Basic English Grammar for English Language Learners PDF

Book 1 BASIC ENGLISH...

Book 1 BASIC ENGLISH BASIC ENGLISH GRAMMAR GRAMMAR BASIC ENGLISH GRAMMAR Book 1 Book 1 Younger students at beginning to intermediate levels will greatly benefit from this step-by-step approach to English grammar basics. This is the ideal supplement to your language arts program whether your students are native English speakers or beginning English language learners. Skill-specific lessons make it easy to locate and prescribe instant reinforcement or intervention. Illustrated lessons are tightly focused on core concepts of grammar Nearly 70 practice exercises are included for ready reinforcement A wealth of examples are provided on every topic Concise explanations are bolstered by extra grammar tips and useful language notes  Book 1 Anne Seaton Y. H. Mew  Three Watson Irvine, CA 92618-2767 Web site: www.sdlback.com First published in the United States by Saddleback Educational Publishing, 3 Watson, Irvine, CA 92618 by arrangement with Learners Publishing Pte Ltd, Singapore Copyright ©2007 by Saddleback Educational Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher. ISBN 1-59905-201-6 Printed in the United States of America 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1  Introduction Grammar is a very old field of study. Did you know that the sentence was first divided into subject and verb by Plato, the famed philosopher from ancient Greece? That was about 2,400 years ago! Ever since then, students all over the world have found it worthwhile to study the structure of words and sentences. Why? Because skill in speaking and writing is the hallmark of all educated people. Lesson by lesson, this book provides basic instruction in the eight parts of speech—nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections—as well as the standard patterns of English sentences. All students of English, be they native speakers or those who are studying English as a second language, will profit from the fundamental introduction and review of grammar provided by SADDLEBACK’S BASIC ENGLISH GRAMMAR 1 and 2. Helpful marginal notes throughout the books have been provided to reinforce existing skills and call attention to common problem areas. We wish you every success in your pursuit of English proficiency. 1 What is Grammar? 5 The Simple Past Tense 98 Regular and Irregular Verbs 99 Was and Were 104 2 The Capital Letter 6 The Past Progressive Tense 106 The Future Tense 108 Can and Could 112 May and Might 113 3 Nouns 8 Do, Does and Did 115 Common Nouns 8 Would and Should 120 Proper Nouns 13 Singular Nouns 21 Plural Nouns 23 8 Subject-Verb Agreement 123 Collective Nouns 34 Masculine and Feminine Nouns 37 9 Adverbs 127 4 Pronouns 44 Personal Pronouns 44 10 Prepositions 132 Reflexive Pronouns 47 Interrogative Pronouns 48 Demonstrative Pronouns 49 11 Conjunctions 135 5 Adjectives 52 12 Interjections 138 Adjective Endings 54 Kinds of Adjectives 58 Comparison of Adjectives 65 13 Sentences 139 What is a Sentence? 139 6 Determiners 71 Kinds of Sentences 140 The Imperative 141 The Articles 71 The Subject and the Object 143 Demonstrative Determiners 73 Direct and Indirect Objects 144 Interrogative Determiners 74 Positive and Negative Sentences 146 Possessive Determiners 75 Questions 147 7 Verbs and Tenses 79 14 Punctuation 150 The Simple Present Tense 80 Period 150 Am, Is and Are 83 Comma 151 The Present Progressive Tense 89 Exclamation Point 152 Have and Has 93 Question Mark 152 The Present Perfect Tense 96 Apostrophe 153 1 What is Grammar? Here’s an old children’s rhyme about the eight parts of speech of English grammar. It gives you an idea of what grammar is about. Read and remember it. Every name is called a noun, Pronoun As field and fountain, street and town. Noun In place of noun the pronoun stands, As he and she can clap their hands. The adjective describes a thing, As magic wand or bridal ring. Adjective Most verbs mean action, something done, Verb To read and write, to jump and run. How things are done the adverbs tell, As quickly, slowly, badly, well. ition Adverb Prepos The preposition shows relation, As in the street or at the station. Conjunctions join, in many ways, Sentences, words, or phrase and phrase. The interjection cries out, “Heed! Interjection Conjunction An exclamation point must follow me!”   2 The Capital Letter The capital letter is also called a big letter or upper- case letter, or sometimes just a capital. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z When do you use a capital letter? 4 Use a capital letter for the first letter in a sentence: The dog is barking. Come here! 4 Always use a capital letter for the word I : I am eight years old. Tom and I are good friends. 4 Use a capital letter for the names of people: Alice, Tom, James, Kim, Snow White 4 Use a capital letter for the names of places: National Museum, Bronx Zoo, London, Sacramento 4 Use a capital letter for festivals, holidays, days of the week, months of the year: New Year’s Day, Christmas, Labor Day, Mother’s Day, Sunday, Monday, Friday, January, May, July, October   Exercise 1 Circle the letters that should be CAPITALS. Then write the correct letter in the space above them. 1 peter and i are good friends. 2 we are going to chicago during our summer vacation. 3 there is an interesting football game on sunday. 4 jason lives on thomson avenue. 5 january is the first month of the year. Exercise 2 Look at the signs on the left. Can you find the mistakes? Write the names correctly. hopkins hotel lincoln school orchard street newton road botanic gardens national library shea stadium   3 Nouns Common Nouns Nouns are divided into common nouns and proper nouns. Common nouns are words for people, animals, places, or things. These are words for people. They are common nouns. artist Word File Here are more words for people: actor lawyer aunt judge baby man baker nurse cook police officer acrobat dentist singer clown doctor soldier giant teacher astronaut you kn id o D Another word for astronaut is w ? spaceman or spacewoman.  These are words for animals. They are common nouns. eagle zebra deer crocodile bird bear Word File Here are more words for animals: cat goose cow hen dog horse dolphin mouse duck parrot fish shark goat whale  These are words for places. They are common nouns. beach park Word File Here are more words for places: airport market cave mountain library church playground shop farm restaurant hill school Everfresh Co. hospital seashore hotel stadium house supermarket island temple mall zoo 10 These are words for things. They are common nouns. basket bed drum cake blanket Word File Here are more words for things: bag kite box ladder bread lamp can picture chair radio cot television cup train desk truck door watch gate egg window 11 Exercise 1 Underline the common nouns in these sentences. 1 There’s a little bird in the garden. 2 Who is your teacher? 3 Don’t eat that rotten apple. 4 Kate has a lovely doll. 5 I like reading stories. 6 My father is a doctor. 7 Every child has a dictionary. 8 Rudy hates bananas. 9 The phone is ringing. 