.’

• Compound sentences have two independent clauses joined together by

a coordinating conjunction. For instance, ‘I like watching Marvel movies, but my
friend likes watching DC movies.’

• Complex sentences have an independent clause and a dependent clause connected

by a subordinating conjunction. For example, ‘Though we were tired, we played
another game of football.’

• Complex-compound sentences have two independent clauses and a dependent

clause. For instance, ‘Although we knew it would rain, we did not carry an umbrella,
so we got wet.’

Q2. What is Syntax? Give example.

Ans-2 Meaning and Definition

‘Syntax’ is the term used to refer to the arrangement of words, phrases and clauses in
a sentence to make them sound and look meaningful. The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary
defines syntax as “the way that words and phrases are put together to form sentences in a
language”. According to The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, syntax is “the
way in which words and clauses are ordered and connected so as to form sentences”; it also
refers to “the set of grammatical rules governing such word order”.

The Role of Syntax in the English Language

Now that you know what syntax means, try and understand how it works in the English
language. Gathering all the words and phrases alone would not do you any good. You
should know how to arrange them in an order that conveys the message exactly in the way
you want it. Parts of speech, like adverbs, can be used at the beginning, middle and/or end
of sentences. The meaning of the sentence can change depending on where the word is
placed. In addition to this, there are words which have the same spellings but different
meanings and words that have multiple functions. For these reasons and many more, it is
important that you understand the concept of syntax and practise how to write
syntactically correct sentences.

How to Apply Syntax in Sentences? – Rules

To make it simpler and easier for you to understand, here is a list of rules you have to bear
in mind when forming sentences. Go through them and analyse your sentences to see if
they have proper syntax.

Rule 1:

A sentence should have a subject and a verb. Other than imperative sentences, all other
sentences must, for sure, have at least one subject and one verb. Imperative sentences do
not require a subject.

For example:

• It / was raining. (Declarative sentence)

Subject / Verb

• Switch off / your mobile phones. (Imperative sentence)

Verb / Object

Rule 2:

The subject should come first, followed by the verb. Only in the case of interrogative
sentences do subjects follow the verb. In other words, interrogative sentences begin with a
verb.

For example:

• The meeting / starts / in half an hour. (Declarative sentence)

Subject / Verb / Adjunct

• Does / the meeting / start / in half an hour? (Interrogative sentence)

Helping verb / Subject / Main verb / Adjunct

Rule 3:

Describing words like adjectives and adverbs should be positioned before the words they
describe.

For example:

• It is very cold today. (Adverb – describes the intensity of the cold weather)

• I wore a blue dress for my sister’s wedding. (Adjective – describes the colour of the
dress)

Rule 4:

Objects follow the subject and verb in a sentence. If there is a direct object and an indirect
object, the indirect object comes after the verb, and the direct object follows the indirect
object.

For example:

• Bianca / gave / me / a book.

Subject / Verb / Indirect object / Direct object

• Nandhu / bought / us / dinner.

Subject / Verb / Indirect object / Direct object

Rule 5:

Clauses, irrespective of whether they are dependent clauses or independent clauses, must
have a subject and a verb. Phrases, on the other hand, do not require a subject.

For example:

Phrase / Clause

• On the eve of Christmas, / we left for Madrid.

The clause ‘we left for Madrid’ has a subject (we), verb (left) and adjunct (for Madrid).

Dependent clause / Independent clause

• Though Lakshmi was tired, / she did not take a day off from work.
The dependent clause has a subject, ‘Lakshmi’, and a verb, ‘was’. The independent clause
also has a subject, ‘she’, and a verb, ‘did not take’.

Some Exceptions You Can Make

Though it is almost always necessary to follow the rules of syntax, there are some forms of
writing where you can make a few exceptions. Poetry, for instance, uses rhyming words to
create a rhythm and possesses a metre. So, when writing a poem, you have the liberty to
alter the syntax of sentences to attain the impact you intend to make in the minds of your
readers. Likewise, in drama, dialogues need not always strictly be in a set syntactic pattern.
Playwrights are allowed to make some alterations in order to enhance the scene and bring
an effect. This is often referred to as one of the aspects of ‘creative freedom’.

