Grammar II

6. Action Verbs

Action verbs express action and are the most common verbs. Action verbs need s at the end with third-person, singular subjects.        He eats bread.        She walks to the station.        It floats on the sea. Negative sentences need do not, does not, or did not.        I do not eat bread.        He does not eat bread.        You did not walk to the station.        It does not float on the sea. Interrogative sentences begin with do, does, or did.        Do you eat bread?        Does he eat bread?        Does she walk to the station?        Did they finish it? Do not can be shortened to don't, does not to doesn't, and did not to didn't.        I don't eat bread.        She doesn't walk to the station.        It doesn't float on the sea.        They didn't finish it. Remember the variations of action verbs: Affirmative Sentence Negative Sentence Interrogative Sentence I sing a song. I do not (don't) sing a song. Do I sing a song? You sing a song. You do not (don't) sing a song. Do you sing a song? He (she) sings a song. He (she) does not (doesn't) sing a song. Does he (she) sing a song? We sing a song. We do not (don't) sing a song. Do we sing a song? They sang a song. They did not (didn't) sing a song. Did they sing a song? [Quiz 6.1] Correct the verb errors in the sentences below. Some sentences may be correct as is. 1) I runs a marathon. 2) You look sleepy. 3) She do not dance. 4) Does you leave today? 5) We don't stay here. 6) It come with rice. View Answers [6.1] 1) runs -> run 3) do -> does 4) Does -> Do 6) come -> comes

7. Adjectives

Adjectives describe or modify nouns. I like fairy tales. A fairy tale is an imaginary story that has unrealistic characters in a fantastic background. It makes me forget about the real world and refreshes my tired mind. Adjectives generally appear immediately before the noun.        A pretty girl        Red flowers        A long stick        Heavy boxes        Warm weather Commonly, adjectives of opposite meaning are formed by adding a prefix such as un, in, or dis.        clear – unclear, important – unimportant, predictable – unpredictable, believable – unbelievable, common – uncommon, aware – unaware, ambiguous – unambiguous, conventional – unconventional, certain – uncertain        definite – indefinite, correct – incorrect, comparable – incomparable, complete – incomplete, evitable – inevitable, expensive – inexpensive        able – disable, assemble – disassemble, content – discontent, similar – dissimilar When using a string of adjectives, they should appear in a set order: size/shape + age + color + origin + material.        A big brown house        A small old English desk        A beautiful black Italian leather purse        Delicious Chinese food The + adjective describes a class or group of people and acts as a noun.        the old, the young, the poor, the rich, the oppressed, the homeless, etc.        This popular TV show is loved by the old. [Quiz 7.1] Write opposite adjectives using the appropriate prefix. 1) Clear –                      2) Definite –                      3) Correct –                      4) Expensive –                      5) Complete –                      [Quiz 7.2] Underline all adjectives in the following sentences. In the spring, red roses blossom in my cute small garden. The beautiful birds also sing in the big oak tree. View Answers [7.1] 1) unclear 2) indefinite 3) incorrect 4) inexpensive 5) incomplete

8. Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Comparative adjectives compare two things. Superlative adjectives compare more than two things Commonly, adjectives that contain only one syllable or end in 'y' use 'er' to form comparatives and 'est' to form superlatives. For adjectives ending in y, change the 'y' to 'i' before adding the 'er' or 'est'.        old – older – oldest        young – younger – youngest        pretty – prettier – prettiest        long – longer – longest        short – shorter – shortest        bright – brighter – brightest        close – closer – closest        happy – happier - happiest Adjectives with two or more syllables do not change but instead add more to form comparatives and most to form superlatives.        respectable – more respectable – most respectable        beautiful – more beautiful – most beautiful        preferable – more preferable – most preferable        hardworking – more hardworking – most hardworking Some adjectives have different forms of comparatives and superlatives.        good – better – best        bad – worse – worst        little – less – least        much (many) – more – most        far – further - furthest The word than typically appears in comparative sentences.        Amy is smarter than Betty.        Chad is stronger than Dan.        Greg is more diligent than his brother.        I have more apples than he.        She likes him more than me. Superlatives are typically accompanied by the word the.        Tom is the oldest man in town.        Paul is the tallest boy in the neighborhood.        That shade of blue is the most beautiful color.        This is the longest song that I have ever heard. [Quiz 8.1] Write the appropriate comparative or superlative form of the word cold in each blank. Yesterday was a cold day. Today is                      than yesterday. Tomorrow will be the                      day yet. [Quiz 8.2] Which of the following sentences is incorrect? 1) Mary is shorter than Jane. 2) The moon is more closer to the earth than the sun. 3) I have the best score on the exam. [Quiz 8.3] Fill in the blanks. 1) My friend has a pretty purse, but I have a                      one. 2) The                      weather is yet to come! 3) Today's sunshine is                      beautiful than yesterday's. View Answers [8.1] colder, coldest [8.2] 2 [8.3] prettier, best, more

