1 Unit 1.

Introducing Yourself

WHO
ARE
YOU?

In unit 1, you will learn how to introduce yourself and how to introduce others.
There are some common aspects to include when you are introducing yourself:

1. Greetings Example:
2. Name 1. Hello, Good morning (Greeting)
2. My name is …………..
3. Family 3. I am from / I come from …………..
4. Education 4. I live in …………………
5. Work Experience 5. My address is on ………….
6. Hobbies 6. My phone number is ……………
7. Hopes 7. My hobbies are …………….
8. I am an / a ………………… (job)
8. And there are many others that
9. I was born at …………………
you can add as you wish.

You can ask your friend using who, when, where, what, why, and how from the
following aspects:
Birth Interests Home Family Work or Study Friends
City, Country, Hobbies, House, Brother, Job, school, Oldest, best,
Birthday, films, books, rooms, big, sister, college girlfriend,
Nationality sports, food, small, mother, boyfriend
etc. address, city, father,
town neighbor

The following is an example of introducing self using some aspects: Greetings,

Name, family, education, work experience, hobbies, and hopes (future):
VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGiLUyWvLPI
 1 INTRODUCE YOURSELF
Hi, My name is Shane. Shane Michael Peterson and I’m from the United States. My
mom and dad still live in America. They live near Las Vegas! My sister, my little sister, her name is
Janet, she lives in the great state of Pennsylvania! And I haven’t seen her for a long time. But I live
in Seoul, South Korea. And uh, and I love it here. I’m having a great time. It’s just me and my son
and uh.. we’re happy!.

2 TELL ABOUT YOUR EDUCATION OR WORK BACKGROUND

Yeah, I went to the university of Minnesota and I graduated in 1992. My major was
international Relations with an economics focus and international business focus, East Asian
studies. I was all over the place! I studied lots of different things, but basically International
Relations!
Then I came to South Korea and I went to graduate school for an MBA, but I didn’t
finish the MBA. I had some visa problems!
Anyway, I’ve been teaching English in South Korea for a long time. I first started
teaching in 1987! Now it’s 2012, so, my goodness, almost 25 years! 2011! It’s not 2012! Almost 25
years of teaching English and I really love it.
I don’t call myself a teacher, though. I like to call myself a coach because a lot of my
students, they’re adults, their English basics are really good. They just need practice.

3 WHAT DO YOU DO IN FREE TIME? DO YOU HAVE ANY

HOBBIES?
These days, my hobbies are pretty much ‘reading’! , reading and hiking. Yeah. I moved
to a new house recently, and I like to hike in the ‘mountain’ nearby. It’s not really a mountain but
it’s a nice hill.
And uh.. let’s see.. I love reading, I love history books, religious history, European
history. (They are) very fascinating to me. Uh.. other than that, that’s pretty much it. I like
sleeping. \(^_^)/

4 WHAT DO YOU DO IN FREE TIME? DO YOU HAVE ANY

HOBBIES?
Well, in the future, I wanna continue teaching English. I really love it. Uh, However, I
really would love to be able to live someplace cold! Yeah, my white skin is very sensitive to the
sun, and I don’t want to get skin cancer! I had it once, I don’t want it anymore! So, I would love to
live in Ireland or Scotland or someplace really cold! But would they welcome me? That’s the
problem. That’s my dream. So if I moved to Ireland or Scotland, then I would continue teaching.
Make a video of introducing yourself. Do it enthusiastically like that of in the
Task 1: sample video: VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGiLUyWvLPI

Introducing Someone
After learning how to introduce yourself, now you will learn how to introduce
someone/others. The following conversation will show you how to introduce someone
or others:
Tom : Paulo, who is that over there?
Paulo : Oh, that’s my father! And that’s
my mother with him.
Tom : I’d like to meet them.

Paulo : Mom and Dad, this is Tom Hayes.

 Tom, these are my parents.
Tom : Pleased to meet you, Mr. and Mrs.
Tavares.
Mrs. Tavares : Nice to meet you, Tom.
Paulo : My parents are here from Brazil.
They’re on vacation.
Tom : Oh, where are you from in Brazil?
Mr. Tavares : We’re from Rio.

Check out the following example of how to introduce others:

Dialogue 1. Terry, Chris, and Katrina. Dialogue 2. Mike, Don, and Tina.
Terry : Chris! Is that you? Mike : Hi, Don
Chris : Terry! Fancy meeting you Don : Hi, Mike. Who is your friend?
here. Long time no see.
Terry : It has been a long time. Who is Mike : Have you met Tina before?
your friend?
Chris : This is my wife Katrina. Don : No, I don’t think so.
Terry : I’m pleased to meet you, Mike : Don, this is my friend Tina. Tina,
Katrina. this is my college, Don.
Chris : Darling, this is Terry, we Don : Hallo Tina, it’s nice to meet you.
played on the same basketball
team in high school.
Katrina : Nice to meet you, Terry. Tina : It’s nice to meet you too, Don.
Terry : It was good to see you.
Chris : Good to see you too.

Make a video of introducing someone or others. Do it enthusiastically like that of

Task 2: in the sample dialogue 1 and 2. Work in-group: 1 group consists of 3 students.
 2 Unit 2. Parts of Speech

Do you know how many words we have? Of course there are thousands and even
millions of them. You might be surprised that in fact, they are categorized into
eight parts of speech. They are Nouns, Pronouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs,
Prepositions, Conjunctions, and Interjections.

1.  NOUN
A noun is the name of a person, place, thing, idea, or quality.
Examples:  John, Mary, boy, girl, children; Pasadena, CEC; classrooms, notebooks; freedom, 
intelligence; hope, anger, joy
 
2.  PRONOUN
A pronoun is usually a substitute for a noun. The noun is called the "antecedent" (but an indefinite 
pronoun has no antecedent).
Examples:
a. Personal pronouns:  I, mine, me; you, yours; he, his, him; she, hers, her; it, its; we, ours, 
us; they, theirs, them.
b. Interrogative pronouns:  who, whose, whom, which, what
c. Relative pronouns (include):  who, who, whose, which, that; whoever, whomever, 
whichever
d. Demonstrative pronouns:  this, that, these, those
e. Indefinite pronouns (include):  all, another, any, anybody, anyone, anything, both, each, 
either, everybody, everyone, everything, many, neither, nobody, no one, none, one, others, 
some, somebody, someone, such
f. Intensive or reflexive pronouns:  myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, 
themselves

3.  VERB
A verb expresses an action or a condition (a state of being).
Examples: 
(action) (condition or state of being)
Robert will eat the hamburger.   Sara is happy.  
Robert won’t eat the hamburger.              Sara isn’t happy.
Will Robert eat the hamburger? Is Sara happy?
 
4.  ADVERB      
An adverb describes a verb, adjective, or other adverb. Adverbs usually tell how (for example: slowly),
when (e.g., lately), where (e.g., there), how much (e.g., very), or why (e.g., therefore). 
Example:  He always chews his gum loudly.
 
5.  ADJECTIVE
An adjective describes or limits a noun.
Examples:  tall, young, pretty, light, blue, new, white  (The tall, young, pretty girl is wearing a light 
blue dress with her new white shoes.)  (NOT:  ...a light dress blue with her new shoes white.)
 

Adjectives and adverbs have three degrees of comparison:  positive, comparative, superlative.  
Examples:
 Mary has a smart child.  Sara has a smarter child.  Nancy has the smartest child.
 Robert is an intelligent student. William is more intelligent than Robert.  Kim is 
the most intelligent student.
 The red car is expensive.  The white car is less expensive.  The blue car is the 
least expensive.
 I’m a good painter.   She’s a better painter.   He’s the best painter.
 I’m a bad singer.  She’s a worse singer.   He’s the worst singer.
 
6.  PREPOSITION
A preposition usually shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another part of a sentence.
There are many prepositions, including:  about, above, across, after, against, along, among, around, as, 
at, before, behind, below, beneath, between, beyond, beside, besides, by, down, during, except, from, 
for, in, inside, into, like, near, next, of, off, on, out, out of, outside, over, past, round, since, than, 
through, till, to, toward, towards, under, underneath, unless, until, upon, up, with, within, without.
Examples:  
My pencil is under my desk by my foot.
Martha drove from LA to NY.
  
7.  CONJUNCTION
A conjunction connects words, phrases, and clauses. Coordinate conjunctions connect words, phrases, 
and clauses of equal value:  and, or, nor, but (and sometimes for).  
For example:
The dog and the cat are hungry.

Correlative conjunctions occur in pairs:  both­and, either­or, neither­nor, not only­but also.  For 
example:
Both the fish and the snake are thirsty.
Subordinate conjunctions connect unequal clauses (dependent clauses with independent clauses). They 
include:  after, although, as, because, before, if, since, than, though, unless, until, when, where, while.
For example: 
After they ate, they had dessert.
 
8.  INTERJECTION
An interjection is a word that expresses feeling or emotion; usually it is followed by an exclamation 
mark. Examples:  
Oh! Ah!  Wow!  Darn!  Gosh!  Golly!  Gee!  Ow!  Ouch!  Yikes!  Holy moly!  
Yippee!  Hooray!  Boo!   Whew!    
 You can map the parts of speech by observing the following table:

Part of speech Function or "job" Example words Example sentences

(to) be, have, do, like, work, EEPIS is a college. I
Verb action or state
sing, can, must like EEPIS.
This is my dog. He
pen, dog, work, music, town,
Noun thing or person lives in my house. We
London, teacher, John
live in London.
I have two dogs. My
a/an, the, 2, some, good, big,
Adjective describes a noun dogs are big. I like big
red, well, interesting
dogs.
My dog eats quickly.
describes a verb, quickly, silently, well, badly, When he is very
Adverb
adjective or adverb very, really hungry, he eats really
quickly.
Tara is Indian. She is
Pronoun replaces a noun I, you, he, she, some
beautiful.
links a noun to We went to school on
Preposition to, at, after, on, but
another word Monday.
I like dogs and I like
joins clauses or cats. I like cats and
Conjunction and, but, when
sentences or words dogs. I like dogs but I
don't like cats.
short exclamation, Ouch! That hurts! Hi!
Interjection sometimes inserted oh!, ouch!, hi!, well How are you? Well, I
into a sentence don't know.

Parts of Speech Examples
Here is a sentence that contains every part of speech:

interjection pron. conj. adj. noun verb prep. noun adverb

Well, she and young John walk to school slowly.

                 Exercises on Parts of Speech.
 

1. Decide whether the capitalized word is: 
Noun, verb, adjective, preposition, none of them. 
1. The bowl CRACKED in the dishwasher.  14. The MAID did the dishes.  
2. It is now AUGUST.   15. ALASKA is the largest state in the union. 
3. The red house ON the corner is ours.  
4. JOHN had his bow and arrows.   16. Hand me that big book on the TOP shelf.  
5. The NEW car is in the driveway.   17. The flag FLAPPED gently in the breeze.  
6. That apple tart TASTES good.   18. The cat RAN upstairs.  
7. My father spoke SHARPLY to me.   19. The EARLY bus leaves at six.  
8. The flood damaged several buildings  20. The dog hid UNDERNEATH the porch.  
NEAR the harbor.   21. Todd is coming DOWN tomorrow.  
9. A CALM fell over the crowd.   22. I like the great OUTDOORS.  
10. A CALM scene lay ahead.   23. I like RADIO programs.  
11. AIR the blankets.   24. The voters may EASE him out of office 
12. It is a DAILY newspaper.   this fall.  
13. The school bell RANG every day at noon. 25. He ran AFTER the bus.  

2. Digging out Nouns, Verbs, and Adjectives from a story.

Instruction: Read the story. Put the nouns, verbs, and adjectives into the table. 

NOUNS VERBS ADJECTIVES

“BRRRRING,” rang the noisy alarm clock. Ellie jumped out of bed. She dressed quickly. 
She brushed her teeth. Then she ran down the stairs.
“Slow down,” said Ellie’s mom. “I made yummy eggs for breakfast.” 
“But it’s field trip day,” said Ellie. “We are going to a farm.”
“Eggs come from chickens. I bet they will have chickens at the farm,” smiled Ellie’s mom. 
“I can’t wait!” exclaimed Ellie. 
At school, Ellie’s classmates boarded the bus. Mrs. Gibbs, the teacher, said “We are going to
have a great day at the farm!”
Ellie was the first one off the bus. Farmer Henry walked up to greet her. “Welcome to the
farm,” he said. Ellie couldn’t believe her eyes. There were so many animals. She counted 2
brown horses, 6 large cows, 10 furry rabbits and 15 feathered chickens. Her mom was right!
Farmer Henry taught Ellie’s class how a farm works. He showed the students how to milk a
cow. He even let Ellie’s classmate, Jamal, collect the eggs from the chickens. 
When Ellie got home, her mom asked, “How was the farm?” Ellie smiled. “It was the best 
field trip ever!” she said. 

3. Fill in the gaps with the correct from of the word in brackets:
1. George Clooney was awarded a Golden Globe for his …………… in The Descendants 
(PERFORM).
2. Some vegetables and fruits are known because of the …………… of the New World (DISCOVER).
3. My husband doesn’t know how to fix the washing machine, so I’ll have to phone for a 
………………………………… (TECHNIQUE).
4. Susan usually does the ………………………… up after lunch (WASH).
5. Tony is a really ………………………… teenager. He wants to become an astronaut (AMBITION).
6. Waka­Waka has made Shakira’s ……………………………… increase enormously (POPULAR).
7. Some of the most prestigious …………… will take part in the research on cancer (SCIENCE).
8. Since Peter is responsible for the company, he’s become a …………………………; he works all 
day long even at weekends (WORK).
9. My grandmother needs a hearing­aid due to her …………………… (DEAF).
10. Sally’s ………………… is really difficult to understand. She has to type all her essays (WRITE).
11. Owing to a serious ………………………… Paul and Susan has broken up (MISUNDERSTAND).
12. The excuse Sam gave me was completely ……………………………, I won’t forgive him (USE).
13. The first holiday with my friends was a/an…………… experience. I enjoyed all of it (FORGET).
14. Are we supposed to write the phonetic ……………………………………? (TRANSCRIBE).
15. Paul was charged with drug ………………………………… (TRAFFIC).
16. The … Carol was given proved to be quite …… She feels much better now (TREAT/ SUCCESS).
17. Susan became a rewarded ………………………………………. In fact, she was in charge of the 
research department (INVESTIGATE).
18. I don’t think you’re right. I’m afraid I completely …………………………… with you (AGREE).
19. This essay is far too long. You have to ……………………………………… it (SUMMARY).
20. Why are you wearing such a …………………………… coat? You’d better wash it (FILTH)
21. The Oscar’s ceremony is the most …………………… yearly event of Los Angeles (GLAMOUR).
22. Pam is the most ………………………………………………… person I’ve ever know 
(AFFECTION).
23. You can trust Susan. None of my friends is more ………………………… than her (RELY).
24. The criminals were caught by the police a few hours after the …………………………… (ROB).
25. I think I’ve got the right …………………………………… for the job you’ve advertise 
(QUALIFY).
26. Can you put the letter in that ………………………… cabinet, Miss Sullivan? (FILE).
27. The article was so ……………………………… that I didn’t finish reading it (INTEREST).
28. What’s the ……………………………… of this skyscraper? (HIGH)
29. The teacher said I had cheated in the exam, which was ………………………… of her (FAIR).
30. …………………………………… is in danger in some countries (DEMOCRAT).

Listen to Abraham-Lincoln.mp3 and categorized the words you hear into their
Task 3: parts of speech categories.

3 Unit 3. Pronouns
 What is pronoun?
A pronoun can replace a noun or another pronoun. You use pronouns like "he," "which,"
"none," and "you" to make your sentences less repetitive. A pronoun is a word that takes
the place of one or more nouns.

There are several kinds of pronouns:

1. Personal Pronouns

Take the place of common and proper nouns. Singular Plural

First Person: the person or people speaking or  I we 
writing me us
Second Person: the person or people being spoken 
you you
or written to
she, her 
Third Person: the person, people, or things being  they 
he, him 
spoken or written about them
it

2. Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns relate a subordinate clause to the rest of the sentence. For example: that, which, 
who, whom, whose, whichever, whoever, whomever

3. Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns represent a thing or things. 
Demonstrative Pronouns Singular Plural
Refers to things that are nearby this  these
Refers to things that are far away that  those

Those are
Their feet That is mine
&
Those are yours
These are
my feet
 4. Indefinite Pronouns
refer to something that is unspecified.
Singular anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone,
everything, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one, somebody, someone,
something
Plural both, few, many, several
Singular or Plural all, any, most, none, some

5. Reflexive Pronouns
end of self or selves.
Reflexive Pronouns Singular Plural
First Person: the person or people speaking or writing myself ourselves
Second Person: the person or people being spoken or yourself yourselves
written to
Third Person: the person, people, or things being spoken or himself, themselves
written about herself, itself

6. Interrogative Pronouns
Interrogative Pronouns are used to ask questions:  what, who, which, whom, whose.

7. Possessive Pronouns
Possessive Pronouns Singular Plural
Used before Nouns My, your, his, her, its Our, your, their
Used Alone Mine, yours, his, hers Ours, yours, theirs

8. Subject and Object Pronouns

Subject and Object Pronouns are used as either the subject or the object in a sentence.
Possessive Pronouns Singular Plural
Subject: whom or what the sentence is about I , you, she, he, it We, you, they
Object: direct objects, indirect objects, objects of me, you, her, him, it Us, you, them
prepositions
The following is the table of English Pronouns: 
SUBJECT OBJECT POSSESSIVE POSSESSIVE REFLEXIVE
PRONOUNS PRONOUNS ADJECTIVES PRONOUNS PRONOUNS
I me my mine myself
you you your yours yourself
he him his his himself
she her her hers herself
it it its (its) itself
we us our ours ourselves
you you your yours yourselves
they them their theirs themselves

9. Reciprocal Pronouns
A reciprocal pronoun is a pronoun used to identify an action or feeling that is reciprocated. For this 
reason, it always refers to more than one person. Reciprocal Pronouns are:
Each other and one another. Here are some examples:

1. Peter and Paul admire each other. 10. Dick and Jane waved goodbye to each other as they left 

2. Allie and Jerry loathe each other. the playground.
3. The twelve angry men were all pointing fingers at  11. The students helped one another perform the group 
one another. experiment.
4. Both groups fought hard against each other. 12. Ben and Frank like to throw the ball to each other.
 5. They gave each other gifts. 13. Betty and Veronica like to give surprise gifts to each 
6. Why do you question each other? other.
7. That can’t talk to each other. 14. The doctors rely on one another for peer consultations.
Exercises on Pronouns.
8. The sisters were hugging one another.
9. The cars were bumping into each other 

I. PERSONAL PRONOUNS II. POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS
Fill in the correct personal pronouns. Fill in the correct possessive pronouns.
1. This book belongs to me. This is _____ book.
1. He is very handsome. I envy _____. 2. Whose book is that? It is not _____.
2. They are not reliable. He doubts ______. 3. The cat ate _____ food. 
3. I taught her. ________ learned it from ______. 4. She took out _____ purse and gave it to me. 
4. We asked for his advice. ______ advised  5. A friend of _____ gave me that toy. 
______ not to come. 6. This is their car. That car is _____ too. 
5. He dislikes her, and ______ hates ______; it’s  7. May I introduce to you one of _____ 
evident. colleagues? 
6. You should be there on time. I want _____ to  8. Has anyone here lost _____ books?
come on time.  9. Every season is beautiful in _____ own way.
7. She is English; _____ gave me lessons in  10. They would like a house of _____ own.
English. 11. I’ll try _____ best, I promise.
8. They are our friends. We invited _____ to the  12. Each country has _____ own customs. 
party.  13. He is going to be late. Would you mind _____
9. It was him who wrote this letter. I recognized  coming a bit later?
_____ by _____ handwriting.  14. Lend me _____ pen, I’ve lost _____.
10. Did you see the snake? – Yes, I saw _____  15. They like it. It’s a favorite habit of _____. 
and _____ saw _____.
11. Where’s Tom? – That’s _____ over there.
12. Where’s my map? – I left _____ on the desk.
13. Look at that bird. _____ always comes to my 
window.
14. What time is _____? – _____ is four.
15. Who is that? – _____’s me.
16. Hi, it is so nice to see _____ again.
17. _____ doesn’t matter.
18. _____ is not a boy, _____ is a girl.
19. You object to our visiting _____, don’t you?
20. You are not guilty of _____, are you?

III. DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS
Fill in the correct demonstrative pronoun.
1. What is _____?
2. _____’s how he does it.
3. They talked about _____ and _____.
4. _____ is his book, isn’t it?
5. _____’s why they accepted his proposal.
6. _____ is Ann speaking.
7. After _____ they decided not to come.
8. _____ will do.  8. _____ employees took their vacation in May?
9. I’ll take _____ books.
IV. INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS
Fill in the correct interrogative pronouns.
1. _____ is speaking?
2. _____ children are they?
3. _____ were you talking to?
4. _____ do you mean?
5. _____ did you receive it from?
6. _____ book did you take?
7. _____ one do you prefer?
9. _____ do you take me for?
10. He’s been waiting _____ three weeks. 10. _____ is the news today?
11. She went to _____ doctor and _____, no  11. _____ is she like?
result. 12. _____ of the boys do you like best?
12. _____ rooms are better than _____. 13. _____ money is that?
13. I’m tired out. _____’s why I’m going home  14. _____ are the people she is speaking with?
early. 15. _____ is it made of?
14. George likes Mary, but she doesn’t like him.  16. _____ car was stolen?
_____’s what annoys him. 17. _____ is the French for “dog”?
15. The engine starts and the light goes on.  18. _____ daughter are you?
_____’s when you press the button. 19. _____ did you say?
16. The book _____ I spoke of belonged to me. 20. _____ are these toys?
17. _____ was the biggest mistake in his life.
18. What is all _____?
19. _____ is what I think.
20. _____ will help her to come in time.
V. REFLEXIVE­EMPHATIC PRONOUNS VI. RECIPROCAL PRONOUNS
Fill in the correct reflexive­emphatic pronouns. Fill in the correct reciprocal pronouns.
1. What will you do with _____ this morning? 1. Love _____ _____. 
2. They were whispering among _____. 2. They chattered to _____ _____ about fashion.
3. We should seldom speak of _____. 3. They were looking for _____ _____.
4. I drive the car _____. 4. Why do you deceive _____ _____?
5. Did you see the manager _____? 5. They dislike _____ _____.
6. I often walk by _____. 6. The two reports contradict _____ _____.
7. The cat that walks by _____. 7. They pretended not to notice _____ _____.
8. The house _____ is not worth much. 8. They are devoted to _____ _____.
9. He has the habit of talking to _____. 9. We missed _____ _____ while being on 
10. He cut _____. holiday.
11. She told me the news _____. 10. They get on well with _____ _____.
12. The machine works by _____. 11. They greeted _____ _____ with kisses.
13. He examined _____ in the mirror. 12. We all know _____ _____.
14. They are making fools of _____. 13. They ignored _____ _____ for some time.
15. She stretched _____ out on the sofa. 14. They are afraid of _____ _____.
16. Behave _____! 15. Are they in love with _____ _____?
17. She lives by _____. 16. They fight with _____ _____.
18. Help _____ to coffee. 17. Help _____ _____ in learning English.
19. Make _____ at home! 18. They are ideally suited to _____ _____. 
20. He _____ conducted the interview.

VII. RELATIVE PRONOUNS VIII. INDEFINITE PRONOUNS
Fill in the correct relative pronouns. Fill in the correct indefinite pronouns.
1. The man _____ was here is a doctor. 1. There’s _____ milk in that jug.
2. Take the book _____ is on the table. 2. She wanted _____ stamps but there weren’t 
3. With _____ are you talking? _____.
4. The boy _____ is reading a book is my son. 3. They can’t have _____ more strawberries; I 
5. _____ eats must pay. want _____ to make jam.
6. The night _____ we went to the theatre was  4. There is _____ ice­cream left.
very warm. 5. Did she tell you _____?
7. He doesn’t know the people _____ live next  6. There is hardly _____ milk left.
door.  7. She won’t lend you _____ money.
8. I have books _____ I must read. 8. I haven’t seen _____ yet.
9. We had a river in _____ we could swim. 9. There is _____ wrong with this car. 
10. I have some letters _____ I must write. 10. This has _____ to do with me.
11. He was the first man _____ reached the top. 11. You have money and I have _____.
12. The Queen Elizabeth is the largest ship _____  12. The child refused to let _____ feed her.
has been built on the Clyde. 13. They didn’t make _____ mistakes.
13. The last person _____ leaves the room must  14. The event was marked by _____.
turn out the lights. 15. Your health comes before _____.
14. Here are some accounts _____ you must  16. Am I supposed to take _____ she washes up?
check.
15. Show me _____ you have in your hand.

Write a conversation that consists of 9 types of pronouns. Then, make a video of

Task 5: your conversation with your partners. Work in a group. One group contains 5
students. The topic is free.

Countable or uncountable?
 

Singular or Plural?
4

1. Uncountable Nouns:
Uncountable nouns are substances, concepts that we cannot divide into separate elements.
We cannot "count" them. For example, we cannot count "milk". We can count "bottles of
milk" or "litres of milk", but we cannot count "milk" itself. Here are some more uncountable
nouns:
music, art, love, happiness  advice, information, news  furniture, luggage 
rice, sugar, butter, water electricity, gas, power  money, currency

We usually treat uncountable nouns as singular. We use a singular verb. For

example:
This news is very important.
Your luggage looks heavy.
We do not usually use the indefinite article a/an with uncountable nouns. We
cannot say "an information" or "a music". But we can say a something of:
a piece of news a bottle of water a grain of rice
We can use some and any with uncountable nouns:
I've got some money. Have you got any rice?
We can use a little and much with uncountable nouns:
I've got a little money. I haven't got much rice.
2. Countable Nouns:
Countable nouns are easy to recognize. They are things that we can count. For example: "pen".
We can count pens. We can have one, two, three or more pens. Here are some more
countable nouns:
*dog, cat, animal, man, person *bottle, box, litre *coin, dollar
*cup, plate, fork *table, chair, suitcase, bag

Countable nouns can be singular or plural:

My dog is playing. My dogs are hungry.
We can use the indefinite article a/an with countable nouns:
A dog is an animal.
When a countable noun is singular, we must use a word like a/the/my/this with it:
I want an orange. (not I want orange.)
Where is my bottle? (not Where is bottle?)
When a countable noun is plural, we can use it alone:
I like oranges. Bottles can break.
We can use some and any with countable nouns:
I've got some dollars. Have you got any pens?
We can use a few and many with countable nouns:
I've got a few dollars. I haven't got many pens.

Determiners with countable and uncountable nouns (SOME, ANY, NO, MANY, MUCH, FEW,
LITTLE etc.)
Determiners precede and modify nouns. Some determiners can only be used with countable or 
uncountable nouns, while others with both. Countable nouns take a singular or plural form depending 
on the determiner which precedes them:

with countable nouns (singular or plural) with uncountable nouns (always singular)
A, AN + sing, THE, zero article + sing/pl THE, zero article
A man and a woman came in. She jumped into the water.
I heard an interesting story at the office yesterday. A magnet attracts iron.
The apples were peeled and quartered.
Mondays are always busy here.
I'm going to go to bed early.
THIS, THAT + sing THIS, THAT
This film was good. Where did you buy this wine?
I like that shirt. That cheese smells delicious.
THESE, THOSE + pl
Can I try on these jeans?
How do you like those cherries?
SOME, ANY, NO + pl SOME, ANY, NO
I have some problems. I have some time.
I don't have any problems. I don't have any time.
I have no problems. I have no time.
EVERY + sing
Every cloud has a silver lining.
FEW, A FEW, FEWER, FEWEST + pl LITTLE, A LITTLE, LESS, LEAST
There were few people at the concert. (not many) There is little hope that he will survive. (not
There were a few people at the concert. (some) much)
We had fewer computers a year ago. There is a little hope that he will survive. (some)
This medicine has the fewest side effects. Tim should spend less time on the computer.
This medicine does the least harm.
 MANY, MORE, MOST, MOST OF THE + pl
There were not many people at the concert. (few)
More people came to the concert than expected.
Most mammals live on land.
Most of the visitors were art students.
A LOT OF, LOTS OF, PLENTY OF + pl
There are a lot of tables and chairs in the room.
There are lots of tables and chairs in the room.
There are plenty of tables and chairs in the room.
A NUMBER OF + pl
A number of questions arose at the meeting.
OTHER + pl, ANOTHER + sing, THE OTHER +
sing
Other boys would have done the same.
Can you think of another example.
I'd prefer the other car.
ENOUGH + pl
Do you have enough pens for everyone?
ALL, ALL THE + pl
All students must take a placement test at the
beginning of the course.
I couldn't answer all the questions.
BOTH + pl
Both sides wanted peace.
NEITHER, EITHER + sing
Neither player has won the game.
You can choose either way.
NONE OF THE + pl
Luckily, none of the soldiers were killed.
EACH + sing, EACH OF THE + pl
Each question carries one mark.
Each of the questions carries one mark.
MUCH, MORE, MOST, MOST OF THE
There is not much hope that he will survive.
(little)
There is more hope that he will survive.
Most furniture is made of wood.
Most of the time I'm not at home.
A LOT OF, LOTS OF, PLENTY OF
We have a lot of space in the car.
We have lots of space in the car.
We have plenty of space in the car.
AN AMOUNT OF
The word budget means an amount of money
we have available to spend.
OTHER, THE OTHER
I have other advice for you.
The other news is that they are getting married
in June.
ENOUGH
Is there enough milk in the fridge?
ALL, ALL THE
Not all coffee is bitter coffee.
The robber took all the money.
NONE OF THE
None of the music they played attracted me.

Types of irregular plural
There are many types of irregular plural, but these are the most common:

Noun type Forming the plural Example

knife knives
Change f to v
life lives
Ends with -fe then
Add -s
wife wives

half halves
Change f to v
wolf wolves
Ends with -f then
Add -es
loaf loaves

potato potatoes

tomato tomatoes
Ends with -o Add -es
volcano volcanoes

cactus cacti

nucleus nuclei
ends with -us Change -us to -i
focus foci
 analysis analyses

crisis crises
ends with -is Change -is to -es
thesis theses

phenomenon

ends with -on Change -on to -a phenomena

criterion criteria

man men

foot feet
Change the vowel
or child children
ALL KINDS Change the word
person people
or
Add a different ending tooth teeth

mouse mice

sheep
Singular and plural
Unchanging deer
are the same
fish (sometimes)

Non-Plurals
Abstract Material Generic
with -s
advice  meat  fruit  mathematics 
help  rice  wildlife  economics 
information  bread  equipment  physics 
knowledge  cake  machinery  civics 
trouble  coffee  furniture  ethics 
work  ice cream  mail  mumps 
enjoyment  water  luggage  measles 
fun  oil  jewelry  news 
recreation  grass  clothing  tennis 
relaxation  hair money  (other games)

Exercises on Countable and

uncountable nouns.
Fill in the gaps using any, some , a lot of, much,  Ask and answer questions as the example.
(two students asking and answering)
many, or no.
Flour / fridge / pantry
Answer:
1. There is _______ high school in Florence.
Is there any flour in the fridge?
2. He hasn´t got _____ money.
No there isn´t, but there is some in the pantry.
3. Would you like some tea?
4. Mark likes to read. He has got____ of books.
1. Orange juice / pantry / fridge
5. It cost ___ money to travel round the world.
2. Jam / cupboard / fridge?
6. I haven´t got V time to spend with you. I´m
3. Fruit / cupboard / fridge
sorry.
4. Cheese / table / fridge
7. Mrs. Milles went to the supermarket to buy 5. butter / cupboard / fridge
some butter but they didn´t have ________ Use much  or many to complete the following 
8. I´d like some cake too. Please, give me ____
9. Mr. Smith wants to buy a new car, but he can sentences.
´t because he doesn´t earn that _____. a. There weren´t ___pupils absent yesterday.
10. Their party cost __more than they expected. b. There isn´t ____ rubbish on the floor.
11. Don´t buy __________ carrots! c. Is there ___ oil in the bottle?
12. Get ______ bread from the bakery , please. d. How ______ time do you spend on your English
13. There aren´t __________ vegetables in the every day?
fridge. I´m going to buy __________. e. How ____ times a month do you go to the cinema?
14. The shop has got ___ clothes on the shelves. f. There is _____ truth in that proverb.

Mark the pictures as countable (C) or Mark the words as countable (C) or
uncountable (U). uncountable (U).

1. The children are playing in the garden.

2. I don't like milk.
3. I prefer tea.
4. Scientists say that the environment is
threatened by pollution.
5. My mother uses butter to prepare cakes.
6. There are a lot of windows in our classroom.
7. We need some glue to fix this vase.
8. The waiters in this restaurant are very
professional.
9. My father drinks two big glasses of water every
morning.
10. The bread my mother prepares is delicious.
11. Drivers must be careful; the road is slippery.
12. Some policemen are organizing road traffic to
avoid any accidents.
13. I bought three bottles of mineral water for our
picnic.
14. I'd like some juice please!
15. Successful candidates will join the camp later
this year.
16. A rise in oil prices is inevitable since there is
more and more world demand for energy.
17. The exercises on this website are interesting.
18. Dehydrated babies must drink a lot of water.
19. Adult illiterates learn through a special
government program.
20. I met some nice people when I was walking
along the beach.

Fill in the gaps with one of the following quantifiers: little, a little, few, or a few. 
A) Look at the sky, there is _________   hope for bright and sunny weather tomorrow.
B) Is there? The weather forecast says there is still _________   hope.
C) _________   people attended the meeting. I counted only four.
D) _________   people asked me how to felt. That was nice.
E) I´m glad so many people have passed the test. In fact, there were _________   who haven´t.
F) “I will succeed, with _________   help from my friends”, she said.
G) She's gone already? And I am only _________   minutes late!

Fill in the gaps with one of the following quantifiers: some, any, no, much, many or a lot of. 

A) How _________ money have you got?

B) How _________ bottles of juice have you got?
C) There´s not _________ butter in the fridge. We need to buy _________ .
D) I don´t think we´ve got _________ milk left.
E) We need _________ cheese if we want to make a sandwich.
F) Do you want _________ groceries from the shop?
G) My mother doesn´t want _________ kitchen appliances for her birthday.
H) There weren´t _________ people at the concert.
I) There were _________ people at the cinema yesterday.
J) I must go now. I´ve got _________ work to do.
K) I´ve heard _________ interesting news this morning.
L) They don´t want _________ help moving to their new house.
M) Are there _________ problems with your work?
N) There aren´t _________ people in this village.
O) There´s not so _________ work to do this week.
P) There were too _________ people at the concert - we couldn´t see the band.
Q) It´s a problem when there are so _________ people.
R) That's _________ reason to rude all the time.

Watch the video about countable and non­countable nouns.

Transcript:
Daisy : So, our first chef is Alfie. Alfie, let’s see your ingredients.
Alfie : OK, well, I’ve got a lemon, an apple and some garlic, some butter and some chicken
breasts... livers! Ah, chicken livers!
Daisy : Mmm... chicken livers... an unusual choice. Are you feeling confident?
Alfie : Well, sort of. It’s a challenge!
Daisy : OK... now to Oliver. Hi, Oliver.
Oliver : Hello.
Daisy : What ingredients have you got, Oliver?
Oliver : OK, well I’ve got a steak, some red chilli peppers, some potatoes, cream, onions and
some giant prawns.
Daisy : Wow – an interesting selection. How do you feel about the competition?
Oliver : I’m pretty confident. I mean... steak and prawns, or chicken livers... I know which I
prefer!
Daisy : OK, well, we’ll be back later.
Mum : Hi, love.
Daisy : Hi, Mum. Where are you?
Mum : At the airport. What’s going on there?
Daisy : Well, right now Alfie and Ollie are having their Master Chef cooking competition.
Daisy : Only 53 minutes left!
Mum : OK, love, see you soon.
Daisy : Bye, Mum – if you’re lucky, you’ll arrive home in time to taste the dishes!
Mum : Hmm... shall I bring some fish and chips just in case?
Daisy : Let’s taste the pâté first, Mum.
Mum : OK, it smells and looks delicious!
Oliver : OK, OK. Try it first, judges. It’s all in the taste.
Daisy and Mum together: Oooooh, that’s amazing!
Mum : Mmmm! I could eat it all!
Alfie : Wow, thanks Sophie!
Oliver : OK, leave some space for my dish!
Daisy : Mmmm... it’s tasty... whoa! How many chili peppers?
Mum : Wow, it’s good, Oliver! It’s a taste of Thailand! It’s going to be a difficult decision.
Mum and Daisy together: This year’s Master Chef champion is...

Write a conversation that consists of countable and uncountable nouns

including the usage of the determiners and quantifier. Then, make a video of
Task 6:
Compound and Complex
your conversation with your partners. Work in a group. One group contains 5
students. The topic is free.

Sentence
How complex is the sentence?
Reading a paragraph or an essay is sometimes very
difficult especially when we are reading a long sentence.

5
We need to breakdown the long sentence because in fact
the sentence is just the combination of simple sentence,
compound sentence, and complex sentence.
1. Simple Sentence.
A simple sentence, also called an independent clause, contains a subject and a verb, and it
expresses a complete thought. See the following sentences:

A. Some students like to study in the mornings.

(s) (v)
B. Juan and Arturo play football every afternoon.
(s) (s) (v)
C. Alicia goes to the library and studies every day.
(s) (v) (v)
The three examples above are all simple sentences. Note that sentence B contains a
compound subject, and sentence C contains a compound verb. Simple sentences, therefore,
contain a subject and verb and express a complete thought, but they can also contain a
compound subjects or verbs.

