SECTION 6 Every sentence has a complete subject and complete predicate.

The
GRAMMAR complete subject tells whom or what the sentence is about.
For example; The house, The red car, or The great teacher.

The complete predicate tells what the subject is or does.

CHAPTER 1; SENTENCE For example;

In grammar, a sentence is the basic grammatical unit. It contains a group • The house is white.
of words and expresses a complete thought. • The car is blue.
• The teacher likes students.
A sentence consists of a subject and a predicate. For example in the
sentence "Bill writes good poems" Bill is the subject of the sentence PART OF SPEECH
and writes good poems is the predicate.
In the English language, words can be considered as the smallest elements
Types of sentences that have distinctive meanings. Based on their use and functions, words are
categorized into several types or parts of speech. This article will offer
There are four types of sentences: definitions and examples for the 8 major parts of speech in English
grammar:
1. Declarative sentence noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, adjective, conjunction, preposition,
Applicants will be answered in due time. (It makes a statement.) and interjection.

2. Imperative sentence 1. Noun

Show me your photo album, please. (Gives a command or makes a
request.) This part of a speech refers to words that are used to name persons, things,
animals, places, ideas, or events.
3. Interrogative sentence
Do you like this photo? (Asks a question.) Examples:

4. Exclamatory sentence ▪ Tom Hanks is very versatile.

what a beautiful dress she is wearing! (Shows strong feeling) ▪ Dogs can be extremely cute.

▪ It is my birthday.
CHAPTER 2; SUBJECT AND PREDICATE

SEM 1 SECTION 6 (ENGLISH ) Page 1

2. Pronoun 6. Preposition

A pronoun is a part of a speech which functions as a replacement for a This part of a speech basically refers to words that specify location or a
noun. Some examples of pronouns are: I, it, he, she, mine, his, hers, we, location in time.
they, theirs, and ours.
Examples of Prepositions: above, below, throughout, outside, before,
Sample Sentences: near, and since.

▪ The largest slice is mine. For example; Micah is hiding under the bed

▪ We are number one. 7. Conjunction

3. Adjective The conjunction is a part of a speech which joins words, phrases, or

clauses together.
This part of a speech is used to describe a noun or a pronoun. Adjectives
can specify the quality, the size, and the number of nouns or pronouns. Examples of Conjunctions: and, yet, but, for, nor, or, and so

For example: The lazy dog dozed. ▪ This cup of tea is delicious and very soothing.

The hairy, lazy dog dozed. ▪ Homer always wanted to join the play, but he didn’t have the guts
to audition.
4. Verb
8. Interjection
This is the most important part of a speech, for without a verb, a sentence
would not exist. Simply put, this is a word that shows an action (physical This part of a speech refers to words which express emotions. Since
or mental) or state of being of the subject in a sentence. interjections are commonly used to convey strong emotions, they are
usually followed by an exclamation point.
For example: Mary went to the school
Sample Sentences:
5. Adverb
▪ Ouch! That must have hurt.
Just like adjectives, adverbs are also used to describe words, but the
difference is that adverbs describe adjectives, verbs, or another adverb. ▪ Hurray, we won!

For example; Mary walked slowly ▪ Hey! I said enough!

SEM 1 SECTION 6 (ENGLISH ) Page 2

 A phrase is a group of words without a subject-verb component,
used as a single part of speech.
CHAPTER 3 Examples:
CLAUSE AND PHRASE Best friend (this phrase acts as a noun)
Needing help (this phrase acts as an adjective;)
With the blue shirt (this prepositional phrase acts as an adjective;
A clause is a group of words containing a subject and verb. for twenty days (this prepositional phrase acts as an adverb)

