Book created by: Aditya,Alefiya, Ammar,

Anushka, Disha, Nikhil and Prbhav. 1

 Contents
Serial Topic Page no.
no.
1. Nouns 3

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 50

Verbs

8. Assessment 54

2
 NOUNS
A noun is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea.
Whatever exists, we assume, can be named, and that
name is a noun.

Examples:
• 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days of the week, months, historical documents, institutions,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 a proper noun.
In 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 restaurants.
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, and is the
opposite of a concrete noun.

The highlighted words in the following sentences are all

abstract nouns:
•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."

6
 Exercises
A. Write down the nouns you notice.
The major thoroughfares were already lit by the new gas, but this was
not the bright and even glare of the late Victorian period: the light flared
and diminished ,casting a flickering light across the streets and lending
to the houses and pedestrians a faintly unreal or even theatrical quality.

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. A of birds flew high in the sky.
2. They saw a of lions at the zoo.
3. The farmer has a of cattle on his farm.
4. He ate a of grapes today.
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5. Our friend shows us a of stamps.
6. We saw a of sheep on our way home.
7. Police have arrested a of thieves.
8. She bought a of bananas from the market.
9. The of pupils are listening attentively to their teacher.
10. You can put the of tools in that box.

8
PEOPLE
an army of soldiers a gang of thieves
a bevy of beauties/girls a horde of savages
a band of musicians a host of angels
a band of robbers a line of kings/rulers
a board of directors a mob of rioters
a body of men a group of dancers
a bunch of crooks a group of singers
a caravan of gypsies a pack of rascals
a choir of singers a pack of thieves
a class of pupils a party of friends
a class of students a patrol of policemen
a company of actors a posse of policemen
a company of soldiers a regiment of soldiers
a congregation of worshippers a staff of employees
a crew of sailors a staff of servants
a crowd of spectators a staff of teachers
a crowd of people a team of players
a dynasty of kings a tribe of natives
a galaxy of beautiful women a troop of scouts
a galaxy of film stars a troupe of artistes
a gang of crooks a troupe of dancers
a gang of labourers a troupe of performers
a gang of prisoners a party of friends
a gang of robbers

THINGS
an album of autographs a hail of bullets
an album of photographs a hand of bananas (each a finger)
an album of stamps a harvest of wheat/corn
an anthology of poems a heap of rubbish
an archipelago of islands a heap of ruins
a bale of cotton a hedge of bushes
a basket of fruit a heap of stones
a batch of bread a layer of soil/dirt
a battery of guns a library of books
a block of flats a line of cars
a book of exercises a list of names
a book of notes a mass of ruins/hair
a bouquet of flowers a necklace of pearls
a bowl of rice an outfit of clothes 9
a bunch of bananas an orchard of fruit trees
a bunch of flowers a pack of cards
a bunch of grapes a pack of lies
a bunch of keys a packet of cigarettes
a bundle of rags/old clothes a packet of letters
a bundle of firewood/sticks a pair of shoes
a bundle of hay a pencil of rays
a catalogue of prices/goods a quiver of arrows
a chain of mountains a range of hills
a chest of drawers a range of mountains
a cluster of coconuts a ream of paper
a cluster of grapes a reel of thread/film
a cloud of dust a roll of film/cloth
a clump of bushes a rope of pearls
a clump of trees a row of houses
a collection of coins a series of events
a collection of curiosities a set of china
a collection of pictures a set of clubs
a collection of relics a set of tools
a collection of stamps a sheaf of arrows
a column of smoke a sheaf of corn
a comb of bananas a sheaf of grain
a compendium of games a sheaf of papers
a constellation of stars a sheaf of wheat
a cluster of diamonds a shower of blows
a cluster of stars a shower of rain
a clutch of eggs a stack of arms
a crate of fruit a stack of corn
a crop of apples a stack of hay
a fall of rain a stack of timber
a fall of snow a stack of wood
a fleet of motor-cars/taxis a stock of wood
a fleet of ships a string of beads
a flight of aeroplanes a string of pearls
a flight of steps a suit of clothes
a forest of trees a suite of furniture
a galaxy of stars a suite of rooms
a garland of flowers a tuft of grass
a glossary of difficult words/phrases a tuft of hair
a group of islands a wad of currency/notes
a grove of trees a wreath of flowers 10
ANIMALS
an army of ants a litter of kittens
a bevy of quail a litter of puppies
a brood/flock of chickens a menagerie of wild
a catch of fish animals
a cloud of flies a muster of peacocks
a cloud of insects a nest of ants
a cloud of locusts a nest of mice
a colony of gulls a nest of rabbits
a drove of cattle a pack of hounds
a drove of horses a pack of wolves
a flight of birds a plague of insects
a flight of doves a plague of locusts
a flight of locusts a pride of lions
a flight of swallows a school of herrings/other
a flock of birds small a afish
a flock of geese a school of porpoises
a flock of sheep a school of whales
a gaggle of geese a shoal of fish
a haul of fish a skein of wild geese in
a herd of buffaloes flight
a herd of cattle a string of horses
a herd of deer a stud of horses
a herd of elephants a swarm of ants
a herd of goats a swarm of bees
a herd of swine a swarm of insects
a hive of bees a swarm of locusts
a host of sparrows a team of horses
a kindle of kittens a team of oxen
a litter of cubs a train of camels
a litter of piglets a tribe of goats
a troop of lions
a troop of monkeys
a zoo of wild animals