9. Adverbs

Adverbs modify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. An adverb tells more about a verb in the sentence.        The fire engine runs fast.        Listen to his speech carefully.        I browse the web frequently.        It rained hard. An adverb describes more about an adjective in the sentence.        The news is very surprising!        The coffee is extremely hot, so be careful.        Nature is really amazing! An adverb modifies another adverb in the sentence.        It rains very hard.        Computers run much faster these days.        I clean my room less frequently because I am busy. Commonly, adjectives can be changed to adverbs by adding 'ly'.        slow – slowly        quick – quickly        comfortable – comfortably        loud – loudly        clear – clearly To change adjectives ending in 'y' into adverbs, change the 'y' to 'i' and add 'ly'.        happy – happily        easy – easily [Quiz 9.1] Choose the correct word form in the following sentences. 1) I spoke to you (careful, carefully) last time. 2) We talked about it (clear, clearly). 3) I sat on the (comfortable, comfortably) sofa. 4) My dog runs very (fast, faster). 5) Let’s install the new program (quick, quickly). View Answers [9.1] 1) carefully 2) clearly 3) comfortable 4) fast 5) quickly

10. Simple Tense

Verb tense tells you when the action happens. There are three main verb tenses: present, past, and future. Each main tense is divided into simple, progressive, perfect, and perfect progressive tenses. Simple Progressive Perfect Perfect Progressive Present finish am/is/are finishing have/has finished have/has been finishing Past finished was/were finishing had finished had been finishing Future will finish will be finishing will have finished will have been finishing Things to remember about simple tense:      a. Present tense is the original verb form.      b. Past tense has a few patterns.      c. Future tense needs will (shall) + verb. run        I run a marathon this year. (present)        I ran a marathon last year. (past)        I will run a marathon next year. (future) eat        I eat lunch now.        I ate lunch an hour ago.        I will eat lunch in one hour. see        I see a movie once a week.        I saw a movie yesterday.        I will see a movie tomorrow. know        I know it.        I knew it the day before yesterday.        I will know it by tomorrow. learn        I learn English.        I learned English the last two years.        I will learn English next year. cook        I cook my supper every night.        I cooked our dinner already.        I will cook breakfast tomorrow. [Quiz 10.1] Fill in the blanks with appropriate verb forms. 1) I                      a song at the concert yesterday. 2) He                      a letter to his girlfriend tomorrow. 3) I                      to the library to borrow some books this weekend. View Answers [10.1] 1) sang 2) will write 3) will go

11. Progressive and Perfect Tense

Progressive Tense The progressive tense involves action that is, was, or will be in progress at a certain time. In the progressive tense, verbs are formed with a "be" verb + ing. run        I am running a marathon right now. (present progressive)        I was running a marathon at this time last year. (past progressive)        I will be running a marathon next Sunday. (future progressive) eat        I am eating lunch now.        I was eating lunch when you saw me.        I will be eating lunch in the meeting. learn        I am learning English at my desk.        I was learning English the last two years.        I will be learning English then. cook        I am cooking my supper now.        I was cooking our dinner when you called me.        I will be cooking breakfast by the time you come home. Perfect Tense The present perfect tense describes an action that started in the past and continues to the present time. Use has/have + the past participle form of the verb. The past perfect tense describes an action that started and ended in the past. Use had + the past participle form of the verb. The future perfect tense describes future actions that will occur before some other action. Use will have + the past participle form of the verb. run        I have run several marathons this year. (present perfect)        I had run many marathons in the past. (past perfect)        I will have run a marathon by the time I turn 30. (future perfect) learn        I have learned a lot about English grammar this semester.        I had learned the basics of English grammar in elementary school.        I will have learned a lot about English grammar when I finish college. know        I have known her since I was young.        I had known her until she passed away.        I will have known her for 20 years next month. cook        I have cooked supper every night this week.        I had cooked supper every night until the stove broke.        I will have cooked supper every night by the time this diet ends. [Quiz 11.1] Using the following sentence and create three more sentences using the present, past, and future progressive tenses. I sing a song on the big stage. [Quiz 11.2] Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb given. 1) He                      (exercise) hard since last year. 2) I                      (study) math as my major since high school. View Answers [11.1] I am singing a song on the big stage. I was singing a song on the big stage. I will be singing a song on the big stage. [11.2] 1) has exercised 2) have studied

