Learn To Write English Clearly and Correctly

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Learn to Write English Clearly and Correctly
Set 1 - Lesson 1
Lesson 1: Over-used words: DO and GET
DO sounds like doo, as in Ski-doo, a motorized recreational vehicle for zooming around on
snow, or as Scooby-doo, the canine companion of a group of teenage detectives on a popular
cartoon show.
Dictionary definitions of DO include: 1. to perform, 2. to bring about, 3. to pay (as honor), 4. to

finish, 5. to prepare, 6. to cook, 7. to act or behave, 8. to fare in health, 9. to suffice, 10. to
avail, and many more.
GET rhymes with BET and SET. Sometimes people pronounce it like GIT, but there is no such
word in English
Dictionary definitions of GET include: 1. to acquire or to procure 2. to prepare , 3. to fetch, 4. to

buy, 5. to receive, 6. to earn, 7. to arrive at by calculation, 8. to hit, 9. to grasp the meaning of,
10. to catch, and many more.
Principle forms of DO and GET:
Present Tense Past Tense Present Perfect Future Tense

I have done, you
I do, you do, we I will do, you
we did, I did, have done, he
do, they do, he will do, he will
you did, he did, has done, we
does, she does, it do, we will do,
it did, they did have done, they
does they will do
have done
I have gotten,
you have gotten,
I get, you get, we I got, you got, he he has gotten, I will get, you
get, they get, he got, she got, it she has gotten, will get, he will
gets, she gets it got, we got, they we have gotten, get, we will get,
gets got they have gotten they will get
(got can be used
as well)
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Present With Auxiliary

Past Progressive Past Perfect
Progressive Verb
I am doing, you I was doing, you I had done, we
I can do, he can
are doing, we are were doing, they had done, they
do, you can do,
doing, he is were doing, he had done, you
they can do, we
doing, they are was doing, we had done, he had
can do
doing were doing done.
I am getting, you I was getting, I had gotten, you
are getting, he is you were getting, had gotten, we I can get, you
getting, she is he was getting, had gotten, she can get, he can
getting, we are we were getting, had gotten, they get, we can get,
getting, they are they were had gotten (got is they can get
getting getting also used )
DO and GET are very useful words in English, but sometimes they are used too often. Here are
some sentences illustrating the different definitions of DO and GET.
1. I am going to do a Brahm's lullaby in the concert tomorrow. (perform)
2. The doctor said it will do no harm to stay up late. (bring about)
3. Please do them the courtesy of responding to the invitation. (pay the honor of)
4. These tasks must be done before you leave. (finished)
5. Let me do the books tonight while you rest. (prepare)
6. It is my turn to do supper. (cook)
7. Do the best you can at school today. (act or behave)
8. How are you doing today, Mrs. Jones? (fare in health)
9. "No more coffee. That does it for me," John told the waitress. (suffice)
10. Those old boards will do for the tree fort walls.. (avail)
11. Did you get the new book told you about? (acquire, procure)
12. Why don't you get supper while I iron the shirts. (prepare)
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13. Mary, will you please get the salt for me? (fetch)
14. John stopped at the store and got some milk. (bought)
15. Mom, did we get mail yesterday? (receive)
16. With this overtime, I will get a good check next week. (earn)
17. How many of you got the right answer? (arrived at by calculation)
18. The wild pitch got him right on the helmet. (hit)
19. I just don't get the point of all this exercise. (to grasp the meaning of)
20. You can get the bus on the corner if you hurry. (catch)
Exercise A: Replace the underlined words with a form of DO. Write the answer on the line
at the end of the sentence. Try to figure out which definition is illustrated by each sentence.
1. Mary said she had to set her hair before the dance. __________________________
2. Jim was tired after working a double shift in the factory. _________________________
3. The gymnast performed a complicated flip in her dismount from the high bar.
__________________
4. That second piece of pie was enough to satisfy me. ________________________
5. Will space exploration bring about good or evil? ________________________
6. The citizens paid homage to the aging former president. _________________________
7. The veterinarian asked the couple how their new puppy was feeling.
_____________________
8. Mr. Harris loved to barbecue chicken on the grill. _______________________
9. Bob's mother said he couldn't go out until he finished his homework,

________________________
10. I used to prepare my own taxes. __________________________

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Exercise B: Replace the underlined word with a form of the verb GET. Write the answer on
the line at the end of the sentence.
1. In order to arrive at work on time, I have to catch the 6:30 train.

___________________________
2. On the way home from work, Jim stopped at the store and bought a gallon of milk.
_____________________
3. I don't know why we are not receiving as much mail as we used to.
______________________
4. I have earned a lot of money by selling things on E-bay. ____________________
5. Ten students figured out the correct answer. _____________________
6. You kids work on your homework while I start preparing supper.

______________________
7. Did you acquire the camping equipment I told you about? ______________________
8. I don't understand these tax rules. ____________________
9. The whirling Frisbee smacked Tom right on his nose. ____________________
10. Mary, will you grab that box off the top shelf for me? _____________________
The verb DO is over-used by many English-speaking people. Here are some sentences that
would be more accurate or more interesting if a different verb were used.
1. The cowboy who had been shot said to his partner, "I'm done for. Go on without me."
2. Harold's wife complained, "Are you still doing those taxes?"
3. Are the steaks done yet?
4. My old car can only do 45 uphill.
5. After completing the five-mile run, Jack said, "That will do it for me."
6. Alicia does her nails every other day.
7. Harry did a crossword puzzle before work every day.

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8. Mark's band does mostly classic rock songs.
9. Jane does her laundry at night when the laundromat is almost empty.
10. My friend thought I did her wrong when I forgot to invite her to my party.
Exercise C: Rewrite each of the sentences above using a verb other than DO in its various
forms. Be careful to keep the same meaning as the original sentence. You may have to
change other words as well.
1. ___________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________________________________
6. ___________________________________________________________________
7. ___________________________________________________________________
8.
___________________________________________________________________________
_
9.
___________________________________________________________________________
_
10. __________________________________________________________________
The verb GET is also used too often. Here are some sentences that would be better, or more
interesting, if a verb other than GET were used.
11. Mrs. Jones gets the flu every winter.
12. John gets it on his forehead every time he enters the shed without ducking.
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13. I'm getting angry because of all the telephone calls from telemarketers.
14. Jack got the answer before anybody else.
15. You can get the bus down at the corner.
16. Hey Tom, get your jacket and follow me to the garage.
17. Mrs. Smith got the last bag of oranges at the supermarket.
18. Dad was getting lunch while we set the table.
19. Did you get any good presents for your birthday?
20. Have you gotten the news about the snow storm?
Exercise D: Rewrite each of the sentences above using a verb other than GET in its various
forms. Be careful to keep the same meaning as the original sentences. You may have to
change other words, as well.
1.
___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________
2.
___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________
3.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________
4.
___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
5.
___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
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6.
___________________________________________________________________________
______________________________
7._________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________
8.
___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________
9.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________
10.
___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________
Exercise E: Cross out the incorrect form of DO in the following sentences.
1. John hopes that he (has done) (will do) better on the next test.
2. The kangaroo (is doing) (do) amusing tricks in the show.
3. Serena (does) (did) all her chores last night.
4. The girl on the bicycle (has done) (have done) well in the contest
5. It (do) (does) me good to watch my children play happily.
6. Sixty more bricks (will do) (will doing) to complete the wall.
7. The students (will get) (gets) new desks when school opens in the Fall.
8. Johnny (have got) (has gotten) every answer but the last one on the test.
9. Mary, will you please (getting) (get) me a quart of milk when you go to the store?
10. We (have gotten) (are getting) a new puppy tomorrow.

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11. Every morning, we (got) (get) the seven o'clock bus for school.
12. Mother (gets) (get) supper early during the week.
Examination: Fill the blanks in the following sentences with a form of the verb DO or GET.
1. We ended the camping trip because the rain, the mud and the insects finally _______ it for
us.
2. The doctor asked the sobbing little boy how he was __________.
3. You must at least ___________your mother-in-law the courtesy of being polite.
4. Greta ___________a turkey when the oven blew up.
5. After Anna had been crying and stamping her feet for three minutes, her father told her
firmly, "That ___________, young lady! Sit down now!"
6. The chattering squirrel in the tree _____________the same thing today as it had done
yesterday.
7. William was glad he _____________his homework before going to the dance.
8. Girls usually ________________better than boys in spelling bees.
9. The college student ______________much research before beginning the term paper.
10. This lesson is finally _______________.
11. I couldn't ______________ the answers to the Jumble puzzle in today's paper.
12. Vince stopped at the corner store and _____________ a pack of cupcakes for his lunch.
13. The secretary asked me to _____________ a ream of paper from the top shelf for her.
14. Henry missed the ball several times before he finally _________________ it.
15. What time do you have to _______________ the train tomorrow?

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Set 1 - Lesson 1 Answer Key
Exercise A:
7. was feeling
1. had to set 3. performed 5. bring about 9. finished
becomes was
becomes had to do becomes did becomes do becomes did
doing
2. working 4. to satisfy 6. paid becomes 8. to barbecue 10. to prepare
becomes doing becomes to do did becomes to do becomes to do
page break
Exercise B: Exercise C:
1. get to , to get 1. I'm done for. = I'm finished. I'm dying.
2. got 2. doing = preparing, figuring out
3. getting 3. done = cooked, finished, ready
4. gotten 4. do = drive, accomplish, achieve, reach
5. got 5. do (it) = suffice
6. get 6. does = prepares, polishes, files, cleans
7. get 7. did = worked on, finished, completed
8. get 8. does = performs, plays
9. got 9. does = washes, cleans
10. get 10. did = treated, behaved wrongly
page bak
Exercise D: Exercise E: These are the verb forms that

should remain in the sentences after you cross
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11. catches, comes down with the other ones out.
12. is hit on, is bumped on 1. will do
13. becoming, growing 2. is doing
14. figured out, calculated 3. did
15. catch, board 4. has done
16. grab, pick up, put on 5. does
17. bought 6. will do
18. preparing, fixing, cooking 7. will get
19. receive 8. has gotten
20. heard, listened to 9. get
10. are getting
11. get
12. gets
Examination:
1. did, had done 2. was doing 3. do 4. was doing 5. will do

6. did, was doing 7. did, had done 8. do 9. had done, did 10. done
11. get 12. got 13. get 14. got 15. get
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Set 1 - Lesson 2
Lesson 2: Using SIT or SET and LIE or LAY
SIT and SET cause much confusion among native and non-native English speakers alike. The
words are very similar in appearance, sound and meaning, but are truly two different verbs; one
cannot be used in place of the other. Pronouncing the words accurately can help you to use them
correctly. (Check a Pronunciation Guide or English-language tapes for Short E and Short I
sounds.)
SET: "To put or place in a certain location or

SIT: "To rest on the lower extremity of the
position; to adjust or regulate, to become firm in
body; to be in a certain position or location."
consistency."
Look in a dictionary to find many other meanings and uses of these words.
SIT SET
He sits in the chair each day. She sets her books on the desk every day.
He sat in the chair yesterday. She set her books on the desk yesterday.
He has sat in the chair for a long time. She has set her books on the desk 200 times.
He was sitting in the chair the last time I saw
She is still setting her books on the desk.
him.
SIT is an action that stops with the act of resting in one place. I sit. She sat. We are sitting. They
had sat. Each sentence is complete as you see it. Words can be added to tell where, when, how
or why the sitting occurred, but they are not necessary to form a complete sentence. Note the
principle forms: sit, sits, sat, sitting, sat.
SET is an action that is done to something else - something or somebody receives the action of
being set. She sets the table. He set the alarm clock last night. They were setting the mail bags
in the truck. I had set the suitcase down. Note the principle forms: set, sets, setting, set.
(Exceptions: When the sun falls below the horizon, we say, "The sun sets." When concrete, glue
or other substances harden, we say, "The cement is setting." The sun and the cement do these
actions on their own. In these special cases, SET acts like SIT, as an Intransitive Verb.)
Exercise A: Circle the form of SIT or SET that correctly completes the following sentences.
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1. The sheriff told the outlaw to be out of town before the sun (sits) (sets).
2. Michael was (sitting) (setting) on the park bench feeding squirrels.
3. When Maria's grandson visited her last week, she (sat) (set) her valuable glass figurines on a
high shelf.
4. The director of the play told the audience to (sit) (set) as close to the stage as possible.
5. The bank manager had (set) (sat) the timer on the vault for 7:00 A.M.
6. My cat often will (set) (sit) on a tree limb to watch the birds.
7. Mr. Smith felt like his car had been (sitting) (setting) in the line of traffic for hours.
8. The cook hoped his Jell-o would (sit) (set) by the time the party started.
9. The leather baseball glove was ruined when it (set) (sat) out in the rain all night.
10. Many people (set) (sit) fresh fruit on a window sill until it is completely ripe.
Exercise B: Write the correct form of the verb in the space provided.
SIT SET
He __________. I __________ the
I would __________.
(present) clock.
You ___________. We were We __________ the It _________ the
(past) ____________. clock. clock.
They had been She was ___________ You could not
________. the clock. ________ the clock.
LIE and LAY are often confused and misused. As with SIT and SET, one verb is
Transitive (needs an object) while the other verb is Intransitive, doesn't carry action to an
object.
Present tense Present Participle Past Past Participle Example

John lay on the
lie lying lay lain
sofa last night.
John lays the book
lay laying laid laid
on the sofa.
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LAY: to place in a more or less horizontal

LIE : to have the body more or less horizontal
position on a more or less horizontal surface
upon a surface; to be situated or to remain in a
with a minimum of impact; to place fairly
specified place.
gently on a surface.
There are many other definitions of each word in a dictionary.
LIE LAY
I often lie in bed several minutes after my alarm Mike lays his school books on the kitchen table
goes off. when he comes home.
Suzy lies on a blanket on the beach to get a tan. We lay our books on our desks.
The bicycle lay in the driveway yesterday. John carefully laid his head on the desk
Mother was laying the clean clothes in the
The keys were lying in plain sight on the desk.
basket.
The old shoes had lain in the shed for many
They have laid a trap for their friends.
years.
LIE is an action that stops with the verb - it is what somebody or something does, to be or place
oneself usually in a fairly horizontal position on a surface. These are the principal parts: Present:
lie, lies; Past: lay ; Progressive: lying (is lying, was lying); Participle: lain (have lain, had lain).
With this Intransitive Verb, you can have a complete sentence with only a Subject and the Verb,
although other words are usually used to tell when, where or how the action takes place.
LAY is a Transitive Verb that carries action from the Subject of the sentence to the Object. LAY
is what you do to someone or something else.. The principal parts are Present: lay, lays; Past:
laid ; Progressive: laying , Participle: laid. Note the examples above. Mike lays books, We lay
books, John laid head, Mother was laying clothes, They have laid trap.
Here are several examples to get you used to the differences. Remember, LAY is a transitive
verb and must have a direct object. LIE will not have a direct object.
The patient lay on the stretcher for three hours last night. (past tense of LIE. The patient
didn't place anything anywhere, he was just occupying a horizontal position, so there is no
direct object.)
The doctor laid his instruments on the steel table. (past tense of LAY. The doctor placed his
instruments on the table so instruments is the direct object.)
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The hospital gown was lying on the bed. (past progressive form of LIE. The gown did not
place anything anywhere; it was just located on the bed. There is no direct object.)
The orderly was laying the dirty laundry in the cart. (past progressive form of LAY.
Orderly was laying laundry; laundry is the direct object.)
My brother lies in bed until noon every Saturday. ( present tense of LIE. My brother does
not place anything anywhere, he just lies there himself. There is no direct object.)
My brother lays the book on the night stand when he is finished reading. (present tense of
LAY. Brother lays book. Book is the direct object.)
My tennis racket has lain in the closet for years. ( past participle of LIE. The racket is not
doing anything but remaining in one place. There is no direct object.)
Martina had laid her tennis racket on the bench, but it was not there now. (past participle of
LAY. Martina had laid racket. Racket is the direct object.)
Exercise C: Circle the form of LIE or LAY that correctly completes the following
sentences.
1. Every morning, the dog (lays) (lies) under the table waiting for food to fall.
2. Mary and Judy were (lying) (laying) on the living room floor watching television.
3. Why is Jim (laying) (lying) his backpack on his bed?
4. A good hen (lays) (lies) one egg every day.
5. Mrs. Brown (laid) (lay) on her side to take a nap yesterday.
6. I have (lain) (laid) awake for hours some nights.
7. The robber (lay) (laid) hidden in the weeds waiting for his victim to walk by.
8. The treasure had (lain) (laid) in the cave many years before being found.
9. The flooring expert (lay) (laid) tile down in perfect rows.
10. Sometimes, I (lay) (lie) out tomorrow's clothes the night before.
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Examination: Write the correct form of SIT or SET and LIE or LAY in the spaces below. Add
auxiliary verbs if they are needed.
1. Mother ____________ the pan on the counter before preparing supper.
2. Jurors must ___________ in the jury box during a trial.
3. The moon ____________ at 2:00 A.M. tomorrow night.
4. The students were tired of _____________ during the long lecture.
5. A mysterious man ____________ in his car watching my house for the last three nights.
6. The secretary _____________ at her desk watching the clock for at least ten minutes.
7. The boss told Sam, "You wouldn't be late for work so often if you _________ your alarm
clock correctly."
8. Humpty Dumpty ___________ on a wall waiting for the mortar to ______________.
9. Irma had to stay after school for ____________ on the teacher's desk.
10. Mr. Jones forgot where he had ____________________ his tape measure yesterday,
11. The whole class of pre-schoolers __________________ on their blankets on the floor after
lunch.
12. All the tired puppies were ___________________ together next to their mother.
13. Have you ever _________________ awake the night before a big test?
14. Emily ____________________ her books on the hall table every day when she gets home
from school.
15. The librarian said, "Thank you for ___________________ the book down gently."
-The End-
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Exercise A:
1. sets 2. sitting 3. set 4. sit 5. set

6. sit 7. sitting 8. set 9. sat 10. set
Exercise B:
He sits. I set.
You sat. We set.
They had been sitting. She was setting.
I would sit. You could not set.
We were sitting. It sets.
Exercise C: Circle the form of LIE or LAY that correctly completes the following
sentences.
1. lies
2. lying
3. laying
4. lays
5. lay
6. lain
7. lay
8. lain
9. lay
10. lay
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Examination:
1. set (Past), sets (Present), had set (Past Perfect)
2. sit
3. will set
4. sitting
5. has sat, was sitting, had been sitting
6. sat, was sitting, had been sitting
7. set
8. sat ... set
9. sitting, lying
10. set, laid
11. lay, sat
12. sitting, lying
13. lain
14. sets, lays
15. setting, laying
Set 1 - Lesson 3
Lesson 3: To have, to want, to need.
I want, I have, and I need are among the first words a new speaker of English learns because they
are so useful in dealing with day-to-day situations. Using these words when you write English is
a little more complicated.
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Examples:
TO HAVE: I have a new car. My brother has a new motorcycle. My sister has a bicycle. Many
people have cars. Last year I had a Ford. Next year I will have a Buick. We have had many
cars during my life.
TO WANT: I want a new car. My brother wants a new motorcycle. My sister wants a bicycle.
Many people want new cars. Last year I wanted a Dodge. Next year I will want a Cadillac. We
have wanted a new car for a long time.
TO NEED: I need a new car. My brother thinks he needs a new motorcycle. My sister needs a
new bicycle. Many people need jobs to pay for their cars. Last year I needed a new car. Next
year I will not need a new car. We have needed many things.
There are many kinds of things that people want or have or need. Some of them can be counted,
like shoes or cars or brothers. Other things cannot be counted, like air or hope or beer. The
difference is important when you write English.
Words you can use with things that can be counted: a, an, the, this, that, these, those, one, two,
three etc., many, several, few.
Words used with things that cannot be counted: some, much, little, any, none, a lot of, plenty of
Often, the difficult task is deciding which things can be counted and which things cannot be
counted. You can count apples, fingers, dogs, dollars. You cannot count air, smoke, water.
But what about sand? Sure, you can count sand grain by grain, but what you are counting is
grains, not sand. What about beer? You can count kegs of beer, or bottles of beer, but you
cannot count just beer. The same is true of coffee, dirt, gravel, snow. You can count particles of
the substance (grains, flakes, pebbles, stones), or containers of the substance ( cups, buckets,
truckfuls, shovels full) , but you cannot count the substance itself. Money is a good example.
Most people would say that you can count money, but think about it. What are you really
counting? dollars, quarters, pesos, lira, rubles, sacks of, rolls of but not money itself.
Countable Not Countable

1 pig, 2 dollars, 3 cups of coffee, 4 spiders, 5
buckets of tar, 6 ladies, 7 cubic liters of helium,
some freedom, no air, a lot of cash, a little
8 square feet of carpet, 9 policemen, 10
hope, much dirt, a bunch of trouble, no sense, a
pennies, many people, a few good men, several
little sand, some ammunition
rabbits, a bear, an ostrich, the bucket, this car,
these cars, that truck, those trucks
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The word Cattle is a special case. The word itself stands for more than one animal, but you do
not count cattle - you count head of cattle, or you count cows or steers or calves. You can have
20 head of cattle, some cattle, a bunch of cattle or 20 steers, but you cannot have 20 cattle.
Exercise A: In the spaces below, write an amount or quantity word that fits. Look at the
examples above if you get stuck.
1. __________________ balloons 2. ____________________ fuel oil

3. __________________ toothpick 4. ______________________ Kool-ade
5. __________________ trucks 6. ______________________ pickles
7. ____________________gravel 8. ______________________ dollars
9. ___________________ money 10. ______________________ milk
Exercise B: In the spaces after the amount and quantity words below, write the names of things
or substances.
1. two pints of __________________________ 2. fifteen __________________________

3. a truck full of
4. 3 drops of _________________________
__________________________
6. a cubic foot of
5. several ____________________________
_________________________
7. the ____________________________ 8. an _______________________________
9. much
10. a few _____________________________
________________________________
Exercise C: Draw a line through the words that are not correct.
1. The driver needed ten (gasolines) (gallons of gasoline) for his fuel tank.
2. The hungry crow wanted some (corn) (corns) from the corn field.
3. My car had (several) (much) flat tires last summer.
4. Martha has three (waters) (glasses of water) with every meal.
5. I like to have (many) (a lot of) (much) crackers with my soup.
6. The workers need 13 (amounts) (buckets) (grains) of sand to make the concrete.
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7. We always leave (much) (many) (several) (a lot of) dollars as a tip.
8. There (are not many times) (is not much time) before the show has to begin.
9. Only (a few) (some) (many) (several) of us want to join the army.
10. Twenty (cattles) (cattle) (head of cattle) wanted to break through the fence.
Bonus Exercise: Find an English-language newspaper or magazine. Locate any article or story
and underline all the things that can be counted, along with the words that point out countable
words.
Examination: Using words or phrases from the following list, fill in the blanks in the following
six sentences. You may use some words more than once and other words you may not use at all.
Amount or Quantity Words Things or Substances

pickle juice, olives, flat tires, pudding, perfume,
bottles, quarts, some, a drop, 33, several, pizza,
those, a, five, barrel, cup, few, this, much gasoline, fog, salt water, dynamite, koalas, hair,
nails
1.The police found ___________ _____________ in the trunk of the car.
2.The woman shopper put _____________ of ____________ behind each ear.
3.___________ _____________ made a daring escape from the zoo.
4. During the cross-country bicycle race, the riders had ____________ ________________.
5. When the truck crashed into the tree, a ___________ of _______________ broke open and
spilled onto the road.
6. ____________ ____________ is often found in clogged shower drains.
-The End-
Exercise A: Answers will vary, but here are some possibilities.
1. two, the, some 6. five, several, a jar of

2. some, much, 10 gallons of 7. some, a truck full of
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3. a, the, one 8. several, twenty, a few

4. some, a glass of 9. some, a lot of, a little bit of
5. four, many, a few 10. a quart of, a pint of, a glass of, some
Exercise B: Answers will vary, but here are some possibilities.
1. alcohol, water, beer, ice cream
2. feet, cars, basketball players
3. gravel, sand, snow, top soil
4. perfume, olive oil, nitroglycerine
5. deer, men, shovels, politicians
6. oxygen, iron, salt, water
7. rattlesnake, cup of coffee, baby
8. apple, olive, Indian, umbrella
9. love, trouble, water, pollution
10. dollars, minutes, ideas, aliens
Exercise C:
1. gallons of water 2. corn 3. several 4. glasses of water 5. many, a lot of

8. is not much
6. buckets 7. several 9. a few, some 10. head of cattle
time
Examination: Answers will vary, but here are some possibilities.
1. some dynamite, five koalas, several flat tires
2. a drop of perfume, bottles of pickle juice
3. 33 koalas,
4. several flat tires, some pizza, 33 flat tires, few olives

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5. barrel of pickle juice, cup of pudding
6. Much hair,
Set 1 - Lesson 4
Lesson 4, There they are; they're in their car:
Why would a language have three words that sound exactly the same but are spelled differently
and have different meanings? I don't know, but that is just one of the many strange things one
must deal with if one wants to learn English.
there: "in or at that place", farther away than HERE; referring to the existence of.
their: "pertaining to or belonging to them"; a possessive pronoun.
they're: A contraction made up of THEY + ARE, with the apostrophe in place of the A.
1. They're putting their suitcase over there on the cart.
2. The police officer read the suspects their rights before arresting them.
3.There are too many exceptions to the rules in English.
4. Many students dropped their books when they ran to catch the bus.
5. There were so many people in the theater that they had trouble finding their seats.
6. Last words of many foolish criminals: "They're never going to take me alive!"
7. The children licked their lips and their fingers after eating the messy cotton candy.
8. The hunter whispered to his partner, "Is that a deer over there behind that tree?"
9. The chef said to the host of the party, "They're really going to like this dessert!"
10. "You two stand here, next to me, and the rest of you stand over there by the wall." instructed
the director of the play.
23
Questions to ask yourself when deciding which word to use:
1. Will the sentence make sense if I replace the word with they are?
2. Do the words that come immediately after the 'there' word refer to something that
belongs to somebody? (their books, their lips, their fingers)
3. Could you replace the 'there' word with a pointing gesture? Is there a location
mentioned?
a. I hope __________ going to finish painting the fence today.
b. Bob and Joe both lost ___________ car keys today.
c. I saw the ball roll ___________, under the bushes.
d. ____________ are fifty stars on our flag.
In Example A, there is no indication that anybody owns something, so their cannot be used.
There is no location mentioned or inferred, so there is not the correct word. Putting they are in
the space sounds right, so they're is the correct answer.
In Example B, they are does not sound right, so they're is not the answer. There is no location
mentioned or inferred, so there is not the answer. The words car keys come immediately after
the missing word, and the keys belonged to Bob and Joe, at least before they lost them, so the
possessive pronoun their is the correct answer.
In Example C, there is a place mentioned - 'under the bushes' - and if I used a pointing gesture
as I read the sentence, my listener would know I meant there.
In Example D, notice that the Linking Verb are is right after the missing word. That means we
cannot use the contraction they're, because that would make the sentence read They are are,
which doesn't make sense. The linking verb is important for another reason. It indicates that the
sentence is talking about the existence of something, which is one of the uses for there. In fact,
the presence of a linking verb after the word in question will always point to there. (There is
hope. There are problems. There was a fire. There were two accidents. There has been trouble.)
Exercise A: Each of the sentences below contains one or more of the 'there' words used
incorrectly. Find the mistakes, cross them out, and write the correct word(s) on the line at the
end of each sentence.
1. Mr. and Mrs. Smith brought they're daughter to the restaurant with them.___________
2. George said their are sixteen rabbits over there in the woods.______________
24
3. They're are nearly 300 calories in the average candy bar._______________
4. The students saw there grades posted over their on the bulletin board.______________
5. Here are the girls and there are the boys, all dressed in there finest clothes.____________
6. "They're almost ready to start the game," the football players told they're coach. __________
Exercise B: Write the correct word, there, their, they're in the spaces below. In some cases, two
words may be correct, in which case, write both of them.
1. _______________ two sons came home. 2. Put it ______________, in the box.