11
SOME ABSTRACT NOUNS…
ability energy intelligence
sacrifice
adoration enhancement jealousy
sadness
adventure enthusiasm joy
amazement sanity
envy justice
anger kindness satisfaction
evil
anxiety excitement knowledge self-control
apprehension failure laughter sensitivity
artistry faith law service
awe liberty shock
faithfulness
beauty life silliness
faithlessness
belief loss skill
fascination
bravery love
favouritism slavery
brutality loyalty
fear sleep
calm luck
chaos forgiveness sophistication
fragility luxury sorrow
charity
frailty maturity
childhood sparkle
freedom memory
clarity speculation
friendship mercy
coldness speed
generosity motivation
comfort strength
goodness movement
communication strictness
gossip music
compassion stupidity
grace need
confidence
omen submission
contentment graciousness
opinion success
courage grief
crime opportunism surprise
happiness
curiosity opportunity sympathy
hate
customer service pain talent
hatred
death patience thrill
hearsay
deceit peace tiredness
helpfulness
dedication peculiarity tolerance
helplessness
defeat perseverance trust
homelessness
delight pleasure
honesty uncertainty
democracy poverty
honour unemployment
despair power
hope unreality
determination pride
humility victory
dexterity principle
dictatorship humour reality wariness
disappointment hurt redemption warmth
disbelief idea refreshment weakness
disquiet idiosyncrasy relaxation wealth
disturbance imagination relief weariness
education impression restoration wisdom
ego improvement riches wit
elegance infatuation romance worry
inflation rumour
insanity 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 (eg: us).
We use personal pronouns in place of the person or 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 "him". And so on.
When we are talking about a single thing,
we almost always use it. However, there
are a few exceptions. We may sometimes
refer to an animal as he/him or she/her,
especially if the animal is domesticated or
a pet. Ships (and some other vessels or
vehicles) as well as some countries are
often treated as female and referred to
as she/her. 13
In each of the following examples the pronouns
representing the object is highlighted.
•This is our dog Rusty. He's an Alsation.
•The Titanic was a great ship but she sank on her first voyage.
•My first car was a Mini and I treated her like my wife.
We often use it to introduce a remark:
• It is nice to have a holiday sometimes.
• Is it normal to see them together?
We also often use it to talk about the weather,
temperature, time and distance:
• It's raining.
• It will probably be hot tomorrow.

