Basic English Grammar, Study Guides, Projects, Research of English

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Learning Basic Grammar Book 2 with easypacelearning.com More in-depth view of eight parts of speech nouns, pronouns, verbs,adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections with exercises for you to complete  What you’ll find in this book 1 Nouns 7–23 Common Nouns 7 Proper Nouns 8 Singular Nouns 11 Plural Nouns 11 Collective Nouns 17 Masculine and Feminine Nouns 20 The Possessive Form of Nouns 22 2 Pronouns 24–31 Personal Pronouns 24 Reflexive Pronouns 26 Possessive Pronouns 27 Demonstrative Pronouns 27 Interrogative Pronouns 28 Indefinite Pronouns 28 3 Adjectives 32–43 Kinds of Adjectives 32 The Order of Adjectives 33 Adjective Endings 35 Describing What Something Is Made of 37 The Comparison of Adjectives 39 Adjective Phrases 42 4 Determiners 44–51 The Articles 44 Using Nouns without Articles 45 Demonstrative Determiners 46 Quantifying Determiners 47 Interrogative Determiners 49 Possessive Determiners 49 Numbers 50 Using Determiners Together 50  There are two main types of nouns: common nouns and proper nouns. Common Nouns Words for people, places and things are called common nouns. These common nouns are words for things. ruler chair hammer bicycle truth pen table saw ship calculator crayons sofa axe truck television pencil loyalty drill ferry fridge book lamp ladder train cooker dictionary carpet lawnmower bus computer courage telephone spade laziness printer These common nouns are words for animals. Notice that special names for young animals are included. animal its young dog puppy cat kitten cow calf horse foal sheep lamb goat kid frog tadpole These common nouns are words for places. bank airport hotel gas station library park museum farm mall zoo theater factory hospital nursery animal its young fox cub elephant calf kangaroo joey bear cub lion cub tiger cub whale calf school post office university police station office restaurant mosque supermarket temple stadium shop synagogue gym church 1 Nouns ◗ ◗ ◗  These common nouns are words for people who do certain things. singer manager sailor gardener dancer secretary pilot police officer artist teacher driver plumber photographer doctor writer farmer magician dentist friend clerk athlete lawyer brother technician Proper Nouns The names of particular people, places and things are proper nouns. They always begin with a capital letter. These people’s names are proper nouns. Robin Hood Florence Nightingale Mom Miss Park Aladdin Muhammad Ali Dad Mrs. Taylor Frankenstein George Washington Granny Mr. Young Harry Potter David Beckham Grandad Dr. Lee Santa Claus Julia Roberts Uncle David Professor Raj Mahatma Gandhi Nelson Mandela Aunt Diana Jose Confucius Alex Rodriguez Ms. Hall Yang Ming The names of the days of the week and the months of the year are proper nouns. days of the week months Monday January July Tuesday February August Wednesday March September Thursday April October Friday May November Saturday June December Sunday ◗ ◗ ◗ Nouns: Proper Nouns AUGUS T Sunday 4 11 18 25 Monda y 5 12 19 26 Tuesday 6 13 20 27 Wednes day 7 14 21 28 Thursda y 1 8 15 22 29 Friday 2 9 16 23 30 Saturda y 3 10 17 24 31  Nouns: Proper Nouns The names of special days and celebrations are also proper nouns. New Year’s Day Veterans' Day Mother’s Day Thanksgiving Independence Day Memorial Day Valentine’s Day Halloween Labor Day Christmas Ramadan Yom Kippur The names of famous places, buildings and monuments are proper nouns. Big Ben the Empire State Building the Sphinx the Taj Mahal Graceland the Eiffel Tower the Grand Canyon the Golden Gate Bridge the Sydney Opera House the Great Wall of China Buckingham Palace Chaco Canyon Pueblo the Leaning Tower of Pisa the Statue of Liberty The names of people who live in a particular country are also proper nouns. country people Afghanistan Afghans Australia Australians Britain the British China the Chinese France the French Germany Germans India Indians Indonesia Indonesians Italy Italians Japan the Japanese Korea Koreans Malaysia Malaysians ◗ country people Samoa Samoans New Zealand New Zealanders Pakistan Pakistanis the Philippines Filipinos Russia Russians Nicaragua Nicaraguans South Africa South Africans Spain Spaniards Switzerland the Swiss Thailand Thais USA Americans Vietnam the Vietnamese ◗ ◗ 12 singular plural sandwich sandwiches witch witches brush brushes flash flashes box boxes fox foxes singular plural day days tray trays runway runways chimney chimneys trolley trolleys valley valleys Nouns that end in s, ss, ch, sh or x, are made plural by adding es. singular plural bus buses glass glasses dress dresses branch branches church churches beach beaches Most nouns that end in y are made plural by changing the y to i and adding es. singular plural baby babies family families story stories teddy teddies fairy fairies puppy puppies housefly houseflies library libraries city cities lily lilies party parties dictionary dictionaries Nouns that have a vowel before the y are made plural by simply adding s at the end. singular plural key keys monkey monkeys donkey donkeys toy toys boy boys cowboy cowboys ◗ ◗ ◗ Nouns: Plural Nouns 13 Many nouns that end in f are made plural by changing the f to v and adding es. singular plural half halves leaf leaves shelf shelves wolf wolves thief thieves But some nouns that end in f are made plural simply by adding s. singular plural chief chiefs roof roofs handkerchief handkerchiefs cliff cliffs puff puffs Some nouns that end in f can be made plural in two ways. singular plural scarf scarfs or scarves hoof hoofs or hooves dwarf dwarfs or dwarves wharf wharfs or wharves Most nouns that end in fe are made plural by changing the f to v and adding s. singular plural knife knives wife wives life lives midwife midwives ◗ ◗ ◗ Nouns: Plural Nouns 14 Most nouns that end in o are made plural by adding s. singular plural video videos hippo hippos zoo zoos kangaroo kangaroos But other nouns that end in o are made plural by adding es. singular plural tomato tomatoes potato potatoes hero heroes Some nouns change spelling from the singular form to the plural. singular plural man men woman women child children person people mouse mice tooth teeth foot feet goose geese The plural form of some nouns is the same as the singular form. singular plural sheep sheep (not sheeps) deer deer (not deers) fish fish (not fishes) aircraft aircraft (not aircrafts) salmon salmon (not salmons) ◗ ◗ N o t e s N o t e s When you are talking about different kinds of fish, the plural can be fishes, for example: the various fishes of the Indian Ocean ◗ What's the plural of the kind of mouse that you use with a computer? The plural is either mice or mouses. Nouns: Plural Nouns 1 N o t e s Collective Nouns Words for groups of people, animals or things are called collective nouns. Here are some collective nouns for groups of people. a family a crew a team a club a community a committee a choir a company a band a gang an orchestra the government an audience the army Collective nouns may be used with a singular verb or with a plural verb. If the group is acting as a single unit, use a singular verb. If group members are acting as individuals, use a plural verb. For example: The crowd was orderly. or The crowd were clapping, yelling and cheering. Here are more collective nouns you can use for groups of people. a crowd of shoppers a gang of thieves a company of actors a panel of judges a class of schoolchildren a platoon of soldiers Many groups of animals have their own special collective nouns. a herd of cattle a pack of wolves a litter of puppies a flock of birds a pride of lions a troop of monkeys a drove of sheep a pod of dolphins a brood of chickens a gaggle of geese a school of fish a swarm of bees Always use a plural verb with the collective nouns, people and the police. For example: Those people live (not lives) in Asia. The police have caught (not has caught) the thief. ◗ ◗ ◗ ◗ Nouns: Collective Nouns 1 Some groups of things also have their own special collective nouns. a bunch of bananas a deck of cards a cluster of grapes a flight of steps a bunch of flowers a suite of rooms a bouquet of flowers a suite of furniture a range of mountains a set of tools a fleet of ships a string of beads a fleet of vehicles a grove of trees Some nouns name the amount or form of something. a