As a postscript to what you have learnt, keep this in mind as well. When you alter sentences
to suit the genre or your writing style, analyse if it delivers the message you are trying to
convey. Do it only if your writing demands it.

Types of Syntactic Patterns with Examples

In the English language, there are a few basic syntactic patterns based on which longer
sentences are built. Let us look at the basic sentence patterns in English.

Syntactic Pattern 1:

The first pattern is the basic one – sentences with just a subject and a verb.

For example:

• It / worked.

Subject / Verb

• Diya / was crying.

Subject / Verb

Syntactic Pattern 2:

The second syntactic pattern has another component added to the first one – an object.

For example:

• It / is / a puppy.

Subject / Verb / Object

• Finola / liked / the dress.

Subject / Verb / Object

Q3. What is Morphology?

Ans-3 Morphology Meaning

Morphology studies the sizes, shapes, and structures of plants, animals, and microbes, as
well as the interactions between their parts. Although “anatomy” sometimes refers to the
study of biological structure, it typically focuses on both, microscopic and large structural
features. However, the two phrases are primarily equivalent in everyday usage.

Morphology comprises the shape, structure, colour, pattern, and size of the exterior parts,
known as external morphology (or eidonomy), and the shape and structure of the internal
components, such as the bones and organs, known as internal morphology (or anatomy). In
contrast, physiology mainly focuses on function.

Principles of Morphological Classification

Most taxa are morphologically distinct from one another. Closely related species of plants
and animals can be distinguished from one another using colour, proportion and size.
There are some exceptions to the general rule that closely related taxa differ less than those
more distantly related.

Homology and homoplasy are evaluated as part of the relationships between traits and
features within species. The presence of homology between traits indicates that they have a
common ancestry. As an alternative, homoplasy depicts traits that can resemble one
another but evolve separately through convergent or parallel evolution.

Morphology Definition

Morphology is the biological study of the form and organisation of living things. The branch
of biology called morphology examines how organisms are built, including their specific
structural traits.

Morphology is defined as a branch of biology that studies the external and internal
structures of living things.

It investigates the forms, shapes, and interactions of bacteria, animals, and plants. In
medicine, morphology is a life science field of study that focuses on the structure and
elements of an organism.

Categories of Morphology
There are different categories of morphology:

• Tissue Morphology

• Organ Morphology

• Cellular Morphology

• The Whole Organism

Tissue Morphology

Different morphological functions can exist in tissues. Long, twisted bundles are formed by
skeletal muscle cells. Lung tissue composed of epithelial cells has grape-like cell sacs that
effectively exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide. Walking and running cause stress to the
cartilage.

Organ Morphology

Similar patterns of structure and function can be found in organ morphology. There are
four chambers in the human heart. The two lower chambers, the ventricles, have thicker,
more muscular walls than the two higher chambers, the atria. Due to the requirement to
pump blood to the enormous portions of the body, the walls of the ventricles are thick.

Cellular Morphology

Cells come in various shapes and sizes. Walls produced by epithelial cells prevent objects
from moving freely from one side to the other. Squamous denotes a broad body, cuboidal
denotes a cube, and columnar denotes a rectangle. While fat-storing cells are large and
spherical, nerve cells are thin and long.

The Whole Organism

The level of the whole organism is the highest in morphology. The two fundamental
anatomical planes in animals are bilateral symmetry (like a lobster) and radial symmetry
(like a starfish). The fin shape for swimming and limb shape for sprinting is another
example of the diverse morphology of organisms.

Conclusion

Because it helps analyse an individual’s outward traits, such as size, form, and structure,
the study of morphology is essential in biology. Morphology also helps us identify the
evolutionary connections that exist between different organisms.
The study of morphology includes the morphology of all individual cells, tissues, and
organs of a living thing and the morphology of plants and animals.