3. They paid _____________ three dollars. 4. _________________ ready to go.
5. _____________ are too many guns. 6. They needed ______________ medicine.
Examination: Write the correct word in the spaces below to complete the sentences.
1. I wanted to go swimming, but ____________ are too many clouds.
2. After playing all summer, _____________ finally going back to school.
3. With ____________ pistols gripped tightly, the policemen surrounded the bank robbers.
4. ___________ they are; __________ on the bus with ____________ books and backpacks.
5. _____________ our candidates, whether we like ___________ policies or not.
6. ______________ they go, jumping into _____________ cars for the big race.
The End
Exercise A: Exercise B:
1. their daughter 1. their
2. there are 2. there

25
3. There are 3. their
4. their grades, over there 4. they're
5. their finest 5. there
6. their coach 6. their
Examination:
1. there
2. they're
3. their
4. there, they're, their
5. they're, their
6. there, their
Set 1 - Lesson 13
Lesson 13: More Sound-alike Words: to-too-two and Others.
The English language has many sets or groups of words that sound the same but are spelled
differently and have different meanings. They are called homonyms. Lesson 4 covered one of
those sets: there-their-they're. This lesson will deal with a few more sets.
Two wives are too many to have.
Each of the 'to' words is pronounced exactly the same, but each is spelled differently and has a
different meaning.
two: the name of the number 2 (dos, deux, zwei); acts as an adjective in sentences.
26
to: a preposition meaning 'in the direction of' or 'towards' - to the store, give it to Jim, I'm
going to bed; also part of the infinitive form of a verb - to swim, to ride, to write.
too: an adverb with two different uses. 1) meaning more than enough, an extra amount - too
much money, too difficult, too many people; 2) meaning ALSO or AS WELL AS - I am
going, too. Give me some bread, too.
Exercise A: Circle the correct form of 'to' in the following sentences. Write the corrected
sentence on the line.
1. I need (to, too, two) go (to, too, two) the store (to, too, two) buy (to, too, two) dozen eggs.
__________________________________________________________________________
2. (To, Too, Two) many criminals spend (to, too, two) little time in jail for failing (to, too, two)
obey the law.
______________________________________________________________________________
3. (To, Too, Two) months ago, I drove (to, too, two) Virginia (to, too, two) visit my daughter.
______________________________________________________________________________
4. George decided the test was (to, too, two) easy for him, but he waited (to, too, two) hours (to,
too, two) take it (to, too, two) the teacher's desk.
______________________________________________________________________________
__
5. Three drinks is (to, too, two) (to, too, two) many (to, too, two) have (to, too, two) be able (to,
too, two) drive safely.
______________________________________________________________________________
__
Homonyms created by contractions:
Some of the most commonly misused words are the homonym pairs made up of a possessive
pronoun and a contraction.
its: possessive pronoun indicating that something belongs to 'it'. "The dog broke its leash."
27
it's: a contraction made up of it + is, in which the second 'i' is left out and replaced by an
apostrophe ( ' )
your: possessive pronoun indicating that something belongs to 'you'. "Is this your wallet?"
you're: a contraction made up of you + are, in which the 'a' is left out and replaced by ( ' )
whose: possessive pronoun indicating something belongs to 'who'. "Whose gum is this
under the desk?"
who's: a contraction made up of who + is. "Who's responsible for this mess?"
their: possessive pronoun indicating something belongs to 'them'. "The gamblers lost their
money quickly."
they're: a contraction made up of they + are. "They're almost as good as I am."
One way to figure out which form to use in a sentence is to separate the contraction into the two
words that make it up, then try those words in the sentence. "Be sure to wear (your, you're) hat."
Separate you're into you are. How would the sentence sound if you wrote "Be sure to wear you
are hat." ? Not very good, is it? That means your is the correct word. Also, the sentence is
talking about something that belongs to you - the hat - and your will show that.
Exercise B: Circle the correct word in the parentheses ( ) below. Write the corrected sentence
on the line.
1. The coach said (its, it's) up to me to decide if (their, they're) going to run or pass the ball.
2. (Their, They're) going to invite me to (their, they're) party so I can learn (whose, who's)
getting married next.
______________________________________________________________________________
___
3. "Put (your, you're) gloves and boots on if (your, you're) going to play in the snow," Mother
said.
______________________________________________________________________________
__
28
4. (Whose, Who's) taking (your, you're) children to the park if (its, it's) raining?
______________________________________________________________________________
_
5. The company picked (its, it's) new president by asking the workers who (their, they're) choice
would be.
_____________________________________________________________________________
There are too many sets of homonyms in English to deal with them all here. Our suggestion for
you is to learn one set at a time as you come across them in your work. Look up the definition of
each word and write it in a notebook. Make up sentences for each word and write them in your
notebook. Think of a clue or gimmick to help you remember which word is which.
Examination: Choose the correct word from the ones you have studied in this lesson to
complete the following sentences: to, too, two, its, it's, your, you're, their, they're, whose. who's
1. The check arrived _________ late for the family ___________ electricity would be turned off.
2. _________ ________rear tires have __________ little air in them for you __________ drive
safely.
3. When dancers go to auditions, _____________ expected to take __________ own shoes with
them.
4. __________ __________ easy ___________ blame others for ____________ mistakes.
5. If ____________ finished with this lesson now, you can give it ___________ another person.
6. ___________ my party and I'll cry if I want __________.
7. The umpire cried, "____________ out!" as the catcher tagged the runner.
8. _____________ going for a drink after work and ___________car will we take?
9. ____________ sure they lost ___________ ___________ children in the busy mall.
10. I talked to my neighbors about buying ____________ ____________ dogs, but one is
___________ ugly and the other is ___________ old.
The End
29
Set 1 - Lesson 13 - Answer Key
Exercise A:
1. I need to go to the store to buy two dozen eggs.
2. Too many criminals spend too little time in jail for failing to obey the law.
3. Two months ago, I drove to Virginia to visit my daughter.
4. George decided the test was too easy for him, but he waited two hours to take it to the
teacher's desk.
5. Three drinks is two too many to be able to drive safely.
Exercise B:
1. The coach said it's up to me to decide if they're going to run or pass the ball.
2. They're going to invite me to their party so I can learn who's getting married next.
3. "Put your gloves and boots on if you're going to play in the snow," Mother said.
4. Who's taking your children to the park if it's raining?
5. The company picked its new president by asking the workers who their choice would be.
Examination:
1. The check arrived too late for the family whose electricity would be turned off.
2. Your two rear tires have too little air in them for you to drive safely.
3. When dancers go to auditions, they're expected to take their own shoes with them.
4. It's too easy to blame others for your mistakes.
5. If you're finished with this lesson now, you can give it to another person.
30
6. "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to."
7. The umpire cried, "You're out!" as the catcher tagged the runner.
8. Who's going for a drink after work and whose car will we take?
9. They're sure they lost their two children in the busy mall.
10. I talked to my neighbors about buying their two dogs, but one is too ugly and the other is
too old.
Set 1 - Lesson 24
Lesson 24: Words That Are Often Confused: RISE, RAISE - LET, LEAVE, etc.
RISE is intransitive and will not have a direct object. The subject simply does the action on its
own. RAISE is a transitive verb and must have a direct object.
PRESENT PAST
PRESENT PAST EXAMPLE
PARTICIPLE PARTICIPLE
The sun rose at
rise rising rose risen
5:45.
My uncle raised
raise raising raised raised tobacco on his
farm.
The temperature rises in the summer. (no direct object)
My mother always raises the windows in the car. (windows is the direct object)
The crowd was rising from their seats as the game neared its end. (no direct object)
The people were raising their voices in anger. (voices is the direct object)
Everyone in the courtroom rose when the judge walked in. ( no direct object)
The witness raised his right hand to be sworn in. (hand is the direct object)
31
The moon had risen like a huge orange balloon. (no direct object)
I have raised chickens in West Virginia. (chickens is the direct object)
The following words will only receive a brief comment: STATIONERY - STATIONARY.
• STATIONERY: paper supplies; stuff you write on; writing paper, envelopes, tablets; any
or all of these items are called stationery, with an -ERY at the end. This is the only use
for this word.
• STATIONARY: not moving; remaining in one place; not appearing to move.
Dorothy received a box of fancy stationery as a graduation present.
It seemed as if the traffic had been stationary for an hour on the crowded city street.
How can you remember which is which? Paper ends with -ER and STATIONERY ends with -
ERY.
A word that we have heard misused many times and one that really irritates us is MEMENTO.
We have heard radio newscasters, television personalities and people on the street say
MOMENTO when they mean MEMENTO. What is the difference?
• MEMENTO: something to remember by; a souvenir. "That ugly rock is a memento of

our trip to the mountains."
• MOMENTO: This word does not exist. It means nothing.
• MOMENTOUS: This is a word that means important, weighty, of significant
importance. "The first landing on the moon was a momentous event in the history of our
country."
Got it?
Another frequently misused word is IRREGARDLESS. Probably 99% of the time this word is
used, the speaker actually means REGARDLESS.
• REGARDLESS: Without regard or heed; negligent; careless. "Regardless of the

consequences, Melvin jumped from the roof."
• IRREGARDLESS: does not exist. It is a non-word. If it did exist, it would mean the
opposite of REGARDLESS because the prefix IR means NOT, so IRREGARDLESS
would mean Not without regard, or Not careless.
Two verbs that are often misused are LET and LEAVE. It is important to know the meaning of
each so you can use them correctly.
32
Let: I let, he lets, we let yesterday, they are letting, you have let.
Leave: I leave, he leaves, we left yesterday, they are leaving, you have left.
to permit to ; "Mother will let me go to the movies if I do my chores."

LET
"I let my little brother ride my bicycle sometimes."
to depart, to go away, to cease to reside in a certain place, to allow to
remain by an oversight ("He left his hat on the train."); to cause to
LEAVE remain as a consequence ("The wound left a scar."); to cause or allow
something or someone to continue in a certain way or condition or
activity ("We left him painting the gate." "They left the gate open.")
Examples:
1. When I told my boss my goldfish was sick, he let me leave work early.
2. "Let me help you cross the street," the Boy Scout said to the little old lady.
3. We left the house at 6:00 in the morning in order to get to school on time.
4. Mrs. Jones always leaves a funny note in her husband's lunch box.
5. The exciting play had left the heroes riding in a run-away boat towards a waterfall.
6. Mr. Carson had let his children stay up too late the night before.
Exercise A: Circle the correct word inside the parentheses ( ) in the following sentences.
1. Harry was told to (raise) (rise) the flag before school.
2. When Mrs. Brown opened the last packet of letter-head paper, she called in an order for office
(stationary) (stationery).
3. Melissa left work early, (regardless) (irregardless) of her boss's orders.
4. Many teenagers keep the ticket stubs from a concert as a (momento) (memento) of the event.
5. The hunters remained (stationery) (stationary) as the deer stepped into the field.
6. I hoped that my mother would (let) (leave) me go to the concert.
7. Before you go out, (let) (leave) the extra door key on the hall table.
33
Exercise B: Cross out the incorrect words in the following sentences. Write the correct word
above the wrong one.
1. Julia's only momento of the trip to the beach was a broken shell.
2. The horse lay in his stall all day yesterday swishing flies with his tail.
3. The policeman told Gino to lay his gun on the ground.
4. Irregardless of the coming storm, the Boy Scouts rose their tents so they could lay in them
when it rained.
5. Mark had planned to write to his girlfriend, but he had forgotten to buy stationary.
6. The stew had laid in the refrigerator so long that white fuzzy stuff was growing on it.
7. We lay on our backs watching the balloons raise into the sky.
8. Regardless of the difficulties it would cause, Frank took the ashtray that was laying on the
counter as a memento.
9. Marie knew she was a stationery target for the mosquitoes that were rising from the pond.
10. The tropical fish I raised rose from the bottom of the aquarium to gobble the food that lay on
the water.
Examination: Choose the correct word from the pair in parentheses and write the correct form
of that word on the line in the sentence.
1. (let, leave) The worker _______________ the new kitchen floor tiles out on the patio.
2. (let, leave) Dad ____________ me try on the old Army jacket that had lain in the trunk in the
attic for many years.
3. (memento, momentous) My wedding day was one of the most ___________________ days of
my life.
4. (raise, rise) Anna and her sister have _____________ geese for the county fair each year.
5. (regardless, irregardless) Nick was going to fill his gas tank ___________________ of the
high prices.
34
6. (stationery, stationary) After standing in the checkout line for an hour, Sarah finally paid for
her _______________.
7. (rise, raise) Arnold watched as the bubbles _______________ from his diving mask.
8. (let, leave) The mother wolf ______________ the dead rabbit in front of her cubs.
9. (memento, momento) Linda's favorite _______________ from the Senior Prom is the corsage
her date had given her.
10. (raise, rise) The pilot said we would take off after the fog had _______________ from the
runway.
Exercise A:
6. 7.
1. raise 2. stationery 3. regardless 4. memento 5. stationary
let leave
Exercise B:
4. Regardless,
1. memento 2. (correct) 3. (correct) 5. stationery
raised, lie
8. was lying (other
6. had lain 7. rise 9. stationary 10. (correct)
words correct)
Examination:
1. left 2. let 3. momentous 4. raised 5. regardless

6. stationery 7. rose 8. left 9. memento 10. had risen
35
Set 2 - Lesson 9
Lesson 9, Prepositional Phrases - "Write on your paper with a pencil."
It would be very difficult to carry on a conversation or write a letter in English without using
prepositional phrases. They tell us where, when, why, or how actions take place, the same as
adverbs do. They tell us what kind or which one of the nouns performs the action, the same as
an adjective would. They can be found in any part of a sentence. They look like this:
• preposition + object (noun or pronoun) NOTE: an article and one or more adjectives can
come between the preposition and the noun.
Examples: to the store, of the tree, with Mary, beside the table, under the car, during supper,
after the meeting, through the tunnel, from the bank, without my car keys.
Here are several sentences which contain prepositional phrases. Try to pick them out on your
own and ask yourself what job they are doing in the sentence - modifying the verb (when?
where? why? how?) or modifying the noun (which one? what kind?). Then read our comments
following the sentences and compare them to your own thoughts.
1. Michael did his homework in the morning.

2. One of the horses was walking with a limp.
3. Mrs. Jones set her purse on the hall table.
4. The men under the bridge fished for carp.
5. After school, three of the teachers ran from their classrooms.
1. in the morning tells us when he did his homework, an adverb's job.
2. of the horses tells us which group 'One' is a part of, an adjective's job. with a limp tells us
how the horse was walking, an adverb's job.
3. on the hall table tells us where the purse was set, an adverb's job.
4. under the bridge tells us which men were fishing - not the men 'in the boat' or the men
'with yellow raincoats' . This prepositional phrase was doing the job of an adjective. The
same words in a different sentence could have a different meaning : 'The men were fishing
under the bridge.' Now the words 'under the bridge' tell us where the men were fishing, an
adverb's job. for carp tells us why the men were fishing, an adverb's job.
36
5. After school tells us when the teachers ran. The subject of the sentence is 'three', but we
don't know what or who the 'three' are without the prepositional phrase of the teachers giving
us more information. The phrase from their classroom tells us where they were running.
What exactly are prepositions? They are little words that cause many problems for people trying
to learn a new language. They describe a location relationship between the object of the
preposition and something else in the sentence: under, over, beside, between, in, to, from, etc.
They describe a time relationship between different events: after, before, since, during, until, etc.
They point out a relationship in general between the object of the preposition and something else
in the sentence: of, about, for, with, without, by. They can be confusing, but they are very
important.
Here are some more examples of the uses of Prepositional Phrases. They will be underlined.
1. In the morning, I want to plant a flat of marigolds along the front of the garden.
2. The captain of the baseball team chose nine of his best players to start the game Saturday.
3. Besides my friend, George, eight of us went for a hike in the state park.
4. From his position under the car, Frank's voice could barely be heard.
5. The kids from the neighborhood played a game of baseball in the field behind the school.
From these examples, you can see that sentences would not be very interesting and wouldn't
carry very much information without prepositional phrases.
A Preposition is not always a single word. There are many commonly-used prepositions that
consist of two or more words. These are called Compound Prepositions or Phrasal Prepositions.
No matter how many parts they have, these prepositions are still treated as single units - that is,
as if they had only one word. Here is a list of the most common ones:
according to by way of in consideration of instead of
along side of contrary to in apposition with on account of
along with for the sake of in front of out of
because of in addition to in regard to with reference to
by means of in accordance with in respect to with regard to
by reason of in case of in spite of with respect to
These are some examples of the uses of Compound Prepositions:

37
A. According to my teacher, global warming has happened many time in the Earth's history.
B. Danny and Jim, along with their little brothers, went fishing in the farmer's pond.
C. I was late getting to work because of a traffic accident that blocked the highway.
D. Contrary to her parents' opinion, Jane's friends behaved very well at the concert.
E. In consideration of all the hard work John put into the school play, he was given a standing
ovation by the audience.
Exercise A: Replace each preposition in the following sentences with a different one. Notice
how it can change the meaning of the sentence.
Example: The man sat in his car. The man sat under his car. The man sat beside his car. The
man sat on his car.
1. The nurse in a white dress walked her dog through the park.
_____________________________________________________________________
2. After supper, my friend bought a newspaper at the drugstore.
______________________________________________________________________
3. Tony's wife of two weeks visited her cousin at the beach.
______________________________________________________________________
4. A dog in the park has chased the mailman into the street..
_______________________________________________________________________
5. During the movie, John put his hand near the girl's arm.
_______________________________________________________________________
Exercise B: In each of the sentences below, you are given a choice of two prepositional phrases.
Circle the one that you think fits best in the sentence. Write the complete sentence on the line.
1. The motorcycle jumped (over the car) (from the car).
_____________________________________________________________________
38
2. (In the morning) (By the morning), the cook made blueberry pancakes.
______________________________________________________________________
3. Tina threw seeds (at the birds) (to the birds).
______________________________________________________________________
4. The little boys (in the playground) (outside the playground) played tag.
_____________________________________________________________________
5. Many people put tomatoes (with their salad) (in their salad).
______________________________________________________________________
Exercise C: Complete the following sentences with any of the prepositions mentioned earlier in
this lesson.
1. _________ the morning, Betty decided to drive ___________ school,

_______________________her mother's warning.
2. Rick went _______ work _____ the gas station _____________ a need ________ extra
money.
3. ________________ his fellow scientists, Dr. Barlow proceeded to destroy the case they had
built ______________ global warming.
4. _________________ a snow storm, the area schools often cancel classes

____________________ safety regulations.
5. _____________ the early days ________ our country, many citizens lived and worked ______
farms or _______ small towns _____________ big cities.
Examination: Add prepositional phrases to the sentences below to make them more interesting.
Write the new sentences on the lines.
39
1. The tall young woman dived.
_____________________________________________________________________
2. Two black cats climbed the tall pine tree.
_______________________________________________________________________
3. Martha likes Henry.
_____________________________________________________________________
4. The soldiers fired their rifles.
______________________________________________________________________
5. My brother drives a truck.
____________________________________________________________________
6. Some girls walk.
_____________________________________________________________________
-The End-
Exercise A:
1. The nurse with a white dress walked her dog around the park. The nurse in a white dress
walked her dog from the park.
2. Before supper, my friend bought a newspaper from the drugstore. During supper, my friend
bought a newspaper in front of the drugstore.
3. Tony's wife for two weeks visited her cousin near the beach. Tony's wife, after two weeks,
visited her cousin on the beach.
40
4. A dog from the park has chased the mailman down the street. A dog outside the park has
chased the mailman across the street.
5. After the movie, John put his hand under the girl's arm. In the movie, John put his hand
around the girl's arm.
Exercise B:
1. The motorcycle jumped over the car.
2. In the morning, the cook made blueberry pancakes.
3. Tina threw seeds to the birds.
4. The little boys in the playground played tag.
5. Many people put tomatoes in their salad.
Exercise C: Answers given are not the only possible ones.
1. In the morning, Betty decided to drive to school, in spite of her mother's warning.
2. Rick went to work at the gas station because of a need for extra money.
3. With respect to his fellow scientists, Dr. Barlow proceeded to destroy the case they had
built in support of global warming.
4. During (Before, Because of) a snow storm, the area schools often cancel classes in
accordance with safety regulations.
5. In the early days of our country, many citizens lived and worked on farms or in small towns
instead of big cities.
Examination: Answers will vary widely. Here are some possibilities.
1. The tall young woman in a bikini dived into the ocean. Before breakfast, the tall young
woman dived through the window.
2. The two black cats with fluffy tails climbed the tall pine tree beside our house. During the
night under a full moon, the two black cats climbed the tall pine tree.
41
3. Martha from the office likes Henry from the shipping department. For some strange reason,
Martha likes Henry with his bushy beard.
4. The soldiers on the front line fired their rifles at the enemy. After the battle, the soldiers fired
their rifles into the air.
5. My brother in New York drives a truck to work. Between semesters, my brother drives a
truck for extra money.
6. In my town, some girls walk to school. Some girls in the big cities walk up the stairs for
exercise.
Set 2 - Lesson 11
Lesson 11, Some Common Irregular Verbs: sing-sang, bring-brought, go-went
Most verbs in English follow a regular pattern:
Present Past Progressive Future Compound

I want, you want, I wanted, you I am wanting, he I have wanted,
I will want, you
we want, they wanted, he wanted is wanting, you you have wanted,
will want, he will
want, he wants, are wanting, we he has wanted, we
want, they will
she wants, it we wanted, they are wanting, they have wanted, they
want
wants wanted are wanting have wanted
I was wanting, she I had wanted, it
was wanting, you had wanted, you
were wanting, had wanted, we
they were had wanted, they
wanting had wanted
There are no surprises. Add 'S' for third person singular Present tense. Normal. Add '-ED' to
form the Past Tense. Normal. Add '-ED' to form the Past Participle. Normal
However, many of the most common verbs in English do not follow the rules. Here are ten of
them. Each will show the Present, Past, Future, Past Participle and Progressive forms.
42
Compound
v Infinitive Progressive
Present Tense Past Tense Future Tense (Participle)
Forms v Form
Form
I am, (you-
will be, shall (have) been,
to be we-they) are, was being
be (had) been
(he, she, it) is
(I, you, we,
they) have; will have, shall (have) had,
to have had having
(he, she, it) have (had) had
has
(I, you, we,
they) sing; will sing, shall (have) sung,
to sing sang singing
(he, she, it) sing (had) sung
sings
(I-you-we-
they) think; will think, shall (have) thought,
to think thought thinking
(he-she-it) think (had) thought
thinks
(I, you, we,
will do, shall (have) done,
to do they) do; (he, did doing
do (had) done
she, it) does
(I-you-we-
they) bring; will bring, shall (have) brought,
to bring brought bringing
(he-she-it) bring (had) brought
brings
(I, you, we,
will go, shall (have) gone,
to go they) go, (he- went going
go (had) gone
she-it) goes
(I-you-we-
they) drink; will drink, shall (have) drunk,
to drink drank drinking
(he-she-it) drink (had) drunk
drinks
(I, you, we,
they) take: will take, shall (have) taken,
to take took taking
(he, she, it) take (had) taken
takes
to make (I, you, we, made making will make, (have) made,
43
they) make; shall make (had) made

(he, she, it)
makes
Some words seem to be part of a pattern (sing, sang, sung and ring, rang, rung), but you will be
wrong if you use that pattern for bring (bring, brought, brought). Take, takes and make, makes
look like the beginning of a pattern, but the next forms are took and made. What this simply
means is that you must STUDY, LEARN and REMEMBER. There is no other way to be sure.
Exercise A: Fill in the missing words in the sentences below. All will be present tense.
He ________ with me. (go) = He goes with me. She is _______ to town. (go) = She is going
to town.
1. I _________ homework every night. (do)
2. Tina __________ math is difficult. (think)
3. My friends are __________ cooking classes this year. (take)
4. Jonathan ____________ my friend. (be)
5. The boy is __________ difficulty riding his bicycle. (have)
6. My mother ___________ while she cleans the house. (sing)
7. I always _____________ many books home from school. (bring)
8. We are ______________ cookies for Christmas. (make)
9. Young men often ____________ too much soda. (drink)
10. Mary _____________ to the dentist every six months. (go)
Exercise B: Change the verbs in these sentences to Past Tense. Write the new sentences on the
lines.
1. Robert makes coffee at the office.
______________________________________________________________________
2. The clowns do funny tricks.

44
_______________________________________________________________________
3. The horse is drinking water from the pond.
______________________________________________________________________
4. We bring flowers to the teacher.
______________________________________________________________________
5. Martha goes shopping in the morning.
______________________________________________________________________
6. The flowers are very pretty.
_____________________________________________________________________
7. Tom takes his girlfriend out every weekend.
_____________________________________________________________________
8. I am thinking about quitting school.
_____________________________________________________________________
9. My dog has fleas.
______________________________________________________________________
10. Katrina sings terribly.
_____________________________________________________________________
Exercise C: Cross out the incorrect verbs in the following sentences.
1. My brother and sister (was singing) (were singing) in the choir.
2. The photographer (taked) (took) my picture yesterday.
3. Jules and I (is) (are) in the same class.