2. Compound Sentence.
A compound sentence contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinator. The
coordinators are as follows: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. (Helpful hint: The first letter of each
of the coordinators spells FANBOYS.) Except for very short sentences, coordinators (c) are
always preceded by a comma. See the following sentences:

A. I tried to speak Spanish, and my friend tried to speak English.

(s) (v) (c) (s) (v)
B. Alejandro played football, so Maria went shopping.
(s) (v) (c) (s) (v)
C. Alejandro played football, for Maria went shopping.
(s) (v) (c) (s) (v)
The above three sentences are compound sentences. Each sentence contains two independent
clauses, and they are joined by a coordinator with a comma preceding it. Note how the
conscious use of coordinators can change the relationship between the clauses. Sentences B
and C, for example, are identical except for the coordinators. In sentence B, which action
occurred first? Obviously, "Alejandro played football" first, and as a consequence, "Maria
went shopping. In sentence C, "Maria went shopping" first. In sentence C, "Alejandro played
football" because, possibly, he didn't have anything else to do, for or because "Maria went
shopping." How can the use of other coordinators change the relationship between the two
clauses? What implications would the use of "yet" or "but" have on the meaning of the
sentence?

3. Complex Sentence.
A complex sentence has an independent clause joined by one or more dependent clauses. A
complex sentence always has a subordinator such as because, since, after, although, or when
or a relative pronoun such as that, who, or which. See the following sentences:
A. When he handed in his homework, he forgot to give the teacher the last page.
(c) (s) (v) (c) (s) (v)
B. The teacher returned the homework after she noticed the error.
(s) (v) (c) (s) (v)
C. The students are studying because they have a test tomorrow.
(s) (v) (c) (s) (v)
D. After they finished studying, Juan and Maria went to the movies.
(c) (s) (v) (c) (s) (s) (v)
E. Juan and Maria went to the movies after they finished studying.
(s) (s) (v) (c) (s) (v)
When a complex sentence begins with a subordinator such as sentences A and D, a comma is
required at the end of the dependent clause. When the independent clause begins the
sentence with subordinators in the middle as in sentences B, C, and E, no comma is required.
If a comma is placed before the subordinators in sentences B, C, and E, it is wrong.
Note that sentences D and E are the same except sentence D begins with the dependent clause
which is followed by a comma, and sentence E begins with the independent clause which
contains no comma. The comma after the dependent clause in sentence D is required, and
experienced listeners of English will often hear a slight pause there. In sentence E, however,
there will be no pause when the independent clause begins the sentence.
4. Complex Sentences / Adjective Clauses
Finally, sentences containing adjective clauses (or dependent clauses) are also complex
because they contain an independent clause and a dependent clause. The subjects, verbs, and
subordinators are marked the same as in the previous sentences, and in these sentences, the
independent clauses are also underlined.

A. The woman who called my mom sells cosmetics.

(s) (adj.Clause) (v)
B. The book that Jonathan read is on the shelf.
(s) (adj.Clause) (v)
C. The house which Abraham Lincoln was born in is still standing.
(s) (adj.Clause) (v)
D. The town where I grew up is in the United States.
(s) (adj.Clause) (v)
Adjective Clauses are studied in this site separately, but for now it is important to know that
sentences containing adjective clauses are complex.

Additional: Transistors and Connectors

Coordinators Subordinators
For After How Provided that Whether
And Although If Since While
Nor As far as As much as So that why
But As soon as So far as Than
Or As if In case that Through
Yet As though That Till
So Because No matter how Unless
Before Now that Until
First letters spell Even if once Whenever
FANBOYS Even though Wherever
Transitions and connectors used when writing a paragraph or an essay:
Connectors Contrast Emphasis Addition
Therefore However Keep in mind First of all
Similarly Otherwise Remember Another reason is
Hence Instead of Most of all In addition
 Then But Most important Also
Consequently Yet The best thing Moreover
Also On the other hand The basic reason The most important
Thus Although The chief factor reason is
Even though Special attention goes to.. Finally
In contrast to (with) Special attention should be For example
On the contrary paid to This means that
still Equally important

Time showing
Time Time Comment
chronology
When I was five Then First Step Interestingly
years old Next Second Phase Surprisingly
As a little girl Afterwards Third Stage Undoubtedly
The
When I grew older After this step Next Unavoidably
As a university Finally Final Frustratingly
student
As an adult
The following subordinating conjunctions and relative pronouns signal how the dependent
clause is related to the sentence:

PURPOSE EXAMPLES
RESULT So It was late, so I decided to take a taxi home.
Consequently / As a result His wife left him. As a result, he became very depressed.
/ Therefore The storm was so terrible that the roofs were ripped off.
So / Such (a) ........... that He was such a handsome man that she fell in love
immediately.
CAUSE AND Because / Since / As Since we arrived late, all the best seats had been taken.
REASON Because of / Due to We were unable to go by train because of the rail strike.
CONTRAST Although / Even though / Although the car is old, it is still reliable.
But Despite / In spite of the rain, I went for a walk.
Despite / In spite of Buying a house is expensive. However, it is a good
However / Nevertheless/ investment.
On the other hand
TIME When / While / After / While I was driving home, I saw a terrible accident.
Before / As soon as / Until He went out after he had finished work.
/ By the time
ADDITION And I don´t feel like going out tonight. Besides, there is a good
In addition / Furthermore film on.
/ Moreover / Besides She writes novels. In addition, she also writes poetry.
In addition to / As well as They robbed a bank as well as a post office.
Also / Too They adore Indian food. I like Indian food, too.
PURPOSE In order (not) to / So as Anita phoned me in order to recommend a film she had
(not) to + inf just seen.
So that + subject + modal I left early so that I would meet Dan at the cinema on
verb + inf time.

Exercises on Compound and

complex sentence.
1. Make one sentence from two:
1. A girl is now in hospital. She was injured 18. There is a new house in our
 in the accident. neighborhood. It has a swimming pool.
………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………
2. A man told me you were away. He 19. The man is at the bus stop. He
answered the phone. fixed our refrigerator.
………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………
3. A waitress was very impolite and 20. Who are those students? They are
impatient. She served us. talking to Mrs. Hinton.
………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………
4. A building was destroyed in the fire. It has 21. This is the package. It came in the
now been rebuilt. mail today.
………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………
5. A bus goes to the airport. It runs every half 22. I like the songs. They tell about life
hour. in the country.
………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………
6. I saw the man. He closed the door. 23. She’s the girl. She works in the
………………………………………………………………… library.
7. The girl is happy. She won the race. ………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………… 24. Corfu is an island. It has many
8. The student is from China. He sits next to beautiful beaches.
me. ………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………… 25. Here’s the alarm clock. I bought it
9. We are studying sentences. They contain yesterday.
adjective clauses. ………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………… 26. I’ve spoken to John. His house was
10. The taxi driver was friendly. He took me to burgled last Monday.
the airport. ………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………… 27. That’s the lady. Her jewellery was
11. The woman was polite. She answered the stolen.
phone. ………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………… 28. That is the radio. I won it in the
12. The man has a good voice. He sang at the competition.
concert. ………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………… 29. John is the man. His house was
13. We enjoyed the actors. They played the destroyed by the fire.
leading roles. ………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………… 30. There is the hospital. I was born
14. The girl is hurt. She fell down the stairs. there.
………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………
15. The student is in my class. He is walking 31. That was the summer. I met my
with Ann. wife then.
………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………
16. The police caught the thief. He stole the 32. That is Fiona Webb. She is a
money. famous dancer.
………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………
17. Is the river very large? It flows through 33. France is the country. The best
that town. wine is produced there.
………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………
34. 1945 was the year. The Second
World War ended then.
………………………………………………………
35. That’s the hotel. I stayed there last
summer.
………………………………………………………

2. Choose the right conjunction for each sentence.

I. We are going out to dinner __________ the concert.

a) before b) while c) so that
II. My parents wanted to sit in front of the balcony, they ordered their tickets two months
ago.
a) but b) unless c) so
III. I think you shouldn’t leave __________you get an apology from your sister.
a) though b) until c) when
IV. Tim is very tall __________ Bill is very short.
a) but b) since c) before
V. He came early _________he could talk to me privately.
a)however b) so that c) although
VI. _________he is old, he is healthy.
a) although b) but c) while
VII. ________they saw the policeman, they ran away as quickly as they could.
a) so b) but c) as soon as
VIII. I ́m worried. My brother has _______ telephones ________ e-mailed me yet.
a) either...or b) neither...nor c) not only...but also
IX. I ́m not sure about his nationality. He ́s Australian ________ New Zealander.
a) either...or b) neither...nor c) both...and
X. _________ is he handsome and charming ________ quite intelligent.
a) either...or b) not only...but also c) neither...nor

3. Read the following sentences and complete them with the conjunctions and,
but, o rand so.

a) Jason was cold, _ he put on a coat.

b) Doris tried to read a novel in French, _ it was too difficult.
c) To get from New York to Washington, you can fly _ drive.
d) I bought a bottle of red wine _ we drank it together.
e) The waiter was not very nice, _ the food was delicious.
f) I went to buy a Rolling Stones CD, _ the shop didn´t have it.
g) Anna needed some money, _ she took a part-time job.
h) It has been raining so much lately! Maybe it´s because of El Nino, _maybe it´s just a
coincidence.
i) I opened the door _ looked out.
j) The concert was cancelled, _ we went to a disco instead.

4. Fill in the blanks with a suitable linker.

1. ................................ their parents opposition, Tom and Ann decided to get married.
2. We’ll leave the note on the table……………………….he can see it.
3. ..................................... I have a great respect for him, I don´t particularly like him.
4. Tim isn´t suitable for the job. He´s too old. ...................................., he isn´t interested.
5. ................................... there are no more questions to discuss, we can finish the meeting.
6. Brian is leaving the company .................................... his age.
7. The sweater was .................. big .................... I couldn’t wear it.
8. He worked for the same company all his life ................................... he retired.
9. Linkers are quite difficult to learn. ............................., they are worth studying.
10. The temperature in Saudi Arabia can reach 50º C. ....................... , a lot of business is done
early in the day.
11. I failed the exam precisely ................................ I didn´t have time to study.
12. John, ............................ you speak French, I wondered if I could ask you some words.
13. Nora eats green vegetables .................................... they are good for her health.
14. It was ............................ wonderful view ............................... we were left speechless.
15. ........................... the teacher was out of the class, some pupils wrote a message on the
board.
16. There´s time to get a sandwich from the cafeteria............................. the next class begins.
17. The president was very unpopular. ..........................., .his resignation did not come as a
surprise.
18. Tim has to go to the dentist ................................. an infected tooth.
19. I didn’t tell you…………………………. Make you angry.
20. It was ................................good cake .......I couldn’t help eating it.
21. I´ll look after the children ........................... you are making dinner.
22. She walked carefully................................ the streets were covered in ice.
23. .................................. he lost a lot of blood, he is in stable condition.
24. She went to the supermarket …………………buy an ice- cream.
25. I understand your point of view. ........................, I don´t agree with it.
26. You know what is in the letter, ........................ I won´t read it to you.
27. He raised his voice …………………he could be heard.
28. .......................we are here, let’s enjoy ourselves.
29. The rent for the building was reasonable. ................................., the location was perfect.
30. He sat down ………….……he would have a rest.

5. Rewrite the following sentences using the conjunction in bracket.

1. Since Bill had lived in Spain for six years, he spoke Spanish fluently. (so)

2. I am sick and tired of people phoning me during my favourite TV programme. ( while)

3. I don´t know Helen very much. Nevertheless, I like her. (in spite of )

4. The weather was very hot, so we all felt tired. (because)

5. If you don’t want to wake up the baby, speak softly. (so as to)

6. We are old but we enjoy life. (despite)

7. The game was so easy that even a child could play it. (such)

8. They opened the window because they didn’t want the smoke to go in the kitchen. (so
that)

9. He speaks Chinese and he can also read it. (furthermore)

10. I‘m going to do more sport because I want to lose some weight. (in order to)

11. I worked hard although I didn´t get the results I expected. (nevertheless)

12. It’s such a fantastic story that I can’t believe it. (so)

13. They acted quickly because they wanted to avoid confusion. (so that)

14. You seem to know so much about it. For this reason, I would like to hear your version
of the incident. (as)

15. You may not feel like doing it but you should visit your aunt. (however)

16. Let’s take a taxi. I want to arrive in time. (so that)

 17. The paintings were so beautiful that I went to the museum twice. (such)

18. The T-shirts were so cheap that we bought quite a lot. (such)

19. Tom is such a bad player that nobody wants him in their team. (so)

20. Sara is so intelligent that everybody asks for her advice. (such)

Write a conversation that consists of simple, compound, and complex sentence

including the usage of the conjunctions and the subordinators. Then, make a
Task 7: video of your conversation with your partners. Work in a group. One group
contains 5 students. The topic is free.

Write a story that happened in your life. Make sure that you use simple,
Task 8: compound and complex sentences. Computer type it. It takes minimum/at least
1000 words.

Unit 6 Expressions
Making Suggestions Accepting Suggestions Rejecting Suggestions
 You could (might) join the speech   That’s a   I tried that, but …
contest. good/nice/wonderful,   Thanks, but that won’t 
 If I were you, I would take care this  idea/suggestion. work/help because …
dog.  Thank you/Thanks.  I don’t want to/can’t do 
 Why don’t you go to the doctor?  I’ll do/try that. that because …
 Why don’t you come to my house and  Why didn’t I think of that?  That’s a good idea, but …
borrow my umbrella?  I think you’re right.
 What/How about going to the 
veterinarian?
 You could (might) …
 I suggest/recommend that you …
 You really should/ought to …
 I strongly advise/urge you to …
 You’d better …

Requesting Accepting request Refusing request

 Would you mind passing me   Sure, I’d be glad/happy to …  I’d loved to, but …
the salt, please?  Of course/Certainly.  It sounds great, but …
 Could you please take me to   No problem.  I’m/sorry, but …
the dentist?  Sure. Just a moment.  Sorry to say that …
 Can you tell me what 
happened?
 Will/Would you come to my 
birthday party?
 Please tell me the story.

Making invitation Accepting invitation Declining invitation

 Would you like to…?  That’s very kind of you  I’m very sorry, I don’t
 I would very happy if…?  We’d like very much to….  Think I can.
 We would be delighted if   What a delightful idea  I’d like to, but ….
you…?  With the greatest pleasure  I’m afraid I’ve
 Would you care to..?  Thank you very much for   Already promised….
 We would be pleased if you  inviting me  Thank you for asking me, but 
could…?  It’s delightful to…. ….
 Would you care to…?  I would/will …  Unfortunately  , I can’t….
 Why don’t you come to…  That would be very nice  Sort, I can’t.
 Like to come to …  OK,I will be there !   I’d love to, but …
 Come and …  I’d like love to come.  I don’t think I can.
 Shall we come to …  All right.  In wish I could, but …
 You must come to …  Sure, I am coming  Sorry, I am very busy
 Sorry, may be next time
 Thank you, but I can’t
 Sorry, I don’t think I
 Can’t make it
 I’m so sorry I can make it
Expression of Curiosity Expression of Possibility
 What I’d really like to find out is …  Would there be any possibility of …?
 I’d be very interested to know …  Do you think we are capable of …?
 I’ve been meaning to ask you.  Would it be possible for (somebody) to…?
 I’d like to know …  I think that would be possible …
  I wish I knew …  Is it possible to …?
  I’d love to know …  Yes, there is a possibility …
 What’s on your mind?
 I wonder …?

Expression of asking opinion Expression of giving opinion
 How do you feel about …?  Well, in my opinion …
 What do you think about …?  I think …
 What is your opinion about …?  I assume …
 What is your idea to see …?  In my perspective …
 What’s your opinion of …?  My idea is …
 What about …?  I see that …
 How about …?  I’d just like to say …
 From my point of view, …
 As far as I’m concerned …
 Well, I must say …
 I believe …
 I feel …

Expressing Sympathy Responding Sympathy
 Oh, I am sorry to hear   Thank you very much
that                                                                          It’s very kind of you
 That’s  too bad  I hope so
 What a pity of you !  That’s a pity, isn’t it?
 Be patient, it would be better soon  Thanks for your sympathy
 I take my sympathy to you  Thanks for your support
 I sympathize with your condition  I would be OK, thank you very much for your 
 I know how is your feeling support
 It would be OK soon.

Write a long conversation that consists all of the expressions above. Work in a
group. A group consists of at most 4 students. Then, make a video of the
Task 9: conversation. So, you will have to submit two works: 1. The transcript of the
conversation, 2. The video of the conversation.
Unit 7. Agreement
Agreement or what is most known as subject-verb agreement is the basic element in
composing sentence in English. Basically, a sentence consists of Subject and Verb. Therefore,
there must be agreement between the subject and the verb. The basic rule states that a
singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb. The trick is in
knowing whether the subject is singular or plural. The next trick is recognizing a singular or
plural verb. Verbs do not form their plurals by adding an s as nouns do. In order to determine
which verb is singular and which one is plural, think of which verb you would use with he or
she and which verb you would use with they.

The following is the basic rule of subject-verb agreement:

Singular Subject + Singular Verb

Plural Subject + Plural Verb

Now that you have noted the basic rule of subject-verb agreement, check the details of the
rule:
Rule 1 Rule 6
Two singular subjects connected by or or nor require As a general rule, use a plural verb with two or 
a singular verb. more subjects when they are connected by and.
Example: Example:
My aunt or my uncle is arriving by train today. A car and a bike are my means of transportation.

Rule 2 Rule 7
Two singular subjects connected by either/or or  Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by
neither/nor require a singular verb as in Rule 1. words such as along with, as well as, besides, or 
Examples: not. Ignore these expressions when determining 
Neither Juan nor Carmen is available. whether to use a singular or plural verb.
Either Kiana or Casey is helping today with stage  Examples:
decorations.   The politician, along with the newsmen, is 
expected shortly.
Rule 3  Excitement, as well as nervousness, is the cause
When I is one of the two subjects connected by  of her shaking. 
either/or or neither/nor, put it second and follow it 
with the singular verb am. Rule 8
Example: The pronouns each, everyone, every one, 
Neither she nor I am going to the festival.  everybody, anyone, anybody, someone, and 
somebody are singular and require singular verbs. 
Rule 4 Do not be misled by what follows of.
When a singular subject is connected by or or nor to  Examples:
a plural subject, put the plural subject last and use a  Each of the girls sings well.
plural verb. Every one of the cakes is gone.
Example:
The serving bowl or the plates go on that shelf.  NOTE: Everyone is one word when it means 
everybody. Every one is two words when the 
Rule 5 meaning is each one.
When a singular and plural subject are connected by 
either/or or neither/nor, put the plural subject last 
and use a plural verb.
Example:
Neither Jenny nor the others are available. 

Rule 9 Rule 13
With words that indicate portions—percent,  Use a singular verb with sums of money or periods of 
fraction, part, majority, some, all, none,  time.
remainder, and so forth —look at the noun in  Examples:
your of phrase (object of the preposition) to  Ten dollars is a high price to pay.
determine whether to use a singular or plural verb. Five years is the maximum sentence for that offense.
If the object of the preposition is singular, use a 
singular verb. If the object of the preposition is  Rule 14
plural, use a plural verb. Sometimes the pronoun who, that, or which is the 
Examples: subject of a verb in the middle of the sentence. The 
Fifty percent of the pie has disappeared. pronouns who, that, and which become singular or 
Pie is the object of the preposition of. plural according to the noun directly in front of them. 
Fifty percent of the pies have disappeared. So, if that noun is singular, use a singular verb. If it is 
Pies is the object of the preposition. plural, use a plural verb.
One­third of the city is unemployed. Examples:
One­third of the people are unemployed. Salma is the scientist who writes/write the reports.
* The word in front of who is scientist, which is 
NOTE: Hyphenate all spelled­out fractions. singular. Therefore, use the singular verb writes.
All of the pie is gone. He is one of the men who does/do the work.
All of the pies are gone. * The word in front of who is men, which is plural. 
 Some of the pie is missing. Therefore, use the plural verb do.
Some of the pies are missing.
None of the garbage was picked up. Rule 15
None of the sentences were punctuated correctly. Collective nouns such as team and staff may be either 
Of all her books, none have sold as well as the  singular or plural depending on their use in the 
first one. sentence.
Examples:
Rule 10 The staff is in a meeting.
The expression the number is followed by a  Staff is acting as a unit here.
singular verb while the expression a number is  The staff are in disagreement about the findings.
followed by a plural verb. The staff are acting as separate individuals in this 
Examples: example.
The number of people we need to hire is thirteen. The sentence would read even better as:
A number of people have written in about this  The staff members are in disagreement about the 
subject.  findings.