loaf of bread a bar of soap a ball of string a bar of chocolate The words a piece of mean a single serving or part of something. a slice/piece of bread a slice/piece of cheese a piece/square of chocolate a slice/piece of cake a sheet/piece of paper a piece of chalk a piece of information a piece of advice Exercise 7 Read the following passage. Write the missing collective nouns in the blank spaces. Remember that sometimes there are two words you can use. Mom took Kate, Rudy and Derrick to the zoo. The zoo was very busy. A of people had gathered round the monkeys. One of the monkeys had a of bananas. Watching the monkey eat made the children feel hungry. Mom took a of bread and some of cheese out of the picnic hamper and everyone made sandwiches. After eating the sandwiches, the children had two of chocolate each. Rudy wanted to give one piece to a monkey, but the zookeeper gave Rudy a very useful of advice. “Monkeys may look friendly, but sometimes they are very fierce,” he said. ◗ ◗ ◗ Nouns: Collective Nouns 1 Exercise 8 Read the sentences. Does the collective noun indicate a group acting together as a single unit? If so, circle the singular verb. Does the collective noun indicate a group in which each member acts individually? Circle the plural noun. 1. The jury (were/was) arguing about the importance of evidence. 2. A whole company of soldiers (is/are) marching in the parade. 3. A gaggle of geese (is/are) running every which way in the barnyard. 4. Those people (live/lives) in North America. 5. The police (has/have) arrested the suspect. 6. That troupe of actors always (stay/stays) at the Grand Hotel. 7. The committee (is/are) handing in their ballots. 8. Our school band (play/plays) many lively marches. 9. A big colony of ants (lives/live) under the front porch. 10. The government (are/is) entitled to collect taxes. Exercise 9 Complete each phrase with a noun from the box that names a part or an amount of something. bushel scoop ream pair drop grain pinch galaxy 1. a of stars 5. a of potatoes 2. a of sand 6. a of bookends 3. a of paper 7. a of ice cream 4. a of salt 8. a of rain 22 ◗ The Possessive Form of Nouns Use the possessive form of a noun to show ownership. To make the possessive form, put an apostrophe and an s ’s after a singular noun. This is my bed and that is Peter’s bed. We all like Dad’s cooking. It is my job to collect everybody’s plate after the meal. The flies are buzzing around the horse’s tail. This is Susan and Jenny’s room. This is Tom’s hat and that is Tom’s father’s hat. After plural nouns that don’t end in s, use an apostrophe and an s ’s to make the possessive form. The children’s room is always messy. Some people’s houses are bigger than ours. Rats’ tails are longer than mice’s tails. Men’s voices are deeper than women’s voices. N o t e s ■ How do you make the possessive form when two names linked by and are the owners? Put an ’s after the second name only. For example: Katy and Mike’s house is very big. (= the house that belongs to both Katy and Mike) Joe and Sarah’s dad works at the shoe factory. (= He is Joe’s dad and he is also Sarah’s dad.) ■ Sometimes two possessive forms with ’s appear together, one after the other: This is John’s brother’s ball. (= The ball belongs to John’s brother.) Paul’s teacher’s house has a swimming pool. (= the house that belongs to Paul’s teacher) Nouns: The Possessive Form of Nouns ◗ 23 N o t e s ◗ Tom’s After plural nouns that end in s, just add an apostrophe s’ . The pupils’ desks are arranged in rows. The boys’ bedroom is bigger than the girls’ bedroom. The strong winds destroyed all the farmers’ crops. Mice’s tails are shorter than rats’ tails. Exercise 11 Read the following passage. The possessive nouns are missing. Write the correct possessive form of the nouns in parentheses. The first one has been done for you. Peter is spending the day at (Tom) house. Peter likes Tom’s family. He especially likes (Tom’s mom) cooking! The boys play lots of games together. (Tom) sister doesn’t like (Tom and Peter) games. She is playing by herself. Sometimes the (boys) games become so noisy that Mom tells them to go and play in the garden. (Tom) dog is in the garden, lying in the sunshine. Tom wants to play with the dog, but Peter is afraid of the (dog) big teeth and sharp claws. At 7 o’clock, (Peter) dad arrives in his car to take Peter home. Tom says he likes (Peter’s dad) new car. (Peter) dad says that he’ll take Tom for a ride in it sometime. When a name ends in s, you can make the possessive form in either of two ways: add an apostrophe and an s ’s , or add just an apostrophe ’ . For example: This is James’s house. or This is James’ house. Which is Charles’s bike? or Which is Charles’ bike? Nouns: The Possessive Form of Nouns 24 2 Pronouns A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. There are different kinds of pronouns. Personal Pronouns Personal pronouns may be used as: n the subject of a verb, or n the object of a verb. Subject Pronouns The subject of a verb does the action of the verb. The personal pronouns I, you, he, she, it, we and they can all be used as the subject of a verb. Study the following two sentences: Lisa likes cats. She has four cats. In the first sentence, the proper noun Lisa is the subject of the verb likes. In the second sentence, the pronoun she is the subject of the verb has. Here are some more pairs of sentences that show personal pronouns used as subjects of verbs. My name is Michael. I am fourteen. My father works hard. He works in a factory. My sister is older than me. She is twelve. Our dog is very naughty. It likes to chase cats. Bob, you are a bad dog! David and I are playing football. We like sports. Jim and Jeff are my brothers. They are older than I am. ◗ 27 Possessive Pronouns Possessive pronouns are used to talk about things that belong to people. The words mine, yours, his, hers, ours and theirs are possessive pronouns. This book is mine. Have you lost yours, Tom? This pen is mine and that one is his. Sarah has lost her cat. Is this cat hers? I can see our car, but where is yours? We’ve had our lunch, but they haven’t had theirs. Here is a table to help you remember which possessive pronoun to use with which personal pronoun. singular personal possessive plural personal possessive pronoun pronoun pronoun pronoun I, me mine we, us ours you yours you yours he, him his they, them theirs she, her hers Demonstrative Pronouns Demonstrative pronouns are used for pointing out things. The words this, that, these and those are demonstrative pronouns. This is my desk. These are my pets. This is the Mings' house. These are sheep but those are goats. That is my friend’s house. Those are horses. That’s my mother’s car. You’ll have to work harder than this. We can do better than that. It’s raining again. This is awful! Who is that knocking at the door? Hi, Kathleen. This is Michael. N o t e s n Use this and these when you are talking about things near you. n Use that and those when you are talking about things farther away. Pronouns: Possessive Pronouns; Demonstrative Pronouns 28 Interrogative Pronouns Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. The words who, whose, what, which and whom are interrogative pronouns. Who used all my paper? Who is Mom talking to? Who are those people? Whose pen is this? Whose are these shoes? What is your brother’s name? What does Tom want? What is the date today? What do you want to be when you grow up? Which of these desks is yours? Which do you prefer? Which of your sisters is the tallest? Whom did the President criticize? Inedefinite Pronouns An indefinite pronoun does not refer directly to any other word. Most indefinite pronouns express he idea of quantity. Everybody is welcome at the meeting. Many prefer their coffee with sugar. Does anybody care for a cheese sandwich? Few choose to live in the arid desert. Pronouns: Interrogative Pronouns; Indefinite Pronouns N o t e s n In writing and formal speaking, you can also use whom as the object of verbs and prepositions. For example: Whom did the president criticize? Whom is the principal talking to? or To whom is the principal talking? but you cannot use whom as the subject of a verb. So you cannot say: ✘ Whom came to the party last night? You have to say: ✔ Who came to the party last night? n Who can be used as the subject or the object of a verb. For example: Who broke the window? (as