14
 EXERCISES :
A. Use the correct personal pronouns. Watch the words in
brackets.
Example: ___ often reads books. (Lisa)
Answer: She often reads books.
1) ____________ is dreaming. (George)
2) ____________ is green. (the blackboard)
3) ____________ are on the wall. (the posters)
4) ____________ is running. (the dog)
5) ____________ are watching TV. (my mother and I)
6) ____________ are in the garden. (the flowers)
7) ____________ is riding his bike. (Tom)
8) ____________ is from Bristol. (Victoria)
9) ____________ has got a brother. (Diana)
10) Have ____________ got a computer, Mandy?

B. Rewrite the sentences replacing the underlined words by a

personal pronouns. Don’t use contractions (aren't, isn't, he's,
she's, etc)

1. Mary and I are students.

Ans: _____________________________________________

2. Melissa isn't an engineer. Melissa is an architect.

Ans: _____________________________________________
3. Bob is my classmate.
15
Ans:__________________________________________
4. My teachers are from the USA and are very experienced.
Ans:_________________________________________

5. Are Melissa and Pamela from England?

Ans:_________________________________________

6. Tommy, Bob and I are neighbors and very good friends.

Ans: _____________________________________________

7. Are you sure that Is Paul a dentist?

Ans: _____________________________________________

8. You and Fred aren't from Italy.

Ans: _____________________________________________

9. Louise is not my mother's friend.

Ans: _____________________________________________

10. Are you and I good friends?

Ans: _____________________________________________

C. Fill in the correct pronouns.

1. My sister Jane loves books. This novel is for _________ .

2. My children like Disney films. The video is for __________ .
3. My brother Matt collects picture postcards. These postcards are for
__________ .
4. My parents like Latin music. The CD is for __________ .
16
5. I like watches. This nice watch is for __________ .
6. My wife and I love sweets. These sweets are for ___________ .
7. My nephew likes cars. The toy truck is for ____________ .
8. My neighbor wants to go to California next year. The guide book is
for ____________ .
9. Here is another souvenir. I don't know what to do with __________ .
10. Mother nature is getting destructed! We need to save ___________ .

17
 ADJECTIVES
What is an adjective?
An adjective is a word that describes a noun or a pronoun.
Example: Bianca’s cute monkey ate the yellow banana.
Tim washed the dirty dishes.
Gary plucked the beautiful flowers.
The Adjective Questions?
Which one tall candles
What kind scented candles
How many seven candles
Whose Beth’s candles

Comparatives and Superlatives

Many adjectives can have different degrees. 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 be hot,
Dubai’s weather to be hotter, and the Sahara Desert's to be
the hottest.
See how there are different degrees of the adjective hot? We've
just used the comparative and superlative forms of the
word hot to show this adjective's different degrees. Here are the
different degrees of some other words: 18
 Positive Comparative Superlative

good better best

little less least

Positive degree of adjective

An adjective that describes only 1 object.
Possible formats:
•Keep the word as it is. (Sean is an excellent student.)
•With + word (With intense concentration I’ve been able to
understand this topic.)
•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.)
•Most + adjective (Mariya is the most graceful dancer of our
grade.)
•Least + adjective (The stand is least needy apparatus in this
experiment.)
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 Exercises
A. Fill in the comparative and superlative degrees of the
corresponding adjectives.
Positive Comparative Superlative
cheap
late
much
Beautiful
cruel
broad
expensive
hard
angry
poor
fit
great
important
big
dull
hungry
few
clever
obnoxious
outrageous
B.Underline a and identify the Adjective.
1. The two fat birds chirped.

2. The cutest baby was abducted from the maternity ward.

3.
4. The largest box of those three fell on the floor.

5. The lovely, scented candle burned.

6. Walter quickly ran home.

7. The large book was kept on the table.

8. Peter is slow than Jack in writing.

9. The brown dog was sleeping.

C. Fill in the blanks with adjectives.

1. My house is _________ than yours. (big)
2. This flower is __________ than the other one. (beautiful)
3. This is the _____________ book I have ever read. (interesting)
4. Non-smokers usually live ______ than smokers. (long)
5. Which is the __________ animal in the world. (dangerous)
6. A holiday in Dubai is ________ than a holiday in Afghanistan.
(good)
7. A coke is often __________ than a beer. (expensive)
8. Who is the _________ man on the earth. (rich)
9. The weather this summer is _________ than the weather last
summer. (bad)
10. He was the ________ thief of all. (clever)
20
D. Frame sentences using the following adjectives:
1. Obnoxious:

2. Most adventurous:

3. Cautious :

4. Impossible:

5. Enchanting:

6. Mysterious:

7. Abundant:

21
Appearance Appearance Condition Condition Feelings Feelings
Contd. Contd. (Bad) (Bad)
Contd.
adorable long alive impossible angry grumpy
adventurous magnificent annoying inexpensive annoyed helpless
aggressive misty bad innocent anxious homeless
alert motionless better inquisitive arrogant hungry
attractive muddy beautiful modern ashamed hurt
average old-fashioned brainy mushy awful ill
beautiful plain breakable odd bad itchy
blue-eyed poised busy open bewildered jealous
bloody precious careful outstanding black jittery
blushing quaint cautious poor blue lazy
bright shiny clever powerful bored lonely
clean smoggy clumsy prickly clumsy mysterious
clear sparkling concerned puzzled combative nasty
cloudy spotless crazy real condemned naughty
colorful stormy curious rich confused nervous
crowded strange dead shy crazy flipped- nutty
cute ugly different sleepy out obnoxious
dark ugliest difficult stupid creepy outrageous
drab unsightly doubtful super cruel panicky
distinct unusual easy talented dangerous repulsive
dull wide-eyed expensive tame defeated scary
elegant famous tender defiant selfish
excited fragile tough depressed sore
fancy frail uninterested disgusted tense
Filthy gifted vast disturbed terrible
glamorous helpful wandering dizzy testy
gleaming helpless wild embarrassed thoughtless
gorgeous horrible wrong envious tired
graceful important evil troubled
grotesque fierce upset
handsome foolish uptight
homely frantic weary
light frightened wicked
grieving worried 22
 Feelings Feelings Shape Size Sound Time
(Good) (Good)
Contd.

agreeable happy broad big cooing ancient

amused healthy chubby colossal deafening brief
brave helpful crooked fat faint Early
calm hilarious curved gigantic harsh fast
charming jolly deep great high-pitched late
cheerful joyous flat huge hissing long
comfortable kind high immense hushed modern
cooperative lively hollow large husky old
courageous lovely low little loud old-
delightful lucky narrow mammoth melodic fashioned
determined nice round massive moaning quick
eager obedient shallow miniature mute rapid
elated perfect skinny petite noisy short
enchanting pleasant square puny purring slow
encouraging proud steep scrawny quiet swift
energetic relieved straight short raspy young
enthusiastic silly wide small resonant
excited smiling tall screeching
exuberant splendid teeny shrill
fair successful teeny-tiny silent
faithful thankful tiny soft
fantastic thoughtful squealing
fine victorious thundering
friendly vivacious voiceless
funny witty whispering
gentle wonderful
glorious zealous
good zany
23
 Taste/Touch Taste/Touch Touch Quantity
Contd.

bitter melted boiling abundant

delicious nutritious breezy empty
fresh plastic broken few
juicy prickly bumpy heavy
ripe rainy chilly light
rotten rough cold many
salty scattered cool numerous
sour shaggy creepy substantial
spicy shaky crooked
stale sharp cuddly
sticky shivering curly
strong silky damaged
sweet slimy damp
tart slippery dirty
tasteless smooth dry
tasty soft dusty
thirsty solid filthy
fluttering steady flaky
fuzzy sticky fluffy
greasy tender freezing
grubby tight hot
hard uneven warm
hot weak wet
icy wet
loose wooden
yummy

24
 Active and Passive Voice
Verbs are also said to be in voices either active voice or passive
voice.
The active voice is 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, the subject is doing the action. In the
active voice, the object receives the action of the verb.

subject verb object

The passive voice is less usual.

In the passive voice,
the subject receives 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 person’s
attention.) : The unidentified
victim was apparently struck during
the early morning hours.
•When the doer or agent in the
situation is not important: The aurora
borealis can be observed in the early
morning hours.