Rule 11
When either and neither are subjects, they always 
take singular verbs.
Examples:
Neither of them is available to speak right now.
Either of us is capable of doing the job.

Rule 12
The words here and there have generally been 
labeled as adverbs even though they indicate 
place. In sentences beginning with here or there, 
the subject follows the verb.
Examples:
There are four hurdles to jump.
There is a high hurdle to jump.

Exercises on Subject-verb
Agreement

Exercise 1.
Directions:
1) Mark out the prepositional phrases.
2) Determine whether the subject is singular or plural.
3) Write the correct verb form on the line provided.

Questions:
1. Annie and her brothers (is, are) at school.
2. Either my mother or my father (is, are) coming to the meeting.
3. The dog or the cats (is, are) outside.
4. Either my shoes or your coat (is, are) always on the floor.
5. George and Tamara (doesn't, don't) want to see that movie.
6. Benito (doesn't, don't) know the answer.
 7. One of my sisters (is, are) going on a trip to France.
8. The man with all the birds (live, lives) on my street.
9. The movie, including all the previews, (take, takes) about two hours to watch.
10. The players, as well as the captain, (want, wants) to win.
11. Either answer (is, are) acceptable.
12. Every one of those books (is, are) fiction.
13. Nobody (know, knows) the trouble I've seen.
14. (Is, Are) the news on at five or six? 15. Mathematics (is, are) John's favorite subject.
16. Eight dollars (is, are) the price of a movie these days.
17. (Is, Are) the tweezers in this drawer?
18. Your pants (is, are) at the cleaner's.
19. There (was, were) fifteen candies in that bag. Now there (is, are) only one left!
20. The committee (debates, debate) these questions carefully.

Exercise 2.
I. Basic rules: choose the answer that is correct.

1. A plural subject takes a __________ verb

a. singular b. plural c. irregular d. action

2. A singular subject takes a __________ verb.

a. singular b. plural c. irregular d. action

3. Neither, either, or, nor are __________.

a. singular b. plural

4. “And” is usually ___________.

a. singular b. plural

5. If you have a compound subject, the subject closer to the verb should agree with the
verb.
a. true b. false

II. Number Agreement: Write the correct form of the verb on the answer sheet.

6. This music (has, have) elements of harmony are very complex.

7. Before they leave for vacation, the women (ask, asks) their neighbors to look after
their house.
8. The entire class (enjoy, enjoys) the reading assignment every week.
9. The students (forget, forgets) their assignments often.
10. My mother (prefers, prefer) a good book to a good movie.
III. Phrase and Clause Interrupters: Write the correct form of the verb on the
answer sheet.

11. The last people off the ship (carry, carries) their own luggage.
12. Songs about love (make, makes) me cry.
13. Two pieces of pie (was, were) eaten before dinner.
14. The jar of lima beans (was, were) stored in the coolest section of the basement.
15. The judges on the panel (decide, decides) which skaters will continue to the semi-
finals.
16. The potatoes from the garden (was, were) peeled before they were put into the pot.
17. The sound of passing cars (echo, echoes) through the streets.
18. The students in the class (like, likes) when I have a sub.
19. The solution to all of our problems (is, are) to follow the directions.
20. The anthology of short stories (include, includes) at least one story from Poe.

IV. Indefinite Pronouns: Write the correct form of the verb on the answer sheet.
 21. Something about the candidates answers (has, have) been bothering me ever since the
debate.
22. Both of the dogs (has, have) already been treated for worms.
23. Neither of the movies (is, are) very good.
24. Everybody who is registered for the class (read, reads) the same books.
25. Few of the world’s sharks (grow, grows) to be sixty feet long.
26. One of the most interesting sharks (is, are) the whale shark.
27. Each of the whale shark’s eggs (is, are) quite large.
28. Many of the visitors (scream, screams).
29. Few of us (has, have) seen a giant jelly fish before.
30. Everyone in our class (seem, seems) to be having a good time.

V. And, or, as well as, along with: Write the correct form of the verb on the
answer sheet.

31. Plants and flowers (is, are) featured on the cover of this month’s magazine.
32. The author and illustrator of the magazine (is, are) the same person.
33. In the early 1800’s slaveholding and slave trading (was, were) widespread.
34. Neither the large universities nor the local college (was, were) accepting applications
from African Americans.
35. Just laws and strict enforcement of them (was, were) needed)
36. Also described in the magazine (is, are) experiments and discoveries.
37. Red beans and rice (is, are) a great meal.
38. Neither poverty nor difficult hardship ( were, was) an issue for determined men.
39. Sara or Savannah (do, does) not like to do extra homework.
40. Either the mouse or the cats (is, are) making late night noises.
41. Black and white photography (is, are) my favorite type of photos.
42. Zac or the girls (is, are) going to go crazy.
43. Mr. Harper or Mrs. Cruce (like, likes) to host TNO’s.
44. Hunter and Savannah (want, wants) to go to the movies.
45. Neither Ashlyn nor Shannon (has, have) her project.

VI. Subjects Following the Verb: Write the correct form of the verb on the
answer sheet.

46. Why (is, are) your parents leaving you alone for the weekend?
47. Here (is, are) the books you requested.
48. There (is, are) many reasons you should read those books.
49. (Has, Have) the students returned from their field trip yet?
50. When (was, were) the latest episodes of the show supposed to air.

VII. Collective Nouns: Write the correct form of the verb on the answer sheet.

51. Before each game, the team (practice, practices) their kicks.
52. The committee generally (decide, decides) on its course of action pretty quickly.
53. After the rain, the entire heard (graze, grazes) peacefully along the hillside.
54. The evening before the battle, the army (clean, cleans) their weapons.
55. Having reached the state semifinals, the team (are, is) celebrating their individual
achievements.
56. Our family (has, have) never been able to agree on our summer vacation destination.
57. Every Saturday, the troop (present, presents) individual projects to their parents.
58. The jury (deliberate, deliberates) its decision for hours.
59. The city council (vote, votes) on their opinion of a new tax increase.
60. The flock (raise, raises) their wings to fly.

VIII. Amounts and measurement: Write the correct form of the verb on the
answer sheet.
 61. Fifteen dollars (was, were) a fair price for that teapot.
62. Sixty yards of fabric ( is, are) enough to make the banners for the parade.
63. (Is, Are) mumps a contagious disease.
64. One quarter of the floor (is, are) reserved for dancing.
65. The three weeks before Spring Break (feel, feels) like forever.

IX. Paragraph Edit: Correct the verbs that do not agree with their subject. Place
a “C” in the blank if the sentence is correct.

(66) Besides harming their own bodies, smokers also endanger the good health of people
around them. (67) Cigarette smoke, either from a smoker's exhalation or straight from the
cigarette, contain carbon monoxide, a highly poisonous gas. (68) Nobody appreciate
breathing in poisonous gas. (69) And it is not just the health factors that keeps away from
smokers. (70) Even nonsmokers who do not know about carbon monoxide is usually
bothered by the smoke because it makes breathing difficult. (71) In addition, a lot of smoke in
closed rooms are often irritating to the eyes. (72) Many people is also disgusted
(73) when they smells a smoker's clothes or see the yellow nicotine stains on a smoker's front
teeth. (74) Finally, not too many people enjoy kissing somebody whose mouth taste like an
ashtray. (75) So, smokers needs to realize that they are harming those around them not just
themselves.

Write a long conversation that includes the use of the 15 rules of subject-verb
agreement. Make a video of the conversation. Work in a group. A group
Task 10: consists of at most 4 students. You will have to submit the transcript of the
conversation and the video of the conversation.

Find an article from online English newspaper like nytimes.com, or

Task 11: washingtonpost.com, or others. Underline and mark the subjects and the
verbs. Decide whether the subject is singular or plural. (Individual work)

Unit 8. Simple Present Tense

Most of us, have studied about simple present tense including how to use it. However, believe
it or not, simple present tense is not easy to use especially when one doesn’t know when and
how to use it. In the following table, there are some rules of when and how to use simple
present tense.

We use The Simple Present Tense: Examples

1 when we talk about things that happen
repeatedly or habitually
With Present Simple Tense we often use
time expressions such as always, often,
sometimes, usually, seldom, on
Saturdays, rarely, never, every day, etc.
2 when we talk about permanent or long-
lasting situations
3 when we talk about people or things in
general
4 to indicate general truths, facts and
scientific laws
5 when we talk about travel plans and
timetables (mainly with verbs such as go,
leave, arrive, start, come, return etc.)
6 with state (or stative) verbs such as like,
dislike, love, think, seem, look,
know, feel, understand, want, need,
hate, remember, forget, prefer,
believe, mean, taste, hear, see, have
(when the meaning is "possess"), own,
belong, etc. These verbs are not normally
used in the Continuous Tense (but there
are exceptions).
7 to give instructions/directions
Also Important:
The Present Simple Tense is also used in :
Sentences after "when", "after", "while",
"till" / "until", "before", "as soon as" - When
the rain stops, we'll go out.
I'll call you back as soon as I return home.
zero conditional sentences (when the result of
the condition is always true) - If you heat water to
100°C (212°F), it boils.
1. Philip gets up at 6 o'clock every morning.
2. I go to school every day.
3. She sometimes goes out on Friday night.
4. I usually sleep late on Sunday morning.
5. Peter works for 8 hours every day.
6. We usually start work at 8 o'clock.
7. My children often watch TV in the
afternoon.
8. He always forgets his keys.
1. I work in a bank.
2. Kate speaks English very well.
3. Tom lives in London.
1. People make choices because they can't
have everything they want.
2. Nurses work in clinics and hospitals.
3. Football is a very popular sport in
Bulgaria.
1. The Earth is spherical.
2. My birthday is in May.
3. California is in the Unated States.
4. The sun rises in the east.
5. Water freezes at 0°C (32°F).
1. We arrive in Rome at 6 p.m.
2. The train leaves in five minutes.
3. The course starts next Thursday.
1. She loves jazz music.
2. My aunt hates travelling by train.
3. I like ice cream. I don't like spinach.
4. I think she is a wonderful person.
5. Do you believe in God?
6. I have no money at the moment.
7. My brother has a new car.
8. That bicycle belongs to me.
1. Pour all ingredients into a mixing bowl
and mix until smooth.
2. Walk down the street to the corner and
then turn right.
Notes about formation of the
3rd person singular (he, she, it):
If the verb ends in -ss, -sh, -ch, -x or
-o, add -es to the base form:
kiss - kisses, finish -
finishes, watch - watches, mix -
mixes, go - goes
If the verb ends in consonant + y
change y to i and add -es:
study - studies, copy - copies, try -
 first conditional sentences (Often called the tries, carry - carries
"real" conditional because it is used for real (or
possible) situations. These situations take place if a
certain condition is met.) - If you finish your
homework I'll bring you to the zoo.

The following table consists of the structure of simple present tense:

To form the Present Simple Tense we use the verb's base form (go, work, speak, study).
In 3rd person singular (he, she, it), the base form of the verb takes -s/es. (Auxiliary verbs
"be," "do," "have", which can also be used as main verbs, are exceptions.)
Affirmative form Negative form
I ! Remember: I
you work to be you DO NOT /don't/
we I/you/we/they are we WORK
they he/she/it is they

he/she/it works /-s/ to do he/she/it DOES NOT

I/you/we/they do /doesn't / WORK
go - goes /-es/ he/she/it does
watch - watches /-es/ 1. She doesn't often go to the cinema.
play - plays /-s/ to have 2. I don't get up early at the weekend.
study - studies /-es/ I/you/we/they have 3. They don't speak English very well.
he/she/it has

Interrogative form Questions and short answers:

I
DO you WORK? Do you like spaghetti?
we Yes, I do.
they No, I don't.

DOES he/she/it WORK? Does she know Bulgarian?

Yes, she does.
1. Do they speak foreign languages? No, she doesn't.
2. Do you want a banana?
3. Does your sister play the piano?

Exercises on Simple Present

Tense

1. Fill in the blanks with appropriate verbs or verb phrases.

On weekdays, David ……………… at seven o’clock in the morning. He ………………….

his bed. Then …………………………….. and he …………………….

He ……………………………. with his breakfast. After breakfast, he ……………….

his teeth and he …………………….. . David leaves home at half past eight. He

…………………. and he ………………………… . He ……………

at one o’clock at the school canteen. After school, David goes to music course. In the

course, he learns how to …………………… David comes back home at three o’clock. He

………… and …… a glass of. ……. . After having a little rest, David

………….his ………………….. . He ……………………. Then, he …………………

and he ……………………….. . At nine o’clock, David ……………….

his favourite TV program. At half past ten, he ………………………… and he

…………………..

2. Fill in the blanks with correct answers.

1.................she (read)……….......….books every day?
2.They (come )……………..to school by minibus .
3.Canan (work)…………….very hard at home.
4.............you (like)……………….to sit at the seaside in Alanya?
5.We always (do) …………..the exercises very carefully.
6.Elif never (cook) …….………meals to us at home.
7.Some students (drive) ……………..very fast at school campus.
8.He (speak)……………..two languages ; English and French .
9.We (watch) …………....good films on tv every day.
10.Furkan (not / play) ……………computer games at home,he (like)............... Sim’s Game.
11.Harun (go) …………….to bed at 9 every night.
12.....................Enes (play)………….....the piano very well?
13.She (do) ………..........all the work alone.
14.Even best students (make ) ……………..mistakes in final exams
15.He usually (get) ……....…….high marks in exams.
16.The bus (leave) ……………….at 5 o’clock .
17.The class (not / begin)……………at 8:15
18.We (do) ……………a lot of favors to the poor .
19.They (speak)……………..Turkish well because they (live)………..in Turkey.

3. Complete the sentences like in the example. Use the long form of the auxiliary.

Example: Jane ___________ a book. (not/to read)

Answer: Jane does not read a book.
1) Tom ................................. stamps. (not/to collect)
2) You.................................. songs in the bathroom. (not/to sing)
3) Julie ................................. in the garden. (not/to work)
4) I ........................................ at home. (not/to sit)
5) Tina and Kate ................................ the windows. (not/to open)
6) Adam ............................... French. (not/to speak)
7) His sister ...........................lemonade. (not/to like)
8) We...................................... to music. (not/to listen)
9) My father ............................ the car every Saturday. (not/to clean)
10) Johnny and Danny ................................. in the lake. (not/to swim)

4. Put the correct forms of the verbs into the gaps. Use the Simple Present in the
statements.
Example: I _____ in the lake. (to swim) I swim in the lake.

1) We ........................ our dog. (to call)
2) Emma............... in the lessons. (to dream)
3) They ....................... at birds. (to look)
4) John............ home from school. (to come)
5) I ....................... my friends. (to meet)
6) He .................... the laptop. (to repair)
7) Walter and Frank ............... hello. (to say)
8) The cat ..............under the tree. (to sit)
9) You .............................. water. (to drink)
10) She .............. the lunchbox. (to forget)
11) I .................... a good mark. (to get)
12) Rita .............. an exercise. (to do)
13) We ................................ the table. (to lay)
14) Tim and Pat..... text messages. (to send)
15) Oliver................................ fun. (to have)
16) Maria .................... their room. (to tidy
up)
17) He ................a new MP3 player. (to buy)
18) The dog............ out of the house. (to run)
19) You ................... your glasses. (to need)
20) She .............................a snake. (to touch)

1. Fill in the blanks with the correct verb forms.

1. She ________________ four languages. ( speak )

2. Jane is a teacher. She _____________ French. ( teach )

3. When the kettle _______________, will you make some tea? ( boil )

4. I always _____________ the window at night because it is cold. ( close )

5. Those shoes________________ too much. ( cost )

6. The food in Japan is expensive. It _______________ a lot to live there. ( cost )

7. His job is great because he ______________ a lot of people. ( meet )

8. He always __________________ his car on Sundays. ( wash )

9. My watch is broken and it _________________ to be fixed again. ( need )

10. I _______________ to watch movies. ( love )

11. I ________________ to the cinema at least once a week. ( go )

12. They never _____________ tea in the morning. ( drink )

13. We both _______________ to the radio in the morning. ( listen )

14. He ________________ a big wedding. ( want )

15. George _______________ too much so he's getting fat. ( eat )

16. The earth ______________ round the sun, doesn't it? ( go )

17. The shops in England _______________ at 9:00 in the morning. ( open)

18. The post office _______________ at 5:30 pm. ( close )

19. Jackie ________________ two children now. ( has )

20. Mr. Smith _____too much. He always_____ a cigarette in his mouth. ( smoke / have)

21. When the phone _______________, please answer it. ( ring)

Write a long conversation that includes the use of the 7 rules of simple
present tense. Make a video of the conversation. Work in a group. A group
Task 12: consists of at most 4 students. You will have to submit the transcript of the
conversation and the video of the conversation.

Unit 9. Comparison Degree

Look at the pictures above. What do you say about that?

Certainly, you are comparing between one and the other. In order to express how you
compare things, you need “comparison degree”. In English, there are three kinds of
comparison degree. However, you need to remember that comparison is not always of the
difference, but sometimes of the similarity. There are many explanations toward the usage of
comparison degree and often make students confused. To avoid the confusion, let’s start with
the very basic lesson.

Form of comparatives and superlatives.

a. Short adjectives (one syllable)

Adjective Comparative Superlative

We use –er for the comparative and –est Small Smaller Smallest
for the superlative of one-syllable Cheap Cheaper Cheapest
adjectives. Young Younger Youngest
Long Longer Longest

b. Longer Adjectives (two or more syllables)

Adjective Comparative Superlative

Adjective of three or more syllables take Small Smaller Smallest
more in the comparative and most in the Cheap Cheaper Cheapest
superlative. Young Younger Youngest
Long Longer Longest

Let’s take a look at the kinds of degree of comparison.

1. Positive degree / equal comparison

Positive degree or equal comparison indicates that the two nouns or noun phrases in a
sentence are (or are not) exactly the same.
This car is as old as that one.
This sentence means that the age of the two cars is equal.
This car is not as old as that one.
This sentence means that this car is newer than the other one.
In a negative equal comparison, you can substitute the word so for as without altering the
meaning of the sentence.
His job is not as difficult as mine.
 His job is not so difficult as mine.