10 Here’s a book for you. Exercise 2 Here’s a mixed bag of words. Put each word under its correct heading. swimmer snail fire engine clown letters flag river barber mountain fox hotel parrot granny taxi gardener camel People Animals Places Things 12 Proper Nouns Proper nouns are names for particular people, places or things. They always begin with a capital letter. Omar Beethoven Word File Santa Claus Here are some more names of people: Ali Baba Florence Nightingale Derek Jeter Pauline Lisa Johnny Depp Patrick Harry Potter Pinocchio Robin Hood you kn id o Your own name and the names D of your friends are proper w Kim Lee ? nouns too. 13 The names of countries and their people are also proper nouns. American Egyptian Indian Italian Thai Japanese Korean Malay Filipino Pakistani Country People Country People America Americans Korea Koreans Egypt Egyptians Malaysia Malaysians India Indians Pakistan Pakistanis Italy Italians France the French Japan the Japanese Thailand Thais 14 The names of towns, cities, buildings and landmarks are proper nouns. Egypt Hong Kong the Great Wall of China the Statue of Liberty Tokyo Sydney Bangkok New Delhi London Denver the Grand Canyon New York Central Park the Leaning Tower of Pisa Paris the Eiffel Tower Brooklyn Bridge Beijing Big Ben Pike’s Peak 15  The days of the week and months of the year are proper nouns. Days Sunday March March March March Monday 1 2 3 4 Sunday Monday Tuesda es day y Wedn Tuesday Wednesday March March Mar Thursday ch Friday 5 6 7 Thursday Friday Satu rda Saturday y Months January February March January February March April April May June July May June July August August September October December November e r October November December Septemb you kn id o D January is the first month of the year. w ? Sunday is the first day of the week. A table that shows the months, weeks and days 16  The names of mountains, seas, rivers and lakes are proper nouns. Mount Everest the Thames Lake Michigan the Alps the Himalayas the Dead Sea the Pacific Ocean Niagara Falls Mount Fuji the Yellow River you kn id o D w You often use the before names of oceans, ? rivers, seas and ranges of mountains. Mount means mountain. It is often used in the names of mountains. For example: Mount Everest Mount St. Helens The written short form for Mount is Mt. For example: Mt. Everest, Mt. Fuji 17 The names of festivals, some special events and holidays are proper nouns, too. Valentine’s Day Father’s Day Halloween Word File Here are more names of festivals and holidays: Christmas Mother’s Day New Year’s Day Memorial Day April Fool’s Day Labor Day Thanksgiving Day Independence Day St. Patrick’s Day 18  Exercise 1 Underline the proper nouns in the following sentences. 1 July is often the hottest month in summer. 2 One day Ali Baba saw the forty thieves hiding in a cave. 3 Shawn and Ashley are going to the beach for a swim. 4 Mr. Lee is reading a book. 5 “I am your fairy godmother,” said the old woman to Cinderella. 6 Uncle Mike is a lawyer. 7 Next Tuesday is a public holiday. 8 Many children enjoyed the movie Lion King. Exercise 2 Look at the words in the box. Which ones are common nouns and which ones are proper nouns? Put each word under its correct heading. Lisa bank President Hotel United Bank January beach White Sand Beach hotel doctor month Dr. Wang girl Common Nouns Proper Nouns 19 Exercise 3 Write C for common or P for proper on the blank before each noun. 1 _______ the White House 2 _______ the green dress 3 _______ the tall building 4 _______ the Empire State Building 5 _______ the Yellow River 6 _______ the muddy river 7 _______ the governor 8 _______ Governor Parker 9 _______ the Oregon Trail 10 _______ the winding trail Exercise 4 Underline the nouns that should be capitalized. Circle the nouns that should not be capitalized. 1 Robert louis Stevenson wrote treasure island. 2 The Capital of illinois is Springfield. 3 My Friends and I prefer Glittergums toothpaste. 4 Their Family visited Yellowstone national Park. 5 Juan and maria attend kennedy Middle school. 6 We had a Surprise Party for aunt Helen. 7 Spring and Fall are my favorite Seasons. 8 The Manager scolded his lazy Employees. 20 Singular Nouns Nouns can be singular or plural. When you are talking about one person, animal, place, or thing, use a singular noun. an owl a ship a train a woman Word File These are also singular nouns: an airplane a letter a bicycle a map a boy a photograph a bus a refrigerator a flower a comb a slide a girl a swing a key a van 21  m ar H am Gr elp 4 Use a or an before singular nouns. Use an before words beginning with vowels (a, e, i, o,­­ u). For example, say: an axe an igloo an egg an orange an envelope an umbrella an ice cream an uncle 4 But some words don’t follow this rule. For example, use a (not an) before these words that begin with u: a uniform a university 4 Use a before words beginning with the other letters of the alphabet, called consonants. For example, say: a basket a rainbow a bowl a monster a car a pillow a hill a watch a house a zoo 4 But some words don’t follow this rule. For example, use an (not a) before these words that begin with h: an heir an honor an hour 22 Plural Nouns When you are talking about two or more people, animals, places, or things, use plural nouns. Most nouns are made plural by adding -s at the end. star bats bat stars mug Word File Singular Plural bird birds broom brooms camel camels fan desk desks doll dolls mugs egg eggs flower flowers fork forks game games lamb lambs cap nest nests fans pen pens photo photos shirt shirts caps spoon spoons 23  Some plural nouns end in -es. glass bus brush glasses brushes buses watch Word File watches Singular Plural beach beaches branch branches box boxes bush bushes church churches dish dishes dress dresses foxes sandwich sandwiches witch witches fox m ar H am ch + Gr elp When the last letters of singular sh nouns are ch, sh, s, ss or x, s es you usually add -es to form ss the plural. x 24  Some plural nouns end in -ies. butterflies canaries canary butterfly Word File Singular Plural baby babies cherry cherries lilies diary diaries lily dictionary dictionaries fairy fairies family families fly flies candies lady ladies candy library libraries puppy puppies story stories strawberry strawberries am m ar H i + Gr elp Nouns like these are made es plural by changing y to i, and y adding -es. 25 What if there is a vowel before the y? In that case, add -s to form the plural. y s key turkey keys turkeys tray Word File Singular Plural chimney chimneys cowboy cowboys day days trays donkey donkeys jersey jerseys kidney kidneys monkey monkeys toy toys trolley trolleys valley valleys 26  If a noun ends in -f, you often change f to v, and add -es. Singular Plural Singular Plural calf calves loaf loaves v es f elf elves shelf shelves half halves thief thieves leaf leaves wolf wolves m ar H am f s Gr elp Often nouns that end in -f, just need -s to form the plural. Singular Plural Singular Plural chef chefs handkerchief handkerchiefs chief chiefs roof roofs cliff cliffs sheriff sheriffs For some words that end in -f, the plural can be spelled in two different ways. Singular Plural s dwarf dwarfs or dwarves f hoof hoofs or hooves ves scarf scarfs or scarves With some words that end in -fe, you change f to v, and add -s. Singular Plural f knife knives life lives v e s wife wives you kn id o D But you only add -s to giraffe to form the w ? plural. 