Language Usage and Grammar

Topic 1: Nouns
A noun is a naming word that identifies or names a person, a place, an animal, a thing, an idea or a feeling.

Common Nouns
- a name given to EVERY person or thing of the same class or kind

Proper Nouns
- refers to a PARTICULAR person, place or thing. It begins with a capital letter

Collective Nouns
- refers to a collection or a group of things taken together and SPOKEN OF AS ONE WHOLE; it is SINGULAR in form
Eg: A flock of birds

An army of soldiers A litter of cubs/puppies/kittens

A bench of magistrates A pack of wolves
A board of directors A pride of lions
A brood of chickens A school of fishes
A flock of sheep A team of players
A herd of cattle A troop of monkeys
A chest of drawers A troupe of dancers
A clump of trees A library of books

Abstract Nouns
- names a quality, idea, feeling or a general characteristics. It cannot be detected by the five senses

Word Abstract Nouns Word Abstract Nouns

Act Action Accurate Accuracy
Boy Boyhood Advise Advice
Coward Cowardice Arrive Arrival
Owner Ownership Depart Departure
Young Youth Obey Obedience
Deny Denial Pretend Pretence
Admit Admission Poor Poverty

Countable and Uncountable Nouns

- the distinction between the use of countable and uncountable nouns is that they are used with different sets of words to
show quantity or number.

Countable Uncountable
A -
An -
A few A little/Less
Many Much
A number of A quantity of
Some Some
Several -
Plenty of Plenty of
A lot of A lot of
A large number of A large amount of
- A great deal of
Any Any
*Note that money is uncountable, currency and coins are countable
Singular and Plural Nouns

Ways to form plural:

1. add ‘s’ to the singular nouns
Butcher – butchers
Vendor – vendors
Surgeon – surgeons
2. add ‘es’ to the singular nouns that end with s, ss, ch, sh, x and o
Singular Plural Singular Plural
Gas Gases Ash Ashes
Pass Passes Slash Slashes
Branch Branches Wax Waxes
Batch Batches Cargo Cargoes
3. add ‘en’ to the singular nouns
Ox – oxen
Child – children
4. add ‘s’ to the singular nouns that ends with y (Note that the letter before y is a vowel)
Valley – valleys
Ray – rays
5. change the y in the singular nouns to ‘ies’
Housefly – houseflies
Nanny – nannies
Mummy – mummies
6. change the fe in the singular nouns to ves
Life – lives
Knife – knives
*Common exceptions: café – cafes
safe - safes
7. change f into ves
Calf – calves
Loaf – loaves
*Common exceptions: reef – reefs dwarf – dwarfs puff – puffs
bluff – bluffs chief - chiefs
8. change certain vowels in the singular nouns
Goose – geese
Man – men
9. special changes are made
Louse – lice
Mouse – mice
10. there are no plural form of the nouns
Deer – deer
Sheep – sheep
Swine – swine
*Plural form are expressed with be verbs, collective nouns or plural pronouns etc.
11. nouns that are only used in singular form
News Mathematics
12. nouns that are only used in plural form
Clothes Measles
Scissors Trousers ~ ‘a pair of; is always put in front of these two nouns
13. Plurals of compound words
i) ‘s’ is added to the final word : teenager (teen+age) – teenagers
ii) ‘s’ is added to the headword : passer-by – passers-by
14. some foreign words and their plurals
Formula – formulas/formulae radius – radii
Fungus – fungi/funguses crisis - crises
Topic 2: Pronouns
Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns that are previously mentioned pronouns that we understand, even though
not mentioned.

