Grammar in Use PDF

G r a m m a r I n U s e What you’ll find in this book 1 Nouns 7–23 Common Nouns 7 Proper Nouns 8 Singular N...

G r a m m a r I n U s e What you’ll find in this book 1 Nouns 7–23 Common Nouns 7 Proper Nouns 8 Singular Nouns 11 Plural Nouns 11 Collective Nouns 17 Masculine and Feminine Nouns 20 The Possessive Form of Nouns 22 2 Pronouns 24–31 Personal Pronouns 24 Reflexive Pronouns 26 Possessive Pronouns 27 Demonstrative Pronouns 27 Interrogative Pronouns 28 Indefinite Pronouns 28 3 Adjectives 32–43 Kinds of Adjectives 32 The Order of Adjectives 33 Adjective Endings 35 Describing What Something Is Made of 37 The Comparison of Adjectives 39 Adjective Phrases 42 4 Determiners 44–51 The Articles 44 Using Nouns without Articles 45 Demonstrative Determiners 46 Quantifying Determiners 47 Interrogative Determiners 49 Possessive Determiners 49 Numbers 50 Using Determiners Together 50   5 Verbs and Tenses 52–87 Subject and Verb Agreement 52 Transitive and Intransitive Verbs 55 The Simple Present Tense 58 am, is and are 59 there is and there are 60 The Present Progressive Tense 63 The Simple Past Tense 65 was and were 66 Irregular Verbs 67 The Past Progressive Tense 70 have, has and had 71 The Present Perfect Tense 73 Irregular Past Participles 73 The Future Tense 77 do, does and did 80 The Infinitive 83 The Imperative Form of Verbs 84 Gerunds 85 6 Auxiliary Verbs 88–94 can and could 88 will and would 89 shall and should 89 ought to 90 must 90 may and might 90 Verb Phrases 91 7 Adverbs and Adverb Phrases 95–100 Adverbs of Manner 95 Adverbs of Time 96 Adverbs of Place 96 Adverbs of Frequency 97 Adverbs of Duration 97 Adverbs of Emphasis 98 8 Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases 101–108 Preposition or Adverb? 101 Prepositions of Place 102 Prepositions of Time 102 Prepositions of Direction 103 Prepositions with Special Uses 103 Prepositions with Adjectives, Verbs or Nouns 105   9 Conjunctions 109–117 and, but and or 109 Conjunctions Linking Phrases 110 Conjunctions with Lists 110 Conjunctions That Join Sentences 111 Other Words for and 111 Other Words for but 112 Other Words for or 112 Conjunctions of Time 113 Conjunctions of Place 113 Conjunctions of Reason 114 Conjunctions of Purpose 114 10 Sentences 118–133 Four Kinds of Sentence 118 Sentences with Objects 119 Verbs with Two Objects 120 Verbs with No Object 120 Simple Sentences 123 Compound Sentences 123 Conditional Sentences 124 Positive and Negative Sentences 124 Questions 128 Question Tags 130 11 Direct and Indirect Speech 134–139 Direct Speech 134 Indirect Speech 134 Indirect Commands 135 Indirect Questions 136 12 Punctuation 140–148 Punctuation Marks: period, comma, question mark, exclamation point, apostrophe, quotation marks, colon 140 Capital Letter 144 A List of Irregular Verbs 149–152   1 Nouns There are two main types of nouns: common nouns and proper nouns. Common Nouns Words for people, places and things are called common nouns. ◗ These common nouns are words for things. ruler chair hammer bicycle truth pen table saw ship calculator crayons sofa axe truck television pencil loyalty drill ferry fridge book lamp ladder train cooker dictionary carpet lawnmower bus computer courage telephone spade laziness printer ◗ These common nouns are words for animals. Notice that special names for young animals are included. animal its young animal its young dog puppy fox cub cat kitten elephant calf cow calf kangaroo joey horse foal bear cub sheep lamb lion cub goat kid tiger cub frog tadpole whale calf ◗ These common nouns are words for places. bank airport school post office hotel gas station university police station library park office restaurant museum farm mosque supermarket mall zoo temple stadium theater factory shop synagogue hospital nursery gym church  Nouns: Proper Nouns ◗ These common nouns are words for people who do certain things. singer manager sailor gardener dancer secretary pilot police officer artist teacher driver plumber photographer doctor writer farmer magician dentist friend clerk athlete lawyer brother technician Proper Nouns The names of particular people, places and things are proper nouns. They always begin with a capital letter. ◗ These people’s names are proper nouns. Robin Hood Florence Nightingale Mom Miss Park Aladdin Muhammad Ali Dad Mrs. Taylor Frankenstein George Washington Granny Mr. Young Harry Potter David Beckham Grandad Dr. Lee Santa Claus Julia Roberts Uncle David Professor Raj Mahatma Gandhi Nelson Mandela Aunt Diana Jose Confucius Alex Rodriguez Ms. Hall Yang Ming ◗ The names of the days of the week and the months of the year are proper nouns. days of the week months Monday January July Tuesday February August Wednesday March September Thursday April October Friday May November Saturday June December ST Sunday AUGU 4 11 18 25 2 19 26 y 5 1 Sunda 20 27 n d ay 6 13 M o 4 21 28 y 7 1 Tues a d 22 29 sday 8 15 Wedne 1 6 23 30 r s d ay 9 1 Thu 2 31 17 24 Friday 3 10 ay Saturd   Nouns: Proper Nouns ◗ The names of special days and celebrations are also proper nouns. New Year’s Day Veterans' Day Mother’s Day Thanksgiving Independence Day Memorial Day Valentine’s Day Halloween Labor Day Christmas Ramadan Yom Kippur ◗ The names of famous places, buildings and monuments are proper nouns. Big Ben the Empire State Building the Sphinx the Taj Mahal Graceland the Eiffel Tower the Grand Canyon the Golden Gate Bridge the Sydney Opera House the Great Wall of China Buckingham Palace Chaco Canyon Pueblo the Leaning Tower of Pisa the Statue of Liberty ◗ The names of people who live in a particular country are also proper nouns. country people country people Afghanistan Afghans Samoa Samoans Australia Australians New Zealand New Zealanders Britain the British Pakistan Pakistanis China the Chinese the Philippines Filipinos France the French Russia Russians Germany Germans Nicaragua Nicaraguans India Indians South Africa South Africans Indonesia Indonesians Spain Spaniards Italy Italians Switzerland the Swiss Japan the Japanese Thailand Thais Korea Koreans USA Americans Malaysia Malaysians Vietnam the Vietnamese   Exercise 1 Write each common noun under the correct heading. theater lion father brother doctor restaurant builder stove elephant kangaroo museum library things animals places people Exercise 2 Underline the common nouns and circle the proper nouns in these sentences. 1. I told Uncle John about my accident. 2. Kim and Stephanie wore masks on Halloween. 3. The lawnmower is broken. 4. We’re going to the movies tomorrow. 5. The lion is playing with one of its cubs. 6. My sister’s favorite soccer player is David Beckham. 7. I’m watching a videotape about the Sahara Desert. 8. The tourists visited Rome and saw the Colosseum. 9. Does this bus go to the stadium? 10. We’re reading a story about a boy called Harry Potter. Exercise 3 Read the following passage containing common nouns and proper nouns. Put a C in the box after a common noun and a P in the box after a proper noun. Mr. Peters lives in Maine in a big house by the sea. He has three cats and a dog. He likes to travel to different countries. Last Christmas , he went to Paris and saw the Eiffel Tower. He enjoyed eating French food in nice restaurants. 10  Nouns: Singular Nouns; Plural Nouns Singular Nouns Nouns can be singular or plural. When you are talking about just one thing or person, use a singular noun. For example: a tent a park an idea a taxi a doctor an oven a house a lady an exercise Plural Nouns Use a plural noun when you are talking about two or more people, places or things. ◗ Just add s to make most nouns plural. singular plural singular plural a computer computers a mountain mountains a chair chairs a river rivers a train trains an envelope envelopes a player players an insect insects a teacher teachers an oven ovens a taxi taxis an uncle uncles N o t e s n Words called articles or determiners are used to signal nouns. a river an armchair three biscuits a castle an idea five eggs n The article an is used before nouns that begin with the vowels a, e, i, o and u. an artist an eye an insect an oven an umbrella n The article a is used before nouns that begin with the other letters, called consonants. But some words don’t follow these rules. a uniform, a unit, a user: a, not an, is used because the vowel u in these words is pronounced like the word you; an hour, an heir, an honor: an, not a, is used because the consonant h in these words is not pronounced. 