U Can Talk!

English Grammar Module

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8 Parts of Speech
Nouns
Verbs
Pronouns
Adverbs
Adjectives
Prepositions
Conjunctions
Interjections
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A word is like an actor !!..
and changes its behavior to suit the role
it is playing,
the same word can be a different part of
speech depending on what it does in a
sentence!!
Please light the candle - VERB
This suitcase is very light - ADJECTIVE
The light was very bright - NOUN
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Nouns
Proper Nouns
Common Nouns
Abstract Nouns
Singular & Plural nouns
Collective Nouns
Countable Nouns
Uncountable Nouns
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Examples of Each
Proper nouns Mumbai, Suresh
Common nouns dog, flowers
Abstract nouns happiness, beauty,
dishonesty, contentment, hatred
Singular or Plural nouns cat, cats
Collective nouns flock, staff, family
Countable nouns chairs, books
Uncountable nouns hair, water, luggage,
accommodation, advice
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Some Rules for Nouns
Proper nouns always start with the capital
letter
Collective nouns are treated as a single unit
and take the singular verb
Eg. The regiment was marching
Some nouns are only in the plural form eg.
scissors, trousers, clothes
Some nouns are only in the singular form eg.
luggage, accomodation.They need to be
prefaced by words like a an item of a piece
of Some nouns are in most cases uncountable
Eg milk, water, hair, rice
Forms of verbs
The
Infinitive
Simple
Present
Simple
Past
Present
Participle
Past
Participle
to eat eat ate eating eaten
to give give gave giving given
to cut cut cut cutting cut
to drive drive drove driving driven
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Three Important Verbs
TO BE is, am, are, was, were, being,
been
TO HAVE have, has, had, having
TO DO do, does, did, doing, done
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TO BE is used to.
Describe something or someone
Eg Aishwarya is a beautiful woman
Make a general statement
Eg The weather was very hot yesterday.
To describe a mood or state of mind
Eg I am angry with my daughter
As a supporting verb to form the
present & past continuous tenses - Eg
They were eating
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TO HAVE is used to.
To show ownership or possession
Eg She has blue eyes
Eg He had a pet Alsatian when he was a
small boy
While forming the present or past
perfect tense
Eg I have eaten my lunch
Eg He had left by the time I reached home
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TO DO is used to..
To show that some action is in progress or
completed
Eg- She does her homework every evening
Eg This group is doing very well
To form the negative
Eg I dont want to go to office today
Eg He doesnt like chocolate
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Tenses
Simple Present Tense
Present Continuous Tense
Present Perfect Tense
Simple Past Tense
Past Continuous Tense
Past Perfect Tense
Simple Future Tense
Future Continuous Tense
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Simple Present
This tense is used to indicate
actions that happen generally or
regularly.
It is also used to state facts
Examples
I eat an apple everyday
The weather is very hot today
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FORMULA FOR SIMPLE PRESENT
Subject + simple present verb form OR
present tense of the verb To Be
(Is/Am/Are) = Simple Present Tense
Eg I (subject) eat (simple present - verb)
an apple everyday stating an action
that happens everyday
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Present Continuous
This tense tells us that the action is not
completed and is still continuing in the
present.
It is made up of two part verbs
Examples
I am eating an apple
They are playing football
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Formula for PRESENT
CONTINUOUS
Subject + simple present tense of the
verb to be (am, is, are)
+ present participle
= Present Continuous Tense
*( Note: Present participle is formed by
adding ing to the infinitive eg sleep +
ing = sleeping)
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Some Exceptions to be noted..
Note: Certain verbs cannot be used in the
continuous tense
Verbs of feeling- like, love, hate, prefer, want
(X Im loving it !! (Macdonalds)
Verbs of thought know, understand,
remember, believe, realize
The verb have cannot be used to show
possession in the continuous tense.
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Present Perfect
This tense is used when speaking about an
action/event that has just been completed.
This tense is used when one is more
concerned about the impact of the
action/event on the present that the
action/event itself. Its often used with
adverbs like just, already, recently etc.
Examples
o I have just eaten my breakfast
o Im sorry I have forgotten your name.
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FORMULA FOR PRESENT PERFECT
Subject + Present tense of the verb
have / has + past participle
= Present Perfect Tense
Eg.- Im sorry I cannot offer you any
chocolates the children have eaten
them all.