45
4, I (am gone) (am going) fishing in the morning.
5. Victoria and Juliet (making) (made) plans for their vacation.
6. The rabbit (went) (is gone) into a hole in the ground.
7. The nurse (was doing) (is doing) her paperwork last night.
8. The student (thank) (thought) about the test question.
9. We (was having) (are having) toast and hot chocolate for breakfast.
10. The policemen (brought) (brang) their prisoners to the jail.
Examination: In the spaces below, write in verbs that will correctly complete the sentences.
You may use any of the verbs or forms from this lesson. There may be more than one correct
answer.
1. The pilot of the small plane _________________ off from the grassy field.
2. The elephant _____________ a huge mess when it walked into the house.
3. Phillip and Marie ______________ too much champagne at the wedding.
4. Ten large trucks _____________ the circus to town yesterday.
5. The old actor ___________ a terrible time remembering his lines.
6. When we are at church, we _______________ many beautiful hymns.
7. The clerk in the store _____________ to the back room for more bags.
8. Mr. Smith ____________ many different things before he became a teacher.
9. Olga _______________ the last one on the bus.
10. You _____________ this old clock was broken, but it wasn't.
-The End-
46
Exercise A:
1. do 2. thinks 3. taking 4. is 5. having

6. sings 7. bring 8. making 9. drink 10. goes
Exercise B:
1. Robert made coffee at the office. 6. The flowers were very pretty.
2. The clowns did funny tricks. 7. Tom took his girlfriend out every weekend.
3. The horse was drinking water from the pond. 8. I was thinking about quitting school.
4. We brought flowers to the teacher. 9. My dog had fleas.
5. Martha went shopping in the morning. 10. Katrina sang terribly.
Exercise C:
1. My brother and sister were singing in the

6. The rabbit went into a hole in the ground.
choir.
7. The nurse was doing her paperwork last
2. The photographer took my picture yesterday.
night.
3. Jules and I are in the same class. 8. The student thought about the test question.
9. We are having toast and hot chocolate for
4. I am going fishing in the morning.
breakfast.
5. Victoria and Juliet made plans for their 10. The policemen brought their prisoners to
vacation. the jail.
Examination: Answers will vary, but some possibilities are:
1. takes, took, has taken, is taking 6. sing

2. made, had made 7. is going, went, has gone
3. were drinking, drank, had drunk 8. did, had done
4. brought, had brought 9. is, was, will be
5. has, is having, had, has had 10. thought, had thought
47
Set 2 - Lesson 12
Lesson 12, Words that Modify Nouns; "Rubber baby buggy bumpers":
In English, nouns can be described, modified or pointed out by Adjectives, Participles, Articles,
Possessive Pronouns and Prepositional Phrases. These descriptive words can tell us which noun
we are referring to, how large or small it is, what type it is, what color it is, how many of them
there are and many other qualities.
• Adjectives: blue, large, tiny, beautiful, shy, talkative, four, numerous, this, that, these,
those
• Participles (-ed, -ing and other verb forms): grinning, broken, despised, dripping, torn
• Prepositional Phrases: with two heads, in the office, of the company, by Thomas Wolfe
• Articles: a, an, the
• Possessive pronouns: my, your, his, her, our, their, its
Adjectives come before the noun they describe or modify, but between the article and the noun.
Examples: large feet, six copies, soft voice, the black Volvo, an awful odor.
Participles are verb forms that can be used as adjectives. They usually come before the noun
they modify, but some variation is allowed. Examples: the floating leaves, a baked ham, the
broken record.
Prepositional Phrases which modify nouns usually come after the nouns. Examples: the man in
the leather jacket, a cat with two heads, the author of the book.
Articles come before the nouns they point out. Examples: a building, the door, an apple
Possessive Pronouns come before the noun they modify. They tell us who or what the noun
belongs to. Examples: my car, your sister, his big mouth, their new house, our decision.
Exercise A: Circle all the words or groups of words in the following sentences that point out or
describe nouns.
1. The front door of that building has a large pane of glass in it.
2. Many green apples grow on the tree in the back yard.

48
3. The tall man in the leather jacket spoke with a soft voice.
4. The failing circus used a cat with two heads as its main attraction.
5. The quiet, young writer of the poem spoke about the sound of falling leaves.
Exercise B: Write the words and phrases you circled in Exercise A on the lines below and tell
what kind of describing words they are. Example: The = article, large = adjective
1. __________________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________________________
5. __________________________________________________________________
Exercise C: Use words from the following lists to modify the nouns in the basic sentences
below. Write the sentences you make on the blank lines. You may use the same word more than
once; you may not need all the words from the lists.
Prepositional Possessive
Articles Adjectives Participles
Phrases Pronouns
sunny, cloudy, from the garden,
my, your,
green, red, loud, depressed, flying, under the porch, of
its, our,
a, an, the quiet, many, few, worn, fried, your relatives, with
their, his,
this, that, these, breathing a dark beard, in the
her
those back seat
Example: Boy rides bicycle. = The horrible boy in the back seat rides his worn bicycle.
1. Squirrels eat nuts.
_____________________________________________________________________
2. Driver was sleeping.
______________________________________________________________________
3. Farmers grow tomatoes.

49
______________________________________________________________________
4. Group plays baseball.
_______________________________________________________________________
5. Judge sits on the bench.
______________________________________________________________________
Examination: In the following sentences, cross out the words inside the parentheses ( ) that are
not correct. Write the correct sentences on the blank lines.
Example: (A, An) (old, oldest) cowboy (from Texas, to Texas) rode (its, his) (gently, gentle)
horse.
An old cowboy from Texas rode his gentle horse.
1. (A, The) loud voice (of the politician, by the politician) disturbed the (sleeping, asleep)
audience.
______________________________________________________________________
2. (This, Those) (five, fifth) (large, larger) (wreck, wrecked) trucks were sitting in the field.
_______________________________________________________________________
3. (Many, Much) (wealthy, wealthiest) people (from large houses, with large houses) pay
(highest, higher) taxes.
________________________________________________________________________
4. (That, Those) (two, too) (young, youngest) girls (by the fountain, from the fountain) were
singing Christmas songs.
_______________________________________________________________________
5. Mother cooked (some, a) (large, largely) turkey and (the, a) (sweet, sweat) apple pie.
______________________________________________________________________
-The End-
50
Exercise A: Noun modifiers that should have been circled.
1. the, front, of that building, a, large, of glass
2. Many, green, the, in the back yard
3. The, tall, in the leather jacket, a, soft
4. The, failing, a, with two heads, its, main
5. The, quiet, young, of the poem, the, of falling leaves
Exercise B: Label the modifiers from Exercise A
1. the = article; front = adjective; of that building = prep. phrase; a = article; large = adjective; of
glass = prep. phrase
2. Many = adjective; green = adjective; the = article; in the back yard = prep. phrase
3. The = article; tall = adjective; in the leather jacket = prep. phrase; a = article; soft = adjective
4. The = article; failing = participle; a = article; with two heads = prep. phrase; its = possessive
pronoun; main = adjective
5. The = article; quiet = adjective; young = adjective; of the poem = prep. phrase; the = article; of
falling leaves = prep. phrase; (falling = participle)
Exercise C: Answers will vary. Here are some possibilities.
1. Those loud flying squirrels under the porch eat fried nuts. Many squirrels from the garden eat
their green nuts.
2. Our horrible driver with a dark beard was sleeping. The driver of your relatives was sleeping.
3. Those depressed farmers grow green tomatoes. My farmers grow many breathing tomatoes.
4. That sunny group of your relatives plays horrible baseball. A group in the back seat plays
baseball.
51
5. That loud judge with a dark beard sits on the worn bench.
Examination: These are the correct versions.
1. The loud voice of the politician disturbed the sleeping audience.
2. Those five large wrecked trucks were sitting in the field.
3. Many wealthy people with large houses pay higher taxes.
4. Those two young girls by the fountain were singing Christmas songs.
5. Mother cooked a large turkey and a sweet apple pie.
Set 2 - Lesson 14
Lesson 14: Adverbs - Study these very carefully!
The main job of adverbs is to modify verbs. They tell When, Where, Why, How, or In What
Manner the action in the sentence takes place. They can be found before or after the verbs they
modify. (Prepositional phrases sometimes do the job of an adverb - see Lesson 9.) Adverbs also
modify adjectives and other adverbs. In these cases, they are usually in front of the word they
modify.
• As a verb modifier: She quickly slammed the door. The cat crept quietly toward the
bird. Finally, the fire engine arrived.
• As an adjective modifier: The new sports car was very fast. The dent was hardly visible.
The model was quite pretty.
• As an adverb modifier: The baby drained the bottle very quickly. When the house was
almost totally destroyed, the fire truck arrived.
Did you notice that many of the adverbs end in -ly? That is the principle way adverbs are
created in English, by adding -ly to an adjective. 'great' becomes 'greatly', 'quiet' becomes
'quietly', 'simple' becomes 'simply'.
When adverbs modify adjectives or other adverbs, they usually tell us 'to what degree' or 'to what
extent' the adjective or adverb is true; they also usually answer the question 'How?' Example:
52
The car was very fast. How fast? very fast. The model was quite pretty. How pretty? quite
pretty.
One of the most common mistakes people make with adverbs is not using them when they
should. Too many times a person will use an adjective where an adverb should have been used.
• wrong: I'm doing good today. Right: I'm doing well today. Why? Because 'good' is an
adjective and it cannot modify a verb, or tell us how someone was 'feeling' or 'doing'.
You could say 'This is a good day.' or 'I am good (or bad or sick or stupid).' You could
say, 'I am doing a good job today.' because in this case 'good' is telling us what kind of
job, as an adjective should do. 'Well' is an adverb, so it has every right to modify the
verb 'doing' 'Well' tells us 'How' I am doing.
• wrong: I have to get to school quick. Right: I have to get to school quickly. A rabbit is
quick. Oatmeal can be quick. But the manner in which I have to get to school is 'quickly'
Exercise A: Circle the correct word inside the parentheses in the following sentences.
1. Sarah knew she could not get rich (quick, quickly) by investing in real estate.
2. Norman ate his breakfast (fast, rapidly) so he would not be late for work.
3. The pigeon remained (calm, calmly) as the cat inched closer.
4. Please close the door (tight, tightly) when you leave.
5. The burglar tapped (light, lightly) on the bedroom window.
6. (Careful, carefully), the surgeon prepared to open the patient's chest.
7. The (hungry, hungrily) bum watched (greedy, greedily) through the window as the pizza
maker flipped dough.
Exercise B: Use adverbs from the list in the box to modify the underlined adjectives in
the following sentences. Write the new sentences on the lines.
very, quite, rather, almost, great, hardly, barely, too, just, entirely, wholly, slightly, overly,
simply, recently, completely
1. The large python slid quietly into the empty room.

53
___________________________________________________________________________
____
2. Scott, the muscular construction worker, thought the new building was unsafe.
___________________________________________________________________________
_____
3. The retired businessman flew to Florida on the crowded jet.
___________________________________________________________________________
_____
4. The overweight rancher drove his dependable pickup truck across the pasture.
___________________________________________________________________________
______
5. Tom was afraid he would seem stupid in the job interview.
___________________________________________________________________________
_____
Examination: Find the adverbs in the following sentences. Write them on the line with the
words they modify. Example: You know quite well it was almost noon when you finally
arrived at work.
quite modifies well, almost modifies noon, finally modifies arrived
1. The wonderfully talented singer very easily charmed the audience with her performance.
___________________________________________________________________________
___
2. The barely literate student desperately tried to pass the very difficult test.
___________________________________________________________________________
____
3. Harry sincerely hoped that Sally would finally say yes to his proposal.
54
___________________________________________________________________________
_____
4. There were just too many people at the carnival to truly enjoy it.
___________________________________________________________________________
_____
5. It was quite lonely in the totally deserted shopping mall after it closed.
___________________________________________________________________________
_____
The End
Exercise A:
1. quickly 3. calm 5. lightly 7. hungry, greedily

2. rapidly 4. tightly 6. Carefully
Exercise B: Answers will vary. Here are some possibilities.
1. The overly large python slid quietly into the almost empty room.
2. Scott, the rather muscular construction worker, thought the new building was completely
unsafe.
3. The recently retired businessman flew to Florida on the very crowded jet.
4. The slightly overweight rancher drove his wholly dependable pickup truck across the
pasture.
5. Tom was simply afraid he would seem too stupid in the job interview.
Examination:
1. wonderfully = talented; very = easily; easily = charmed

55
2. barely = literate; desperately = tried; very = difficult
3. sincerely = hoped; finally = say
4. just = too; too = many; truly = enjoy
5. quite = lonely; totally = deserted

Set 2 - Lesson 21
Lesson 21, Connecting with Conjunctions:
Conjunctions hold parts of a sentence together, kind of like glue. As with glue, however, there
are several types of conjunctions, each one with its own specific use.
AND: And is used to add things or ideas together - one thing plus another thing. For longer lists,
and is used between the last two items. And is a joining conjunction.
• "Michael and Sarah went to the movies." Michael went ... Sarah went ... they both went
to the movies,
• "Thomas slipped and fell on the ice." Thomas did two things - he slipped, then he fell.
And joins the actions.
• "I pulled out the weeds and Jane watered the flowers." Two people each did different
things while working in the garden. The two parts could stand alone as sentences - "I
pulled out the weeds." "Jane watered the flowers." Since the ideas in the sentences are
related to each other, they can be joined by and to form one compound sentence.
• "We went to the store to buy milk, bread, oranges, dog food and coffee." When you write
a series in a sentence, use commas between all the items except the last two - there you
need to use a conjunction. A comma in front of the and is optional.
OR: Or is used between things or ideas about which there is a choice or when we don't know
the answer. Or is a selective conjunction.
• "Michael or Sarah went to the movies." One of them went, but not both. We don't know
which one.
• "Thomas slipped or fell on the ice." Thomas had a problem on the ice. Did he slip? Did
he fall? We don't know, but he did one of them.
56
• "I will pull out the weeds or Jane will water the flowers." For some reason, these two
people cannot both work in the garden. One of them can. Will it be I? Will it be Jane? I
don't know. Or tells us that only one of the things will take place.
• "We need to buy milk, juice, iced tea or soda at the store." We evidently need something
to drink, but it doesn't matter what it is. We need to choose one of the items in the list.
That is what or is telling us.
BUT: But is used to let us know that something happened in a sentence that we did not expect or
to prepare us for an excuse. But is a conjunction of differences.
• "Michael went to the movies, but Sarah stayed home." It would have been normal for
Sarah to go to the movies with Michael. This time she did something different - she
stayed home. But introduces such a difference.
• "Thomas slipped on the ice, but he did not fall." We would expect Thomas to fall when
he slipped on the ice. He did something different - he did not fall. But introduces that
difference.
• "We were going to pull out the weeds, but Jane decided to water the flowers instead."
Jane and I had planned to pull weeds. For whatever reason, Jane began to water the
flowers instead. She did something different from what I had expected. But introduces
that difference.
• "We found everything we needed for the camping trip but the first aid kit." The first aid
kit was different - it could not be found. But introduces that difference.
• "I did my homework last night, but the dog ate it." But is used quite often to introduce a
reason why we did not do something we were supposed to do, like turn in our
homework.
SO: So is used to introduce something that follows or is a result of something else. So is a

conjunction of consequences.
• "Michael went to the movies, so Sarah went to visit her friend." As a result of Michael's
going out by himself, leaving Sarah alone, she decided to go out as well. If Michael had
stayed home, Sarah would have stayed home, also. SO introduces the consequence of
Michael's action.
• "Thomas slipped and fell on the ice, so he was limping when he arrived home." As a
result of slipping and falling, Thomas hurt himself and had to walk with a limp. So
introduces the results of the fall.
• "Jane watered the flowers so it would be easier for me to pull out the weeds." Watering
softened the soil, with the result that it was easier to pull the weeds out by their roots. SO
introduces the result of the watering.
57
• "We found the first aid kit, so we could finally leave for the camping trip." For reasons
of safety, we did not want to go camping without a first aid kit. We finally found it, with
the result that we could leave at last. SO introduces that result.
YET: Yet is also used to introduce a result that is different or opposite from what we expected or
what would be normal. The different result can be positive or negative. Yet is a conjunction of
unexpected difference. (Yet can also be used as an adverb referring to a time or an event that has
not occurred, so be careful. "Jack has not yet finished his chores.")
• "Michael and Sarah went to the movies, yet she was worried about leaving the baby with
a sitter." Sarah should have been having a good time, but the truth was different from
what we would expect because of her worry.
• "Thomas slipped and fell on the ice, yet he did not get hurt." You would expect a person
to be hurt after falling on the ice, but Thomas wasn't. That different result is introduced
by yet.
• "Jane and I pull the weeds in the garden every week, yet there are always more to pull the
next week." One would expect, or at least hope, that if all the weeds were pulled from
the garden this week, there would not be any left to pull next week. Alas, nature is not
like that. In this case, yet introduces a result that is different from what Jane and I hoped
for.
• "We had finally loaded everything we would need for the camping trip, including the first
aid kit, yet we could not leave because the car's battery was dead." Not being able to
leave was an unexpected result after all the stuff was loaded back into the car. This
unexpected result is introduced by yet.
ALTHOUGH: Although (which can also be an adverb) introduces a condition or situation that
was contrary to the first part of the sentence. It is a conjunction of contrariness.
• "Michael and Sarah went to the movies, although the heavy snow made it dangerous to
drive." It was probably not wise or safe to drive in the heavy snow just to see a movie.
Michael and Sarah did it anyway, which was an action different from what we might
expect. Although introduces that difference.
• "Thomas slipped and fell on the ice although he was wearing rubber boots." We would
expect the rubber boots to keep Thomas from slipping, but they didn't. Although
introduces a result different from our expectations.
• "I pulled out many weeds from the garden, although Jane had done the same a few days
before." Either Jane had not done a very good job pulling weeds or the weeds grew very
fast. Whatever the reason, the fact that there were many weeds for me to pull a few days
after Jane pulled them was not expected.
• "We spent $30 at the grocery store although we only went to buy a gallon of milk." Our
expectation had been to spend less than $3.00 at the grocery store, but instead we spent
58
$30. The difference between what we expected and what actually happened is connected
by the conjunction although.
SINCE: Since can be an adverb, a preposition or a conjunction. As a conjunction, it means

"during a period following a time when", "continuously from some time in the past", or
"because".
• "Sarah went to see "Titanic" by herself since Michael did not like love stories." You
could substitute because for since in this sentence. It introduces or connects the reason
why Sarah went to the movies alone.
• "Thomas had not fallen on the ice since he was a little boy." Since refers to the
continuous time from his childhood during which Thomas didn't fall on the ice, until
now.
• "The weeds had grown wildly since I pulled them out last week." I pulled out the weeds
last week, but from then until now they grew rapidly. Since refers to the time period
following the last time I pulled out the weeds.
• "We went to the store to buy extra food since we were expecting company for the
weekend." The conjunction since means because in this sentence. It introduces the
reason why we were buying extra food.
BECAUSE: Because is used to introduce a reason for another action or event. It is a

conjunction answering the question 'why?'.
• "Michael and Sarah went to the movies because there was nothing good on television."
Because connects the reason for Michael and Sarah's action with the action itself.
• "Thomas slipped and fell because the sidewalk was covered with ice." Because connects
the reason why Thomas fell with the act of slipping and falling.
• "I pulled out the weeds because Jane was allergic to them." Because introduces the
reason why Jane did not help me pull out the weeds.
• "We went to the new supermarket for groceries because it was having a sale on fresh
fruit." Because introduces the reason why we went to the new store instead of the one we
usually went to.
ADDITIONAL CONJUNCTIONS: nor, thus, therefore, while
Exercise A: Change the conjunctions in the following sentences to different ones. Notice how
the meanings of the sentences change. Write your answers on the lines.
1. Mr. Johnson and his wife went to Atlantic City once a month.
59
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________
2. Although Scott was eighteen when he signed up for karate classes, he had to bring a note from
a parent or a guardian.
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________
3. Sandra ran to the bus stop, but the bus had already gone.
______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________
4. I had checked all of my answers with a calculator, so I was surprised when I failed the test.
______________________________________________________________________________
___________________________
5. The Roberts family was ready to go on a picnic, yet the rain continued to fall.
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
6. Because the salesman was very good at his job, he was able to convince the minister to buy
the old purple car.
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________
7. Tony had worked at the same job since his family bought the company eighteen years ago.
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
8. John was not able to get a good job because he refused to take a shower.
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________
60
Exercise B: Circle all the conjunctions in the following sentences. Be careful, because
many of the conjunctions can also be adverbs or prepositions.
1. Hamburgers, pizzas and fried chicken are the most popular, although least healthy, fast foods.
2. Since last August, the stock market has been falling, but our economy is still very strong.
3. Everybody but Brenda passed the math test, although she was usually the best student.
4. Henry's car stalled a lot and made funny noises, so he took it to the garage.
5. George offered Alice a ride since he was going in that direction anyway.
6. We did not have any vinegar or lettuce, yet I was told to make a salad.
7. The policeman was tired and sick, yet he still had to direct traffic around the accident scene.
Examination: Join the following pairs of sentences with suitable conjunctions. Be sure to
use the correct punctuation. Write the joined sentences on the lines.
1. Louis liked reggae music. Carla preferred classical music.
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________
2. The horse galloped toward the barn. A rabbit suddenly ran out of the tall grass.
______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________
3. Many women watch television soap operas. The love scenes are often too realistic.
______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________
4. There is now a new president in the United States. There was much confusion in counting the
votes.
______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________
5. We eat a lot of ice cream in this country. There are many overweight people.
61
______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________
6. Walter had bad breath. He ate garlic every day.
Exercise A: Change the conjunctions in the following sentences to different ones. Notice
how the meanings of the sentences change. Write your answers on the lines.
1. Mr. Johnson or his wife went to Atlantic City once a month.
2. Although Scott was eighteen when he signed up for karate classes, he had to bring a note from
a parent and a guardian.
3. Sandra ran to the bus stop, although the bus had already gone. (yet )
4. I had checked all of my answers with a calculator but I was surprised when I failed the test.
(yet, although)
5. The Roberts family was ready to go on a picnic, but the rain continued to fall. (although)
6. The salesman couldn't convince the minister to buy the old purple car, yet he was very good at
his job.
7. Tony had worked at the same job because his family bought the company eighteen years ago.
8. John was not able to get a good job since he refused to take a shower. (so)
Exercise B: Circle all the conjunctions in the following sentences. Be careful, because many
of the conjunctions can also be adverbs or prepositions.
1. and
2. but
3. although
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4. and, so
5. since
6. or, yet
7. and, yet
Examination: Join the following pairs of sentences with suitable conjunctions. Be sure to
use the correct punctuation. Write the joined sentences on the lines.
1. Louis liked reggae music, but Carla preferred classical music. (and, although, while)
2. The horse galloped toward the barn because a rabbit suddenly ran out of the tall grass. (while)
3. Many women watch television soap operas, yet the love scenes are too realistic. (because,
although, but)
4. There is now a new president in the United States, although there was much confusion in
counting the votes. (yet, but)
5. We eat a lot of ice cream in this country so there are many overweight people. (thus)
6. Walter had bad breath because he ate garlic every day. (since, for)
The End
Set 2 - Lesson 26
Lesson 26, Plenty of Pronouns:
There are several different types of pronouns. They all have a role to play in English. There are
Personal Pronouns (covered in Basic English, lesson 5), Compound Personal Pronouns,
Interrogative Pronouns, Demonstrative Pronouns, Indefinite Pronouns and Relative Pronouns.
This lesson will cover the last five types.
Compound Personal Pronouns:
Singular Plural
myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself ourselves, yourselves, themselves
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The two uses for these Compound Personal Pronouns are as Reflexive Pronouns and as
Intensive Pronouns.
Reflexive Pronouns act as the object of the verb, but they reflect the action back to the subject.
The Reflexive Pronoun will always be the same person or thing as the Subject.
Examples:
I almost shot myself with the pistol. The dirty stray dog constantly scratched itself.
You dressed yourself today, didn't you. Fred and I treated ourselves to a movie.
When the whole class is finished with the quiz,
He threw himself onto the floor.
I want you to grade yourselves.
Tom and Joe almost destroyed themselves
Sally prettied herself up for the dance.
when they tried to jump the high fence.
NOTE: When you use a Reflexive Pronoun, there must ALWAYS be a word in the sentence that
refers to the same person or thing. In the sentences above, I and MYSELF are the same person;
SALLY and HERSELF are the same person; DOG and ITSELF are the same thing.
Ways in which one should NOT use reflexive pronouns:
• My brother and myself will be glad to help you. (The correct way is: My brother and I
will be glad ......)
• The Mayor sent an invitation to Mr. Smith and ourselves. (Correct way: .......to Mr.
Smith and us.)
• Intensive Pronouns simply add force or emphasis to a noun or pronoun that is already in
the sentence.
• Examples:
I prepared the meal myself. He tried to paint the house himself.