An example of passive voice in each tense :

Auxiliary Past
Tense Subject
Singular / Plural Participle
Present The car/cars is / are designed.

Past The car/cars was / were designed.

Future The car/cars will be / will be 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 verb be from the main verb

and change main verb's form if needed

3. Place the passive sentence's object of the

preposition by into 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
 Exercises
A. Identify the voices.
1. They listen to music.

2. Lots of houses were destroyed by the

earthquake.

3. You should open your 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.

B. Change to passive.
Peter will build a 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
Tom cleans the house once a week.

The car was repaired by Sam.

Someone will finish the work by

5:00 PM.

Sally is going to make a beautiful

dinner tonight.

Professor Villa gave Jorge an A.

The students handed in the

reports.

A piece of plastic was swallowed

by the child.

Bicycles must not be left in the

driveway.

They built that skyscraper in 1934.

Did 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

Sugar is uncountable; therefore, the sentence has a singular verb.

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
A. Underline the answer which you think is correct.
1. Emily and Greg (comes, come) to my house every Friday for lunch.
2. There (is, are) time to watch the movie.
3. My friends who are in the band (wants, want) me to play a musical
instrument.
4. My father or my brothers (is, are) coming with me to the ball game.
5. Everyone (needs, need) time to relax.
6. That bag of oranges (looks, look) fresh.
7. The lacrosse team (hopes, hope) to win the tournament next week.
8. Your trousers (needs, need) to be cleaned.
9. Some of the books on the shelf (is, are) dusty.
10. Even though the students like the class, a few (thinks, think) that it is
too complicated.
11. Mumps (is, are) not common among adults.
12. Viruses from third world countries (is, are) a major concern.
13. Most of the sand (is, are) wet from the high tide.
14. Either the two kittens or the puppy (sits, sit) in my lap while I watch
television.
15. A subject of great interest (is, are) rainforests.
16. Hansel and Gretel (is, are) a famous children's story.
17. The team members (is, are) arguing over the defense tactics.
18. The economics of the trip (was, were) pleasing.
19. Why (is, are) your parents going to Africa for a vacation?
20. The mayor and the governor (hopes, hope) that the bill will soon
become a law.

37
B. Pick out the answer which you think is correct.
1. There ____________ several reasons why you should reconsider
your decision. (are/is)
2. Howard and Vincent, who ____________ a copy center in town,
have decided to expand their business. (run/runs)
3. Both of the statues on the shelf ____________ broken. (are/is)
4. The fishing boat that has been tied up at the pier for three days
____________ finally on its way this morning. (was/were)
5. The chairman, along with his two assistants, ____________ to attend
the annual convention. (plan/plans)
6. The issues of inflation and tax reform ____________ to be on
everyone's mind. (continue/continues)
7. Juan or Julian ____________ the conference room each week.
(prepare/prepares)
8. Not one of the performers ____________ at the party after the
concert. (were/was)
9. The results of the election ____________ not available for two
days. (were/was)
10. When there _______ thunderstorms approaching, we are always
reminded of the threat of tornadoes. (is/are)
11. Either the physicians in this hospital or the chief administrator
____ going to have to make a decision. (is/are)
12. ______ my boss or my sisters in the union going to win this
grievance? (is/are)
13. Some of the votes __________ to have been
miscounted. (seem/seems)
14. The tornadoes that tear through this county every spring _____ more
than just a nuisance. (are/is)

38
15. Everyone selected to serve on this jury _____ to be willing to give
up a lot of time. (have/has)
16. Kara Wolters, together with her teammates, _________ a
formidable opponent on the basketball court. (presents/ present)
17. He seems to forget that there __________ things to be done before
he can graduate. (are/is)
18. There _______ to be some people left in that town after yesterday's
flood. (have/has)
19. Three-quarters of the student body __________ against the tuition
hike.(is/are)
20. A high percentage of the population _________ voting for the new
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 Tense
The simple present tense is used for two main types of action:

Actions which happen regularly (for example, every day or

Habits
every week)

Things which do not often change (for example, opinions and

States
conditions)

Type of
Examples Explanations
action
Young-Mi goes to class every
“Every day” is a habit.
day.
Habit
It rains a lot in Vancouver. This means that it rains often.