Personal Pronouns
- refers to the speaker, the person spoken to or about
- used as a substitute for the name of a person or a thing
- can be used as both subject or object
Subject Object Subject Object
I Me You You
We Us They Them
He Him She Her
It It

Possessive Pronouns
- used to shows possession
* words in bold are possessive pronouns
my mine their theirs
our ours her hers
your yours his his

Indefinite Pronouns
- refers to someone general and not specific individuals
- you and they are often used
- some others indefinite pronouns: anyone, someone, somebody, anybody, everybody, few, many, both and all

Reflexive and Emphatic Pronouns

- a special form of personal pronoun that refers back to the subject or gives emphasis
I myself we ourselves
you yourself you Yourselves (denotes plural)
they themselves she herself
he himself it itself

Demonstrative Pronouns
- used to point out some particular person or thing
this – these
that - those

Relative Pronouns
- used to join two sentences or to elaborate nouns
- can be also used as Interrogative Pronouns ( to ask questions )
For people: who, whom, whose
For things: which
Suits for all: that
*Note the difference between who and whom
Whom is usually followed by personal pronouns whereas who is usually followed by a verb

Distributive Pronouns
- refer to persons or things taken one at a time
- each, either and neither
* they are always singular and as such followed by verb in the singular form
Eg: Neither of them writes well.

Reciprocal Pronouns
- shows a mutual relationship between two or more individuals or groups
each other @ one another

Compound Relative Pronouns

whoever, whichever, however, whenever and wherever
 Topic 3: Verbs
Verbs are action words. They can be divided into singular and plural verbs.
*Singular subject is followed by plural verbs and vice versa

Finite and Non-finite Verbs

Finite verbs are verbs used to make statements. Without a finite verbs, a sentence will be incomplete
Non-finite verbs are verbs that express action but do not function as verbs.
Eg: Singing is his hobby.

Verbs of Being
Verbs of being are not action verbs. Such verbs express a state of being.
Present Past
I am I was
You are You were
He/she/it is He/she/it was
We are We were
They are They were

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

Transitive verb has an object to complete the meaning of the sentence.
Eg: Sally plucks. (X)The meaning is incomplete.
Sally plucks flowers. (/) The meaning is complete.
Non-transitive verb is complete without an object.
Eg: Sally cries. (/)

Auxiliary Verbs
- a verb that adds functional or grammatical meaning to the clause in which it appears. (aka helping verb)
is shall should
am can could
are will would
was may might
were must
has do
have does
had did

Irregular Verbs
- verbs that change their form when they change their tenses
Root form (Present Tense) Simple Past Past Participle (needs an auxiliary. An action already done)
bear bore borne
beat beat beaten
become became become
bite bit bitten
bleed bled bled
blow blew blown
burst burst burst
deal dealt dealt
rise rose risen
run ran run
flee fled fled
grind ground ground
saw sawed sawn
ride rode ridden
wear wore worn
swell swelled swollen
wake woke woken
set set set
wind wound wound

Forming Verbs – verbs can be formed from noun and adjectives (refer to Grammar Enhancement Section F Part II)
Topic 4: Subject – Verb Agreement
We have learnt that –s can be added to most nouns to make them plural.
Besides that –s is added to a verb when it is singular.
When singular subject are match with singular verbs and plural subjects are said to be matched with plural verbs, they are
said to agree in number.
Eg: The boy returns home. (Singular)
Boys return home. (Plural)

If two or more subjects are connected by and, the verb will usually be in plural.
Brenda and Pat are here.

If two singular nouns refer to the SAME person or thing, the verb must be singular.
The top player and the captain of the team goes up to the podium to receive the cup.

As well as, together with and in addition to do not add one subject to another. They merely show that what is
said about the subject also applies to other things or person. Thus the verbs must be singular.
The father with the mother has arrived.
Heavy rain, in addition to a traffic jam, has delayed our arrival.

If two subjects together express one idea or if two nouns joined by and are different parts of the description of a
single thing or person, the verb will be singular.
Bread and butter is my favourite breakfast.

Each, either, neither, none and one are used as singular subjects. Thus they take singular verbs.
One of the robbers was arrested.

In some sentences, or, either…or or neither…nor gives the writer a choice between a singular and a plural one.
Make the verb of such a sentence agree with the subject closer to it.
Either the sisters or their brother is coming.
Either the brother or the sisters are coming.

Words like athletics, mathematics, statistics, news etc. are used with a singular verb.
No news is good news.

The words all, some and the rest take singular verbs when they refer to UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS.
Some water is required for this experiment.
The rest is history.

Likewise, when these words take plural verbs when they refer to COUNTABLE NOUNS.
All are friends here.