• An independent clause is a simple sentence. It can stand on its

CHAPTER 4
own.
GRAMMATICAL PERSON
Examples:
She is hungry.
I am feeling well today.
In grammar, a person is the way of referring to someone taking part in an
• A dependent clause cannot stand on its own. It needs an event, such as the person talking, the person being talked to, the person
independent clause to complete a sentence. Dependent clauses being talked about. Grammatican persons are accomplished by pronouns,
often begin with such words as although, since, if, words used to take the place of a noun, in order to make speech easier.
when, and because.
The first person is the speaker referring to himself or herself. The second
Examples: person is the person whom someone is speaking to or writing to.
Although she is hungry …
Whoever is hungry … Persons
Because I am feeling well …
English Personal pronouns
Dependent Independent
Singular Plural
Although she is hungry, She will give him some of her
Person
food. Subjec Objec Possessiv Subjec Objec Possessiv
t t e t t e
Whatever they decide, I will agree to.

SEM 1 SECTION 6 (ENGLISH ) Page 3

First I me mine we us ours English divides nouns and pronouns into four genders in this way:

1. Masculine:
Second you you yours you you yours
All males (and only males) are said to belong to the masculine gender.
Femal (Examples: boy, man, landlord, god, tiger, horse, rooster, stag, he, etc)
she her hers
e
2. Feminine:
Thir Male he him his All females (and only females) belong to this gender category. (Examples:
they them theirs
d girl, woman, goddess, landlady, tigress, mare, hen, doe, hind, she, etc)
No
gende it it its 3. Common:
r
Nouns and pronouns that belong to this gender are either male or female,
but we are not concerned about it. (Examples: teacher, child, worker, baby,
infant, human being, person, etc)
Sometimes, a person's name is used in the second person, but that's usually
just with a baby. For example, instead of saying "you sit here", one could 4. Neuter:
say "Charlie sits here".
All nouns and pronouns to which maleness or femaleness doesn't apply
belong to this gender category. (Material things: stone, table, gold, book;
CHAPTER 5 all abstract nouns: e.g. childhood, independence, intelligence,
GENDER chairmanship, etc.)

Gender in Modern Usage.

Grammatical Gender Nowadays some words in the Masculine Gender are used as Common
Gender. Everybody doesn't do it, but if you follow this trend, you will be
In English, grammatical gender is a property of considered modern!
only nouns and pronouns. It is one of the simplest parts of English
grammar for the concept is clear and consistent. Examples:

Four Kinds of gender in English.

SEM 1 SECTION 6 (ENGLISH ) Page 4

 • Actor - Used for both male and female—traditionally, actor and 2. Past tense: things that were true before the words were spoken or
actress; poet for both poet and poetess. The purpose is to avoid written.
gender bias about which people are very conscious today.
• For Example: She went to school.
• Governor - for both male and female. This is perhaps because the
woman ruler of a province would not like the word 'governess' to 3. Future tense: things that will be true after the words are spoken or
be used for her lest people misunderstand that she is someone written.
employed in a rich family to teach its children. • For Example: She will go to school.
• Priest - for both male and female. A modern ordained
clergywoman would not like to be called a 'priestess.' I think, the
word reminds people of temple prostitution in ancient cultures. I. Present

1. Simple Present

Base verb (+ es/s for third person):

CHAPTER 6 I watch the news every day.

TENSE
2. Present Continuous

Am/is/are + present participle:

I am watching the news.

TENSE
3. Present Perfect
Tense is the form of a verb that takes the noun to show the time it
happened. There are three main tenses: Has/have + past participle:

1. Present tense: things that are true when the words are spoken or I have watched the news already.
written.
4. Present Perfect Continuous
• For Example: She goes to school.
Has/have + been + present participle:

SEM 1 SECTION 6 (ENGLISH ) Page 5

I have been watching the news since I was a teenager. Will+verb
I will watch the news

2. Future Continuous
II. Past
Will be + present participle
1. Simple Past
I will be watching the news at 9pm.
Verb+ed or irregular verb:
3. Future Perfect
I watched the news.
Will have + past participle
2. Past Continuous I will have watched the news before 10pm.
Was/were + present participle: 4. Future Perfect Continuous
I was watching the news. Will have been + present participle
3. Past Perfect I will have been watching the news for over ten minutes before you join
Had + past participle: me.