2. Comparative degree / unequal comparison

Unequal comparisons imply that two or more entities are comparable to a greater or lesser
degree. Some comparatives are formed by adding the suffix -er to the base adjective or adverb.
Other comparatives are formed by adding the words more or less before the adjective or
adverb. In general, it’s more common to use more to create a comparative form from an
adverb.
John’s grades are higher than his sister’s.
Adjective

He studies more frequently than she does.

Adverb

This year’s exhibit is more impressive than last year’s.

adjective

You can further intensify unequal comparisons by adding much or far before the comparative
form. For example:
This house is far more expensive than the others we’ve seen.
This book is much less interesting than the one I read last month.

3. Double Comparatives
Double comparative sentences involve a comparative construction at the beginning of both
clauses.
The sooner we finish the project, the sooner we can start the next one.

This sentence means the same as, “As soon as we finish the project, we can start the next one.”

The more he ate, the hungrier he became.

This sentence means that as he ate more, he became more hungry.

Here are some additional sources to make you understand more about the usage
of comparative degree. They are explained in Indonesian:

Kata sifat kuantitatif much dan little, dan kata sifat bilangan many and few, mempunyai
tingkat perbandingan (degrees comparison).
The degrees of comparison (tingkat perbandingan) berjumlah tiga tingkat, yaitu :
1. The positive degree (tingkat biasa)
2. The comparative (tingkat lebih/perbandingan)
3. The superlative (tingkat paling)
1) Kata sifat yang terdiri dari satu suku kata dan beberapa kata sifat bersuku kata dua dapat
dibentuk comparative dengan menambahkan er atau r, dan superlative dengan
menambahkan -est atau -st.

a) Jika positive berakhir dalam dua huruf mati atau dalam satu huruf mati yang
didahului oleh dua huruf hidup, er dan est ditambahkan

Positive Comparative Superlative

thick thicker thickest
long longer longest
short shorter shortest

b) Jika positive berakhir dalam satu huruf mati dan huruf mati itu didahului
oleh sebuah vokal pendek, huruf mati terakhir digandakan kemudian
ditambahkan er dan est

Positive Comparative Superlative

 big = besar bigger = lebih besar biggest = terbesar
wet = basah wetter = lebih basah wettest = terbasah
hot = panas hotter = lebih panas hottest = terpanas

c) Jika positive berakhir huruf e, hanya r dan st ditambahkan

Positive Comparative Superlative

nice = baik nicer = lebih baik nicest = terbaik
fine = bagus finer = lebih bagus finest = terbagus
wise = bijaksana wiser = lebih bijak wisest = terbijaksana

d) Jika positive berakhir huruf y, dan y itu didahului oleh huruf mati, y diubah
menjadi I, lalu ditambahkan er dan est

Positive Comparative Superlative

wry = miring wrier = lebih miring wriest =paling miring
dry = kering drier = lebih kering driest = terkering
happy = bahagia happier = lebih bahagia happiest = terbahagia

e) Jika y didahului oleh sebuah huruf hidup, y tidak diubah menjadi i, tapi
langsung ditambahkan r dan est

Positive Comparative Superlative

gay = riang gayer = lebih riang gayest = teriang
coy = pemalu coyer = lebih pemalu coyest = terpemalu
grey = mendung greyer = lebih mendung greyest = termendung

f) Kata sifat yang terdiri dari dua suku kata (two syllables) yang berakhiran
some, ow, le, er, ditambahkan er dan est

Positive Comparative Superlative

wholesome wholesomer wholesomest
narrow narrower narrowest
noble nobler noblest
clever clever cleverest

2) Kata sifat yang bersuku kata dua – two syllables (yang tekanan suaranya jatuh
pada suku kata awal) atau lebih, ditambahkan more untuk membentuk
comperatives dan most untuk superlatives

Positive Comparative Superlative

famous = terkenal more famous most famous
useful = berguna more useful most useful
beautiful = cantik more beautiful most beautiful

3) Beberapa kata sifat dibentuk dengan cara tak beraturan (irregular) untuk
comparatives dan superlatives

Positive Comparative Superlative

fore former foremost,first
bad worse worst
ill worse worst
evil worse worst
good better best
hind hinder hindmost
late later latest
 late latter last
little less least
much more most
nigh nigher nighest,next
old older oldest
old elder eldest
near nearer nearest
Catatan 1 :
a) Former = yang terlebih dahulu/tadi ; yang pertama (di antara dua benda).
Contoh: I prefer the former fabric. Saya lebih menyukai kain yang terlebih dahulu
Of the two methods I prefer the former. Diantara kedua metoda itu saya lebih menyukai yang
pertama
b) Later = yang belakangan
Contoh: I will take the later plane. Saya mau naik kapal terbang yang belakangan
c) Latter = yang belakangan/yang terakhir (di antara dua benda)
Contoh: I will take the latter book. Saya mau membeli buku yang terakhir (di antara dua buah
buku)
d) Latest = yang belakangan/yang terakhir sampai sekarang
Contoh: What is the latest news of the war? bagaimanakah kabar terbaru (terakhir) perang
itu?
e) Last = yang terakhir (yang paling akhir/penghabisan)
Contoh: This is our last opportunity. Inilah kesempatan terakhir kita
Z is the last letter of the alphabet. Z adalah huruf terakhir abjad
Penjelasan :
Later berarti yang belakangan atau lebih lambat, menunjuk pada waktu
Contoh: She came to school later than I. Ia datang ke sekolah lebih lambat daripada saya
Latter menunjuk pada urutan yang kedua di antara dua hal atau benda yang baru saja
disebut
Contoh: Alexandria and Cairo are large cities; the latter has a population of over a million.
Alexandria dan Kairo adalah kota besar ; yang belakangan (yaitu Kairo) mempunyai
penduduk lebih dari satu juta orang
Latest berarti yang terakhir sampai sekarang, sedangkan last berarti yang paling terakhir
atau penghabisan.
Jika kita katakan :
Did you read Mr. Green’s latest book? apakah anda membaca buku terakhir/terbaru Tuan
Green?
Ini berarti bahwa Tn. Green boleh jadi akan mengarang lagi buku lain.
Kalau kita katakan :
Did you read Mr. Green’s last book? apakah anda membaca buku terakhir Tn. Green?
Ini berarti bahwa Tn. Green tidak atau tidak akan menulis buku lain lagi setelah buku yang
dimaksudkan tadi.
Catatan 2 :
a) Elder juga bentuk comperative dari old. Perhatikan perbedaan pemakaian elder dan older.
Contoh: John is my elder brother. John adalah kakak laki-laki saya
John is older than Lisa. John lebih tua daripada Lisa
b) Eldest juga bentuk superlative dari old. Perhatikan perbedaan pemakaian eldest dan
oldest:
She is my eldest daughter. Ia putriku yang sulung
That is the oldest hotel in the city. Itulah hotel yang tertua di kota ini
Penjelasan :
Elder dan eldest dipakai pada orang saja, dan paling sering dipakai pada orang dalam
hubungan
kekeluargaan. Sedangkan older dan oldest dipakai untuk menyatakan umur atau usia yang
lebih tua atau tertua pada orang atau pun benda.

4) Ada enam buah kata adverbs (kata keterangan) dalam bentuk positive
degrees, tetapi adjectives (kata sifat) dalam bentuk comparative dan supelative

Positive Comparative Superlative

fore further furthest
 far farther farthest
in inner innermost, inmost
out outer uttermost, utmost
neath nether nethermost
up upper uppermost

5) Kata-kata sifat tertentu tidak dapat diperbandingkan

perfect = sempurna
unique = unik
supreme = tertinggi
preferable = lebih baik
natural = alamiah
right = benar
wrong = salah
etc.

POSITIVE DEGREE (tingkat positif) digunakan untuk menunjukkan bahwa sesuatu itu
sama tingkatannya. Perbandingan untuk sesuatu yang tingkatannya sama digunakan as …
as.

Contoh: Ali is 1,6 meters and Anwar is also 1,6 meters.

Ali is AS TALL AS Anwar.
This book cost Rp. 2.000,-. That book costs Rp. 2.000,-
This book is AS EXPENSIVE AS that one
Bentuk negatif dari perbandingan ini adalah sebagai berikut:
Contoh: Jakarta is not AS WARM AS Surabaya.

Rumus :

as + positive + as
no less + positive + than
not more + positive + than
Contoh:
This girl is as clever as that. Anak perempuan ini sepandai anak perempuan itu
This girl is no less clever than that. Anak perempuan ini sama pandainya dengan anak
perempuan itu
That girl is not more clever than this. Gadis itu tidak lebih pandai daripada gadis ini
(berarti gadis itu dan gadis ini sama pandainya)

B. COMPARATIVE DEGREE digunakan apabila dua orang atau benda dikatakan tidak
sama dalam hal sifat yang tertentu Yang satu lebih dari yang lain. Tingkat perbandingan
dinyatakan dengan menggunakan “-er” jika kata sifat itu hanya memiliki satu suku kata
(one syllable) serta di tambah kata “than.”

Contoh: Handi is TALLER than Anton

A train is FASTER than a bus
Jika kata sifat itu diakhiri dengan le, r, ow, y, maka tambahkan “-er”. Jika kata sifat
diakhiri dengan “y”, maka berubah menjadi “ier.”
Contoh: This problem is simpler than the one we had yesterday.
The street in front of my house is narrower than this one.
Comparative degree yang menggunakan lebih dari satu suku kata (two or more syllables)
digunakan “more.” Suku kata maksudnya beautiful = beau-ti-ful (3 suku kata);
expensive = ex-pen-sive (tiga suku kata), useful = use-ful (dua suku kata)
Contoh: TV Program are more interesting than radio program.
My trousers are more expensive than yours.
Rumus :
comparative + than
Contoh:
 Lisa is taller than her sister. Lisa lebih tinggi daripada saudara perempuannya
Jakarta is bigger than Surabaya. Jakarta lebih besar daripada Surabaya

PERHATIKAN!

Aturan untukk dua suku kata (two syllabels) lebih rumit. Beberapa adjective membentuk
comparative and superlative dengan –er, -est., beberapa dengan more, most, yang lainnya
boleh kedua-duanya.

Two-syllable adjectives dengan –er, -est

1. Adjective berakhiran –y yang didahului oleh konsonan

Contoh: pretty – prettier, dirty – dirtier, noisy – noisier, happy – happier, unhappy –
unhappier
2. Adjective berakhiran –ple, -ble, dan biasanya –tle, -dle
Contoh: simple – simpler, noble – nobler, humble – humbler, subtle – subtler, idle – idler

Two-syllable adjective dengan more, most

1. Sebagian besar adjective berakhir suffix derivatif: -ous, -ish, -ful, -ing, -ed, etc.
Contoh: more famous, more useful, more childish, more interesting, more tired
2. Sebagian besar adjective berakhiran –ct, -nt, -st
Contoh: more exact, more recent, more honest, more urgent

Two-Syllable adjective dengan –er, -est or more, most (yang bentuk –er, -est
kurang formal)

1. Adjective berakhiran –er: cleverer, tenderer, bitterer

2. Adjective berakhiran –ow: narrower, shallower, mellower
3. Adjective berakhiran –some: hansomer, wholesomer, lonesomer
4. Others: penekanan pada suku kata pertama: pleasanter, crueler, quieter, stupider
Penekanan pada suku kata kedua: politer, profounder, remoter, obscurer, sincerer, severer,
securer

C. SUPERLATIVE DEGREE (tingkat superlative) yaitu apabila seseorang atau sebuah

benda dikatakan melebihi atau mengungguli semua orang atau benda yang lain yang sama
macamnya, kita menggunakan superlative degree dengan the … of.

Ketika kata sifat terdiri dari satu atau dua suku kata, digunakan dengan menambahkan “est.”
Contoh: The Wisma Nusantara building is THE TALLEST building in Jakarta.
An elephant is THE BIGGEST animal nowadays.
Ketika kata sifat berakhir dengan “y”, maka tingkat superlative berubah menjadi “iest.”
Contoh: Today is THE HAPPIEST day for me. It’s my birthday.
I don’t know which is THE HEAVIEST metal.
Kata sifat yang lebih dari dua suku kata menggunakan “MOST.”

Exercises on Comparison Degree.

1.
Complete the following sentences.
1. No other boy is as ……………………. as James. (tall / taller / tallest)
2. Milk is …… than any other food. (nourishing / more nourishing / most nourishing)
3. Radium is one of the ……… metals. (valuable / more valuable / most valuable)
4. Few English poets were as ……………………. as Wordsworth. (great / greater / greatest)
5. Shimla is ……….. than most other hill stations in India. (famous / more famous / most
famous)
6. Gold is one of the ……………………. metals. (precious / more precious / most precious)
7. Solomon was …………………… than any other king. (wise / wiser / wisest)
8. Few historians write as ………………….. as Macaulay. (well / better /best)
9. Very few books are as ………. as David Copperfield. (popular / more popular / most
popular)
10. A train is …………………. than a car. (fast / faster / fastest)
2. Write the correct form of the adjectives in brackets.
1. Pink Floyd is _______________________(good) band ever.
2. Lima is _______________________(high) capital city in the world.
3. Sarah is _______________________(pretty) than Lisa.
4. Is Shanghai _______________________(big) city in the world?
5. Russia is _______________________ (large) than Canada.
6. This is _______________________ (bad) mark that I ever had.
7. What is _______________________ (far) that you ever travelled?
8. I think that Spanish is _______________________(easy) than French.
9. Penny is ____________________(fit) girl in the school. She works out every day.
10. Fifth Avenue is one of _______________________(wide) streets in New York.
11. Aswan, in Egypt, is _________________(dry) inhabited place on the planet.
12. Mozambique is _______________________(poor) than Somalia.
13. Your performance was _______________________(good) today than yesterday.
14. 57,8 ºC is _______________________(hot) temperature ever recorded.
15. Halloween is _______________________(scary) film I have ever seen.
3. Complete the following sentences using the double comparative structure.
1. It’s becoming __________ to find a job. (difficult)
2. It’s becoming __________ to find a permanent job. (hard)
3. As I waited for my interview, I became __________. (nervous)
4. The hole in your pullover is getting __________. (big)
5. The suitcase seemed to get __________ as I carried it along the road. (heavy)
6. Travelling is becoming __________. (expensive)
7. Since she has been in Britain, her English has got __________. (good)
8. The climate is becoming __________. (warm)
9. Children are becoming __________ (fat)
10. The earth is becoming _____________. (dry)
4. Complete the sentences using the correct form of the words in brackets:
1. The higher the salary, _______________. (good / living conditions)
2. The higher the qualifications, _______________. (good / salary)
3. The more you eat, _____________ you will be. (fat)
4. The earlier we leave, ______________ we’ll arrive (soon)
5. The longer he waited, ______________ he became. (impatient)
6. The more I got to know him, ___________ I liked him. (much)
7. The more you study, _______________. (good / results)
8. The sooner you write, ______________. (soon / answer)
9. The smart the student, _______________. (easy / test)
10. The warmer the weather, _____________ I feel. (well)
11. The better the service, ______________. (expensive / hotel)
12. The more electricity you use, _______________ (high / bill).
13. The better the car, ______________ it will be. (fast)
14. The more difficult the test, ______________. (bad / marks)
15. The better the map, _______________. (easy / way)
 Write a long conversation that includes the elements of comparison degree.
Make a video of the conversation. Work in a group. A group consists of at
Task 13: most 4 students. You will have to submit the transcript of the conversation
and the video of the conversation.
Unit 10. Describing

Describe them!
The English language is one of the most popular and widely spoken languages in the world.
Once you master the rules of English grammar, understanding and learning the language is a
lot easier. There are large number of words in the English language, and all these words can
be classified into the eight parts of speech. These parts of speech, viz. Noun, Verb, Adjective,
Adverb, Pronoun, Conjunction, Preposition and Interjection, form the backbone of English
grammar and composition. Here we will know more about adjectives.

Adjectives

Adjectives are required extensively in regular conversation and writing, specifically when we
are describing something. Adjectives are one of the eight parts of speech that express an
attribute of a place, thing, an event or a person. In simpler words, adjectives describe, qualify
or modify nouns. Adjectives precede the noun in a sentence. There can also be more than two
adjectives qualifying a single noun. The list of adjectives in English are categorized into two
types; limiting adjectives and descriptive adjectives.

Limiting Adjectives

Limiting adjectives are used to specify only certain or specific nouns. They are limited to the
noun that they describe and hence, are known as limiting adjectives. The types of limiting
adjectives are possessive adjectives, demonstrative adjectives, numerical adjectives,
interrogative adjectives, and proper adjectives.
e.g. His book (possessive adjective)
Shakespearean drama (proper adjective)

Descriptive Adjectives

The groups of descriptive adjective is the largest among all the types of adjectives. They
describe the noun in detail by assigning an attribute of that noun. The list of descriptive
adjectives is considered nearly unending, as there are adjectives to describe all nouns. They
are primarily differentiated into simple adjectives and compound adjectives.

(1) Simple Adjectives

Simple adjectives are single words that are commonly used to describe a noun. These are
commonly used in verbal communication when describing a thing or a person.
e.g. good, happy, bad, thin, lovely, picturesque

(2) Compound Adjectives

Two or more adjectives, used consecutively to describe the same noun, are known as
compound adjectives. They are hyphenated in order to avoid confusion between the two
adjectives. The most common compound adjectives are the ones formed when adjectives
precede nouns like 'blue-sky', or when adjectives are preceded by verbs as in 'feel-good'. When
two or more colors are used as adjectives, there is always a hyphen between them.
e.g. middle-aged, short-sighted, bluish-green

If there is no hyphen between two adjectives, there can be an ambiguity in the meaning of the
sentence. The following example will be beneficial to illustrate this.
e.g. A man-eating tiger.
As the adjectives are hyphenated, it is clear that they describe the noun, 'tiger'. Now, consider
the following example,
e.g. A man eating tiger.
Here, as there is no hyphen between the two words, it is difficult to interpret the two words,
'man and eating', as a compound adjective (man-eating). The sentence clearly means that a
man is eating a tiger.

The following are lists of adjectives that are categorized according to ones that describe
qualities, personality traits, colors, sizes, shapes, sounds and feelings. These can also be used
to describe quality of something or even to describe a person's character.
Descriptive Adjectives List

List of Adjectives List of Adjectives List of Adjectives

Describing Appearance Describing Personality Describing Feelings
Adorable Aggressive Afraid
Attractive Ambitious Angry
Alluring Amused Anxious
Beautiful Brave Bad
Bewildered Bright Bored
Boorish Barbarous Berserk
Confident Cruel Calm
Cheerful Combative Confused
Cultured Co-operative Comfortable
Clumsy Cowardly Creepy
Drab Dangerous Depressed
Dull Diligent Disturbed
Dynamic Determined Dominating
Disillusioned Disagreeable Deceitful
Elegant Evil Envious
Energetic Erratic Elated
Fair Frank Faithful
Filthy Fearless Fine
Gentle Generous Good
Glamorous Gifted Grieving
Handsome Helpful Horrible
Homely Harmonious Happy
Hurt Hesitant Hungry
Ill-mannered Instinctive Ill
Jolly Jealous Jovial
Kind-hearted Knowledgeable Kind
Lovely Loner Lively
Magnificent Mysterious Mature
Nervous Naughty Nice
Pleasant Pleasing Proud
Perfect Placid Peaceful
Plucky Punctual Protective
Smiling Successful Sorrowful
Splendid Sedate Silly
Self-assured Sincere Somber
Snobbish Selfish Sore
Thoughtful Talented Tired
Tense Thrifty Troubled
Timid Truculent Testy
Upset Unbiased Unwell
Vivacious Voracious Vengeful
Wonderful Witty Wicked
Worried Wise Weary
Wild Warm Wrong
Zaftig Zany Zestful
e.g. She was in a jovial
e.g. What an adorable baby! e.g. He was a brave knight.
mood.

