Parts of Speech - English Module

2
Preface
“Module Making” is a work book made for enhancing one’s idea in learning the
English language. This is focused and aimed to make the readers more proficient
and expert when it comes to the different grammar rules that govern the language.
In this book, you are expected to be able to learn what things you need to consider
and focus in the language acquisition. Most of the learners would think that this can
be a handful but when everything goes all at the same time, it can be overwhelming.
This module is designed to be convenient and easy.

3
Introduction
English is regarded chiefly as a skill, as a tool-subject, and as a discipline. In fact, it is
the foundation substance of thought and experience upon which the rest of
academic knowledge is built. It is with this mind that this module is written.
One yard for quality education is the competence by which learners of the
English language are trained and honed by their professors and instructors in their
alma mater. Part of this competence is the communication. English is considered as
a fundamental language of instruction and discourse in almost all college subjects
and more importantly, as the language of business and commerce in various
industries.
This module is designed to cater learners enrolled in Baao Community
College specifically the English majors. It contains the intensive study of the
different parts of speech, the structure, the meaning. It will also include exercises
adjusted to the level of learners and competence.
Opportunities to make the language more functional are given through this
module. Critical thinking is also enhanced through the different exercises given in
this module.
I am fully convinced that this module will be of great value to both students
and teachers.

4
Dedication
This workbook is dedicated to my family, friends and my teacher who all never
stopped believing in me and still continues to do so.
To the learners, let’s embrace the language and learn to love it. We are about to
become the teachers, let’s become the best of what we can be.

5
Table of Contents
1.1 HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
1.2 COMMUNICATION: WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT PURPOSE OF
COMMUNICATION?
1.3 MACRO SKILLS
LISTENING, SPEAKING, READING, AND WRITING
Chapter 2 NOUNS
2.1 KINDS OF NOUNS
2.2 PROPERTIES OF NOUNS
Chapter 3 PRONOUN
3.1 KINDS
3.2 PROPERTIES
CHAPTER 4: VERB
4.1 KINDS
4.2 MOOD OF VERBS
4.3 ASPECT
4.4 PRINCIPLE FORMS OF THE VERB
4.5 KINDS OF VERB ACCORDING TO FORM
4.6 VERB TENSES
4.7 THE VOICE OF THE VERBS
CHAPTER 5 ADJECTIVE
5.1 KINDS
5.2 STRUCTURE AND POSITION OF ADJECTIVES
5.3 THE ORDER OF ADJ. IN A SERIES
5.4 COMPARISON OF ADJ.
CHAPTER 6: ADVERB
6.1 COMMON ADVERBS
6.2 COMPARISON OF ADVERBS
6.3 KINDS OF ADV. ACCORDING TO FUNCTION
6.4 KINDS OF ADVERBS ACCORDING TO MEANING
6.5 POSITION OF ADVERB IN A SENTENCE

6
CHAPTER 7: PREPOSITION
7.1 PREPOSITION AND ITS OBJECT
7.2 PREPOSITIONS USED IN ENGLISH
7.3 PREPOSITIONAL ADV.
7.4 STANDARD USES OF PREPOSITIONS
7.5 COMMON ERRORS AND THE USE OF PREPOSITIONS
7.6 PREPOSITION IN IDIOMATIC EXPRESSION
CHAPTER 8: CONJUNCTION
8.1 TYPES OF CONJUNCTIONS (3)
CHAPTER 9
9.1INTERJECTION AND THEIR MEANINGS
9.2 POSITION IN THE SENTENCE
CHAPTER 10 VERBALS
10.1 GERUND
10.2 PARTICIPLE
10.3 INFINITIVES
10.4 COMPARISON OF GERUND, PARTICIPLE AND INFINITIVE
Chapter 11: PHRASES AND CLAUSES
11.1 PHRASES AND TYPES OF CLAUSES
11.2 CLAUSES AND TYPES OF CLAUSES (2)
Chapter 12 SENTENCES
12.1 PARTS – SUBJECT AND PREDICATE
12.2 KINDS OF SENTENCES ACCORDING TO FUNCTIONS
12.3 KINDS OF SENTENCES ACCORDING TO STRUCTURES
Chapter 13: SENTENCE PATTERNS
13.1 COMPONENTS IN THE SENTENCE
13.2 SENTENCE PATTERNS

7
Chapter 14: SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
14.1 GENERAL RULES
14.2 SPECIFIC RULES
14.3 SPECIAL RULES
Chapter 15 DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH
15.1 ESSENTIAL RULES FOR INDIRECT SPEECH
15.2 INDIRECT SPEECH FOR INTERROGATIVE
15.3 INDIRECT SPEECH FOR MODALS
15.4 INDIRECT SPECH FOR IMPERATIVE
15. 5 INDIRECT SPEECH FOR EXCLAMATORY
15.6 CHANGES IN PRONOUN IN INDIRECT SPEECH
Chapter 16: PUNCTUATION MARKS
16.1 PUNCTUATION MARKS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS
16.2 HOW TO USE PUNCTUATION MARKS

8
Chapter 1
Pre Test Etymologic
In this etymology game, you’ll be presented with word definition puzzles to
solve. From the given meanings, define the medical term. A score of five is highly
impressive.
In case you’re wondering, the world etymology comes from the Greek word
etymon which means the literal meaning of the word and which, in turn, comes from
the Greek Word etymos which means “true”. The –ology ending indicates that it’s
the study of, or the science of. Put them together and you get the study or science of
the real or true.
1. Combination of four: chol-e-cyst-ectomy
chol – root word meaning bile or gall
e – combining vowel (provided to make the word readable)
cyst – another root word meaning bladder
ectomy – suffix which translates to excision or surgical removal
Cholecystectomy is ___________________________________________________.
2. Combination of four: stomat-o-myc-osis
stomat – root word meaning mouth
o – combining vowel
myc – root word meaning fungus
osis - suffix meaning abnormal condition
Stomatomycosis is ___________________________________________________.
3. Combination of four: leuk-o-cyto-penia
leuk – prefix meaning white
cyto – prefix meaning cell
penia – meaning decrease
Leukocytopenia is ___________________________________________________.
4. Combination of three: epi-gastr-ic
epi – prefix meaning upon or above
gastr – root word meaning stomach
ic - suffix meaning related to
Epigastric is _________________________________________________________.

9
Chapter 1
Introduction: History of the English Language
English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval
England and eventually became a global lingua franca. It is named after the Angles,
one of the Germanic tribes that migrated to the area of Great Britain that later took
their name, as England. Both names derive from Anglia, a peninsula in the Baltic Sea.
The language is closely related to Frisian and Low Saxon, and its vocabulary has
been significantly influenced by other Germanic languages, particularly Norse (a
North Germanic language), and to a greater extent by Latin and French.
English has developed over the course of more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms
of English, a group of West Germanic (Ingvaeonic) dialects brought to Great Britain
by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the 5th century, are collectively called Old English. Middle
English began in the late 11th century with the Norman conquest of England; this
was a period in which the language was influenced by French. Early Modern English
began in the late 15th century with the introduction of the printing press to London,
the printing of King James Bible and the start of the Great Vowel Shift.
Through the worldwide influence of the British Empire, and later the United States,
Modern English has been spreading around the world since the 17th century.
Through all the types of printed and electronic media, and spurred by the
emergence of the United States as a global superpower, English has become the
leading language of international discourse and the lingua franca in many regions
and professional contexts such as science, navigation and law.
English is the third most-spoken native language in the world, after Standard
Chinese and Spanish. It is the most widely learned second language and is either the
official language of the official languages in almost 60 sovereign states. There are
more people who have learned it as a second language than there are native
speakers. English is the most commonly spoken language in the United Kingdom, the
United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand, and it is widely spoken
in some areas of the Carribean, Africa, and South Asia. It is a co-official language of
the United Nations, the European Union and many other world and regional
international organisations. It is the most widely spoken Germanic language,
accounting for at least 70% o speakers of this Indo-European branch. English has a
vast vocabulary, though counting how many words any language has is impossible

10
1.1 History of the English Language
OLD ENGLISH
The language which you read today and which you have studied since grade school
has very interesting history. In fact, it traces its history back to the 5th century CE
when the three Germanic tribes ----the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes --- arrived in the
British Isles. These seafaring tribes from Denmark and present-day northern
Germany and the Netherlands brought with them their own mix of language ---
dialects falling within the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family.
The Angles were named from Engle, their land of origin. Their language was called
Englisc from which the word, English is derived. Collectively, the Angles, Saxons, and
Jutes, became known as the Anglo-Saxons.
These two different versions of “The Lord’s Prayer” show you how far English has
developed from the Anglo-Saxon era to the English we are more familiar with today.
Can you spot the words in the Anglo-Saxon version and their equivalent in Modern
English?
Anglo- Saxon Version Modern English Version
The Anglo-Saxon version above didn’t come into being until 597 CE when St.
Augustine arrived and introduced Christianity to Saxon England. This conversation
to Christianity brought more Latin words (the language of the Church) into the
English language. They were mostly concerned with the naming of the church,
Fæder ure þu þe eart on heofonum;
Si þin nama gehalgod
to becume þin rice
gewurþe ðin willa
on eorðan swa swa on heofonum.
urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us todæg
and forgyf us ure gyltas
swa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum
and ne gelæd þu us on costnunge
ac alys us of yfele soþlice
Our Father whoart in heaven,
Hallowed be thyname.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this dayour dailybread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who
trespassagainst us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
[The 1928 BCPadds:
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever
Amen.