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been working with Principal for the
last 3 years
I have been working with Principal since /
from July 2007
Have + been + present participle
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Simple Past
This tense is used to indicate an
action/event that has been completed in
the past, or to make a statement about
an action/event that was completed in the
past
Examples
o I ate an apple yesterday
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FORMULA FOR SIMPLE PAST
Subject + Past Tense of the verb to
be i.e. (was / were) OR
past tense form of any verb
= Simple Past Tense
Eg He died in the second world war
She went to Mumbai last month.
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Past Continuous
This tense is usually used to
indicate an action that was
continuing in the past, when it was
interrupted by another action.
Example
I was sleeping, when the doorbell
rang
1
st
action- Past Continuous
2
nd
action Simple Past
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FORMULA FOR PAST CONTINUOUS
Subject + past tense
of verb to be (was /
were) + present
participle
= Past Continuous
Tense
Eg. They were driving down
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Past Perfect
This tense is used to show the sequence
in which two actions/events happened in
the past.
Example
o When we arrived at the party, everyone
had left
(When we arrived at the party everyone
left!!)
1
st
action in past perfect
2
nd
action in simple past
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FORMULA FOR PAST PERFECT
Subject + Past tense of verb
have i.e. had + past participle
= Past Perfect Tense
Eg. They had finished all the food by the
time we reached
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Simple Future
This tense is used to indicate
actions/events that have not taken place as
yet, but will occur in the future
Example - I will meet you tomorrow
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FORMULA FOR SIMPLE
FUTURE
Subject + Will + simple present
= Simple Future Tense
Future Continuous
Used in a predictive sense to talk about
actions / events that are expected to be
happening / taking place in the future
Eg This time next week I will be driving
down to Mumbai.
Next year we will be living in our new house
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FORMULA FOR FUTURE
CONTINUOUS
Subject + Will + BE + present participle
= Future Continuous Tense
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Some exceptions to the tense
rules
The Present Tense is sometimes used to
indicate Future actions/events
This is done when one is referring to
timetables, future arrangements, schedules
etc.
Examples
The party starts at 6o clock
His train arrives at 10 pm
Were leaving for Goa next week
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Adjectives
Adjectives are words that gives us more
information about a noun or pronoun
He is a handsome man (adj. of Quality)
She didnt have much money. (adj. of
Quantity)
That house is for sale (demonstrative adj.)
Mrs. Rao is reading to her son. (Possessive
adj.)
(The possessor determines both the number
and gender of the adjective)
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Adverbs
Words that tell us more about the verb are
called adverbs
Most adverbs are formed from adjectives
by adding ly to them
Examples
The baby was playing happily (manner)
I went to Kashmir recently (time)
We meet often (frequency)
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Degrees of Adverbs and
Adjectives
Adverbs
Soon sooner soonest
Angrily less angrily least angrily
Anxiously more anxiously most
anxiously
Adjectives
Good better best
Old older oldest
Bad worse worst
Pronouns
A pronoun is a word used in place of a
noun
There are 5 Types of Pronouns
Personal Pronouns
Reflexive Pronouns
Emphasizing Pronouns
Possessive Pronouns
Relative Pronouns
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Personal Pronouns
Subject Pronouns I, we, you, he, she,
they, it (doers of the action)
Object Pronouns me, us, you, him, her,
them, it (receivers of the action)
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Reflexive Pronouns
When the action of the subject reflects on the
subject itself.
Eg. I burnt myself while cooking.
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Emphasizing Pronouns
This pronoun is used to emphasize a point
Eg When I went to her house Aishwarya Rai
made tea for me herself
Possessive Pronouns
This pronoun is used to show possession
Eg This book is mine
This car is theirs, The dog wagged its tail
(Important Note: no apostrophes needed
before the s in the case of possessive
pronouns)
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Relative Pronouns
Time Reason Person Place Thing
Subject who, that Where that,which
Object when why Who/whom/
that
that, which
Possessive whose whose
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Articles
The three articles are:-
A, AN, THE
Some important rules for articles:-
A & AN are used only for singular objects
A & AN are used for indefinite or general
articles
A is used before words with consonantal
sounds
AN is used before words with vowel sounds
For plural general objects SOME is used.