the subject) Who are you inviting to your party? (as the object) n Who can be used as the object of a preposition. For example: Who is Mom talking to? n You can also use whom as the object of a preposition. For example: Whom is Mom talking to? If you put the preposition before the interrogative pronoun, you must use whom: To whom is Mom talking? ◗ 29 Indefinite Pronouns all each most other another either neither several any everybody nobody some anybody everyone none somebody anyone few no one someone both many one such The pronoun they is considered an indefinite pronoun when it makes an indefinite reference. They produce a lot of coal in your state. Why don't they repair the bad roads? Exercise 1 Read the following passage. Write the missing subject and object pronouns in the blank spaces. My name is Charlie. have two brothers. are both older than . Sometimes they take me to the park and play football together. I like playing football with because they are very good. We are going to the park today. Would you like to come with ? can all play together. Afterwards, can come to my house if want to. I think will like my dad. He is very funny and makes great pizzas. Do like pizza? Pronouns: Indefinite Pronouns ◗ ◗ 32 ◗ ◗ ◗ ◗ 3 Adjectives Adjectives describe nouns and pronouns. They give you more information about people, places, and things. Kinds of Adjectives Some adjectives tell about the size of people or things. a big house a long bridge tiny feet a large army a high mountain big hands a huge ship a short man a short skirt a tall building a thin boy long trousers Some adjectives tell about the color of things. a red carpet a gray suit a brown bear a white swan an orange balloon green peppers a blue uniform a yellow ribbon black shoes Some adjectives tell what people or things are like by describing their quality. a beautiful woman a young soldier a flat surface a handsome boy an old uncle a hot drink a poor family a kind lady a cold winter a rich couple a familiar voice a sunny day a strange place a deep pool cool weather Some adjectives tell what things are made of. They refer to substances. a plastic folder a stone wall a clay pot a paper bag a metal box a glass door a cotton shirt a silk dress a concrete road a jade ring a wooden spoon a porcelain vase 33 Some adjectives are made from proper nouns of place. These adjectives are called adjectives of origin. a Mexican hat a British police officer the French flag a Filipino dress an American custom Washington apples a Japanese lady a Spanish dance an Indian temple an Italian car The Order of Adjectives Sometimes several adjectives are used to describe a single noun or pronoun. When you use two or more adjectives, the usual order is: size, quality, color, origin, substance. For example: a small green plastic box size color substance a stylish red Italian car quality color origin Here are more examples. a large Indian temple a tall white stone building a colorful cotton shirt a long Chinese silk robe delicious Spanish food an old graceful Japanese lady crunchy Australian apples a short handsome English man Adjectives of quality sometimes come before adjectives of size. For example: beautiful long hair elegant short hair But adjectives of size always come before adjectives of color. For example: beautiful long black hair elegant short red hair If you use any adjective of substance, it comes after the color adjective. For example: a beautiful long black silk dress Adjectives: The Order of Adjectives ◗ ◗ ◗ 34 Exercise 1 Read the following passage and underline the adjectives. Write S above adjectives of size, C above adjectives of color, Q above adjectives of quality and O above adjectives of origin. Sydney is a large Australian city with busy streets and expensive shops. In summer, it’s a very hot place. People wear cool clothes and drink cool drinks. There are beautiful sandy beaches where people can rest and look up at the wide blue sky. There are big parks for tourists to visit. Japanese tourists like to sit and watch other people. British tourists take photographs of the strange plants and colorful birds. Exercise 2 The following passage contains a lot of adjectives. Some of the adjectives appear in the wrong order. First underline the wrongly ordered adjectives. Then write them in their correct order on the lines below the passage. My friend Jeremy is a handsome tall boy. He always wears a white long T-shirt and a big red cap. He carries a blue huge canvas bag to school. His favorite food is red crunchy apples and he always has one in his bag. Our teacher is an English kind tall man called Mr. Clark. He wears a blue smart suit and glasses with black plastic thick frames. 37 Many of adjectives end in ed. a closed door satisfied customers boiled eggs worried passengers wasted time escaped prisoners a painted wall excited students reduced prices invited guests Describing What Something Is Made Of Some nouns can be used like adjectives. For example, if you have a chair that is made of plastic, you can use the noun plastic as an adjective and say that the chair is a plastic chair. If you have a watch that is made of gold, you can say it is a gold watch. But the nouns wood and wool can’t be used like this. To make adjectives of these nouns you have to add en. noun adjective example wood wooden a wooden door wool woolen a woolen jumper Describing What Something Is Like There’s another way to make adjectives from nouns. Suppose you want to say that something is like a certain material, although not made of it. To make these adjectives, add -en to some nouns and -y to other nouns. noun adjective example gold golden a golden sunrise (= bright yellow like gold) silk silky or silken silky skin (= as soft as silk) lead leaden a leaden sky (= dark gray like the color of lead) N o t e s Words like closed, wasted and escaped are past participles of verbs. Many past participles can also be used as adjectives. Adjectives: Describing What Something Is Made Of ◗ 38 care interesting Exercise 3 The following sentences contain adjectives made by adding endings to nouns. Write the noun that each adjective comes from on the line after each sentence. The first one has been done for you. Remember that some nouns must be changed slightly before the ending is added. 1. She’s always making careless mistakes. 2. It was a very painful injury. 3. Witches and wizards have magical powers. 4. These oranges are very juicy. 5. Dogs are usually more energetic than cats. 6. Our neighbors are not very friendly. 7. She keeps her toys in a large wooden box. 8. Take off your muddy shoes before you come in. 9. May I borrow your pencil sharpener? Mine is useless. 10. What a beautiful dress! Exercise 4 Fill in the blank spaces with adjectives made from the verbs in parentheses. Remember that both present participles and past participles can be used as adjectives. Choose the adjective that suits the sentence best. The first one has been done for you. 1. It wasn’t a very (interest) movie. 2. We could hear the (excite) fans screaming. 3. I hope the pupils don’t think that my classes are (bore). 4. My dad had a very (worry) look on his face. 5. Have the police found the (steal) car yet? 6. The supermarket sells lots of (freeze) food. 7. The players on the (win) team don’t look tired at all. 8. Some of the old houses had (break) windows. 