Beginner English With Cover 6 July 2021

BEGINNER
ENGLISH
2021
PREPARED BY
HURUL AIN BINTI HASSAN
YUSLINA BINTI MOHAMAD YUSOF
INTERNAL CILCULATION ONLY

TABLE OF CONTENTS
UNIT ITEMS PAGE NO.
Reading - Skimming and Scanning

Grammar - Nouns
UNIT - Pronoun Page
1 - Verb 1 - 26
- Adjective
- Adverb
Speaking - Greetings
Reading - Extracting information from a passage

Grammar - Determiners
UNIT - Article Page
2 - Preposition 27 - 52
- Conjunction
Writing - Simple sentence
- Compound sentence
Reading - Using reference word to aid comprehension

UNIT Vocabulary Page
3 Grammar - Simple Present Tense 53 - 61
Writing - How to Start Writing
UNIT Reading - Using contextual clues Page

Writing - Guided Writing 62 - 68
4
Listening - Introduction to Listening
Reading - Wh- Question

Speaking - Talking about oneself
UNIT Page
Grammar - Simple past tense
5 69 - 86
- Simple future tense
Writing - Write an e-mail
Reading - Exercise
UNIT Writing - Write a Letter Page
6 Speaking - Expressing Agreement And Disagreement 87 - 95
Reading - Exercise
UNIT Vocabulary Page
7 Grammar - Present Continuous Tense 96 - 107
- Past Continuous Tense
Writing - Group Work
UNIT Reading - Exercise

Page
8 Vocabulary 108 - 112
Listening - Listening Exercise
Reading - Exercise
UNIT Page
9 Writing - Free- writing 113 - 118
Listening - Listening Exercise
UNIT Reading - Exercise Page

10 Speaking - Role –Play 119 - 127
BEGINNER ENGLISH
READING
SKIMMING AND SCANNING
Skimming and scanning are reading techniques that use rapid eye movement and
keywords to move quickly through text for slightly different purposes.
i. Skimming is reading rapidly in order to get a general overview of the

material.
ii. Scanning is reading rapidly in order to find specific facts.
Comparison between Skimming and Scanning:
SKIMMING SCANNING
A technique for fast reading. A A technique in which a reader
Definition reader reads the article in order tries to search a particular text or
to get the general idea of it. word in the document.
 Ability to go through the  Ability to find quickly.

Requirement article quickly.  Use of fingers can be
 Ability to understand what effective while looking for
can be relevant and not in a specific information.
reading.  Focus on key words.
 Generally to get the general  Generally to search a

Purpose idea of an article. telephone number from a
 To sample a book before list.
actually purchasing it.  To find a particular quotation
in a book.
INTERNAL CIRCULATION ONLY 1

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Method  Emphasis on the reading of  Reader must be clearly

first sentence of every aware of the specific
paragraph. information that needs to be
 Heading and sub headings searched in the document.
should be read.  Clues must be used to find
 Pictures, charts or graphs the answer – like if one is
should be noticed. searching for a date, then
 Words or phrase that are only numbers should be
italicised or boldface must be looked for.
noticed.  Headings can be helpful in
 Summary or last paragraph is suggesting the location of
important to understand the the desired information.
conclusion.  One should be careful in
reading and skipping the
sections of the passage.
Exercise 1
Read the text and answer the questions.

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1. Who are the three presenters on the programme?

_______________________________________________________________
2. What did they see in the tennis exhibition?

_______________________________________________________________
3. What did the third presenter do yesterday?

_______________________________________________________________
4. When did the presenters go to South Africa?

_______________________________________________________________
5. What did they do in yesterday’s short ﬁlm?

_______________________________________________________________
Exercise 2
Have a quick look through the advertisement below, then answer the questions on the
next page.

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1. What can you save from shopping at this place?