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ARTICLES
INDEFINITE
Singular:
a dog (any dog)
an apple (any apple)
Plural:
some dogs (any
dogs)
some apples (any
apples)
DEFINITE
Singular:
the dog (that specific
dog)
the apple (that
specific apple)
Plural:
the dogs (those
specific dogs)
the apples (those
specific apples)
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ARTICLES
First vs. Subsequent Mention
A or an is used to introduce a noun when it
is mentioned for the first time in a piece of
writing.
The is used afterward each time you
mention that same noun.
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ARTICLES
an egg
a broken egg
I have an MA in English Language
an unusual problem
a European country (sounds like 'yer-o-pi-
an,' i.e. begins with consonant 'y' sound)
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ARTICLES
The indefinite articles are also used to
indicate membership in a profession,
nation, or religion.
I am a teacher.
Brian is an Irishman.
Ajays son is a Dentist
George is a Christian.
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ARTICLES
The is not used with non countable nouns
referring to something in a general sense:
[no article] Tea is a popular drink in India.
[no article] Marathi is his native language.
The is used with non countable nouns that
are made more specific by a limiting
modifying phrase or clause:
The coffee in my cup is too hot to drink.
The Marathi he speaks is often heard in the
villages.
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ARTICLES
The is also used when a noun refers to
something unique:
the Parliament House
the theory of gravity
the 1999 union budget
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ARTICLES
Use the before:
Names of rivers, oceans & seas (the Nile)
Points on the globe (the Equator, the North
Pole)
Geographical areas (the Middle East, the West
Mountain ranges the Himalayas, the Andes
Deserts, forests etc, (the Sahara, the Persian
Gulf, the Black Forest).
When referring to playing an instrument or
even when referring to a musical instrument
My daughter is learning to play the key board
I like the sound of the tabla
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Articles
Use THE before
An adjective in the superlative degree. Eg. -
Mohd Ali was the best boxer in his times.
Mount Everest is the highest peak in the
world.
Before a common noun denoting a class or a
category. Eg. The tiger, The Japanese, The
rich should help the poor
Words that describe a specific title or
specifically describe a common noun. Eg - I
am waiting to meet THE Chairman
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USAGE OF THE IN
GEOGRAPHICAL CONTEXTS
Do not use the before:
Names of countries (Italy, Mexico, Bolivia) except the
Netherlands and the US, UK, UAE
Names of cities, towns, continents, or states (Delhi,
Mumbai, Moscow)
Names of streets (Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Main Str.)
Names of individual mountains / mountain peaks (Mount
Everest, Mount Fuji)
Names of individuals, organisations (Proper Nouns)
Names of islands (Easter Island, Iceland, Key West)
except with island chains like the Aleutians, the Hebrides,
or the Canary Islands, the Andamans, the Lakhwadeep
islands etc.
Names of sports / games etc.
Example - The children were playing cricket.
Example - I like playing carrom / table tennis /
badminton etc.
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NO ARTICLES TO BE USED
BEFORE..
PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES
Eg We traveled to Mumbai by road
(not by the road)
Eg we had a lot of guests for dinner
(not for the dinner)
Eg we reached at night (not at the
night)
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Modifiers
Use of modifiers: Modifiers are words or
phrases which change or the restrict the
meaning of other words in a sentence. Care
should be taken to place the modifier nearest
to the word/ phrase it modifies, as failing to
do this will result in confused and at time
funny sounding sentences !! The entire
meaning of the sentence can also change
because of bad placement of the modifier
Eg Only Hari has been granted leave for two
days (Lucky fellow!) Hari has been granted
leave for only two days (poor fellow!) (Here
ONLY is the adverb modifier)
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Modifiers
Eg The man in the office with a long beard is
getting married !! (Looks like the office needs
a shave !) (Here with a long beard is the
prepositional phrase modifier)
The man with a long beard in office is getting
married. (that makes more sense)
1
st
2
nd
, 3
rd
Person
1
st
personis the person/s talking
(I, We)
2
nd
personis the person/s being
talked to (you)
3
rd
personis the person/s being
talked about (he, she, it, they)
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Moods of Verbs
The mood of a verb expresses the manner/mood
in which the action is being done. Some of the
moods are
Indicative mood Used for statements and
questions eg. What are you doing ?
Imperative mood Used for commands and
requests eg. Come here ! Keep quiet !