39 The Comparison of Adjectives The Comparative Form To compare two people or things, use the comparative form of an adjective. The comparative form is usually made by adding er to the adjective. adjective comparative form adjective comparative form dark darker hard harder light lighter warm warmer high higher cold colder low lower fast faster old older slow slower young younger rich richer poor poorer tall taller small smaller soft softer The Superlative Form When you compare three or more people or things, use the superlative form of an adjective. The superlative form is usually made by adding est to the adjective. adjective superlative form adjective superlative form dark darkest warm warmest light lightest cold coldest high highest fast fastest low lowest slow slowest old oldest young youngest rich richest poor poorest tall tallest small smallest soft softest hard hardest N o t e s The word the is often used before the superlative form. For example: A bee is a small insect. A ladybird is smaller, but an ant is the smallest. N o t e s The word than is often used to compare two things or people. For example, you say: Mr. Lee is taller than Philip. A car is faster than a bike. ◗ ◗ Adjectives: The Comparison of Adjectives 42 Adjective Phrases Phrases can be used like single adjectives to describe nouns and pronouns. Phrases that are used in this way are called adjective phrases. Most adjective phrases come after the word they describe. Look at these examples. The adjective phrases are in bold and the nouns they describe are in color. Who is the girl with long hair? My friend lives in the house across the street. Mrs. Morris is tall and slim. This is the road to Toledo. The lady in the bookshop is a friend of mine. Some adjective phrases come before the word they describe. The words in these phrases are often joined with hyphens. a long-legged bird an eight-year-old child a well-dressed lady a ten-cent coin a fun-loving teenager a twenty-story building user-friendly equipment a large-sized shirt Exercise 5 Read the following passage. Write the correct comparative and superlative forms of the adjectives in parentheses in the blank spaces. The first one has been done for you. Paul likes playing football. He’s a very good player, but his friend Sally is a (good) player. She’s the (good) player in the whole school. She is (fast) and (strong) than all the boys, even the boys who are (old) and (big) than her. That’s why Paul likes her. Paul thinks all games are exciting, but football is the (exciting) game and it’s (noisy) than all the other games he plays with his friends. When the grass is wet, everyone gets dirty when they play football. But Sally gets (dirty) and (wet) than everyone else. better ◗ Adjectives: Adjective Phrases ◗ 43 to Tokyo small and brown Exercise 6 Complete the following sentences. Write an adjective phrase that includes the preposition in parentheses. The first one has been done for you. 1. Is this the train (to)? 2. They live in a big house (near). 3. Emilly's desk is (oppposite). 4. The bucket has a hole (in). 5. Who is the man (with)? Exercise 4 Complete the following sentences. Write an adjective phrase, using the adjective in parentheses and another adjective linked with and or but. The first one has been done for you. 1. My dog is (small). 2. His sister's hair is (black). 3. Our teacher is (oppposite). 4. Tomorrow's weather will be (sunny). 5. The museum was (quiet). 44 N o t e s n Some vowels have a consonant sound as well as vowel sound. Use the article a with nouns that begin with these vowels: Is there a university in your town? Does every child in the school wear a uniform? We are taking a European vacation this summer. n Some words begin with a silent h. Use an with nouns that begin with a silent h: We’ve been waiting here for an hour. Meeting the president was an honor for all of us. 4 Determiners ◗ apple umb rella entranc e island an fox peach muse um lady pencil a Determiners, or noun signals, are special adjectives used before nouns. There are different kinds of determiners. The Articles The words a, an and the are called the articles. The words a and an are indefinite articles. They are used with singular nouns. Use a before nouns that begin with a consonant. Use an before nouns that begin with a vowel. John is reading a book. Would you like a peach? Is that a dog or a fox? You’ll need a ruler and a pencil. Is there also an entrance at the back of the building? Have you ever seen an elephant? I always take an apple to school. Do you have an umbrella that I can borrow? Would you like to live on an island? 47 Quantifying Determiners Words such as many, much and several tell about quantity without giving an exact number. They are called quantifying determiners. Some quantifying determiners are used only with plural nouns. They are few, a few, fewer, many, several and both. Few people have been to the moon. We went to Europe many years ago. A few children are absent today. Several friends went with me. I have fewer CDs than you. Both brothers have dark hair. Some quantifying determiners can be used with plural nouns and nouns that show no exact number. They are all, half, some, enough, a lot of, lots of, more, most, other and plenty of. All children seem to like chocolate. We’ve eaten all the food in the refrigerator. Half the balloons have burst already. Jenny spends half her time watching television. Some girls like to play football. Can I have some water? Do you have enough books to read? I don’t have enough material to make a dress. A lot of people like burgers. There’s a lot of fruit in the bowl. They went to a park with lots of animals in it. You will gain weight if you eat lots of ice cream. You’ve got more brothers than I have. There’s more space in my room than yours. Most teachers enjoy teaching. Most lemonade contains sugar. He likes playing with other children. They had never tasted other food. Plenty of my friends have seen the Harry Potter movies. Drink plenty of water every day. ◗ ◗ Determiners: Quantifying Determiners 48 Some determiners can be used only with nouns of no exact number. They are little (meaning not much), a little (meaning some), much and less. We have little time to play. There’s a little rice left. Does the teacher give you much homework? I’ve got less ice cream than you. Some quantifying determiners can only be used with singular nouns. They are another, every and each. I need another pencil. He likes every child in the class. Each house is painted a different color. The quantifying determiners either and neither refer to two people or things. I don’t like either drink. Neither sister has long hair. Some quantifying determiners are used with singular, plural, or nouns of no exact quantity. They are any, no, no other and the other. Any dog will bite if it’s afraid. Are there any good books in the library? There wasn’t any space in the cupboard. No child likes getting hurt. There were no pencils in the drawer. We’ve done no work today. There is no other way of solving the problem. She has no other friends. We have no other food in the refrigerator. Do you like this picture or the other picture? The other boys laughed at him. I like the other music better. ◗ ◗ ◗ ◗ Determiners: Quantifying Determiners 49 Interrogative Determiners The words what, which and whose are used before nouns to ask questions. Interrogative determiners appear just before nouns. What time is it? Which boy is your brother? Whose pen is this? Possessive Determiners The words my, your, his, her, its, our and their are used before nouns to show ownership. They are called possessive determiners. I gave my sandwich to John. Is this your desk? Alan crashed his bike into a wall. Mrs. Park keeps her house very clean. The dog was licking its paws. There’s a snake in our garden. Susan and Peter have invited me to their party. This table will help you remember how to use possessive determiners. singular personal possessive plural personal possessive pronoun determiner pronoun determiner I (subject pronoun) my we (subject pronoun) our me (object pronoun) my us (object pronoun) our you (subject/object pronoun) your you (subject/object pronoun) your he (subject pronoun) his they (subject pronoun) their him (object pronoun) his them (object pronoun) their she (subject pronoun) her her (object pronoun) her it (subject/object pronoun) its N o t e s The possessive determiner your can be used when you are talking to one person or more than one person: I’m very angry with you, John. Your behavior has been very bad today. Jake and Josh, your dinner is ready. Determiners: Interrogative Determiners; Possessive Determiners 52 5 Verbs and Tenses Most verbs describe actions, so they are called action verbs. Action verbs tell what people or things are doing. Here are some common action verbs. drink look jump swim fall eat shout walk throw climb laugh run sit catch dance Subject and Verb Agreement When you use a verb, you have to say who or what is doing the action. This ‘who or what’ is the subject of the verb. The subject and the verb match each other. You say that the subject and the verb agree when they match each other. Use a singular verb if the subject is a singular noun. For example, the subjects ‘my dad’ or ‘our school’, or any of the pronouns he, she or it, require a singular verb. Most singular verbs end in s. Look at the subjects and their verbs in these examples. The subjects are in