11
dignitaries, ceremonies, etc. Some words such as church, bishop, baptism, monk,
eucharis, and presbyter came indirectly came through Latin from the Greek.
The Vikings, also known as Norsemen, invaded England by the 8th century, which in
return, gave the English a Norwegian and Danish influence. Some of the English
words derived from the Norse include cake, take, egg, leg, window (wind eye),
husband, skill, sky, skin, anger, flat, odd, ugly, they, their, and them.
MIDDLE ENGLISH
Then came the Norman conquest of 1066. When William the Conqueror, the Duke of
Normandy, invaded the England, he became its king. He brought with him his
nobles, who spoke French and formed the new government. The Normans imposed
their language on the whole country. French became the language of the court,
administration, and culture. It was the language used for instruction in schools. The
English language became mostly the language of the uneducated classes and was
considered a vulgar tongue.
Most of the English words rooted in French are words that have something to do
with power, such as crown, castle, court, parliament, army, mansion, gown, beauty,
banquet, art, poet, romance, duke, servant, peasant, traitor, and governor. Because
of the Anglo-Saxons, now considered the English underclass, cooked for the Norman
(French) upper class, the words for most domestic animals are English (ox, cow, calf,
sheep, swine, deer) while the words for the meats derived from them are French
(beef, veal, mutton, pork, bacon, venison).
MODERN ENGLISH
Modern English developed after Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press in
Germany around 1450 and William Caxton established England’s first printing press
at Westminster Abbey in 1476. The press made books available to more people;
more people learned to read. Printing also brought standardization of English.
Between the 18th and 20th centuries, the English language continued to change as
the British Empire moved across the world --- to the USA, New Zealand, India, Asia,
and Africa. The empire sent people to settle and live in these conquered places and
because of interactions with the natives, new words were added to the English
vocabulary. For example, kangaroo and boomerang are words of the Australian
Aborigines; juggernaut and turban came from India, aardvark and wildebeest came
from Africa; alchemy and algebra came from the Arabian Peninsula.

12
The majority of words in modern English have foreign, not Old English roots. In fact,
only about one-sixth of the known Old English words have descendants surviving
today. This one-sixth, however, represents the most commonly used words in
modern English. Water and strong, for example, have Old English roots.
1.2 Communication:
What are the different Purposes of Communication?
1.2.1 Meaning and Nature of Communication:
The exchange of information or passing of information, ideas or thought from one
person to the other or from one end to the other is communication. According to
McFarland communication is, “a process of meaningful interaction among human
beings. More specifically, it is the process by which meanings are perceived and
understandings are reached among human beings.” Newman and summer defined
communication as “an exchange of facts, ideas, opinions or emotions by two or more
persons.”
Communication is the process of passing information from one person to another.
The purpose of communication understands of information. Whatever one wants to
say to someone should be clearly understood by him else the very purpose of the
communication would be defeated.
In an organisation communication facilitates the flow of information and
understanding between different people and departments through different media
using all the channels and networks. This flow of information is vital for managerial
effectiveness and decision making in general and for human resource manager in
particular as he has to be in contact with the managers of various departments,
employees and workers and trade union leaders.
Communication thus helps understand people better removing misunderstanding
and creating clarity of thoughts and expression. It also educates people. The
communication may be written or oral, formal, informal, and upward, downward,
horizontal, diagonal, interpersonal, intrapersonal, interdepartmental, in tra-
organisational.
The communication brings people together, closer to each other. The
communication is an important management function closely associated with all
other managerial functions. It bridges the gap between individuals and groups
through flow of information and understanding between them. Information is the
most vital aspect for communication. It is the information which is transmitted,
studied, analyzed and interpreted and stored. The manager therefore has to spare

13
time to collect, analyze and store the information for decision-making and routine
day to day business.
1.2.3 Purpose of Communication:
Management is getting the things done through others. The people working in the
organisation should therefore be informed how to do the work assigned to them in
the best possible manner. The communication is essential in any organisation.
1.2.4 The purpose of the communication can be summed up into the following:
1. Flow of Information:
The relevant information must flow continuously from top to bottom and vice versa.
The staff at all levels must be kept informed about the organisational objectives and
other developments taking place in the organisation. A care should be taken that no
one should be misinformed. The information should reach the incumbent in the
language he or she can understand better. The use of difficult words should be
avoided. The right information should reach the right person, at right time through
the right person.
2. Coordination:
It is through communication the efforts of all the staff working in the organisation
can be coordinated for the accomplishment of the organisational goals. The
coordination of all personnel’s and their efforts is the essence of management which
can be attained through effective communication.
3. Learning Management Skills:
The communication facilitates flow of information, ideas, beliefs, perception, advice,
opinion, orders and instructions etc. both ways which enable the managers and
other supervisory staff to learn managerial skills through experience of others. The
experience of the sender of the message gets reflected in it which the person at the
receiving end can learn by analyzing and understanding it.
4. Preparing People to Accept Change:
The proper and effective communication is an important tool in the hands of
management of any organisation to bring about overall change in the organisational
policies, procedures and work style and make the staff to accept and respond
positively.
5. Developing Good Human Relations:
Managers and workers and other staff exchange their ideas, thoughts and
perceptions with each other through communication. This helps them to understand

14
each other better. They realize the difficulties faced by their colleagues at the
workplace. This leads to promotion of good human relations in the organisation.
6. Ideas of Subordinates Encouraged:
The communication facilitates inviting and encouraging the ideas from subordinates
on certain occasions on any task. This will develop creative thinking. Honoring
subordinates’ ideas will further motivate them for hard work and a sense of
belonging to the organisation will be developed. It will provide them with the
encouragement to share information with their superiors without hesitation. The
managers must know the ideas, thoughts, comments, reactions and attitudes of their
subordinates and subordinates should know the same from the lowest level staff of
their respective departments.
1.2.5 Importance of Communication:
Effective communication is vital for efficient management and to improve industrial
relations. In modern world the growth of telecommunication, information
technology and the growing competition and complexity in production have
increased importance of communication in organisations large and small
irrespective of their type and kind. A corporate executive must be in a position to
communicate effectively with his superiors, colleagues in other departments and
subordinates. This will make him perform well and enable him to give his hundred
percent to the organisation.
The following points can illustrate the importance of communication in
human resource management:
1. Base for Action:
Communication acts as a base for any action. Starting of any activity begins with
communication which brings information necessary to begin with.
2. Planning Becomes Easy:
Communication facilitates planning. Planning is made easy by communication. Any
type of information regarding the human resource requirement of each department
of the organisation with their qualifications, the type and kinds of job etc. can be
collected through communication which helps in human resource planning. Policies
and programmes for their acquisition can be prepared and implemented. In the
entire process communication plays a vital role, it also facilitates managerial
planning of the organisation.
3. Means of Coordination:
Communication is an important tool for coordinating the efforts of various people at
work in the organisation.

15
4. Aids in Decision-Making:
The information collected through communication aids in decision-making.
Communication facilitates access to the vital information required to take decisions.
5. Provides Effective Leadership:
A communication skill bring manager near to his subordinates and exchange ideas
and submits appropriate proposals, knows their opinions, seeks advices and make
decisions. This enables a manager to win confidence of his subordinates through
constantly communicating with them and removing probable misunderstandings. In
this way he leads his people to accomplish the organisational goal.
6. Boosts Morale and Motivation:
An effective communication system instills confidence among subordinates and
workers ensuring change in their attitude and behaviour. The main cause of conflict
and dissatisfaction is misunderstanding which can be removed through
communication skills. The removal of misunderstanding makes manager and his
subordinates understand each other and create good industrial relations. This
boosts up the morale of the people and motivates them to work harder.
7. Attention:
The message communicated must draw the attention of the receiver staff and
ensure action from him in the right perspective. The efficient, sincere and prompt
manager succeeds in drawing the attention of his subordinates to what he is
conveying.
It is the psychology of the people that they watch their superiors closely and then
respond to their orders or instructions. Lazy and insincere superiors fail to garner
support for themselves and their instructions usually are not taken seriously by
their subordinates. Adhering to the above principles shall make communication
effective, minimize the human relations problems and increase the overall
efficiency.

16
1.3 Macro Skills
Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing
Introduction of Macro Skills
In learning, there are four macro skills that we must deal with in order to
communicate effectively. Macro skills refer to the primary, key, main, and largest
skillset relative to a particular context. It is commonly referred to in English
language. The four macro skills are reading, listening, writing, and speaking. Each
skill has its reasons of why we should be knowledgeable on how to communicate
using the four macro skills. These skills are essential for communicating. It is tough
to study a balance of the four macro skills which are writing, reading, writing, and
listening. Being good at only one of these communicative skills will not help us
smooth away the difficulties in communicating. With these four macro skills, it can
make a big difference in your workplace in social situations and personal
achievements. Learning and consistently seeking to improve these macro skills are
important for effective communication and to be successful in many different
perspectives. Ideas, emotions, opinions and feelings need to be conveyed in different
manners and in a variety of ways. To know when to use which macro skill to
acquire, access, encounter, and evaluate information and ideas is a higher order of
thinking skill that can be learned over time with much practice and strategies. In
each skill, it is equally vital as each is related. These can be divided into receptive;
reading and listening, and productive skills which are speaking and writing. Within
each skill, there are sub skills, for example, in writing there are specific information,
there is reading for the main or essential part of a matter. In listening, one must be
attentive and active to follow instructions. People with good communication skills
are better to use them creatively and responsibly and to evaluate its worth. Without
having communication, we would never be done as far as what we have today.
Everyday is learning opportunity. The four macro skills is in our everyday life.
Speaking
Speaking is the direct and useful form of communicating. This is one of the main
macro forms of communication as it is physically interacting with another person
through a certain language. To speak helps us to communicate our thoughts, ideas,
suggestions, comments, etc in the most natural and reliable way without much
distortion of information. It requires resources that are naturally available to every
living thing by nature. Communication is very important to have fair and justified
decisions and various levels of society, governance, and information sharing growth.
Speaking, being the most important, reliable and easy means of communication
derives its importance in that manner. In speaking, one needs not only to learn its
vocabulary and grammar, but also the context in which words are being used.