11 Nouns: Plural Nouns ◗ Nouns that end in s, ss, ch, sh or x, are made plural by adding es. singular plural singular plural bus buses sandwich sandwiches glass glasses witch witches dress dresses brush brushes branch branches flash flashes church churches box boxes beach beaches fox foxes ◗ Most nouns that end in y are made plural by changing the y to i and adding es. singular plural baby babies family families story stories teddy teddies fairy fairies puppy puppies housefly houseflies library libraries city cities lily lilies party parties dictionary dictionaries ◗ Nouns that have a vowel before the y are made plural by simply adding s at the end. singular plural singular plural key keys day days monkey monkeys tray trays donkey donkeys runway runways toy toys chimney chimneys boy boys trolley trolleys cowboy cowboys valley valleys 12  Nouns: Plural Nouns ◗ Many nouns that end in f are made plural by changing the f to v and adding es. singular plural half halves leaf leaves shelf shelves wolf wolves thief thieves But some nouns that end in f are made plural simply by adding s. singular plural chief chiefs roof roofs handkerchief handkerchiefs cliff cliffs puff puffs ◗ Some nouns that end in f can be made plural in two ways. singular plural scarf scarfs or scarves hoof hoofs or hooves dwarf dwarfs or dwarves wharf wharfs or wharves ◗ Most nouns that end in fe are made plural by changing the f to v and adding s. singular plural knife knives wife wives life lives midwife midwives 13 Nouns: Plural Nouns ◗ Most nouns that end in o are made plural by adding s. singular plural video videos hippo hippos zoo zoos kangaroo kangaroos But other nouns that end in o are made plural by adding es. singular plural tomato tomatoes potato potatoes hero heroes ◗ Some nouns change spelling from the singular form to the plural. singular plural N o t e s man men woman women What's the plural of the kind of mouse that you use with a child children computer? The plural is either person people mice or mouses. mouse mice tooth teeth foot feet goose geese ◗ The plural form of some nouns is the same as the singular form. singular plural N o t e s sheep sheep (not sheeps) When you are talking about different deer deer (not deers) kinds of fish, the plural can be fishes, fish fish (not fishes) for example: aircraft aircraft (not aircrafts) the various fishes of the Indian Ocean salmon salmon (not salmons) 14  Nouns: Plural Nouns ◗ Some nouns are always plural. N o t e s trousers glasses You can use a pair of with these shorts spectacles plural nouns. For example: jeans goggles a pair of trousers pants scissors a pair of pants tights binoculars a pair of glasses pajamas pliers a pair of scissors a pair of chopsticks Some nouns are usually plural. a pair of sandals a pair of gloves shoes chopsticks sandals gloves slippers clogs boots socks Exercise 4 Underline all the nouns in the following sentences. Are they common or proper nouns? Put a checkmark ✓ in the correct box. common nouns proper nouns 1. Do you like cheese? 2. They stood next to the Niagara Falls. 3. May I borrow your umbrella? 4. The ambulance was driving very fast. 5. Carl did not agree with them. 6. She loves to visit Disneyland. 7. Would you like some more water? 8. The fog was very thick. 9. May I invite Tom to join us? 10. My car is very old. 15  Exercise 5 Read the following passage. Write S in the box after each singular noun and P in the box after each plural noun. Our teacher is a very nice lady. She’s very kind to all the children in the class and she tells us very funny stories. Yesterday, she told a story about the animals on a farm. They all had a race. The pigs and sheep ran faster than the ducks and cows , but the heroes of the story were the mice. They were faster than all the other animals , even though they had the shortest legs ! Exercise 6 Read the following passage. Notice that the plural nouns are missing. Write the correct plural form of the singular nouns in parentheses. The first one has been done for you. Three ladies (lady) in pink (dress) took their (baby) for a walk in the zoo. They saw four (giraffe), three (hippo), two (kangaroo) and an elephant. They walked for so long that their (foot) became sore, so they sat down on a bench for a rest near some (monkey). The (monkey) were playing with cardboard (box) and throwing (stick) at each other. After a while, the (lady) looked at their (watch) and decided it was time to go home. 16  Nouns: Collective Nouns Collective Nouns Words for groups of people, animals or things are called collective nouns. ◗ Here are some collective nouns for groups of people. a family a crew a team a club a community a committee a choir a company a band a gang an orchestra the government an audience the army ◗ Collective nouns may be used with a singular verb or with a plural verb. If the group is acting as a single unit, use a singular verb. If group members are acting as individuals, use a plural verb. For example: N o t e s Always use a plural verb with the The crowd was orderly. collective nouns, people and the police. For example: or Those people live (not lives) in Asia. The crowd were clapping, yelling The police have caught (not has and cheering. caught) the thief. ◗ Here are more collective nouns you can use for groups of people. a crowd of shoppers a gang of thieves a company of actors a panel of judges a class of schoolchildren a platoon of soldiers ◗ Many groups of animals have their own special collective nouns. a herd of cattle a pack of wolves a litter of puppies a flock of birds a pride of lions a troop of monkeys a drove of sheep a pod of dolphins a brood of chickens a gaggle of geese a school of fish a swarm of bees 17 Nouns: Collective Nouns ◗ Some groups of things also have their own special collective nouns. a bunch of bananas a deck of cards a cluster of grapes a flight of steps a bunch of flowers a suite of rooms a bouquet of flowers a suite of furniture a range of mountains a set of tools a fleet of ships a string of beads a fleet of vehicles a grove of trees ◗ Some nouns name the amount or form of something. a loaf of bread a bar of soap a ball of string a bar of chocolate ◗ The words a piece of mean a single serving or part of something. a slice/piece of bread a slice/piece of cheese a piece/square of chocolate a slice/piece of cake a sheet/piece of paper a piece of chalk a piece of information a piece of advice Exercise 7 Read the following passage. Write the missing collective nouns in the blank spaces. Remember that sometimes there are two words you can use. Mom took Kate, Rudy and Derrick to the zoo. The zoo was very busy. A of people had gathered round the monkeys. One of the monkeys had a of bananas. Watching the monkey eat made the children feel hungry. Mom took a of bread and some of cheese out of the picnic hamper and everyone made sandwiches. After eating the sandwiches, the children had two of chocolate each. Rudy wanted to give one piece to a monkey, but the zookeeper gave Rudy a very useful of advice. “Monkeys may look friendly, but sometimes they are very fierce,” he said. 18  Exercise 8 Read the sentences. Does the collective noun indicate a group acting together as a single unit? If so, circle the singular verb. Does the collective noun indicate a group in which each member acts individually? Circle the plural noun. 1. The jury (were/was) arguing about the importance of evidence. 2. A whole company of soldiers (is/are) marching in the parade. 