bold and the verbs are in color. He always drinks milk when he’s hot. She eats bananas for breakfast. Mom walks to work every day. My sister dances like a professional dancer. The baby falls when she tries to walk. Our cat climbs the trees in our garden. This form of the verb is called the third person singular. You use it when the subject of the verb is not you or the person you are speaking to, but some other person—a third person—or a thing. Here are some more third person singular verbs that end in s. plays sings shines rides smiles draws paints blows thinks stops reads rains travels talks starts ◗ 53 The third person singular form of some verbs is made by adding es at the end. Some examples are verbs that end in sh, ch, ss, x, zz and o. brushes watches kisses fixes rushes reaches misses mixes polishes teaches passes buzzes crashes catches presses does washes touches dresses goes Here are some sentences with verbs in their third person singular form. The subjects are in bold and the verbs are in color. She always brushes her teeth at bedtime. Dad polishes his shoes until they shine. My brother watches television after school. Kim catches the ball with one hand. Dad mixes flour and water when he makes bread. The bee buzzes around the flowers. My friend Sanjay goes to the same school as I do. How do you make the third person singular form of most verbs that end in y? Usually, you just change the y to an i and then add es. carry – carries hurry – hurries copy – copies cry – cries fly – flies marry – marries study – studies worry – worries bully – bullies A cat carries its kitten with its mouth. Mr. Chen hurries to work every morning. The baby cries a lot at night. This plane flies to the island every day. Alice tries hard at school. She copies all the questions in her notebook. Verbs and Tenses: Subject and Verb Agreement ◗ ◗ 54 Some verbs that end in y have a vowel before the y. Just add an s at the end of these words to make the third person singular form. buy – buys say – says pray – prays pay – pays annoy – annoys stay – stays Mom buys bread at the supermarket. Mr. Carter pays all his bills with a credit card. My friend says he has a salt-water aquarium. She annoys me with her silly jokes. Anna stays with her aunt on weekends. If the subject of a verb is a plural noun, such as “Mom and Dad” or “our teachers”, use a plural verb. Do not add s, es or ies to plural verbs. Plural verbs are also used with the pronouns I, we, you and they. Mom and Dad love us. My sisters listen to music a lot. The stars shine brightly on a clear night. Some people drink tea. I like juicy hamburgers. We learn interesting things at school. You all know the words to this song, children. They always walk home from school together. Suppose the subject of a noun refers to a group of people. Depending on the meaning of the sentence, you may use either a singular or a plural verb. The audience was enjoying the play. The audience have all gone home. The class has thirty students. The class are handing in their papers. The band is performing until midnight. The band were arguing among themselves. N o t e s Words that refer to groups of people or animals are called collective nouns. Here are some more examples: crowd committee herd crew litter flock Verbs and Tenses: Subject and Verb Agreement ◗ ◗ ◗ 57 chess intransitive transitive object verb verb Exercise 3 Underline the verbs in the following sentences. Then show whether the verb is transitive or intransitive by putting a checkmark (✓) in the correct box. Remember that depending on the meaning, some verbs can be either transitive or intransitive. For each of the transitive verbs you have marked, write the object of the verb on the lines. The first one is done for you. 1. My brother and I often play chess. 2. Mom and Dad work in the garden on weekends. 3. The library closes at 5 P.M. 4. Mr. Ross drives his car very carefully. 5. The cat jumped over the wall. 6. My sister likes her new jeans. 7. Grandad walks the dog every evening. 8. Will you come with me to the shop? 9. The boys are skating in the park. 10. Dad is making sandwiches. 11. The children went to bed. 12. We buy our food at the supermarket. 13. Sally found a good hiding place. 14. They are learning to speak English. 15. Anna was reading an interesting book. 16. On weekends, I usually go to the beach with Dad. 17. The cat is sleeping under the tree. 18. They pushed the cart into the shed. ✓ 58 The Simple Present Tense Verbs have forms called tenses that tell you when the action happens. If the action happens regularly, sometimes or never, use the simple present tense. We always wash our hands before meals. Joe sometimes lends me his bike. Dad jogs in the park every day. We often go to the movies on Satrurday. Mr. Ross takes a train to work. The simple present tense is also used to state facts. The sun rises every morning. Penguins live in the Antarctica. Dogs love playing in water. The earth goes around the sun. Australia is an island. Use the simple present tense to tell the events of a story that is happening now. I arrive at school. I see another girl crying. I ask her why she is sad. She says she hasn’t got any friends to play with. I tell her that she can play with me. Use the simple present tense to talk about things that will happen in the future. My little sister starts school tomorrow. The new supermarket opens this Friday. Next week I go on holiday to Japan. We fly to London on Sunday. The train leaves in five minutes. My family moves to a new house next month. Verbs and Tenses: The Simple Present Tense ◗ ◗ ◗ ◗ 59 am, is and are The words am, is and are are the simple present forms of the verb be. n Use am with the pronoun I. n Use is with singular nouns like ‘my dad’ and ‘the teacher’, and with the pronouns he, she and it. n Use are with plural nouns like ‘my parents’ and ‘Jenny and Mary’, and with the pronouns we, you and they. I am twelve. The children are asleep. I am in the garden. Computers are very expensive. My mom is very tired today. My brother and I are upstairs. The teacher is tall. We are in our bedrooms. She is also pretty. You are my best friend. Our dog is black. You and David are my best friends. Here is a table to help you remember how to use is, am and are. singular plural first person I am we are second person you are you are third person he is they are she is they are it is they are Verbs and Tenses: am, is and are N o t e s There are short ways of saying and writing am, is and are with pronouns. These short forms are called contractions. full form short form I am I’m you are you’re he is he’s she is she’s it is it’s we are we’re they are they’re You can use these contractions to replace am, is and are when they are used with not: full form short form I am not I’m not he is not he isn’t she is not she isn’t it is not it isn’t we are not we aren’t you are not you aren’t they are not they aren’t 62 Exercise 7 Rewrite the following sentences using contractions. The first one has already been done to help you. 1. It is another sunny day today. 2. This is my sister. She is five. 3. I am not very interested in sports. 4. She is not my best friend. You are my best friend. 5. Cats are not as noisy as dogs. 6. We are busy doing our homework. 7. She is busy cleaning the car in the garage. 8. Our teacher is not very tall. 9. My parents are not home from work yet. 10. My friend is not very good at math. It’s another sunny day today. 63 The Present Progressive Tense The present progressive tense is used to talk about things that are continuing to happen. Make the present progressive tense by using am, is or are with a verb that ends in ing. I am learning how to swim. I am eating my lunch. I am watching television. She is reading a book. Dad is baking a cake. My sister is listening to music. Uncle David is cleaning his car. The dog is barking in the garden. We are singing our favorite song. My brother and I are playing a computer game. The teachers are showing us a film. They are bringing a television set into the classroom. The present progressive tense is also used to talk about things that are planned for the future. I am going to the library tomorrow. My sister is giving me her bike when she gets her new one. We can’t go to the movies tomorrow because my mom is working. We are having a barbecue on Sunday. All my friends are coming to my party next week. We’re taking my cousin to the zoo later today. N o t e s The ing form of a verb is called the present participle. You use the present participle with am, is or are to make the present progressive tense. am + watching (present participle) is + listening (present participle) are + playing (present participle) Verbs and Tenses: The Present Progressive Tense ◗ ◗ 64 Exercise 8 Fill in the blank spaces with the present progressive tense of the verbs in parentheses. Try to use contractions such as I’m, she’s and they’re where you can. 1. We (go) to the zoo tomorrow. 