17
It is a vocalization of human communication. Being able to express and iterate an
idea, a concept, or an opinion through speech or speaking is essential in the
communicative process. Being able to create relativity on what we are thinking in
effective and direct manners, which allows us to communicate effectively with
others in a variety of situations. With these definitions, it helps us to avoid the
element of confusion, which might lead us to conflicts. It also helps us for our self-
development and growth in our work place. In this case, speaking can also provide
an element of control to any situations given. In our work place, we used to talk to
express our ideas, concepts, comments, and suggestions. We are speaking when we
disagree or when we agree. Speaking is a complex where we connect to one another.
It is a process in which we discuss our knowledge through subjective or objective.
Speaking helps you to expand the knowledge using minimal responses and
recognizing scripts. In this case, our individual ideas will elevate and improve by
connecting to other ideas. To speak is to facilitate. Speaking can be an intimidating
experience. When speaking, two things are being delivered. First is the meaning that
is taken from it. Second is on how you deliver the words with emotions and right
dictions. In speaking, it is very important for the comprehension that occurs through
connection to its experiences, feelings and its ideas. It is also the part where we
think out loud and share all the ideas that we have for changes, for instructions, and
to lead us in creative thinking. Upon practicing and learning, communication is a
complex process where you will figure out that it is not easy skill to perfect.
Speaking is a state of being connected, one with another. It is also the way
of transferring meaning from one individual to another. It is also the expression of
oneself in such a way that one is readily and clearly understood. There are skills that
can be implemented in speaking; to appropriately accomplish communicative
functions according to situations, participants, and goals. To use appropriate styles,
registers, redundancies, pragmatic conventions, conversion rules, interrupting, and
other sociolinguistic features in face-to-face conversations. In conveying links and
connections between events and communicate such as relations as focal and
peripheral ideas, events and feeling, new information and given information,
generalization and exemplification. Conveying facial features, kinesics, body
language, and other nonverbal cues along with verbal language is also implemented
in speaking. Developing and using the battery of speaking strategies, such as
emphasizing key words, rephrasing, providing a context for interpreting the
meaning of words, appealing for help, and accurately assessing how well your
interlocutor is to understand you.

18
Listening
Listening is one of the most important skills you can have. Perhaps it is the most
critical element in language learning, for it is the key for speaking and the basis for
the other two, reading and writing. When learning a new language, the best way to
do is to engage in a balance of each of these areas, as they are all interconnected. If
these skills are not practiced it will end up being weaker. Clearly, listening is a skill
that we can all benefit from improving. By becoming a better listener, it will improve
your productivity. You will also avoid conflict and misunderstandings. There are
number of ways of listening, Passive Listening, Active Listening and Competitive
Listening.
Active Listening, considered as the most effective because the listener is not only
listening with interest, but with actively acknowledging listening by brief responses.
One way to become a better listener is to practice this mode. To hear not only the
words that the other person is saying, but also more importantly, you try to
understand the complete message what is being said. The listener must pay
attention to the person very carefully. Active listeners really concentrate on the
content of the lecture and not on the lecturer or any random distinctions in the
room of their mind. People who are active listeners do more focus on facts, figures
and ideas actively associate the material presented with their own experiences. You
cannot allow yourself to become distracted when listening. You must not also speak
right away or argue that makes the other person stops in speaking. And do not lose
your focus in listening. These are example of lack of listening and understanding.
Active listening within the workplace aims to ensure understanding between
colleagues, including supervisors or managers, to reduce potential
misunderstanding, confusion and conflict. Some people had a hearing difficulties,
the task of active listening can be challenging to them. A Passive Listener, can be
compared to a rock. You know it is there, you can see it, but it just seem that its not
absorbing anything that the speaker is saying. A passive listener is mechanical and
effortless. It does not give any feedback from the speaker. These are listeners who
are basically interested in what the other person is saying and tend to pay attention.
They are attentive but don’t necessarily interact verbally.
It is important to use effective listening skills with your family, friends and co-
workers. Both active and passive listening are essential to accurately hear a
speaker’s words to assure the speaker you are paying attention. When active
listening involves verbal confirmation, passive listening is just as important. It
allows the speaker to completely divulge what he needs to say. A Competitive
Listeners are those people who are only half-listening to what is being said, because
they are more focused on how will they respond. Competitive listeners are good
listeners but when they had the chance to jump right in, they will now tell their own

19
argument, opinion or thought. Usually they do more talking than listening.
Competitive sometimes called as Combative Listening happens when we are more
interested in promoting in our own point of view than in understanding or exploring
someone else’s view. Either we listen for opening to take the floor, or for flaws or
weak points then they now go to speak and take the floor. Listening effectively is
difficult because some people vary in their communication skills and in how clearly
they express themselves. They often have different needs, wants and purposes for
interacting. To enhance you listening skills, you need to let the person know that
you are listening to what he or she is saying. Acknowledgement can be something as
simple as a nod of the head. Nodding isn't already agreeing of what the person is
saying but it is a sign that you are listening to them. You should also respond to the
speaker to encourage them to continue speaking, so that you can get the information
you needed.
A person is listening when he understands the message of what the speaker's
intended to. It is not just hearing the words but listening for the message. We listen
effectively, if we understand what the person's is thinking or feeling, as if we are
standing in the speaker's shoes. We see what are the speaker's perspectives. We can
say that the person is listening effectively if he/she is actively involves in the
communication process, and is not just listening passively. Pay attention to the
speaker. Make an eye contact with the speaker to indicate that you are listening to
what they are saying. Do not look somewhere else around you. It will let you wander
other things rather than the message of the speaker. Also use body languages, it is
also a sign that you are participating with them. Respond and ask questions if you
think you don't understand the message. Allow the speaker to finish. Do not
interrupt with counter arguments. And most of all, listen for the main ideas. It is the
most important points the speaker wants to get across. When having a meeting with
your co-workers, you must listen very well in every person in their every message.
You must understand first the message before you respond. Being active listener or
effective listener, is the key to success in your work place. You will not have a
conflict with other employees and with your given tasks. It will help you finish your
workload without having a hard time thinking what your boss wants you to do
because you did not understand what he said.
Good communication in your team or workplace will lessen your difficulties to finish
all of your given tasks. What’s more, you’ll avoid conflict and misunderstandings. All
of these are necessary for workplace success.
Reading
Reading is the 3rd of the four-macro skills. Reading is a complex skill that is taught
when you're still young as it's essential for learning and development and
vocabulary. It is also an act or activity of rendering aloud written or printed
material. Reading is also an ability to understand reading material in a form of a

20
paragraph or a sentence. We used the skill reading for scanning information and
understanding what the writers want to tell and evaluate what we read and
incorporate information from multiple sources. When you learned the different
macro skill including reading it is very helpful in the workplace. And there are many
advantages associated in reading like learning vocabulary in a context, seeing
correct structure in English, and to it will improve your personal interest in reading.
When you read you usually encounter new word and things. It can help high your
vocabulary skill and apply it when you are communicating to other people. Reading
comprehension involves decoding symbols with the intention of deriving meaning
from the text. This can be used for further processes such as sharing knowledge,
self-development or simply relaxation and escapism into the realms of fiction.
Reading can also significantly improve other micro skills such as spelling,
evaluative processes and the imagination. Reading more will help you a lot to
expand your vocabulary. Especially when you are at your workplace like business
terms. Read and fully understand workplace documents, including information and
details, ideas (both explicit and implied), technical information and writer
requirements. Workplace reading includes the ability to understand and interpret
various documents including diagrams, directories, correspondence, manuals,
records, charts, graphs, tables and specifications. Make sure to surround yourself
with English newspapers or read websites online to get yourself used to reading the
language. If you do not understand a particular word, keep reading and you can
always then come back to the word at the end if you still don't know what it means.
Record any new vocabulary in a notebook as you come across it. Most important
thing is that reading and listening are inputs whereas speaking and writing are
outputs. In other words, if you want to improve your speaking and writing skills you
should first master the skills of reading and listening.
Writing
Writing is defined as the act or the art of forming letters and characters on paper,
wood, stone or to other material, for the purpose of recording the ideas and
information in which characters and words express of communicating to others by
visible signs. Writing is also anything written or printed that expressed in
characters and letters. Writing is the last thing you could learn in the four-macro
skill but it is the most complex skill in communication. Some people are having a
hard time and striving in expressing their ideas and though in textual form it will
need time to practice and willingness to learn new things in other to master the
skill. It 's one way to express you ideas and feelings in the way you want it. .When
writing any kind of business document or paper, you want to include adequate
backup for your arguments in the form of facts, studies, or statements from experts.
Papers that lack supporting evidence for your central idea can seem vague,
meandering, or ineffectual. A strong outline will aid you un seeing what kind of
support you need for your central idea and how to organize them effectively into a

21
cohesive whole. Writers usually run into trouble with paragraph breaks when they
do not plan out their writing carefully in advance. With a strong outline it will help
you organize your paragraphs in advance according to your topics. Following your
outline while you write will help you break your paragraphs in logical ways.
Sentences that are overly long or awkward make your arguments difficult to follow
and can muddy your great ideas. Other people use their sentence with many extra
words for them to show that their sentences or works are long, so that they can say
they know more about it. But others just prefer simpler, short and concise
explanations. The simpler the word is the better choice, shorter and more concise.
Whenever you omit needless words and simplify sentence structure, you can avoid
awkwardness and wordiness in your sentences and paragraphs. Needless words are
like redundant that can and should be cut to get to the topic at hand. Wordiness
complicates sentence structure and requires more work on the part of the reader to
tease out the writer’s true meaning. Writers usually run into trouble with paragraph
breaks when they do not plan out their writing carefully in advance. It is like that in
a formal essay, the audience is the professor, but many of the writing assignments
you’ll receive as a student. When you are writing especially if it is about business,
you should avoid using “informal language”. Words that you usually use in your
everyday life, like, major, total, are not appropriate to the tone you want to set as a
business professional. Also, you should always check that you want to make sure
that your arguments and statements are as clear as possible by not overusing
jargon, even if it may be endemic to the industry. If you assume you know more than
the person to whom you’re writing, your arguments and explanations will be as
clear as possible.
A strong beginning means writing a dynamic introduction that both underscores the
reason for writing and leads up to your thesis statement, which will then explain the
topic you’ll discuss, what your central argument will be, and how you’ll support that
argument. A strong conclusion is the place to underscore the points you’ve made
and expound one last time on what you want the reader to remember after having
read your paper. Writing is one of the helpful skill in the workplace in doing reports,
answering emails and writing memos and taking down some notes coming from you
boss in a meeting. But writing in the workplace is differs from the other writing
format. There are issues which arises in the business context and it will making a
good and effective elements of business writing can lead you to is more on business
context, focus more in the audience and one way to remember thins is when you
write it. Taking down notes is very helpful in your workplace. so that you wouldn't
miss what your boss asks you to do.