27  If a noun ends in -o, you just add -s to form the plural. a rhino rhinos Word File Singular Plural a hippo hippos a video videos a zoo zoos a kangaroo kangaroos But with some nouns that end in -o, you add -es to form the plural. Word File Singular Plural a tomato tomatoes a flamingo a potato potatoes flamingoes a hero heroes m m ar H a Gr elp With some nouns that end in -o, you can add either -s or -es to form the plural. Singular Plural Plural a mango mangoes mangos a mosquito mosquitoes mosquitos a zero zeroes zeros a buffalo buffaloes buffalos 28  Some plural nouns don’t follow the -s rule. They don’t end in -s, -es, -ies or -ves. Instead, the word changes form. mouse mice goose geese Word File Singular Plural child children man men ox oxen tooth teeth woman women foot feet you kn id o D The plural of the mouse that you w ? use with your computer is either mice or mouses. 29  Some plural nouns are the same as the singular noun. sheep sheep reindeer reindeer fish Word File Singular Plural bison bison fish deer deer you kn id o D You can use fishes as the plural of w ? fish when you are talking about different kinds of fish: all the fishes of the Pacific Ocean. 30  Some nouns are always plural. binoculars goggles Word File pliers pants scissors pajamas sneakers shorts slippers trousers stockings sandals jeans you kn id o D Another word for spectacles w ? is glasses. spectacles m ar H am Gr elp You can make these plural nouns singular by using a pair of: a pair of binoculars a pair of spectacles a pair of goggles a pair of jeans a pair of shorts a pair of pliers a pair of shoes 31 Exercise 1 Look at the words below. Do you know which ones are singular and which are plural ? Put a checkmark (✓) in the correct box. Singular Plural word pencils books fan hat children kites people crab foxes Exercise 2 Do you add -s or -es to these singular nouns to make them plural? Write your answers on the lines. Singular Plural Singular Plural 1 desk 6 basket ___________ 2 class 7 peach ___________ 3 comb 8 belt ___________ 4 mug 9 taxi ___________ 5 bus 10 box ___________ 32 Exercise 3 Do you change -y to -ies, or just add -s to make these singular nouns plural? Write your anwers. Singular Plural Singular Plural 1 key 6 toy 2 city 7 baby 3 butterfly 8 party 4 monkey 9 chimney 5 fly 10 lady Exercise 4 All these singular nouns end with -o. Add either -s or -es as you write the plurals on the line. Singular Plural Singular Plural 1 video 6 radio 2 piano 7 hippo 3 mango 8 zoo 4 kangaroo 9 zero 5 rhino 10 photo 33 Collective Nouns Collective nouns are words for groups of people, animals or things. These are nouns for groups of people. a family a crew an orchestra Word File Here are some more groups of people: an audience a gang a band a group a choir a team a class m ar H am Gr elp Many collective nouns can be used with a singular or plural verb. For example: My family was happy to see me. or My family were happy to see me. But the following collective nouns always take a plural verb: cattle people the police 34 Here are more collective nouns that are used for groups of people, animals or things. a brood of chickens a band of musicians Word File a school of fish Here are some more collective nouns: a bunch of keys a class of pupils a collection of books a deck of cards a fleet of ships a flock of sheep a gaggle of geese a gang of robbers a team of players a herd of cattle a litter of cubs a pod of whales a pack of wolves a pride of lions a flight of steps a set of stamps a swarm of bees a troupe of actors 35 Exercise Farmer John had several different kinds of animals on his farm. Write the correct collective noun for each group of his animals. Farmer John had: a of geese a of sheep a of cattle a of horses One day a of coyotes tried to attack his animals. Farmer John yelled and waved a pitchfork to frighten them away. 36 Masculine and Feminine Nouns Masculine nouns are words for men and boys, and male animals. Feminine nouns are words for women and girls, and female animals. rooster bride bridegroom hen lion lioness Word File Masculine Feminine boy girl man woman prince princess steward stewardess king queen waiter waitress 37  Here are some more masculine and feminine nouns for people. Masculine Feminine actor actress brother sister emperor empress father mother gentleman lady grandfather grandmother grandson granddaughter headmaster headmistress man woman master mistress nephew niece prince princess son daughter steward stewardess uncle aunt wizard witch you kn id o Masculine nouns belong to the D w masculine gender. ? Feminine nouns belong to the feminine gender. 38  Here are some masculine and feminine nouns for male and female animals. Animal Male Female chicken rooster hen cattle bull cow deer buck doe donkey jack jenny duck drake duck fox fox vixen goose gander goose horse stallion mare lion lion lioness sheep ram ewe tiger tiger tigress you kn id o D Nouns that end in -ess and -ress often belong w ? to the feminine gender. For example: actress stewardess lioness tigress princess waitress 39  Many nouns are used for both males and females. dancers doctors scientists Word File Nouns like these are used for both males and females: accountants parents artists managers hairdressers designers pupils engineers singers lawyers teachers m ar H am Gr elp We call these nouns common-gender nouns. 40 Words for things that are neither male nor female are called neuter nouns. leaves bench fire mirror waterfall Word File Here are some neuter nouns: ball forest building gymnasium broom playground cake rock computer sky card socks floor wind 41  Exercise 1 Fill in the blanks with the correct masculine or feminine nouns. Masculine Feminine 1 master 2 uncle 3 niece 4 lioness 5 tiger 6 empress 7 husband 8 son 9 mother 10 madam Exercise 2 Fill in each blank with a suitable masculine or feminine noun. 1 The host and the ____________ welcomed their guests. 2 The steward and the ____________ look after the passengers on the plane. 3 My uncle and ________ lived in Nebraska. 4 The king and the _________ had two children, a boy and a ________. The prince was eight and the _____________ was five. 5 Ladies and ______________ , welcome to our party this evening. 