3. A gaggle of geese (is/are) running every which way in the barnyard. 4. Those people (live/lives) in North America. 5. The police (has/have) arrested the suspect. 6. That troupe of actors always (stay/stays) at the Grand Hotel. 7. The committee (is/are) handing in their ballots. 8. Our school band (play/plays) many lively marches. 9. A big colony of ants (lives/live) under the front porch. 10. The government (are/is) entitled to collect taxes. Exercise 9 Complete each phrase with a noun from the box that names a part or an amount of something. bushel scoop ream pair drop grain pinch galaxy 1. a of stars 5. a of potatoes 2. a of sand 6. a of bookends 3. a of paper 7. a of ice cream 4. a of salt 8. a of rain 19 Nouns: Masculine and Feminine Nouns Masculine and Feminine Nouns ◗ Masculine nouns are words for men, boys and male animals. Feminine nouns are words for women, girls and female animals. masculine feminine masculine feminine boy girl nephew niece man woman king queen father mother prince princess son daughter emperor empress brother sister wizard witch husband wife actor actress grandfather grandmother policeman policewoman uncle aunt waiter waitress ◗ Many nouns are used for both males and females. They are called common gender nouns. teacher baby doctor scientist pupil parent astronaut president child cousin dancer manager ◗ With animals, there is one general word for the animal and special words for the male and the female. Sometimes the word for the male animal is the same as the general word. Sometimes the word for the female animal is the same as the general word. animal masculine feminine rabbit buck doe horse stallion mare sheep ram ewe pig boar sow chicken rooster hen duck drake duck cattle bull cow goose gander goose fox fox vixen tiger tiger tigress lion lion lioness 20  Exercise 10 Complete the crossword puzzle with the correct masculine or feminine nouns. Across DOWN masculine feminine masculine feminine 3. bull 1. actress 5. man 2. waiter 4. husband 6. fox 7. nephew 9. princess 8. aunt 10. empress 11. goose 12. stallion 13. brother 14. king 15. duck 16. witch 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 21 Nouns: The Possessive Form of Nouns The Possessive Form of Nouns Use the possessive form of a noun to show ownership. ◗ To make the possessive form, put an apostrophe and an s ’s after a singular noun. This is my bed and that is Peter’s bed. We all like Dad’s cooking. It is my job to collect everybody’s plate after the meal. The flies are buzzing around the horse’s tail. This is Susan and Jenny’s room. This is Tom’s hat and that is Tom’s father’s hat. N o t e s How do you make the possessive form when two names linked by and are the owners? Put an ’s after the second name only. For example: Katy and Mike’s house is very big. (= the house that belongs to both Katy and Mike) Joe and Sarah’s dad works at the shoe factory. (= He is Joe’s dad and he is also Sarah’s dad.) Sometimes two possessive forms with ’s appear together, one after the other: This is John’s brother’s ball. (= The ball belongs to John’s brother.) Paul’s teacher’s house has a swimming pool. (= the house that belongs to Paul’s teacher) ◗ After plural nouns that don’t end in s, use an apostrophe and an s ’s to make the possessive form. The children’s room is always messy. Some people’s houses are bigger than ours. Rats’ tails are longer than mice’s tails. Men’s voices are deeper than women’s voices. 22  Nouns: The Possessive Form of Nouns ◗ After plural nouns that end in s, just add an apostrophe s’. The pupils’ desks are arranged in rows. The boys’ bedroom is bigger than the girls’ bedroom. The strong winds destroyed all the farmers’ crops. Mice’s tails are shorter than rats’ tails. N o t e s When a name ends in s, you can make the possessive form in either of two ways: add an apostrophe and an s ’s , or add just an apostrophe ’. For example: This is James’s house. or This is James’ house. Which is Charles’s bike? or Which is Charles’ bike? Exercise 11 Read the following passage. The possessive nouns are missing. Write the correct possessive form of the nouns in parentheses. The first one has been done for you. Peter is spending the day at Tom’s (Tom) house. Peter likes Tom’s family. He especially likes (Tom’s mom) cooking! The boys play lots of games together. (Tom) sister doesn’t like (Tom and Peter) games. She is playing by herself. Sometimes the (boys) games become so noisy that Mom tells them to go and play in the garden. (Tom) dog is in the garden, lying in the sunshine. Tom wants to play with the dog, but Peter is afraid of the (dog) big teeth and sharp claws. At 7 o’clock, (Peter) dad arrives in his car to take Peter home. Tom says he likes (Peter’s dad) new car. (Peter) dad says that he’ll take Tom for a ride in it sometime. 23  2 Pronouns A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. There are different kinds of pronouns. Personal Pronouns Personal pronouns may be used as: n the subject of a verb, or n the object of a verb. ◗ Subject Pronouns The subject of a verb does the action of the verb. The personal pronouns I, you, he, she, it, we and they can all be used as the subject of a verb. Study the following two sentences: Lisa likes cats. She has four cats. In the first sentence, the proper noun Lisa is the subject of the verb likes. In the second sentence, the pronoun she is the subject of the verb has. Here are some more pairs of sentences that show personal pronouns used as subjects of verbs. My name is Michael. I am fourteen. My father works hard. He works in a factory. My sister is older than me. She is twelve. Our dog is very naughty. It likes to chase cats. Bob, you are a bad dog! David and I are playing football. We like sports. Jim and Jeff are my brothers. They are older than I am. 24  Pronouns: Personal Pronouns ◗ Object Pronouns The object of a verb receives the action of the verb. The personal pronouns me, you, him, her, it, us and them can all be used as the object of a verb. Look at the following two sentences: Lisa likes cats. She likes to stroke them. In the first sentence, the noun cats is the object of the verb likes. In the second sentence, the pronoun them is the object of the verb stroke. Here are some more pairs of sentences that show personal pronouns used as objects of verbs. I’m doing my homework. Dad is helping me. Goodbye, children! I’ll call you later. Where is John? I need to speak to him. Miss Garcia is very nice. All the children like her. The car is very dirty. Mom is cleaning it. Uncle Harry called Mary to ask her a question. My chocolates are all gone. Someone has eaten them. First Person, Second Person and Third Person In grammar, the person who is speaking is called the first person. The one spoken to is called the second person, and the one spoken about is called the third person. Here is a table to help you remember which pronouns to use. 