Subjunctive mood Used to express a
wish/hope/prayer that something may happen
eg. May you live to be a hundred.
If I were a millionaire I would travel round the
world
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Some important points to be
noted
Verbs behave differently when used with
the 3
rd
person singular in the present
tenses (simple)
Eg I do, you do, they do, he/she/it does
I go, you go, they go, he/she/it goes
I eat, you eat, they eat, he/she/it
eats
3 moods of verbs
Indicative What are you doing ?
Imperative Keep quiet !
Subjunctive/Conditional If I were a
millionaire I would eat off gold plates.
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THE THREE GENDERS
MASCULINE man, boy, lion, bull
FEMININE woman, girl, lioness,
cow
NEUTER doctor, scientist, teacher
Use of Pronouns with each gender:-
Masculine he, his, him
Feminine she, hers, her
Neuter it, they, them
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Conjunctions
A word that connects sentences and
phrases is called a conjunction
Examples
She is clever but disorganized
She is intelligent and hardworking
They won the match because they
practised regularly
He has been upset since he got his
results
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Interjections
An interjection is a word used to
show emotions, reactions and
exclamations.
All interjections have to be followed
by an exclamation mark !
Examples
How terrible ! The aircraft
crashed.
Yippee ! Ive won the lottery
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Direct and Indirect Speech
Direct Speech is the speech of a person
narrated exactly as spoken by the person
and is in the first person and is always
enclosed within quotation marks .
Examples Jayanta said, I am very
fond of chocolates.
Indirect speech or Reported speech is a
description of the speech of a person, but
not the actual words. It is not enclosed
within quotation marks.
Examples Jayanta said that he was
very fond of chocolates.
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Prepositions
English Preposition Rule
Rule
Without exception - A preposition is
followed by a "noun". It is never
followed by a verb.
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Prepositions
AT - Point IN
Enclosed
space
ON -
Surface
at the corner
at the bus stop
at the door
at the top of the
page
at the end of the
road
at the entrance
at the crossroads
in the garden
in London
in France
in a box
in my pocket
in my wallet
in a building
in a car
on the wall
on the ceiling
on the door
on the cover
on the floor
on the carpet
on the menu
on a page
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Prepositions of Time
At -
PRECISE
TIME
In -MONTHS,
YEARS, CENTURIES
and LONG PERIODS
On -DAYS and
DATES
at 3 o'clock
at 10.30am
at noon
at
dinnertime
at bedtime
at sunrise
at sunset
at the
moment
in May
in summer
in the summer
in 1990
in the 1990s
in the next century
in the Ice Age
in the past/future
on Sunday
on Tuesdays
on 6 March
on 25 Dec. 2010
on Christmas Day
on Independence
Day
on my birthday
on New Year's Eve
Prepositions
BY is used when one wants
to indicate a causative
factor/vehicle
She was hit BY a bus.
He goes to office BY car.
(exception foot / cycle)
I was bitten BY a dog last
week. (Passive speech)
WITH is used to show a
tool or accompanying
person/object/animal etc.
She went to the party WITH
her friends.
I cut the cake WITH a knife.
I was angry WITH her.
AT is used when showing
the direction where attention or
action is aimed. It is also used
when speaking of time or a
specific point of location.
He was looking AT the
painting.
She stopped AT a wayside
restaurant, for a cup of tea.
I will meet you AT the front
gate AT 6 pm.
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Prepositions
IN is used to show that
something or someone is
already inside and at rest
(not moving) it is also used
while speaking of large
towns/places and enclosed
spaces.
My boss is IN his cabin at
the moment.
I was born IN Mumbai.
She lives IN a beautiful
farmhouse.
INTO is used to show
entrance.
I just saw my boss going
INTO his cabin.
TO shows a connection/linkage
between two persons/objects or
actions/events, also used to show
comparison
Ravi is married TO Rita.
I prefer the colour pink TO
red.
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Prepositions
FROM is used to show the
beginning or a certain fixed
point of time and is used with
all tenses, it is also used to
indicate a place or point of
exit or origin.
I shall be on leave FROM
Monday.
I have been on leave FROM
Monday
SINCE is used in similar
situations as FROM but is in
most cases used with the perfect
tense i.e. with the prefix have
been (Since also usually refers
to past events/actions while
From is used for both past &
future actions/events)
I have been on leave SINCE
Monday
FOR is used to indicate the
entire period/duration under
consideration.