42  Exercise 3 Look at the words in the box. Write each word under its correct heading. children sun witch king boy son father girl mother queen file teacher lamp doctor dancer wizard ram rooster elf fish Masculine Feminine Common Gender Neuter 43  4 Pronouns A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a common noun or a proper noun. There are different kinds of pronouns. Personal Pronouns The words I, you, he, she, it, we and they are called personal pronouns. They take the place of nouns and are used as the subject of the verb in a sentence. My name is David. I am the youngest in the family. This is my father. He is a teacher. This is my mother. She is a lawyer. I have a brother and two sisters. They are Peter, Sharon and Jenny. I have a dog. It is called Lucky. Lucky, you are a good dog. Good morning, children! You may sit down now. My family and I live in a big city. We have an apartment. m ar H am The subject of a sentence is the person, animal, Gr elp place or thing that does the action shown by the verb. 44  The words me, you, him, her, it, us and them are also personal pronouns. They also take the place of nouns. These pronouns are used as the object of the verb in a sentence. I am standing on my head. Look at me. My mother is kind. Everybody likes her. Lisa, I told you to tidy your bed! Sharon and Jenny! Dad is waiting for you! Lucky and I are playing in the park. Dad is watching us. You must not play with the knife. Give it to me. Pick up your toys and put them away. Baby birds cannot fly. Tom likes riding my bicycle. Mother bird has to feed them. I sometimes lend it to him. m ar H am Gr elp The object of a sentence is the person, animal, place or thing that receives the action shown by the verb. 45  m ar H am Gr elp There are three groups of pronouns: first person, second person and third person. The person speaking is called the first person. The first-person pronouns are I or me (in the singular) and we or us (in the plural). The person spoken to is called the second person. The second-person pronoun is you (in both singular and plural). The person (or animal, or thing) spoken about is called the third person. The third-person pronouns are he or him, she or her, and it (in the singular), and they or them (in the plural). The word I is always spelled with a capital letter. The pronoun he is used for men and boys, she for women and girls, and it for things and animals. Here is a table to help you. Subject Object First person singular I me Second person singular you you Third person singular he him she her it it First person plural we us Second person plural you you Third person plural they them 46 Reflexive Pronouns The words myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves and themselves are called reflexive pronouns. They refer to the person or animal that is the subject of the verb. I made this cake myself. Be careful with the knife. You’ll cut yourself. Michael is looking at himself in the mirror. Susan has hurt herself. Our cat washes itself after each meal. We organized the party all by ourselves. Come in, children, and find yourselves a seat. Baby birds are too young to look after themselves. m ar H am Gr elp Here is a table to remind you about reflexive pronouns. Singular Plural First person (I,me) myself (we,us) ourselves Second person (you) yourself (you) yourselves Third person (he, him) himself (they, them) themselves (she, her) herself (they, them) themselves (it) itself (they, them) themselves 47 Interrogative Pronouns The words who, whom, whose, what and which are called interrogative pronouns. These pronouns are used to ask questions. Who Whom Who is he talking to? Whom are you playing with? Who are those people? Whom is he talking to? Which Whose Which of these bags is yours? Whose is this umbrella? Which do you prefer? Whose are these gloves? What What is your dog’s name? What are you talking about? What is the time? m ar H am Gr elp Who can be used as the object of a verb as well as the subject. Whom is used only as the object. For example, you can say: Who are you playing with? or Whom are you playing with? 48 Demonstrative Pronouns The words this, these, that and those are called demonstrative pronouns. They are showing words. Those are goats. That is John’s house. That is a mountain. Those are horses. What are those? We can do better These are sheep. than that. No, that’s not mine. This is my house. You mean you won? This is a hill. That’s amazing! These are donkeys. Hello, who is that What is this? speaking, please? Did you drop this? Hello, is that you, Hi, Jane! This is Michael! George? m m ar H a Gr elp You use this and these when you point to things near you. You use that and those when you point to things farther away. Demonstrative pronouns can be singular or plural: Singular Plural this these that those 49  Exercise 1 Draw a line to join each of the subject pronouns to the object pronoun that matches. I he it she they you we us her you them me him it Exercise 2 Fill in the blanks with the correct pronouns. 1 Peter and I are brothers. _______ share a bedroom together. 2 Sue isn’t well. Dad is taking _______ to see a doctor. 3 My brother is a teacher. _______ teaches English. 4 All his students like _______ very much. 5 Children, _______ are making too much noise! 6 Who are those people? Where are _______ from? 7 Mom is a doctor. _______ works in a hospital. 8 The sky is getting dark. _______ is going to rain. 9 John, we are all waiting for _______. Are you coming with _______? 10 May _______ borrow your pen? 11 Yes, of course. When can you return _______ to _______? 12 What are _______ reading, Jenny? 50 Exercise 3 Fill in the blanks with the correct reflexive pronouns from the box. yourselves themselves itself myself himself yourself ourselves herself 1 No one can help us. We have to help ____________. 2 Jane always makes the bed by ____________. 3 They painted the wall all by ____________. 4 I hurt ____________ in the playground yesterday. 5 John, you must behave __________ before your friends. 6 Children, you must do the homework ____________. 7 Tom defended ____________ against the bullies. 8 The dog is scratching ____________. Exercise 4 Write the correct interrogative pronouns in the blanks to complete the sentences: 1 _______ is the matter with you? 2 _______ invented the computer? 3 _______ of the twins is older? 4 _______ do you wish to speak to? 5 _______ is this car in front of our house? 6 _______ knows the answer? 7 _______ came first, the chicken or the egg? 8 _______ would you like to drink? 9 _______ of them do you think will win the race? 10 _______ is the word for a stamp collector? 51 5 Adjectives An adjective is a describing word. It tells you more about a noun. An adjective usually appears before the noun it describes. Sometimes, though, the adjective appears after the noun, later in the sentence. a smart dog an old building a busy street a dark corner a deep sea a tall basketball player a large bed It is windy. John’s handwriting is very neat. The sea is rough. All the players are very tall. The baby’s hands are very small. Sue’s drawing is beautiful. That problem is too difficult. Peter is very quiet today. a low fence 52 Exercise 1 Underline the adjectives in the following sentences. 1 There is an empty room upstairs. 2 It’s a hot summer. 3 You are so kind. 4 Don’t be crazy. 5 This park is clean and green. 6 Many people exercise to keep healthy. 7 I think these eggs are rotten. 8 We are all bored. There isn’t anything to do. 9 The pupils don’t find the joke amusing. 10 James was absent because he was ill. Exercise 2 Fill in the blanks with suitable adjectives from the box. hot large short free high sweet poor playful 1 The ice cream is very _________. 