22
Chapter 1
Post Test Etymologic
In this etymology game, you’ll be presented with word definition puzzles to
solve. From the given meanings, define the medical term. A score of five is highly
impressive.
In case you’re wondering, the world etymology comes from the Greek word
etymon which means the literal meaning of the word and which, in turn, comes from
the Greek Word etymos which means “true”. The –ology ending indicates that it’s
the study of, or the science of. Put them together and you get the study or science of
the real or true.
1. Combination of four: chol-e-cyst-ectomy
chol – root word meaning bile or gall
e – combining vowel (provided to make the word readable)
cyst – another root word meaning bladder
ectomy – suffix which translates to excision or surgical removal
Cholecystectomy is ___________________________________________________.
2. Combination of four: stomat-o-myc-osis
stomat – root word meaning mouth
myc – root word meaning fungus
osis - suffix meaning abnormal condition
Stomatomycosis is ___________________________________________________.
3. Combination of four: leuk-o-cyto-penia
leuk – prefix meaning white
cyto – prefix meaning cell
penia – meaning decrease
Leukocytopenia is ___________________________________________________.
4. Combination of three: epi-gastr-ic
epi – prefix meaning upon or above
gastr – root word meaning stomach
ic - suffix meaning related to
Epigastric is _________________________________________________________.

23
Chapter 2
Pre Test Nouns
1.
Please identify what 'Marco and I' is in the following sentence:
Marco and I left the field after the game.
 predicate
 two pronouns joined by a conjunction
 compound subject
 compound predicate
 singular subject
2.
Identify the subject in the following sentence:
Biology is the exam that I'll study for first.
 I
 Biology
 Biology is the exam
 exam
 study
3.
Which pronoun could correctly fill in the blank in the following sentence?

24
After class, the principal talked to _____ and me.

she

they

he

her
4.
Consider this sentence:
Alvin studied for his test after going swimming.
Which of the following words from the above sentence is a noun?

Alvin

after

studied

for
5.Which of the following nouns is a proper noun?

cat

mountain


26
Chapter 2
Nouns
NOUN
Is a word that names a person, a place, a thing, or an idea.
PERSONS PLACES THINGS IDEAS
Jesus Christ Horizon Lost Horizon Freedom
Astronauts the Philippines Cat Knowledge
Teachers Mars Supernova Leadership
Chapter 2.1
Kinds of Nouns
Common and Proper Nouns
Nouns are either common and proper. A proper noun is the name and title
of a person, place, thing or idea; it always begins with a capital letter. A common
noun refers to a general example of a person, place, thing or idea, or to a general
category of people, places, things or ideas: it is not capitalized.
Concrete and Abstract Noun
Nouns are either concrete or abstract. Concrete nouns name material things
people and places as well as everything that can be perceived through the senses.
Venus is a planet, not a star.
Concrete nouns, however, also name many things that cannot be directly perceived
but have real material existence.
The principal particles of the atom and proton, the neutron, and the electron.
Abstract nouns names concepts, qualities, emotions, conditions, and attitudes
which have no material existence.
Have you experienced the joy of seeing a beautiful sunset?
Love, justice, wisdom, and power are God’s major qualities.
Compound Nouns
PROPER NOUNS COMMON NOUN
Lord Byron poet (person)
Manila city (place)
Little Women novel (thing)
Lassie dog (thing)

27
A compound noun consists of two or more words used together to name one
person, place, or thing. one kind of compound noun consists of two or more words
joined together.
Sky + driver = skydiver sun + glasses = sunglasses
Another kind of compound noun consists of words joined by one or more
hyphens.
Light-year passers-by brother-in-law
A third kind of compound noun consists of two or more words that are used
together, though not joined, to create a single noun.
high school air force jet engine
Compound nouns can be proper nouns as well as common nouns.
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo lunar excursion module
Collective Nouns
A collective noun stands for a whole group of people, places, things, or ideas.
A pride of lions lived in the zoo.
Count and Mass Nouns
Count nouns refer to objects that can be counted like books, tables, houses, and
countries.
Mass nouns refers to things that cannot be counted individually. The words love,
money, food, knowledge, medicine, and kindness are mass nouns. They do not have
plural forms. To make them plural, we use expressions of quality.
Little Little love
Much much money
A lot of a lot of food
Enough enough medicine
A great deal of a great deal of knowledge
Some Commonly Used Collective Nouns
Family committee team herd
Group jury club gaggle
Brood crew litter platoon
Bunch flock pack squad

28
Chapter 2.2
PROPERTIES OF NOUNS
Gender of Nouns
MASCULINE- refers to persons or animals of the male kind.
Groom
lad
king
rooster
FEMININE- refers to persons or animals of the female kind.
Bride
Lass
Queen
Hen
NEUTER- refers to objects with no sex.
House
Car
Package
Handkerchief
COMMON- refers to nouns that are either male or female.
Citizen
Singer
Visitor
Cat
Cases of Nouns
Subjective
Subjective nouns are sometimes referred to as nominative nouns. These nouns
either are the subject of the sentence or they are used as a predicate noun, which
follows a ‘be’ verb and renames the main subject of the sentence. These are likely
the easiest nouns to spot, as they are typically the subject of the verb in the
sentence.
Example:
Mary drove to the store. Mary is a subjective noun; she is the one that drove.
Elvis sang for many years. Elvis was the one doing the singing; Elvis is the
subjective noun.
Objective
Nouns are referred to as objective when they are used as direct objects, indirect
objects or objects of a preposition. Locating the objective nouns can be a bit
trickier than spotting a subjective or predicate noun, but with a little practice you
will have no trouble identifying these cases of nouns in a sentence.
Direct Objects:

29
Direct objects receive action in a sentence. They can typically be found by looking
at the verb in the sentence and asking ‘what?’ or sometimes ‘whom?’ As an
example:
Show her the book now. (Show whom the book? Her. Her is the direct object.)
My brother licked a lizard. (Licked what? A lizard. Lizard is the direct object.)
Indirect Objects:
Indirect objects receive the direct object and can be identified by locating the
direct object first and then asking who received that direct object. Sounds
confusing? It won’t be after you’ve had a bit of practice locating the indirect object.
Let’s look at a few examples:
Mark threw his father the football. Here, the verb is thrown. Throw what? The
football, which is the direct object. Threw the football to whom? He threw it to his
father, which would be the recipient of the direct object (the football) and,
therefore, the indirect object.
Here’s another example of an indirect object:
Barbara gave her sister a dollar. To whom did she give the dollar, which is your
direct object? To her sister. So, her sister is the recipient, or the indirect object,
based on the rules above.
Objects of a Preposition:
The object of a preposition is the noun or pronoun that follows a preposition. For
example:
He eats with me. With is the preposition, so me is the object of the preposition.
We used one example above that could have been written by using an object of the
preposition. Look at this:
Mark threw his father the football.
Instead, we could have written:
Mark threw the football to his father. In this instance, due to the use of the
preposition ‘to’, father becomes the object of a preposition.
Possessive
Nouns are considered possessive when they are used to show ownership of
something. They will sometimes use an apostrophe, but this is not always the case.
Pronouns can also be used in the possessive case, as in ‘his backpack’ or ‘her
purse’.
Examples of possessive nouns include:
Mary’s backpack was red. Mary’s is the possessive noun showing ownership of the
backpack.
Gerald’s shirt was blue with white stripes. Gerald’s is the possessive noun.
The course Elementary English Course EFL teaches students about possessive
pronouns.
Number of Nouns
Singular number -is used when the noun refers to one item.
Plural number -is used when the noun refers to more than one item.

30
Countable nouns have both singular and plural forms.
Uncountable nouns and mass nouns do not normally have a plural form. The
regular plural ending of an English noun is -s.
cat cats
These are the exceptions to the normal pattern:
singular noun ending plural noun ending
-s, -ss, -ch, -x, -zz -es
focus focuses
princess princesses
church churches
box boxes
buzz buzzes
-o -s or -es
hero heroes
piano pianos
potato potatoes
consonant + y -ies
baby babies
hobby hobbies
vowel + y -s
key keys
ray rays
-f -s or -ves
hoof hoofs or hooves

31
dwarf dwarfs or dwarves
thief thieves
roof roofs
-fe -ves
Irregular plurals
Some nouns have two plural forms.
fish fish or fishes
Some of them have the same form in the singular and plural.
a sheep ten sheep
a deer seven deer
A few change a vowel to form the plural.
man men
woman women
foot feet
mouse mice
Some nouns form the plural with -en.
child children
ox oxen
Since it is not possible to give more than a selection of the irregular forms, you
should check in a dictionary if you are in doubt. If the dictionary does not show the
plural form, then you can assume that it is regular.
Compound nouns normally form the plural by adding -s to the last word of the
compound.
a games console three games consoles
a bookcase two bookcases
an Indian take-away two Indian take-aways
There are a few exceptions: A compound noun formed from a noun and an adverb
makes the first word plural.

32
a passer-by several passers-by
Compound nouns with woman as the first word make both words plural.
a woman doctor several women doctors
a woman driver most women drivers
A compound word which ends in -ful normally adds -s after -ful, but there is an
alternative form with the -s following the base noun.
a cupful three cupfuls/cupsful
a spoonful two spoonfuls/spoonsful
Plural nouns with singular reference
Some nouns referring to clothes and tools where two equal parts are joined
together, e.g. trousers, binoculars, and tongs, are treated as being plural and are
followed by a verb in the plural.
My shorts are dirty.
The scissors are on the table.
To talk about one of these items we can use the expression a pair of…
John bought a pair of jeans.
To talk about more than one we talk about however many pairs of…
Martina bought five pairs of tights.
When they are used as ordinary numbers, words such as dozen and million have no
plural form.
nine million stars two dozen glasses
When they are used to mean a large number, they do have a plural form, which can
be used as a partitive.
There are millions of pebbles on the beach.
I saw dozens of children in the playground.
Foreign plurals
Nouns that have come into English from foreign languages can:
keep the plural form of the language they come from.
an axis two axes
a crisis two crises
have plurals formed according to the rules for plural in English.
a thesaurus several thesauruses
(instead of thesauri)

33
have two plurals: one from the foreign language and the other formed according to
the rules for plural formation in English. The foreign plural is usually kept for
scientific or specialized use.
an index some indexes/indices
a formula some formulas/formulae

34
Chapter 2
Post Test Nouns
Please identify what 'Marco and I' is in the following sentence:
1.
Marco and I left the field after the game.
 predicate
 two pronouns joined by a conjunction
 compound subject
 compound predicate
 singular subject
2.
Identify the subject in the following sentence:
Biology is the exam that I'll study for first.
 I
 Biology
 Biology is the exam
 exam
 study
3.
Which pronoun could correctly fill in the blank in the following sentence?
After class, the principal talked to _____ and me.