2. He (fix) my bike in the garage. 3. I (help) Mom in the kitchen. 4. My sister and I (watch) television in our bedroom. 5. The train (leave) in ten minutes. 6. They (come) with us to the museum. 7. We (paint) some pictures for Aunt Susan. 8. The boys and girls (dance) in the hall. 9. The cat (chase) some birds. 10. My brother (tickle) me. Exercise 9 Complete the following sentences with either 1) the simple present form of the verb, or 2) the present progressive form of the verb. 1. The teacher always (give) us interesting project work. 2. The wind (blow) very strongly today. 3. I (like) chocolate ice cream. 4. Be quiet! We (try) to listen to the radio. 5. Let’s go inside now. It (begin) to rain. 6. Penguins (eat) fish. 7. Dad never (let) us play in the street when it’s dark. 8. The children (go) swimming every day. 9. We’re trying to catch the ball that (roll) down the hill. 10. My teacher (know) a lot about plants and animals. 64 67 Irregular Verbs Many common verbs have unusual present and past tense forms. These are called irregular verbs. Remember that the simple past tense of most verbs is made by adding ed at the end: look becomes looked. Notice that the simple past tense of these common irregular verbs is quite different. irregular verb simple past tense irregular verb simple past tense break broke keep kept bring brought kneel knelt buy bought know knew catch caught leave left come came lose lost do did meet met fall fell ring rang feed fed run ran feel felt see saw fly flew sell sold get got sleep slept go went speak spoke have had write wrote The simple past tense of other irregular verbs does not change at all. verb simple past tense example cost cost I bought a new CD. It cost twenty dollars. cut cut My brother cut his finger this morning. hit hit She hit the ball into a neighbor’s garden. hurt hurt I hurt my leg when I jumped off the wall. let let Mom opened the door and let us in. put put The tea tasted horrible because I put too much sugar in it. read read Dad read us a story last night. ◗ Verbs and Tenses: Irregular Verbs ◗ 68 Exercise 10 Write each past tense verb below under the correct heading. laughed lived smiled landed cried pinned hurried played hopped tried grabbed raced verb + ed verb + d double the last letter + ed change y to i and add ed Exercise 11 Complete the sentences with the simple past tense of the verbs in parentheses. 1. The boys (whisper) secrets to each other. 2. Uncle Ben (hurry) to catch his bus. 3. We (return) our books to the library. 4. She (kiss) the frog and it (change) into a prince. 5. Someone (tap) me on the shoulder. 6. The baby (cry) when we took her toy away. 7. John (pin) the badge onto his jacket. 8. Two doctors (rush) into the room. 9. This is the house that we (live) in when I was younger. 10. Grandad (lower) himself into the chair. 69 Exercise 12 Write was or were in the blank spaces in the following passage. It a beautiful summer’s day and there n’t a cloud in the sky. Mom, Dad and I all in the garden. Dad in the vegetable garden planting some seeds and Mom and I busy with other jobs. The sun hot and soon I feeling very tired. Mom and Dad n’t tired at all. They went on working for a long time. I glad when it time to go inside and have a drink. Exercise 13 Draw a circle around the correct past tense verb in each sentence below. 1. I (losed / lost) my watch in the park. 2. David (hurt / hurted) his knee when he (falled / fell). 3. I kicked the ball hard and it (breaked / broke) a window. 4. My new shoes (cost / costed) a lot of money. 5. I (getted / got) this book from the library. 6. We had a garage where we (keeped / kept) our car. 7. Ali (shew / showed) me the cut on his knee. 8. The glass (falled / fell) off the table and (breaked / broke). 9. We (selled / sold) our old car and (buyed / bought) a new one. 10. The bell (ringed / rang) and we all (goed / went) into school. 11. The dog (catched / caught) the ball in its mouth. 12. The man (kneeled / knelt) down to talk to the little boy. 13. I (meeted / met) my friend in the park. 14. Our cat (runned / ran) onto the road in front of a car. 15. Jane (writed / wrote) a letter to her best friend. 72 Here is a table to help you remember how to use have and has. singular plural first person I have we have second person you have you have third person he has they have she has they have it has they have The simple past tense form of have and has is had. I had a big toy car when I was small. It was sunny so we had lunch in the garden. They had a wonderful holiday in Europe. Sally and I had chicken for dinner. The boys had a fight in the playground. Dad had a sore back yesterday. She had long hair when I saw her a year ago. Our cat had three kittens last week. Use had when you're talking about wishes. I wish I had a new bike. Kathleen wishes she had a big sister. Dad wishes he had a bigger garage. The boys wish they had more space to play football in. You can make the negative with didn’t have. I wish I didn’t have so much homework. Jack wishes he didn’t have a broken leg. Dad wishes he didn’t have to work on weekends. Do you wish you didn’t have English classes today? Verbs and Tenses: have, has and had ◗ ◗ ◗ ◗ 73 The Present Perfect Tense The present perfect tense shows action in the indefinite past. The present perfect tense is also used to show action begun in the past and continuing into the present. To make the present perfect tense, use have or has and a verb that ends in ed. We have lived in this house for five years. (= and we still live there) Your plane has already landed. (= and it’s still on the ground) She has dirtied her new shoes. (= she made them dirty and they’re still dirty) The teacher has pinned a notice on the board. (= and the notice is still there) You don’t need your key. I’ve already opened the door. (= and it’s still open) Irregular Past Participles Remember that irregular verbs don’t have a simple past form that ends in -ed. Irregular verbs also have unusual past participles that don’t end in -ed. The past participle of some verbs is the same as the simple past tense. irregular verb simple past tense past participle fight fought fought have had had lose lost lost teach taught taught win won won Verbs and Tenses: The Present Perfect Tense; Irregular Past Participles ◗ N o t e s The ed form of a verb is called the past participle when it is used with has or have to make the present perfect tense: have + landed (past participle) has + opened (past participle) 74 ◗ ◗ Here are more examples of irregular past participles. irregular simple past example verb past tense participle keep kept kept I have kept the letter you sent me. catch caught caught The police have caught the thieves. bring brought brought Maggie has brought her favorite CD to school. make made made The children have made a birthday card for their mom. sell sold sold They’ve sold their car and now they buy bought bought have bought motorcycles. Some common irregular verbs have a past participle that is different from the simple past tense. irregular simple past example verb past form participle be was been Anna has been my best friend for years. break broke broken I’m sorry, I’ve broken your pencil. do did done Jack has already done his homework. draw drew drawn We’ve drawn a picture for you, Mom. drink drank drunk Have you drunk all your orange juice? eat ate eaten Someone has eaten all the chocolates. fall fell fallen One of the pictures has fallen off the wall. go went gone I’m sorry, but your train has already gone. know knew known I’ve known Michael for two years. see saw seen Kathleen has already seen that movie. speak spoke spoken Miss Hill has spoken to the principal about the problem. Verbs and Tenses: Irregular Past Participles 77 The Future Tense To show future action use the verbs shall and will with another verb that describes the