Jack and Jill themselves were unable to fetch a
You yourself must deliver the package.
pail of water.
Interrogative Pronouns:
As their name implies, these pronouns are used in asking questions. There are only three:
WHO, WHICH, WHAT. The first one, however, has three forms. WHO is the subject form;
WHOSE is the possessive form; WHOM is the object form. Each of these pronouns can
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serve as the subject of a sentence, the object of the verb, or the object of a preposition. They
are called pronouns because they take the place of the noun in a sentence.
Examples:
Who is the owner of that car? To whom does the car belong?
Which is the car you are referring to? What is the problem with my car?
There are some keys on the kitchen table.
I don't know what your problem is.
Whose are they?
• Demonstrative Pronouns:
• These pronouns point out definite persons, places or things. There are only two, or four
if you count the plural forms separately: THIS, THESE, THAT, THOSE. What can
often confuse a student of English is the fact that these same words can also be used as
adjectives. How can you tell the difference? Demonstrative Pronouns are used in place
of nouns. Demonstrative Adjectives are used with nouns.
Examples:
Demonstrative Pronouns Demonstrative Adjectives

This is my coat. ( This is the subject of the This coat belongs to me. (This modifies the
sentence.) subject COAT)
These used to fit me. (These is the subject of These shirts must have shrunk in the laundry.
the sentence.) (These modifies the subject SHIRT.)
Did you see that? (that is the object of the verb Did you see that crazy driver? (that modifies
SEE.) the object DRIVER.)
Two more of those greasy hot dogs would make
Two more of those would make me sick. (those
me sick. (those modifies the object of the
is the object of the preposition OF.)
preposition, HOT DOGS.)
Indefinite Pronouns:
This large group of pronouns are called Indefinite because they do NOT point out particular
persons, places or things. They can all be used in place of nouns, which is why they are called
pronouns, but they are also a little vague, or INDEFINITE, about how many or which nouns they
take the place of. Here is a list of the most common Indefinite Pronouns.
• all • each one • few • nothing • several

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• any • each other • many • one • some

• anybody • either • neither • one • somebody
• anything • everybody • nobody another • someone
• both • everyone • none • ones • something
• each • everything • no one • other • anyone
• others
Here are several examples so you can get a sense of how they are used.
All were ready to leave the It is impossible to satisfy If I can't have what I want, I
party by midnight. everybody. would rather have nothing.
Others may be allowed to stay
Sheila's purse could have been Everything will be all right in
out late, but you are not one of
taken by anybody. time.
them.
Both tried to go through the Few were in the audience to I was waiting for somebody, but
doorway at the same time. see the horrible play. nobody came.
Each one gave their Something just flew over the

Many left during the first
condolences to the grieving house. Did anybody see
intermission.
couple. anything?
Most people waited in line
The flood victims tried to help Neither of the skaters was able
patiently, but several tried to
each other get to high ground. to do the triple flip.
push through the door.
Relative Pronouns:
Here we have another case of certain words doing double duty. Relative Pronouns are who,
which, that and what , with who again having the possessive form, whose, and the object form,
whom. Do those words look familiar? Who, which and what were earlier in the lesson called
Interrogative Pronouns. That was called a Demonstrative Pronoun. Now we are calling them all
Relative Pronouns. How can you tell what the words are when you see them in a sentence? This
is a good place for a Word of Wisdom.
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NOTE: The grammatical label attached to a word depends more on what job the word is doing
in a sentence than on what the word looks like. Examples: HIT looks like a verb. In fact, it can
be a verb if it is used like this: "The car went out of control and HIT a tree." But what about this
sentence: "In yesterday's baseball game, Don had three HITS." Now HITS is a noun. We know
this because Don had three of them, and only nouns can be counted. Next we have "Shirley just
had to buy the group's new HIT record." Now HIT is telling us what kind of record Shirley was
buying, which is a job for an Adjective. The same word, HIT, just had three different
grammatical labels. The same can be true for many words in English, including Who, Which,
That and What. To determine what grammatical label should be stuck on the words, you need to
look closely at what position they are filling or what job they are performing in the sentence.
Definition: A Relative Pronoun joins the clause which it introduces to its own antecedent, the
noun or pronoun to which it refers.
"Harry is the driver who won the stock car race." 'who won the stock car race' is an Adjectival
Clause which describes driver. who introduces the clause and also refers back to and means the
same thing as driver .
"Those magazines are the ones that we subscribe to." 'that we subscribe to' is another Adjectival
Clause, describing ones. that introduces the clause and means the same thing as ones.
Extra Note: WHO is used whenever the antecedent is a person. WHICH is used for anything
except a person, THAT is used for persons or things.
Here are some more examples:
Those paper hearts are exactly

This is the bolt which fits into Harry saw the man whom we
what is needed to finish the
the screen door latch. visited last week.
decorations.
We got to the party early,
which turned out to be a
mistake.
There is another group of words called Compound Relative Pronouns which are used in the same
way:
• whoever • whosoever • whichsoever

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• whomever • whatsoever • whomsoever

• whatever • whosesoever • whichever
Examples:
Whoever left his umbrella here last night, Whatever was your reason for sending that
please take it home. letter?
We will give it to whomever we please. You may wear whichever you like.
Exercise A: Circle all of the pronouns in the following passage. Write above each pronoun
what type it is or how it is being used in the sentence.
possessive possessive compound

personal
Example: John took (his) brother and (mine) to the store so they could buy candy for
(themselves).
I felt terrible when I went to work last Friday. My back ached and my head ached so much that
I told myself I was crazy for going to work. Several guys were waiting near the time clock for
the bell to ring. They had already punched their time cards. For them, this was just another
normal day.
When I made it to my department, my supervisor asked me which project I would prefer to start
with. She was so pleasant that I couldn't tell her that I didn't want to work on any of them. One
of my fellow workers offered to get the job set up for me. I said to her, "Thanks, but I would
rather do it myself." At the end of the morning, Sherry said to us all, "Who is going out for
lunch?" Somebody else asked, "Which place are you going to?" Sherry ignored the question
and said, "Whoever is going with me better be ready when the bell rings."
Exercise B: Circle the correct pronouns in the parentheses in the following sentences.
1. Mrs. Johnson took (his, her, hers) children with (her, herself, them) when (her, she, they) went
to the mall.
2. (Their, Them, They) behaved well for the first hour, but then the boredom began to affect
(them, themselves, they).
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3. Rodney took off (his, her, their) own hat and left it with (those, these, them) he saw on a store
rack.
4. (His, Him, Her) sister, Julia, decided to go shopping (himself, herself, herselves) and
wandered away.
5. (Nobody, Some, Someone) called to (her, herself, hers), "Are (we, you, your) lost, little girl?"
6. Julia pretended that (her, she, he) heard (anybody, nobody, none) and kept walking away.
7. Soon, Mrs. Johnson realized that Rodney had no hat and (they, she, we) had no daughter.
8. Without worrying what (nobody, everybody, several) would think, (she, herself, they) called
out loudly, "Julia! (Your, You, Yours) get (yourself, yourselves, you self) back here right now!."
Examination: Write the correct pronouns in the blank spaces in the following sentences.
1. __________ wish ____________ could go to the movies together without _________ little
brother.
2. The taxi driver told _________ passenger that _____________ might be late getting to the
airport because ________ was the middle of rush hour.
3. Jerry said that __________ hit ______________ with a hammer the last time ____________
tried to hang a picture.
4. Would ____________ believe that ______________ in the office likes the boss?
5. "___________ is the color _____________ want for the walls," Ms. Murphy told _________
decorator.
6. ________________ leaves the garage door open should be more careful.
7. " Are ____________ sure that ____________ told ________________ about the surprise
party?" Betty asked.
8. "__________ am sure that the job was done right," Herman stated, "because the owner did it
_________________."
9. Mary said _____________ was not going to take the blame for __________________ else's
mistakes.
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10. "______________ of these sofas do ___________ prefer?" the salesman asked

____________ customer.
Exercise A: These are the pronouns and their labels from the twelve sentences in the
passage.
1. I = first person singular, personal, subject; I = 1st person sing., personal, subject;
2. My = first person sing., possessive (also called possessive adjective); my = same; I = 1st pers.
sing., personal, Subject; myself = compound personal, 1st person, reflexive; I = 1st. person sing.,
personal, subject.
3. none
4. They = 3rd. person plural, personal, subject; their = 3rd. person plural, possessive.
5. them = 3rd. person plural, personal, object; this = demonstrative, singular, subject.
6. I = 1st. pers. sing., personal, subject; my = 1st. pers. sing. , personal, possessive; my = same;
me = 1st. pers. sing., personal, object; I = 1st. pers. sing., personal, subject.
7. She = 3rd. person singular, personal, subject; I = 1st. pers. sing., personal, subject; her = 3rd.
pers. sing., personal, object; I = 1st. pers. sing., personal, subject; I = same; them = 3rd. pers.
plural, personal, object.
8. One = indefinite; me = 1st. pers. sing., personal, object.
9. I = 1st pers. sing., personal, subject; her = 3rd. pers. sing., personal, object; I = 1st. pers.
sing., personal, subject; it = 3rd. pers. sing, personal, object; myself = compound personal,
reflexive.
10. us = 1st. pers. plural, personal, object; Who = interrogative, subject.
11. Somebody = indefinite; you = 2nd. pers. sing., personal, subject.
12. Whoever = compound relative; me = 1st pers. sing., personal, object.

70
Exercise B:
1. her, her, she
2. They, them
3. his, those
4. His, herself
5. Someone, her, you
6. she, nobody
7. she
8. everybody, she, You, yourself
Examination:
1. I, we, my
2. his / her, he / she / they, it
3. he, himself, he
4. you, nobody / everybody / someone / somebody
5. That, I, her
6. Whoever
7. you, you, them / everybody / everyone
8. I, himself
9. she, someone / somebody
10. Which, you, his

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Set 3 - Lesson 5
Lesson 5, Basic Sentences:
In their simplest form, four basic sentence structures are:
• Noun + Transitive Verb + Noun (N+TV+N)

• Noun + Intransitive Verb (N+IV)
• Noun + Linking Verb + Noun (N+LV+N)
• Noun + Linking Verb + Adjective (N+LV+Adj)
What does this mean in plain English? First of all, it means that there is some order in English;
there is some regularity and there are some rules that one can depend on most of the time. Let us
define the terms used above.
• Noun: a word that names a person, a place, a thing, an action, an emotion. In other
words, a noun is the name of anything. Examples: boy, cousin, car, knife, water, New
York, kitchen, happiness, fear, democracy, space, meaning, love. Sometimes, other types
of words act like nouns in a sentence when they name an activity or a feeling: Running is
my favorite activity. (running , which is a verb form called a GERUND, is used as the
name of an activity and becomes the Subject of this sentence.) To teach English has
always been my goal. (To teach English is an Infinitive Phrase, doing the job of a noun as
the Subject of the sentence.)
• Transitive Verb is a word that expresses an action that requires somebody or something
to receive that action. In other words, the Subject noun performs the action at or to the
object noun: The boy hit the ball. The boy performs the action HIT. The ball receives
the action of being hit. HIT is the action.
• Intransitive Verb expresses an action that the subject performs. Nothing or nobody
receives that action - the subject just does it. Example: Trees grow. Volcanoes rumble.
Traffic lights blink. Other words can be added to tell where, when, how or why the action
took place, but they are not necessary to make the sentence complete.
• Linking Verb refers to the presence or existence of somebody or something. These
words act much like an equal sign and tell us that the words after the linking verb are the
same as or describe the words that come before the linking verb. Mr. Ortega is a
mechanic. The truck driver was sleepy. Playing tennis became my favorite activity. Mr.
Ortega and mechanic are the same thing linked by is. Sleepy describes truck driver,
linked by was. Playing Tennis is the same thing as favorite activity; they are linked by
became.
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• Adjectives are words that describe. They tell what kind something is, what color, what
size, and how many. Some examples are: large, small, young, old, ugly, pretty, fast,
slow, honest, dishonest, dirty, clean.
• Exercise A: Make five sentences using one term from each of the columns below for each
sentence. Example: take a word or group of words from the NOUN column + a word or
group of words from the TRANSITIVE VERB column + a word from the final NOUN
column that will form a complete sentence. Write the sentences on the numbered lines.
Noun Transitive Verb Noun

The children will send flowers.
Dogs can carry dirt.
The dump truck play baseball.
Dr. Jackson need cars.
Butterflies will chase bills.
1. ___________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________________
4. ____________________________________________________________________
5. ____________________________________________________________________
Exercise B. Make five sentences. For each sentence, choose one term from each of the
columns below. Write the sentences on the following lines.
Noun Intransitive Verb (How, When, Why, Where)

The donkey grows in the sun.
The watermelon runs for the exercise.
The river races very quietly.
The tractor speaks in the morning
Patricia rattles all the time.
1. ____________________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________________
73
3. ____________________________________________________________________
4. ____________________________________________________________________
5. ____________________________________________________________________
Exercise C: Make five sentences. For each sentence, choose one term from each of the
columns below. Write the sentences on the following lines.
Noun Linking Verb Noun or Adjective

George was sick.
Going to school is my favorite activity.
Winter seems terrible.
Flying will be fun.
Mr. Smith is our friend.
1. _________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________________________
5. __________________________________________________________________
Examination, Part 1: Fill in the missing part for each of the following sentences. Use the
kinds of parts you studied in this lesson: Nouns or words that act like nouns, transitive verbs,
intransitive verbs, linking verbs. There are many possible answers, but be sure your answers
agree with the other words in the sentence.
1. ______________________ bought a new swimming suit.
2. Robert ______________________ black coffee.
3. Uncle John is ______________________________.
4. Swimming _________________ good exercise.
5. The soccer player kicks ___________________________.

74
6. Martin and Maria ________________________________ every day.
7. ________________________ was a good teacher.
8. ______________________ write _________________________.
9. The horses galloped ___________________________________.
10. Mrs. Harris _______________________________ very sick.
Examination, Part 2: Label the main parts of the sentences below - the nouns, the verbs,
and the adjectives. Do not worry about words in the sentences that are something else.
1. Yesterday morning, the rooster crowed loudly.
2. Sam Smith pounded the spike with a large, heavy hammer.
3. My old doctor became too sick to continue seeing patients.
4.Writing sentences for English lessons is not my favorite job.
5. Ninety-nine red balloons floated into the sky.
-The End-
Exercise A: Answers will vary. Here are some possibilities.
1. The children will send flowers. The children can carry flowers (dirt). The children play
baseball. The children will chase cars.
2. Dogs will chase cars.
3. The dump truck can carry dirt.
4. Dr. Jackson will send bills. Dr. Jackson will send flowers. Dr. Jackson can carry dirt.
5. Butterflies need flowers.

75
1. The donkey runs for the exercise. The donkey races for the exercise. The donkey runs in
the morning. The donkey runs all the time.
2. The watermelon grows in the sun. The watermelon grows very quietly.
3. The river runs very quietly. The river races all the time.
4. The tractor runs very quietly. The tractor runs all the time. The tractor rattles all the time.
5. Patricia grows all the time. Patricia runs for the exercise. Patricia runs in the morning.
Patricia runs all the time. Patricia races for the exercise. Patricia races in the morning.
Patricia races all the time. Patricia speaks very quietly.
1. George was sick. George was terrible. George was our friend. George was fun. George
is sick. George is terrible. George is our friend. George is fun.
2. Going to school was my favorite activity. (was fun. was terrible.) Going to school is my
favorite activity. (is terrible. is fun.) Going to school will be my favorite activity. Going to
school will be fun. Going to school will be terrible.
3. Winter was terrible. Winter was fun. Winter is terrible. Winter is fun. Winter will be
terrible. Winter will be fun.
4. Flying was my favorite activity. Flying was terrible. Flying was fun. Flying will be
terrible. Flying is fun. Flying will be fun. Flying is terrible. Flying will be my favorite
activity.
5. Mr. Smith was sick (or terrible or our friend.) Mr. Smith is sick (or terrible or our friend.)
Mr. Smith seems sick. Mr. Smith seems terrible.
Examination, Part I: Answers will vary. Here are some possibilities.
1. The woman, George, The old man
2. drinks, hates, drank, poured, sips
3. 64 years old, a farmer, dead, my boss, a preacher.

76
4. is, can be, will be, is not
5. a goal, butt, his opponent's shin, the ball
6. work, sing, eat, go shopping
7. Mrs. Jones, My mother, Experience
8. Novelists ....novels. Poets .....poetry. Teenagers .....graffiti. Policemen ..... tickets.
9. into the barn. across the pasture. for a long time.
10. was, is, had been, may have been, will be
Examination, Part II :
1. rooster = noun; crowed = intransitive verb;
2. Sam Smith = proper noun, subject noun; pounded = transitive verb; spike = noun, direct
object; large = adjective; heavy = adjective; hammer = noun (object of a preposition)
3. old = adjective; doctor = noun, subject of sentence, became = linking verb; sick =
adjective; patients = noun;
4. Writing sentences = gerund phrase (acting as the subject noun in the sentence); English =
adjective; lessons = noun; is = linking verb; favorite = adjective; job = predicate noun.
5. ninety-nine = adjective; red = adjective; balloons = subject noun; floated = intransitive

verb; sky = noun.
Set 3 - Lesson 6
Lesson 6, N+TV+N, or Who does What to Whom:
This type of sentence consists of a Subject Noun plus a Transitive Verb plus an Object Noun.
• The Subject Noun names who or what is performing the action in the sentence. This job
is usually done by a noun (see lesson 5), but it can also be done by a pronoun (he, she, I,
we, etc.) or by certain verb forms (gerunds, gerund and infinitive phrases).
77
• A Transitive Verb expresses an action that travels from the Subject Noun, the performer,
to the Object Noun, which receives the action.
• The Object Noun, or Direct Object, just sits at the end of the sentence and waits for
something to happen to it. It receives whatever action the Subject Noun decides to
perform.
Examples:
Subject Noun Transitive Verb Object Noun

Cowboys herd cattle.
The woman brushes her hair.
Jack married Jill.
In these sentences, cowboys, the woman and Jack are the ones doing something. The cowboys
herd, the woman brushes and Jack married, but they did not do these things to themselves. That
is where the Object nouns come in. The cattle were herded, the hair was brushed and Jill was
married. Many other words can be added to a sentence to give more information - words to
describe the Subject or Object nouns, words to tell us when, where, why or how the action took
place - but those additional words are not necessary to make the sentences complete.
How can you tell a Transitive Verb when you see one? Sometimes it is easy, but sometimes it is
not easy. Some verbs are ALWAYS transitive and will ALWAYS need an object noun.
push, throw, love, manufacture, take, punch, deliver, digest, carry, buy
When you are trying to figure out if a verb is transitive or not, you need to ask yourself whom or
what. Example: I push whom? I push what? If there is a logical answer to the question - I push
my brother. or I push my car. - then the verb is transitive. I throw what? I throw the ball. I love
whom? I love Tina. If there is no logical answer, then the verb is intransitive and that is another
lesson.
Many verbs can be both Transitive or Intransitive. The difference is whether the subject is just
doing the action or is doing the action to somebody or something else.
• Greta swims each morning. (intransitive - Ask yourself if the sentence tells you what she
swims, the job of a Transitive sentence, or where, why, how or when she swims, which is
done by an Intransitive verb. It only tells when she swims, each morning, ) Greta swims
ten laps each morning. (transitive - what does she swim? ten laps)
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• Arthur dances. (intransitive - he doesn't dance somebody and he doesn't dance

something. He just dances.) Arthur dances the mambo. (transitive - what does he
dance? the mambo)
• We run for exercise. (intransitive - why do we run? for exercise, but the sentence doesn't
say WHAT we run.) We run printing presses. (transitive - what do we run? printing
presses)
Exercise A: Circle ten words or phrases from the following list that could be the subject
nouns of a sentence. Write the words in the boxes.
Mario, the doctor, jumping, drives, eighteen, my brother, carrots, in the bushes, Michael and
the monkey, we, them, six volleyballs, depressed, again, Mr. Santorini, behind the truck, four
horses
Exercise B: Circle ten words from the list that could be transitive verbs. Write them in the
boxes.
carry, moves, under, ten turtles, should be, wished, fills, is drinking, George Clooney, with
her keys, swam, decides, without, take, cuts, until morning, was smoking, sings, remembered
Exercise C: Circle ten words from the list that could be object nouns. Write them in the boxes.
• dials, pictures, Coca-cola, stretched, large paperclips, in my chair, moving, the

microphone, scratching my head, supper, his mailbox, cool weather, runs in place, idling,
the large snake
Exercise D: Fill in the correct kind of word to complete each of these sentences.
1. Jack and Sam _______________ their car to get it started.
2. ____________________ carried six loads of bricks.

79
3. Dr. Solomon will examine _________________________________.
4. _______________________ sweeps the floor every morning.
5. The large rat chewed _______________________________________.
6. The jet fighter _________________________ the secret hideout.
7. I always count ________________________________________.
8. ______________________________ was carrying newspapers.
9. Ten bald men ________________________ their bowling balls.
10. _________________________ grabs the chicken leg.
Examination: Make up 5 sentences from the words you put in the boxes in Exercises A, B and
C. Some of the sentences may be silly, but that is ok. The important thing is to have the correct
parts in the correct positions in the sentences. Write them on the following lines.
1. ________________________________________________________________
2._________________________________________________________________
3._________________________________________________________________
4.__________________________________________________________________
5. __________________________________________________________________
-The End-
Exercise A: Subject nouns
Mario the doctor my brother carrots Michael and the

80
monkey
we six volleyballs Mr. Santorini four horses jumping
Exercise B: Transitive verbs
carry moves fills is drinking take

cuts was smoking sings remembered swam
Exercise C: Object nouns (direct objects)
pictures Coca-cola large paperclips the microphone supper

his mailbox cool weather the large snake moving dials
Exercise D: Answers will vary, but here are some possibilities.
1. push, pushed, jump, jumped, tow, towed, crank, cranked, kick, kicked
2. The truck..... The construction workers ...... We ......
3. ...his patients. ...me. .... his receptionist. ... his stock report.
4. The janitor .... My mother .... The new recruit ...
5. ... the television cable. ... a hole in the wall. ...a piece of cheese.
6. bombed, strafed, observed, saw, noticed, discovered
7. ... my change. ... my blessings. ...my fingers and toes.
8. My brother ... , I .... , The recycle truck ....
9. carried, dropped, threw, polished
10. Father always ... , The fox ... , Colonel Sanders
Mario can carry large paperclips. Mr. Santorini was smoking the large snake.
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The doctor is drinking Coca-cola. My brother fills his mailbox.
We remembered the large snake. Carrots take cold weather.
Mr. Santorini moves the microphone. Four horses carry his mailbox.
Set 3 - Lesson 7
Lesson 7, N+IV Sentences - I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream:
This sentence pattern consists of a Subject Noun and an Intransitive Verb. We have explained
Subject Nouns in other lessons, but have only touched on Intransitive Verbs. The name itself
means it cannot carry action across the sentence from the Subject to an Object. That means that
the action stops with the verb. Examples: I sleep. We think. My mother wonders. My father
relaxes. The subject performs the action and generally is the only one affected by it.
BUT, most sentences with Intransitive Verbs contain other words in addition to the subject and
the verb. These extra words will either describe the subject more fully or tell when, where, why
or how the action took place. Look at the following example.
• John sings. (This is complete and correct as it stands, but it does not tell us very much.)
• John sings every Sunday. (Now we know when John sings.)
• John sings every Sunday in church. (Now we know when and where John sings.)
• John sings with the choir every Sunday in church. (This gives us an idea of why he
sings.)
These additional words certainly tell us more about John's singing, but they do not change the
fact that the original, basic sentence is John sings. Here are some more examples.
• We swim. Fish jump. Most children laugh. Too many trucks crash. Authors write.
Pythons swallow.
These examples include some verbs that can be both Intransitive and Transitive, depending on
how they are used and what other elements are in the sentence. Notice the differences.
• We swim in the pool. (intransitive - no object to receive the action) We swim ten laps in
the pool. (transitive - 'laps' tells us what we swim)
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• Authors write. (intransitive) Authors write novels. (transitive)

• Pythons swallow. (intransitive) Pythons swallow their prey. (transitive)
With each of the Intransitive sentences, if we ask , "We swim what? Authors write what?
Pythons swallow what?", there is no answer within the sentence. With the other sentences, if
we ask, "We swim what?" the answer is right there - laps. "Authors write what? novels.
Pythons swallow what? their prey." That is the way you determine if a verb is transitive or
intransitive. A sentence with a transitive verb will provide an answer to the what/whom
question, while a sentence with an intransitive verb can only answer "where?" or "when?" or
"Why?" or "How?".
Exercise A: Put an X on the line after the verbs that are or can be Intransitive. Use the
What/When question to figure them out.
1. The cat yawned ___________ 6. My mother bakes _______________

2. We eat ____________ 7. I like ____________________)
3. The men carried ____________ 8. Boys can run ____________________
4. The actress cries ______________ 9. Apple trees grow __________________
5. Michael was sleeping ________________ The child broke ____________________
Exercise B: Below are ten words or phrases that answer the questions "When?, Where? Why? or
How?"
1. in the tree 2. quietly 3. very quickly 4. behind the barn 5. after his nap
6. on the park 8. late Saturday
7. every morning 9. ferociously 10. into the river
bench night
Use these words or phrases to complete those sentences in Exercise A that have Intransitive
Verbs. Write the complete sentences on the lines below. With the words or phrases that are left
over, add your own subjects and verbs and write the complete sentences on the remaining lines
below. You should have ten complete sentences when you are finished.
1. ___________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________________
4. ____________________________________________________________________
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5. ____________________________________________________________________
6. ____________________________________________________________________
7. _____________________________________________________________________
8. _____________________________________________________________________
9. _____________________________________________________________________
10. ____________________________________________________________________
Examination: The following ten sentences contain Transitive verbs, with an Object to receive
the action. Rewrite each sentence using the same subject and verb while dropping the object of
the verb, the receiver, and replacing it with words that answer Where? When? Why? or How?.
Examples: Martin sang a love song. (he sang what? a love song) change it to Martin sang in
the shower. (Martin sang where? in the shower.)
1. Frederick was running a good race.
_____________________________________________________________________
2. The elephant eats leaves and grass.
______________________________________________________________________
3. The actress cried real tears.
______________________________________________________________________
4. Most professors teach a few classes.
______________________________________________________________________
5. The athlete swam several laps.
_______________________________________________________________________
6. We roasted a large turkey.
______________________________________________________________________
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7. Captain Harris flies a jet plane.
______________________________________________________________________
8. Alice is driving a new car.
_______________________________________________________________________
9. Henry washes the dishes.
_______________________________________________________________________
10. I speak French.
________________________________________________________________________
-The End-
Exercise A:
5. Michael was
1. The cat 3. The men 9. Apple trees
sleeping 7. I like
yawned X carried grow X
X
4. The actress 6. My mother 8. Boys can run 10. The child
2. We eat X
cries X bakes X X broke
1. The cat yawned after his nap. (on the park bench, quietly, behind the barn, ferociously)
2. We eat every morning. (on the park bench, quietly, very quickly, late Saturday night, behind
the barn.)
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3. The actress cries quietly. (every morning, on the park bench)
4. Michael was sleeping on the park bench. (quietly, behind the barn, late Saturday night.)
5. My mother bakes every morning. (late Saturday night, behind the barn.)
6. Boys can run very quickly. (into the river, quietly, every morning)
7. Apple trees grow behind the barn. Apple trees grow very quickly.
8. The birds rested in the tree. The kite crashed in the tree. The possum slept in the tree.
9. The little old lady fell into the river. The fisherman waded into the river. Betty jumped into
the river.
10. The tiger growled ferociously. The wrestler struggled ferociously.
Examination: Answers will vary. Here are some possibilities.
1. Frederick was running very slowly. (swiftly, , with a limp, in last place, up the stairs.)
2. The elephant eats early in the morning. (slowly, with huge mouthfuls )
3. The actress cried softly. (in her dressing room, to the audience, with bitterness.)
4. Most professors teach in universities. (poorly, with graduate assistants.)
5. The athletes swam gracefully. (in the pool, before breakfast, into the wall.)
6. We roasted in the hot sun. (without an air conditioner, during the afternoon.)
7. Captain Harris flies to China every week. (off the handle, in a helicopter, with a charter
group.)
8. Alice is driving without a license. ( to Chicago, all the way, by the Mall.)
9. Henry washes behind his ears. (with baby shampoo, before bed, every day.)
10. I speak with an accent. (quietly, in my sleep, to my wife.)

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Set 3 - Lesson 8
Lesson 8, Word Order in Sentences:
English sentences follow a set of rules which governs the position of each of the elements of the
sentence between the capital letter at the beginning and the punctuation mark at the end. These
rules allow for some variation of position in order to emphasize particular elements within the
sentence. Here is an example, growing from the most basic N+TV+N form.
1. Dogs chase rabbits.