______________________________________________________________
2. How many good reasons are there for shopping there?
______________________________________________________________
3. What is the telephone number?
______________________________________________________________
4. What can you earn with Argos?
______________________________________________________________
5. What are the names of the catering firm?
______________________________________________________________
6. How long does the offer last?
______________________________________________________________

BEGINNER ENGLISH
GRAMMAR
NOUNS
i. A noun is the name of a person, animal, place, thing, an idea or emotion.
Persons Places Things Animals Ideas / Emotions
student college computer horse justice
manager supermarket speaker jellyfish truth
Elisa KLCC HP Kitty love
Dr. Adam UniSHAMS Sony Simba anger
ii. A noun can be used as the subject (S) of a sentence.
Examples:
a. Adam likes to read newspaper.
(S)
b. My brother washed his clothes.
(S)
iii. A noun can be used as the object (O) of a sentence.
Examples:
i. Adam likes to read newspaper.
(O)
ii. My brother washed his clothes.
(O)
Exercise 1
Underline the nouns in the following sentences.

1. Adam and Idris arrived early but at the wrong station.
2. We counted only six different colours in the rainbow.
3. The man was trying to steal a horse with a cart full of apples.
4. They have gone to the zoo to see the black sheep.

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5. Milla put her head on her arms and cried loudly.
6. My mother is singing a pop song in the kitchen.
7. Hakim threw some salted nuts to the monkeys.
8. The children are kicking a ball around in the field.
9. That mosque was built before my grandfather was born.
10. He bought balloons for his children and their friends.
11. My father swims like a turtle.
12. We watched seabirds flocking above our heads.
13. The taxi broke down in front of my gate.
14. Simply point your camera at the camel and press the button.
15. He went to visit his homesick uncle at the hospital.
Countable and Uncountable Nouns
book
Countable : hill
noun that we can
count shop
bottle
Nouns
knowledge
Uncountable : flour
noun that we cannot
count sand
information

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i. Most countable nouns have singular and plural forms.

 Singular refers to one noun.
 Plural refers to more than one noun.
Rule Singular Plural
• boy boys
Add ‘s’ • file files
• animal animals
• box boxes
Add ‘es’ to nouns ending in ‘sh’,
• class classes
‘ch’, ‘s’ and ‘x’
• match matches
If a noun ends with a ‘y’ and there is a • city cities
consonant (beside a,e,i,o,u) before it,
• country countries
change the ending to ‘ies’ except:
boys, days, guys, donkeys • university universities
If a noun ends with ‘fe’ and ‘f’, change • wife wives

the ending to ‘ves’ except: roofs, • knife knives
chiefs, beliefs. • leaf leaves
These are irregular nouns. The plural • man men

forms do not follow any of the rules • tooth teeth
given above. • child children
These nouns have the same singular • sheep sheep

and plural forms • deer deer
These nouns do not have singular • people

forms. • cattle
Exercise 2
Underline the nouns in each sentence and then write C for countable or UC for
uncountable nouns.
Example: My watch is expensive.
C
1. Father bought a few revision books for me.

2. The girls made a lot of noise during dinner.

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3. The more people read, the more knowledge they get.

4. Most universities are well equipped.
5. We don’t want sadness in our lives.
6. The architect designed the building.
7. I want to earn a lot of money.
8. The police need this information for the case.
9. The children were abandoned by their father.
10. Two knives were found at the crime scene.
Exercise 3
Change the singular nouns that are underlined in the following sentences into plural
nouns.
Example: The car is dirty.
The cars are dirty.
1. There is a plate in the sink.

There are __________ in the __________.
2. My child is staying with my sister.

My __________ are staying with my sister.
3. Please buy me an orange.

Please buy me some ____________.
4. There is a helicopter in the sky.

There are ______________ in the sky.
5. I will buy a souvenir for my friend.

I will buy some ______________ for my friend.
6. I have a pen.
I have three __________.
7. The frame belonged to my late auntie.

The ____________ belonged to my late auntie.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
PRONOUNS
i. A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun.
PRONOUNS
Pronouns as Pronouns as Pronouns That Reflexive Demonstrative

Subjects Objects Show Possession Pronouns Pronouns
she her her / hers herself this
he him his / his himself that
it it its / its itself these
I me my / mine myself those
you you your / yours yourself
we us our / ours yourselves
they them their / theirs ourselves
themselves
Pronouns as Subjects
i. Subject pronouns are used to replace nouns which are the subject of a
sentence.
ii. Subject pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, they
Examples: Aishah is a singer.