A collective noun may be used as singular or plural. Singular is used when they are think as a whole while plural is
used when thinking of the individual members.
The family has always been an important social unit. (The family is thought of as one unit.)
The family were gathered at the dinner table. (Individual members are thought of.)

When a sentence in present tense turns into a question or is made negative, we used does if the verb ends in –s
while do is used when the word has no –s ending.
A: He plays badminton.
B: Does he play badminton?
C: He does not play badminton>

When a plural noun is the name of a book, country or thing, the verb will be singular.
The War of the Worlds is an interesting book.

Sometimes the noun next to the verb is not the simple subject
The widespread abuse of drugs is a serious problem. (The simple subject is abuse.)
Grammar Enhancement

A) Fill in the blanks with the correct Collective Nouns.

1. a ___________ of musicians
2. a ___________ of ladies
3. a ___________ of singers
4. a ___________ of actors
5. a ___________ of sailors
6. a ___________ of geese
7. a ___________ of buffaloes
8. a ___________ of flowers
9. a ___________ of keys
10. a __________ of grapes
11. a __________ of fish
12. a __________ of acrobats
13. a __________ of grass
14. a __________ of teachers
15. a __________ of tigers
14. A __________ of friends awaited him at the entrance of the stadium.
15. The ______________ was conducted by a renowned musician.
16. The __________ in a riot dispersed when the police arrived.
17. When evening came, the ___________ of chickens entered the cage.
18. A __________ of ships sailed towards the harbour.
19. The thieves hid the loot in a __________ of hay.
20. Every afternoon, the baseball ________ follows its coach out to the hot field for practice.
21. The Chief Executive Officer held a meeting of the __________ of directors.
22. The ________ of audience clapped enthusiastically after the performance.
23. A _________ of bees flew out of the bush.
24. There are 52 cards in a ________.
25. The __________ celebrated heartily after their winning goal.
26. The sheep clustered in a tight ________ to ward off the cold weather.
27. My generous uncle gave me a ___________ of gifts during my 12th birthday.
28. All members of the club shall adhere to the _________ of rules made.
29. There’s a ________ of books on his messy table.
30. He comes from a huge _________ : he’s the oldest of ten kids.
31. My mum bought a ________ of eggs, a ________ of milk and a ________ of flour to bake a cake.
32. The _________ of birds are flying south for winter.
33. The _________ of deer were grazing in the hills.
34. A ________ of bees can produce a lot of honey.
35. An _________ of soldiers lined the street during the National’ Day.
36. We picked a _________ of apples form the orchard.
37. My mum just made a fresh ________ of cookies.
38. They ate the pizza like a hungry ________ of wolves.
39. The _________ played live music during the special occasion.
40. How many kittens are there in this ________?
41. Mark has a __________ of football player cards.
42. There was a _________ of dust at the abandoned house.
43. The _________ of students listened to the guest speaker attentively.
44. The _________ of thieves took to their heels when they heard the siren of a police car.
45. The _________ of students read the direction on the whiteboard before doing the activity planned.
46. John ran up the __________ of stairs as fast as lightning because he is running late.
47. There’s a __________ of trash after the class party.
48. I had a glimpse of a ____________ of stars last night.
49. He fed the monkey a ___________ of bananas.
50. A _________ of monkeys hung from the trees as we walked by their cage in the zoo.
B) Part I: Write the Abstract Nouns for the following.
51. agent - _______________ 63. revise - _____________
52. king - ________________ 64. consider - ___________
53. decide - ______________ 65. hate - ______________
54. exist - ________________ 66. know - ______________
55. grow - _______________ 67. succeed - ____________
56. judge - _______________ 68. able - _______________
57. laugh - _______________ 69. deep - ______________
58. marry - _______________ 70.life - ________________
59. think - _______________ 71. possess - ____________
60. brave - _______________ 72. dominate - ___________
61. young - _______________ 73. satisfy - ______________
62. amuse - ______________ 74. ethnic - ______________