I had watched the news before I went to bed.

CHAPTER 6
4. Past Perfect Continuous
ASPECTS
I had been watching watching the news for 20 minutes before you came
home.

Aspect is a grammatical category that expresses how an action, event,

III. Future or state, denoted by a verb, extends over time.

1. Simple Future Types of Aspects in English

1. The Perfective Aspect

SEM 1 SECTION 6 (ENGLISH ) Page 6

 2. The Progressive Aspect The Progressive Aspect

The Perfective Aspect This type deals with the verbal groups which comprise forms of the ‘be-
verb’ + progressive form of the verb; that is, be, am, is, was, are, were,
This type deals with the verbal groups which have the forms of ‘have + been, being plus the progressive form of the verb. Under the progressive
verb (past participle); that is, have/has/has plus the perfective form of the aspect, we have two sub-types:
verb. In other words, Perfective Aspect is always indicated by HAVE
+LEXICAL VERB +-ED/-EN. Under the perfective aspect, we have two • The present progressive aspect (am/is/are + verb (progressive) and
sub-types:
• The past progressive aspect (was/were + verb (past participle).
• The present perfective aspect (has/have + verb (past participle)
and Examples of Present Progressive Aspect

• The past perfective aspect (had + verb (past participle). We can illustrate this with the following sentences:

Examples of Present Perfective Aspect • I am typing.

• The boy has eaten his food. • He is writing.

• John and Joe have eaten the food. • They are hunting.

• I have given him the letter. Note again the possibility of adding modal auxiliary e.g.

Sometimes, we can add modal auxiliaries. In this case, we have present • He may be driving.
modal perfective E. g. • She might be sleeping.
• They may have arrived. Examples of Past Progressive Aspect
• He could have travelled. • I was typing.
Examples of Past Perfective Aspect • He was writing.
• Peter had eaten his food. • They were hunting.
• Jill and Scott had gone.

SEM 1 SECTION 6 (ENGLISH ) Page 7

 CHAPTER 7 ❖ A love letter was slipped under the door.

ACTIVE –PASSSIVE VOICES • Avoid calling attention to the performer of the action
(known as the "institutional passive"):

❖ The fines will be collected on Monday.

Using the Passive Voice with Different Tenses

Voice of a verb tells whether the subject of the sentence performs or
receives the action. In English there are two
voices: active and passive. Tense Active Voice Passive Voice

Active Voice
Present James writes the The letters are written by
In active voice, the subject performs the action expressed by the verb: Simple letters. James.
• The student wrote a song.
Past Simple James wrote the letters. The letters were written
Passive Voice by James.
In passive voice, the subject receives the action expressed by the verb:
Present James is writing the The letters are being
• A song was written by the student
Continuous letters. written by James.
Uses of Passive Voice

Use the passive voice to: Present James has written the The letters have been
Perfect letters. written by James.
• Call attention to receiver of the action rather than the
performer:
Future James is going to write The letters are going to
❖ The professor was hit by three snowballs. Simple the letters. be written by James.
(going to)
• Point out the receiver of the action when performer is
unknown or unimportant:

SEM 1 SECTION 6 (ENGLISH ) Page 8

 6. The fire damaged the building.
Future James will write the The letters will be written
7. Who taught you French?
Simple letters. by James. 8. The manager will give you a ticket.
(will) 9. Spectators thronged the streets.
10. Everyone will blame us.
11. The wind blew down the trees.
Past James was writing the The letters were being 12. The police caught the thieves.
Continuous letters. written by James. 13. Alice posted the letter.
14. The hostess received us.
15. They/somebody killed the snake with a stick.
Past Perfect The scientists had The cure had been found, 16. The people welcomed the minister.
found the cure, but it but it was too late. 17. They found him guilty of murder.
was too late. 18. John Mathews built this house in 1991.
ANSWERS
1. 1. We are taught grammar by Mr Sullivan.
Future The scientists will have A cure will have been 2. He was praised by the teacher.
Perfect found a cure by then. found by then. 3. The injured were taken to the hospital by the firemen.
4. The town was destroyed by an earthquake.
It is uncommon to use the passive voice with the following tenses: 5. The teacher was pleased with the boy’s work.
6. The building was damaged by the fire.
• Present Perfect Continuous; 7. By whom were you taught French?
8. You will be given a ticket by the manager.
• Future Continuous;
9. The streets were thronged with spectators.
• Future Perfect Continuous; 10. We will be blamed by everyone.
11. The trees were blown down by the wind.
• Past Perfect Continuous. 12. The thieves were caught by the police.
13. The letter was posted by Alice.
Rewrite the following sentences to passive voices
14. We were received by the hostess.
1. Mr Sullivan teaches us grammar. 15. The snake was killed with a stick.
2. The teacher praised him. 16. The minister was welcomed by the people.
3. The firemen took the injured to the hospital. 17. He was found guilty of murder.
4. An earthquake destroyed the town. 18. This house was built by John Mathews in 1991.
5. The boy’s work pleased the teacher.

SEM 1 SECTION 6 (ENGLISH ) Page 9

 2. Lisa can’t speak French.

CHAPTER 9 3. Mike is able to solve complicated math equations

MODALS
4. The support team will be able to help you in about ten minutes.

5. I won’t be able to visit you next summer.

Modal Verbs Past:

A modal is a type of auxiliary (helping) verb that is used to express: 1. When I was a child I could climb trees.
ability, possibility, permission or obligation. Modal phrases (or semi-
2. I wasn’t able to visit her in the hospital.
modals) are used to express the same things as modals, but are a
combination of auxiliary verbs and the preposition to. The modals and 3. He hasn’t been able to get in touch with the client yet.
semi-modals in English are:
• Possibility / Impossibility
1. Can/could/be able to
1. You can catch that train at 10:43.
2. May/might
2. He can’t see you right now. He’s in surgery.
3. Shall/should
• Ask Permission / Give Permission
4. Must/have to
1. Can you lend me ten dollars?
5. Will/would
2. MAY, MIGHT
1. CAN, COULD, BE ABLE TO
• Formal Permission / Formal Prohibition
Can, could and be able to are used to express a variety of ideas in English:
1. You may start your exam now.
• Ability/Lack of Ability
2. You may not wear sandals to work.
Present and Future:
• Polite Request
1. Tom can write poetry very well.

SEM 1 SECTION 6 (ENGLISH ) Page 10

 1. May I help you? 4. MUST, HAVE TO, NEED TO, DON’T HAVE TO, NEEDN’T

• Possibility / Negative Possibility • Necessity or Requirement

1. We may go out dinner tonight. Do you want to join us? 1. You must have a passport to cross the border.

2. Adam and Sue may not buy that house. It’s very expensive. 2. Elisabeth has to apply for her visa by March 10th.

3. They might not buy a house at all. 3. I need to drop by his room to pick up a book..

3.SHALL, SHOULD, OUGHT TO • Almost 100% Certain

• To Offer of Assistance or Polite Suggestion (When you 1. Thomas has lived in Paris for years. His French must be very
are quite sure of a positive answer) good.

1. Shall we go for a walk? • To Persuade

Note: Shall is only used with I or we. It is used instead of will only in 1. You must try this wine. It’s excellent.
formal English.
2. You have to visit us while you’re in town.
• To Offer of Assistance or Polite Suggestion (When you
are not sure of a positive answer) • Prohibited or Forbidden

1. Should I call a doctor? 1. You must not drive over the speed limit.

• A Prediction or Expectation that Something Will 2. You needn’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.
Happen. 5. Will / Would
1. I shouldn’t be late. The train usually arrives on time. 1. John will pick you up at 7:00am.
• To Give Advice 2. Beth won’t be happy with the results of the exam.
1. You should check that document before you send it out. • Polite Request or Statement
2. You ought to have your car serviced before the winter.
1. Will you please take the trash out?