I will be on leave FOR 10 days
FROM Monday
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ABOUT is used to indicate
exchange of information or
querying for information
with regards to someone/
something.
What do you know ABOUT her ?
ON is used to show the
position on top of someone or
something.
The book is on the top shelf in my
cupboard
ONTO is used to show
the action of climbing on
top of someone or
something.
The groom climbed onto the
horses back with great difficulty
UNDER is used to
indicate beneath
something/one.
OVER is used to
indicate above
something/one
ACROSS indicates on
the other side of.
I found my pen UNDER the
bed.
The plane flew OVER the
mountains.
My best friend lives ACROSS
the road.
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UNLESS is used to show
a condition
UNTIL is also used to
show condition, but a
condition related to a
time frame.
WITHOUT is used to
show a lack of someone/
something.
BETWEEN is used for two
persons, and AMONG is
used for more the two
persons.
I am not going for the
party UNLESS you come
with me.
I will wait here UNTIL he
comes home.
I went to the party
WITHOUT my husband.
Please divide the pastry
between the two of you.
Share the chocolates
among the entire class.
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Asking Questions & saying
No!
Interrogative & Negative
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Types of Questions
Open Ended Close Ended
Also called W questions
Uses the words where,
what, why, who, when,
which, how to ask questions
along with supporting verbs
to construct the sentences
Used when detailed answers
are required
Eg. Where do you live?
Also called Yes/No
questions.
Uses the supporting verbs
to be, to do & to have to as
well as defective verbs like -
can, could, may, will, shall
etc. to ask questions
Used when yes/No answers
are required
Eg. Do you live in Pashan?
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Leading Questions
Not very commonly used
A combination of a statement and question
Used when one wants to crosscheck
something
Eg. You are going for a party today,
arent you?
You dont have to attend that meeting, do
you?
She is married to your cousin, isnt she?
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FORMING THE
INTERROGATIVE
Some form their interrogative by the
simple method of reversing the order of the
subject and verb. This is called
INVERSION.
They are:
Is, am are, was, were, have (has, had),
will (would),shall (should), may (might),
must, can (could)
Constructing close ended
questions in various
tenses.
Negative & Interrogative
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Simple Present
Positive / Negative/ Interrogative
She eats an apple everyday.
She doesnt eat an apple everyday
Does she eat an apple everyday?
He is an honest man.
He isnt an honest man
Is he an honest man?
They are a nice family.
They arent a nice family.
Are they a nice family ?
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Present Continuous
Positive / Negative / Interrogative
Im eating a chocolate
Im not eating a chocolate
Shes eating a chocolate
She isnt eating a chocolate
Is she eating a chocolate ?
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Present Perfect
Positive / Negative / Interrogative
I have eaten a chocolate.
I havent eaten a chocolate
She has eaten a chocolate.
She hasnt eaten a chocolate.
Has she eaten a chocolate ?
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Present Perfect Continuous
I have been studying all morning.
We have been studying all morning.
She has been studying all morning.
She hasnt been studying all morning
Has she been studying all morning ?
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Simple Past
I ate a chocolate yesterday
I didnt eat a chocolate yesterday
She ate a chocolate yesterday
She didnt eat a chocolate yesterday
Did she eat a chocolate yesterday ?
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Past Continuous Tense
I was sleeping when the electricity went
I wasnt sleeping when the electricity went
She was sleeping when the electricity went
She wasnt sleeping when the electricity
went
Was she sleeping when the electricity
went?
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Past Perfect Tense
Positive/ Negative / Interrogative
Id eaten my lunch by the time the guest
arrived
I hadnt eaten my lunch by the time the
guest arrived
They had eaten their lunch by the time
the guest arrived.
They hadnt eaten their lunch by the
time the guest arrived
Had they eaten their lunch by the time
the guest arrived ?
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Simple Future
She will revise her work
She wont revise her work.
Will she revise her work?
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AUXILIARY/ DEFECTIVE OR
DISOBEDIENT VERBS
Concepts and usage of these Special
verbs
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AUXILIARY/ DEFECTIVE VERBS
Some verbs that behave
differently:-
1. be(am, is, are, were, was, being, been)
2. have (has,have, had)
3. do(did,doing,done)
4. shall (should)
5. will (would)
6. can (could)
7. may(might)
8. must
9. need
10. used to
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Uses of Auxiliary Verbs
To form Negative
Ex I do not like bananas
To form interrogative
Ex - Do you like bananas ?