Part II: Fill in the blanks with Abstract Nouns of the words in bracket.
75. The teacher noted that one ____________ (weak) of the students’ composition is the lack of ideas.
76. The teacher doubted the ______________ (true) of what the oy said.
77. The team was well-prepared; but their ____________ (perform) was disappointing.
78. The wife almost always disagree with the husband’s ________________ (select) of his shirt.
79. He had to pay for his _______________. (fool)
80. ______________ (punctual) is a quality that must be developed.
81. Although he suffered in his ____________, (child) as a man he was full of vigour and enthusiasm.
82. He had shown his ____________ (kind) again by donating generously to the needy.
83. He was rewarded for his _____________ (hero) in war.
84. The people of the country opposed the ___________ (despot) of the ruler.
85. The army was developed to maintain ___________. (peaceful)
86. Derrick was always full of _____________ (happy) but his life became miserable when he involved in gambling.
87. Can you believe that woman’s ______________.(brilliant)
88. The knight showed a lot of his ______________. (loyal)
89. To my ____________, (delightful) everyone arrived on time.
90. Mike shares lots of __________ (love) with his family.
91. James was full of ___________ (angry) when he realised his friend betrayed her.
92. Connor has ______________ (confident) that he will make the team.
93. My grandmother is full of _____________. (wise)
94. His ____________ (strong) is unbelievable.
95. He finished his job without a lot of _______________. (difficult)
96. The science test gave Leo ______________. (anxious)
97. Everyone saw John’s _______________ (determine) to finish the race.
98. Dad made a ______________ (promise) to play with us every day.
99. Kate was in _____________ (miserable) when she waited for the rain to stop.
100. The fairy godmother casted a spell to give the princess eternal ____________. (beautiful)

Part III: For each word below, change them to their Abstract Nouns and make sentences with it.
101. protect -
__________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
102. punish - __________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
103. viable - ___________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
104. exhilarate - _______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
105. complex - _________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
C) Part I: Put C for a Countable Noun and U for an uncountable noun in the brackets provided.
106. information ( ) 116.snake ( )
107. sound ( ) 117. table ( )
108. aeroplane ( ) 118. milk ( )
109. soil ( ) 119. flour ( )
110. coal ( ) 120. flower ( )
111.house ( ) 121. gold ( )
112. town ( ) 122, knife ( )
113. butter ( ) 123. coffee ( )
114. jam ( ) 124. letter ( )
115. rice ( ) 125. news ( )

Part II: Fill in the blanks with the suitable word that shows quantity. (eg: much, many, some, any etc.)
126. Have you _________ letters for me? Asked Mr Tan.
127. Here are __________ books I borrowed from the library. Do you like __________ of these?
128. A few people survived; but _________ died.
129. I don’t usually drink _________ tea.
130. It’s ____________ warm. Could you please turn on the air conditioner.
131. There are______________ reasons why you should take up this job.
132. Would you like ___________ sugar in your coffee.
133. I don’t find __________ of these books useful. In fact __________ of these should have been throw away.
134. _________ were unable to attend the function because the rain was heavy.
135. _____________ people gathered round the accident victim, but there wasn’t ________ willing to help.
136. He has not earned ____________ money.
137. The robbers robbed _______________ money from the bank.
138. There isn’t ___________ reason to support his case.
139. ___________ roses were still blooming.
140. Some nights he retired to bed without __________ food.
141. The teacher was annoyed when the students made _____________ noise.
142. There isn’t _____________ milk left. Please go to the store to get me _________.
143. His father wrote to him saying that he would have _____________ stories to tell him in his return.
144. I thought you could have done __________ work as you had promised. I am surprised you haven’t done
_______.
145. He had ___________ success but not a great deal.
146. He had invited only ___________ of his friends to the party.
147. ____________ water would wash this stain away.
148. Stop bothering me. Don’t you have ___________ work to do.
149. You cannot afford to waste _________time, for it will take you ________ time to get through all that work.
150. I hadn’t _________ cash, so I couldn’t lend him __________.

Part III: Choose the correct words in the bracket.