35

she

they

he

her
4.
Consider this sentence:
Alvin studied for his test after going swimming.
Which of the following words from the above sentence is a noun?

Alvin

after

studied

for
5.Which of the following nouns is a proper noun?

cat

mountain

Central Park

37
Chapter 3
Pre Test Pronoun
Pick the pronoun in each sentence.
1) Gary's mom asked _______ to clean the garage.
a. he
b. him
2) A student at an all boys high school should be on ______ best behavior.
a. their
b. his
3) Neither Mary nor _____ knew why the store was closed.
a. I
b. me
4) After school you and ____ must discuss a few things.
a. I
b. me
5) Everyone at the table has eaten _______ lunch earlier.
a. his or her
b. their
6) My nephew was crying and needed ______ diaper changed.
a. his
b. their
Find the pronoun(s) in each sentence.
1) My son dropped his bottle on the ground.
a. son b. his c. my
2) The girls standing under the tree are eating their lunch.
a. girls b. tree c. their
3) When I looked over eat him, I noticed that he was reading a book.
a. I b. he c. him
4) The guys ate all of their pizzas.
a. guys b. their c. pizzas

38
5) Grandma is waiting for her shawl.
a. grandma b. her c. waiting
6) Neither him nor I knew the right answer.
a. him b. I c. answer
7) Why don't you go outside?
a. you b. outside c. go
8) Take me with you.
a. me b. take c. you
9) I like running fast.
a. I b. run c. run
10) What are you eating now?
a. you b. eating c. what
Fill in the blank with the right pronoun.
1) Did he see ___?
a. us b. we
2) I took the bag from ____.
a. him b. they
3) My brother and ___ went to the park?
a. I b. us
4) What did ____ do about the car?
a. them b. they
5) What did ____ say about the work?
a. she b. me
6) Where will ___ go from here?
a. you b. us
7) Can ____ talk for a minute?
a. we b. us

39
Chapter 3
Pronoun
Pronouns make up a small subcategory of nouns. The distinguishing characteristic
of pronouns is that they can be substituted for other nouns. For instance, if you’re
telling a story about your sister Sarah, the story will begin to sound repetitive if you
keep repeating “Sarah” over and over again.
Chapter 3.1
Kinds of Pronouns
Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns are used as a substitute for a person's name. There are two
kinds: subjective and objective pronouns. That is, they either act as the subject of the
sentence or the object of the sentence.
As the subject of a sentence, they are:
 I
 you
 he
 she
 it
 we
 they
For example:
 They went to the store.
 I don't want to leave.
 He runs a great shop in town.
 You can't leave, either.
As the object of the sentence, they are:
 me
 you
 her

40
 him
 it
 us
 them
For example:
 Please don't sit beside me.
 Go talk to her.
 Mary put the gift under it.
 Don't look at them.
For more, check out Subject Versus Object Pronouns.
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns show ownership or possession ofa noun. They are:
 my
 our
 your
 his
 her
 its (note there is no apostrophe)
 their
For example:
 Is that my book?
 No, that's his book.
 That's its shelf.
 I'd like to see their bookshelves.
However, there are also independent possessive pronouns. These pronouns refer to
a previously named or understood noun. They stand alone and aren't followed by
any other noun. They are:
 mine
 ours
 yours

41
 his
 hers
 its
 theirs
For example:
 That's mine.
 Wrong. It's ours.
 So, I suppose those clothes are yours?
 No, it's theirs.
Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns don't point to particular nouns. We use them when an object
doesn't need to be specifically identified. As such, it can remain indefinite. They
include:
 few
 everyone
 all
 some
 anything
 nobody
For example:
 Most wealth is held by a select few.
 Everyone is here already.
 I don't have any paper napkins. Can you bring some?
 He's nobody.
Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns are used to connect a clause or phrase to a noun or pronoun. We
often see them when we need to add more information. They are:
 who
 whom
 which

42
 whoever
 whomever
 whichever
 that
For example:
 The driver who ran the stop sign was careless.
 I don't know which pair of shoes you want.
 Take whichever ones you want.
 No, not that one.
Intensive Pronouns
Intensive pronouns emphasize, or intensify, nouns and pronouns. Typically, we find
them right after the noun they're intensifying. These pronouns typically end in -self
or -selves. They are:
 myself
 himself
 herself
 themselves
 itself
 yourself
 yourselves
 ourselves
For example:
 I myself like to travel.
 He himself is his worst critic.
 She approved the marriage herself.
 We went to hear W.B. Yeats himself speak.
Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns take the place of a noun that's already been mentioned.
They can be singular or plural. There are five of them. They include:
 these

43
 those
 this
 that
 such
For example:
 These are ugly.
 Those are lovely.
 Don't drink this.
 Such was his understanding.
Interrogative Pronouns
Interrogative pronouns do just what they say. They work in sentences that are
posing a question. They are:
 who
 whom
 which
 what
 whoever
 whomever
 whichever
 whatever
For example:
 Who is going to arrive first?
 What are you bringing to the party?
 Which of these do you like better?
 Whatever do you mean?
Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns are similar to intensive pronouns. The difference between the
two is that intensive pronouns aren't essential to a sentence's meaning. Meanwhile,
reflexive pronouns are. Also, they're used when the subject and the object of a
sentence refer to the same person or thing. These pronouns end in -self or -selves.
They are:

44
 myself
 yourself
 himself
 herself
 itself
 ourselves
 yourselves
 themselves
For example:
 I told myself not to spend all my money on new shoes.
 You're going to have to drive yourself to the restaurant today.
 We gave ourselves plenty of extra time.
 They bought themselves a new car.
Chapter 3.2
Properties of Pronouns
To make a complete sentence, there must be a subject and a verb. A verb is a
physical, mental or abstract action, and a subject is a noun, a person, place or thing,
and any words that describe it. When it serves as the subject of a passage, the same
noun is often used repeatedly. To eliminate this repetitiveness, a pronoun can be
inserted to replace that noun, while still making sense grammatically. This allows
for more variation in word choice. However, writers must be careful to use the
correct pronoun.
Case
Case refers to the way that a pronoun functions in a sentence, whether nominative,
objective or possessive. Nouns can be both subjects and objects, so a pronoun must
be able to take the form of either. In the phrase "she is a singer," "she" serves as the
subject functioning in the nominative case. In the phrase "the superhero carried
her," the pronoun "her" is an object in the objective case. Pronouns can also be in
the possessive case, such as "your" in the phrase "that is your house."

45
Gender
The pronoun antecedent is the noun that the pronoun is replacing. The antecedent
can be a masculine, feminine or neutral word, and it determines which pronoun
should be used. For example, if the sentence states that "Jenny went to the store,"
knowing that Jenny is a female, you could also write that "she went to the store." If
the subject was Jerry instead, you could replace his name with "he." Finally, if the
noun is of neutral gender, meaning that it is not clear whether the subject is male or
female, substitute a word like "it" or "its." Instead of saying that "the dog went to the
store," you could say that "it went to the store."
Number
Just like gender, the number property of a pronoun depends on the antecedent.
Number refers to how many there are, so if there is only one, a singular pronoun
should be used. In the same example as gender, you might say that "he," "she" or "it"
went to the store. If there is more than one, a plural pronoun will replace the noun.
"They" went to the store.
Person
The property of person depends upon the point of view, or relationship between the
speaker and the pronoun antecedent. First person personal pronouns, such as "I,"
"me," "mine," "us" and "ours," refer to the person, place or thing that is speaking. "I"
went to the store. Second person pronouns, like "you," "your" and "yours," refer to
the person who is being spoken to. Did "you" go to the store? Finally, third person,
such as "he," "she," "it," "they" and "them," refers to who or what is being spoken
about. "They" went to the store. "She" went to the store, too.

46
Chapter 3
Post Test Pronoun
Pick the pronoun in each sentence.
1) Gary's mom asked _______ to clean the garage.
a. he
b. him
2) A student at an all boys high school should be on ______ best behavior.
a. their
b. his
3) Neither Mary nor _____ knew why the store was closed.
a. I
b. me
4) After school you and ____ must discuss a few things.
a. I
b. me
5) Everyone at the table has eaten _______ lunch earlier.
a. his or her
b. their
6) My nephew was crying and needed ______ diaper changed.
a. his
b. their
Find the pronoun(s) in each sentence.
1) My son dropped his bottle on the ground.
a. son b. his c. my
2) The girls standing under the tree are eating their lunch.
a. girls b. tree c. their
3) When I looked over eat him, I noticed that he was reading a book.
a. I b. he c. him
4) The guys ate all of their pizzas.
a. guys b. their c. pizzas

47
5) Grandma is waiting for her shawl.
a. grandma b. her c. waiting
6) Neither him nor I knew the right answer.
a. him b. I c. answer
7) Why don't you go outside?
a. you b. outside c. go
8) Take me with you.
a. me b. take c. you
9) I like running fast.
a. I b. run c. run
10) What are you eating now?
a. you b. eating c. what
Fill in the blank with the right pronoun.
1) Did he see ___?
a. us b. we
2) I took the bag from ____.
a. him b. they
3) My brother and ___ went to the park?
a. I b. us
4) What did ____ do about the car?
a. them b. they
5) What did ____ say about the work?
a. she b. me
6) Where will ___ go from here?
a. you b. us
7) Can ____ talk for a minute?
a. we b. us
Chapter 4

48
Pre Test Verb
Take a look at these 10 sentences and choose the correct verb.
 1- I ___ watching TV when Paul and Simon arrived.
is
am
was
were
 2 - Do you think he ___ what I said?
understanding
understood
understand
 3 - She ___ to learn English in Malta next summer.
hopes
hope
hoping
 4 - I don't think I've ever ___ on that sofa.
sat
sit
sitting
 5 - Tom ___ tired.