2 It’s very _________ in summer. 3 The company is giving away _________ gifts to its customers. 4 They live in a _________ house. 5 Jean is wearing a _________ skirt. 6 The climbers are climbing up a _________ mountain. 7 These puppies are very _________. 8 Many _________ people have no home. 53 Adjective Endings Adjectives have different endings. Some adjectives end in -ful or -less. a beautiful dress a careless driver a faithful dog a harmless insect a useful tool homeless people playful puppies m m ar H a Gr elp An adjective that ends in -less is the opposite of the same adjective that ends in -ful. For example: careful – careless useful – useless colorful – colorless harmful – harmless The -ful ending means having a lot of something. For example: painful = having a lot of pain hopeful = having a lot of hope The -less ending means without. For example: leafless = without leaves sleeveless = without sleeves 54  Some adjectives end in -y. a dirty street a noisy room an oily pot a stormy sea a sleepy passenger a sunny day a muddy path Some adjectives end in -ive. an expensive necklace an active child an attractive hat a creative toy talkative pupils Some adjectives end in -ing. a cunning fox a caring nurse an interesting book loving parents matching clothes a smiling face dazzling sunshine 55  Some adjectives end in -ly. a costly diamond ring a daily newspaper an elderly woman lively kittens a lonely boy a lovely girl a weekly magazine a friendly police officer m ar H am Gr elp Many adverbs also end in -ly. Here are some adjectives with the endings -able, -al, -en, -ible, -ish and -ous. a broken chair a famous pop singer childish behavior a national costume a comfortable chair a musical instrument a dangerous place a terrible mess a foolish act a woolen sweater a horrible smell a wooden table a loveable koala a poisonous snake 56 Exercise 1 Add the correct endings to turn these words into adjectives. -y -ful -less -al 1 peace 6 dirt 2 storm 7 music 3 mud 8 nation 4 forget 9 dust 5 spot 10 play Exercise 2 Add the correct endings to turn these words into adjectives. -en -y -ing -ish -ous -ly 1 wind 6 fool 2 gold 7 charm 3 friend 8 child 4 rot 9 love 5 danger 10 interest 57 Kinds of Adjectives There are different kinds of adjectives. Some adjectives describe the qualities of nouns. a hot bun a cold drink an ugly monster a fierce dog a beautiful rainbow a clever monkey a difficult question happy children a kind lady a new car an old house a pretty girl a rich family a sad story a strong man a loud crash a wicked queen 58 Some adjectives tell you which place or country a person or thing comes from, or belongs to. They are called adjectives of origin. Chinese kungfu an Indian temple Dutch clogs a Mexican hat Australian apples a Balinese dancer the English language the French flag an Italian car a Japanese garden a Scottish kilt A Filipino shirt Thai boxing 59 Some adjectives tell you the color of things. Please get me some white paint. The sky is gray. The sea is blue. George is wearing brown shoes. I don’t like green apples. Carrots are orange. Flamingos are pink. Eggplants are purple. Your hands are black! Roses are red. 60  Some adjectives tell you the size of the nouns they describe. a big hat a huge balloon broad shoulders a high mountain a large ship a long bridge a low ceiling a narrow path a fat sumo wrestler small animals tiny insects a wide street a thin boy a short man you kn id o D w The word tall describes people and narrow, ? upright objects. For example, you can say: a tall girl a tall bookcase The word high describes bigger or wider objects that reach a great height. For example, you can say: a high mountain a high wall 61 Numbers are adjectives, too. They tell you how many people, animals, or things there are. Sometimes they are called adjectives of quantity. two princes three princesses four mermaids five witches one giant seven elves six fairies nine dwarfs eight puppets ten angels eleven hens fifteen frogs nineteen lizards twelve geese sixteen snails twenty butterflies thirteen birds seventeen kittens fourteen mice eighteen ants 62  Other adjectives tell you something about quantity without giving you the exact number. some soldiers a little ice cream a little rice a lot of books not many people too much salt lots of insects plenty of money some food Is there any milk? a few cups a few puppies you kn id o D Adjectives that tell you about quantity are also w ? called quantifying determiners. 63 Exercise Look at the underlined words in the following sentences. Do you know what kinds of adjectives they are? In the blanks write C if the underlined words tell you about color, S if they tell you about size, Ql if they tell you about quality, O if they tell you about origin, or Qn if they tell you about the number or quantity of things. 1 Dad has two pairs of shoes. ___ 2 One pair is brown and the other pair ___ is black. ___ 3 This is a very simple puzzle. ___ 4 What color is the American flag? ___ 5 A kind fairy appeared before Cinderella. ___ 6 He is a proud man. ___ 7 There is some food left. ___ 8 Tom is wearing a blue T-shirt. ___ 9 Jack has ten marbles; Peter has twenty. ___ ___ 10 How many marbles have Jack and Peter ___ altogether? 11 There is an Indian temple in the city. ___ 12 There is a large crowd outside the temple. ___ 13 My house is just a few miles from the ___ school. 14 They are driving a small car. ___ 15 Sue likes those yellow and red balloons. ___ ___ 64  Comparison of Adjectives When you compare two people or things, use the comparative form of the adjective. Lots of comparative adjectives end in -er. fast faster small smaller bright cheap cheaper clear clearer brighter loud louder new newer old older rich richer short shorter tall taller slow slower thick thicker m ar H am Gr elp The word than is often used with comparative adjectives. For example, you might say: Jack is taller than John. A sports car is faster than a motorbike. 65  Use the superlative form of an adjective to compare three or more nouns. Lots of superlatives end in -est. dark darker darkest thick thicker thickest clean cleaner cleanest easy easier easiest fat fatter fattest flat flatter flattest heavy heavier heaviest hot hotter hottest narrow narrower narrowest noisy noisier noisiest simple simpler simplest thin thinner thinnest wet wetter wettest long longer longest m ar H am Gr elp You often add the before the superlative form. For example, you say: Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world. Peter is the tallest boy in his class. 