SEM 1 SECTION 6 (ENGLISH ) Page 11

 2. Would you mind if I sat here? The class starts at 8 am.

• Habitual Past Action Time

I am going to
1. When I was a child, I would spend hours playing with my train Spain on Wednesday.
set.
How something is
2. Peter wouldn’t eat broccoli when he was a kid. He loves it now. done
We travelled by car.

The book belongs to Colin.

CHAPTWE 10 Possession

PREPOSITION The door of the house is red.

A preposition is a word or set of words that indicates location (in, near, Prepositions Indicating Place or Position;-
beside, on top of) or some other relationship between a noun or pronoun
1. Use between when you speak of two persons, places or things.
and other parts of the sentence (about, after, besides, instead of, in
accordance with). 2. Use among when you speak of three or more persons, places or
things.
The table below shows some examples of how prepositions are used in
sentences. 3. Use on in an address with only the name of the street.

Function Sentence 4. Use at when referring to places which indicate the general
location.
The cat is under the table.
5. Use in when the given location is more specific.
Position
He is sitting on the chair. 6. Use in when something is already inside.
The pencil is in the box.
7. Use into when there is movement involved in the placement of
something.

SEM 1 SECTION 6 (ENGLISH ) Page 12

Prepositions Indicating Time;- The infinitive form of a verb is the verb in its basic form. It is the version
of the verb which will appear in the dictionary.
1. Use on before days of the week, before months followed The infinitive form of a verb is usually preceded by to (e.g., to run, to
by the day or before the time indicating the day, month dance, to think). The infinitive form is not always preceded by to. Look at
and year. these examples:
2. Use in to indicate year, before months not followed by the • I need to run every day. (The infinitive form with the word to is
day or before the month and year without the day. called the full infinitive or to-infinitive.)
3. Use for to refer to a period of time stating the number of • I must run every day. (After certain verbs, the to is dropped (more
hours, days or weeks. on this below).)
4. Use during to refer to a period of time. • I run every day. (This is not in the infinitive form. This is a finite
verb, i.e., a verb functioning as the main verb.)
5. Use since to refer to a period of time from the past to the
present. Note: The word to is not a preposition. It is often called the sign of the
infinitive.
An infinitive is a non-finite verb. In other words, it cannot be the main
CHAPTER 11 verb in a sentence.
An infinitive can be used as a noun, an adjective or an adverb.
INFINITIVE VERB
Examples of Infinitives as Nouns

Here are some examples of infinitive verbs as nouns:

Infinitives are prefaced with the word “to”. For example: • To dance was her passion. (The infinitive is the subject of was.)

• To think Compare it to this:

• To act • Dancing was her passion. (This proves that the infinitive to
dance is being used a noun.)
• To walk
Here is another example:
• To talk

SEM 1 SECTION 6 (ENGLISH ) Page 13

 • He likes to hunt. (The infinitive is the direct object of likes.) CHAPTER 12
Compare it to this: GERUNDS
• He likes hunting. (This proves that the infinitive to hunt is being
used a noun.)

Examples of Infinitives as Adjectives

Gerunds are formed with the letters “ing”. For example:
• Give him an ornament to polish.

Compare it to this: Give him an ornament that he can polish.

• Thinking

(The clause that he must polish is an adjective clause. This proves • Acting
that the infinitive to polish is being used an adjective.) • Walking
Examples of Infinitives as Adverbs • Talking
• The officer returned to help. Both Gerunds and Infinitives can act as the subject of a sentence:
(The infinitive modifies the verb returned. This means it is • Thinking is something that comes naturally.
functioning as an adverb.)
• To think is something that comes naturally.
Compare it to this: The officer returned so he could help.
You can use a gerund or an infinitive as the object of a verb:
(The clause so he could help is an adverbial clause. This proves that
the infinitive to help is being used an adverb.) • I like fishing.

• I like to fish.

Only a gerund can be the object of a preposition. An infinitive

cannot:

• We are thinking about walking in the woods.