(subject noun + transitive verb + object noun)
2. The dogs chase the rabbits.
(article + sub. noun + trans. verb + article + obj. noun)
3. The large dogs chase the tiny rabbits.
(art. + adjective + SN + TV + art. + adjective + ON)
4. The large black dogs chase the tiny brown rabbits.
(art + adj + adj + SN + TV + art + adj + adj + ON)
5. The large black dogs hungrily chase the tiny brown rabbits.
(art + adj + adj + SN + adverb + TV + art + adj + adj + ON)
6. In the morning, the large black dogs hungrily chase the tiny brown rabbits.
(prepositional phrase + art + adj + adj + SN + adv + TV + art + adj + adj + ON)
7. In the morning, the large black dogs hungrily chase the tiny brown rabbits into the woods.
(prep. phrase + art + adj + adj + SN + adv + TV + art + adj + adj + ON + prep.phrase)
That is a lot to absorb. As you can see, this sentence could grow larger and larger by adding
more descriptions of the dogs, the rabbits or the chase. Look at it carefully. Do you see the
pattern in the sentences above?
• Articles (words that point out nouns - the, a, an, this, that) are always placed before a
noun.
• Adjectives, words that describe a noun (what kind, what size, what color, how many) are
also placed before the noun they tell about, but always between the article and the noun.
• Adverbs, words that describe the action ( where, when, how, in what manner) most of the
time will be immediately before or after the verb they are telling about. Their exact
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location depends on which adverb it is and which idea in the sentence is being stressed or
emphasized.
• Prepositional Phrases can be found anywhere in a sentence. We will deal with them in
another lesson. In the sentence above, the prepositional phrases are doing the job of
adverbs. 'In the morning' tells us when the chase takes place and 'into the woods' tells us
where. Most of the time, expressions of time will come before the verb and expressions
of location will come after, but there are enough exceptions to this to keep us from saying
it is a rule.
Exercise A: Write the sentence below five times on the numbered lines, but each time you write
it, add one more descriptive word or phrase, similar to the earlier example.
• Boys eat pizza.
1._________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________________
4. _________________________________________________________________
5. _________________________________________________________________
Exercise B: Unscramble each of the sentences below and rewrite them correctly on the lines.
Put the capital letters and periods where they belong. (Example: new drove man a old
volkswagon the = The old man drove a new Volkswagon.)
1. taking difficult were nurses the test forty
__________________________________________________________________
2. cards John received Mary Christmas beautiful and
__________________________________________________________________
3. telephone the car my shiny night last new pole hit
___________________________________________________________________
4. slot dollars I fifty the night dropped into deposit

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___________________________________________________________________
5. death valley the hundred rode six into of the
___________________________________________________________________
Exercise C: On the numbered lines below, write each of the unscrambled sentences from
Exercise B. On the line beneath each sentence, write the Part of Speech of each word or phrase.
Use these abbreviations: N = noun; V = verb; Adj = adjective; Adv + adverb; Art = article;
PP=prepositional phrase; DO = direct object (same as object noun); SN = subject noun; TV =
transitive verb. This will help you to see there is a system of sorts in English word order.
1. _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Examination: The numbered lines below contain the grammatical plans for five sentences. On
the line beneath each Plan, write words of your own that match the parts of speech on the line
above. There is no one correct answer, and you may have to change words if they do not make
sense at first. The important thing is to use words that match the parts of speech in the Plan.
Look at this example carefully. There are a limited number of 'sentence plans' in English, but
there are millions of sentences made from those plans.
noun + adverb + verb + article + noun + prepositional phrase

Mr. Smith slowly drove the car down the street.
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Harry angrily punched the door with his fist.
1. prepositional phrase + noun + adverb + verb + adjective + noun + prepositional phrase
______________________________________________________________________
2. art + adj + adj + noun + prepositional phrase + verb + art + adj + noun
_______________________________________________________________________
3. noun + verb + article + adjective + noun + adverb
______________________________________________________________________
4. article + adj + adj + noun + verb + adj + adj + noun + prepositional phrase
______________________________________________________________________
5. noun + verb + article + noun + prepositional phrase
_____________________________________________________________________
-The End-
Exercise A: Answers will vary. Here are some possibilities.
1. Most boys eat pizza.
2. Most healthy boys eat pizza.
3. Most healthy boys eat much pizza.
4. Most healthy boys eat much pizza with pepperoni.
5. On the weekend, most healthy boys eat much pizza with pepperoni.
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Exercise B: Minor variations will be acceptable.
1. Forty nurses were taking the difficult test.
2. John and Mary received beautiful Christmas cards.
3. My shiny new car hit the telephone pole last night.
4. I dropped fifty dollars into the night deposit slot.
5. Into the valley of death rode the six hundred.
Exercise C:
1. Adjective + noun + verb + article + adjective + noun.
2. noun + (conjunction) + noun + verb + adjective + adjective (actually a noun acting like an
adj.) + noun
3. possessive pronoun + adjective + adjective + noun + verb + article + noun + adverb (treat
telephone pole as one noun and last night as one adverb)
4. Pronoun + verb + adjective + noun + prepositional phrase
5. Prepositional phrase + prepositional phrase + verb + article + noun (six hundred - 600 - is
treated as a noun here because it is referring to a military group, 600 cavalry men)
Examination: Answers will vary greatly. Here are some possibilities. The main points to
watch are 1) that the words used match the part of speech indicated, 2) that the sentences make
some kind of sense.
1. In the summer, mothers carefully watch young children in the playground. Last night John
stupidly ran six stop-signs in a row.
2. The quick brown fox with a bushy tail chased the silly chicken. The cute young girl on the
billboard held the frosty drink.
3. Mario drove the hot car recklessly. We ate the hot pizza greedily.
4. The sad little boy wanted two new brothers for Christmas. A tall dark stranger took several
new watches from the store.
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5. Mrs. Snyder shoved the salesman out the door. Rabbits ate the broccoli in the garden.
Set 3 - Lesson 10
Lesson 10, N+LV+N and N+LV+Adj sentences: 'I am a teacher.' 'I am smart.'
These sentences consist of a Noun plus Linking Verb plus Noun or Adjective. All of these terms
have been defined and illustrated in earlier lessons, but to remind you:
Nouns:
• words that name a person, place, object, an idea, a feeling

• words with which you can use the, a, an, this, that, or counting words
• words that tell who or what a sentence is about, who or what does something or is
something
Words that can act like nouns in a sentence:
• verbs with -ing endings (gerunds) such as running, eating, quitting - they are the names of
activities.
• gerund phrases such as going to school, riding my bicycle, dropping the football.
• Infinitive phrases such as to sit, to fix my car, to catch fish also name activities.
Running is my favorite activity. Stopping the bus was almost impossible.

To sit for a long time is difficult for some
Eating was the cause of my weight gain.
children.
To fix my car was the purpose for taking the
Going to school is a real problem for me.
class.
In each of these examples, the -ing verb, the gerund phrase, or the infinitive phrase (to + verb
+ object noun) was acting as the subject of the sentence.
Linking Verb (see Lesson 5): These connect a subject noun with a predicate noun that means the
same thing or with a predicate adjective that describes the subject. Example: The man was a
lawyer. man = lawyer. The lawyer is dishonest. dishonest describes lawyer. The most common
Linking Verbs are: am, is, are, was, were, be, been, become, seem, look.
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Look at the sentences in the box. running and activity are the same thing linked together by is.
To test that idea, reverse the nouns to see if the sentence still makes sense. My favorite activity
is running. Yes, it does. The same is true with the next sentence - The cause of my weight gain
was eating. This should work for most, if not all, N+LV+N sentences.
The situation is a little different with N+LV+Adj sentences. These usually cannot be reversed
and still make sense. (Almost impossible was stopping the bus. This is not a good sentence.)
Notice, however, that the phrase 'almost impossible' describes the subject 'stopping the bus', and
the Linking Verb 'was' joins those thoughts together.
Adjectives: words that modify or describe nouns. They tell which one, what kind, how large or
small, what color, how many. In the sentence "To sit for a long time is difficult for some
children." , the adjective 'difficult' describes what it is like 'To sit for a long time'. The subject
and the description are linked by the verb 'is'.
Exercise A: Read the following sentences and label the basic parts with N, LV, or Adj.
Examples:
N LV N Adj.
Going to
is a problem for me.
school
To fly a
can be difficult.
helicopter
(good)
Jogging was
exercise.
Mike seems (very) lazy.
1. Mr. Smith has been a teacher for twenty years.
2. Falling down on the ice was my biggest worry.
3. That large black horse appears quite healthy.
4. All last week, those ten students were hall monitors for the school.
5. I am sick.
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Exercise B: Change the following sentences from N+LV+N to N+LV+Adj or from N+LV+Adj.
to N+LV+N. Example: James is my father. becomes James is six feet tall. and My dog was
vicious. becomes My dog was a good guard.
1. Jim's brother had been a fine policeman.
___________________________________________________________________
2. Janet was really angry.
________________________________________________________________
3. Driving a truck was my occupation.
________________________________________________________________
4. To find a parking place in New York is a challenge.
_________________________________________________________________
5. Koalas are very cute.
__________________________________________________________________
6. Jack and his friend were totally obnoxious.
__________________________________________________________________
Exercise C: Choose linking verbs from the list and use them to complete the sentences below.
After you use a verb, cross it out. Do not use it again. There will be some verbs left over.
am is was were can be will be

appear seem look seemed appeared looked
seems appears should be could be might be has been
have been become became becomes have become had seemed
1. The chicken and the donkey ___________ great friends.
2. Arthur ___________ the country's worst magician.
3. Drinking too much beer ______________ rather stupid.

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4. We ______________ deathly ill on the cruise.
5. The seventeen sailors on shore leave _______________ residents of the brig later.
6. Three tiny fish ______________ our total catch.
7. Mrs. Moroni _______________ pale and sickly.
8. That handsome television star _______________ my neighbor.
9. To ride a hot-air balloon ________________ my secret desire.
10. My mother ______________ very forgetful.
Examination: Fill in the missing parts in the following sentences. Use your imagination, but be
sure your answers agree with the N+LV+N or N+LN+Adj. patterns.
1. _________________ have been enemies since childhood.
2. Rattlesnakes are ____________________________________.
3. Green beans ______________________ my favorite vegetable.
4. ____________________ will be __________________________.
5. Nurses and doctors __________________________________________.
6. ________________________________ pink and yellow with green stripes.
7. Tom's younger brother _______________________ his best man.
8. Yesterday, the little girl seemed __________________________________.
9. ______________________________ could become vice-president.
10. ________________________ were _____________________________.
-The End-
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Exercise A:
1.
subject noun linking verb predicate noun prepositional phrase

Mr. Smith has been (a) teacher for twenty years.
2.
Subject noun
(actually a gerund prepositional
linking verb adjectives predicate noun
+ adverb acting as phrase
noun)
Falling down on the ice was my biggest worry.
3.
adjectives linking verb adverb predicate adjective

subject noun
That large black horse appears quite healthy.
4.
Adverbs - adj. + predicate

subject noun linking verb prep. phrase
adjectives noun
(All last week)
students were hall monitors for the school.
(Those ten)
5.
Subject
linking verb predicate adjective
pronoun
I am sick.
1. Jim's brother had been sick. (happy, ignorant, depressed.)

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2. Janet was a stock broker. (my sister, a dancer, president)
3. Driving a truck was dangerous. (exciting, boring, fun)
4. To find a parking place in New York is difficult. (easy, impossible, ridiculous)
5. Koalas are marsupials. (cute creatures, leaf-eaters, Australian animals)
6. Jack and his friend were golfers. (lawyers, outlaws, friends of the family)
1. The chicken and the donkey had been great friends. ( were, are, could be)
2. Arthur could be the country's worst magician. (is, was, may be, has been, had been)
3. Drinking too much beer can be rather stupid. (is, was, had been, could be, may be)
4. We had become deathly ill on the cruise. (were, had been, might be)
5. The seventeen sailors on shore leave were residents of the brig later. (became, will be, might
be)
6. Three tiny fish might be our total catch. (were, are, had been, could be)
7. Mrs. Moroni seemed pale and sickly. (looked, appeared, was, has been, had been)
8. That handsome television star is my neighbor. (was, had been, will be, may be)
9. To ride a hot air balloon has been my secret desire. (was, had been, is)
10. My mother was very forgetful. (is, can be, has been)
1. We, They, Donnie and Marie, Superman and Batman
2. reptiles, deadly, snakes, cold-blooded, friendly

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3. are, were, have been, became
4. This lesson will be easy. We will be late. The medical students will be doctors.
5. Nurses and doctors are professionals. Nurses and doctors should be kind. Nurses and doctors
seem intelligent.
6. The party favors were ...., Some caterpillars can be ...., Creatures from Mars might be ....
7. was, will be, might be, has become
8. fine, happy, sick, afraid, disgusted
9. You, any idiot, My daughter
10. Jack and Jill were friends. The lions were killers. We were tired.
Set 4 - Lesson 15
Lesson 15 - Punctuation Introduction:
What time is it Get out of that mud This time tomorrow I'll be in Phoenix
Do you know what these sentences mean? Read them out loud. If you spoke these words to
another person, would that person know what you meant? Would the person know which words
were a question, which were a command and which were just a statement of fact? The answers
to all these questions would probably be Yes, even though there were no punctuation marks
used. How can that be? Weren't we all taught in school how important correct punctuation is
when we write? We will attempt to explain.
• Punctuation is nothing more than marks or symbols used with written language to give
the reader additional information about the intent or meaning of the written words.
• OR, Punctuation is intended to tell the reader how the written words should be read
aloud,
• OR, Punctuation is a set of symbols used to direct and control the meaning of written
language.
Each of these statements is partly true, but none of the statements is the whole truth. Which
came first, the words or the punctuation? Likewise, which came first, the rise and fall of the
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voice, the inflexions, the pauses in our speech - or the punctuation marks on paper which
symbolize these variations? Of course, the speech came first. Let's look at an example.
This is a dog This is a dog This is a dog
These sentences all look the same, right? What if they were written like this?
This is a dog. This is a dog? This is a dog!
Would this make a difference in how you read the sentences? Would this make a difference in
their meanings? Of course it would. Now, get someone to read the second set of sentences to
you, the set with the end punctuation. Close your eyes as you listen. How can you tell which
sentence is a simple statement, which is a question and which one is an exclamation? By the
tone and inflexion of the voice, right? This is the primary purpose of punctuation - to show on
paper how words would be spoken aloud, which in turn helps us to figure out the intent and
meaning of the written words.
Punctuation does have other uses, however, because much writing is never meant to be read
aloud. Punctuation is used to organize the structure of written words, to separate parts of a
sentence such as conversations, direct quotes and lists. As with all other aspects of English,
punctuation has its rules and exceptions. There are even situations in which the correct answer
could be, "It depends on what you mean."
The various types of punctuation - Periods, Question Marks, Exclamation Points, Commas,
Colons, Semi-colons and Quotation Marks - will be covered in the following lessons. Relax and
enjoy them. It won't be as bad as you think.
Set 4 - Lesson 16
Lesson 16 - End Punctuation
PERIODS: Periods are such simple little things .... a dot, a speck, a pinpoint. And yet, a period
has the ability to bring a roaring, powerful 100-word sentence to a screeching halt. Like that. Or
does it? The truth is that a period is only a signal on paper that one thought or idea has ended.
In English speech, this is indicated by a slight drop in the pitch of the voice. Read the following
example sentences as naturally as possible. Listen to what your voice does as it reaches the end
of the sentence. Have somebody else read the sentences as you listen. There should be a drop in
pitch on the last half of or last syllable of a word , as with 'fleas' or 'coffee' or 'old'. Sometimes
the lower pitch lasts for the whole word, as with 'yesterday' or 'old'. That drop in pitch is the
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same signal to an English-speaker's ear that the period is to your eye - this thought is ended. Get
ready for a new one.
I'm going to the store John drove to work

My dog has fleas. She's six years old.
for coffee. yesterday.
As a final note, you must remember that periods can only be used correctly at the end of a
complete sentence, whether that sentence is one word or 80 words long.
• Wrong: Going to school last week. When I get to Oklahoma. My brother's girlfriend.
• Right: This is a good example. I'm tired. I thought we were going to school last
week, but you told me that when I get to Oklahoma I could go with my brother's
girlfriend.
The first three examples are not sentences because they do not have all the necessary parts and
they do not express a complete thought. (see Lessons 5, 6, 7, 8, or 10 on Building Sentences) If
they are not complete sentences or complete thoughts, they do not deserve a period at the end.
The second three examples do express complete thoughts and have all the necessary parts to be
complete sentences. They deserve periods.
BUT, there are situations in which the first three examples would get periods - if they were
answers to previously-asked questions. For example:
"What did you use my bicycle "When do you plan to look for "Who do you have a date with
for when you borrowed it?" a job?" Saturday?"
"Going to school last week." "When I get to Oklahoma." "My brother's girlfriend."
In these cases, the missing sentence parts or the completion of the thoughts are included in the
questions so both parties to the conversation understand what the incomplete sentences mean.
The answers complete the thoughts that were begun in the questions. An extreme example of
this is the question that can be answered by one word. "Do you want to go out tonight?"
"No." "Who are you saving that pizza for?" "Fred." The words and meanings that allow
these one-word answers to be considered complete thoughts are contained in the questions.
Think of it this way - "Do you want to go out tonight?" "No, I do not want to go out tonight."
and "Who are you saving that pizza for?" "I am saving it for Fred."
QUESTION MARKS:
There are four principle ways an English speaker can indicate that he is asking a question - by
ending the sentence with a rising pitch to his voice, by using a question (interrogative) word to
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begin the sentence, by having the subject and a linking or auxiliary verb change positions, or by
putting the correct form of DO (or other auxiliary verb) at the beginning of the sentence. Often, a
combination of these methods is used in the same sentence.
If the speaker said these words with his voice rising at the end,
the listener would know he was being asked a question. If you
This is your dog were writing the spoken words, you would have to put a question
mark at the end to indicate that the speaker's voice rose at the end
and that he was asking a question. This is your dog?
page brea
When are you going Why did you come

What time is it? Where do you live?
home? here?
These sentences could be spoken with your voice rising or falling at the end and the speaker
would still know they were questions because of the Interrogatory words at the beginning and
the verb or part of the verb placed in front of the subject. If you read these sentences, you would
know they were questions even without the Question Marks for the same reasons. The rules say,
however, that you must write a question mark after a question, even in obvious cases like this.
page
Was Henry late for class

Is this your dog? Will you pay for the taxi?
again?
page break
Sentences with action verbs in them (Transitive or Intransitive) can be made into questions by
adding some form of the verb DO. When this happens, DO takes over the job of indicating the
tense and the person from the main verb. Notice what changes from the statement form on the
left to the question form on the right.
John sang the lead part in the class musical last Did John sing the lead part in the class musical
night. last night?
Sara rides her bicycle to school every day. Does Sara ride her bicycle to school every day?
All the boys play basketball at recess. Do all the boys play basket ball at recess?
The mailman brought a pile of bills to the house Did the mailman bring a pile of bills to the
yesterday. house yesterday?
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Word order in these sentences is the main indicator that they are questions. Although most
English speakers would say these sentences with their voices rising at the end, it is possible to
say them with your voice keeping a level pitch or dropping at the end. In those cases, it would
be word order alone that informed the listener he was hearing a question. When you are writing
English, you must be aware of the Question Words and the reversed subject and verb to know
when to put a Question Mark at the end of a sentence. The pitch of the speaker's voice cannot
be relied upon to tell you this.
EXCLAMATION POINTS:
The only purpose for an Exclamation point is to inform the reader that the words before that
symbol are to be read with strong emotion. As a writer of English, when you want to let a
reader know that the words you are writing have a strong emotional content - anger, grief,
surprise, etc. - you place an Exclamation Point after them. Examples.
Get down off that I didn't mean to shoot Hurray! I won the
Stop! Police!
ladder immediately! her! lottery!
When you are reading something that another person wrote, an Exclamation Point will tell you
there is strong emotional content, but you have to learn from the words themselves what kind of
emotion it is. When you are writing, you must make it clear to the reader what kind of emotion
an Exclamation Point is indicating.
Clear: Heartbroken, she cried out, "Paul! Don't go!" Facing the snarling dog, the terrified boy
yelled. "Get down! Get back!"
Unclear: The pilot shouted to his crew, "Get ready! The runway's ahead!" Is the pilot very
happy because they would be landing soon, or is he frightened because they were going to crash
into the runway? The only information a reader has is what you put on the page he is reading. If
you do not provide enough facts or details, it forces the reader to guess what you mean.
Exercise A: Place the correct punctuation mark at the end of the following sentences. If more
than one answer could be correct, put each of the possible answers.
1. There just isn't enough time to do everything
2. I forgot my hat yesterday
3. Is that your mother
4. At the end of a long day, when we had finally arrived home

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5. There goes my baby
6. When will he ever learn to do it right
7. Do you think we have enough food
8. What did you say was in the garage
9. This is absolutely the last time
10. There are fourteen people on the boat.
Exercise B: Change each of these statements to questions by adding Question Words, placing
part of the verb before the subject, or adding some form of the verb DO . Write the questions on
the blank lines.
1. That is a very nice car.
____________________________________________________________________________
2. You will go to school.
_____________________________________________________________________________
3. The horse fell down the steep bank.
______________________________________________________________________________
_
4. There are too many people on the bus.
______________________________________________________________________________
5. Science was his worst subject.
______________________________________________________________________________
_
6. Billy brings his lunch to school in a paper bag.

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______________________________________________________________________________
_____
Examination: Put the correct punctuation at the end of the following complete sentences. If a
group of words is not a sentence, make it complete and then put the correct punctuation at the
end.
1. I really wanted before we arrived home.
2. How many peppers did Peter Piper pick
3. Watch out below
4. There were ninety-nine bottles of Pepsi on the wall.
5. As I walked through the meadow with the moon shining down
6. He sat still
7. Is this the only way you know how to do it
8. Lions and tigers and bears can be dangerous
9. Is there room for one more up front
10. I would like to have sometime
Exercise A: Place the correct punctuation mark at the end of the following sentences. If more
than one answer could be correct, put each of the possible answers.
1. There just isn't enough time to do everything. or !
2. I forgot my hat yesterday.
3. Is that your mother?
4. At the end of a long day, when we had finally arrived home X Incomplete.
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5. There goes my baby . or !
6. When will he ever learn to do it right ! or ?
7. Do you think we have enough food ?
8. What did you say was in the garage ?
9. This is absolutely the last time !
10. There are fourteen people on the boat .
Exercise B: Change each of these statements to questions by adding Question Words, placing
part of the verb before the subject or both. Write the questions on the blank lines.
1. Is that a very nice car?
2. Will you go to school?
3. Did the horse fall down the steep bank?
4. Are there too many people on the bus?
5. Was science his worst subject?
6. Does Billy bring his lunch to school in a paper bag?
Examination: Put the correct punctuation at the end of the following complete sentences. If a
group of words is not a sentence, make it complete and then put the correct punctuation at the
end. Some answers will vary. Here are some possibilities.
1. I really wanted breakfast before we arrived home. (to call, to take some time, to warn my
mother, etc.)
2. How many peppers did Peter Piper pick?
3. Watch out below!
4. There were ninety-nine bottles of Pepsi on the wall.
5. As I walked through the meadow with the moon shining down, I whistled a sad song.
6. He sat still.
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7. Is this the only way you know how to do it?
8. Lions and tigers and bears can be dangerous.
9. Is there room for one more up front?
10. I would like to have lasagna sometime. (a hot fudge sundae, a chance to relax, etc.)
Set 4 - Lesson 17
Lesson 17, Punctuation - Commas:
As was mentioned in earlier lessons, punctuation marks on paper (or computer screen) are
primarily signals indicating how a passage would be spoken aloud - how the voice pitch would
rise or fall, when one thought or idea ends and another begins, the amount of emotional content
in a sentence. This lesson will examine the comma, those dainty little curved lines that tell a
reader one should pause slightly or take a quick breath at that point. A writer of English needs
to imagine how his words would be spoken aloud by an actor or a radio announcer, and where
the imaginary speaker would pause or hesitate within a sentence, the writer should place a
comma. If you follow this simple procedure, you will use commas correctly most of the time.
There are in addition many situations not so easily detected where a comma should be used.
That is where English Punctuation Rules come in, to tell one specifically where and why to use
commas.
* To enclose Appositives. An appositive is a word or group of words that explain or rename

something that came just before.
The newspaper article talked

Mr. Smith, the lawyer, stood The delivery person, Ted
about disenfranchisement,
up. Harris, was lost.
losing the right to vote.
* Separating cities from states and states from the rest of the sentence.
I went to college in Columbus, My son moved to Tampa, Chicago, Illinois, is my least

Ohio. Florida, several years ago. favorite city.
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* To separate Independent Clauses in compound sentences. Independent clauses could actually

be complete sentences on their own, but because the topics they speak of are closely related, they
are joined together by a Comma and usually a Conjunction (and, or, but, thus, although, etc.).
' I would have mown the grass today, but my 'We can go to the movies, or we can stay
back was killing me.' home. You decide.'
* To separate the day of the month from the year. (Note: It used to be required to put a
comma after the year as well, but the current trend has moved away from that unless the
construction of the sentence would require a comma, as in 'On June 30, 1989, my car was
stolen.' because 'On June 30, 1989' is an introductory adverbial prepositional phrase which, by
another rule, would require a comma after it.)
September fifth, 1976 was the 'On June 30, 1989, my car was
I graduated May 16, 1984.
date I was hired. stolen.'
* Use a comma to show that one or more easily understood words have been omitted (an
Ellipsis). 'The Chicago Bears scored 35 points in the game; the New York Giants, 31.' In this
case, the words 'scored __ points in the game' were omitted from the second half of the sentence,
but anyone reading it would know what was meant. The comma is used to stand for the missing
words.
* To set off Non-essential Phrases and Clauses from the rest of the sentence. Non-essential
phrases and clauses are groups of words that may provide additional information to the reader
but are not necessary to the primary meaning of the sentence. (This topic will be covered
more thoroughly in another lesson.)
"The sailor who stood on the deck watched the "The sailor, shielding his eyes from the glare,
plane crash." saw the plane crash."
In this sentence, the phrase 'shielding his eyes
The clause 'who stood on the deck' is necessary
from the glare', is not essential to the main
to the meaning of the sentence. It tells us that it
meaning of the sentence. It could be left out
was not the sailor in the engine room or the
without changing the original meaning.
sailor in the lifeboat who saw the crash, but
Therefore, it must be separated from the rest of
specifically the one on the deck.
the sentence by commas.
* Use a comma to separate Introductory Words from the rest of the sentence. We all use them
without thinking about it - Well, I thought.... or... Actually, I didn't know ...... or... You know,
I thought it was that one all the time. People use these Introductory Words for various reasons:
to open a gap in the conversation so they can say what they really wanted to say, to give them an
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extra few seconds to get their thoughts in order about what they want to say, to lend a note of
seriousness or believability to to the words they intend to say. Honestly, that's what happened.
* Use a comma between a name and a following tag or title.
R.J.
Joseph Kennedy,
Lever Brothers, Ltd. Earthlink, Inc. Michael Malone, Sr. Garvey,
III
Esq.
* Use commas when writing large numbers, after every third number counting from right to
left. (BUT NOT in street numbers, addresses, post office boxes, telephone numbers.)
$64,000 5,280 feet 93,000,000 miles
* Use commas to set off Parenthetical Phrases. Parenthetical phrases are similar to Introductory
Words - extra comments thrown into a sentence. Sometimes they can alter the meaning of a
sentence a little, but the sentence can survive without them. Examples: I believe ....for example
..... however ..... furthermore ...... thus ... without doubt ....in any case ..... On the other hand .... in
my opinion ..... I swear. Be careful, however, of situations when words like these are an
essential part of the sentence and thus do not require a comma. "Do you have faith in my
opinion about the new product?" "He put his glove on the other hand." "I believe in the United
States of America."
* Use commas to set off Participial Phrases. What, pray tell, is a Participial Phrase? It is an -ing
or -ed form of a verb, with modifiers, that acts as an adjective in a sentence. Note in each of
these sentences that if we left out the Participial Phrase, the basic sentence would remain the
same. The participial phrases just give us a little more information, in these cases, about the
subjects of the sentences.
"The hunter, having forgotten his ammunition, "The teacher, losing her train of thought, gave
decided not to shoot the deer." us yesterday's assignment."
* Use commas to set off Direct Quotations. When writing English, any time you use the exact
words someone has spoken, those words must be surrounded by Quotation marks. In addition,
those quotations have to be separated from the rest of the sentence by commas. Note the
location of the commas and the quotation marks. When these two forms of punctuation are side-
by-side in a direct quotation, the comma ALWAYS comes before the quotation marks.
"I know," said the teacher, "The meter is running," said The frantic woman said, "I'll be
"that someone helped you with the impatient taxi driver. there soon."
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your homework."
* Using commas in a Series. Separate words and phrases in a series by commas. Note: The last
comma, the one before the 'and', is optional, but many book publishers continue to use it.
"Riding a bicycle, playing tennis, reading "To get ready for our camping trip, we had to
mysteries, and playing cards are my favorite pack sleeping bags, food, blankets, water, and a
activities." tent."
* Use commas after the Salutation and the Closing in friendly letters.
With
My
Dear Miss Dear Yours Sincerely With deep boundless
Mother, Dearest
Wentworth, Bob, truly, yours, regret, love and
Steven,
appreciation,
That is a long list of rules. Look carefully at the examples for each rule, however, and you will
notice that when you read the sentences, there is a natural tendency to pause or hesitate at most
of the spots where a comma has been placed. That is more evidence that written punctuation is
largely a reflection of how we speak, or at least how we should speak.
Exercise A: Place commas where they belong in the following examples.
1. April 15 2000 was not a happy day for many people.
2. I drove through Dallas Texas many times.
3. The personnel manager told Dave he could earn $56000 per year if he worked hard.
4. Lions tigers and bears can be dangerous if you are not in Oz.
5. Jill wanted to follow the path up the hill but Jack insisted on taking a shortcut.
6. Harry was in fact the only person who could do the job.
7. Truly I cannot understand what went wrong.
8. The juggler feeling sweat roll into his eyes worried about catching the spinning plates.
9. "I'm glad I found you" Sarah told the tour guide "because I have been wandering for hours."
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10. J. F. Kennedy Jr. will never become president.
Exercise B: Cross out the commas that do not belong.
1. When we go, to the store, we usually, buy too many, items we don't need.
2. January 1, February 14, March 17, and July 4, are the best days, of the whole year.
3. The United States, has a national debt, of about $3,500,000,000,000.00, so I don't worry about
my little credit card debt.
4. The Johnson's vacation trip, took them through Jackson, Mississippi, Mobile, Alabama,
Hammond, Louisiana, and Beaumont, Texas, before they finally returned home, in Atlanta,
Georgia.
5. "Well, I declare," said the surprised farmer, "I have never, seen such an ugly, undersized, dog
as that!"
Examination: Put commas where they should be in the following letter.
Dear Bill
Honestly I don't understand why some people were getting so upset. I mean it's not as if you
robbed a bank or anything really serious like that. I think most folks would understand with the
pressure you are under all the time that you need to get your mind off those matters once in a
while. August 8 1999 was a bad day for you I remember because of the article that hit the
newspapers in New York Raleigh North Carolina Chicago and Denver Colorado. Even some of
your strongest supporters knowing what they do about events have been very careful to keep
their distance.
On a brighter note there was an article written by J. R. Clooney Sr. printed in a major magazine
in which the young woman in question Lois Monoski denied all or at least most of the
allegations being made. That mysterious deposit of $12350 made to her bank account has caused
some curiosity however. Well that is all I have to say for now but I hope I have helped cheer you
up. Stick to your story.
Your secret friend
Jim

110
Exercise A: Place commas where they belong in the following examples.
1. April 15, 2000 was not a happy day for many people. (2000, would be acceptable)
2. I drove through Dallas, Texas, many times.
3. The personnel manager told Dave he could earn $56,000 per year if he worked hard.
4. Lions, tigers(,) and bears can be dangerous if you are not in Oz. (The comma after 'tigers' is
optional.)
5. Jill wanted to follow the path up the hill, but Jack insisted on taking a shortcut.
6. Harry was, in fact, the only person who could do the job.
7. Truly, I cannot understand what went wrong.
8. The juggler, feeling sweat roll into his eyes, worried about catching the spinning plates.
9. "I'm glad I found you," Sarah told the tour guide, "because I have been wandering for hours."
10. J. F. Kennedy, Jr. will never become president.
Exercise B: Cross out the commas that do not belong.
1. When we gox to the store, we usuallyx buy too manyx items we don't need.
2. January 1, February 14, March 17(ok) and July 4x are the best daysx of the whole year.
3. The United Statesx has a national debt x of about $3,500,000,000,000.00, so I don't worry
about my little credit card debt.
4. The Johnson's vacation tripx took them through Jackson, Mississippi, Mobile, Alabama,
Hammond, Louisiana, and Beaumont, Texas, before they finally returned homex in Atlanta,
Georgia.
5. "Well, I declare," said the surprised farmer, "I have neverx seen such an ugly, undersizedx dog
as that!"
Examination: Put commas where they should be in the following letter.