66  m ar H am Gr elp 4 With adjectives that end in -e, add -r to form the comparative, and -st to form the superlative. For example: Comparative Superlative close closer closest large larger largest safe safer safest wide wider widest 4 Some adjectives have only one syllable, end with a consonant, and have a single vowel before the consonant. With these adjectives, double the last letter before adding –er to form the comparative, and -est to form the superlative. For example: Comparative Superlative big bigger biggest dim dimmer dimmest mad madder maddest sad sadder saddest 4 Some adjectives have two syllables and end in -y. With these adjectives change the y to i. Then add -er to form the comparative, and -est to form the superlative. For example: Comparative Superlative busy busier busiest dirty dirtier dirtiest happy happier happiest pretty prettier prettiest 67  With some adjectives, you use more to make the comparative form, and most to make the superlative form. beautiful more beautiful most beautiful active more active most active charming more charming most charming cheerful more cheerful most cheerful comfortable more comfortable most comfortable delicious more delicious most delicious you kn id o D Adjectives that form their comparative and w ? superlative with more and most are usually adjectives with two or more syllables, or sounds. For example: ac-tive ex-pen-sive beau-ti-ful fa-mous charm-ing for-tu-nate cheer-ful in-tel-li-gent com-fort-a-ble pow-er-ful de-li-cious val-u-a-ble 68  The comparative and superlative forms of some adjectives are completely different words. good better best little less least bad worse worst few less least many more most much more most m ar H am Gr elp With these adjectives, you don’t add -er or more to form the comparative, or -est or most to form the superlative. 69 Exercise 1 Fill in the blanks with the correct comparative and superlative forms of the following adjectives. Comparative Superlative hard cold soft tall rich mad funny big sad busy noisy Exercise 2 Fill in the blanks with the correct comparative and superlative forms of the following adjectives. Comparative Superlative foolish harmful poisonous valuable difficult generous 70  6 Determiners Determiners are words such as this, those, my, their, which. They are special adjectives that are used before nouns. The Articles The words a, an and the belong to this group of words called determiners. The words a and an are called indefinite articles. You can use them with singular nouns to talk about any single person or thing. Can you hear a bird singing ? This is a picture of an elephant. Rudy is reading a book. Mom bought me a new dress today. Do you wear a You will need an umbrella when you go out. uniform to school? She eats an apple a day. m ar H am Gr elp The article an is usually used before words beginning with vowels. The article a is used before words beginning with consonants. 71  The word the is called the definite article. Use the before a noun when you are talking about a certain person or thing. The telephone is ringing. Where’s the cat? I think she is under the bed. Tom has won the race. Granny is sitting in the garden. The street is very busy today. The sky is getting dark. The ice is melting. m ar H am Gr elp You also use the before a noun when there is only one. For example: the sun the moon the sky the front door of my house 72 Demonstrative Determiners The words this, that, these and those are determiners. They are used to tell which thing or person you mean. These words are called demonstrative determiners, or demonstrative adjectives. I am keeping these books. I am selling those books. This ice cream is delicious. How much is that racket? What is that animal? James lives in this house. Bring me that ball. Would you like these apples? m ar H am Gr elp You use this and these to point to people or things near you. You use that and those to point to people or things that are farther from you. You use this and that before singular nouns. You use these and those before plural nouns. Here’s a table to help you remember the rules: Singular Plural this these that those 73 Interrogative Determiners Use the words what, which and whose before nouns to ask about people or things. These words are called interrogative determiners or interrrogative adjectives. What size do you wear? What kind of bird is that? What time is it? What color is her hair? What kind of clothes do you like to wear? Which school do you go to? Which doll is your favorite? Which road leads to the zoo? Which runner is the winner? Do you know which girl won the prize? what Whose footprints are these? which Whose baby is this? whose Whose dog was barking in the middle of the night? 74 Possessive Determiners The words my, your, his, her, its, our, their are called possessive determiners or posessive adjectives. Use these words before nouns to say who something belongs to. I lent Margaret my guitar. Is this your house? Robert, your handwriting is difficult to read. The dentist asked Michael is showing his tortoise to his friends. his patient to open My sister lost her way in the city. her mouth. The lion is chasing its prey. m m ar H a Gr elp Here is a table to help you remember the possessive determiners. Singular Plural First person my our Second person your your Third person his their her their its their 75 Exercise 1 Fill in the blanks with a, an or the. 1 __________ owl 7 __________ moon 2 __________ rocket 8 __________ Missouri River 3 __________ apron 9 __________ mango 4 __________ sun 10 __________ animal 5 __________ page 11 __________ eagle 6 __________ computer 12 __________ baby Exercise 2 Write a, an or the in the blanks to complete the sentences. 1 There is ________ rainbow in ________ sky. 2 Who is ________ man outside ______ gate? 3 ________ doctor gave Jane ________ injection. 4 Paul opened ________ door to let ________ dog in. 5 Mark is ________ only child in _______ family. 6 What’s ______ largest animal in ________ world? 7 There’s ________ nest in ________ tree. 8 Sue is writing ________ letter to her grandfather. 9 Jack has ________ brother and ________ sister. 10 We reached ________ top of ______ hill in two hours. 76 Exercise 3 Fill in the blanks with the correct demonstrative adjectives. 1 Come and look at ________ insects. 2 Stop ________ man! 3 I was in fifth grade last year. I am in sixth grade ________ year. 4 Bring ________ chairs here. 5 ________ ice cream is delicious. 6 Can you see ________ stars in the sky? Exercise 4 Are the underlined words demonstrative adjectives or demonstrative pronouns? Write DA (for demonstrative adjectives) or DP (for demonstrative pronouns) in the blanks. 1 This house has five bedrooms. _______ 2 Who is that man? _______ 3 This is our school. _______ 4 These are wild animals. _______ 5 That is right. _______ 6 What’s that noise? _______ 7 These books are Jane’s. _______ 8 Those books belong to me. _______ 9 These are donkeys. _______ 10 Those are horses. _______ 77 Exercise 5 Choose the correct possessive adjectives from the box to fill in the blanks. my his your her its our their 1 Is this Jane’s dog? Yes, this is ______ dog. 2 The dog is chasing ________ own tail. 3 Peter, is ________ father at home? 4 Rudy is showing ________ stamps to Ali. 5 I am going to ________ aunt’s house this evening. 6 We always keep ________ classroom clean. 7 Children, have you all finished ________ homework? 8 The children are proud of ________ school. Exercise 6 Choose the correct interrogative adjectives from the box to fill in the blanks. what which whose 1 ________ kind of animal is that? 2 ________ runner is the winner? 