SEM 1 SECTION 6 (ENGLISH ) Page 14

Gerund & Infinitive Usage Either a gerund or an infinitive can follow these verbs, and there is no
change in meaning
At first glance, it may seem difficult to know when to use an
infinitive and when to use a gerund. You will find the following Advise (requires object with infinitive), begin, continue, hate, intend, like,
guidelines for gerund/infinitive usage helpful. love, prefer, start

Gerunds;-Gerunds are best for use in sentences about actions that

are real or complete, or that have been completed. CHAPTER 14

• I stopped worrying about the future. (In this example, the DEGREES OF COMPARISON
worrying was real and it happened until I stopped).

• We really enjoy climbing mountains. (In this example, the

climbing is real and it’s something we like to do).
Degrees of Comparison are used when we compare one person or one
Infinitives; - Infinitives are best for use in sentences about actions that are
thing with another.
unreal or abstract, or that will occur in the future. There are three Degrees of Comparison in English.
• I’d like you to think about something. (In this example, I’m asking They are:
you to think about something, but the thinking hasn’t happened 1. Positive degree.
yet). 2. Comparative degree.
3. Superlative degree.
• Can we take a walk without you stopping to smoke? (In this
example, we’re talking about taking a walk and the smoking When forming comparative degree, normally add
hasn’t happened yet).
a) ‘er’ to positive
Only a gerund can follow these verbs:
Ex: tall – taller, sharp – sharper
admit, avoid, be used to, can’t help, can’t stand, consider, deny, discuss,
dislike, end up, enjoy, feel like, finish, get used to, give up, go on, have Old – older, short – shorter
difficulty, have problems, have trouble, imagine, it’s no use, it’s
Young – younger, long – longer
worthwhile, keep, look forward to, mention, mind, miss, recommend,
remember, quit, spend time, stop, suggest, understand, waste time, work at

SEM 1 SECTION 6 (ENGLISH ) Page 15

Large – larger, high – higher Honest – more honest – most honest

b) For superlative, add ‘est’ to positive. Popular – more popular – most popular

Tall – taller – tallest Reliable – more reliable – most reliable

Sharp – sharper – sharpest Enjoyable - more enjoyable- most enjoyable

Old – older – oldest Useful - more useful - most useful

Short – shorter – shortest e) Some form themselves into comparative and superlative in an
irregular pattern.
Young – younger – youngest
Good / well –better- best
Long – longer – longest
Bad / ill- worse- worst
c) For word ending with ‘ y ’ remove ‘ y ‘ from positive and add ‘ier’
for comparative and ‘iest’ for superlative. Little- less –least
Heavy – heavier – heaviest Much / many- more -most
Lucky – luckier – luckiest Far –farther- farthest
Pretty – prettier – prettiest Fore –former- foremost / first
Dirty – dirtier – dirtiest
1. Positive degree.-
Merry – merrier – merriest
When we speak about only one person or thing, we use the Positive
Dirty – more dirty – most dirty degree.
Examples:
d) The Adjectives which have two syllables, will have ‘more’ for • This house is big.
comparative and ‘most’ for superlative. • He is a tall student.
• This flower is beautiful.
Ex: beautiful – more beautiful – most beautiful
• He is an intelligent boy.

SEM 1 SECTION 6 (ENGLISH ) Page 16

2. Comparative degree. ;-
When we compare two persons or two things with each other, All the three sentences mean the same meaning.
we use both the Positive degree and Comparative degree.
b. This flower is the most beautiful one in this garden. (Superlative)
Examples: This flower is more beautiful than any other flower in this garden.
a. This house is bigger than that one. (Comparative degree) (Comparative)
This house is not as big as that one. (Positive degree) No other flower in this garden is as beautiful as this one. (Comparative)

(The term “bigger" is comparative version of the term “big".

c. He is the most intelligent in this class. (Superlative)
Both these sentences convey the same meaning).
He is more intelligent than other boys in the class. (Comparative)
b. This flower is more beautiful than that. (Comparative) No other boy is as intelligent as this boy. (Positive)
This flower is not as beautiful as that. (Positive).