To form various tenses
Ex - I have just eaten lunch
Ex - We will go for a movie tomorrow
To form the passive voice
Ex He was bitten by a snake
To form the conditional
Ex - I would travel round the world if I could
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AUXILIARY OR HELPING VERBS
These are called helping verbs as they
help in the following ways:- They help
form -
the Negative - I DO not eat beef.
the Interrogative DO you eat beef ?
the Present Perfect Tense She HAS
taken her daughter to the dentist, or HAVE
you eaten lunch ?
the Past Perfect Tense They HAD eaten
all the food by the time I reached home
the Present Continuous Tense. - She IS
cooking lunch.
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AUXILIARY OR HELPING VERBS
the Past Continuous Tense eg He
WAS studying when he heard a loud
noise.
the Future Tense I WILL go to the
doctor tomorrow
the Passive Voice The man WAS
bitten by the snake.
the Conditional I WOULD travel round
the world if I COULD afford it.
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Why are they called defective or
disobedient ?
All other verbs have the following forms:
Infinitive - to eat, to sleep, to do
Simple present eat, sleep, do
Present Participle eating, sleeping, doing
Past Participle eaten, slept, done
Simple Past ate, slept, did
BUT defective verbs DO NOT have all these
forms
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Some important defective or
disobedient verbs
TO BE
Used alone or along with other verbs to the
form the Simple Present, Simple Past,
Present Continuous, Past Continuous,
Future continuous and the Passive voice.
Eg The machine is being used in the
other OT. (Passive Voice)
I have been robbed. (passive voice)
We shall be blamed for this mistake.
(passive voice)
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Some important defective or
disobedient verbs
Can & May
Forms Simple Present & Simple Past
can & could
May & might only Simple Present &
Simple Past
They do not have an infinitive,
present participle or past participle
form
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CAN AND MAY their meanings and
usage
Can means to be able to
Example Can you breathe properly with the mask on
?
Could you breathe with the mask on?
BUT For other tenses one needs to use be able to in
place of can
Example Will you be able to breathe with the mask
on? (Future tense)
Have you been able to breathe with the mask on?
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CAN AND MAY their meanings
and usage
May is used to show doubt and to ask for
permission
Example May I use your toilet?
I may go to Mumbai next week
For the other tenses we use allow, permit or
let in place of may
Example She has allowed me to use the
toilet (PP)
She will permit me to use the toilet (FT)
She is permitting me to use the toilet (PC)
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Some important defective or
disobedient verbs
Must
Only one form i.e. Simple Present
Must has two meanings:-
A command or compulsion
Example You must eat only after washing
your hands
A conclusion or reasonable assumption
Example You must be tired of waiting for so
long
Negative I mustnt forget to visit my
grandmother today
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Should & Would
Should and would in addition to being the past
tense form of will and shall are very often used
with other verbs to make conditional sentences.
Would is also used to make polite conversation
Examples
You should work hard if you want to see results.
I would definitely help you if I could.
Geeta would read more if she had the time.
I would like to open a bank account.
Would you like a cup of coffee?
94
Difference between usage of
shall & will
Shall
In the 1
st
person used for
routine actions eg. I
shall begin the lecture by
9 am.
In 2
nd
& 3
rd
person used to
show determination or a
promise
eg. He shall donate a part of
a pocket money to
charity.
Cannot use shall for 2
nd
for
3
rd
person interrogative.
Eg. Shall he lend some
money to me?
Will
In the 1
st
person used to
show determination or a
promise. Eg. I will not
tolerate any disrespectful
behaviour from my
children
In the 2
nd
& 3
rd
person used
for routine actions. Eg.
They will bathe the dog
today.
Cannot use will for 1
st
person interrogative eg.
Will I make you a cup of
tea?
*But will can be used in 1
st
person interrogative to
express doubt Will we
reach on time to catch the
train?