49
looks
looking
look
 6 - When I was young I wanted to ___ a vet.
be
am
is
was
 7 - Did you used to ___ with dolls?
play
playing
played
 8 - I've never ___ sushi before.
eaten
eat
ate
 9 - The window was already ___ when I got here.
break
broken
broke

50
Chapter 4
Verb
Verbs are the action words in a sentence that describe what the subject is doing.
Along with nouns, verbs are the main part of a sentence or phrase, telling a story
about what is taking place. In fact, without a verb, full thoughts can’t be properly
conveyed, and even the simplest sentences, such as Maria sings, have one. Actually,
a verb can be a sentence by itself, with the subject, in most case you, implied, such
as, Sing! and Drive!
When learning the rules of grammar, schoolchildren are often taught that verbs are
‘doing’ words, meaning they signify the part of the sentence which explains the
action taking place: He ran away, she eats chocolate cake on Sundays, the
horses gallop across the fields. Ran, eats and gallop are the ‘action’ parts of those
sentences, thus they are the verbs. However, it can be confusing because not all
verbs are easily identifiable as action: I know your name, Jack thought about it,
we considered several applications. These are non-action verbs, i.e. those that
describe a state of being, emotion, possession, sense or opinion. Other non-action
verbs include include love, agree, feel, am, and have.
Chapter 4.1
Kinds of Verbs
There are many kinds of verbs. In addition to the main categories of physical
verbs, mental verbs, and state of being verbs, there are several other types of verbs.
In fact, there are more than ten different types of verbs that are grouped together by
function.
4.1.1 Action Verbs
Action verbs express specific actions and are used any time you want to show
action or discuss someone doing something. It’s important to remember that the
action does not have to be physical.
Action Verb examples:
1. Run
2. Dance
3. Slide
4. Jump
5. Think
6. Do
7. Go
8. Stand

51
The action verb examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy
indentification.
I run faster than David.
He does it well.
She thinks about poetry all day long.
4.1.2 Transitive Verbs
Transitive verbs are action verbs that always express doable activities that
relate or affect someone or something else. These other things are generally direct
objects, nouns, or pronouns that are affected by the verb, though some verbs van
also take indirect object, such as show, take, and make. In a sentence with a
transitive verb, someone or something receives the action of the verb.
Transitive verb examples:
1. Love
2. Respect
3. Tolerate
4. Believe
5. Maintain
The transitive verb examples in the following sentences in bold for easy
identification.
Gary ate the cookies.
The transitive verb is ate, Gary is the subject because it is Gary who is doing
the eating, and the cookies are the direct object, because it is the cookies that are
being eaten.
4.1.3 Intransitive Verbs
Intransitive verbs are action verbs that always express doable activities.
They are different from transitive verbs because there is no direct object following
an intransitive verb.
The intransitive verb examples in the following sentences for in bold for
easy identification.

52
We travelled to London.
The intransitive verb is travelled, the subject is we, because we are doing the
travelling but London is not a direct object because London is not receiving action of
the verb. Other examples:
I sneeze in the morning.
He arrived with moments to spare.
Kathryn sat away from the others.
John eats before leaving for school.
The last example shows that the verb eats can be both transitive and
intransitive depending on whether there is a direct object or not. If the sentence
read: John eats the cookies before leaving for school, eats would be transitive as
there is a direct object --- the cookies.
By the way, some verbs can be both transitive and intransitive. These verbs
include: start, leave, change, live, stop.
4.1.4 Auxiliary Verbs
Auxiliary verbs are also known as helping verbs and are used together with a
main verb to show the verb’s tense or to form a question or negative. Common
examples of auxiliary verbs include have, might, will. These auxiliary verbs give
some context to the main verb, for example, letting the reader know when the action
took place.
Auxiliary verb examples:
Would
Should
Do
Can
Did
Could
May

53
The auxiliary verb examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy
identification.
I will go home after football practice.
The auxiliary verb will is telling us that the action of the main verb go is going to
take place in the future – after football practice has ended. If the auxiliary
verb willwas removed, we get the sentence:
I go home after football practice.
In this case, there is no definite time frame for the action. The sentence suggests that
going home after football practice is just something the subject I generally does.
Other examples:
I may dance with you later.
We did consider Bryan’s feelings.
Jenny has spoken her final words.
In addition, we can sometimes use the auxiliary very before the pronoun to make a
question:
Might you dance with me later?
Did we consider Bryan’s feelings?
Has Jenny spoken her final words?
Also, auxiliary verbs are used to help form negative statements, with the use of
words like not and never. These will usually split the auxiliary and main verbs:
I may never dance with you again.
We did not consider Bryan’s feelings.

54
Jenny has not spoken her final words.
4.1.5 Stative Verbs
Stative verbs can be recognized because they express a state rather than an
action. They typically relate to thoughts, emotions, relationships, senses,
states of being, and measurements. The best way to think about stative verbs is
that they are verbs that describe things that are not actions. The stative verbs are all
expressing a state: A state of doubting, a state of believing, a state of wanting. These
states of being are often temporary.
The stative verb examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy
identification.
The doctor disagrees with your analysis.
Disagree is a stative verb here, as it describes the doctor’s state of being –
disagreement.
John doubts the doctor’s opinion.
I believe the doctor is right.
She wanted another opinion.
4.1.6 Modal Verbs
Modal verbs are auxiliary verbs that are used to express abilities, possibilities,
permissions, and obligations.
Modal verb examples:
1. Can
2. Must
3. May

55
4. Should
5. Would
The modal verb examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy
identification.
He can shoot a three-point shot easily.
The auxiliary verb can is expressing an ability, suggesting that shooting a three-
point shot is a skill the subject possesses.
Please note that in the case of should and must in the examples below, the modal
verbs are expressing obligations, whereas would and may are expressing
possibilities.
I should go home.
You must not delay.
Sally would not recommend the sushi.
David may be late.
41.7 Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs aren’t single words; instead, they are combinations of words that are
used together to take on a different meaning to that of the original verb. There are
many examples of phrasal verbs, some of which have colloquial meanings, such as
make up, hand in, bring up, point out, look forward to. Each time the verb takes the
extra word(s) it takes on a new meaning. For example, make without
the upexpresses that something is being created, whereas with make up, the
suggestion is that there are some lies or a fantastical element to the story and make
out can mean either to grasp or see something difficult, or to kiss passionately.
Phrasal verb examples:
1. Run out
2. Go all out

56
3. Make out
4. Hand out
5. Bring out
6. Face up
7. Think through
The phrasal verb examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy
identification.
Mary looked forward to her high school reunion.
The verb looked has taken on forward to to become a phrasal verb meaning to be
excited about or eagerly await something.
He brought up the same points again and again.
Leroy handed in the wallet to the police.
I make up stories all the time.
She pointed out Donald’s mistake.
4.1.8 Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs are those that don’t take on the regular spelling patterns of past
simple and past participle verbs. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of irregular
verbs in the English language. But don’t worry, while many are used often, the
majority are not in common usage – or if they are, you will use them so often you
will learn them quickly. Some of the most common irregular verbs include: say,
make, go, take, come, know and see.
Irregular verb examples:
1. Eat
2. Think

57
3. Bring
4. Hold
5. Bear
6. Buy
7. Lay
8. Catch
9. Drive
10.Paid
11.Feel
12.Redo
The irregular verb examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy
identification.
I take my time when I go to the shops (present tense)
I took my time when I went to the shops (past tense)
Julie makes cake for the classroom (present tense)
Julie made a cake for the classroom (past tense)
She sees a silhouette shaped like a man in the window (present tense)
She saw a silhouette shaped like a man in the window (past tense)
We come to Aunt Jane’s for Thanksgiving each year (present tense)
We came to Aunt Jane’s for Thanksgiving each year (past tense).

58
You should also remember that auxiliary verbs ‘do’ and ‘have’ are also irregular
verbs:
I do agree.
He does it often.
We have done our homework early.
They do their homework on Fridays.
I have a suspicion about Fran
Fran has a devious look.
We have no money left.
They have had a cough twice this winter.
Chapter 4.2
Mood of Verbs
In grammar, mood is used to refer to a verb category or form which
indicates whether the verb expresses a fact (the indicative mood), a command
(the imperative mood), a question (the interrogative mood), a condition
(the conditional mood), or a wish or possibility (the subjunctive mood).
4.2.1 The Indicative Mood
The form of a verb that is used to express statements of fact:
Whales are mammals, not fish.
We will visit Peru and Chile next year.
She liked Jack as soon as she met him.
They’re meeting us tomorrow morning.

59
4.2.2 The Imperative Mood
The imperative is used in commands and instructions. Imperatives in
the affirmative are formed with the infinitive of the verb (without to),
while negative imperatives are made with the infinitive together with do + not. The
imperative doesn't typically have a subject. It’s used to order or ask someone to do
something, to offer advice or encouragement, to give instructions, or to make
suggestions:
Take the first turn on the left.
Just keep calm and relax.
Be quiet!
Don’t forget your keys.
Have a great holiday.
4.2.3 The Interrogative Mood
This mood is used to ask questions. Interrogatives are formed by adding an auxiliary
verb to another verb, with the auxiliary verb typically being placed before
the subject:
Are you coming out tonight?
When is she leaving?
Where have they gone?
Did you make a profit?
4.2.4 The Conditional Mood
The conditional mood is made from the auxiliary
verb would (also shouldwith I and we) and the infinitive of the other verb
without to. It’s used to make requests and to refer to situations which are uncertain
or which depend on something else happening or being the case:
I would like some coffee please.
If he’d arrived earlier, we would have had time for dinner.
We would live in Spain if we had the money.

60
4.2.5 The Subjunctive Mood
The subjunctive mood is used to express a wish or possibility. This mood has a
limited role in English compared to other languages such as French or Italian, but
it's important to use it properly in formal writing.
The subjunctive form of a verb (apart from to be) is made from the 3rdperson
present singular, without the -s (or -es) ending. With these verbs, the same forms
are used whether or not the context is the present or the past.
The subjunctive of to be is simply be in most cases, but were is used in certain
constructions with if and to express a wish (see below).
The subjunctive is typically found in rather formal English constructions
with that and with verbs such as suggest, demand, insist, ask, recommend, etc.:
It was suggested that he wait till the next morning.
They demanded that the prime minister explain who authorized the action.
The ordinary, indicative forms of the verbs in these examples would
be waits and explains but it would be grammatically incorrect to use them in these
cases:
✗ It was suggested that he waits till the next morning.
✗ They demanded that the prime minister explains who authorized the action.
Here are the other main uses of the subjunctive:
after if, as if, as though, and unless, in sentences that state a hypothetical condition,
or with the verb to wish:
If I were taller, I would have been a model.
I wish I were more confident.