action. n You can use either shall or will with the pronouns I and we. n Use will with the pronouns you, he, she, it and they. n Will is also used with singular nouns like ‘my dad’ and with plural nouns like ‘all the boys in my class’. I shall do my homework after dinner. I will miss you when you leave. We shall take the dog for a walk later. We will visit Grandma this weekend. He will be home later. She will help us cook the food for the party. It will soon be dark outside. I think it will be sunny tomorrow. I expect they will give you a present. Mom will be very pleased with you. Your plant will die without water. The school will soon need a lot of repairs. John and I shall be glad when the exams are over. Bill and Kim will be late for school if they don’t hurry. To make the negative form, use will and shall with not. The contraction for will not is won’t. I will not help you unless you help me first. It won’t be very sunny again until next summer. You won’t like this food. It’s horrible! We shall not go to the party without you. N o t e s You can shorten shall and will as ’ll when you use these words with pronouns: full form contraction I shall, I will I’ll we shall, we will we’ll you will you’ll he will he’ll she will she’ll it will it’ll they will they’ll ◗ Verbs and Tenses: The Future Tense ◗ 78 To talk about facts in the future or plans that will not change, use the simple present tense. Tomorrow is Sunday. Summer vacation ends on Friday. The new library opens next week. We fly to Paris on Wednesday. You can also talk about plans for the future and other future happenings by using be going to and another verb. Remember to: n Use am and was with the pronoun I. n Use is and was with the pronouns he, she and it, and with singular nouns like ‘my mom’ and ‘the teacher’. n Use are and were with the pronouns we, you and they, and with plural nouns like ‘my friends’ and ‘John and Sally’. I am going to visit my cousin tomorrow. I am going to see the new Star Wars movie next week. My friend John is going to move to Chicago next year. Dad is going to buy me a skateboard. Aunt Jane is going to have another baby soon. It is going to be windy tomorrow. I hope someone is going to fix the television soon. You are going to help me, aren’t you? My friends are going to teach me how to play chess. Mom and Dad are going to buy a new computer. Your books are going to fall off the shelf if you’re not careful. Are you going to read your book now? Verbs and Tenses: The Future Tense ◗ ◗ 79 Exercise 18 Decide whether shall and will are used correctly in each sentence. Put a checkmark in the box for a correct use and an x in the box for an incorrect use. 1. My dad will be home later. 2. I will never forget my days at school. 3. Tom and Kumar shall come with us. 4. The weather report says that it shall be sunny again tomorrow. 5. We will miss my cousins when they leave. 6. Raj and I shall feel happier when the exams are over. 7. It will be late when we arrive in London. 8. I shall stay awake all night and watch for Santa Claus. 9. My grandparents shall enjoy coming to our house for Christmas. 10. The winter holidays shall give us all a good rest. Exercise 19 Read the pairs of subjects and verbs below. Then write sentences about future events using the correct form of be going to. For example, for the first sentence you could write: My friend Tom is going to sleep at my house tonight. subject verb 1. My friend Tom sleep 2. We ride 3. The dog catch 4. Uncle Andy come 5. It rain 6. We eat 7. Jamal and I have 8. The teachers read ✗✓ 82 Exercise 20 Complete the following sentences with do, does or did. 1. I always my homework in my room. 2. Mom and Dad usually the laundry together. 3. You the same math problems last week. 4. We always our shopping at the farmers' market. 5. The children their work quietly while the teacher looks at their homework. 6. Uncle David magic tricks when he comes to visit. 7. Last night, Mom her exercises before bedtime. 8. Anna played the piano and Rachel a lively dance. 9. Kamal always well in math tests. 10. If John the cooking, will you the dishes? Exercise 21 Complete the following sentences with the contractions don’t, doesn’t or didn’t. 1. Katy go to school on the bus. 2. I like chocolate ice cream. 3. If the weather improve, we’ll have the party indoors. 4. worry about the mess. It does not matter. 5. I answer all the questions on the math test. 6. Mom and Dad work on weekends. 7. My sister and I visit Grandma last Sunday. 8. My friend John finish his homework yesterday. 9. Our neighbors like dogs very much. 10. Our teacher speak Japanese. 83 The Infinitive The infinitive is the base form of a verb. It is often preceded by the word to. Infinitives often appear after other verbs. The rain began to fall. Sally and I agreed to meet this afternoon. I’ve arranged to see the doctor at 3 o’clock. I hope to visit Disneyland someday. I like to ride my bike in the street. My parents have decided to buy a new car. Paul is learning to swim. I didn’t mean to upset you. Some verbs have an object before the infinitive. In these examples the objects are printed in color. Simon asked me to help him. The teacher told us not to run in the corridor. Susie persuaded her friends to play on the team. The manager allowed the staff to leave early. Infinitives often appear after adjectives. In these examples the adjectives are printed in color. The boys were afraid to cross the busy road. I’m very pleased to see you again. This problem will be difficult to solve. The shelf is too high to reach. Don’t you think it’s rude to ignore the new girl in class? The experiment was interesting to watch. You’re welcome to come with me. Verbs and Tenses: The Infinitive ◗ ◗ ◗ 84 You can also use infinitives after some nouns and pronouns to say what you are using something for. Take a book to read. I phoned for a taxi to take us to the airport. Has everyone got something to drink? I’ve got lots of nice clothes to wear. Find a space on the floor to sit in. Infinitives sometimes follow words like how, what, which and where. My brother is learning how to cook. I can’t decide which to choose—the ice cream or the pudding. I don’t know what to say. Sally can’t remember where to hang her coat. Infinitives are also used after helping verbs such as will, can, should, may and must. After these helping verbs use infinitives without the word to. I can swim. We think she will win the race. You must try harder. Do you think we should wait? May I come in? The Imperative Form of Verbs When you give an order or command, use the base form of a verb, such as give, read or come. This base form is called the imperative. Open your books to page 25. Stop and look before you cross the road. Come to the front of the class. Show me your homework. Read the first sentence out loud. Choose a partner and stand in a circle. N o t e s The helping verbs will, can, should, may and must are called auxiliary verbs. Verbs and Tenses: The Infinitive; The Imperative Form of Verbs ◗ ◗ ◗ ◗ 87 Exercise 24 Study the following pairs of verbs and nouns. Then write a sentence using each pair with the verb as an imperative. Try to use negatives in some of your sentences. For the first pair, you could write: Show him the picture. or Don’t show him the picture. verb noun 1. show picture 2. bring bike 3. eat sandwiches 4. wash hands 5. listen parents 6. wait name 7. sleep classroom 8. make noise Exercise 25 Make a gerund from each verb below. Then write a sentence using that gerund. For example, the gerund you can make from the first verb is cycling. You could write the sentence: She loves cycling in the countryside. verb gerund 1. cycle 2. paint 3. eat 4. sleep 5. watch 6. bake 7. fly 8. cook cycling 88 6 Auxiliary Verbs Auxiliary, or helping verbs, are used before infinitives to add a different meaning. For example, you use auxiliary verbs to say: n that someone is able to do something, n that someone is allowed to do something, or n that someone has to do something. The hellping verbs are can, could, would, should, ought to, will, shall, may, might and must. can and could Use can and could to say that someone is able to do something. She can draw really good pictures. Philip can run faster than Matt. Can you ride a bike? Can you help me with my homework? She could already read before she started school. Our teacher said we could go home early. I ran