When we like something,

Martin likes chocolate.
usually we will always like it.
State
Beliefs and opinions are states.
Anna believes in God.
They don't often change.
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.
Water boils at 100 degrees Celcius. (universal truth)
It is a big house. (fact)
Dogs are better than cats. (generalization)
Berlin is the capital city of Germany. (fact)
The Elephant doesn't fly. (fact)

Simple Past Tense

The simple past tense is 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

live - lived
e Add -D
date - dated
try - tried
Consonant +y Change y to i, then add -ED
cry - cried
One vowel + one tap - tapped
consonant Double the consonant, then add -ED
(but NOT w or y)
commit - committed
boil - boiled
anything else fill - filled
Add -ED
including w hand - handed
show - showed
41
The three most important irregular verbs.
The three most important irregular verbs are BE, HAVE, and DO.
The simple past forms for BE are different depending on the
subject.

Pronoun BE HAVE DO

I 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
cut - cut
Verbs which don't change hit - hit
fit - fit
get - got
Verbs which change their vowel sit - sat
drink - drank
catch - caught
Verbs which change completely bring - brought
teach - taught
42
 Simple Future Tense
In English, there are many ways of expressing 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 future with “will”.
Using “will” with verbs
“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 that will is
often shortened to ’ll. This diagram should make the situation
clearer:
Subject Statement Question
I will stop smoking.
I [not usually used]
I'll stop smoking.
You will stop smoking.
You Will you stop smoking?
You'll stop smoking.
He will stop smoking.
He Will he stop smoking?
He'll stop smoking.
She will stop smoking.
She Will she stop smoking?
She'll stop smoking.

It will be hard to stop.

It Will it be hard to stop?
It'll be hard to stop.

We will stop smoking.

We [not usually used]
We'll stop smoking.

They will stop smoking.

They Will they stop smoking?
They'll stop smoking. 43
The meaning of “will” future forms
“Will” is usually used in three situations:

Situation Example
“Will someone open the window
Volunteering to do something for me?”
“I'll do it!”
“I've made up my mind. I'll go to
Deciding to do something
Whistler for my vacation.”
“Dad, I don't want to clean my
room!”
Forcing someone to do something.
“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 meeting starts at 3 PM.
•Shauna studied Japanese for five years.
•Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid?
•She worked at the movie theater after school.
•We are saying what we think will happen.
•People won't go to Jupiter before the 22nd century.
•Who do you think will get the job?

44
The Simple Tense Simplified.

VERB SIMPLE SIMPLE PAST SIMPLE

PRESENT FUTURE
To see He sees He saw He will see
To do He does He did He will do
To go He goes He went He will go
To take He takes He took He will take
To give He gives He gave He will give
To eat He eats He ate He will eat
To know He knows He knew He will know
To break He breaks He broke He will break
To write He writes He wrote He will write
To steal He steals He stole He will steal
To sing He sings He sang He will sing
To fall He falls He fell He will fall
To try He tries He tried He will try
To watch He watches He watched He will watch
45
 Exercises.
A. Write down the form of tense for each of the following
sentences.

B. Pick out and write the correct answer.

1. Which is not a past form of a verb?
was had looked spoke hear
________________________________________
2. Which is not a present form of a verb?
are saw has talk speak
________________________________________
3. Which is not a plural form of a verb?
are were am have do
________________________________________
4. Which is not a 3rd person singular form of a verb?
goes has was are does
_______________________________________

5. Which is in the simple past tense?

look saw is speak will hear
________________________________________ 46
6. Which is not a future tense of a verb?
will move heard will speak will talk will see
________________________________________
7. Which is not used as an auxiliary of a verb?
was have did will sees
________________________________________