Q4. Explain Types of sentences with examples.

Ans-4 Types of Sentences in English with Examples

Learning how to write and speak good sentences is the key to your success as a powerful
English communicator. However, this does not mean that you can use sentences in a similar
form throughout your speech or writing. That will only make it too monotonous and
uninteresting. So, to help you make your speech and writing interesting, this article will
help you with the different types of sentences along with examples.

The Sentence Types in English Grammar

The English language gives every learner the liberty to make good use of the language in
the best possible way. Using different types of sentences will make your speech or writing
sound and look well-structured and aid you in getting your thoughts and ideas across to
your target audience in a clear and effective manner. This will also allow you to express
your emotions and let your readers experience what you want them to experience.

The Four Different Types of Sentences

There are four different kinds of sentences in English grammar and they are as follows:

Declarative or Assertive Sentence – A declarative or assertive sentence is a sentence that is

informative and ends with a period or a full stop.

Examples:

• I like fantasy novels.

• There is a white house around the corner.

Imperative Sentence – An imperative sentence is a sentence that expresses a command, an

order, or a request.

Examples:

• Please pick up the notes when you come.

• Close the door.

Interrogative Sentence – An interrogative sentence is one that is used to question
something and it ends with a question mark.

Examples:

• What is the name of the movie you were watching?

• Can I come with you to the book fair?

Exclamatory Sentence – An exclamatory sentence is one which is used to express sudden

and strong emotions, and it ends with an exclamation mark. You can also
use interjections to form exclamatory sentences.

Examples:

• Wow, how good this is!

• That was a great match!

Frequently Asked Questions on the Types of Sentences

The different types of sentences in English are:

• Declarative Sentence

• Imperative Sentence

• Interrogative Sentence

• Exclamatory Sentence

Given below are a few examples of the different types of sentences.

• Declarative Sentence – This is my house.

They are my parents.

• Imperative Sentence – Come home as soon as you finish the dance practice.

Please lend me a pen.

• Interrogative Sentence – When are you going to the park?

Where is the attendance register?

• Exclamatory Sentence – Oh, what a beautiful dress!

What a wonderful day!

Q5. Differentiate between Tenses and aspects of Tenses.

Ans-5 The standard tense in English is the present tense, which is usually just the root form
of the verb. The past and future tenses often require changes or additions to the root form,
such as the suffix –ed for the past tense and the modal verb will for the future

Q6. What is phrase in English? Give examples.

Ans-6 Definition of a Phrase

A phrase, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as “a group of words

without a finite verb, especially one that forms part of a sentence.” According to the
Cambridge Dictionary, a phrase is defined as “a group of words that is part of, rather than
the whole of a sentence.” The Collins Dictionary defines a phrase as “a short group of words
that people often use as a way of saying something. The meaning of a phrase is often not
obvious from the meaning of the individual words in it.” It is also defined as “a small group
of words which forms a unit, either on its own or within a sentence.” The Merriam-Webster
Dictionary defines a phrase as “a word or group of words forming a syntactic constituent
with a single grammatical function.”

Types of Phrases with Examples

In English grammar, there are five main types of phrases. They are,

• Noun phrase

• Adjective phrase

• Adverb phrase

• Verb phrase

• Prepositional phrase

Other types of phrases include gerund phrase, appositive phrase. participle phrase
and infinitive phrase.
Noun Phrase

A noun phrase is a group of words that have a noun or pronoun. It is used to modify
the noun. In other words, it can be said that a noun phrase can function as a subject, an
object or a complement in a sentence.

For example:

• My brother’s friend had come to visit him. (Used as a subject)

• Scented candles are my favourite. (Used as a subject)

• The students were asked to find the buried treasure. (Used as an object)

Adjective Phrase

An adjective phrase or an adjectival phrase is a group of words that consists of an adjective.