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 25 Pronouns: Reflexive Pronouns Reflexive Pronouns Reflexive pronouns are words that refer to the noun or pronoun that is the subject of the verb. The words myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves and themselves are reflexive pronouns. My brother built this computer himself. Be careful not to cut yourself with that knife. John was looking at himself in the mirror. Kate fell and hurt herself. Our cat washes itself after every meal. We baked the cake by ourselves. Come in, everybody, and find yourselves a seat. The children cleaned their room all by themselves. Bears like to rub themselves against a tree. The bird washed itself by splashing in a puddle. The players train every day to keep themselves fit. Have yourselves a good time. Here is a table to help you remember which reflexive pronoun to use with which personal pronoun. singular personal reflexive plural personal reflexive pronoun pronoun pronoun pronoun I (subject pronoun) myself we (subject pronoun) ourselves me (object pronoun) myself us(object pronoun) ourselves you (subject/object yourself you (subject/object yourselves pronoun) pronoun) he (subject pronoun) himself they (subject pronoun) themselves him (object pronoun) himself them (object pronoun) themselves she (subject pronoun) herself her (object pronoun) herself it itself 26  Pronouns: Possessive Pronouns; Demonstrative Pronouns Possessive Pronouns Possessive pronouns are used to talk about things that belong to people. The words mine, yours, his, hers, ours and theirs are possessive pronouns. This book is mine. Have you lost yours, Tom? This pen is mine and that one is his. Sarah has lost her cat. Is this cat hers? I can see our car, but where is yours? We’ve had our lunch, but they haven’t had theirs. Here is a table to help you remember which possessive pronoun to use with which personal pronoun. singular personal possessive plural personal possessive pronoun pronoun pronoun pronoun I, me mine we, us ours you yours you yours he, him his they, them theirs she, her hers Demonstrative Pronouns Demonstrative pronouns are used for pointing out things. The words this, that, these and those are demonstrative pronouns. This is my desk. These are my pets. This is the Mings' house. These are sheep but those are goats. That is my friend’s house. Those are horses. That’s my mother’s car. You’ll have to work harder than this. N o t e s We can do better than that. n Use this and these when you are It’s raining again. This is awful! talking about things near you. Who is that knocking at the door? n Use that and those when you are Hi, Kathleen. This is Michael. talking about things farther away. 27 Pronouns: Interrogative Pronouns; Indefinite Pronouns Interrogative Pronouns N o t e s Interrogative pronouns are used n In writing and formal speaking, you to ask questions. The words who, can also use whom as the object of verbs and prepositions. For example: whose, what, which and whom are interrogative pronouns. Whom did the president criticize? Whom is the principal talking to? Who used all my paper? or To whom is the principal talking? Who is Mom talking to? but you cannot use whom as the subject of a verb. So you cannot say: Who are those people? ✘ Whom came to the party last night? Whose pen is this? You have to say: ✔ Who came to the party last night? Whose are these shoes? n Who can be used as the subject or the What is your brother’s name? object of a verb. For example: Who broke the window? (as the subject) What does Tom want? Who are you inviting to your party? (as the object) What is the date today? n Who can be used as the object of a What do you want to be when preposition. For example: you grow up? Who is Mom talking to? Which of these desks is yours? n You can also use whom as the object of a preposition. For example: Which do you prefer? Whom is Mom talking to? Which of your sisters is the tallest? If you put the preposition before the interrogative pronoun, you must use Whom did the President criticize? whom: To whom is Mom talking? Inedefinite Pronouns An indefinite pronoun does not refer directly to any other word. Most ◗ indefinite pronouns express he idea of quantity. Everybody is welcome at the meeting. Many prefer their coffee with sugar. Does anybody care for a cheese sandwich? Few choose to live in the arid desert. 28  Pronouns: Indefinite Pronouns ◗ Indefinite Pronouns all each most other another either neither several any everybody nobody some anybody everyone none somebody anyone few no one someone both many one such ◗ The pronoun they is considered an indefinite pronoun when it makes an indefinite reference. They produce a lot of coal in your state. Why don't they repair the bad roads? Exercise 1 Read the following passage. Write the missing subject and object pronouns in the blank spaces. My name is Charlie. have two brothers. are both older than. Sometimes they take me to the park and play football together. I like playing football with because they are very good. We are going to the park today. Would you like to come with ? can all play together. Afterwards, can come to my house if want to. I think will like my dad. He is very funny and makes great pizzas. Do like pizza? 29  Exercise 2 Some of the reflexive pronouns in the following sentences are used correctly, but some are not. Put a checkmark ✓ in the box if the reflexive pronoun is correct. Put an x ✗ in the box if it is not correct. Then write the correct reflexive pronoun in the blank space. 1. Sometimes I wash the dishes all by himself. 2. Dad had an accident. He cut herself with a knife. 3. Sally washes the car by herself. 4. Do you think the doctor can cure itself when he is ill? 5. The cat stays clean by licking itself. 6. Anna and May made the dinner all by herself. 7. Mom lets me walk to school by myself. 8. Can you dress themselves , boys and girls? 9. David can swim all by himself now. 10. This light is automatic. It switches itself on at night. Exercise 3 Write a short sentence using each of the interrogative pronouns below. Example: Who Who is this man? Who Whose What Which Whom 30  Exercise 4 Read the following passage. Write the missing demonstrative pronouns in the blank spaces. Henry and I went for a walk on the beach. “What’s over there?” I asked. “It looks like broken glass,” said Henry. He gave me a bag. “Put it in ,” he said. I put the broken glass into the bag. “We’d better put in the trash,” I said. He took the bag from me. “You have to hold it like ,” said Henry, “so that you don’t cut your hand.” Exercise 5 Write the missing possessive pronouns in the blank spaces to complete the sentences. 1. I chose this seat first so it’s. 2. Can we borrow your coloring pens? We’ve lost. 3. We live in the city and they live in the countryside. Our house is smaller than. 4. John, is this pencil ? 5. Sally is looking for her gloves. Are these gloves ? 6. Can Julie use your bike? is broken. 7. Tom got the books mixed up. He thought mine was and his was. Exercise 6 Circle at least one indefinite pronoun in each sentence. 1. One never knows who might be listening. 2. Many are called but few are chosen. 3. I finished my cookie and asked for another. 4. Both were punished for the crime they commited. 5. Several applied for the job, but no one was hired. 31  3 Adjectives Adjectives describe nouns and pronouns. They give you more information about people, places, and things. Kinds of Adjectives ◗ Some adjectives tell about the size of people or things. a big house a long bridge tiny feet a large army a high mountain big hands a huge ship a short man a short skirt a tall building a thin boy long trousers ◗ Some adjectives tell about the color of things. a red carpet a gray suit a brown bear a white swan an orange balloon green peppers a blue uniform a yellow ribbon black shoes ◗ Some adjectives tell what people or things are like by describing their quality. a beautiful woman a young soldier a flat surface a handsome boy an old uncle a hot drink a poor family a kind lady a cold winter a rich couple a familiar voice a sunny day a strange place a deep pool cool weather ◗ Some adjectives tell what things are made of. They refer to substances. a plastic folder a stone wall a clay pot a paper bag a metal box a glass door a cotton shirt a silk dress a concrete road a jade ring a wooden spoon a porcelain vase 32  Adjectives: The Order of Adjectives ◗ Some adjectives are made from proper nouns of place. These adjectives are called adjectives of origin. a Mexican hat a British police officer the French flag a Filipino dress an American custom Washington apples a Japanese lady a Spanish dance an Indian temple an Italian car The Order of Adjectives ◗ Sometimes several adjectives are used to describe a single noun or pronoun. When you use two or more adjectives, the usual order is: size, quality, color, origin, substance. For example: a small green plastic box size color substance a stylish red Italian car quality color origin Here are more examples. a large Indian temple a tall white