3 ________ is the matter? 4 ________ desk is this? 5 ________ handphone is ringing? 6 ________ is your name? 7 ________ twin is taller? 8 ________ hand is holding the pebble? 78 7 Verbs and Tenses Most verbs are action words. They tell you what people, animals or things are doing. knock burst climb dig read Word File act jump bake move bend pull buy run close shout cook sing cross sit fall slide fly stand drop go start grow swim hop walk 79 The Simple Present Tense The simple present tense expresses a general truth or a customary action. The sun rises in the east. Uncle Joe wears glasses. Ducks love water. The children go to school by bus. Mary enjoys singing. Peter sometimes lends me his bike. Cows eat grass. Monkeys like bananas. Tom collects stamps. The earth goes around the sun. It often snows in winter. We always wash our hands before meals. We eat three meals a day. Father takes the dog for a walk every morning. 80 Use the simple present tense to talk about things that are planned for the future. Melanie starts school tomorrow. Next week I go to summer camp. The train departs in five minutes. We join the senior scout troop in July this year. My big brother leaves school at 4 o’clock. The new supermarket opens next Friday. The new grammar book comes out in September. Grandad retires next year. We fly to London next Thursday. The plane lands at 5:30 P.M. We move to our new house in a month. My big sister begins her summer job next week. 81 Exercise 1 Underline the verbs in the following sentences. 1 The children go to school by bus. 2 Bats sleep during the day. 3 These toys belong to Kathy. 4 Every pupil has a good dictionary. 5 Polar bears live at the North Pole. 6 Most children learn very fast. 7 Mr. Thomas teaches us science. 8 The earth goes around the sun. 9 We never cross the street without looking. 10 Many stores close on Sunday. Exercise 2 Fill in the blanks with the simple present tense of the verbs in parentheses. 1 Winter ________ after autumn. (come) 2 A dog ________. (bark) 3 You ________ tired. (look) 4 Everyone ________ mistakes. (make) 5 Ali ________ in a department store. (work) 6 Judy ________ English very well. (speak) 7 Tim’s knee ________. (hurt) 8 Monkeys ________ bananas. (like) 9 Kate always ________ sandwiches for lunch. (eat) 10 He ________ very fast. (type) 82 Am, Is and Are The words am, is, are are also verbs, but they are not action words. They are the simple present tense of the verb be. Use am with the pronoun I, and is with the pronouns he, she and it. Use are with the pronouns you, we and they. It is a donkey. It is not a horse. It is very hot today. It is not very comfortable. the verb ‘be’ am is are I am Peter. I am not Paul. She is Miss Lee. She is a teacher. He is my father. He is a doctor. He is not a lawyer. You are a stranger. You are not my friend. We are in the same class, but we are not on the same team. They are good friends. They are not enemies. 83  m ar H am Gr elp Here’s a table to help you remember how to use am, is and are: Singular Plural First person I am we are Second person you are you are Third person he is they are she is they are it is they are Learn these short forms called contractions: I am = I’m they are = they’re you are = you’re we are = we’re he is = he’s she is = she’s it is = it’s am not = aren’t (only in questions) is not = isn’t are not = aren’t In questions, use aren’t as a contraction of am not. For example, you can say: I’m taller than you, aren’t I? But in a statement you say: I’m not as old as you. 84 Use the verb is with singular nouns and are with plural nouns. The camel is a desert animal. Vegetables and fruit are healthy foods. Lambs are baby sheep. is Singular Plural are nouns nouns Kenneth is a lawyer. Rex is a clever dog. A duck is a kind of bird. The playground is full of people today. My house is near the school. These questions are too difficult. The balloons are very colorful. Those people are very busy. Dad and Mom are in the kitchen. 85  Use is and are with the word there to say what you can see and hear. There is a castle on the hill. There is a wasps’ nest There are some clouds in the sky. in the tree. There is a fence around the school. There are a lot of books in the library. There are two guards at the gate. Is there any food in the fridge? Are there any apples left on the tree? How much rice is there? There are a few sharks in the bay. There are enough candies for everyone, aren’t there? There are two pigeons on the roof. m ar H am Gr elp Learn this contraction: there is = there’s 86 Exercise 1 Fill in the blanks with am, is or are. 1 They ________ my good friends. 2 He ________ a soldier. 3 You ________ taller than Charlie. 4 She ________ ill. 5 We ________ very hungry. 6 It ________ a sunny day. 7 I ________ angry with Joe. 8 You ________ all welcome to my house. Exercise 2 Fill in the blanks with is or are. 1 John’s dog ________ very friendly. 2 Robert ________ ten years old. 3 These flowers ________ very pretty. 4 The two schools ________ close to each other. 5 Math ________ not a very difficult subject. 6 ________ dinner ready? 7 This computer ________ very easy to use. 8 All the windows ________ open. 9 Sue and Jane ________ neighbors. 10 His hair ________ curly. 87 Exercise 3 Fill in the blanks with There is or There are. 1 ______________ a fence around the barn. 2 ______________ trees along the road. 3 ______________ a rainbow in the sky. 4 ______________ lots of parks in our town. 5 ______________ nothing in the cupboard. 6 ______________ not many bedrooms in the new house. 7 ______________ lots of mistakes on your test paper. 8 ______________ a wasps’ nest in the tree. 9 ______________ ants in the cookies. 10 ______________ many different kinds of animals in the zoo. 11 ______________ plenty of food on the table. 12 ______________ a church on the hilltop. 13 ______________ no more water in the pool. 14 ______________ too many people on the beach. 15 ______________ only a few customers in the shop. 88 The Present Progressive Tense When do you use the present progressive tense? To talk about actions in the present, or things that are still going on or happening now. I am writing a letter. Mom is knitting a sweater for Sally. The phone is ringing. I’m playing chess with my friend. She’s riding a horse. He’s taking a walk in the park. The man’s counting the money. They are practicing tai chi. We’re rushing to the airport to meet Mr. Smith. They are still sleeping. They are swimming in the sea. What are they doing? What’s happening? Why aren’t you doing your homework? Aren’t I sitting up straight? 89  m ar H am + am is verb ing Gr elp are 4 Form the present progressive tense like this: am + present participle is + present participle are + present participle 4 The present participle is the form of a verb ending with -ing. For example: show + ing = showing come + ing = coming 4 You have to double the last letter of some verbs before you add -ing. For example: get + ing = getting rob + ing = robbing nod + ing = nodding stop + ing = stopping jog + ing = jogging swim + ing = swimming 4 Notice that the verbs above are all short verbs of just one syllable. They all end with a consonant such as b, d, g, m, p, t and have only one vowel before the consonant. 