It can be used to complement it. It provides more information about the noun or pronoun
in a sentence. In other words, it can be said that it functions just like an adjective in a
sentence.

For example:

• Annu has silky, smooth hair.

• People, living in large cities, often find it difficult to reach in time.

• The team that made it to the final was congratulated in front of the whole school.

Adverb Phrase

An adverb phrase or an adverbial phrase is a group of words that includes an adverb and
other modifiers. It performs all the functions of an adverb. It can be placed in any part of
the sentence, with respect to the part of speech they modify.

For example:

• We are planning to finish our group project by the end of May.

• Later this evening, my cousins and I have planned to go to the park.

• They saw some abandoned puppies at the corner of the street.

Verb Phrase

A verb phrase can be used just like a verb. It consists of a main verb and an auxiliary verb.
For example:

• Students are practising hard in order to participate in the state tournament.

• Aaron has been writing multiplication tables for three hours.

• The dogs have been barking continuously.

Prepositional Phrase

A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition and an object. It works just like an

adjective or an adverb. It relates the subject and the verb in a sentence. It is used to modify
the nouns and verbs in a particular sentence.

For example:

• It was too hard for me to concentrate with the kids jumping around.

• The jewellery boxes were kept inside the cupboard.

• On the way to New York, we caught sight of the famous Niagara falls.

Q7. What is punctuation in English? Give examples.

Ans-7 Meaning and Definition

Punctuation is as important or rather a little more important than the words you use, the
way you structure your sentences, and the content you are trying to convey. The term
‘punctuation’ refers to the system that allows a writer to let the audience know where the
sentences end, where there is a short pause or a long pause, and also to show if the writer
is questioning, explaining or providing some extra information. Since the writer is not
directly speaking to the audience, punctuation is the only way to make the reader see it the
way the author put it.

Punctuation, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as “the marks used in
writing that divide sentences and phrases; the system of using these marks.” The Merriam-
Webster Dictionary defines punctuation as “the act or practice of inserting standardized
marks or signs in written matter to clarify the meaning and separate structural units.”
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the term ‘punctuation’ is defined as “(the use of)
special symbols that you add to writing to separate phrases and sentences to show that
something is a question, etc.”, and “punctuation is the use of symbols such as full stops or
periods, commas, or question marks to divide written words into sentences and clauses”,
according to the Collins Dictionary.
The Punctuation Marks in English Grammar

In English grammar, there are multiple punctuation marks that are used in order to make
your writing look sensible and easy to understand. A punctuation mark is defined as “a sign
or mark used in writing to divide sentences and phrases”, according to the Oxford Learner’s
Dictionary. Let us take a look at the various punctuation marks in English grammar.

• Period/Full stop

• Comma

• Colon

• Semicolon

• Apostrophe

• Quotation marks

• Hyphen

• Dash

• Parentheses

• Slash

• Exclamation mark

• Question mark

• Ellipsis

Furthermore, it is also important you understand that using capital letters and spaces are
also an integral part of punctuation.

Using Punctuation in Sentences – Examples

Using punctuation is vital to make your writing look professional, logical and well-founded.
Using no punctuation at all will not make sense; overuse of punctuation can make your
writing look distorted and vague.

Have a look at the following table to understand each punctuation mark and to see how
they can be used in sentences.
Q8. What is Subject & Verb Agreement in English? Give examples.

Ans-8 Meaning and Definition

The term ‘subject-verb agreement’, just like the name suggests, refers to the agreement
between the subject and the verb. This is mainly with reference to singular and plural
nouns/pronouns that act as subjects. According to the Collins Dictionary, “concord refers to
the way that a word has a form appropriate to the number or gender of the noun or
pronoun it relates to. For example, in ‘She hates it’, there is concord between the singular
form of the verb and the singular pronoun ‘she’.”