151. A large (amount, number) of sand and clay had to be removed.
152. There isn’t (a lot, much) you can do to help him.
153, They used to help us, but now they don’t help us (much, any) more.
154. There are many counters, but only (a few, few) are open now.
155. Having eaten all the biscuits given to him, he asked for (any, a few) more.
156. My busy father makes sure to spend (much, a little) of his time with us every day.
157. He needed (any, some) more time to complete the tasks given.
158. He had a bad headache. After a sound sleep, he felt (much, any) better.
159. I requested him to spare (some, a few) time or me.
160. Did you see a big, burly man (a little, a few) minutes ago, limping along this corridor.
D) Part I: For each words given below, write their plural form if it’s given singular form and vice versa, NS for
words without singular form and NP for words without plural form.
161. dwarf - _____________ 176. oxen - _____________
162. day - _______________ 177. advice - ____________
163. sons-in-law - _________________ 178. air - _______________
164. teeth - _____________ 179. penny - ____________
165. scissors - _____________ 180. hangers-on - __________________
166. firemen - _____________ 181. louse - _____________
167. discovery - ______________ 182. spoonful - ______________
168. trousers - ________________ 183. half - ______________
169. torches - _______________ 184. echo - ________________
170. cod - _________________ 185. weather - ______________
171. maid-of-honour - ____________________ 186. page-boy - _________________
172. cliffs - ________________ 187. Chinese - _______________
173. loaves - _______________ 188. life - _____________
174. reef - _________________ 189. pincers - _____________
175. Negro - ________________ 190. scratch - ______________

Part II: Change the sentences below from the singular form to the plural form making necessary changes.
191. The mountain-climber hurt her foot.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
192. This carriage is drawn by an ox.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
193. The prisoner pleaded his innocence.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
194. He used a sharp knife.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
195. He went deer hunting.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Part III: Change the sentences below from plural form to singular form making necessary changes.
196. These are beautiful flowers.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
197. The dogs that bark seldom bite.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
198. Are these the boys that scored distinctions?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
199. The dogs lie in their kennels.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
200. They/Those were sheep that ate your plants.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Part IV: Rewrite the following sentences using the plural form of the word in bold and the words in bracket. Make
changes if necessary.
201. He wrote a composition by way of practice. (a few)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
202. I made a telephone call just now.(some)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
203. There is a bottle of water in the fridge. ( a few)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
204. Is there a boy who failed in the examination? (any)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
205. There is a case when you need the help of others. (some)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Part V: Rewrite the following sentences by changing the underlined words to the singular form making necessary
changes
206. Adults need about eight hours of sleep a day.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
207. These knives become blunt easily.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
208. We are God’s unique creations.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
209. Are heroes born?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
210. These crises were brought about by poor management.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Part VI: Rewrite the following sentences by changing the underlined to the plural form. Make changes if
necessary.
211. A mother looks after her child, doesn’t she?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
212. A bus has arrived, hasn’t it?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
213. I can make a sandwich with a loaf of bread and an egg.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
214. A teddy bear is a toy.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
215. The postman doesn’t wear a cap.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

E) Fill in the blanks with the suitable Pronouns.