111
Dear Bill,
Honestly, I don't understand why some people were getting so upset. I mean, it's not as if you
robbed a bank or anything really serious like that. I think most folks would understand, with the
pressure you are under all the time, that you need to get your mind off those matters once in a
while. August 8, 1999 was a bad day for you, I remember, because of the article that hit the
newspapers in New York, Raleigh, North Carolina, Chicago and Denver, Colorado. Even some
of your strongest supporters, knowing what they do about events, have been very careful to keep
their distance.
On a brighter note, there was an article written by J. R. Clooney, Sr. printed in a major magazine
in which the young woman in question, Lois Monoski, denied all, or at least most, of the
allegations being made. That mysterious deposit of $12,350 made to her bank account has
caused some curiosity, however. Well, that is all I have to say for now, but I hope I have helped
cheer you up. Stick to your story.
Your secret friend,
Jim
Set 4 - Lesson 18
Lesson 18, Colons, Semi-colons, Quotation Marks:
COLON:
Colons are most commonly used to introduce a list, a series, numerical results, a passage
extracted from another source, texts, and explanations that mean the same as the introductory
words. A colon ( : ) is used after an introductory word, phrase or sentence but not when the
series is the direct object of a verb or preposition or directly follows a form of the verb " to be ".
Here are some right and some wrong examples:
• Right. Following are the words that were written on the back of the photo: I will always
remember you as a true friend.
• Right. You must have this equipment with you when you attend the first meeting: one
hand-cranked egg beater, two plastic fly swatters, three cans of tuna, four sheets of graph
paper, and a bagel with some creamed cheese.
• Right. The Truth About ADD: Attention Deficit Disorder
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• Wrong. When you attend the the first meeting, you should have: one hand-cranked egg
beater, two plastic fly swatters, etc. Why is this wrong? The list is the direct object of
the verb "should have". In the second example, the list was introduced by a complete
sentence. Read the rule again.
Special Case: In a formal tabulation (list), such as in an official Job Description or a Resume,
you may use a colon after a form of the verb "to be." Example:
The qualities of a good Boy Scout leader are:
Patience
Moral integrity
Creativity
Use a colon to indicate clock time, unless the time is right on the hour.
• 6 P.M. but 7:30 A.M.
Use a colon between the name of a publisher and the city of publication in a Footnote.
• John J. Skully, The Tomb Robbers, New York City: Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1913, p. 67
Use a colon in Bible references to separate the chapter from the verse.
• Psalms 23:14
SEMI-COLON:
A semi-colon is a comma with a period sitting above its head - ; It is used to indicate a more
serious pause than a simple comma. Within a sentence, one's voice usually lowers when it gets
to a place where a semi-colon would be used, almost the same as with a period.
• A semi-colon is used to separate the two parts of a compound sentence if a comma and a
conjunction are not used. Example: The music was over, and the band went home. The
music was over; the band went home. Jane couldn't finish the test; she wrote too
slowly.
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• A semi-colon is used to separate long, involved clauses. Example: Working in the

computer industry today has its own problems and pitfalls; rapidly changing technology,
international market changes and sticky drinks that spill on the keyboards.
• A semi-colon is used to separate clauses that are punctuated by commas. Example:
Before you open that door, the one that leads to the basement, make sure your wooden
stake is sharp; regretfully, you may have to use it.
• Use semi-colons to separate items in a list if the items are longer or contain commas.
Example: The average long-distance truck driver travels with a 12 volt television set
with a VCR; a cooler with drinks, fresh fruit, lunch meat and refrigerated meals; a duffel
bag stuffed with socks, underwear, several changes of work clothes and a pillow;
blankets, sheets and a teddy bear.
• Semi-colons are used before a conjunctive adverb (accordingly, also, besides,
consequently, furthermore, however, indeed, likewise, moreover, nevertheless, otherwise,
similarly, so, still, therefore, thus) when these words are used to join two independent
clauses: sentences that could stand alone but are connected because their meanings are
closely related. Example: I had planned to visit my mother last week; however, a
problem developed at work and I couldn't get away. You have made several good sales
this month; therefore, I am going to ask you for a loan.
Notes: Always place a semi-colon outside quotation marks. Never use a semi-colon before a
parenthesis or an expression enclosed in parentheses.
QUOTATION MARKS:
Use quotation marks to enclose the exact words of a speaker or writer.
• "Shut the door," the cook yelled, "before you let in all the flies!" "Stop!" said the cop.
The woman threw herself onto the ground beside the horribly wounded man and sobbed,
"Frank! Don't die, please don't die!"
• The newspaper reporter questioned witnesses about the boys who were seen "hanging
around the park."
Note: If the exact words are written immediately after the name of the speaker, as in a question
and answer format, do not use quotation marks. Example:
Judge Judy: How much damage was done to your car?
Plaintiff Jones: At least $1,800, Judge.
Judge Judy: Were there any other losses from the accident?
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When the material being quoted is longer than one paragraph, use Quotation Marks at the
beginning of each paragraph, but only at the end of the last paragraph.
Use Quotation Marks around a word or phrase that is accompanied by its definition.
• "Adult literacy" refers to the ability of an adult to read and write at a sufficient level to be
able to function competently in our society.
• The official term for the tiny piece of paper a hole puncher cuts out is "chad."
Use Quotation Marks around an unusual word or phrase or a special trade word the first time it is
used.
• The term "crack" has become too widely known today for the wrong reasons. When I
was young, the only crack you saw downtown was the separation between sidewalk
squares.
• "Cold fusion" remains an unreachable goal for physicists today.
Use Quotation Marks to enclose the titles of:
articles - "Severe chapters or parts of brochures or pamphlets

Weather Becoming books - "Part 1 - The - "Install Your Own operas - "Carmen"
More Common." Early Days" Drywall"
plays or motion
paintings or sketches - poems - "Ode on a songs - "I Want to
pictures - "The House
"Mona Lisa" Grecian Urn" Hold Your Hand"
on Haunted Hill"
• Do not use quotation marks with: Names of magazines or newspapers, well-known

publications like dictionaries, the Bible or any of its parts, parts or segments of musical
works.
Use Single Quotation Marks to enclose a quotation within a quotation.
• Bert told his fellow workers, "Yesterday when I went to my son's ball game, he said to
me, 'Dad, I hit a home run all the way out to second base!' "
More notes about Quotation Marks: Periods and commas always go inside the quotation marks.
Colons and semi-colons always go outside the quotation marks. Question marks and
exclamation points go inside the quotation marks if the entire quotation is a question or
exclamation. They go outside if the quotation is only part of the sentence.
• The tiny paper pieces from hole punchers are called "chad."
115
• I never liked the song "Tiptoe Through the Tulips"; however, it was a cult hit years ago.
• Did you hear the conductor say, "Give me your ticket or get off the train!"? (The whole
sentence is a question so the question mark goes outside, but the quotation within the
sentence is an exclamation so the exclamation point goes inside the quotation marks.)
Exercise A: Put the colons, semi-colons and quotation marks where they belong in the
following sentences.
1. Republicans make up 58 percent of the registered voters in this county Democrats, 40

percent.
2. Mark usually awoke at 630 in the morning however, this morning he overslept.
3. Will you please hurry, Arnold called to his wife. It is time to leave.
4. The professional ball player signed these words on my baseball Always play fair and
you'll be a winner.
5. There was a lot of junk left in the desk I bought at the auction paperclips, rubber bands,
thumbtacks, scraps of paper, old envelopes and a dried-up ballpoint pen.
Exercise B: Cross out the punctuation that is wrong, circle the punctuation that is right and
add the punctuation that is missing.
"Shut up! the

10:A.M. The Mona Lisa is located in Paris.
judge ordered."
The new term to refer to internet business is ecommerce.
Answer these questions; 1, 4, 7, 10.
Genesis:12:7 H.B. Stowe: Uncle Tom's Cabin: Atlanta: Random House: 1853.
1115 hours is military time. 1159 P.M. The young poet wrote 'I Am' .
Examination: The following sentences illustrate the Punctuation Rules in this lesson, but
the specific punctuation has been left out. Place the colons, semi-colons and quotation marks
where they should be.
1. Betty told the other club members, Yesterday when I went to pick up my daughter from
dance class, she said to me, Mom, I was able to stand on my toes for a whole minute!
116
2. I never liked the play Oklahoma therefore, I never bought the soundtrack.
3. The term blitz has a different meaning today than it did in the 1940's.
4. The hypnotist gave Mrs. Murray a list of instructions find a quiet room away from
distractions close the curtains or blinds put the lamp on its lowest setting sit back in a soft,
comfortable chair.
5. The policeman shouted, Get out of my way! as he chased the thief down the sidewalk.
6. I knew the game was nearly over the crowd began edging toward the parking lot.
7. I had not planned to work long at that job besides, the pay was lousy.

Set 4 - Lesson 18 - Answer Keys
Exercise A: Put the colons, semi-colons and quotation marks where they belong in the following
sentences.
1. Republicans make up 58 percent of the registered voters in this county; Democrats, 40 percent.
2. Mark usually awoke at 6:30 in the morning; however, this morning he overslept.
3. "Will you please hurry," Arnold called to his wife. "It is time to leave."
4. The professional ball player signed these words on my baseball: Always play fair and you'll be
a winner.
5. There was a lot of junk left in the desk I bought at the auction: paperclips, rubber bands,
thumbtacks, scraps of paper, old envelopes and a dried-up ballpoint pen.
Exercise B: Cross out the punctuation that is wrong, circle the punctuation that is right and add
the punctuation that is missing.
"Shut up!" the

10A.M. The "Mona Lisa" is located in Paris.
judge ordered.
The new term to refer to internet business is "ecommerce."
Answer these questions: 1, 4, 7, 10.
Genesis 12:7 H.B. Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Atlanta: Random House, 1853.
117
1115 hours is military time. 11:59 P.M. The young poet wrote "I Am" .
Examination: The following sentences illustrate the Punctuation Rules in this lesson, but the
specific punctuation has been left out. Place the colons, semi-colons and quotation marks where
they should be.
1. Betty told the other club members, "Yesterday, when I went to pick up my daughter from
dance class, she said to me, 'Mom, I was able to stand on my toes for a whole minute!' "
2. I never liked the play "Oklahoma"; therefore, I never bought the soundtrack.
3. The term "blitz" has a different meaning today than it did in the 1940's.
4. The hypnotist gave Mrs. Murray a list of instructions: find a quiet room away from
distractions; close the curtains or blinds; put the lamp on its lowest setting; sit back in a soft,
comfortable chair.
5. The policeman shouted, "Get out of my way!" as he chased the thief down the sidewalk.
6. I knew the game was nearly over; the crowd began edging toward the parking lot.
7. I had not planned to work long at that job; besides, the pay was lousy.
Set 4 - Lesson 19
Lesson 19, Apostrophe', [Brackets], Dash--, (Parentheses)
APOSTROPHE:
Use an apostrophe to indicate that a noun is showing possession or ownership. To make a plural
noun possessive, put 's after plural forms that do not end in s and only an apostrophe if the plural
ends with s.
• women's shoes, the two cats' kittens, the Joneses' house, both buildings' fire escapes,
all five children's lunch boxes
• The book belongs to Janet. This is Janet's book.
• The bumper is attached to the car. It is the car's bumper.
Use an apostrophe to show where letters have been left out in a contraction.
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• it is = it's , with the apostrophe taking the place of the missing i from is.
• has not = hasn't , with the apostrophe taking the place of the missing o in not.
• association = ass'n , with the apostrophe taking the place of the missing ociatio.
• 1898 = '98 , as in the Blizzard of '98.
Use an apostrophe to form the plurals of numbers and symbols, of words when they are referred
to without regarding their meanings, and to show the plurals or other forms for abbreviations.
• The painter put too many 6's on the store's sign.

• It is important to learn how to use ?'s, !'s and ( )'s correctly when you write letters.
• I prefer listening to the music from the 1960's.
• Law books have hundreds of and's, wherefore's and thus's in their pages of fine print.
• The poll results included 56 O.K.'s and 19 No's.
• Mary's collection contains 342 CD's.
• Jack's boss O.K.'d his trip to Houston.
DASH:
Use dashes mainly to set off explanations, to show an abrupt change in the flow of the sentence
and to set off a thought that is repeated for stress or emphasis.
• I saw Harry the other night - didn't he used to live here? - and he looked terrible.
• I went to check out that used car - the one I told you about yesterday - to see if it was a
good deal.
• Sonny finally bought a CD outfit - Sony or Hitachi, I forget which - and he wants me to
see it later.
Use a dash before a clause that summarizes a series of words or phrases.
• Printers, scanners, digital cameras, CD recorders - all are gadgets that can be hooked up
to your computer.
PARENTHESES AND BRACKETS:
Use brackets [ ] to enclose comments or explanations within quoted material. Use brackets to
correct errors. Use brackets to enclose a passage that already has parentheses in it.
• The company needed to purchase a hyperframistan [a newly-developed energy stabilizer

(but only for molecular energy) as demonstrated by Pseudo-Tech Industries] in order to
complete its government contract.
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Use parentheses to enclose parenthetical or explanatory expressions that are not part of the
primary sentence structure. Parentheses are a stronger separation than commas or dashes.
• The band Jefferson Starship (formerly known as Jefferson Airplane) has not been seen in
ages.
Parentheses are used to enclose a numerical figure when it follows the same amount written out
in words or when the American equivalent of foreign currency is given.
• Four hundred fifty-five dollars and thirteen cents ($455.13) was all that remained after
the robbery.
• In Germany, a new Volkswagon will cost M43,799 ($13,995).
In official court or Congressional testimony, use parentheses to enclose actions that take place
during an individual's testimony and the name of a new person who begins to testify.
• Q. (by Senator Hollings) Mr. Gates, do you actually believe that $18 billion is not too
much money for one person to possess?
• A. I certainly do believe that is too much money to possess, but (he hands several sheets
of paper to the clerk) I do not have that much money. As these figures will show, that
money is tied up in property, buildings, equipment, investments, retirement plans for my
employees, and so on.
Parentheses are used to enclose numbers or letters itemizing a list within a sentence.
• We were told to bring (1) two sharpened pencils, (2) a gum eraser, (3) five sheets of
tablet paper, and (4) a paper bag in case we get sick.
Note: Use normal punctuation marks (. , ? ! ) within the parentheses if those marks are part of or
belong to the enclosed words.
• He was telling me the story ( for the tenth time!) of his fishing trip to Canada.
• Her mother asked, "Patricia, where are you going (as if she didn't know!) this late at
night?"
Exercise A: Make the following nouns possessive.
1. geese 2. lion 3. wolves 4. kangaroo 5. men
Exercise B: Make the following items plural.

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1. 24 2. if 3. & 4. 1800 5. CEO
Exercise C: Put the correct punctuation in the following sentences.
1. I remember how beautiful the stars were was it only last night? when we walked along
the shore.
2. Ebay one of the largest on-line auction sites is very well organized.
3. Pickles, hot dogs, rolls, mustard we'll need all of it for the picnic.
4. Everywhere we went, people at least the ones who noticed told us we looked so happy.
5. There are a few things you need to be sure of 1 Have the reservations been confirmed?
2 Do you have the Travelers Checks? 3 Is the luggage all here?
6. When I traveled to Italy, I went to the bank and got six million lira $845 so I could go
shopping.
7. "Four score and seven 87 years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent ......"
8. Charles finally finished painting the window frame the last one, he hoped and started to
clean up the mess.
Examination: Put all the punctuation that is required in the following sentences, not just
apostrophes, dashes, brackets or parentheses. Write the corrected sentences on the lines.
1. Its very clear said the editor that there are too many buts and commas in that sentence
___________________________________________________________________________
_
2. The painter Gregory will show his works in Baltimore Maryland on Tuesday March 18
___________________________________________________________________________
__
3. However you can accomplish it be here by the end of the week

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___________________________________________________________________________
_
4. However it would be nice if you got here earlier
___________________________________________________________________________
_
5. Joe Smith hes your cousin isnt he telephoned this morning
___________________________________________________________________________
__
6. Did the agency ruin its reputation he wondered
___________________________________________________________________________
___
7. The cattlemens assn was founded in the late 1890s
___________________________________________________________________________
___
8. We will send the two thousand dollar $2000 deposit by the fastest means
___________________________________________________________________________
_____
9. Hurry take the parcel to the following address 4043 Cimmaron Blvd Boulder CO
___________________________________________________________________________
____
10. Yes the dedication will be played on Station WABC at 1115
___________________________________________________________________________
____
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Exercise A: Make these nouns possessive.
1. geese's 2. lion's 3. wolves' 4. kangaroo's 5. men's
Exercise B: Make these items plural.
1. 24's 2. if's 3. &'s 4. 1800's 5. CEO's
Exercise C: Punctuate these sentences.
1. I remember how beautiful the stars were ( was it only last night?) when we walked along the
shore.
2. Ebay - one of the largest on-line auction sites - is very well organized.
3. Pickles, hot dogs, rolls, mustard - we'll need all of them for the picnic.
4. Everywhere we went, people ( at least the ones who noticed ) told us we looked so happy.
5. There are a few things you need to be sure of: (1) Have the reservations been confirmed? (2)
Do you have the travelers checks? (3) Is the luggage all here?
6. When I traveled to Italy, I went to the bank and got six million lira ($845) so I could go
shopping.
7. "Four score and seven [87] years ago, our fathers brought forth ...."
8. Charles finished painting the window frames (the last ones, he hoped) and started to clean up
the mess.
Examination: Punctuate all.
1. "It's very clear," said the editor, "that there are too many but's and commas in that sentence."
2. The painter, Gregory, will show his works in Baltimore, Maryland, on Tuesday, March 18.
3. However you can accomplish it, be here by the end of the week.
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4. However, it would be nice if you got here earlier.
5. Joe Smith - he's your cousin, isn't he? - telephoned this morning.
6. "Did the agency ruin its reputation?" he wondered.
7. The cattlemen's ass'n was founded in the late 1890's.
8. We will send the two thousand dollar ($2,000) deposit by the fastest means.
9. Hurry! Take the parcel to the following address: 4043 Cimaron Blvd., Boulder, CO.
10. Yes, the dedication will be played on Station WABC at 11:15.
Set 4 - Lesson 20
Lesson 20, Capitalization:
Capital or upper case letters are everywhere. Already on this page we have used eleven of them
and we are just getting started. What good are they? Why do we have to use them? When do
we have to use them?
• What good are they? They give a page a more interesting, varied look than if the letters
were all the same size. They indicate to us that some words, or what the words stand for,
are more important than are other things that are not named with capital letters. They
help us see more clearly when new ideas, thoughts or sentences are beginning.
• Why must we use them? So that other people will not think we are ignorant or
uneducated; so that our written thoughts are not discredited or perceived to be of little
value (as they would be if we did not use capital letters correctly); because it is the
custom; because the teachers in school said we had to.
• When must we use them? Whenever the the rules of English writing tell us we must.
Rule 1: All sentences must begin with a capital letter.
• The boy ran home. Why did he go home? Get home now, boy! He walked home, but
his friend rode.
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Rule 2: The pronoun I , referring to yourself or to the speaker in a direct quotation, must always
be capitalized .
• I stubbed my toe. Am I going to the doctor? Joey said, "Why can't I go, too?"
Rule 3: Use capital letters to begin the names of specific, particular persons, places or things.
Herbert (a particular
man (any one) girl (any one) Lucy (a particular girl)
man)
Mrs. Hollis (a
automobile (any one) Ford (a particular car) woman (any one)
particular woman)
Chicago (a particular Pacific (a particular
city (any one) ocean (any one)
city) ocean)
Easter (a particular France (a particular
holiday (any one) country (any one)
holiday) country)
Rule 4: Begin the first word and all important words in titles of books, movies, plays, poems,
articles, etc. and the names of companies, agencies and organizations with a capital letter.
National Education American Telephone

Ode to a Grecian Urn The Cat in the Hat
Association and Telegraph
United States Postal
Gone with the Wind The Reader's Digest March of Dimes
Service
The Phantom of the American Cancer
Into the Looking Glass United Airlines
Opera Society
International Garment International Order of
The Yellow Submarine General Motors
Workers' Union Odd Fellows
Rule 5: Use capital letters to begin personal titles or military ranks when they are used with the
person's name or when they are used in place of or as the name.
• Please tell the captain to come here. Tell Captain Smith we need him.
• Some men don't like to use mister in front of their names. I'm going to call Mister
Murphy if you don't behave.
• Have you ever met the dean? I would like to introduce you to Dean Alberts.
• Make sure the sergeant gets this message. Last night, Sergeant Bilko ordered a surprise
inspection.
• I'm so glad to see you, Mother! Did you tell Dad we were coming? Here they are,
Lieutenant, on the desk.
125
Rule 6: Use capital letters as or to begin abbreviations of particular organizations or locations
• CNN, AFL/CIO, AT&T, A.S.P.C.A., N.A.A.C.P. , Microsoft, Inc. , U.S. Steel, Simon
Bros. Clothing
• PA (Pennsylvania), FL (Florida), AZ (Arizona), Fr. (France), Can. (Canada), Jap.
(Japan), UK (United Kingdom)
Rule 7: Capitalize abbreviated titles when they are used with names.
• Mr. Parsons, Mrs. Snyder, Miss Johnson, Sgt. Holden, Lt. Smith, Rev. Williams, Gov.
Ridge, Sen. Caldwell
Rule 8: Capitalize initials - first letters of persons' names.
• O. J. Simpson, T. J. Lawrence, E. A. Poe, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, L.

B. J.
Rule 9: Capitalize the names of specific brand names of products.
• Cheerios, Nintendo, Barbie, Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup, Oscar Mayer Wieners,
Hewlet Packard Deskjet, Tide, Decca Records, Kleenex Facial Tissue, Lipton Tea,
Microsoft Front Page
Rule 10: Capitalize the first word of the greeting and the salutation in a letter.
• Dear Nancy, My dear cousins, To whom it may concern: , Greetings to the staff,
• Sincerely, Yours truly, With deepest sympathy, From a true friend always,
There may be a few odd circumstances we have not mentioned in which a capital letter would be
used, but if you remember the ones we listed, you will be correct at least 95% of the time.
Exercise A: Put an X across the letters that should not have been capitalized.
6. Carla had to go to the Library to get Cook

1. Here comes Jim's Mother with a cart.
Books.
2. The crowd at the game could not hear the 7. Jerry went to the Metro Library to get
P.A. system. "Cooking Is Fun".
3. I read "Please Don't Eat The Daisies" last 8. The crowd booed the Ump. when he made a
week. bad call.
4. I like Florida State, but I live in another 9. Did my Father call while I was out?
126
State.
5. The State Police in Iowa stop a lot of 10. Polly added Cereal, Milk, Crackers and Salt
speeders. to the list.
Exercise B: Put capital letters where they should be in the following terms.
9. the pa lottery is
1. b. f. goodrich 3. lon chaney, jr. 5. the pepsi spirit 7. a.c.l.u.
o.k.
2. the wall street 4. empire state 6. good to the last 10. alberta, can.
8. i started an ira.
journal building drop. has snow already.
Examination: All capital letters have been left out of this letter. Put them where they belong.
october 12, 1995
t. j. tucker, chairman
the crawford building, suite 8623
3345 west broad street
franklin, tn 43235
loyal stockholders,
i'm taking this opportunity to thank each of you for your continued moral support in the on-
going struggle with namaguchi industries for control of preston paper and notepads, inc. since
may 18 of last year, we have seen profits decline by 38 percent. morgan and morgan, our
accountants, tell me that projected profits for this quarter have dropped to $567,000. We have
had to close out pulp mill in fayette, ar, because of higher labor costs and lowered production.
the ftc is investigating namaguchi for possible stock manipulation, but we cannot depend on a
favorable resolution of that matter to solve our overall problem -- a shrinking customer base.
what we need is a new product -- something innovative, something profitable, something to grab
the public's imagination. since you are all part of the pp&n family, i am asking that you think
long and hard on this matter and submit your ideas and suggestions regardless of how outlandish
they may seem. we will meet next week, october 19, to see what you have come up with. Until
then, think hard and may the force be with you. faithfully yours,
jacob r. preston, sr.