12. Perfect Progressive Tense

Progressive Tense The progressive tense involves action that is, was, or will be in progress at a certain time. In the progressive tense, verbs are formed with a "be" verb + ing. run        I am running a marathon right now. (present progressive)        I was running a marathon at this time last year. (past progressive)        I will be running a marathon next Sunday. (future progressive) eat        I am eating lunch now.        I was eating lunch when you saw me.        I will be eating lunch in the meeting. learn        I am learning English at my desk.        I was learning English the last two years.        I will be learning English then. cook        I am cooking my supper now.        I was cooking our dinner when you called me.        I will be cooking breakfast by the time you come home. Perfect Tense The present perfect tense describes an action that started in the past and continues to the present time. Use has/have + the past participle form of the verb. The past perfect tense describes an action that started and ended in the past. Use had + the past participle form of the verb. The future perfect tense describes future actions that will occur before some other action. Use will have + the past participle form of the verb. run        I have run several marathons this year. (present perfect)        I had run many marathons in the past. (past perfect)        I will have run a marathon by the time I turn 30. (future perfect) learn        I have learned a lot about English grammar this semester.        I had learned the basics of English grammar in elementary school.        I will have learned a lot about English grammar when I finish college. know        I have known her since I was young.        I had known her until she passed away.        I will have known her for 20 years next month. cook        I have cooked supper every night this week.        I had cooked supper every night until the stove broke.        I will have cooked supper every night by the time this diet ends. [Quiz 11.1] Using the following sentence and create three more sentences using the present, past, and future progressive tenses. I sing a song on the big stage. [Quiz 11.2] Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb given. 1) He                      (exercise) hard since last year. 2) I                      (study) math as my major since high school. View Answers [11.1] I am singing a song on the big stage. I was singing a song on the big stage. I will be singing a song on the big stage. [11.2] 1) has exercised 2) have studied

13. Irregular Verbs

Regular verbs form their past and past participle by adding ed (d). Base Verb Past Past Participle learn learned learned study studied studied cook cooked cooked solve solved solved ask asked asked watch watched watched listen listened listened Irregular verbs do not have definite rules, but there are a few patterns. Base Verb Past Past Participle grow grew grown know knew known begin began begun draw drew drawn drive drove driven fly flew flown give gave given speak spoke spoken swim swam swum go went gone take took taken find found found spend spent spent teach taught taught pay paid paid feel felt felt buy bought bought meet met met have had had feed fed fed keep kept kept cut cut cut hit hit hit set set set shut shut shut fit fit fit Find the past and past participle forms of the following verbs using your dictionary: bring drink think tell eat make beat View Answers [13.1] brought – brought drank – drunk thought – thought told – told ate – eaten made – made beat – beaten

14. Gerunds

A gerund (verb + ing) acts like a noun in a sentence.        Seeing is believing.        Running a marathon is not an easy thing to do.        Watching TV is sometimes harmful.        Eating is always fun.        My hobby is painting.        She loves babysitting her sister.        I like listening to music.        I wasted all my afternoon by taking a nap.        I am afraid of singing a song on a stage. Often, a possessive noun or pronoun comes before a gerund.        I hope that you don’t mind my using your pen.        Don’t be mad about my leaving early.        I don’t want you misunderstanding.        You will be amazed by my writing. [Quiz 14.1] Fill in the blanks. 1) I enjoy                      (draw) as a hobby. 2) She likes                      (buy) clothes. 3) Children are fond of                      (play) with water. 4)                      (dance) is my favorite thing to do. 5) I am upset at his                      (break) the rule. View Answers [14.1] 1) drawing 2) buying 3) playing 4) Dancing 5) breaking

15. Infinitives 1

An infinitive is a verb combined with the word to. Most often, an infinitive acts as a noun in the sentence. Less frequently, it acts as an adjective or an adverb.        I want to go home early today.        I hope to be chosen as a member.        I prefer to go there earlier.        You need to consider various rules in writing sentences.        You have to explain your reasoning in detail.        You might wish to act as a teacher.        To leave for a vacation is my only wish at this time.        A common mistake in a relationship is not to trust the other person.        Help me to save the trees!        To be mentally healthy, you must read books.        Do you want me to fill out this form?        Here is our to-do list.        It was nice to meet you.        It is time to move on.        I am young enough to change my habits.        Don’t forget not to make grammar mistakes.        You are required to leave all your belongings here.        I came to see a doctor today.        You have to work harder to succeed.        I need to take three more classes to finish my graduate study.        I got closer to the speaker to listen clearly.        Be sure to check if you have tickets.        I am going to buy the new computer. Generally, it is not common to split to and the verb except for when you want to emphasize the verb.        I want you to immediately stop doing that.        You have to seriously work hard to succeed.        You need to definitely explain your reasoning in detail. [Quiz 15.1] Fill in the blanks. 1) I am going                      (learn) English. 2) It is common                      (make) a grammar mistake. 3) Did you come                     (clean) my house? View Answers [15.1] 1) to learn 2) to make 3) to clean