4 If a verb ends in e, you usually have to drop the e before you add -ing. For example: chase + ing = chasing cycle + ing = cycling drive + ing = driving smile + ing = smiling 90 Use the present progressive tense to talk about things you have planned to do, or things that are going to happen in the future. To form the present progressive tense, use am, is and are as helping verbs or auxiliary verbs. When are you taking We are having a barbecue me to the zoo? later this evening. We are going camping tomorrow. I’m starting piano lessons soon. Jim’s parents are taking him to Texas next week. My favorite TV program is starting in a minute. All our friends are coming. Who’s bringing salad for the barbecue? I am. I am visiting Joe next week. Where are you going for your vacation? What are we eating for dinner? 91 Exercise 1 Write the present participle of these verbs on the blanks. 1 come ____________ 7 go ____________ 2 run ____________ 8 ask ____________ 3 sleep ____________ 9 catch ____________ 4 fall ____________ 10 write ____________ 5 jump ____________ 11 drop ____________ 6 climb ____________ 12 bring ____________ Exercise 2 Fill in the blanks with the present progressive tense of the verbs in parentheses. 1 They ________________ the roller-coaster ride. (enjoy) 2 Jill ________________ her hair. (wash) 3 It ________________ dark. (get) 4 The dentist ________________ Sue’s teeth. (examine) 5 The train ________________ through the tunnel. (pass) 6 The men _______________ very hard in the sun. (work) 7 What _________ the theater _________ today? (show) 8 We ________________ a snowman. (make) 9 The plane ________________ above the clouds. (fly) 10 The teachers ________________ a meeting. (have) 92 Have and Has The verbs have and has are used to say what people own or possess. They are also used to talk about things that people do or get, such as illnesses. These words are the simple present tense of the verb have. Peter has a sore knee. We have breakfast at 7:00 A.M. He has a lot of stamps. She has long hair. Our house has large windows. I have a younger brother. Monkeys have We have art lessons on Mondays. long tails. Have a cookie, if you like. Dad has a cold. Jenny often has sandwiches for lunch. 93  m ar H am Gr elp Use has with he, she, it, and with singular nouns. Use have with I, you, we, they, and with plural nouns. Here is a table to help you remember the rules: Singular Plural First person I have we have Second person you have you have Third person he has they have she has they have it has they have Learn these contractions: I have = I’ve you have = you’ve he has = he’s she has = she’s it has = it’s we have = we’ve they have = they’ve have not = haven’t has not = hasn’t 94 Exercise 1 Fill in the blanks with have or has. 1 We ________ a new science teacher. 2 He ________ a bad temper. 3 I often ________ fruit for dessert. 4 You ________ a good chance of winning the prize. 5 She always ________ oatmeal for breakfast. 6 The broom ________ a blue handle. 7 They never ________ any problem with tests. Exercise 2 Fill in the blanks with have or has. 1 The girls ________ golden hair. 2 An insect ________ six legs. 3 Dad ________ his cell phone with him. 4 The children ________ a new swing set. 5 Many poor people ________ nothing to eat. 6 Chicago ________ a very big airport. 7 A triangle ________ three sides. 8 The man ________ two daughters. 9 James ________ a toothache. 10 All the passengers ________ their tickets. 95  The Present Perfect Tense Use the present perfect tense to talk about happenings in the past that explain or affect the present. The verbs have and has are used as “helping” or auxiliary verbs to form the present perfect tense. Sam has scored two goals. I’ve just finished my shower. Uncle Tom has lost his wallet. It’s been very wet today. John has gone out. The Lees have moved to Ohio. Kim’s cut It has not rained for months. her finger. Have you found your keys yet? Tim has made two spelling mistakes. They have opened a new shop. m ar H am Gr elp To form the present perfect tense join have or has to the past participle of the verb: have + past participle has + past participle The past participle of a regular verb usually ends in -ed, just like the simple past tense. But the past participles of irregular verbs don’t follow this rule. 96 Exercise 1 Write the past participle of these verbs on the blanks. 1 break _______________ 6 buy _______________ 2 drink _______________ 7 find _______________ 3 cut _______________ 8 draw _______________ 4 do _______________ 9 hear _______________ 5 sing _______________ 10 know _______________ Exercise 2 Fill in the blanks with the present perfect tense of the verbs in parentheses. 1 Dad ______________ his car key. (lose) 2 All the guests ______________. (arrive) 3 Tony ______________ a goal. (score) 4 Peter _____________ in the tent several times. (sleep) 5 It ____________ not ____________ for two months. (rain) 6 Some prisoners ______________ from the prison. (escape) 7 The plane ______________ at the airport. (land) 8 John ______________ a puppet. (make) 9 Dad and I ______________ a big fish. (catch) 10 I ______________ this movie twice. (see) 97 The Simple Past Tense Use the simple past tense to talk about things that happened in the past. The simple past tense is also used to talk about things that happened in stories. The wicked Queen gave Pinocchio’s nose grew longer Snow White a poisoned apple. every time he told a lie. Dinosaurs lived millions of years ago. I bought a new camera last week. Joe learned to play the guitar very quickly. We drove to the safari park last weekend. The giant panda gave birth to a cub last night. Yesterday Dad took me to the carnival. The plane landed a few minutes ago. The children visited a farm during the holidays. Who invented the computer? Jack and Jill went up the hill. Little Red Riding Hood decided to visit her grandmother. The Three Bears found Goldilocks asleep in their house. 98 Regular and Irregular Verbs The simple past tense of most verbs ends in -ed. These verbs are called regular verbs. Spelling File Base Form Simple Past aim aimed bake baked open opened happen happened Who closed all pull pulled the windows? push pushed scold scolded shout shouted visit visited wait waited walk walked work worked It snowed last night. Mom opened the door for us. Sally petted the dog. That event happened long ago. We visited our uncle last week. They walked to school together yesterday. They worked until twelve last night. Dad tried to fix the light. William Tell aimed at the apple on his son’s head. 99  m ar H am Gr elp 4 The simple past tense is usually formed by adding -ed to the verb. For example: jump + ed = jumped lift + ed = lifted laugh + ed = laughed look + ed = looked 4 If the verb ends with -e, just add -d. For example: agree + d = agreed hate + d = hated die +d = died live + d = lived 4 Remember these spelling rules: You must double th