stone building a colorful cotton shirt a long Chinese silk robe delicious Spanish food an old graceful Japanese lady crunchy Australian apples a short handsome English man ◗ Adjectives of quality sometimes come before adjectives of size. For example: beautiful long hair elegant short hair But adjectives of size always come before adjectives of color. For example: beautiful long black hair elegant short red hair If you use any adjective of substance, it comes after the color adjective. For example: a beautiful long black silk dress 33  Exercise 1 Read the following passage and underline the adjectives. Write S above adjectives of size, C above adjectives of color, Q above adjectives of quality and O above adjectives of origin. Sydney is a large Australian city with busy streets and expensive shops. In summer, it’s a very hot place. People wear cool clothes and drink cool drinks. There are beautiful sandy beaches where people can rest and look up at the wide blue sky. There are big parks for tourists to visit. Japanese tourists like to sit and watch other people. British tourists take photographs of the strange plants and colorful birds. Exercise 2 The following passage contains a lot of adjectives. Some of the adjectives appear in the wrong order. First underline the wrongly ordered adjectives. Then write them in their correct order on the lines below the passage. My friend Jeremy is a handsome tall boy. He always wears a white long T-shirt and a big red cap. He carries a blue huge canvas bag to school. His favorite food is red crunchy apples and he always has one in his bag. Our teacher is an English kind tall man called Mr. Clark. He wears a blue smart suit and glasses with black plastic thick frames. 34  Adjectives: Adjective Endings Adjective Endings Adjectives have many different endings. ◗ Some adjectives end in -ful. These adjectives describe noun or pronouns that are full of something or have a lot of something. a beautiful face a painful injury a careful student a cheerful baby a joyful smile a helpful teacher a powerful machine a wonderful time playful children a skillful player a useful book colorful clothes ◗ Some adjectives end in -ous. a famous writer a courageous soldier a mountainous area an adventurous explorer a dangerous job a poisonous snake a humorous film a generous gift mischievous children marvelous results ◗ Some adjectives end in -y. a messy room a noisy car dirty hands a sleepy dog a cloudy sky thirsty children a muddy path a sunny day stormy weather an easy test a lazy worker juicy fruit ◗ Some adjectives end in -less. These adjectives describe a person or thing that does not have something. a cloudless sky a meaningless word a sleeveless dress a fearless fighter a careless driver homeless people a joyless song seedless grapes a useless tool harmless animals 35 Adjectives: Adjective Endings ◗ Some adjectives end in -al. a national flag personal possessions musical instruments a traditional costume electrical goods magical powers a coastal town medical equipment ◗ Here are some adjectives that end in -ic, -ish, -ible, -able, -ive and -ly. a fantastic singer a terrible mess an imaginative story an energetic dog a sensible answer expensive jewelery basic grammar horrible smells talkative children enthusiastic shouting visible footprints a creative artist a selfish act a likeable child friendly teachers foolish behavior comfortable clothes a lovely dress stylish clothes valuable advice a lively cat childish talk suitable colors an elderly man ◗ Many adjectives end in -ing. loving parents an interesting book a caring nurse a disappointing result a flashing light an outstanding swimmer a smiling face an exciting ride a boring story chattering monkeys a gleaming car shocking news N o t e s Words like smiling, caring and flashing are present participles of verbs. They are formed by adding ing to the verbs. Many present participles can also be used as adjectives. 36  Adjectives: Describing What Something Is Made Of ◗ Many of adjectives end in ed. N o t e s a closed door satisfied customers Words like closed, wasted and escaped boiled eggs worried passengers are past participles wasted time escaped prisoners of verbs. Many past participles can also be a painted wall excited students used as adjectives. reduced prices invited guests Describing What Something Is Made Of Some nouns can be used like adjectives. For example, if you have a chair that is made of plastic, you can use the noun plastic as an adjective and say that the chair is a plastic chair. If you have a watch that is made of gold, you can say it is a gold watch. But the nouns wood and wool can’t be used like this. To make adjectives of these nouns you have to add en. noun adjective example wood wooden a wooden door wool woolen a woolen jumper Describing What Something Is Like There’s another way to make adjectives from nouns. Suppose you want to say that something is like a certain material, although not made of it. To make these adjectives, add -en to some nouns and -y to other nouns. noun adjective example gold golden a golden sunrise (= bright yellow like gold) silk silky or silken silky skin (= as soft as silk) lead leaden a leaden sky (= dark gray like the color of lead) 37  Exercise 3 The following sentences contain adjectives made by adding endings to nouns. Write the noun that each adjective comes from on the line after each sentence. The first one has been done for you. Remember that some nouns must be changed slightly before the ending is added. 1. She’s always making careless mistakes. care 2. It was a very painful injury. 3. Witches and wizards have magical powers. 4. These oranges are very juicy. 5. Dogs are usually more energetic than cats. 6. Our neighbors are not very friendly. 7. She keeps her toys in a large wooden box. 8. Take off your muddy shoes before you come in. 9. May I borrow your pencil sharpener? Mine is useless. 10. What a beautiful dress! Exercise 4 Fill in the blank spaces with adjectives made from the verbs in parentheses. Remember that both present participles and past participles can be used as adjectives. Choose the adjective that suits the sentence best. The first one has been done for you. 1. It wasn’t a very interesting (interest) movie. 2. We could hear the (excite) fans screaming. 3. I hope the pupils don’t think that my classes are (bore). 4. My dad had a very (worry) look on his face. 5. Have the police found the (steal) car yet? 6. The supermarket sells lots of (freeze) food. 7. The players on the (win) team don’t look tired at all. 8. Some of the old houses had (break) windows. 38  Adjectives: The Comparison of Adjectives The Comparison of Adjectives ◗ The Comparative Form To compare two people or things, use the comparative form of an adjective. The comparative form is usually made by adding er to the adjective. adjective comparative form adjective comparative form dark darker hard harder light lighter warm warmer high higher cold colder low lower fast faster old older slow slower young younger N o t e s rich richer poor poorer The word than is often used to compare tall taller two things or people. For example, you say: small smaller Mr. Lee is taller than Philip. soft softer A car is faster than a bike. ◗ The Superlative Form When you compare three or more people or things, use the superlative form of an adjective. The superlative form is usually made by adding est to the adjective. adjective superlative form adjective superlative form dark darkest warm warmest light lightest cold coldest high highest fast fastest low lowest slow slowest old oldest young youngest N o t e s rich richest poor poorest The word the is often used before the tall tallest superlative form. For example: small smallest A bee is a small insect. A ladybird is smaller, soft softest but an ant is the smallest. hard hardest 39 Adjectives: The Comparison of Adjectives ◗ If the adjective ends in e, add r to form the comparative and st to form the superlative. adjective