8. Which verb can be both singular and plural?

sees has do am is
________________________________________
9. Which verb can be both singular and plural?
was does have comes hears
________________________________________
C. Complete the following sentences using the correct form of verb
from the brackets.
1. I my homework everyday after school. (Do)
2. He how to swim. (Know)
3. I a movie every Friday. (Watch)
4. Jill to visit his granddad often. (Go)
5. Sue very well and so is in the choir. (Sing)
6. Jack to do his best at school. (Try)
7. Tim down the stairs while climbing them. (Fall)
8. The robber the money from a bank. (Steal)
9. The doctor the child a medicine for his cold. (Give)
10. Steve the Eiffel Tower on his trip to France. (Saw)
11. He to swim everyday. (Go)
12. Tom harder in his next project. (Try)
13. The lady little because she is on a diet. (Eat)
14. The student for his test. (Study)
47
D. Fill in the correct form of verb provided in the bracket.
1. Every Monday, Sally (drive) her kids to 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) normally printed 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) not there.
10. I (call) you last night after dinner, but you (be)
not there. 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.
13. It's strange that you (call) me right now.
14. I (try) to change a light bulb that had burnt out.

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) at Susan's house a little before
9:00 PM, but she (be) not there.
18. I (call) you last night after dinner, but you (be)
not there. Where were you?
19. It's strange that you (call) me right now.
20. The firemen (rescue) the old woman who
was trapped on the third floor of the burning building.

49
 Transitive and Intransitive
Verbs
What is a transitive verb ?
A transitive verb requires an object in the form of a 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 verb ?

An intransitive verb is one that does not require an 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 told them to. 50
 Exercises
A. Let’s see if you can identify the verbs in the following
examples. Draw a line under the verb and in the blank space,
write transitive or intransitive.
1. The math professor explains the lesson. verb.
2. I drive my car to work everyday. verb.
3. Many students sleep late on the weekends.
verb.
4. Louise finally got her license. verb.
5. Does your family live in Minnesota? verb.

B. Underline the verb in each sentence and indicate whether it is

being used as a transitive verb or an intransitive verb.
1. Many contemporary television programs expose children to violence
and vulgar language.
2. My exam grade will exclude me from the soccer game.
3. Alice imagined a world full of fascinating creatures.
4. James ran in the park every afternoon.
5. The tornado destroyed entire buildings when it struck.
6. I raked the yard on Saturday.
7. The boiling water scalded my hand.
8. We talked about the news all evening.
9. My mother washes clothes every Saturday.
10. I opened the door for the lady with the stroller
51
C. Tell which of the following verbs are transitive and which are
intransitive.
1. Anne loves her mother.
2. The golden gate opened.
3. The moon silvers the distant hills.
4. Mary found her ring.
5. James writes poetry.
6. The snow melts.
7. The icy chains break.
8. The innocent lamb died.
9. The children played.
10. The children played a game.
11. Doris was elected president of the class.
12. Dan is the first baseman.

D. Write an appropriate subject and object for each of the following

verbs using the following model:
For the verb to ring, write: rings the church bell (object).
1. to learn
2. to find
3. to hide
4. to fear
5. to remember
6. to inflict
7. to receive
8.to lift
9.to hear
10. to renew 52
E. State whether the verbs in the following sentences are transitive or
intransitive. Name the object of each transitive verb.

1. The dog barks.

2. He raised his hands.

3. The information proved false.

4. The child has fallen asleep.

5. The donkey kept braying.

6. The tea is hot.

7. The results are out.

8. She called again and again.

9. We are human beings.

10. They arrived here via metro.

53
 Assessment
Find 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 l m
d n p t b l v r d o n m a 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 mr h i s
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 n

54
 Comprehension
Learning something new; swimming.

Learning something new can be a scary experience. One of the

hardest things I've ever had to do was learn how to 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 feel more and more comfortable. It a
wonderful, free feeling when you achieve a goal you have set for
yourself.
A. Investigate the meanings of the following words :
•Experience-
•Timidly-
•Embarrassed-
•Uncoordinated-
•Persistence-
•Conquer-
•Achieve-
•Confident-
•Situation-
•Concentrate- 56
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