Following is a list of adjectives that describe shape, sound, size, time and quantity.

List of Adjectives List of Adjectives List of Adjectives List of Adjectives

Describing Shape Describing Size Describing Time Describing Quantity
Broad Big Ancient Abundant
Crooked Colossal Annual Bountiful
Circular Great Brief Cumbersome
Distorted Gigantic Early Empty
Flat Huge Fast Extra
Hollow Large Late Few
Narrow Miniature Modern Heavy
Round Mammoth Old Myriad
Square Petite Rapid Many
Skinny Tall Swift Multiple
Steep Thin Slow Numerous
Wide Tiny Young Substantial
e.g. A miniature e.g. An ancient
e.g. A skinny boy e.g. Myriad stars
train manuscript

The following are lists of descriptive adjectives that describe sound, taste, touch and color.

List of Adjectives List of Adjectives List of Adjectives List of Adjectives

Describing Sound Describing Taste Describing Touch Describing Color
Blaring Bitter Hard Azure
Cooing Delicious Loose Aqua
Deafening Fresh Rough Blue
Loud Hot Smooth Black
Melancholic Icy Slippery Crimson
Noisy Juicy Sticky Cyan
Soft Spicy Sharp Gold
Shrill Sweet Scattered Green
Squeaking Sour Soft Magenta
Silent Salty Tender Orange
Thundering Tasty Uneven Pink
Whispering Tasteless Wet Turquoise
e.g. Blaring
e.g. Delicious pastry e.g. Rough surface e.g. Green diamond
loudspeaker

Usage of Descriptive Adjectives

If you wish to use more than one descriptive adjective, you need to follow certain rules of
usage. The descriptive adjective follows the opinion adjective. To understand this, consider
the following example.
e.g. A beautiful, green emerald.
In the above example, both 'beautiful' and 'green' are descriptive adjectives. But the adjective
'beautiful' is an opinion or a general adjective that may differ from person to person. On the
other hand, 'green' is a specific adjective that defines an emerald. Therefore, when more
descriptive adjectives have to be used, they should follow the manner illustrated below.
e.g. A black, wooden door.
A nice, big bungalow.

To understand the usage of adjectives clearly, they are also further classified into the following
sub-types.

Predicate Adjectives

Predicate adjectives affirm an attribute of the subject. In simpler words, these adjectives
modify the subject in the sentence. There is always a linking verb that connects the subject to
the predicate adjective.
e.g. The cake is tasty.
Here the predicate adjective 'tasty' describes the subject 'the cake'.

Adjective Degrees

When an adjective describes a singe noun, it is the positive degree of adjective; whereas when
the adjective denotes comparison between two nouns, it is the comparative degree of
adjective. The superlative degree of adjective is used when the comparison is between many
nouns.
e.g. A is a tall building (positive degree)
B is taller than A (comparative degree)
C is the tallest building (superlative degree)

Participial Adjectives

When participles express a quality of the nouns i.e. participles function as adjectives, they are
known as participial adjectives. There are two types of participial adjectives; the ones ending
with 'ing' and the ones ending with 'ed'.
e.g. The program was boring
We were bored at the program.
 The above descriptive adjectives list is definitely helpful for anyone in order to express more
about a person, thing, action, etc. in a better way. In order to improve your language and
vocabulary, you can also look for synonyms of these adjectives and use them in speech or
writing. Good luck!

Exercises on Describing.
Describing Physical Appearance.
SPEAKING ACTIVITY: WHAT DOES … LOOK LIKE ?

What does she look like? What does she look like? What does she look like?

What does she look like? What does she look like? What does he look like?

What does he look like? What does he look like? What does he look like?

Take 5 different pictures of men or women, or both from internet. Try to

Task 14: describe the 5 pictures. Record your voice. Submit the recorded voice and
the pictures in a folder.
 GAME: GUES WHO? (cross groups)

Describing Place
A Place
When I was a little girl I dreamed of the most extraordinary room in my mind. Being one of
the four kids having my own was just a fantasy I imagined to escape reality. The reality of my
little room shared with my younger sister. The room had carpet, wood panel walls, and a
white ceiling with bright lights. The room had two windows the length of a chair. The closet
was small and pointless. The worst feature was no door. But as a child I understood that this
was all my parents could afford at the time. So the only place I had to escape to was in my
mind.
I only had to close my eyes and there it was my dream room. Some images from a fairytale
movie perhaps. A room so amazing it had it had to be a castle! My very own room contained
white walls with pink curtains covering the huge windows. The ceiling so high you have to
look up to see the top. The floor was covered in the softest carpet, so fluffy you can sleep on it.
In the middle of the room, dead center laid my canopy bed. The bed so big look as if you
would never fall out of it. The room also had a walk in closet, “to die for”.
A
LIND

O
ALEXANDRIN
ETTE
PAUL
IO
CECIL

VANESSAEDWARD TERESA
THY
DORO
TONY

R
TIME
MOR
AL
RAND

MERKUS
IA
ANAL
A
MIRT

TINA
REA
AND

RA
TIA
JOSH

ROLAND
ERIA
OLIV

IA
AMEL

A
STIN
ERNE
ER
MAST
Whenever I fantasized about my favorite bedroom I always added something new to it in my
mind. Like a huge television, a computer etc. The bedroom just seemed so real to me at times
but it wasn’t. Fantasizing about the bedroom was a great place to escape to even if it was just
something in my mind. If gave me something to hope for when life was hard. After all I know
have that dream room.

SUMMER
Everyone has a comfortable place to escape to for relaxation. They go there when
they need to be alone and not with people to disturb them. My place is nature in the
summer. The summer time relaxes me like no exact place could. Nature, in the summer,
relaxes me with its naturedness.
I love sitting in the grass and listening to the nature sounds around me while it's
summer. One of the sounds I tune to first is the sound of the birds singing and chirping
away as if they are creating a song. After sitting for a few minutes, I'll hear the light
breeze coming down through the trees, rustling their leaves. Besides those two things I
hear, it is a peaceful quietness that you can't get in a city or town. That's why I love
nature, but only in the summer. They are always associated with each other.
When I look around me, in the summer time when I'm outside somewhere, I see
beautiful bright clear things. For example, the tall green grass and the leaves on the trees
sway in the breeze. Then I see bright or pastel flowers around, never too far away from
any one person. Most days, unless rainy, are bright, sunny, and warm. The sky is a
beautiful landscape blue with little clouds, if any, in it. If I'm in the forest, I see big tall
trees all around me.
The feeling of summer all around me is friendly to me. The sun is so warm against
my hot skin. And the breeze cools my skin off again as it lightly touches it from blowing
down from the trees. Then, when I am sitting in the grass, I either feel its dryness or its
moistness against my body.
I also love the smells of summer that are in any place you are, but I will not talk
about it in this essay. I will now say, I absolutely am perfectly calm whenever I am
listening, feeling, and looking at the summer around me. Summer is my favorite season,
and nature when it's summer is relaxing and comfortable.

1. Take a picture of a house and try to make descriptive essay about that house.
Task 15: 2. Write a descriptive essay about your lovely place by exploring your
imagination.

Unit 11. Reading Comprehension

Text 1. Are we reading enough?

Each year, the world’s printing presses churn out hundreds of thousands of new book­titles and 
millions of pages of journal and magazine articles. Total information doubles every 9 months. Yet it is 
estimated that the average college graduate reads no more than five books in his/her post­college life­
time. What does the future hold for people in business and for the millions of students trying to manage
this torrent of information?
“It’s adapt or die,” says Bruce W Stewart, President of Speed Reading International, a 25­year old 
organization that specializes in the training of advanced reading skills. “People today read no faster 
than people did a century ago. The reading training of school students remains archaic and stops at 
about the 3rd grade and few schools offer any form of advanced reading training. You are taught to 
read slowly and are effectively expected to reduce your reading workload to suit your reading capacity.
If we cannot invent more time, then the solution is to quantify how much reading you need to do, and 
then gear up your reading capability to meet that challenge. If we fail to meet this challenge, then 
comments like ‘I didn’t know …. ‘ from Enron’s Jeffrey Skilling and ‘I have too much to read so 
please stop sending me mail’ from a Matthews NC CPA, will become the rule rather than the 
exception.

“The school’s reading training system teaches us to read at an average rate of 240 words (about half a 
novel page) per minute – our light­material rate. Most people study or read technical material at less 
than half this rate – about 100 words a minute. So for the average person, reading a 400­page novel 
will consume about 12 hours and a 400­page text­book will consume about 30 hours.”

“Television hasn’t helped either. Children spend hours in front of a television or video game, yet only a
fraction of that time reading. Their minds’ become used to the rapid information flow from TV and 
games, and then become bored with the far slower idea and concept development derived from reading 
books at slow speeds. By the time they reach adulthood, reading skills are trailing far behind other 
methods of information acquisition. Hence the increase in face­to­face meetings, one of the most time­
inefficient systems of knowledge acquisition.”

“Advanced reading skills makes good cents,” says C Abbott, a financial analyst. “In our organization, 
most of our analysts spend 2 to 3 hours a day reading. Just doubling your reading speed, saves at least 5
man­hours a week. With a staff of 100, that’s 26000 man­hours a year – a substantial resource for any 
organization.”

“The impact of inadequate and inefficient reading skills has already been felt,” says Stewart. 
“Knowledge is inter­related and fragmenting this knowledge destroys ‘the big picture’. FBI 
headquarters failed to act on a memo from its Arizona office warning about a large number of Arabs 
seeking pilot, security and operations training, and which urged a check of all US flight schools to 
identify more possible Middle Eastern students. Senator Bob Graham, D­Fla., the Senate Intelligence 
Committee chairman, said, through a spokesman, that the revelations in the memos marked an 
important discovery in Congress’ investigation into why the FBI, CIA and other US agencies failed to 
learn of and prevent the Sept 11 plot.”

“It represents a failure to connect the dots,” said Graham spokesman Paul Anderson. “The truth of the 
matter is that as knowledge is distributed over an increasing number of people, individual wisdom and 
enlightenment will diminish. We end up knowing more about less and less about most things,” says 
Stewart.

“The solution is to expand our information absorption capabilities, both vertically and horizontally ­ to 
upsize areas of specialist knowledge as well as areas of general knowledge. This is not as difficult as it 
might appear. Virtually every literate adult has the capability to at least double his/her rate of reading 
absorption on critical material, thus freeing up time for additional reading. By acquiring flexible rate­
to­purpose reading skills, general information can be scanned rapidly for relevance and additional 
enlightenment. In our complex society, people should be processing an average of at least 100 000 
words of information per day if they want to maintain a competitive position on the crest of the 
information wave. This is simply not possible with an average reading rate of 12000 – 15000 words per
hour. As a result, too many gaps are left in our areas of knowledge and these gaps become 
opportunities for competitors, both strategic and business. Areas of knowledge and gaps in our 
knowledge are like dots – you have to join them to get the big picture.”

Reading for vertical as well as horizontal enlightenment has a number of advantages and benefits for 
the Nation – better time utilization (getting more done in the same or less time), increased profits (more
productive utilization of human resources) and enhanced competitiveness (in a competitive world, the 
only true competitive advantage is to learn faster than your competitors).

“It’s adapt or die – the authorities have taken the first steps. The Senate passed the Education Reform 
Bill, President Bush upgraded ‘Reading’ to ‘ a domestic national priority’ and the College Board voted 
to revamp the SAT 1 by adding a writing section and additional reading requirements. The big question
is – will Americans reduce reading volumes to suit available time, or will they increase reading 
efficiency to suit required reading volumes?”

1. Total information doubles every .......... 6. "As knowledge is distributed over an

a. 9 months
b. 12 months
c. 18 months
d. 24 months
2. The average college graduate reads no
more than ......... books in his/her post-
college life-time.
a. 1
b. 5
c. 25
d. 500
3. The schools' reading training system
teaches us to read an average ........ words per
minute. (Select closest range.)
a. 150 - 200 words a minute
b. 200 - 250 words a minute
c. 250 - 300 words a minute
d. 300 - 350 words a minute
4. Who made the following statement?
"Knowledge is inter-related and fragmenting
this knowledge destroys the big picture."
a) George W Bush
b) Senator Bob Graham
c) Bruce W Stewart
d) Usama Bin Laden
5. In commenting about the Sept 11 attack on
America, Senator Bob Graham spokesman
Paul Anderson said that FBI and CIA failures
and oversights "represented ....... "
a) "a failure to connect the dots"
b) "poor intelligence-gathering"
c) "American complacency"
d) "a plot to push America into a war in
the Middle East"
increasing number of people, ..........."
a) "greater numbers of people will be
empowered"
b) "individual wisdom will increase"
c) "individual wisdom and
enlightenment will diminish"
d) "the opportunity for failure
decreases"
7. Reading for vertical as well as horizontal
enlightenment has a number of advantages
for the Nation.
a) Better time utilization
b) Increased profits
c) Enhanced competitiveness
d) All of the above
8. President George Bush upgraded .......... to
a domestic national priority.
a) Security
b) Reading
c) Writing
d) Education
9. How many words of information should we
be processing each day?
a) 10,000
b) 50,000
c) 75,000
d) 100,000
1o. Is the following statement True, False or
Not Mentioned? "The big question is - will
Americans reduce reading volumes to suit
available time, or will they increase reading
efficiency to suit required reading volumes?"
a) True
b) False
c) Not Mentioned
Text 2. 
When we are young, we learn that tigers and sharks are dangerous animals. We might be scared of 
them because they are big and powerful. As we get older, however, we learn that sometimes the most 
dangerous animals are also the smallest animals. In fact, the animal that kills the most people every 
year is one that you have probably killed yourself many times: the mosquito.  

While it may seem that all mosquitoes are biters, this is not actually the case. Male mosquitoes eat 
plant nectar. On the other hand, female mosquitoes feed on animal blood. They need this blood to live 
and produce eggs. When a female mosquito bites a human being, it transmits a small amount of saliva 
into the blood.  This saliva may or may not contain a deadly disease. The result of the bite can be as 
minor as an itchy bump or as serious as death. 

Because a mosquito can bite many people in the course of its life, it can carry diseases from one person
to another very easily. Two of the most deadly diseases carried by mosquitoes are malaria and yellow 
fever. More than 700 million people become sick from these diseases every year. At least 2 million of 
these people will die from these diseases.      

Many scientists are working on safer and better ways to kill mosquitoes, but so far, there is no sure way
to protect everyone in the world from their deadly bites. Mosquito nets can be placed over beds to 
protect people against being bitten. These nets help people stay safe at night, but they do not kill any 
mosquitoes. Mosquitoes have many natural enemies like bats, birds, dragonflies, and certain kinds of 
fish. Bringing more of these animals into places where mosquitoes live might help to cut down the 
amount of mosquitoes in that area. This is a natural solution, but it does not always work very well. 
Mosquitoes can also be killed with poisons or sprays. Even though these sprays kill mosquitoes, they 
may also harm other plants or animals.  

Although mosquitoes may not seem as scary as larger, more powerful animals, they are far more 
dangerous to human beings. But things are changing. It is highly likely that one day scientists will find 
a way to keep everyone safe from mosquitoes and the diseases they carry.

Questions:

1. According to the author, some people are more afraid of tigers and sharks than mosquitoes 
because tigers and sharks  
A.   kill more people than mosquitoes   
B.   are big and powerful    
C.   are found all over the world   
D.   have no natural enemies

2. Based on the information in paragraph 2, we can understand that
I. male mosquitoes and female mosquitoes have different eating habits   
II. male mosquitoes are harmless to humans
III. female mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting diseases to humans

A.   I only   
B.   I and II only   
 C.   II and III  only   
D.   I, II, and III  

3. In paragraph 2 the author writes, "This saliva may or may not contain a deadly disease." The 
purpose of this statement is to  
A.   oppose a previous argument   
B.   question an upcoming conclusion   
C.   confirm a hypothesis   
D.   support a later statement

4. A s used in paragraph 2, minor most nearly means
A.   insignificant   
B.   deadly   
C.   frustrating   
D.   dangerous

5. Based on information in paragraph 3, it can be understood that if you get sick with malaria or 
yellow fever, your chances of survival are
A.   terrible   
B.   mediocre   
C.   good   
D.   excellent

6. It can be understood that the introduction of dragonflies might reduce the number of flies in a 
given area because dragonflies  
A.   work together with mosquitoes   
B.   kill mosquitoes    
C.   cannot be killed by poisons or sprays   
D.   attract bats

7. Which of the following best summarizes the information in paragraph 4?  
A.   Mosquito nets provide adequate protection from deadly mosquitoes.   
B.   Poisons and sprays provide adequate protection from deadly mosquitoes.   
C.   The introduction of the mosquito's natural enemies provides adequate protection from 
       deadly  mosquitoes.   
D.   There is no perfect solution to the mosquito problem.

8. Which of the following words best describes the author's overall attitude toward s   the 
prospect of solving the mosquito problem?
A.   despondent , meaning hopeless or dejected   
B.   exasperated , meaning extremely irritated or annoyed   
C.   equivocal , meaning doubtful or uncertain   
D.   optimistic , meaning hopeful or taking a favorable view

Text 3. 
The pioneers of the teaching of science imagined that its introduction into education would remove the 
conventionality, artificiality, and backward­lookingness which were characteristic; of classical studies, 
but they were gravely disappointed. So, too, in 5   their time had the humanists thought that the study 
of the classical     authors in the original would banish at once the dull pedantry and superstition of 
mediaeval scholasticism. The professional schoolmaster was a match for both of them, and has almost  
managed to make the understanding of chemical reactions as dull 10 and as dogmatic an affair as the 
reading of Virgil's Aeneid.     

The chief claim for the use of science in education is that it teaches a child something about the actual 
universe in which he is     living, in making him acquainted with the results of scientific 15 discovery, 
and at the same time teaches him how to think logically and inductively by studying scientific method. 
A certain limited success has been reached in the first of these aims, but practically none at all in the 
second. Those privileged members of the community who have been through a secondary or public 
school 20 education may be expected to know something about the elementary physics and chemistry 
of a hundred years ago, but they probably know hardly more than any bright boy can pick up from     
an interest in wireless or scientific hobbies out of school hours.     

As to the learning of scientific method, the whole thing is palpably 25 a farce. Actually, for the 
convenience of teachers and the requirements of the examination system, it is necessary that the pupils 
not only do not learn scientific method but learn precisely the reverse, that is, to believe exactly what 
they are told and to reproduce it when asked, whether it seems nonsense to them or 30 not. The way in 
which educated people respond to such quackeries as spiritualism or astrology, not to say more 
dangerous ones such as racial theories or currency myths, shows that fifty years of education in the 
method of science in Britain or Germany has produced no visible effect whatever. The only way of 
learning the 35 method of science is the long and bitter way of personal experience, and, until the 
educational or social systems are altered to make this possible, the best we can expect is the production
of a minority of people who are able to acquire some of the techniques of science and a still smaller 
minority who are able to use and 40 develop them.