c. He is more intelligent than this boy. (Comparative) d. He is the tallest student in this class. (Superlative)
He is not as intelligent as this boy. (Positive) He is taller than other students in this class. (Comparative)
No other student is as tall as this student. (Positive)
d. He is taller than Mr. Hulas.
(Comparative)
DEGREES OF COMPARISON ARE APPLICABLE ONLY TO ADJECTIVES AND
He is not as tall as Mr. Hulas. (Positive)
ADVERBS

Nouns and verbs do not have degrees of comparisons

3. Superlative degree; - When we compare more than two persons or
things with one another, • He is the tallest student in the class. (The term “tallest" is an
We use all the three Positive, Comparative and Superlative degrees. adjective).
Among the members of the group, Mr. Clinton speaks most
Examples: effectively. (The term “effectively" is an adverb).

a. This is the biggest house in this street. (Superlative)

This house is bigger than any other house in this street. (Comparative) Model -1: “The best":
No other house in this street is as big as this one. (Positive) Examples:
The term “biggest" is the superlative version of the term “big".

SEM 1 SECTION 6 (ENGLISH ) Page 17

 • This is the best hotel in this area. (s) Hercules was stronger than any other man. (Comparative)
• No other hotel is as better as this on in this area. (c) Hercules was the strongest man in the world. (Superlative)
• No other hotel is as good as this one in this area. (p)
No other boy in the class is as intelligent as James. (Positive)James
• Unemployment is the most serious problem facing our country. (s) is more intelligent than any other boy in the class. (Comparative)James
• Unemployment is more serious than any other problem facing our is the most intelligent boy in the class. (Superlative)
country. (c)
• No other problem facing our country is as serious as unemployment. (p) Very few Indian saints were as popular as Vivekananda. (Positive)
Vivekananda was more popular than most other Indian saints.
Model-2: “One of the best": (Comparative)
Vivekananda was one of the most popular Indian saints. (Superlative)
Examples:

Calcutta is one of the largest cities in India. (s) CHAPTER 15

Calcutta is large than most other cities in India. (c)
Very few cities in India are as large as Calcutta. (p) ARTICLE

Satin Tendulkar is one of the best batsmen in the world. (s)

Satin Tendulkar is better than most other batsmen in the world. (c)
No other batman in the world is as good as Satin Tendulkar.(p)

Model-3: “Not the best": Article: used before Nouns or Noun phrases to limit or define them.
Examples:
Types of Articles:
This is not the best solution to the problem. (s)
1. Definite Article: ‘The’ points out a particular person or thing, in the
This is not better than few other solutions to this problem. (c)
sense of ‘this’ or ‘that’.
Other solutions to this problem are not as good as this one.(p)
• Example: Give me the book. (‘That’ specific book)
Examples;-
2. Indefinite Article: ‘A’ and ‘An’ refer to non-specific, singular person
Very few countries in the world are as large as China. (Positive) or thing, in the sense of ‘one’ or ‘any’.
China is larger than most other countries in the world. (Comparative)
China is one of the largest countries in the world. (Superlative) • Example: Give me a book/ an orange. (Any book or orange)
No other man was as strong as Hercules. (Positive)