She is a singer.
The students were late for class

They were late for class.

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Pronouns as Objects
i. Object pronouns are used to replace nouns which are the object of a sentence.
ii. Object pronouns: me, you, him, her, it, us, them
Examples: Aishah went to cinema with a few friends.

Aishah went to cinema with them.
The students gave their teacher a present.

The students gave her a present.
Pronouns That Show Possession
i. Possessive pronouns are used to show possession (something belongs to a

person, animal, place or thing)
ii. Possessive pronouns:
a. Used before a noun : my, your, his, her, its, our, their
For examples:
 That was his book.
 That was her computer.
 They were our mobile phones.
 It was their shop.
 The dog wagged its tail.
b. Used instead of a noun : mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs
For Examples:
 That book was his.
 That computer was hers.
 The mobile phones were ours.
 The shop was theirs.
Note: The possessive form ‘its’ can only be used before a noun.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Exercise 1
Underline the correct pronouns in brackets.
1. Puan Asiah drove a new car today. ( It, its ) is ( her, hers ).
2. These bags are ( ours, our ) but those are ( their, theirs ).
3. The VCD player belongs to ( I, me ). It is ( my, mine ).
4. You have to hand in ( you, your ) report by tomorrow.
5. Razak told ( he, his ) parents about ( he, his ) first day at school.
6. The students studied hard for ( them, their ) final examination.
7. The parrot flapped ( it, its ) wings before ( it, its ) flew away.
8. Suzy bought ( her, hers ) gown from a boutique in Kuala Lumpur.
9. I can’t take this ticket. It belongs to ( you, your ). It is ( you, yours ).
10. Khatijah and Elena always did ( their, theirs ) assignments together.
Exercise 2
Fill in each blank with an appropriate pronoun.
1. Mazlina received many presents for __________ birthday. __________ loved

all of __________.
2. You have to write __________ personal details here.
3. Ramlan and Sobri like to play badminton. __________ play badminton every
evening. It is __________ favourite game.
4. Kamil did not do __________ homework. __________ spent the day playing
computer games.
5. “Can you teach __________ how to play monopoly?” Shikin asked
__________ brother.
6. Salleh has a new racquet. He bought __________ yesterday.
7. I need to talk to Kamisah. Please tell __________ to call __________.
8. Most students brought __________ parents to the school fair.
9. These stamps are __________. They belong to __________.

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Reflexive Pronouns
i. Reflexive pronouns are used to emphasise the subject of a sentence.
ii. Singular reflexive pronouns:
a. myself ( for I ) - I bought myself the same dress.

b. yourself ( for you ) - You should see it yourself.
c. himself ( for he ) - He wrote the essay himself.
d. herself ( for she ) - My mother baked the cake herself.
e. itself ( for it ) - The cat scratched itself against the
wall.
iii. Plural reflexive pronouns:

a. ourselves ( for we ) - We repaired the car ourselves.
b. themselves ( for they ) - They themselves are not sure the way
to the mosque.
c. yourselves ( for you ) - All of you should do the research
yourselves.
Note: ‘You’ can be used for both singular and plural nouns.
Exercise 3
Underline the correct reflexive pronoun in brackets.
1. He said that he would make the call ( himself, herself ).

2. The girl caught the pickpocket ( herself, himself ).
3. You have to lodge the report ( yourself, myself ).
4. The horse hurt ( themselves, itself ) when it fell into the big hole.
5. My sister cooked the dishes ( himself, herself ).
6. My brother smiled when he looked at ( himself, itself ) in the mirror.
7. My father painted the room ( himself, herself ).
8. The children ( himself, themselves ) drew the pictures.
9. They really enjoyed ( ourselves, themselves ) at the carnival.
10. We should be proud of ( ourselves, themselves ) for completing the race.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Exercise 4
Fill in the blanks with the correct reflexive pronoun.
1. As a result of her illness, Puan Hasnah cannot look after _______________.