127
Exercise A: X the letters that should not be capitalized.
6. Carla had to go to the library to get cook

1. Here comes Jim's mother with a cart.
books.
2. The crowd at the game could not hear the p.a. 7. Jerry went to the Metro Library to get
system. "Cooking is Fun."
3. I read "Please Don't Eat the Daisies" last 8. The crowd booed the ump when he made a
week. bad call.
4. I like Florida State, but I live in another state. 9. Did my father call while I was out?
5. The state police in Iowa stop a lot of 10. Polly added cereal, milk, crackers and salt
speeders. to the list.
Exercise B: Put capital letters where they should be in the following terms.
9. The PA Lottery
1. B. F. Goodrich 3. Lon Chaney, Jr. 5. the Pepsi spirit 7. A.C.L.U.
is o.k.
2. The Wall Street 4. Empire State 6. Good to the last 8. I started an IRA 10. Alberta, Can.
Journal Building drop. . has snow already.
Examination: All capital letters have been left out of this letter. Put them where they belong.
October 12, 1995
T. J. Tucker, Chairman
The Crawford Building, Suite 8623
3345 West Broad Street
Franklin, TN 43235
Loyal stockholders,
128
I'm taking this opportunity to thank each of you for your continued moral support in the on-
going struggle with Namaguchi Industries for control of Preston Paper and Notepads, Inc. Since
May 18 of last year, we have seen profits decline by 38 percent. Morgan and Morgan, our
accountants, tell me that projected profits for this quarter have dropped to $567,000. We have
had to close our pulp mill in Fayette, AR, because of higher labor costs and lowered production.
The FTC is investigating Namaguchi for possible stock manipulation, but we cannot depend on
a favorable resolution of that matter to solve our overall problem -- a shrinking customer base.
What we need is a new product -- something innovative, something profitable, something to grab
the public's imagination. Since you are all part of the PP&N family, I am asking that you think
long and hard on this matter and submit your ideas and suggestions, regardless of how
outlandish they may seem. We will meet next week, October 19, to see what you have come up
with. Until then, think hard and may the force be with you.
Faithfully yours,
Jacob R. Preston, Sr.
Set 5 - Lesson 22
Lesson 22, To ING or not to ING, that is the question.:
"Are you finished cooking supper?" " I decided to order a pizza."
Why do we say 'finished cooking' with the second verb in the "ing" form, but 'decided to order'
with the second verb being in the Infinitive (to) form? For some reason we will not even try to
figure out, when two English verbs are used together in a sentence, the second verb will either be
an -ing form or an infinitive form (to + verb). It is not as important to know the reason for this as
it is to know which verbs use which form. The examples below are only a sampling of the
possibilities.
Need -ing Use TO +

Example Example
verbs verb
Can you imagine owning a
imagine offer Did you offer to mow the grass?
Porsche?
Henry admitted robbing the Politicians promise to fix our
admit promise
store. problems.
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I am almost finished cooking Inga hoped to enter the

finish hope
dinner. Olympics.
Investors risk losing their Bob could not afford to miss
risk afford
money. work.
Ellen practices singing every David failed to stop for the red
practice fail
day. light.
Don't delay sending your The driver decided to change
delay decide
payment. lanes.
Will you consider staying We aim to earn much money
consider aim
home? next year.
deny Fred denied cheating on the test. learn Joe will learn to type someday.
The contest involved writing an
involve deserve Mikie deserves to have a treat.
essay.
stop Please stop kicking my chair. plan Roy plans to retire early.
Mary postponed having the
postpone arrange They arranged to fly home.
party.
Sam avoided signing the Don't attempt to get out of bed
avoid attempt
contract. yet.
I miss playing tennis in the Can you manage to climb the
miss manage
summer. ladder?
Many kids put off taking their Will Sally forget to bring a
put off forget
baths. salad?
We must carry on doing the Willy refused to finish his
carry on refuse
right thing. vegetables.
You should give up smoking The man on the roof threatened
give up threaten
today. to jump
People who grow up in English-speaking countries seem to learn these patterns without knowing
that they have learned them. They just know that some things 'sound right' and other things do
not. If you have grown up speaking another language, then each one of these verbs will be a
problem because there is no pattern or system to learn. Every example must be memorized.
However, the more you read and listen to English, the closer you will come to being able to 'feel'
which usage is right. Practice, practice, practice.
Exercise A: Circle the correct verb form in the following sentences.
1. Grace could not imagine (to wear) (wearing) her hair in curlers when she left the house.
130
2. Mark agreed (to wash) (washing) the dishes after supper.
3. Most hikers avoid (to walk) (walking) in bare feet.
4. The store manager offered (to pay) (paying) for the Christmas party.
5. A nurse should not fail (to give) (giving) the correct medicine to her patients.
6. Betty's new job involved (to lift) (lifting) heavy boxes.
7. Jim's little brother admitted (to break) (breaking) the model airplane.
8. Have you decided (to go) (going) fishing with us?
9. Mother said, "Will you please stop (to slurp) (slurping) your soup!"
10. The little old lady attempted (to cross) (crossing) the busy highway on foot.
Exercise B: Think of three verbs that could be used with each of the verbs in the left column.
Write the verbs you think of in the boxes opposite the first word. Put them in their proper form
(-ing or to -).
Example: They deny dropping closing seeing

Example: They plan to arrive to buy to drink
1. threaten +
2. hope +
3. risk +
4. offer +
5. forget +
6. miss +
7. finish +
8. admit +
9. promise +
10. refuse +
Examination: Put a correct verb form in the blanks in the following sentences. The answers
may vary.
131
1. Donald managed ___________________ the difficult problem.
2. The baseball player stopped __________________________ on the ground during the games.
3. The doctor decided ________________________the operation before it was too late.
4. Many drivers forget __________________________ before they turn right.
5. One should not delay ___________________________ a doctor after an automobile accident.
6. Can you afford _____________________________ a new car this year?
7. When will you finish ___________________________ the walls?
8. The old man offered ___________________________ my windshield while I waited for the
traffic light to change.
9. Can you imagine __________________________ in an old castle during the winter?
10. Parents often wonder if their children will ever learn ______________________ their own
shoes.
Exercise A:
1. wearing 3. walking 5. to give 7. breaking 9. slurping

2. to wash 4. to pay 6. lifting 8. to go 10. to cross
Exercise B: Answers given are just possibilities. The important thing is the form - ing or to.
1. threaten to leave to quit to carry

2. hope to win to arrive to survive
3. risk breaking losing ruining
4. offer to buy to fix to marry
5. forget to tell to turn to subtract
6. miss holding seeing breathing
132
7. finish dressing painting writing

8. admit taking breaking finding
9. promise to return to cherish to deliver
10. refuse to eat to speak to wash
Examination: Put a correct verb form in the blanks in the following sentences. The answers
may vary, but the form must be correct.
1. to solve, to avoid, to miss 5. seeing, calling, visiting 9. living, staying, sleeping

2. spitting, sitting, lying 6. to buy, to lease, to own 10. to tie, to polish, to find
3. to end, to perform, to do 7. painting, patching, fixing
4. to signal, to slow, to look 8. to wash, to clean, to break
The End
Set 5 - Lesson 23
Lesson 23: Which Prepositions with Which Nouns?
Because of tradition, because of the accepted usage in the language we borrowed the word from,
or for some unknown reason, certain words are always used in combination with certain other
words. A person born and raised in an English-speaking country does not need (and usually does
not know) the reason for such combinations - they just sound right. In this lesson, we will be
dealing with Noun-Preposition pairs.
• Reason (for): One has a reason for doing something or a reason for something. "What
was your reason for staying home last night?" Staying home is a gerund phrase acting as
a noun, the object of the preposition FOR. "There was no logical reason for his failure."
Failure (noun) is the object of the preposition FOR.
Other nouns which use the preposition FOR: check, demand, need, advantage, disadvantage,
cause, answer.
I gave the clerk a check There was a great The lawyer had a Having the former pro
for the flowers. demand for his pressing need for the player as coach was an
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services. right answer. advantage for my team.
Note: You will hear or read the expression "reason to", which may cause you to think reason can
be used with the prepositions TO or FOR. If you examine the situations more closely, however,
you will see that "reason to" is always used with a verb (reason to sing, reason to laugh) which
means that the word TO is not a preposition, but part of the infinitive (to + verb).
• Relationship (with): A relationship always denotes a connection with somebody or

something else, so the preposition WITH is always paired with this noun. "Jan has a
good relationship with her mother." Mother is the object of the preposition WITH. Other
nouns referring to some sort of connection between individuals also use WITH.
Other nouns which use the preposition WITH: contact, contract, negotiations, agreement,
connection.
The man hadn't had any contact with his family The owner hoped to avoid the negotiations with
in many years. the union members.
We finally reached an agreement with the Events yesterday had no connection with the
Zoning Board. trouble occurring last night.
• Drawing (of): Drawing, a picture made with a pen or pencil, is always used with the
preposition OF. "My brother gave me a drawing of his children." "Julia liked the
drawing of a weary farmer." Other nouns referring to pictures, to containers or to large
units of people tend to use OF as their preferred preposition.
Note: When DRAW or DRAWING are used as verbs, the situation is different. One can say, "I
was drawing from my own experiences." or, "The driver made the horses draw to a halt."
PLAN is another good example: Using the verb PLAN, one can say, "I plan to go fishing next
week." with TO being part of the Infinitive TO GO. "Murray likes to plan for the future." BUT,
in this lesson, we are dealing with Nouns.
Other nouns which use the preposition OF: picture, map, pitcher, glass, bowl, photograph,
company, plan, opinion, illustration, diagram, platoon, group, mob, examples.
The waiter also set a Jill had a very low

I need a picture of the Brad brought a pitcher
bowl of peanuts on the opinion of the boys at
car wreck. of beer to the table.
table. school.
Do you have a street Fred already had a The governor called for A group of my friends
map of the city? glass of beer. a company of National decided to go to the
134
Guard troops. mall.
Attitude (to): This noun, as well as Reaction, Reply, Invitation, Damage, Solution, seem to
refer to a flow of action or feeling in the direction of something or someone. That is why
the directional preposition TO is used with them.
What is your attitude to these Jim had a bad reaction to the Lola sent a reply to the 'Want
events? food. Ad'.
Jenny received an invitation to Was there much damage to I don't think there is a good
the party. your car? solution to your problem.
• Increase (in): Nouns referring to changes in size or degree seem to use IN as their
preposition of choice.
Other nouns which use the preposition IN: decrease, rise, fall, change.
There was a good

There was a definite The rise in fuel prices The fall in temperature
increase in the stock
decrease in my stock. worries many people. was great.
market.
There are many more examples of Noun - Preposition pairs. If English is not your native
language, it would be a good idea for you to write these pairs in your notebook as you encounter
them in your reading. The first sentence of this paragraph contains a new pair - 'examples of'.
Also, many nouns have different meanings and a noun used in one way may use a different
preposition than the same word used in a different way. Example: "Alan finally found the
solution to the problem." "One should not drink a solution of salt and vinegar." The first
solution is an answer to a problem. The second solution is a mixture of a liquid and a solid
substance. The different meanings require different prepositions.
Exercise A: In the following sentences, circle all of the Noun-Preposition pairs you can find. Do
not circle Noun-Infinitive pairs (noun + to + verb).
1. Every president looks for a solution to the homeless problem.
2. There is a great need for low-cost housing in this country as an answer to the homeless
problem.
3. The news program showed a photograph of a family living in boxes under a bridge.
135
4. When there is an increase in unemployment and a decrease in the temperature, the problem
becomes greater.
5. The reasons for homelessness are many, but there is a great demand for a plan of action to end
it.
6. If you plan to visit New York, you should have a map of the streets.
7. The year 2000 is drawing to an end and I have not received an invitation to a party yet.
8. I have noticed a change in my waist size so I need to exercise more.
9. One should send a reply to an invitation marked R.S.V.P.
10. It is difficult for families today to maintain contact with all their members.
Examination: Put the correct prepositions in the spaces in the following sentences.
1. Steven took a photograph ______ his automobile after the accident.
2. In spite of the smoke pouring out of his house, George knew there was no cause _______
alarm.
3. The damage _______ his house was caused by smoke from the burned cake in the oven.
4. A group _______ his neighbors said his attitude ________ the disaster was wonderful.
5. The firemen asked for a diagram _______ his house as they worked on a plan _______ attack.
6. George sent a check _______ $100 to the fire company for their courteous service.
7. The fire chief told him there was no reason ______ that.
8. "I want to keep a good relationship _______ you guys," George told the chief.
9. He noticed an increase ________ the curiosity of his neighbors after the burned cake incident.
10. There was a rise _______ the demand ________ smoke alarms that week.
136
Exercise A: In the following sentences, circle all of the Noun-Preposition pairs you can find. Do
not circle Noun-Infinitive pairs (noun + to + verb).
1. solution to 3. photograph of 5. reasons for 6. map of

2. need for 4. increase in 5. demand for 7. invitation to
2. answer to 4. decrease in 5. plan of 8. change in
9. reply to 10. contact with
Examination: Put the correct prepositions in the spaces in the following sentences.
1. photograph of 4. group of 6. check for 9. increase in

2. cause for 4. attitude to 7. reason for 10. rise in
3. damage to 5. diagram of, plan of 8. relationship with 10. demand for
The End
Set 5 - Lesson 25
Lesson 25, Words that are often confused:
There are many pairs of words in English that are frequently confused with each other because
they are similar in appearance or in meaning. Your incorrect use of these words makes a glaring
statement about you to well-educated people - that if you are sloppy or inaccurate in using your
language, how dependable will you be in other areas? Here is your chance to fix some of those
errors.
• ACCEPT: Accept is a verb meaning "to take" or "to receive" or "to willingly take
possession of."
• EXCEPT: Except is usually a preposition meaning "other than," but sometimes it is also
used as a verb meaning "to omit."
When speaking, it is important to pronounce these words accurately to keep them clear in your
mind. Accept begins with the A sound in HAT or CAT. Except begins with the short E sound in
PET or MET.
137
1. Will you accept our apology for the mistake on your bill?
2. Jenny accepted the First Place ribbon at the state fair.
3. Everybody turned in their homework except Fred and Violet.
4. The hiring committee decided to except John Harris from future consideration. (to omit him
from consideration)
• AFFECT: Affect is a verb meaning "to influence."

• EFFECT: Effect is usually used as a noun meaning "result", but sometimes it is used as a
verb meaning "to achieve."
These words are commonly pronounced nearly the same, but the dictionary tells us that AFFECT
should begin with the same sound as ABOUT or the U in BUT. EFFECT should begin with a
short I sound as in SIT or BIT. The more exact you are in your pronunciation of these words, the
easier it will be to keep them separate in your mind.
1. This bad weather will affect our business.
2. Martin's headache affected his ability to concentrate on his job.
3. The bad weather had a negative effect on our business.
4. The football player effected a difficult pass to the forward. (successfully achieved a pass)
• FARTHER: Farther means more advanced in space or distance.

• FURTHER: Further means more advanced in degree.
1. The sun is farther from the earth than the moon is.
2. The wounded deer ran much farther than we thought it would.
3. The judge asked for further examples to support the defendant's case.
4. Doctors are hoping for further progress in the fight against cancer.
• GOOD: Good is an adjective, but never an adverb. It means something is positive,

decent, free from fault.
• WELL: Well can be an adverb or an adjective. As an adverb, it means how proficiently
or with what degree of expertise something was done; as an adjective, it means in good
health or in a satisfactory state.
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1. Cal Ripkin is a good baseball player.
2. I hope this is a good lesson.
3. Cal Ripkin plays baseball well.
4. Tom did very well on the history test.
5. Aunt Sarah is not feeling well today.
• LEAVE: Leave means to go away.

• LET: Let means "to permit."
Confusion between these two words may exist because there is a noun LEAVE which means
"permission." "The teacher gave the student leave to go to the restroom."
1. Please let me go. (permit me to go)
2. He gave me leave to go. (He gave me permission)
3. The foreman let the new worker use the drill press. (permitted)
4. The class will leave school early tomorrow. (go away from)
• MUCH: Much refers to bulk or mass, stuff that can't be counted or separated into
individual units or pieces.
• MANY: Many refers to numerous things, items that can be counted.
1. The fireman showed much courage when he entered the burning building to look for more
people.
2. There was too much dirt in the machinery for it to run properly.
3. I have many cousins.
4. There are many ways to earn money in the United States.
• REAL: Real is an adjective meaning "existing, not imaginary, natural, not artificial."
• REALLY: Really is an adverb meaning "in reality, truly, to a great degree."
1. Most people prefer pizza topped with real cheese rather that artificial, fat-free cheese.
2. A good father can be a real hero to his children.

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3. Joanna performed really well in the gymnastics event. (How well did she perform? Really
well. Adverbs answer the question "How was something done?")
4. The young boy in the dentist's office was really afraid. (How afraid was the boy? Really
afraid.)
A. ACT LIKE: to imitate, to behave the same

A. ACT AS: Take or play the part of. "Jim will
as. "My brother was acting like a jerk at the
act as captain until George returns."
party."
B. ADVERSE: an adjective meaning "harmful"
B. AVERSE: an adjective meaning "unwilling"
"Many people have an adverse reaction to
"My mother is averse to riding a roller coaster."
penicillin."
C. ADVICE: A noun. An opinion meant to C. ADVISE: Verb. To recommend a course of
guide someone's action or conduct. "Stock action. "Fred asked his lawyer to advise him
brokers often give bad advice." before going to court."
D. ALMOST: Adverb. Nearly, all but. "The D. MOST: Adjective or noun. Nearly all of
highway crew was almost finished with the something. "Most dogs have hair." "Most of us
road repairs." have computers."
E. CAN: shows or refers to ability to do
E. MAY: Shows permission. "May I take you
something. "The juggler can twirl six plates at
to the party?"
the same time."
There are enough examples of confusing word pairs to make this lesson 10 pages long. Instead,
we will show you many more pairs and use them in sentences. Use a good English dictionary to
learn the definitions of the words. If you have any questions about any of the words, or if you
cannot find a good dictionary, e-mail us for help or advice at learning@say-it-in-english.com .
3. complement _______
1. allusion_____ illusion 2. beat _______ win
compliment
4. already _____ all
5. beside _____ besides 6. council _____ counsel
ready
7. altogether _____ all
8. bring _____ take 9. custom _____ habit
together
10. angry about _____ 11. compare with _____
12. deduce _____ deduct
angry with compare to
13. emigrant _____
14. guess _____ suppose 15. hanged _____ hung
immigrant
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16. evidence _____ 17. healthy _____

18. in _____ into
proof healthful
19. few _____ less 20. infer _____ imply 21. kind of _____ rather
22. formerly _____
23. of _____ have 24. oral _____ verbal
formally
26. persecute _____ 27. principle _____
25. got _____ have
prosecute principal
28. steal _____ rob 29. stay _____ stand 30. suspect _____ expect
31. teach _____ learn 32. than _____ then 33. them _____ those
34. unless _____ without 35. until _____ to 36. very _____ quite
page break
1a. The history professor made several

1b. Many magic tricks are merely optical
allusions to the royal families of Europe during
illusions.
his lecture.
2a. The crowd in the bleachers wanted their 2b. The crowd in the bleachers wanted their
team to beat the opponent. team to win the baseball game.
3a. The bright throw pillows were a good
3b. George made it a point to compliment the
complement to the neutral colors of the
waiter for the excellent service.
furniture.
4a. Our friends had already begun eating by the 4b. By the time Tom and Mary arrived at the
time we arrived at the restaurant. restaurant, we were all ready to begin eating.
5a. Sally sat beside her parents to watch the 5b. Besides Sally and her parents, her brother
school play. and her aunt also watched the play.
6a. The city council met to discuss the growing 6b. The attorney counseled his client on proper
crime problem they faced. courtroom behavior.
7a. The first-grade class was altogether too 7b. The tour guide coaxed the tourists, "Come
noisy to stay in the museum. on, people. Let's stay all together."
8a. Jane was asked to bring a salad to the family 8b. I decided to take chips and pretzels to the
picnic. picnic.
9a. It is a religious custom for many people to 9b. Joey was in the habit of twirling his hair
wash before praying or eating. while he watched television.
10a. Mrs. Johnson was very angry about the 10b. Mrs. Johnson was angry with the yardman
damage caused by the careless yardman. because he ran over her prize flowers.
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11a. This local wine can be compared with the 11b. Compared to Broadway productions, most
best French wines. high school plays are a poor imitation.
12a. After examining all the evidence, the 12b. The mechanic deducted the cost of the
detective was able to deduce who the killer was. damaged mirror from his final bill.
13a. Some of my ancestors emigrated from 13b. The first family immigrated to the United
southern Germany in the late 1700's. States before the country was born.
14a. Students will often guess at test answers if 14b. I suppose I will have to wash the windows
they have not studied the material. myself, since nobody else is here.
15a. A convicted pirate was usually hanged for 15b. Mrs. Smith hung the painting of her
his crimes. famous ancestor on the living room wall.
16a. A person's fingerprints found in the area 16b. A video of a person entering a locked store
where a crime was committed would be called and forcing open the cash register would be
evidence. called proof of his guilt.
17a. The elderly woman appeared to be quite 17b. The woman credited her healthful, low-
healthy as she walked briskly into the room. calorie diet for her youthful appearance.
18a. When I was in Wal-Mart yesterday, I met 18b. The mouse escaped the cat by running into
several old friends. a small hole in the baseboard.
19a. Marvin had only drunk a few glasses of 19b. John had even less money than his friends
beer before he drove his car into the ditch. when they went to the club.
20a. When Mark finally arrived with greasy 20b. When George arrived at his girlfriend's
hands and muddy shoes, we had to infer that house, she glanced at her watch with a stern
he'd had car trouble. expression, implying that he was late.
21a. The new dessert was kind of sweet, but 21b. The teenager's behavior was rather rude as
with a tart after-taste. he waited in line for the show.
22a. Mr. Johnson, formerly the history teacher, 22b. We all had to dress formally for the dinner
was now head of the Social Studies department. at the fancy restaurant.
23a. The leader of the group walked at the head 23b. He should have (should've) walked behind
of the column. the group to keep people in line.
24a. The main part of a bar exam is in the form 24b. The verbal portion of the test consisted of
of an oral presentation. questions on word usage and sentence structure.
25a. Betty got twenty invitations to Christmas 25b. Janet has three pairs of new shoes that she
parties this year. has never worn.
page break
26a. The obese student was persecuted every 26b. Many stores post signs saying that
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day by insensitive fellow students. shoplifters will be prosecuted.

27a. An excellent athletic program was the 27b. Mrs. Wilson was chosen to be acting
principle reason Jim chose that college. principal until the next school board meeting.
28a. Somebody stole my high school jacket 28b. Mrs. Watson told the police that a man
when I left it on the locker room bench. tried to rob her when she was using the ATM.
29a. Michael prefers to stay at motels that allow 29b. The nervous guest stood guard inside his
parking in front of each room's door. room all night long.
30a. Mr. Jones began to suspect the neighbor's 30b. "I expect the storm to start any minute
dog of stealing his newspapers. now," the farmer told his wife.
31a. Bill spent hours teaching his little brother 31b. "I wonder if he will ever learn to catch a
how to catch a baseball. ball," Bill said to himself.
32a. I weigh twenty-five pounds more now than 32b. John decided he would wash the car first,
I did when I was thirty years old. and then water the lawn.
33a. When the Boy Scouts arrived at my house, 33b. I had been saving those old papers for the
I gave them three bundles of old newspapers. past year.
34a. Carol could not go to the party unless she 34b. Without getting permission from her
cleaned her bedroom first. mother, Carol could not go to the party.
35a. Carol still had three hours to wait until the 35b. We are going to the river to wait for the
party began. boat to arrive.
36a. Dad was very pleased to see his youngest 36b. Dad was quite pleased to see his youngest
son graduate from college. son graduate from college.
Exercise A: Circle the correct word inside the parentheses in the following sentences.
1. Having long hair and a nose ring may (affect, effect) a young man's ability to get a good job.
2. The actor performed (good, well) in the new play.
3. How much (further, farther) is it to the state line?
4. (Leave, Let) me take the dog for a walk.
5. Mrs. Johnson walked (real, really) carefully on the slippery sidewalk.
6. Mary asked her boss, "(Can, May) I take my lunch break early today?"
7. Susan had to (accept, except) her punishment for fighting in school.

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8. It is not healthy to put too (much, many) spices on your food.
9. Jimmy often tried to (act as, act like) a fool in class.
10. The new business received an (adverse, averse) response to their ad campaign.
Exercise B: Match the following words with their definitions. Put the letter of the definition on
the line after the word it belongs to.
a. adjective. Something e. as preposition it means "all

1. 5.
positive, decent, free from but". As verb, "to omit, not
except_____ well_______
fault. include."
2. 6. f. to go away, official
b. verb. to influence
much______ farther_____ permission to go
g. refers to bulk or mass
3. c. verb. to take, to receive, to 7.
quantity of an uncountable
leave______ willingly take possession of. accept_____
substance.
4. d. more advanced in space or 8. h. as adverb, how proficiently
affect______ distance. good______ something was done.
Examination: Use the correct words from the list to fill in the blanks in the following
sentences. All of the words should be used, but each word should only be used one time.
can real accept affect farther

may really except effect further
1. All of the teachers ________________ Mr. Nelson received merit raises.
2. Mr. Nelson was _________________ angry because he didn't receive a raise.
3. He thought that he went ________________ than most of the other teachers in preparing his
lessons.
4. " _________ I help it if my students could not learn?" he thought.
5. He wondered if this would _________________ his promotion.
6. He walked several paces _________________ down the hall before he got an idea.
7. He knew it would be a ________________ test of his ability as a teacher.