95
SOME EXERCISES
In each of the following sentences replace the
underlined words with can, could, may, might
or must
We are able to lift that box
My mother said we were allowed to play
indoors
Grandmother is likely to be tired after the long
journey
He was so tall he was able to reach the top
shelf
Mr.Sharma is probably relieved that his
illness is not serious
He said he wasnt able to come to the
meeting
96
SOME EXERCISES
You have to stick both sides of the paper
Madam says Im permitted to enter the
classroom
It is necessary for me to ask for a loan
Everyone is compelled to obey the law
It seems reasonable to suppose that you
must be anxious to know the exam
results
Anisa has to look after her younger sister
97
Going to
Going to A way of expressing future
action or a deliberate intention or threat.
Example - I am going to tell your father what
you have done. We are going to drive
throughout the night.
Also used to express the strong probability
that something will happen.
Example - The weather experts are sure that
the river is going to flood as a result of the
continuous heavy rains we have been having
during the last two weeks.
98
Constructing Going to sentences
Subject + (is, am, are, was, were)
+ going to + simple present tense
of a verb = going to sentence
Example I am going to tell your
father.
They were going to drive to
Mumbai
99
Used to
Used to : helps to express the state or condition of
person, place or object in the past, before a change
(either negative or positive) took place.
Also expresses certain actions or events of the past.
Example
When we visited our native village as children, we
used to spend the whole day breaking and eating
tamrinds and mangoes from the trees.
The personality development course has really changed
her, she used to be such a shy and quiet person
before.
100
Constructing Used to sentences
Subject + used to + simple present
tense of a verb = used to sentence
Example
We used to break tamrinds from the
neighbours tree when we were
young.
They used to go for a walk every
morning during their holiday
101
PUNCTUATION
Apostrophe - ()
(done in detail later)
Quotation Marks ()
Eg He said, Let us consider the first suggestion.
Eg Your interpretation of socialism is different from mine. (here single
quotation marks can be used as well)
Dash - (_)
Eg A similar exercise-you would recall- was done last year
Hyphen - (-)
Eg Chicken-hearted, cross-examine (compound words)
Eg anti-inflation, re-educate (complex words)
Eg forty-six (compound numbers)
Brackets - ( )
Eg We have already discussed (chapter 7) how to deal with such
situations. (to show reference)
Eg Immovable property (land and buildings) can be offered as security.
(to insert a parenthesis)
102
Apostrophe
Contractions
I cant find the file.
You shouldnt be breaking the rules of
the organization.
o Hes been unwell since last Monday
Possession
The Directors secretary has been jailed.
The managers file has been stolen.
Keats books (single syllable name)
Dickens book (multi-syllable name)
103
Apostrophe
Plurals
The department was set up in the 90s.
The trainee got two As in
Communication Skills.
Incorrect or no usage of apostrophe
I wont be able to meet that deadline.
Gary computer contains some sensitive
information
The company was established in the
80s.
She got four Bs in her assessment.
104
CAPITALIZATION:
Capitals are used for:-
1. Names of persons, places, rivers, oceans,
mountains, organizations and designations
Example Delhi, Mahesh, Ganga, Bureau of
Statistics, Himalaya
2. Names of days and months
Example Monday, January
3. Holidays and religious days
Example New Year, Diwali, Christmas
4. Adjectives of nationality
Example French, Indian, German
105
CAPITALIZATION:
Name of trains, aero planes and ships
Example Shatabdi, Deccan Queen, Sagar
Samrat
6. Abbreviations of degrees, eras and
organizations
Example B.E., A.D., UNESCO
7. Names and pronouns referring to god
Example Our Father in Heaven
8. 9. At the beginning of a direct
quotation and a sentence
Example Hari said, You have done a
great job.
106
ABBREVIATIONS & NUMERALS
Abbreviations are commonly used
for:-
Days of the week & months of the
year
Example - Mon, Tue, Jan, Feb
Titles before names
Example - Mr. Smt. Dr. Prof. Maj., Capt.,
Measurements & weights
Example cms., kg, mm, gms.
Miscellaneous Example - RSVP, etc.,
107
Some more forms of verbs
The Present Infinitive: This is one of the
non-finite forms of verbs.
The usual rule while constructing a sentence
with the Present Infinitive is to put a to
before it when it comes after another verb
or verbs.
Eg- I was waiting to cross the road.
She tried to start the car.
They went to meet their grandmother in
the hospital.
We all like to watch television.
108
Active and Passive Voice
In sentences that have a subject and an object one
needs to have a transitive verb as the action of the
subject travels to or affects the object.