1. The author implies that the 'professional schoolmaster' has

 A. no interest in teaching science 
 B. thwarted attempts to enliven education 
 C. aided true learning 
 D. supported the humanists 
 E. been a pioneer in both science and humanities. 

2. The author’s attitude to secondary and public school education in the sciences is

 A. ambivalent 
 B. neutral 
 C. supportive 
 D. satirical 
 E. contemptuous 

3. The word ‘palpably’ most nearly means
  A. empirically 
 B. obviously 
 C. tentatively 
 D. markedly 
 E. ridiculously 

4. The author blames all of the following for the failure to impart scientific method through the 
education system except

 A. poor teaching 
 B. examination methods 
 C. lack of direct experience 
 D. the social and education systems 
 E. lack of interest on the part of students 

5. If the author were to study current education in science to see how things have changed since he 
wrote the piece, he would probably be most interested in the answer to which of the following 
questions?

 A. Do students know more about the world about them? 
 B. Do students spend more time in laboratories? 
 C. Can students apply their knowledge logically? 
 D. Have textbooks improved? 
 E. Do they respect their teachers? 

6. Astrology is mentioned as an example of

 A. a science that needs to be better understood 
 B. a belief which no educated people hold 
 C. something unsupportable to those who have absorbed the methods of science 
 D. the gravest danger to society 
 E. an acknowledged failure of science 

7. All of the following can be inferred from the text except

 A. at the time of writing, not all children received a secondary school education 
 B. the author finds chemical reactions interesting 
 C. science teaching has imparted some knowledge of facts to some children 
 D. the author believes that many teachers are authoritarian 
 E. it is relatively easy to learn scientific method. 
Unit 12. Present Continuous
The Present Continuous is mainly used to express the idea that something is happening at the moment
of speaking. The Present Continuous also describes activities generally in progress (not at the 
moment). Another use of the tense is to talk about temporary actions or future plans. 
Form
To form a sentence in the Present Continuous, you have to: 
know the proper conjugation of the auxiliary verb . 
Person Singular Plural
First I am We are
Second You are You are
Third He/she/it is They are
add the "ing" suffix to the verb (to form the present participle of the verb). Examples: 
try + ing = trying
go + ing = going

Contracted forms:
I + am = I'm
is + not = isn't
are + not = aren't
he + is = he's
she + is = she's
it + is= it's
Declarative Sentences
Subject IS/ARE Verb + ING
+ +
e.g. he, she, a dog, etc. e.g. walking, going, taking, etc.
Examples
I am reading a book. 
They are swimming in the sea.
I am having my first driving lesson this week.
He's studying to become lawyer one day
She is always asking me stupid questions.
Questions
IS/ARE Subject Verb + ING
+ +
e.g. he, she, a dog, etc. e.g. walking, going, taking, etc.
Examples
Is she eating my cake now? 
Are they having the party on Friday or Saturday?
Are you meeting David today?
Is Mary having breakfast now?
Negative Sentences

Subject IS NOT / ARE NOT Verb + ING

+ +
e.g. he, she, a dog, etc. e.g. walking, going, taking, etc.
Examples
He isn't joking.

We aren't waiting for my uncle.

He is not going to school tomorrow.

Use
1. Present actions
2. Temporary actions
3. Longer actions in progress
4. Future (personal) arrangements and plans
5. Tendencies and trends
6. Irritation

Use 1: Present Actions
Most often, we use the Present Continuous tense to talk about actions happening at the moment of 
speaking. 
He is eating a dinner. 
Mary is talking with her friends.
They are swimming in the pool.
Stative (State) Verbs 
There is a certain group of verbs that usually does not appear in the Continuous form. They are called 
Stative (State) Verbs, and if used in the Continuous form, they have a different meaning. 
Examples: 
I think you look pretty today. meaning: Opinion
I'm thinking of moving to San Francisco. meaning: Act of thinking

Use 2: Temporary Actions
This tense is also used for activities continuing only for a limited period of time. 
I'm riding a bike to get to work because my car is broken. Temporary Action (His car will soon be 
repaired) 
They are not talking with each other after the last argument. Temporary Action (They will soon make 
up)
Mary is working at McDonald's. Temporary Action (She is working there only during the summer 
holidays)

Use 3: Longer Actions in Progress
We also use the Present Continuous when we are in the middle of doing something time­consuming 
(i.e. something that takes time to complete). An example of such an activity is writing a book, saving 
money or studying for an exam.
They are working hard to earn money. 
 I am training to become a professional footballer. 
Mike is studying hard to become a doctor. 
Elizabeth is currently writing a children's book titled I am the World. 

Use 4: Future (Personal) Arrangements and Plans
Sometimes we use the Present Continuous to show that something is planned and will be done in the 
near future.
I'm meeting Katie in the evening.
He's flying to Rome in September.
We're not going anywhere tomorrow.

Use 5: Tendencies and Trends
This tense is also used for expressing tendencies or trends. 
Our country is getting richer.
The Internet is becoming less of a novelty.
The Universe is expanding.

Use 6: Irritation or Anger
And the last use of this tense is to express irritation or anger over somebody or something in the 
present with adverbs such as: always, continually or contantly. 
She is continually complaining about everything! 
Johny is always asking stupid questions! 
My boss is contantly critising me! 

Unit 13. Modal Auxiliaries

1. The Forms of Modal Auxiliaries:
They help verbs. They express a wide range of meanings: Ability, possibility, permission,
necessity… Most of the modals have more than one meaning. Can – could – may – might –
should – would – had better will – must, Have to – ought to – have got to. The simple form of
the verb follows all of them.
Examples:
She should work harder. I have got to travel this summer. She has to do her homework
herself. Would you speak more slowly please? You had better see him after your conflict.
Shouldn’t you save a little money for a rainy day? You must not wait like this! May I have this
pen to write down some words? You’d better not come late!

2. Expressing Ability: Can - Could:

Can expresses ability in the present or future. Can = is able to (present) = Will be able
(future) The negative of can is: Can’t = cannot = can not. The past form of can is could. Its
negative is couldn’t = could not. Could express the ability in the past. Could = was able (past)
Examples:
I can buy a screwdriver at a hardware store. But I cannot use it. (Present) She could speak
English, but she couldn’t write it. (Past)

3. Giving permission: can, May

May is usually used in formal situations, can is used in informal situation.
Examples:
You may borrow my car when you come. Can I borrow your book?

4. Asking polite questions:

4.1. May I, could, Can I, Might I? : “ I ” is the subject We use those modals to ask polite
questions. The questions ask for someone’s permission. May I is more formal than could I.
Please is often included in questions. Might I is less frequently used. But it has the same
meaning and usage as may I and could I. Can I is sometimes used informally to request
permission, especially if the speaker is talking to someone fairly well known.

4.2. Would You, Will You, Can You, Could You? :“ You ” is the subject The meaning of would
you and will you in a polite question are the same. But would You is more common and polite
than will you. However, the degree of politeness is determined by the speaker’s tone of voice.
Would you and could you have the same meaning. The difference is slight: Would you = do
you want to do this please? Could you = do you want to do this please, and is it possible for
you to do this? Can you is sometimes informal. Typical responses: Yes, I’d be happy to. Yes
I’d be glad to. Certainly. Sure. (Informal) Do not use May you. Or Might you? (For a polite
question)
4.3. Would you mind
4.3.1. Asking permission
Examples:
Would you mind if I close the door? (Informal spoken English) Would you mind if I
closed the door? (Formal) “Would you mind if I” is followed by the simple past. The
meaning of the question is: May I close the door? Is it all right if I close the door? Will it
cause you any trouble or discomfort if I close the door? Typical responses: No. No at all.
Unh-unh = No.

4.3.2.Asking somebody else to do something Would you mind closing the door? "Would
you mind if`" I is followed by a gerund. The meaning is: I don’t want to cause you any
trouble, but would You please close the door? Would that cause you any inconvenience?
Typical responses: No, I’d be happy to No at all, I’d be glad to. Unh-unh = No.

5. Expressing advice (advisability): Should, had better, and ought to:

They mean: This is a good idea. This is good advice. The negative forms are: shouldn’t – had
better not. Ought to doesn’t have the negative form. Should and ought to have the same
meaning. Had better is close to should and ought to. But had better is stronger. Basically, had
better means: This is a very good idea. Often, had better implies a warning or a threat of
possible bad consequences. Had, here, is not the past of have. It’s used as part of an idiom. It
is used in the present and the future as well. Ought to = otta Sometimes in speaking, had is
dropped:
Examples:
You better stay home. You should stay to listen. You need your sleep. You shouldn’t stay up
late. What should I do now? I had better stay home. She had better not smoke. She’d better
save extra money. He ought to come in time.

6. The past form of should:

Should have + -ed (past participle) (Not: should + present perfect)
Examples:
He should have waited a little bit. She should not have wasted all this time. The past form of
ought to is ought to have + -ed Had better has no past form. In conversational: Should have
= shoud’ve or shouda Should have not = shoudn’t’ve = shoudn’t’a

7. Expressing necessity: Have to, have got to, must:

Have is a verb which may be conjugated. Must means that something is very necessary. There
is no other choice. It’s a strong word. Have got to is informal. Have to = hafta Has to = hasta
Got to = gotta
Examples:
They have got to go now (only in spoken English) In conversational: I’ve gotta go now or I
gotta go now. He has to leave now. He had to study yesterday. He must do some good deeds.
The past form of both must and have to is had to. The meaning of the negative forms of must
and have to are different: Must not = mustn’t = prohibition = Do not do this! Do not have to
= Lack of necessity = Not necessary.
Examples:
We don’t have to believe him. Children, you mustn’t see that!
8. Giving instructions: imperative sentences:
They are used to give commands, make polite requests and give directions. The difference
between command and directions lies in the speaker’s tone and voice + the use of please. We
use a simple form of the verb.
Examples:
Open the door (order, command) Please open the door (polite request) Walk two blocks down
this street, turn left and walk three more blocks. (Directions) Negative form: Don’t + the
simple form of the verb Don’t close the door. Don’t close the door please. Please don’t close
the door. Sometimes won’t you is added as a tag question to make a polite request. Come on
please. Won’t you?

9.Making suggestions: Let’s and Why don’t

Let’s (do something) and why don’t we (you and me – you and us) Are used to make
suggestions about activities. Let’s = Let us Why don’t you (do something) is used to make
friendly suggestions, To give a friendly advice.
Examples:
Let’s go to walk Let’s not go! Why don’t we go to the park? = Let’s go to the park (the same
meaning) Why don’t you use your car? Why don’t I do it myself? Why doesn’t she stay? We
also use Shall in questions to make suggestions. Sometimes shall we? Is used as a tag question
after Let’s. More informally, okay is used as a tag question. Shall I stay a moment? Shall we
come over at nine? Let’s talk, shall we? Let’s talk, okay?

10. Using Do for emphasis:

We use DO as an auxiliary in affirmative sentence to make the verb stronger or to emphasize
what we are saying. I don’t have an answer. But I do have a question. We use also DO for
emphasis in a sentence with a tag question when we want to make sure that we have the right
information.
Examples:
She does come over, doesn’t she? They did tell us to be here, didn’t they? Emphatic DO
frequently occurs with never. He never did learn how to be patient. And he still doesn’t.

11. Expressing possibilities May and might

May and might express possibility in the present or future. They have the same meaning.
Examples:
They may be absent today. She might come after her test. Maybe she comes after her test.
(maybe = perhaps is an adverb) The negative forms are: May not, might not. May and can
are used for Permission. May is more formal than can. May not & cannot are used to deny
permission.
Examples:
You cannot have a candy. You may not be in this place.

12. Making logical conclusion: must

Must expresses a logical conclusion (and probability). But we don’t know for certain. We base
our logical guess on the information that we saw.
Examples:
He is yawning. He must be sleepy.

13. Progressive & past forms of May/Might and Must

13.1. Progressive form: Modal + be + -ing (in progress right now)
Example:
At this time, she May (might) be sleeping. You had better Not disturb her.

13.2. Past form: Modal + have + -ed (past participle) (in the past)
Examples:
He doesn’t come yet. He may (might) have forgotten this appointment. Or maybe, he must
have lost something. Must, here means probability. The past of must is had to when it means
necessity.

13.3. Past progressive form: Modal + have been + -ing (past participle) (in progress at a time
in the past)
Examples:
When we went to pick him up yesterday, we didn’t find him. He may (might) have been
working. He must have been studying because he has a lot of exams coming soon.

14. Expressing Expectation with Should:

Should also, as ought to, express expectation. In this case, Should = ought to = will probably.
Examples:
He looks like rich. He should do well. They should get my e-mail tomorrow. Let’s go to the
lecture. It ought to be interesting. The past form expresses the expectation that something did
not occur.
Examples:
We waited for him a long time. But he didn’t arrive. We should have seen him by now.

15. Asking for assistance: Could, can, will, would YOU…?

We use those modals to ask polite questions. The questions ask for Someone’s help or
cooperation. "Can I" is less formal than the others.
Examples:
Could you please open the windows? Will you come to help us this afternoon? Can you pick
this key up for me please? Would you answer me without delay please? What could it be?

16. Could express possibility (It is possible)

In addition to could can mean past ability, Could also express possibility in present and
future like May and Might.
Examples:
He may drive = He might drive = He could drive (=Possibility) He could be sick (present) He
could start raining any minute (future)

17. The passive form of modal auxiliaries:

The passive form: Modal + be + -ed (past participle)
Examples:
Franck couldn’t be reached at his phone number. He can’t be reached at his phone number
either. He May be reached at another one. He should be reached at this one. He had better be
reached at this one. He must be reached at the last one. He has no choice. He ought to be
reached at another one. We have to be reached at the same phone number. The past-passive
form: modal + have been + -ed (past participle)
Examples:
He should have been visited yesterday He must have been rewarded last week. He might have
been reached this morning. She ought to have been visited last night.

18. Stating preferences:

We use: Prefer… to, like…better than would rather… than. I prefer NOUN to NOUN I prefer
verb -ing to verb -ing I like NOUN better than NOUN I like verb -ing better than verb -ing
"Would rather" means prefer. I would rather = I’d rather I would rather write than sleep. I’d
rather have an apple than (have) a peach. Immediately the simple form of a verb follows
rather and than. If the verb is the same, it does not have been repeated after than. In a polite
question, would rather can be followed by OR to offer someone a choice.
Example:
Would you rather have an apple or an orange? The negative form is would rather not.
Example:
She would rather not see him. The past form: Would rather have + -ed
Example:
This speech was boring; I’d rather have stayed home. The progressive form: would rather be
+ -ing
Example:
I would rather be sleeping than (be) watching TV.

19. Other uses of would:

Would can be used as used to when the action was repeated regularly in the past. If the
situation existed in the past without repetition, would is not used.
Example:
I would read a lot books in the university. Would is used to give a soft statement:
 Examples:
I want to understand (strong) I would like to borrow your car. (Soft and polite) I prefer stay
home. (Strong and definite) I would prefer stay home (soft) Would is frequently used in a
response to a polite question. I’d be happy (glad, pleased) to help you I’d appreciate hearing
from you soon: It is a polite way of saying “Please write to me soon.”

Exercises on Modal Auxiliaries 1.

Choose the modal verb which best fits each of the following sentences.
a) I think you must / ought to have the car washed, Jim. It’s so dirty!
b) Her bedroom light is still on. Dorothy should / must be studying for the History
test.
c) It’s not surprising that we couldn’t / might not find the house. You gave us the
wrong address.
d) “It’s the end of the term. So you shouldn’t / don’t have to do any homework”, the
teacher said.
e) Excuse me. Could / Might you lend me your pen?
f) What are your plans for the next summer? I’m not sure. I must/ may go to London.
g) If the traffic gets very bad, we might / should miss the train.
h) I thought I saw James in town, but I could / ought to have been wrong.
i) You may / must come and visit us. I would be so nice to see you again.

2. REPHRASING: MODALS
1. It is possible that I finish work earlier than usual today.
2. I am not sure that she is his girlfriend.
3. Smoking is forbidden in hospitals.
4. It is possible that her boyfriend is coming to the wedding.
5. It is possible that we'll be together soon.
6. If possible, don't bring your notebook tomorrow.
7. If you want to pass the exam, you should study.
8. Smoking is forbidden in most restaurants.
9. You knew how to ride a bicycle.
10. Perhaps they only open the museum in the morning.
11. If you want my advice, go to the dentist!
12. I'm sure they are at home. The lights are on.
13. If you don't stop eating so many cakes, you'll have a stomachache.
14. I'm sure she knows you are here.
15. They don't allow talking on the phone here, but most people do.
16. Maybe your friend will call you on your birthday.
17. He knows how to play golf.
18. It wasn't necessary for you to make your bed, they hotel staff would have done it.
19. It isn't necessary to do exercise 7.
20. Here's my advice: work harder.

Unit 14. Prepositions

Prepositions are a class of words that indicate relationships between nouns, pronouns and
other words in a sentence. Most often they come before a noun. They never change their form,
regardless of the case, gender etc. of the word they are referring to.

Some common prepositions are:

about below in onto unlike

above beneath in addition to on top of until
according to beside in back of out up
across between in case of out of upon
after beyond in front of outside up to
against but* in place of over with
along by inside past within
along with by means of in spite of regarding without
among concerning instead of round
apart from despite into since
around down like through
as during near throughout
as for except next till
at except for of to
because of excepting off toward
before for on under
behind from underneath

The following table contains rules for some of the most frequently used prepositions in
English:

Prepositions – Time

English Usage Example

on days of the week on Monday
months / seasons in August / in winter
time of day in the morning
in
year in 2006
after a certain period of time (when?) in an hour
for night at night
at for weekend at the weekend
a certain point of time (when?) at half past nine
since from a certain point of time (past till now) since 1980
for over a certain period of time (past till now) for 2 years
ago a certain time in the past 2 years ago
before earlier than a certain point of time before 2004
to telling the time ten to six (5:50)
past telling the time ten past six (6:10)
to / till /  marking the beginning and end of a period 
from Monday to/till Friday
until of time
in the sense of how long something is 
till / until He is on holiday until Friday.
going to last
English Usage Example
in the sense of at the latest I will be back by 6 o’clock.
by
up to a certain time By 11 o'clock, I had read five pages.