216. Are these books ___________? They are not _________.
217. I should mind my business and he should mind ___________.
218. This is the man _________ painted this picture.
219. The cat ran away when John stepped on ____________ tail.
220. He stays in the hotel __________ stands on a hill.
221. Have all those ________ are going for the expedition been briefed?
222. _________ did you met at the park?
223. My mum used to punish my sister and ___________.
224. Visitors from outer space may not be surprised by the technology that __________ earthlings have.
225. To __________ are you talking to?
226. I stopped at his house because I had some letter for ___________.
227. The new ruler surrounded ____________ with those on ________ he could depend.
228. You should ask the teacher _____________ if you have any questions.
229. _________ we should invite is a difficult question.
230. It was he ___________ started the riot.
231. The boys look alike. __________ is Tom?
232. There is a problem ___________ I want to discuss with you.
233. I was liked because of _____________ brother.
234. Is this he umbrella ________you mislaid yesterday?
235. This is the man ___________ you sought his help once.
236. Ask her __________ the letter.
237. We are weeding the flower-bed _____________.
238. The members of the group dislike _______________.
239. ______________ finishes first will be given a price.
240. You make take _____________ if these two books.
241. ___________ book is this?
242. It is an ill wind ___________ does nobody any good. 245. They have their reasons and we
243. _____________ I go to the States, I stay with _________ sister have ____________.
244. Of __________ metal is this made?
F) Part I: Fill in the blanks with the suitable verbs. Labelled N at the end of the sentence it is an Intransitive Verbs.
246. The moon ____________ brightly at night.
247. He ___________ the whole night, ignoring his studies.
248. Where __________ you yesterday?
249. He __________ the country fairly.
250. How do you __________?
251. Yesterday I ____________ doubtful about the outcome.
252. There ___________ lots of thing to buy.
252. Please ________ me after class.
253. She ___________ to my proposal yesterday.
254. ___________ well in the examination is his immediate aim.
255. Manners _________ a man.
256. We are encouraged _____________ our teeth after every meal.
257. ____________ on a sofa, he read a book.
258. A teacher’s job is to ____________ students.
259. ____________ early in the morning is a good habit.
260. While ___________ he had a dream.
261. She __________ loudly.
262. Look at the stars. They _________ shining brightly.
263. He ________ late yesterday.
264. Do ___________. We’re running late.
265. He _________ have forgotten to do his homework.
266. I __________ explain the point to you.
267. You can __________ for your recess once you finished the work given.
268. I’ll ___________ you flowers next time I visit you.
269. I ________ so hungry now. Let’s go for lunch.
270. That ends today’s assembly. You _________ be dismissed.

Part II: Give the verbal forms of the following verbs.

271. interference - 281. exertion -
272. information - 282. explosion -
273. liquid - 283. renewal -
274. destruction - 284. entrance -
275. purification - 285. retribution -
276. loss - 286. administration -
277. pursuance - 277. devastating -
278. proposal - 278. expansion -
279. astonishment - 279. evacuation -
280. little - 280. impression -

Part III: Complete each sentence B using the verb formed from the word underlined in sentence A.
281. A: He removed a few articles to make his bag light.
B: To ____________________________________________________________________________________
282. A: John succeeded in bringing unity among the members of his club.
B: John was able __________________________________________________________________________
283. A: The magnifying glass made the object appear large.
B: The object _____________________________________________________________________________
284. A: He caused danger to his life by abusing alcohol.
B: By abusing alcohol _______________________________________________________________________
285. A: The old lady applied dye to make her hair black.
B: By applying _____________________________________________________________________________
G) Part I: In the following sentences, choose the correct verbs that agree with their subjects.
286. Martha and I (are, am, is) studying a third language.
287. The smell of burning trees (remind, reminds) one of autumn.
288. The family that (pray, prays) together (stay, stays) together.
289. The committee (was, were) divided on that issue. They just could not see eye to eye.
290. Gold as well as silver (is, are) liked by many.
291. Tom Brown’s School Days (is, are) enjoyed by both girls and boys.
292. Not one of the team members (are, is) free of injury.
293. Neither of them (have, has) passed the exam.
294. The scholar and the writer (has, have) passed away.
295. Everyone present at the meeting (were, was) enthusiastic about the proposal.
296. Phonetics (is, are) important to a student of languages.
297. Both walking and jogging (is, are) beneficial.
298. She is one of the students who (deserve, deserves) the prize.
299. The price of many vegetables (has, have) risen.
300. Either you or I (are, am) to blame.
301. The committee (was, were) of different opinions. They disagreed with one another.
302. Getting involved in school activities (help, helps) you to know your schoolmates.
303. People in a small village (is, are) often very friendly.
304. Each and everyone of us (has, have) to be polite all the time.
305. Planning your compositions (are, is) important.