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8. Mr. Nelson went to the office and asked, "_____________ I speak to the principal?"
9. The principal said, "I am ready to __________________ your proposal for the new program."
10. He added, "This will have a serious ________________ on your career if it doesn't work."
Exercise A: Circle the correct Word.
1. affect 3. farther 5. really 7. accept 9. act like
2. well 4. Let 6. May 8. many 10. adverse
Exercise B: Match the following words with their definitions.
1. except = e 3. leave = f 5. well = h 7. accept = c
2. much = g 4. affect = b 6. farther = d 8. good = a
Examination: Use words from the list to complete the following sentences.
1. except 3. further 5. affect 7. real 9. accept
2. really 4. can 6. farther 8. May 10. effect
c. 2010 Mikie Metric Production, Williamsport, PA 17701 www.say-it-in-english.com

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Set 5 - Lesson 27
Lesson 27, Homonyms:
Homonyms are words that sound alike but are usually spelled differently and have different
meanings. They are among the most confusing aspects of learning to read and write English.
The many irregularities and inconsistencies in the English language have helped to produce a
large number of these sound-alike words.
We will not cover all of the homonyms in English, but we will present many of the most
common ones.
Word Pairs Definitions

ant = a type of insect that lives in large colonies.
aunt = your father's or mother's sister or the wife of your

ant - aunt
father's or mother's brother.
(Some people in the US pronounce aunt as "ahnt" .)

air = the gaseous element surrounding the earth. What
we breath.
err = To make a mistake. "To err is human; to forgive is

air - err - heir
divine."
heir = A surviving member of a family; one who receives

the assets of the deceased.
ail = to be sick, to have an illness
ail - ale
ale = an alcoholic drink made from grain and hops; like a
strong beer.
aisle = a passageway between seats in a theater or
between counters of shelves in a store. "The bride
walked down the aisle in the church."
aisle - I'll - isle
I'll = a contraction of the pronoun " I " and the verb "will"
.
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isle = a small body of land surrounded by water; an island

bored = to be wearied or irritated by dullness, lack of
interest or activity. Having a hole (usually circular) dug
into a surface by a drill or auger of some sort.
bored - board
board = a finished plank of wood. A governing body, as
a "board of directors".
brake = to slow or stop; the mechanism used to slow or

stop a vehicle.
brake - break
break = to cause to fall into pieces; to cause to snap in
two; to bring to an end; to disobey, as "break the law"; to
disregard or violate, as "they broke the contract".
beech = a type of hardwood tree.
beech - beach
beach = the shore of a sea or lake which is washed by the
water.
billed = possessing a bill or beak, as a duck-billed
platypus; being notified that you owe money, as "We
billed - build were billed too much for our motel room."
build = construct, as "John wants to build his own house."

bald = having no hair. "Yul Bryner was a bald actor."
bald - bawled
bawled = cried loudly, as "The lost calf bawled for its
mother."
bare = naked, unclothed, unadorned. "The bare branches
bare - bear of the maple trees shivered in the December wind."
bear = a large furry animal; to carry or endure. "Judas

had to bear the weight of his guilt."
Exercise A: Choose a word from the list above to correctly complete each of the following
sentences.
1. The baby ______________ when his bottle fell from the crib.
147
2. Mrs. Reynolds was asked to serve on the Executive _______________next year.
3. We traced the line of ____________ from the kitchen counter to a gap in the window frame.
4. Many cabinet makers value ______________ wood for building furniture.
5. Most large trucks are equipped with air ______________ to help them stop more quickly.
6. Ralph asked the bartender for a pint of _______________.
7. The hospital administrator said my insurance company would be _____________ for the full
cost of my stay.
8. I said to my son, "___________ pick you up after school, so don't get on the bus."
9. John couldn't ____________ the thought of telling his wife he had lost all his money in the
casino.
carrot = an orange-colored vegetable which grows as a

fleshy root.
carat - an international unit of measurement used for

carrot - carat -
weighing gems. "The new bride admired her one carat
karat
wedding ring."
karat = a measure of the purity of gold - 24 karat is pure

gold.
cell = a locked enclosure, as a jail cell. The smallest unit
of living tissue capable of functioning independently.
"The monk meditated in his roughly furnished cell."
cell - sell
sell = to transfer the ownership of something in exchange
for money or other payment. "Would you sell me that old
car for two hundred dollars?"
cents = more than one penny; hundredths of a dollar.
"The candy bar costs 55 cents."
cents - scents -
scents = More than one odor or aroma. "The woman
sense
tested several scents at the perfume counter."
sense = any of the body's means of being aware of its

148
surroundings (sense of smell, of taste, etc.); the meaning,

nature or significance of a thing or idea. "It doesn't make
any sense to shovel the driveway until it stops snowing."
coarse = rough, irregular in texture; vulgar or
unsophisticated, common. "Hunting clothes are usually
made of a coarse fabric."
coarse - course
course = the direction of travel or the path taken; a series
of classes leading to a diploma or a degree. "I had to take
a course on the history of education."
cent = a monetary unit; in the US, one penny or 1
hundredth of a dollar.
scent = odor, aroma. "The hound found the scent of the

cent - scent - sent
deer."
sent = past tense of the verb "send"; to cause someone or

something to go to a certain place.
deer = a medium-sized grazing mammal the males of
which grow antlers.
deer - dear
dear = a polite form of address for beginning letters;
precious or cherished.
dual = double, as in "Harry's car was equipped with a
dual exhaust system."
dual - duel
duel = a fight arranged and conducted according to an
accepted Code of Honor. Alexander Hamilton fought a
duel with Aaron Burr."
faint - to swoon or lose consciousness; to pass out. "The
soldier on guard duty fainted from the extreme heat."
faint - feint
feint = a mock attack meant to fool an opponent. "The
boxer feinted with his left hand just before hitting his
opponent with his right hand."
fair - fare fair = with a light complexion or blond hair; according to

149
the rules. "Rules in sports are intended to make the

games fair for both teams."
fare = the cost of a journey by commercial means (taxi,

bus, train, etc.) "Train fares have doubled in recent
years."
great = large in size; beyond the ordinary; powerful or
important. "History has shown Abe Lincoln to have been
a great president."
great - grate
grate = to reduce to small pieces (grating cheese); to rub
or grind something making a harsh noise; the movable
metal floor of a coal furnace through which ashes fall.
"Most people grate cheese before putting it on a pizza."
hair = a threadlike fibrous substance which grows from
the bodies and heads of humans and other mammals. "It
is not nice to find a piece of hair in your soup."
hair - hare
hare = a small, furry plant-eating mammal closely related
to rabbits. "Have you read the fable about the tortoise
and the hare?"
Exercise B: Complete the following sentences with words taken from the list above.
1. The bus driver told the old man he would have to leave the bus if he did not have the exact
___________.
2. The clever ____________ found a way into the garden and was chewing on a
______________.
3. My mother told me that sometimes I didn't have _____________ enough to come in out of the
rain.
4. The evenly matched boxers were involved in a _____________ to the finish.
5. A loud, aggressive salesman can readily __________ on one's nerves.
6. The ___________ in the field sniffed carefully for the ____________ of danger.
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7. The sparsely furnished monk's ______________ included a _____________ woolen blanket.
hail = pieces of ice formed by the vertical air movement

inside thunder clouds; to call out to a person. "The
doorman stepped to the curb to hail a taxi for me."
hail - hale
hale = physically sound and well. "My grandfather was
hale and hearty well into his eighties."
whole = entire, complete, all of something. "I don't
believe she ate the whole thing."
whole - hole
hole = a small space or cavity partly or wholly
surrounded by matter; an empty space. "I burned a hole
in my new suit."
idle = unwilling to work; not working; casual, not
serious. "Mr. Jones spends his idle hours fishing in the
creek."
idle - idol idol = an image of a god constructed of stone, wood or

other material and worshipped as if it were the god it
represents; a person or object of intense worship or love.
"Some people refer to their favorite movie star as their
idol."
mane = the long hair growing on the top or sides of the
necks of some animals, such as horses and lions.
mane - main
main = an adjective meaning most important, chief,
principle. "The mayor was the main speaker at the town
meeting."
male = the sex or gender in plants and animals that
fertilizes the egg in order to reproduce; of, pertaining to
or characteristic of men. "The part in the movie had to be
played by a male."
male - mail
mail = the public organization dealing with the collection
and delivery of correspondence; the letters and parcels
sent by this organization. "They said the check was in the
mail."
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mall = a public, tree-lined walk; an open area, often with

benches, plants or fountains, separating retail stores.
"Many young people today meet their friends at the mall
instead of on the street corner."
mall - maul
maul = any of several kinds of heavy hammer; to attack
savagely and injure; to treat roughly. " I did not like to
watch the lion maul the fleeing antelope."
meet = to make the acquaintance of or be introduced to;
to come face to face with; to become acquainted. "Judy
promised to meet me at the diner after work."
meet - meat
meat = the flesh of animals used for food; the edible part
of something; the substance or essence of something.
"To eat meat or vegetables was the meat of the meeting
of the Vegetarian Society."
no = used to express negation, denial, refusal. "No, I

have no money to give to the beggar."
no - know know = to apprehend with the conscious mind; to be

acquainted with by experience; to recognize; to be in
possession of the facts about. "I know how to drive large
trucks."
not = an adverb used to express a negative. "That man is
not healthy."
knot = a place in a string, thread or rope where it passes

through a loop in its own length and is pulled tight; a
not - knot
place where two or more threads, strings, etc. are joined
by passing each of them through loops in the other and
pulled tight; a tangle of threads or strings or hair; a lump
or protrusion. "The little girl cried when her mother tried
to brush out the knot in her hair."
pear = a tree-grown fruit with juicy, sweet flesh, usually
tapering at the stem from a bulbous base. "Most people
pear - pare - pair
put pears in a fruit salad."
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pare = to cut off the outer surface, skin or edge; to reduce

the bulk of something by removing successive
thicknesses or portions. "When you pare an apple before
eating it, you lose many of the vitamins."
pair = a set of two things of the same kind; a thing made

of two complementary parts. "I wear a different pair of
shoes each day."
Exercise C: Complete the following sentences by inserting words from the list above.
1. Indiana Jones climbed down into a ____________ in the ground to search for a golden
_________.
2. Do you ______________ how to ____________ a potato while leaving a single long strand of
skin?
3. The grocer tried to ____________ a policeman as his store was being robbed by a
____________ of criminals.
4. The teacher told us to read the _____________ chapter before going to the ___________ or
sitting _____________ in front of the television.
5. The inexperienced rider grabbed a handful of the horse's _____________ to keep from falling
off.
6. Do ___________ pull on the rope when it is tangled or you will make a ___________ in it.
7. I am not a vegetarian, but some days I eat _________ _____________ at all.
8. "I think I ___________ you from school," Jim said to the new employee.
9. I often __________ a neighbor at the ___________ counter in the supermarket.
pour = to send out in a stream; to flow in copious

pour - pore
streams; to flow out as if in a stream. "Rainwater poured
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from the downspout into the gutter."
pore = a minute opening, particularly in mammalian skin

through which fluids such as sweat pass; a similar
opening in plant tissue through which respiration takes
place. "Many people develop enlarged pores on their
noses."
poll = the number of votes cast in an election; a
canvassing of persons chosen at random or from a
sampling group in order to discover trends in public
opinion. "Some politicians do not decide on an issue
until they see the results of a poll."
poll - pole
pole = either of opposite ends of the Earth, a battery,
plant or animal cells; a long, usually rounded piece of
wood or other material. "George used an aluminum pole
to pull the inner tube to the side of the swimming pool."
rain = a multitude of drops of falling water coming from
clouds; the fall of such drops; the fall of other drops,
particles or objects. "Ash and boulders rained from the
sky after the volcano erupted."
rein = one of the two leather straps or ropes fastened to

rain - rein - reign the sides of a horse's bit as a means of control; a means of
control or restraint. "Members of Parliament tried to rein
in the power of the new president."
reign = the power of a monarch; to hold royal office, to

be monarch; to prevail. "Hulk Hogan enjoyed a long
reign as heavyweight wrestling champion."
roll = to move along a surface by turning over and over; a
quantity of material wrapped together in the form of a
cylinder; to flow forward in undulations; to make
something move along a surface by turning over and
over. "The bowling ball rolled down the alley in a gentle
roll - role
curve toward the group of wooden pins."
role = the part in which an actor or singer is cast in a

play, opera, etc.; the part a person or thing plays in a
certain situation. "What role did your being fired have in
154
deciding to go back to school?"

sale = a selling or being sold; a selling of surplus or out-
of-date stock at reduced prices; for sale means offered for
purchase. "Kmart had a sale on tires last week."
sale - sail sail = a piece of cloth or other material attached to poles

or beams on a ship to catch or deflect the wind in order to
propel and direct the ship; a voyage by ship; to move or
glide effortlessly in the air. "My paper airplane sailed
over the head of the teacher."
seem = to give the impression of being something of a
specified kind; to have the appearance of being true.
"You seem to enjoy swimming."
seem - seam seam = a line of stitches where two pieces of cloth have
been sewn together; any visible line, fold or ridge
showing where two parts of a surface are joined.
"Women's stockings used to have a seam up the back that
was always getting crooked."
tale = an account of a real or imagined event; a piece of
gossip; a story. "A Tale of Two Cities , by Charles
Dickens, takes place during the French Revolution."
tale - tail tail = part of an animal's body formed by an extension of

the vertebral column; the portion of many things coming
after or behind the main body (comet's tail, tail of the
airplane, tail of the procession). "The small dog's tail was
almost caught when the door closed."
their = belonging to or done by them. "Joe and Sam did
their homework together."
there = in or at that place; to or towards that place; used

Their - there - as an introductory word in impersonal constructions.
they're "There are no empty places over there in that parking
lot."
they're = contraction of they + are. "They're going to be

late for the show if they don't hurry."
to - too - two to = preposition, in the direction of; used to indicate
155
something or someone reached; used to indicate

possession or attribution; used with infinitive forms of
verbs. "Mr. Jones had to return to the store to buy some
milk."
too = excessively, more than is sufficient, necessary or

desirable; very. "We arrived at the theater too late to see
the first act of the play."
two = one more than one; one plus one; the ordinal
number 2. "Frank drank two glasses of wine with his
dinner."
weight = the amount something or someone weighs, a
factor of its mass and the force of gravity on the object or
person. " Tom lost much weight when he began a job
that involved more physical activity."
weight - wait
wait = to remain in a place or a state of inactivity; to be in
readiness; to be set aside for later action. "Please wait for
me by the front door ."
Exercise D: Complete the following sentences by inserting words from the list above.
1. Torrents of _____________ began to ______________ from the sky when the storm began.
2. In the _______________ of Paul Bunyan, the lumber jack had a huge blue ox named Babe.
3. The sports magazine conducted a __________ _______ learn what people thought about
__________ hometown high school's football team.
4. The athlete strained his back when he tried to lift ________ much _____________.
5. The prices did not ____________ very low during the store's big furniture ___________.
6. Prince Andrew will have a long ___________ to begin his ____________ as king of England.
7. ____________ car began to __________ down the hill because they had not set the brake.
8. One needs to use ___________ ____________ to control a horse properly.

156
Exercise A:
1. bawled 3. ants 5. brakes 7. billed 9. bear
2. Board 4. beech 6. ale 8. I'll
Exercise B:
1. fare 3. sense 5. grate 7. cell, coarse
2. hare, carrot 4. duel 6. deer, scent
Exercise C:
1. hole, idol 3. hail, pair 5. mane 7. no, meat 9. meet, meat
4. whole, mall,
2. know, pare 6. not, knot 8. know
idle
Exercise D:
1.rain, pour 3. poll, to, their 5. seem, sale 7. Their, roll
2. tale 4. too, weight 6. wait, reign 8. two, reins
c. 2010, Mikie Metric Productions, Williamsport, PA 17701 www.say-it-in-english.com

157
Set 5 - Lesson 28
Lesson 28: Common Actions
One of the laws of science says, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." This
is usually true in language, also. There are many pairs of action words - verbs - that name
actions that are opposite each other. Other pairs of words name actions that are almost the same,
but not quite. Words can have many shades of meaning that determine which ones can replace
which others and which ones are truly opposite. This lesson will present many such pairs and
will use each of the words in one or more sentences to help you get a feel for the correct usage of
each word.
1. I buy gas for my car every week.
buy 2. Mrs. Garcia buys groceries at the supermarket.
3. Tom bought a used car yesterday.

1. I sell English lessons on my website.
sell 2. Mr. Hong sells fish in his store.
3. Mahmoud sold his car to Tom yesterday.
1. I run to school when the weather is nice.
run 2. Marika runs with me sometimes.
3. John ran home last Monday.

1. Many old people walk in the park.
walk 2. Mr. Smith walks around the park every day.
3. My dog walked all the way to school this morning.
I
158
1. The students stand by their desks each morning.
2. Miss Williams stands in front of her desk.

stand
3. The old man stood at the bus stop last night.
(Stand means to be in an upright position with one's weight supported on

one's feet and being relatively motionless.)
1. We sit in the back of the bus.
2. The driver sits in the front of the bus.
3. I sat beside Nadia yesterday during the play.

sit
(Sit means to have one's weight supported by one's buttocks on a horizontal
surface, with the torso vertical, the upper legs horizontal, and the lower legs
more or less vertical with the feet resting on the floor or ground, relatively
motionless. There are, of course, many variations to this position.)
1. Everyone in the courtroom must stand up when the judge enters the room.
2. George stands up to give his book report.

stand up
3. When the teacher called her name, Mary stood up.
(Stand up has the sense of being in motion, changing from a sitting position
to a standing position.)
1. "Sit down before I knock you down!" shouted the bully.
2. The old hiker sits down on a rock when he gets tired.

sit down
3. Mabel sat down on the back seat of the bus.
(Sit down also has the sense of changing from a standing position to a sitting
position.)
m
159
1. I like to sleep in my own bed.
sleep 2. The cat sleeps under the bed.
3. Fred slept during the lecture.

1. Most farmers wake before dawn.
wake 2. Gloria wakes as soon as the alarm goes off.
3. Mr. Jones woke when he smelled smoke.
1. Do you eat in the cafeteria every day?
eat 2. Sally eats too many potato chips.
3. I ate roast beef and mashed potatoes for supper last night.
1. You should chew your food well before swallowing it.
chew 2. Tom's dog chews the telephone wire when nobody is home.
3. Walter chewed bubble gum in class last week.

1. It is difficult for some people to swallow a large pill.
swallow 2. The bird swallows its food without chewing it.
3. The large snake swallowed a rat for breakfast this morning.
1. Children often speak before they think.
speak 2. The president speaks to the press every week.
3. My mother spoke to her minister this morning.

talk 1. Young girls often talk to each other in class.
160
2. Britta talks all the time.
3. Mr. Taylor talked for two hours on the telephone last night.
1. Some experts say the earth is getting warmer.
say 2. Philip says the experts are crazy.
3. My teacher said the temperature is always changing.
1. I drink a lot of iced tea.
drink 2. My friend drinks much coffee.
3. My father drank a lot of beer.
1. I look carefully at all the road signs when I drive.
look 2. Janice looks in the mirror all the time.
3. Aisha looked for the missing puppy last night.

1. Can you see the stars from your bedroom window?
see 2. Tommy sees his mother when he comes to town.
3. I saw a flock of wild turkeys last week.

1. Many children watch cartoons Saturday mornings.
watch 2. Tony watches football games on television.
3. Ruth watched five soap operas yesterday.
listen (to) 1. Many young people listen to rap music, but I can't understand why.
161
2. Gino often listens to classical music.
3. I listened to the president's speech last night.

1. We hear many warnings about smoking cigarettes.
hear 2. The store manager hears many complaints each day.
3. Nora heard her favorite song on the radio yesterday.

1. Many students write notes in class.
write 2. Sergeant Harris writes to his wife every day.
3. I wrote a story for my grandchildren.

1. Most children draw stick figures.
draw 2. My son draws pictures of dragons.
3. Tyler drew pictures of cartoon characters last year.

1. You must sign your name on a check.
sign 2. Bruce signs autographs everywhere he goes.
3. John Hancock signed the Declaration of Independence.
1. The children go to school every day.
go 2. Harvey goes to work at midnight.
3. I went to Florida last month.

1. My children come to visit each summer.
come 2. The mailman comes to our house each morning.
3. My friend came to my house last evening.
M
162
1. I want a new job.
want 2. Robert wants to retire soon.
3. Billy wanted a CD player for Christmas, but he was disappointed.

1. The policemen have new patrol cars.
have 2. Officer Stein has a motorcycle.
3. I had steak for supper.
1. The golfers hit many balls for practice.
hit 2. John hits the tennis ball against the wall for practice.
3. Mrs. Garner hit her head against the door frame yesterday.
1. I usually kick the wall to shake the snow from my boots.
kick 2. Henry kicks many goals for his soccer team.
3. The angry boy kicked his bedroom door last night.
1. Please push the button to ring the doorbell.
push 2. Angela pushes her bicycle up the hill.
3. The bully pushed Anna into the swimming pool yesterday.

1. The horses pull the cart to town each Saturday.
pull 2. The magician pulls a rabbit out of his hat as his first trick.
3. The strongman in the circus pulled two cars with a rope.
open 1. I always open doors for women.

163
2. Marcus opens his book for English class.
3. The little boy opened his mouth for the dentist.

1. The students must close their books before taking the test.
close 2. Michael always closes the bathroom door.
3. The woman closed the refrigerator door after putting the milk in.
1. We put our coats on the hooks every day.
put 2. The rude man puts his boots on the table every night.
3. I put my dirty dishes in the sink last night.

1. I take a bus to work most days.
take 2. Sam takes his lunch to school in a paper bag.
3. Nicholas took his girlfriend to the concert last weekend.
1. Customers usually enter the store by the front door.
enter 2. Ellen enters her house by the back door.
3. I filled out the form and entered the contest.

1. The janitors are the last ones to leave the building.
leave 2. Mr. Murphy leaves work every day at 5 o'clock.
3. Mary left a tip on the restaurant table.
M
164
1. I order something different every time I eat out.
order 2. The boss always orders his men to work faster.
3. Mr. Sanchez ordered his wife to cook supper last night.

1. Some parents demand instant obedience from their children.
demand 2. The law demands that we pay taxes.
3. Professor Archer demanded that the class pay attention.

1. Most charities request donations from the public.
request 2. The invitation requests our presence at the party.
3. The student requested permission to go to the bathroom.
1. Some parents ask their children to clean their rooms.
ask 2. The bum always asks pedestrians for their spare change.
3. Otto asked Greta to go out with him.

1. People who answer every question may go home.
answer 2. Caroline always answers the telephone.
3. Paul answered the letter as soon as he read it.
This is a list of the action words (verbs) used in this lesson:
buy - sell ; run - walk ; stand - sit ; sleep - wake ; eat - chew - swallow ; speak - talk - say ; drink
; look - see - watch ; listen - hear ; write - draw - sign ; go - come ; want - have ; hit - kick ; push
- pull ; open - close ; put - take ; enter - leave ; order - demand - request ; ask - answer.
165
Exercise: Circle the word in parentheses ( ) in the sentences below that best completes the
sentence. Use the example sentences above as a guide to the correct uses of the words.
1. The little girl (run, runs, ran ) home from school last Friday.
2. The owner of the drugstores ( buy, buys, bought ) suntan lotion from a salesman who came to
his office.
3. It is important that you ( say, talk, speak, spoke, said ) clearly when you answer the telephone
at work.
4. Most employers ( demand, demands, ordered, ask ) firmly that their workers arrive at work on
time.
5. For some reason, Mr. Smith ( wake, wakes, woke ) this morning before the alarm rang.
6. In most buildings, you must ( push, pull, pulled, pushed, pulls ) the door to enter the building
and ( push, pull, pulled, pushed, pulls ) the door to ( leave, left, leaves ) the building.
7. Most of my friends (watch, watches ) football games on television in the Fall.
8. Before the new shopping mall (come, came, comes ) to town, people had to ( go, went, goes )
many miles to do their shopping.
9. Everyone in the class (sit, sits, sat ) quietly whenever the principal ( come, comes, came ) into
the room.
10. The three men (look, looks, looked ) carefully for the trap, but they ( see, sees, saw ) nothing
strange.
1. ran
2. bought
3. speak (talk would be correct, but it is not the best choice in this sentence)
4. demand (ask could be used, but it is not the best choice)

166
5. woke
6. pull, push, leave
7. watch
8. came, go
9. sits, comes OR sat, came ( both words must be in the same form)
10. looked, saw OR look, see (the first pair is the best choice, but the other could work)

Learn To Write English Clearly and Correctly

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1

Learn to Write English Clearly and Correctly

Lesson 1: Over-used words: DO and GET

Dictionary definitions of DO include: 1. to perform, 2. to bring about, 3. to pay (as honor), 4. to

Dictionary definitions of GET include: 1. to acquire or to procure 2. to prepare , 3. to fetch, 4. to

Principle forms of DO and GET:

Present Tense Past Tense Present Perfect Future Tense

Present With Auxiliary

1. I am going to do a Brahm's lullaby in the concert tomorrow. (perform)

2. The doctor said it will do no harm to stay up late. (bring about)

4. These tasks must be done before you leave. (finished)

5. Let me do the books tonight while you rest. (prepare)

6. It is my turn to do supper. (cook)

7. Do the best you can at school today. (act or behave)

8. How are you doing today, Mrs. Jones? (fare in health)

15. Mom, did we get mail yesterday? (receive)

4. That second piece of pie was enough to satisfy me. ________________________

5. Will space exploration bring about good or evil? ________________________

6. The citizens paid homage to the aging former president. _________________________

8. Mr. Harris loved to barbecue chicken on the grill. _______________________

9. Bob's mother said he couldn't go out until he finished his homework,

10. I used to prepare my own taxes. __________________________

1. In order to arrive at work on time, I have to catch the 6:30 train.

4. I have earned a lot of money by selling things on E-bay. ____________________

5. Ten students figured out the correct answer. _____________________

6. You kids work on your homework while I start preparing supper.

8. I don't understand these tax rules. ____________________

9. The whirling Frisbee smacked Tom right on his nose. ____________________

2. Harold's wife complained, "Are you still doing those taxes?"

3. Are the steaks done yet?

4. My old car can only do 45 uphill.

6. Alicia does her nails every other day.

7. Harry did a crossword puzzle before work every day.

8. Mark's band does mostly classic rock songs.

11. Mrs. Jones gets the flu every winter.

14. Jack got the answer before anybody else.

15. You can get the bus down at the corner.

18. Dad was getting lunch while we set the table.

Exercise E: Cross out the incorrect form of DO in the following sentences.

2. The kangaroo (is doing) (do) amusing tricks in the show.

3. Serena (does) (did) all her chores last night.

5. It (do) (does) me good to watch my children play happily.

10. We (have gotten) (are getting) a new puppy tomorrow.

12. Mother (gets) (get) supper early during the week.

3. You must at least ___________your mother-in-law the courtesy of being polite.

4. Greta ___________a turkey when the oven blew up.

7. William was glad he _____________his homework before going to the dance.

8. Girls usually ________________better than boys in spelling bees.

10. This lesson is finally _______________.

15. What time do you have to _______________ the train tomorrow?

Learn to Write English Clearly and Correctly

Set 1 - Lesson 1 Answer Key

1. get to , to get 1. I'm done for. = I'm finished. I'm dying.

2. got 2. doing = preparing, figuring out

3. getting 3. done = cooked, finished, ready

4. gotten 4. do = drive, accomplish, achieve, reach

5. got 5. do (it) = suffice

6. get 6. does = prepares, polishes, files, cleans

7. get 7. did = worked on, finished, completed

8. get 8. does = performs, plays

9. got 9. does = washes, cleans

10. get 10. did = treated, behaved wrongly

Exercise D: Exercise E: These are the verb forms that

8. Humpty Dumpty _ on a wall waiting for the mortar to ____.

1. balloons 2. __ fuel oil

1. two pints of 2. fifteen

1.The police found _ ___ in the trunk of the car.

2.The woman shopper put _ of behind each ear.

3._ ___ made a daring escape from the zoo.

6. is often found in clogged shower drains.