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A: used when the next word starts with a consonant, or before words Usage of The:
starting in ‘u’ and ‘eu’ when they sound like ‘you’. (A boy, a uniform)
1. Something which has already been mentioned: The thief has
An: when the next word starts with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or with a mute not been caught yet.
‘h’. (An apple, an hour)
2. When there is just one of something in a place: Where is the
Usage of A, An: bathroom?
1. To refer to something for the first time: Would you like a cup 3. In sentences or clauses that define or identify a particular
of coffee? person or object: The man who wrote this book is famous.
2. With names of jobs: Jyoti is a doctor. 4. Before the choices in comparative degree: He is the poorer
of the two brothers.
3. With identities (nationalities and religions) in the
singular: John is an Englishman. 5. Before proper nouns which are unique: We went to the Taj
Mahal.
4. When referring to a day of the week but not a specific day: I
was born on a Thursday. 6. Before dates: He was born on the 10th of May.
5. To refer to an example of something: The mouse had a tiny 7. Give the meaning of an abstract noun to a common noun: It
nose. brought out the beast in him.
6. With singular nouns after the words 'what' and 'such’: What a 8. As an adverb in a comparative sense: The sooner you
lovely day! come, the better.
7. Referring to people when there is vagueness: A Mr. Gupta 9. Before superlatives and ordinal numbers: This is the highest
is going to come. building in Delhi.
8. When referring to a singular object or a single unit of Cases where articles should not be used:
measure: I’d like an orange and two lemons, please.
1. With the names of meals: A Dinner is my favorite meal.
9. When a singular countable noun represents a class of things, 2. Before uncountable nouns: He gave me the advice.
persons or animals: A son should be obedient. 3. Before hobbies, professions or sports: A Gardening is her hobby.

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 4. Before titles when combined with names: The Prince Charles is a Tip #5: Little, A Little, The Little
Queen Elizabeth's son.
5. With years: The 1978 was a wonderful year. 1. Little: means not much (i.e., hardly any) and has a
6. Before collective nouns in the general sense: A Life is a struggle. negative meaning.
7. Before noun complements: The board appointed him the captain.
• There is little hope of his recovery. (There really isn’t much hope)
8. Before proper nouns: A Gold is good for investment.
9. Before common nouns or abstract nouns: An Honesty is the best 2. A little: means some though not much and has a positive
policy. meaning. Used with uncountable nouns.

TIPS ON USING ARTICLES: • There is a little hope of his recovery. (There is some hope of
recovery)
Tip #1: Names of countries
3. The little: means not much, but all there is.
1. Country Names: Generally, definite article is not used
with country names. • The little knowledge of carpentry that he possessed stood him in
• The India is a great country. good stead.
2. Use ‘the’ with countries whose names include words
like kingdoms, states, and republic: Tip #6: Few, a Few, the Few
• He lives in the United States of America.
• Few: means hardly anyone and has a negative meaning.
Tip #2: Specific geographic locations
I have few enemies. (I really don’t have any enemies)
• Geographical features: Definite article is used before mountain
• A few: means small in number but not many either.
ranges, groups of islands, rivers, seas, oceans and canals.
I have a few enemies. (I have a small number of enemies)
❖ The Himalayas are the largest mountain range in the world.

Tip #3: Proper Nouns • The few: means not many, but all there is.

People’s Names: usually no article is used before people’s names or The few days I had spent in Darjeeling were very pleasant.
proper nouns.
Spot the Errors:
❖ The Harishchandra is a legendary king.

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Each of the following sentences will contain a mistake in Articles.
See if you can spot that mistake.

#1: They don’t have a heir to inherit the family property. (Incorrect)
They don’t have an heir to inherit the family property. (Correct)

#2: I studied the Sanskrit in high school for four years. (Incorrect)
I studied Sanskrit in high school for four years. (Correct)

#3: Please give me a water to drink. (Incorrect)

Please give me (some) water to drink. (Correct)

#4: Are you driving my the car? (Incorrect)

Are you driving my car? (Correct)

#5: The hypertension is called the silent killer. (Incorrect)

Hypertension is called the silent killer. (Correct)

#6: I would like to visit an Eiffel Tower. (Incorrect)

I would like to visit the Eiffel Tower. (Correct)

#7: They are planning an European holiday for the vacations. (Incorrect)
They are planning a European holiday for the vacations. (Correct)

#8: Mary is training to be the engineer. (Incorrect)

Mary is training to be an engineer. (Correct)

#9: The creativity should be encouraged in children. (Incorrect)

Creativity should be encouraged in children. (Correct)

#10: He is the pupil at Bishop Cotton High school. (Incorrect)

He is a pupil at Bishop Cotton High school. (Correct)

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