as fast as I could. Sarah could not come to the party because she was ill. You may also use can and could to say that someone is allowed to do something. My mom says you can come to our house for dinner. Dad says I can’t walk to school on my own. You can’t go in there without a ticket. Mom said I could have ice cream after my dinner. The big sign on the gate said PRIVATE, so we couldn’t go in. N o t e s n Could is the simple past tense form of can. n When you put not after can, write it as one word: cannot. They cannot find their way home. n The contraction of cannot is can’t, and the contraction of could not is couldn’t. They can’t find their way home. I’m full. I can’t eat any more. Sarah couldn’t come to the party because she was ill. ◗ ◗ 89 Can and could are also used for asking for information or help, for offering something, and for suggesting something. Can you tell me if this train goes to Topeka? Could you show me where the accident happened? Could you open that window, please? You can borrow my pen, if you like. Your sister could come with us, if she wanted to. I could lend you my football. We can go to the library instead. You could ask your dad to help us. John can borrow his brother’s skates. will and would Use will and would when you are asking someone to do something. Will you please stop making that noise? Would you pass me that book, please? Please, will you close the door? You can also use will and would to offer something or to suggest something. Will I hold this end of the rope? Will I carry the bag for you? Would you like another drink? Which cake would you like? shall and should You can use shall and should to ask for advice, offer something and suggest something. Should I bring waterproof clothes? Shall I go by car, or will it be better to walk? Should I phone the police? Shall I help you with that heavy bag? Shall we go home now? You should try that new French restaurant. ◗ ◗ ◗ ◗ Auxiliary Verbs: will and would; shall and should N o t e s The contraction of will not is won’t and the contraction of would not is wouldn’t: Won’t you stay and eat with us? Wouldn’t it be better to wait? 92 would be Exercise 2 Complete the sentences using would or wouldn’t with a verb from the list below. The first one has been done for you. stop work help take like wait buy be move enjoy 1. We hoped it sunny for our picnic. 2. I pushed the horse hard but it . 3. I asked Dad if he me some ice cream. 4. you some more orange juice? 5. Sally switched on her computer but it . 6. Mom and Dad said they me to the zoo as a treat. 7. We sat in the house and wished the rain . 8. Uncle David said he me with my homework. 9. The man said he until the doctor was free. 10. I knew you playing my new video game. Exercise 3 Tell whether each sentence below uses may or may not correctly. Show a correct use with a checkmark or an incorrect use with an x . 1. Andrew may not go out to play now because he has finished his homework. 2. Take an umbrella. It may not rain. 3. Please may we not watch television now? 4. You may not hurt yourself with that sharp knife. 5. I may come out to play later if I’m feeling better. 6. They are late. The bus may not have broken down. 7. “May I read the story you have written?” “Yes, you may not.” 8. “May Andrew stay for dinner?” “Yes, he may.” ✓ ✗ 93 should stop Exercise 4 Complete the sentences using should or shouldn’t and a verb from the list below. The first one has been done for you. go eat stop believe think wait try read let listen 1. They making all that noise. It’s disturbing people. 2. Mom says I more vegetables. 3. We everything we see on television. 4. You more about other people and less about yourself. 5. It’s getting late. I home now. 6. You your best. 7. You letters that are addressed to other people. 8. Parents their children go out after dark. 9. Students outside the door until the teacher tells them to come in. 10. Children to the advice their parents give them. Exercise 5 Now rewrite the sentences from Exercise 4 above, using ought to or ought not to. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 94 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Exercise 6 Complete the sentences using must or mustn’t with a verb from the list below. The first one has been done for you. go eat stop believe tell steal be read park listen 1. You at the curb and look before you cross the street. 2. Children to the teacher if they want to learn. 3. You everything your friends tell you. 4. You the question carefully before you write the answer. 5. If you want to be healthy, you a lot of fruits and vegetables. 6. You out on your own at night. 7. We because it is wrong. 8. Drivers their cars in the middle of the road. 9. If you want people to be nice to you, you nasty to them. 10. You always the truth. must stop 97 The library is closed today and tomorrow (10 & 11 May). It will be reopened on 12 May. Librarian Adverbs of Frequency Some adverbs and adverb phrases answer the question “how often?” They are called adverbs of frequency. Katy practices the piano regularly. The children always go to school on the bus. I’ll never make that mistake again. Have you ever been to Japan? We’ve been to Disneyland twice. The shops are often very busy. The newspaper is delivered daily. We walk home from school every day. I clean my bedroom every week. Have you forgotten my name? I’ve told you three times already. Dad polishes his shoes twice a week. You should go to the dentist once every six months. Adverbs of Duration Some adverbs and adverb phrases answer the question “how long?” They are called adverbs of duration. The library is temporarily closed. We’re staying in a hotel overnight. The teacher left the classroom briefly. The snow lasted for three days. Mom was away a very long time. Stand still for a moment while I comb your hair. He talked to his girlfriend for over an hour. We waited for ages for a bus. I haven’t seen my cousins for two years. We stayed up all night talking. Adverbs of Frequency and Duration 98 Adverbs of Emphasis We have seen that most adverbs describe verbs, but remember that some adverbs also describe adjectives or other adverbs. They are usually used to add emphasis. Here are some examples. The emphasizing adverbs are printed in bold. The adjectives or adverbs they describe are printed in color. Anna can run really fast. That’s a very good drawing. My rice is too hot. The film was just terrible. Your excuses are completely unbelievable. These old tools are totally useless. She sings quite beautifully. Exercise 1 Choose an adjective from the box and turn it into an adverb to complete the sentences below. The first one has been done for you. close firm bright neat careful quick sad regular quiet clear 1. She writes very . 2. You have to talk when you’re in the library. 3. Carry the glass so you don’t drop it. 4. You should exercise if you want to stay fit. 5. “Goodbye. I’m going to miss you,” she said . 6. The sky was blue and the sun was shining . 7. If you follow us , you won’t get lost. 8. I can’t understand you. Please speak more . 9. Let’s walk so we get home before it starts to rain. 10. Attach the sign to the wall. neatly Adverbs: Adverbs of Emphasis 99 Exercise 2 Are the bold words in the following sentences adverbs or adjectives? Write adverb or adjective on the line after each sentence. 1. The teacher smiled kindly. 2. She has a lovely smile. 3. The children in my class are very friendly. 4. John had no friends and felt very lonely. 5. It was raining, so they wisely decided to stay in. 6. My dad buys a daily newspaper. 7. Some snakes are deadly. 8. I’ve nearly finished my homework. 9. I shook hands politely with the head teacher. 10. They played some very lively games. Exercise 3 Circle the verb in each sentence below. Then underline the adverb or adverb phrase that describes the verb. What kind of adverb is it? Write M for manner, T for time, P for place, F for frequency or D for duration in the box after each sentence. The first one has been done for you. 1. Kent did his homework carelessly. 2. We start our vacation next week. 3. Farah read the poem in a very clear voice. 4. The accident happened during the afternoon. 5. The man walked very slowly. 6. My cousin arrived yesterday. 7. I left my schoolbag in the car. 8. It stopped raining for a few minutes. 9. Dad goes jogging regularly. 10. We eat our meals in the dining room. M