Example - The dog bit the man the dog (subject) is
the doer and the man (object) is the receiver of the
action being done by the dog (i.e. biting)
But sometimes by shifting the words around in the
sentence one can make it such that the subject is no
longer the doer of the action as in this example
The man was bitten by the dog.
In the above sentence the man who was actually the
object in the original version of this sentence now
becomes the subject of the sentence
109
Active and Passive Voice
The Passive voice can only be made from
sentences which have transitive verbs.
A transitive verbs ensures that an action
is travelling from the subject to the
object.
If there is no receiver of an action the
passive voice cannot be created
The purpose of passive voice is in cases
where the receiver of the action (object)
is more important than the doer of the
action (subject)
Places where Passive Voice is
used
When the Subject is unknown
When the Object is more important
than the Subject
Eg The dog (subject) bit the man
(obj)
The man (obj) was bitten by the
dog (sub)
The xxx robbed the jewelry store
The jewelry store was robbed
110
111
Constructing the Passive Voice
Simple Present
- Babies drink milk (Active)
- Milk is drunk by babies (Passive)
Object + present tense of the to be
verb + Past Participle = Passive
voice (Simple Present)
112
Constructing the Passive Voice
Simple Past
- Meena & Ratan made a sand castle
(Active)
- A sand castle was made by Meena
and Ratan (Passive)
Object + past tense of the to be
verb + Past Participle = Passive
voice (Simple Past)
113
Constructing the Passive Voice
Simple Future
- Meena & Ratan will make a sand
castle (Active)
- A sand castle will be made by
Meena and Ratan (Passive)
Object + will + be + Past Participle =
Passive voice (Simple Future)
114
Constructing the Passive Voice
Present / Past Continuous
- Meena & Ratan are making a sand
castle (Active)
- A sand castle is being made by
Meena and Ratan (Passive)
Object + Present / Past tense of to
be verb + being + Past Participle =
Passive voice (Present / Past
Continuous)
115
Constructing the Passive Voice
Present / Past Perfect
- Meena & Ratan have made a sand castle
(Active)
- A sand castle has been made by Meena and
Ratan (Passive)
Object + have / has / had + been + Past
Participle = Passive voice (Present / Past
Continuous)
116
Active & Passive Voice
Examples Tigers eat deer. Deer are eaten
by tigers (Simple Present)
Ravi completed the project within 10 days
The project was completed (by Ravi)
within 10 days. (Simple Past)
The Police will arrest the thief by
tomorrow The thief will be arrested by
tomorrow - (Simple Future)
The cats have eaten all the fish bones. All
the fish bones have been eaten by the cats.
(Present Perfect)
Sunil had broken the window last week.
The window had been broken by Sunil last
week. (Past Perfect)
The office is expecting the director to
reach by 10 am . The director is expected
to reach by 10 am (Present Continuous).
The thieves were robbing the house,
when the burglar alarm rang . The house
was being robbed, when the burglar alarm
rang. (Past Continuous)
117
Active & Passive Voice
118
Keeping Time in English
Half Past two
Quarter past three
Quarter to four
Five thirty
Six fifteen
Ten to six
Twenty to eight
Five past two
Ten past seven
Twelve noon
Twelve mid-night
119
SOME EXAMPLES
My mother shouted ---- me
We came ----- foot
I stopped ---- the caf
She sliced ----- the cake with a knife
The cake was ---- an airtight box
The vultures hovered ----- the dead body
I go to school ----- my bicycle
She is angry ------ me
The children laughed ------ her
He was born ----- Mumbai
120
Punctuation
Some punctuation marks
Comma - (,) Eg Hari, the son of Ramesh
Anil said, This must be completed today.
Semicolon - (;) Eg Health means happiness;
illness means misery
Colon - (:) Eg Please send the following: 21
pins, 36 boxes of paper
Punctuation
Full Stop - (.) Eg - B.E. / M.B.B.S. / Mr. Mrs.
Prof. (abbreviations)
Eg - The meeting will be held at 7 p.m.
(Note: only one period for both the
abbreviation and end of the sentence)
Question Mark - (?) Eg - Whats the time?
Eg The report written in August 1986 (?)
has not been processed yet. (used within
brackets to indicate doubt)
121
122
THE END
THANK YOU