Part II: Write two sentences B and C for each given sentences A using does, does not, or do and do not.
306. A: She has a fever
B: _______________________________________________________________________________________
C: _______________________________________________________________________________________
307. A: This exercise requires extra paper.
B: _______________________________________________________________________________________
C: _______________________________________________________________________________________
308. A: We have enough time.
B: _______________________________________________________________________________________
C: _______________________________________________________________________________________
309. A: We understand the reasons for his failure.
B: _______________________________________________________________________________________
C: _______________________________________________________________________________________
310. A: The plane flies at an altitude of 20,000 metres.
B: _______________________________________________________________________________________
C: _______________________________________________________________________________________

Part III: Circle and correct the verbs in the following sentences that do not agree with the subject. Write ‘no error’
beside the sentence if there is no correction.
311. The information that we get from newspapers are almost always reliable.
312. The cost of labour in the United States is higher than that in Japan
313. The theme of all his songs are love.
314. Many of the nursery rhymes that children are still learning today has ancient themes.
315. Neither this boy nor those boys is responsible for this theft.
316. You and he are of the same view.
317. Parliament have elected its Speaker.
318. Either you or I am right.
319. The articles that he writes has to attract a wide reading public.
320. The discovery of the Americas were due to the desire to find a new route to the East Indies.
Vocabulary Enhancement

A) Fill in the blanks with the suitable noun.

321. The _________ stopped at the pedestrian ____________.
322. You must always speak the __________.
323. The river overflows its _________ when it rains heavily.
324. The soldier were rewarded for their ____________.
325. ___________ is the best policy.
326. We were delayed because the ___________ was heavy.
327. _________ is more important than wealth.
328. The _________ found landing the plane difficult because the __________ was bad.
329. The witch cursed the princess out of _________.
330. The President has promised to introduce ____________.
331. In some __________, people are denied freedom.
332. Birds of a ___________ flock together.
333. The prefects are given _____________ by the teachers to give students detention.
334. The _________ who wins the race will be awarded a medal and a watch.
335. _________ kills the cat.
336. He found that his __________ had decreased after exercising for a month.
337. Every citizen has to contribute his share for the growth and ___________ of his country.
338. It is man’s ___________ that makes him hunt animals for his pleasure.
339. John has to go for a psychotherapy due to his ___________ from the abduction.
340. The kidnappers are holding the __________ for ransom.
341. The king threw a _________ to celebrate the birth of his _______ to the throne.
342. ____________ is next to godliness.
343. He was dogged by failure and as a result he lost ___________ in his ability.
344. Many countries in Asia won their independence after World War II.
345. He has shown his ___________ again by donating generously to the needy.
346. Although he is old and haggard now, in his __________ he is handsome.
347. He tolerated insults for a long time, but at last he lost his __________.
348. The __________ of the ____________ causes many people to lose their jobs.
349. He is loyal to me in ________ and woe.
350. The criminal pleaded for __________ from the judge.
351. _______ goes before a fall.
352. The ___________ inflicted upon the men who disobey him is cruel.
353. The ___________ of the will are notified upon the death of the old man.
354. She couldn’t bear the __________ any longer so she called it a day and went to sleep.
355. It is your _________ to take the tablet or the phone.
356. A ________ was carried out to choose the president of the club.
357. Janes still can’t understand the ____________ of further maths.
358. Population outburst will lead to the __________ of food.
359. Mr. Green was like a _______ with a sore head when he realised his son stole his money.
360. Phone __________ is becoming more and more common in this day and age.
361. He only promised to confide me his secrets in the ___________ of his room.
362. The ____________ was delayed so we went to the lounge at the airport while waiting.
363. I’ll have a salad for my ____________ and a smoked salmon for my main course.
364. I got my _____________ just now. Next year, I’ll be the Chief Financial Officer of the company.
365. The weather _____________ said there will be a thunderstorm later.
366. A score of 60% may not be very good but it’s certainly an ______________ on your last mark.
367. Traffic was building up on the motorway as the _____________ got thicker.
368. Your ____________ is getting worse. You forgot to lock the door yesterday afternoon.
369. ___________ doesn’t grow on trees.
370. ___________ is golden.
B) Choose the most suitable answer.
371. The film actor said that his car was stopped at a junction after meeting with his business ______ about a
film project.
(1) associates (2) subordinates (3) rivals (4) officials

372. If you have to prepare for an exam and if you enjoy watching TV programmes, you must be _______ in
watching them.
(1) particular (2) regular (3) interested (4) selective