Prepositions – Place (Position and Direction)

English Usage Example

room, building, street, town, country in the kitchen, in London
book, paper etc. in the book
in
car, taxi in the car, in a taxi
picture, world in the picture, in the world
meaning next to, by an object
at the door, at the station
for table
at the table
at for events
at a concert, at the party
place where you are to do something 
at the cinema, at school, at work
typical (watch a film, study, work)
attached the picture on the wall
for a place with a river London lies on the Thames.
being on a surface on the table
on for a certain side (left, right) on the left
for a floor in a house on the first floor
for public transport on the bus, on a plane
for television, radio on TV, on the radio
by, next 
Jane is standing by / next to / beside the 
to,  left or right of somebody or something
car.
beside
on the ground, lower than (or covered by) 
under the bag is under the table
something else
lower than something else but above 
below the fish are below the surface
ground
covered by something else put a jacket over your shirt
meaning more than over 16 years of age
over
getting to the other side (also across) walk over the bridge
overcoming an obstacle climb over the wall
higher than something else, but not directly
above a path above the lake
over it
getting to the other side (also over) walk across the bridge
across
getting to the other side swim across the lake
something with limits on top, bottom and 
through drive through the tunnel
the sides
movement to person or building go to the cinema
to movement to a place or country go to London / Ireland
for bed go to bed
into enter a room / a building go into the kitchen / the house
movement in the direction of something 
towards go 5 steps towards the house
(but not directly to it)
 English Usage Example
onto movement to the top of something jump onto the table
from in the sense of where from a flower from the garden

Other important Prepositions

English Usage Example

from who gave it a present from Jane
who/what does it belong to a page of the book
of
what does it show the picture of a palace
by who made it a book by Mark Twain
walking or riding on horseback on foot, on horseback
on
entering a public transport vehicle get on the bus
in entering a car  / Taxi get in the car
off leaving a public transport vehicle get off the train
out of leaving a car  / Taxi get out of the taxi
rise or fall of something
prices have risen by 10 percent
by travelling (other than walking or 
by car, by bus
horseriding)
at for age she learned Russian at 45
about for topics, meaning what about we were talking about you

Preposition Game!

Read the conversation below, and draw the items in the box.

Mover: Where would you like the sofa?
Customer: Please put it in front of the window.
Mover: Where would you like the bookshelf?
Customer: Please put it next to the door.
Mover: Where would you like the desk?
Customer: Please put it next to the bookshelf.
Mover: Where would you like the end tables?
Customer: Please put them next to the sofa.
Mover: Where would you like the coffee table?
Customer: In the middle of the room.
Mover: Where would you like the lamp?
Customer: On the coffee table.
Mover: Where would you like the phone?
Customer: On the end table on the left of the sofa.
Mover: Where would you like the plant?
Customer: In the corner, on the right of the
window.
Mover: Where would you like the trash can?
Customer: Between the plant and the desk.
Mover: Where would you like the clock?
Customer: On the wall, above the desk.
Mover: Where would you like the magazine rack?
Customer: Under the coffee table.
Draw the items here.

 Put in: in at or on.

a) What are you doing ____ Sunday?
b) I'll be at work late ______ Tuesday morning.
c) I've got my piano lessons ______ 9.00 ______ Thursdays.
d) She got married ______ 2001.
e) Can we meet ______ lunchtime _____ Tuesday?
f) We all went to London _____ the weekend.
g) I usually go swimming _______ July.
h) She finished school _____ 1996.
 i) My grandmother usually comes to stay ______ Christmas.
j) I don't like driving _____ night.
k) Our garden looks wonderful _____ the spring.
l) I usually stop work ______ 5 O’clock ______ the afternoon.
m) Carol was born _______ 8.25 ______ the evening ______ Thursday 17 th
June 2000.
n) It gets very hot here ______ the summer.
Exercise on Prepositions of place.

Above Between Inside To the left of

Behind In On To the right of
below In front of Opposite under

1. the sofa is _____ the chair

2. The clock is _____ the mantelpiece.
3. The magazine is _____ the table.
4. The paintings is _____ the fireplace.
5. The bookcase is _____ the fireplace.
6. The book is _____ the vase of flowers.
7. There are lots of books _____ the bookcase.
8. The coffee table is _____ the sofa and the armchair.
9. The cat is _____ the sofa and the armchair.
10. The goldfish is _____ the goldfish bowl.
11. The record-player is _____ the records.
12. The clock is _____ the paintings.

Complete the following sentences using : at, by, for, in.

1. He sent a copy of his will to his bank ______ safe keeping.
2. The house is to be sold ______ auction.
3. Although I practice quite a lot, I never seem to win very often ______ tennis.
4. Let Albert work it out; he has an aptitude ______ figures.
5. You could tell ______ a glance that he was no ordinary speaker.
6. Most people think the government is to blame ______rising unemployment.
7. Although their marriage was not a happy one, they decided to stay together
______ the sake of the children.
8. There has been a sharp increase ______ house prices in recent months.
9. They began to drop out of the race one ______ one.
10. Do you know of a cure______ baldness?
11. She takes great pride ______ her work.
12. He was the sort of person who immediately made you feel ____ ease.
13. Did she give you any reason ______ her behavior?
14. I’m sorry, but I’m not _____to tell you anymore.
15. John’s got very strange taste ______ clothes, hasn’t he?
16. Could you come back in half an hour? Mr. Baston’s ______ lunch at the
moment.
17. We didn’t know ______ certain whether they would come or not.
18. Think of a number. Now multiply it______ seven.
19. Do sit down. Mr. Brown will join you ______ a moment.
20. The attendance ______ Saturday’s meeting was very poor.
Read through the following and fill in the numbered blanks with a
suitable preposition of time. Be careful, however, because in one or two
cases no preposition is needed!

My parents met (1)______ the war: (2) ______ August 1943 to be precise. My
father was home (3) ______ leave (4) ________ the front, and he decided to spend
the first week with his aunt in Liverpool. He hadn’t seen her (5) _____ several years,
even though she had brought him up (6) _____ his mother’s death. Liverpool is not
the most beautiful city in the world, but it can be very pleasant (7) ______
summertime, especially early (8) ______ the morning. (9) ______ this particular
morning, however, my father was in no mood to enjoy the sunrise over the Mersey.
His train left Euston Station (10) _____ time, at midnight, but (11) _____ the time
it got to Crewe, it was already there and a half hours (12) _____ schedule. So he was
in a bad mood and very tired (13) _____ arrival at Lime Street Station. But
something happened (14) _____ minutes of his arrival that changed not only his
mood but also his whole life. Feeling thirsty (15) _____ his long journey, he decided
to go and have a cup of tea in the station buffet. Typically, it was shut (16) ___ that
early hour. A notice on the door read “opening hours: (17) _____ 7 a.m. (18) _____
5.30 p.m. He looked at the station clock: ten (19) _______ seven. The buffet should
be open (20) _____ now, he thought. But, knowing station buffets, he realized that
he could wait (21) _____ 8 or even 9 o’clock before it opened. Suddenly he noticed a
pretty girl sitting on a bench. She was pouring some hot liquid from a thermos flask
into a cup. Being something of a lady’s man, my father (at least this is what my
mother told me (22) _______ some years later) sat down and said, “I’ve never seen
such a pretty girl (23) _____ all my life as you. And I haven’t had a hot drink (24)
_____ last night. If you give me a drink of your tea, I’ll marry you and look after you
(25) ______ the rest of your life!” Believe it or not, she smiled at him, gave him the
tea, and … well, I wouldn’t be here (26) _____ now if the buffet hadn’t been shut
(27) ________ that fateful day (28) _____ August 1943.

Unit 15. Wh Questions

We use question words to ask certain types of questions (question word questions).
We often refer to them as WH words because they include the letters WH (for
example WHy, HoW).

Question Word Function Example

asking for information about
what What is your name?
something
asking for repetition or What? I can't hear you.
confirmation You did what?
 asking for a reason, asking
what...for What did you do that for?
why
when asking about time When did he leave?
asking in or at what place or
where Where do they live?
position
which asking about choice Which colour do you want?
asking what or which person
who Who opened the door?
or people (subject)
asking what or which person
whom Whom did you see?
or people (object)
Whose are these keys?
whose asking about ownership
Whose turn is it?
asking for reason, asking
why Why do you say that?
what...for
why don't making a suggestion Why don't I help you?

how asking about manner How does this work?

asking about condition or
How was your exam?
quality
how + adj/adv asking about extent or degree see examples below
How far is Pattaya from
how far distance
Bangkok?
how long length (time or space) How long will it take?

how many quantity (countable) How many cars are there?

How much money do you
how much quantity (uncountable)
have?
how old age How old are you?

how come (informal) asking for reason, asking why How come I can't see her?

1. Fill in the blanks with:

Who, Whom, Whose, Which, What, Why, Where, When, How long, How often, How many/ 
much

1-……………….is monopolising computer technology nowadays?

Avant garde elites, advertisers and e-commerce gangs are monopolising computer
technology.
2- ……………..did not want to swim in the red water? Tourists didn’t.
3-……………………did you give the message to? To Mr Powers, the co-assistant.
4-…………………. river carries the chemicals into the Adriatic sea? River Po does.
5-………………….. is an algae? It’s a type of sea weed.
6-………………………..was the 1st e-mail sent? The 1st e-mail was sent in 1971.
7-………………………..was sent in 1971? The 1st e-mail was sent in 1971.
8-………………………..died in the explosion in Beijing? Nearly 4000 people.
9-………………………………..experience have you had? I have attended a two-month course
followed by a six-week training in York
10-……are you going to introduce out TV show for teens? Sometime next week, probably.
11-…………………………….….have you been studying at home via computer and internet
resources? More than a year now.
12-……………………does it mean “on site learning”?
It means the student has to attend classes at school.
13-……………………… do you send questions on the assignment to your teacher’s e-mail?
Well, say, twice a week.
14-……………………weren’t you able to finish your research work?
First, because I never felt comfortable having a tutorial on-line and secondly,
because I suddenly got bored of this issue.
15-………………….of the applicants has got the job, Thomas or Gustav?
None. The boss had someone else in mind.

2. Choose the correct WH Question word.

1. _________ do you live? 6. _________ does your father work? 
I live in Toronto. He works at the post office.
 a) Who  a) When
 b) What  b) Who
 c) Where  c) Where
2. _________ do you wake up?  7. _________ do I cook rice? 
I wake up at 7:30 am. You need to use a pot with water.
 a) When  a) How
 b) Why  b) Who
 c) How  c) Where
3. _________ is your brother?  8. _________ is the party? 
He is great, thanks for asking. It is on Saturday night.
 a) Where  a) Where
 b) Why  b) When
 c) How  c) Why
4. _________ is this? 9. _________ are you sad? 
That's my electronic dictionary.  Because my dog is sick.
 a) Who  a) Who
 b) What  b) What
 c) Where  c) Why
5. _________ do you take English class?  10. _________ is the bank? 
Because I want to improve my speaking. It is on 4th Avenue.
 a) Where  a) When
 b) When  b) Where
 c) Why  c) How

3. Fill in the blanks with [ do, does, is, 4. Fill in the blanks with do, does, is,
or are.] are.

1. Where_____she work? 1. Where_____you live?

2. When _____you finish school? 2. How_____you?
3. Why_____ou like that movie? 3. When_____they come to school?
4. When_____the game? 4. Where_____she work?
5. What_____your brother's name? 5. Why_____Kim sad?
6. Where_____my jacket?
7. How old_____your parents?
8. When_____Dan eat dinner?
9. What_____the answer to question
number 5?
10. How_____the boys like the class?
6. Who_____your teacher?
7. What_____their names?
8. Who_____you sit with in class?
9. When_____the boys go to sleep?
10. How_____Tom like his new car?

Unit 16. Descriptive Writing

Describing People
1. Look at the people in the photographs and talk about each in terms of
appearance, personality and life/lifestyle.

Appearance: How would you describe each person’s appearance?

Which features of their appearance are most noticeable?
What does their way of sitting , looking, etc. suggest?

Personality: What do you imagine each person is like?

Life & Lifestyle: What else do you imagine about each person concerning such things
as profession, ambitions, interests/hobbies, daily routine, etc?

A composition describing a person should consist of:

a). an introduction giving brief information about who the person is, where/how you met
him/her, how you heard about him/her, etc;
b). a main body which may include description of such things as physical appearance,
personality/behavior, manner/mannerisms and/or details of the person’s life and lifestyle,
(hobbies, interests, everyday, activities, etc.) and
c). a conclusion in which you comment on why the person is of interest, express your
feelings/opinion concerning the person, etc.

In a descriptive composition of a person, you may also be asked to explain why this person is
successful/admirable/unusual, etc, why he/she made such a strong impression on you, how
he/she has influenced you, etc.
Each paragraph should start with a topic sentence which summaries the paragraph. The
content of the paragraph depends on the topic itself and where the emphasis is placed.
Descriptions of people may be included in several other types of writing tasks such as
narratives, letters, assessment reports, etc.

Points to consider
 To describe physical appearance, you should give details of the person’s height/build,
age, facial features, hair, clothing, etc. moving from the most general aspects to the
most specific details. e.g. Bil, who is in his early twenties, is quite tall and well-
built, with thick black hair and piercing blue eyes. He is usually dressed in
jeans and a T-shirt.
 To describe personality and behavior, you can support your description with examples
of manner and mannerism: e.g. Mark is rather unsociable, usually sitting silently
in a corner observing others from distance.
 To describe life, lifestyle and beliefs, you should talk about the person’s habits,
interests, profession, daily routing, opinions, etc. e.g. Being both a university student
and a part-time assistant in a supermarket, Janet has little free time to go out
in the evenings.
 If the instructions for the writing task ask you to describe someone related to the present,
e.g. “Describe a person who is unusual..”, you will describe the person using Present
tenses. If you are asked to describe someone related to the past, someone who is no longer
 alive, or someone whom you met some time ago.. e.g. “Describe a famous person you
met who was not as you expected..”, you will describe the person using Past Tenses.
 The use of descriptive vocabulary, e.g. stunning, slender, etc, and a variety of linking
words and structures will make your writing more interesting.

2. Read the following composition and fill in the missing information in the plan. Look at the
highlighted adjective-noun combinations, then close your books and try to remember as many
of these as possible. What other words can you think of which could be used to describe a
person’s physical appearance?

Describe a person you know well You can use the following outline
When I began working at Hillcrest in order to write essay in
Nursery School three years ago, I was describing people:
introduced to Sharon Dunn, the school’s
headmistress. INTRODUCTION
Her smart appearance and warm, friendly Paragraph 1
expression made me like her immediately. She Who the person is/
is a small-boned, smiling woman in her early When/how you first me/saw her /
fifties, with twinkling blue eyes and soft, silver him
curls. Although she dresses simply, she always
manages to look elegant. MAIN BODY
She is a very fair minded-person who Paragraph 2
treats everyone at the school with equal Physical appearance
respect. Despite clasping her hands nervously
she is upset, she is actually very clam, which is Paragraph 3
shown by her ability to keep her temper in the Personality/behavior (with
most difficult situations. Her quiet voice and justification/examples)
gentle, caring manner make her popular with
the children. Paragraph 4
Ms Dunn has no children of her own; Life/lifestyle/beliefs
however, she says that she feels like a mother
tot all of the children in her school. In fact, she Paragraph 5
has no time for family life, since she dedicates Explanation 1 + justification
her life to her job. Besides taking care of
various administrative tasks every day, she Paragraph 6
always takes time to talk to teachers and Explanation 2 + justification
parents. In addition, she often holds meetings
with the school’s Board of Directors, as well as CONCLUSION
with staff and parents. Final Paragraph
To my mind, Sharon Dunn is a dedicated Comments / feelings about person
professional who is a wonderful role model,
not only for the children but for the teachers,
as well.

Describing Place
A composition describing a place/building should consist of:
a) an introduction giving brief information about the name and location of the
place/building and stating the reason for choosing to write about it. (e.g. What it is
famous for, what makes it so special, etc.)
b) a main body giving both general and specific details about the lace /building usually
moving from the general features to specific ones. When you describe a place you
should give the overall impression by referring to landscape, buildings, landmarks,
etc., and particular details (sights to see, places to go, things to do). When you
 describe a building you should write a bout its surroundings (e.g. situated in Oxford
Street..), then give a detailed description of its exterior and interior, and,
c) a conclusion in which you express your feelings or opinion concerning the subject or
give a recommendation.
 You may also be asked to explain why a particular place is important to you, popular, etc.
Note that the number and length of paragraphs varies depending on the topic.
 Descriptions of places/buildings may be included in several other types of writing tasks,
such as stories, assessment reports, articles, brochures, letters and magazine articles.

Points to consider:
 Descriptions of places/buildings may include: factual information such as age, size,
color, materials, etc. (e.g. The temple, with 10-meter tall marble columns, was build in
800 BC.), details relating to the senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste) to suggest
mood and atmosphere (e.g. Visitors’ footsteps on the worn stone floors echo through
the cool, dark corridors, disturbing the tranquil silence.), opinions/impressions of the
place or building (e.g. Tourists are fascinated by its air of mystery.)
 Each aspect of the description should be presented in a separate paragraph beginning
with a clear topic sentence.
 The use of descriptive vocabulary (e.g exquisite, exclusive, towering, etc), a variety of
linking words and structures as well as narrative techniques will make your writing
more interesting.
 Presents tenses are normally used when describing a place for a tourist brochure or a
magazine article. Past tense are normally used when describing a visit to a
place/building. First and second conditionals (will/would) can be used when you
describe your ideal city/house, etc. Note that when we give factual information about
a place or building this is normally given using Present tenses. (e.g. I flew to Madrid
last Monday. Madrid is situated in the central point of the Iberian peninsula with a
population of about 30,000,000.)

Describe a large, busy city:

 HONG KONG You can use the following
Build around a small peninsula in the south east of outline in order to write
China, Hong Kong, now one of the most densely populated essay in describing place:
places on earth, is a city of extreme contrasts, where East
meets West, and the latest technology is equally as INTRODUCTION
important as ancient customs are. Paragraph 1
The streets of Hong Kong are a frenzy of activity and Name/location/population
deafening noise. The roads are congested with vehicles, of the place, reason for
from sparkling limousines to dusty rickshaws, while choosing the place.
countless hordes of people stream past on the pavements,
and in the crowded narrow alleyways, the senses of the MAIN BODY
pedestrian are bombarded with a bewildering variety of Paragraph 2 – 3
exotic sights and smells. In contrast, not far from the General features and
chaotic, cramped city center lie parks with cool streams, particular details.
shrines and chirping birds. Meanwhile, tranquil mountains (Place: surroundings, sights,
form a breathtaking backdrop to the towering skyscrapers facilities, free-time activities.
of steel and concrete packed closely around the harbor,
where huge modern ships float alongside little Chinese Building: surroundings,
junks. detailed description of
Below the bright neon lights, garishly advertising exterior/interior)
every brand name conceivable, visitors will find an endless
variety of shops and restaurant competing for space on Paragraph 4 – 5
Hong Kong’s manic streets. You can buy anything here, Explanation and example /
ranging from state-of-the-art computer technology to hand- justification
made silk suits. There are also fish and bird markets all over
the city, where heaps of gleaming silver fish can be found CONCLUSION
displayed next to brilliantly-colored squawking parrots. Final Paragraph
Tourists and locals alike flock to the Jade Market, hidden Comments / feelings about person
on a side street, with its intricately-carved pieces depicting
Chinese icons, Buddhas and dragons made of smooth green
stone. For food, Hong Kong is second to none, as it offers a
wide choice of dishes in all sorts of eating establishments.
The city’s nightlife, like its shops and restaurants, caters for
all tastes, whether you are searching for the opportunity to
serenade your loved one in a karaoke bar or are simply after
a beer and a bit of dancing.
Perhaps the strangest thing about Hong Kong is the
way all of its dramatically contrasting features co-exist so
harmoniously. However, unless you witness it for yourself,
you will never know what a pleasant atmosphere this
creates. So, for an unforgettably unique experience, try
Hong Kong, you won’t regret it.