comparative superlative nice nicer nicest close closer closest large larger largest rude ruder rudest safe safer safest wide wider widest ◗ Suppose the adjective is a short word that ends in a consonant and has a single vowel in the middle. Just double the consonant and add er to make the comparative and est to make the superlative. adjective comparative superlative sad sadder saddest wet wetter wettest slim slimmer slimmest thin thinner thinnest big bigger biggest ◗ Suppose the adjective has two syllables and ends in y. Just change the y to i and add er to make the comparative and add est to make the superlative. adjective comparative superlative adjective comparative superlative easy easier easiest heavy heavier heaviest funny funnier funniest lovely lovelier loveliest dirty dirtier dirtiest pretty prettier prettiest noisy noisier noisiest tidy tidier tidiest happy happier happiest friendly friendlier friendliest naughty naughtier naughtiest tiny tinier tiniest 40  Adjectives: The Comparison of Adjectives ◗ Use more and most to compare most other two-syllable adjectives. You will also use more and most with all adjectives that have more than two syllables. adjective comparative superlative famous more famous most famous precious more precious most precious handsome more handsome most handsome exciting more exciting most exciting beautiful more beautiful most beautiful expensive more expensive most expensive comfortable more comfortable most comfortable delicious more delicious most delicious interesting more interesting most interesting difficult more difficult most difficult ◗ Irregular Comparative and Superlative Forms A few adjectives don’t form their comparative and superlative forms in any of the usual ways. The comparative and superlative forms of these adjectives are different words, called irregular forms. adjective comparative superlative good better best bad worse worst little less least many more most far farther or further farthest or furthest For example: My painting is good, Melanie’s painting is better, but Andrew’s painting is the best. 41 Adjectives: Adjective Phrases Adjective Phrases Phrases can be used like single adjectives to describe nouns and pronouns. Phrases that are used in this way are called adjective phrases. ◗ Most adjective phrases come after the word they describe. Look at these examples. The adjective phrases are in bold and the nouns they describe are in color. Who is the girl with long hair? My friend lives in the house across the street. Mrs. Morris is tall and slim. This is the road to Toledo. The lady in the bookshop is a friend of mine. ◗ Some adjective phrases come before the word they describe. The words in these phrases are often joined with hyphens. a long-legged bird an eight-year-old child a well-dressed lady a ten-cent coin a fun-loving teenager a twenty-story building user-friendly equipment a large-sized shirt Exercise 5 Read the following passage. Write the correct comparative and superlative forms of the adjectives in parentheses in the blank spaces. The first one has been done for you. Paul likes playing football. He’s a very good player, but his friend Sally is a better (good) player. She’s the (good) player in the whole school. She is (fast) and (strong) than all the boys, even the boys who are (old) and (big) than her. That’s why Paul likes her. Paul thinks all games are exciting, but football is the (exciting) game and it’s (noisy) than all the other games he plays with his friends. When the grass is wet, everyone gets dirty when they play football. But Sally gets (dirty) and (wet) than everyone else. 42  Exercise 6 Complete the following sentences. Write an adjective phrase that includes the preposition in parentheses. The first one has been done for you. 1. Is this the train to Tokyo (to)? 2. They live in a big house (near). 3. Emilly's desk is (oppposite). 4. The bucket has a hole (in). 5. Who is the man (with)? Exercise 4 Complete the following sentences. Write an adjective phrase, using the adjective in parentheses and another adjective linked with and or but. The first one has been done for you. 1. My dog is small and brown (small). 2. His sister's hair is (black). 3. Our teacher is (oppposite). 4. Tomorrow's weather will be (sunny). 5. The museum was (quiet). 43  4 Determiners Determiners, or noun signals, are special adjectives used before nouns. There are different kinds of determiners. The Articles The words a, an and the are called the articles. The words a and an are indefinite articles. They are used with singular nouns. Use a before nouns that begin with a consonant. Use an before ◗ nouns that begin with a vowel. John is reading a book. pea fox ch Would you like a peach? lady eum mus Is that a dog or a fox? pencil You’ll need a ruler and a pencil. a Is there also an entrance at the back of the building? Have you ever seen an elephant? rella umb I always take an apple to school. appl islan e Do you have an umbrella that I can borrow? d e entranc Would you like to live on an island? an N o t e s n Some vowels have a consonant sound as well as vowel sound. Use the article a with nouns that begin with these vowels: Is there a university in your town? Does every child in the school wear a uniform? We are taking a European vacation this summer. n Some words begin with a silent h. Use an with nouns that begin with a silent h: We’ve been waiting here for an hour. Meeting the president was an honor for all of us. 44  Determiners: Using Nouns without Articles ◗ The word the is called the definite article. Use the before a noun when you are talking to someone who already knows which person or thing you mean. Dad is sitting in the garden. Who made the mess on the carpet? Turn the television off now. I’ll wait for you in the car. The boys are upstairs and the girls are outside in the street. Using Nouns without Articles ◗ When you are talking about something in general, not a particular thing, use a noun without an article. You can also use plural nouns without an article. Frogs are my favorite animals. Children like playing games. Babies cry a lot. Glasses are things that you wear to correct your eyesight. Birds are animals that can fly. People enjoy watching television. ◗ Nouns that don't show quantity are normally used without a or an. The article the, however, may be used with nouns that don't show quantity. I like sunshine. I sometimes have fruit for breakfast. N o t e s You’ve got dirt on your face. You often use the singular nouns school, home, work, A clock measures time. church without an article: Put sugar in your tea to make it sweet. We go to school by bus. I need time to think of a new plan. Dad has already left home for work. Would you pass me the salt, please. They go to church on Sundays. Can I borrow the paint when you’ve finished? 45 Determiners: Demonstrative Determiners Demonstrative Determiners The words this, that, these and those are also special pronouns called determiners. They are used to point out which thing or person you mean. They are called demonstrative determiners. ◗ Use this and these to talk about things and people that are near you. Use this with singular nouns. Use these with plural nouns Who lives in this house? These trousers are too short. This car belongs to my mom. I don’t like these comics. Does this key fit the lock? These biscuits don’t taste very good. This book is my favorite. I bought these apples for lunch. Who gave you this money? Is there an adult with these children? This cheese tastes funny. ◗ Use that and those to talk about things that are farther away from you. Use that with singular nouns Use those with plural nouns This chair is mine and that chair is I gave my sandwiches to those boys. yours. Those children go to a different That animal is making a funny school. noise. These shoes are mine and those Would you pass me that book, shoes are yours. please? These apples look fresh but those Who is that man talking to Dad? apples look rotten. How much is that dress? Those people are from Africa. 