61
be and were are used at the beginning of sentences or clauses when the subject
follows:
Were I to make a list of my favourite films, this would be in second place.
All books, be they fiction or non-fiction, should provide entertainment.
in certain fixed expressions, for example ‘be that as it may’, ‘comewhat may’, and
‘so be it’.
Chapter 4.3
Verbal Aspect
“Verbal aspect” refers to the timing of the verb. More specifically, it addresses
whether the action occurs in a single block of time, continuously, or repetitively. All
verbs have both tense and aspect. Verbal aspect consists of simple, progressive,
perfect, or perfect progressive, where each refers to a different fabric of time.
4.3.1 Simple
The simple aspect is used to express a single action, a repeated action, or a
permanent state.
 Permanent state: David lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.
 Repeated or habitual action: He runs every morning.
 Single action: He graduated from the University of North Carolina.
4.3.2 Progressive
The progressive aspect is used to talk about continuous events.
 Dr. Jones was lecturing about grammar.
 Jane is reading a novel.
4.3.3 Perfect
The perfect aspect is used to discuss completed actions. It is often formed by
the verb have combined with a past tense verb.
 My family had left before the flooding reached our home.
 She has visited their mountain home.

62
4.3.4 Perfect Progressive
The perfect progressive combines the perfect and the progressive to refer to the
completed portion of a continuous action.
 The news crew had been working for more than twelve hours to provide full
coverage of the event.
 I will have been sleeping for many hours by then.
Chapter 4.4
Principle Forms of the Verb
Every verb has four basic forms, or principal parts. In order to form all the tenses
of each verb, we need to learn these four principal parts of verbs: the present tense,
the present participle, the past tense, and the past participle.
4.4.1 Present Tense
The first of the four principal parts of verbs is the singular verb in its present
tense form, which is used to express present time, something that is true at all
times, and future time:
talk
move
adapt
earn
jump
elude
wish
learn
wave
4.4.2 Present Participle
The second principal part of verbs, the present participle, is used to form
the progressive tenses (continuing action). The present participle is formed by
adding ing to the singular verb. It is preceded by a form of the to be helping verb:
(is) talking
(am) moving
(is) adapting
(am) earning
(is) jumping
(are) eluding
(are) wishing
(is) learning
(was) waving

63
4.4.3 Past Tense
The third principal part of verbs, used to express past time, is the past tense, which
we form by adding ed to regular verbs. (Irregular verbs have different endings.)
talked
moved
adapted
earned
jumped
eluded
wished
learned
waved
4.4.4 Past Participle
The fourth principal part of verbs, used to form the perfect tenses, is the past
participle. It is preceded by a form of the have helping verb. For regular verbs, the
past and the past participle are the same.
PAST
talked
earned
wished
moved
jumped
learned
adapted
PAST PARTICIPLE
(have) talked
(has) earned
(have) wished
(has) moved
(has) jumped
(has) learned
(have) adapted
Chapter 4.5
Kinds of Verb According to Form
As to form verbs, we only have four forms. We can say that the verb has three
inflectional suffixes (-d, -s, -ing)
4.5.1 Vbase or V
This is the base form of the verb, the dictionary form which is used to
indicate:
 The Imperative
Live now, pay later.

64
 The simple present tense of the indicative (except the 3rd
person singular)
They live in London.
 The infinitive because it is accompanying a modal verb.
They must live happily now.
4.5.2 Vs Form
This is used to represent the third person singular.
He lives in a small apartment.
4.5.3 Ved Form
This indicates:
 The regular or irregular simple past tense of all the verbs.
 He lived here last year.
 The regular or irregular past participle of all verbs.
 He has lived here for a while.
4.5.4 Ving Form
This represents:
 The present participle
He is living here with us.
 The gerund
Living here is good for the health.
Another classification of the verb according to form is the division of:
Single Word Verbs
Call, sleep, eat, dream.
Phrasal Verbs
Call on, eat up, make up
The phrasal verbs are classified by most grammarians as separable and
non-separable. Another sub-classification of the phrasal verbs is that the
prepositional verbs, which are those composed of the verb and a preposition.

65
Prepositional Verbs
Sleep in, look at
Regular and Irregular Verbs
The regular verbs are those that form their past participle (Ved) by adding the
morpheme d.
jump – jumped
look – looked
have – had
The irregular verbs are those that do not form their past or past participle with the
d morpheme
sing – sang
be – was/were
write – wrote
Dynamic and Stative Verbs
Dynamic verbs are those that readily accept, because of their meaning, the use of
Ving.
 These verbs denote the actual action or expression or process
by the subject. They mean an action which can be seen or physically
felt.
Stative verbs are those that cannot be normally used in the continuous form.They
are called non-continuous verbs.
 These verbs refer to the state of the subject or the situation of
the subject. They tell us about the state of mind of the subject, or the
relation between the subject and the object.
Mixed Verbs. These verbs have more than one meaning. Some meanings
behave like non-continuous verbs (stative verbs), while other meanings
behave like continuous verbs (dynamic verbs).

66
Chapter 4.6
Verb Tenses
Tense indicates when the action expressed by a verb takes place. The three simple
tenses are past, present, and future.
Different tenses take different verb forms, either by changing the word itself or by
adding helping verbs. There is no single formula for how to change verb tenses. Here
are a few examples:
4.6.1 Present Tense
Present tense expresses unchanging actions and states of being. It is also used with
recurring actions and with universal or widespread truths.
 I walk
 She runs
4.6.2 Past Tense
Past tense is used for actions that started and finished in the past.
 I walked
 She ran
4.6.3 Future Tense
Future tense expresses an action or event that will take place in the future.
 I will walk
 She will run
Chapter 4.7
The Voice of the Verbs
The 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.
4.7.1 Active Voice
In active voice, the subject performs the action expressed by the verb:

67
 The student wrote a song.
4.7.2 Passive Voice
In passive voice, the subject receives the action expressed by the verb:
 A song was written by the student.
Forming Tenses of Passive Verbs
The passive voice always consists of two parts: a form of the verb "to be" + past
participle:
Tense Passive voice form
Present it is cleaned
Past it was cleaned
Future it will be cleaned
Present perfect it has been cleaned
Past perfect it had been cleaned
Future perfect it will have been cleaned
Uses of Passive Voice
Use the passive voice to:
 Call attention to receiver of the action rather than the performer:
 The professor was hit by three snowballs.
 Point out the receiver of the action when performer is unknown or
unimportant:
 A love letter was slipped under the door.
 The signs will be posted.
 Avoid calling attention to the performer of the action (known as the
"institutional passive"):
 The fines will be collected on Monday.
Active and Passive Voice in Writing

68
The choice between using the active or passive voice in writing is a matter of style,
not correctness. However, most handbooks recommend using active voice, which
they describe as more natural, direct, lively, and succinct. The passive voice is
considered wordy and weak (except when used in cases above). Examine the
following examples.
 weak, passive: The skater was slammed into the wall by Maria.
 strong, active: Maria slammed the skater into the wall.
 weak, passive: The book was enjoyed by me because the events of
her childhood were described so well by the author.
 strong, active: I enjoyed the book because the author described the
events of her childhood so well.
Hints for Identifying the Passive Voice
 An active verb may or may not have a direct object, but the passive
verb almost never does.
 "It is...That" construction (It is clear that... It is noted...)
 Use of the verbs To Be, Make, or Have
 Passive: Your exits should be made quickly.
 Active: Leave quickly.
 Endings that turn verbs into abstract nouns: -ion,-ing,-ment:
 Passive: When application of force is used, the lid will open.
 Active: Apply force to open the lid.

69
Chapter 4
Post Test Verb
Take a look at these 10 sentences and choose the correct verb.
Let me know if you get 10/10. Which ones did you get wrong?
Good luck,
Chris M.
 1- I ___ watching TV when Paul and Simon arrived.
is
am
was
were
 2 - Do you think he ___ what I said?
understanding
understood
understand
 3 - She ___ to learn English in Malta next summer.
hopes
hope
hoping
 4 - I don't think I've ever ___ on that sofa.

70
sat
sit
sitting
 5 - Tom ___ tired.
looks
looking
look
 6 - When I was young I wanted to ___ a vet.
be
am
is
was
 7 - Did you used to ___ with dolls?
play
playing
played
 8 - I've never ___ sushi before.
eaten
eat
ate
 9 - The window was already ___ when I got here.

71
break
broken
broke
 10 - Last night I ___ on the carpet and fell asleep.
lie
lied
lay

72
Chapter 5
Pre Test Adjectives
In the following exercise, you can test your knowledge. Fill in the gap with the
correct comparison form.
1. I was already ill yesterday, but today I feel even ________. (bad)
2. I am always excited on my birthday, but on Christmas Eve I am even
________. (excited)
3. I thought it would help to drink a cup of coffee but now I am even
tired _________. (tired)
4. The weather is good today. This is the _________(good) day of the week.
5. Will you hold this bag for me? It is much ______ (light) than it seems.
6. On the radio they said it would be sunny today, but actually it was
__________ (sunny) yesterday.
7. Do you want to watch soccer game together with me? I think it is
_____________
(entertaining) if you watch it with other people.
8. Tim feels _________ (confident) when he is with his friends.
9. I like this bird. I think it is _________ (pretty) than the others.
10. If you warm up before singing, your voice sounds ___________ (loud).