373. It is believed that if the suspect is _______ he will face the death penalty.
(1) charged (2) tried (3) sued (4) convicted

374. Students were reminded to continue studying to and ______ to do better.

(1) aspire (2) proceed (3) expect (4) strive

375. After narrating the event, the speaker _______ for a while and then continued.
(1) faltered (2) fumbled (3) repeated (4) paused

376. There are many colleges offering the subject but I have yet to see a related job to the subject being _____.
(1) advertised (2) pronounced (3) announced (4) proclaimed

377. The war victims who were forced to starve for a week were found too _______ to walk.
(1) tired (2) feeble (3) uninterested (4) timid

378. ______, he was fearful of the parachute jump, but soon he got over the fear.
(1) At first (2) As was believed (3) As a rule (4) Meanwhile

379. Pieces of wood thrown into the river will ____ in the water.
(1) disappear (2) sink (3) drift (4) reappear

380. According to the newspapers one _____ of the disease is high fever.
(1) symbol (2) cause (3) mark (4) symptom
 Speaking
(If possible) You are to read aloud the text below with the best pronunciation, pauses and with the least errors
you can manage.
Recoding of your reading is greatly encouraged.

Reading Comprehension.

Summer Rain
The worst days of any summer are the rainy ones. We spend all year looking forward to nice weather and long, hot
days. All of winter, with its dreary grey days and bitter cold, we dream of those endless days at the beach, laying on
the sand and soaking in the bright and burning sun. And then, summer comes, and it rains.
As a child, I would wake up to rainy summer days and come close to crying. It wasn’t fair. We suffered through months
of school and miserable weather for those scant ten weeks of freedom and balmy weather. Any day that I could not
spend at the beach or playing ball with my friends seemed like a punishment for something I didn’t even do.
On those rainy summer days, I had nothing fun to do and could only sit inside, staring out at the rain like a Dickensian
orphan. I was an only child, so there was no one else to play with. My father worked from home, so I was not truly
alone, but he could not actively play with me since he was technically at work. It was those days that I would resign
myself to whatever was on television or any books that I could find lying around. I’d crawl through the day and pray
each night that the rain would not be there the next day.
As an adult, though, my opinion of summer rain has changed. When you have to work every day, summer is not as
eagerly anticipated. Mostly, the days run together, bleeding into each other so that they no longer seem like separate
entities and instead feel like continuations of the same long day. Everything seems monotonous and dull, and an ennui
or listlessness kicks in. Such a mindset makes you cheer for anything new or different. I spend the winter dreaming of
summer and the summer dreaming of winter.
When summer comes, I complain about how hot it is. And then I look forward to the rain, because the rain brings with
it a cold front, which offers a reprieve—admittedly one that is all too short—from the torture of 100° and humid days.
Rainy days are still the worst days of the summer, but summer rain today means positively beautiful—and considerably
cooler—weather tomorrow.
1) The passage makes use of language that is
A. metaphorical
B. rhetorical
C. formal
D. ambiguous
2) According to the passage, summer is different for adults because
A. rain brings with it cold temperatures for the following days
B. the weather is much warmer than it is for children
C. they do not get a long time off from work for the season
D. they better know how to occupy their downtime
3) According to the passage, which of the following is a true statement about the narrator as a child?
A. He or she was often bored on summer days.
B. He or she preferred cooler weather.
C. He or she liked staying indoors.
D. He or she had no siblings.
4) Compared to how he or she was as a child, the narrator as an adult is
A. more realistic
B. less excitable
C. more idealistic
D. less calm
5) As used in the final paragraph, the word reprieve most nearly means
A. a permanent conclusion
B. a short continuation
C. a higher level of pain
D. a temporary break

Listening
Listen to the recording and identify whether each statement is true or false.
Recoding is posted in the group.
1. The briefing will be short this morning.
o True
o False
2. The new head of department is starting this week.
o True
o False
3. The car park will be closed for improvements.
o True
o False
4. If you arrive first thing in the morning, you should park on Brown Street.
o True
o False
5. There will be no parking in the church car park after 6 p.m.
o True
o False
6. You can only pay with credit and debit cards in the canteen.
o True
o False