46  Determiners: Quantifying Determiners Quantifying Determiners Words such as many, much and several tell about quantity without giving an exact number. They are called quantifying determiners. ◗ Some quantifying determiners are used only with plural nouns. They are few, a few, fewer, many, several and both. Few people have been to the moon. We went to Europe many years ago. A few children are absent today. Several friends went with me. I have fewer CDs than you. Both brothers have dark hair. ◗ Some quantifying determiners can be used with plural nouns and nouns that show no exact number. They are all, half, some, enough, a lot of, lots of, more, most, other and plenty of. All children seem to like chocolate. We’ve eaten all the food in the refrigerator. Half the balloons have burst already. Jenny spends half her time watching television. Some girls like to play football. Can I have some water? Do you have enough books to read? I don’t have enough material to make a dress. A lot of people like burgers. There’s a lot of fruit in the bowl. They went to a park with lots of animals in it. You will gain weight if you eat lots of ice cream. You’ve got more brothers than I have. There’s more space in my room than yours. Most teachers enjoy teaching. Most lemonade contains sugar. He likes playing with other children. They had never tasted other food. Plenty of my friends have seen the Harry Potter movies. Drink plenty of water every day. 47 Determiners: Quantifying Determiners ◗ Some determiners can be used only with nouns of no exact number. They are little (meaning not much), a little (meaning some), much and less. We have little time to play. There’s a little rice left. Does the teacher give you much homework? I’ve got less ice cream than you. ◗ Some quantifying determiners can only be used with singular nouns. They are another, every and each. I need another pencil. He likes every child in the class. Each house is painted a different color. ◗ The quantifying determiners either and neither refer to two people or things. I don’t like either drink. Neither sister has long hair. ◗ Some quantifying determiners are used with singular, plural, or nouns of no exact quantity. They are any, no, no other and the other. Any dog will bite if it’s afraid. Are there any good books in the library? There wasn’t any space in the cupboard. No child likes getting hurt. There were no pencils in the drawer. We’ve done no work today. There is no other way of solving the problem. She has no other friends. We have no other food in the refrigerator. Do you like this picture or the other picture? The other boys laughed at him. I like the other music better. 48  Determiners: Interrogative Determiners; Possessive Determiners Interrogative Determiners The words what, which and whose are used before nouns to ask questions. Interrogative determiners appear just before nouns. What time is it? Which boy is your brother? Whose pen is this? Possessive Determiners The words my, your, his, her, its, our and their are used before nouns to show ownership. They are called possessive determiners. I gave my sandwich to John. N o t e s Is this your desk? The possessive determiner your can be used when you are talking to one Alan crashed his bike into a wall. person or more than one person: Mrs. Park keeps her house very clean. I’m very angry with you, John. Your The dog was licking its paws. behavior has been very bad today. Jake and Josh, your dinner is ready. There’s a snake in our garden. Susan and Peter have invited me to their party. This table will help you remember how to use possessive determiners. singular personal possessive plural personal possessive pronoun determiner pronoun determiner I (subject pronoun) my we (subject pronoun) our me (object pronoun) my us (object pronoun) our you (subject/object pronoun) your you (subject/object pronoun) your he (subject pronoun) his they (subject pronoun) their him (object pronoun) his them (object pronoun) their she (subject pronoun) her her (object pronoun) her it (subject/object pronoun) its 49 Determiners: Numbers; Using Determiners Together Numbers Numbers are determiners, too. Numbers are often used before nouns to tell you exactly how many people or things there are. Our family has two dogs. There are twelve months in the year. We bought three pizzas. My grandfather lived for a hundred years. Using Determiners Together You can use quantifying determiners with each other and with numbers. ◗ Some people like winter but many more people prefer summer. There’s a little less space in this cupboard than in that one. There are five fewer children in my class than in your class. Use of between a quantifying determiner and another kind of determiner. ◗ I don’t like any of these drinks. Some of my friends don’t like country music. Each of the boys answered the question correctly. I’ve had enough of your bad behavior! Five of these girls are taller than any of the boys. The quantifying determiner all may be used with or without of. For example you can say: ◗ We ate all of the food in the fridge. or We ate all the food in the fridge. He spends all of his time playing or He spends all his time playing football. football. She likes all of my friends. or She likes all my friends. 50  Exercise 1 Read the following passage. Write the correct article in each blank space. If no article is needed, leave the space blank. The first one has been done for you. John lives in an apartment with his mom, dad and sister Katy. apartment has three bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom and living room. John’s mom works in office and his dad stays at home and looks after apartment. He spends much of his time in kitchen, preparing meals. John and Katy help their dad with housework. John likes using vacuum cleaner and Katy likes to sweep floor. Dad gives John and Katy money when they help him. They usually spend the money on computer games! Exercise 2 Notice the determiners in the following passage. What kind of determiners are they? Put a D in the box after a demonstrative determiner, a Q after a quantifying determiner, an I after an interrogative determiner, a P after a possessive determiner and an N after a number. Sally is my friend. We play together every day. I usually go to her house to play. Her parents are very nice, but she has two brothers who sometimes spoil our games. Last week, her brothers pulled my hair. Sally’s mom was very angry with them. “Stop behaving in that rough way!” she shouted. I’m glad I don’t have any brothers. 51  5 Verbs and Tenses Most verbs describe actions, so they are called action verbs. Action verbs tell what people or things are doing. Here are some common action verbs. drink look jump swim fall eat shout walk throw climb laugh run sit catch dance Subject and Verb Agreement When you use a verb, you have to say who or what is doing the action. This ‘who or what’ is the subject of the verb. The subject and the verb match each other. You say that the subject and the verb agree when they match each other. ◗ Use a singular verb if the subject is a singular noun. For example, the subjects ‘my dad’ or ‘our school’, or any of the pronouns he, she or it, require a singular verb. Most singular verbs end in s. Look at the subjects and their verbs in these examples. The subjects are in bold and the verbs are in color. He always drinks milk when he’s hot. She eats bananas for breakfast. Mom walks to work every day. My sister dances like a professional dancer. The baby falls when she tries to walk. Our cat climbs the trees in our garden. This form of the verb is called the third person singular. You use it when the subject of the verb is not you or the person you are speaking to, but some other person—a third person—or a thing. Here are some more third person singular verbs that end in s. plays sings shines rides smiles draws paints blows thinks stops reads rains travels talks