73
Chapter 5
Adjectives
Introduction to Adjectives
Adjectives are words that modify (change) nouns, pronouns and other adjectives. In
the sentence “he was fast,” the word “fast” is an adjective that describes the pronoun
“he.” Here’s a special sentence that uses all the letters of the English language:
“The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”
In this sentence, the words “quick,” “brown” and “lazy” are adjectives (and so is the
word “the,” but we’ll explain this later!). All these words are describing or somehow
modifying a noun.
So, you might already know about adjectives like these, like “quick,” “beautiful” and
“ugly,” which are used to describe people, places and things.
Chapter 5.1
Kinds of Adjectives
5.1.1. Descriptive
A descriptive adjective is probably what you think of when you hear the word
“adjective.” Descriptive adjectives are used to describe nouns and pronouns.
Words like beautiful, cute, silly, tall, annoying, loud and nice are all descriptive
adjectives. These adjectives add information and qualities to the words they’re
modifying. You can find a list of the 25 most commonly used adjectives at the
English Club.
Examples:
“The flowers have a smell” is just stating a fact, and it has no adjectives to
describe what the flowers or their smell are like.
“The beautiful flowers have a nice smell” gives us a lot more information, with two
descriptive adjectives.
You can say “The cat is hungry,” or “The hungry cat.” In both cases, the
word hungry is an adjective describing the cat.
5.1.2. Quantitative
Quantitative adjectives describe the quantity of something.

74
In other words, they answer the question “how much?” or “how many?” Numbers
like one and thirty are this type of adjective. So are more general words
like many, half and a lot.
Examples:
“How many children do you have?” “I only have one daughter.”
“Do you plan on having more kids?” “Oh yes, I want many children!”
“I can’t believe I ate that whole cake!”
5.1.3. Demonstrative
A demonstrative adjective describes “which” noun or pronoun you’re referring
to. These adjectives include the words:
This — Used to refer to a singular noun close to you.
That — Used to refer to a singular noun far from you.
These — Used to refer to a plural noun close to you.
Those — Used to refer to a plural noun far from you.
Demonstrative adjectives always come before the word they’re modifying.
Sometimes, like when you’re responding to a question, you can leave off the noun
being described and only use the adjective.
For example, if someone asks you how many cakes you want to buy you can
respond: “I want to buy two cakes,” or you can just say: “I want to buy two.”
Examples:
“Which bicycle is yours?” “This bicycle is mine, and that one used to be mine until I
sold it.”
5.1.4. Possessive
Possessive adjectives show possession. They describe to whom a
thing belongs. Some of the most common possessive adjectives include:
My — Belonging to me
His — Belonging to him
Her — Belonging to her
Their — Belonging to them
Your — Belonging to you
Our — Belonging to us

75
All these adjectives, except the word his, can only be used before a noun. You can’t
just say “That’s my,” you have to say “That’s my pen.” When you want to leave off the
noun or pronoun being modified, use these possessive adjectives instead:
Mine
His
Hers
Theirs
Yours
Ours
For example, even though saying “That’s my” is incorrect, saying “That’s mine” is
perfectly fine.
Examples:
“Whose dog is that?” “He’s mine. That’s my dog.”
5.1.5. Interrogative
Interrogative adjectives interrogate, meaning that they ask a question. These
adjectives are always followed by a noun or a pronoun, and are used to form
questions. The interrogative adjectives are:
Which — Asks to make a choice between options.
What — Asks to make a choice (in general).
Whose — Asks who something belongs to.
Other question words, like “who” or “how,” aren’t adjectives since they don’t modify
nouns. For example, you can say “whose coat is this?” but you can’t say “who coat?”
Which, what and whose are only considered adjectives if they’re immediately
followed by a noun. The word which is an adjective in this sentence: “Which color is
your favorite?” But not in this one: “Which is your favorite color?”
Examples:
“Which song will you play on your wedding day?”
“What pet do you want to get?”
“Whose child is this?”
5.1.6. Distributive
Distributive adjectives describe specific members out of a group. These adjectives
are used to single out one or more individual items or people. Some of the most
common distributive adjectives include:
Each — Every single one of a group (used to speak about group members
individually).
Every — Every single one of a group (used to make generalizations).
Either — One between a choice of two.
Neither — Not one or the other between a choice of two.

76
Any — One or some things out of any number of choices. This is also used when the
choice is irrelevant, like: “it doesn’t matter, I’ll take any of them.”
These adjectives are always followed by the noun or pronoun they’re modifying.
Examples:
“Every rose has its thorn.”
“Which of these two songs do you like?” “I don’t like either song.”
5.1.7. Articles
There are only three articles in the English language: a, an and the. Articles can be
difficult for English learners to use correctly because many languages don’t have
them (or don’t use them in the same way).
Although articles are their own part of speech, they’re technically also
adjectives! Articles are used to describe which noun you’re referring to. Maybe
thinking of them as adjectives will help you learn which one to use:
A — A singular, general item.
An — A singular, general item. Use this before words that start with a vowel.
The — A singular or plural, specific item.
Simply put, when you’re talking about something general, use a and an. When you’re
speaking about something specific, use the. “A cat” can be used to refer to any cat in
the world. “The cat” is used to refer to the cat that just walked by.
Here’s a quick tip that can sometimes help you decide which article to use: Try using
a demonstrative adjective before the noun. If it makes sense, use the word the. If it
changes the meaning of what you’re trying to say, use an oran.
For example, if it makes sense to say “I don’t understand this question,” you can also
say “I don’t understand the question.” On the other hand, it sounds strange to say “I
need this tissue” because you don’t need that specific tissue. You just need “a tissue.”
Examples:
“The elephants left huge footprints in the sand.”
“An elephant can weigh over 6,000 pounds!”
Chapter 5.2
Structure and Positions of Adjectives
Adjectives are used to describe the quality of things: green, tall, nice, pretty, dark,
cold, hot.
They can stand in front of nouns or after the verb “to be”. Look at the first example.
Here, the adjective is placed in front of the noun:

77
I liked the green shirt.
Look at the second example. A form of “to be” is followed by the adjective.
The shirt is green.
There are a few very important exceptions to that rule. Certain adjectives never
stand in front of nouns: afraid, alive, alone, asleep, glad, pleased, sorry, upset, ill,
well/fine.
Chapter5.3
The Order of Adjective in a Series
In many languages, adjectives denoting attributes usually occur in specific order.
Generally, the adjective order in English is:
1. Quantity or number
2. Quality or opinion
3. Size
4. Age
5. Shape
6. Color
7. Proper adjective (often nationality, other place of origin, or material)
8. Purpose or qualifier
For example:
1. I love that really big old green antique car that always parked at the
end of the street.
2. My sister adopted a beautiful big white bulldog.
When there are two or more adjectives that are from the same group, the word and
is placed between the two adjectives:
1. We live in the big green, white and red house at the end of the street.
2. My friend lost a red, black, and white watch.
A comma is not placed between an adjective and the noun.

78
More examples:
1. I love that beautiful old big green antique car that always parked at
the end of the street. [quality – age – size – color – proper adjective]
2. My sister has a big beautiful tan and white bulldog. [size – quality –
color – color]
3. A wonderful old Italian clock. [opinion – age – origin]
4. A big square blue box. [dimension – shape – color]
5. A disgusting pink plastic ornament. [opinion – color – material]
6. Some slim new French trousers. [dimension – age – origin]
7. An amazing new American movie. [opinion – age – origin]
8. I bought a pair of black leather shoes. [color – material]
Chapter 5.4
Comparison of Adjectives
As well as serving as modifying words like beautiful and big, adjectives are also used
for indicating the position on a scale of comparison. The lowest point on the scale is
known as the positive form, the middle point is known as the comparative form,
and the highest point is known as the superlative form. Here are some examples:
The Comparative Form
When two objects or persons are being compared, the comparative form of the
adjective is used. The comparative adjective can be formed in two ways:
Adding –er to the positive form of the adjective.
Adding the word more before the adjective.
For example:
My essay is longer than yours.
She is more beautiful than her sister.
Here are the rules for choosing and forming the right form:

79
When comparing two things, the word than is positioned between the adjective and
the thing being compared. For example:
Apples are tastier than oranges.
This painting is more interesting than that painting.
Superlatives
The superlative is used to say what thing or person has the most of a particular
quality within a group or of its kind. The superlative can be formed in two ways:
Adding –est to the Positive form of the adjective.
Adding the word most before the adjective.
For example:
This is the most beautiful dress I have ever seen.
The biggest table in the room.
Here are the rules for choosing and forming the right form:

80
Superlatives are usually preceded by the word the.
Positive Form
The positive form is used in cases where there are no differences between the two
compared things or persons. To form the positive, we use the word as before and
after the positive form of the adjective. For example:
1. Danny is as smart as Phillip.
2. She is as beautiful as her older sister.
This can also be applied in a negative context to indicate that the compared objects
are not similar:
1. Danny is not as smart as Phillip.
2. She is not as beautiful as her older sister.

81
Exceptions (Irregular Forms)
Certain adjectives have irregular forms in the comparative and superlative degrees:
Examples of Comparing Adjectives
1. This house is bigger than that one.
2. This flower is more beautiful than that.
3. He is taller than Mr. Hulas.
4. He is more intelligent than this boy.
5. Jonathan is the most handsome man on campus.
6. This is the prettiest dress in the window.
7. I lost my most comfortable shoes.

82
Chapter 5
Post Test Adjectives
1. Choose the comparative adjective in each group of sentences:
A.
1. Her hair is short.
2. Her hair is shorter than it was before.
3. Her hair is the shortest it has ever been.
B.
1. We live nearer the train station than we used to.
2. Park in the lot nearest the train station.
3. I know the train station is somewhere near.
C.
1. My dog might be ugly, but he is nice.
2. That’s the ugliest dog I’ve ever seen!
3. Because he was uglier than the others, my dog won the ugly dog
contest.
D.
1. Your presentation was more informative than most.
2. She gave an informative talk on honeybees.
3. That’s the most informative speech I’ve ever heard Professor Brown
give!
2. Which of the following sentences does not contain a comparing adjective?
A. I’d like to have more participation from each of you this time around.
B. If you’d have listened better, you wouldn’t be confused right now.
C. They live in the brick house on the corner.
3. Choose the superlative adjective in each group of sentences:
A.
1. That’s the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted!
2. You’re a lot nicer than your sister.

Parts of Speech - English Module

Parts of Speech - English Module

Recomendados

Recomendados

Mais conteúdo relacionado

Mais procurados

Mais procurados (20)

Semelhante a Parts of Speech - English Module

Semelhante a Parts of Speech - English Module (20)

Último

Último (20)

Parts of Speech - English Module