The general rule of subject-verb agreement according to Garner’s Modern English Usage is
“to use a plural verb with a plural subject, a singular verb with a singular subject. This rule
holds true for most cases. However, there are exceptions to this rule. Check out the next
section to learn how verbs have to be conjugated in order to agree with the subject.

Rules of Subject-Verb Agreement with Examples

The concept of subject-verb concord matters the most when using the present tenses.
The simple past and simple future tenses have the same verbs used irrespective of the
subject in the sentence. Knowing and following the rules of subject-verb agreement will
help you write error-free sentences. Go through the following rules and also go through the
examples to understand how each rule is applied.

Rule 1

The first rule is what we have already discussed – the use of a singular verb with a singular
subject and a plural verb with a plural subject. The subject can be a noun, a pronoun or
even a noun phrase. If it is a pronoun, the subject-verb agreement is done with reference to
the person of the pronoun.

For example:

• Rachel spends her free time listening to music. (Singular subject with singular verb)

• Blaine and Kurt play the piano. (Plural subject with plural verb)

• She likes to have a dessert after every meal. (Third person singular pronoun with
singular subject)

Rule 2

When using the ‘be’ form of verbs, there is an exception. In this case, the verb is used
according to the number and person of the subject. Check out the following table to see
how it works with different pronouns.
Q9. What is the role of Grammar in English?

Ans-9 Grammar studies the rules and structure of language, including parts of speech,
sentence structure, and punctuation. Learning grammar is essential because it helps one
communicate clearly and effectively with others in any situation.

Q10. Write one paragraph on: “Our objectives in life”.

Ans-10 This an essay about my individual goals and objectives that I have set for myself. I
have set an extensive range of objectives all through my life. A few objectives are more
imperious than others, yet all are important to sustain. Our objectives in life make us what
we are. They distinguish us from the broad-spectrum populace around us. Distinct goals
tend to alter after some time, as you as a person evolve over time. Goals and objectives
throughout my life are vital to me, as they ought to be, nonetheless in some cases
personalities keep veering from their goals because of inspirations or acquisitiveness. I
trust, in the yet to come, I can take after my goals accurately and not move away from them.
I have a flawless and precise angle. I would like to discuss about the essence of people and
work. First of all, I am a meditative and problem solver kind of person. Every difficulty
comes up; I see the face of it and then do my utmost to find the best resolution. In this
world, I at all times feel there exists three sorts of persons: those who want that to
materialize, those who see it materialize, and those who actually do something for it to
materialize. It also signifies the three modules: cognitive module, affective module and
behavioral module. I have discovered that ambition can be a truly

prized value since it leads to variation but what we want to see. For that reason, ambition
aids me realize what I desire. To me, the one who is striving is the one who prospers. In
toting, honesty and frankness are also human morals that we must keep an eye on. Honesty
and sincerity will make our work easier and focused. In addition, compassion is one of my
personal and proficient standards. Compassion is not a trait every person possesses and for
the persons who do, it is a consecration. The ability to understand the difficulties that
others

accomplish, what they think about and how you can allow them to curlicue to hit their goals
and lift their prospective is a characteristic I am on the lookout for in each person I come
across. For me resourcefulness point toward a sure thing: How well does a person manage
equivocalness? Sometime back I came across an expression that denoted that to improve is
to grow; to be spotless is to change regularly. Whereas perfection is never imaginable, how
well we modify to growth will elect how robust our success will be. (Littlejohn & Pegler
2015) In a world of equivocalness the persons who can evolve with the transformation and
still perform at the highest levels are prime time personalities you would desire in your
surroundings. In specific, responsibility is an indispensable personality trait. Responsibility
will aid learning as well as your work more gainful. It also has the influence to assist you
attain a good imprint. In any scenario, responsibility also ensures the proportion of your
accomplishment is pushed to the maximum attainable level. If you do not have any
accountability, one may be bound to miss the mark. In addition, the capacity to focus is also
significant in the work and educational environment. If you do not concentrate, your work
efficacy will decline, resulting in unexpected perils that will interpose your work and
education.