starts 52  Verbs and Tenses: Subject and Verb Agreement ◗ The third person singular form of some verbs is made by adding es at the end. Some examples are verbs that end in sh, ch, ss, x, zz and o. brushes watches kisses fixes rushes reaches misses mixes polishes teaches passes buzzes crashes catches presses does washes touches dresses goes Here are some sentences with verbs in their third person singular form. The subjects are in bold and the verbs are in color. She always brushes her teeth at bedtime. Dad polishes his shoes until they shine. My brother watches television after school. Kim catches the ball with one hand. Dad mixes flour and water when he makes bread. The bee buzzes around the flowers. My friend Sanjay goes to the same school as I do. ◗ How do you make the third person singular form of most verbs that end in y? Usually, you just change the y to an i and then add es. carry – carries hurry – hurries copy – copies cry – cries fly – flies marry – marries study – studies worry – worries bully – bullies A cat carries its kitten with its mouth. Mr. Chen hurries to work every morning. The baby cries a lot at night. This plane flies to the island every day. Alice tries hard at school. She copies all the questions in her notebook. 53 Verbs and Tenses: Subject and Verb Agreement ◗ Some verbs that end in y have a vowel before the y. Just add an s at the end of these words to make the third person singular form. buy – buys say – says pray – prays pay – pays annoy – annoys stay – stays Mom buys bread at the supermarket. Mr. Carter pays all his bills with a credit card. My friend says he has a salt-water aquarium. She annoys me with her silly jokes. Anna stays with her aunt on weekends. ◗ If the subject of a verb is a plural noun, such as “Mom and Dad” or “our teachers”, use a plural verb. Do not add s, es or ies to plural verbs. Plural verbs are also used with the pronouns I, we, you and they. Mom and Dad love us. My sisters listen to music a lot. The stars shine brightly on a clear night. Some people drink tea. I like juicy hamburgers. We learn interesting things at school. You all know the words to this song, children. They always walk home from school together. ◗ Suppose the subject of a noun refers to a group of people. Depending on the meaning of the sentence, you may use either a singular or a plural verb. The audience was enjoying the play. N o t e s The audience have all gone home. Words that refer to groups of people The class has thirty students. or animals are called collective The class are handing in their papers. nouns. Here are some more examples: The band is performing until midnight. The band were arguing among crowd committee herd themselves. crew litter flock 54  Verbs and Tenses: Transitive and Intransitive Verbs Transitive and Intransitive Verbs ◗ Some verbs have an object. The object of a verb is the person or thing that is affected by the action of the verb. Look at this sentence: Alice eats a banana for breakfast. ▲ ▲ ▲ The subject The verb is the The object is affected does the action action word by the action The subject of the verb is Alice. She is the person who does the action: she eats. The object of the verb is a banana. A banana is affected by the action of the verb. So in this sentence, the object of the verb ‘eat ’ is ‘a banana’. Verbs that have objects are called transitive verbs. Here are some sentences with transitive verbs. The verbs are printed in bold and their objects are printed in color. John likes apples. Sam knows the answer to the question. My sister cooks all our meals. My brother rides his bike in the street. Dad buys tea at the market. Mom writes stories in her spare time. ◗ Some verbs don’t have an object. A verb that does not have an object is called an intransitive verb. Here are some sentences with intransitive verbs. In China, lots of people walk to work. The boys play in the yard after school. Mr. Carter always drives very carefully. Doris is a very successful businesswoman. Michael and I both entered the race. He won but I lost. ◗ Some verbs can be either transitive or intransitive. Notice that the transitive meaning and the intransitive meaning are sometimes different. transitive verbs intransitive verbs The pilot flies the plane very well. Eagles fly high in the sky. The boys play football on weekends. The boys play in the yard on weekends. My mom runs her own company. My mom runs in the park for fun. We walk the dog every evening. We walk on the beach every evening. 55  Exercise 1 Read the following sentences. Underline the verb in each sentence. 1. We live in an apartment on the boulevard. 2. Some children learn very fast. 3. We go for swimming lessons on Sunday. 4. I like my new bike. 5. Babies sometimes sleep during the day. 6. My dad buys a newspaper every morning. 7. These dolls belong to Kathleen. 8. I often walk to school with my dad. 9. My sister plays the piano very well. 10. Sarah sometimes reads in bed at night. Exercise 2 Fill in the blank spaces with the third person singular form of the verbs in parentheses. Example: Ali looks (look) sad today. 1. Sumiko (speak) English very well. 2. Mr. Kim (come) to school on his motorbike. 3. My neighbor’s dog (bark) very loudly. 4. My little brother always (brush) his teeth properly. 5. Dad is so tall that his head almost (touch) the ceiling. 6. Our dog (catch) the ball in its teeth. 7. Mom (mix) vinegar and oil to make salad dressing. 8. Sally (try) not to disturb her brother when he’s reading. 9. Dad (buy) his newspaper from the store on the corner. 10. Her music (annoy) me when I’m doing my homework. 56  Exercise 3 Underline the verbs in the following sentences. Then show whether the verb is transitive or intransitive by putting a checkmark (✓) in the correct box. Remember that depending on the meaning, some verbs can be either transitive or intransitive. For each of the transitive verbs you have marked, write the object of the verb on the lines. The first one is done for you. intransitive transitive object verb verb 1. My brother and I often play chess. ✓ chess 2. Mom and Dad work in the garden on weekends. 3. The library closes at 5 P.M. 4. Mr. Ross drives his car very carefully. 5. The cat jumped over the wall. 6. My sister likes her new jeans. 7. Grandad walks the dog every evening. 8. Will you come with me to the shop? 9. The boys are skating in the park. 10. Dad is making sandwiches. 11. The children went to bed. 12. We buy our food at the supermarket. 13. Sally found a good hiding place. 14. They are learning to speak English. 15. Anna was reading an interesting book. 16. On weekends, I usually go to the beach with Dad. 17. The cat is sleeping under the tree. 18. They pushed the cart into the shed. 57 Verbs and Tenses: The Simple Present Tense The Simple Present Tense ◗ Verbs have forms called tenses that tell you when the action happens. If the action happens regularly, sometimes or never, use the simple present tense. We always wash our hands before meals. Joe sometimes lends me his bike. Dad jogs in the park every day. We often go to the movies on Satrurday. Mr. Ross takes a train to work. ◗ The simple present tense is also used to state facts. The sun rises every morning. Penguins live in the Antarctica. Dogs love playing in water. The earth goes around the sun. Australia is an island. ◗ Use the simple present tense to tell the events of a story that is happening now. I arrive at school. I see another girl crying. I ask her why she is sad. She says she hasn’t got any friends to play with. I tell her that she can play with me. ◗ Use the simple present tense to talk about things that will happen in the future. My little sister starts school tomorrow. The new supermarket opens this Friday. Next week I go on holiday to Japan. We fly to London on Sunday. The train leaves in five minutes. My family moves to a new house next month. 58  Verbs and Tenses: am, is and are am, is and are The words am, is and are are the simple present forms of