2. Azri and Faizul should stop blaming _______________.
3. I always talk to _______________ when I’m bored.
4. Congratulations! You should be proud of _______________.
5. Jamilah likes looking at _______________ in the mirror.
6. He cut _______________ while chopping the vegetables.
7. We must have faith in _______________ if we want to succeed.
8. They wanted to try the food _______________.
9. I enjoyed _______________ at my friend’s party.
10. Milah, you will have to find the answer _______________.
Demonstrative Pronouns
i. Demonstrative Pronouns are used to point out a specific person or thing.

ii. Singular demonstrative pronouns:
a. this - To replace a singular noun (person or thing) that
is around or nearby to the speaker.
- Examples: This is very smelly.
This tastes good.
Have you seen this?
b. that - To replace a singular noun that is distant from

the speaker.
- Examples: That is beautiful.
Look at that!
iii. Plural demonstrative pronouns:

a. these - To replace a plural noun that is around or nearby
to the speaker.
- Examples: These are bad times.
Do you like these?

BEGINNER ENGLISH
b. those - To replace a plural noun that is distant from the

speaker.
- Examples: Those were the days!
Can you see those?
Exercise 5
Fill in the blanks with the correct demonstrative pronouns.
1. Look at ___________ newspaper here.

2. ___________ are my grandparents, and ___________ people over there are
my friend's grandparents.
3. ___________ building over there is the Chrysler Building.
4. ___________ is my mobile phone and ___________ is your mobile phone on
the shelf over there.
5. ___________ photos here are much better than ___________ photos on the
book.
6. ___________ was a great evening.
7. Are ___________your pencils here?
8. ___________ bottle over there is empty.
9. ___________ bricks over there are for your chimney.
10. John, take ___________ folder and put it on the desk over there.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
VERBS
i. A verb is a word or group of words that describes an action or a non-action.
The gardener cut the

grass.
The cat killed the
Tells what the mouse.
Action Verbs subject of the
sentence do. The river flooded its
banks.
Fire destroyed a factory
last night.
VERBS
Zamilla was sleepy.
My father is rich.
Non-action Do not show any
verbs action (BE verbs) They were very helpful
to me.
Adam and Noah are my
siblings.
Exercise 1
Underline the verb in the following sentences.

1. A rose is a flower.
2. The birds flew away.
3. I wrote a letter to my mother.
4. My father was in the orchard.
5. Ramlah washes her clothes every evening.
6. The kittens were hungry.
7. The old man scolded the doctor.
8. I met Andrian at the monorail station last night.
9. Shakila and Mawar are good neighbours.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Exercise 2
Circle the action verb in each sentence.

1. James found a box of toys.
2. My cell phone rang.
3. I chopped down the old pear tree.
4. Melissa finds a dime between the couch cushions.
5. The youngest child cried loudly.
6. Nick squeezed the oranges into the bowl.
7. She stopped her bicycle on the sidewalk.
8. Chloe bought a lovely necklace for her mother.
9. Alex's basketball bounced off the garage door.
10. Zara poured a glass of milk for her brother.
11. Ryan usually arrives on time.
12. We all sang songs around the campfire.
13. The fastest runner on our team tripped on his shoelace.
14. The rocket blasts into the sky
15. The big, black bear growled.
16. The baby crawls across the floor.
17. The picture hung on the wall.
18. I searched for my missing sock.
19. Zita's brother grilled a steak.
20. Kamarul clicked the computer mouse.
21. Dr. Halim examines his patient.
22. My green shirt shrunk in the wash.
23. Arissa hides the cookies.
24. Seven fish swim in the aquarium.
25. Amanda washes her car.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
ADJECTIVES
i. An adjective is a word that tells us something about a noun. It can be placed
a. before a noun or
b. after a non-action verb
a big shirt
a yellow duck
Before a noun a beautiful flower
a tall man
After a non-action verb
ADJECTIVES (am,is,are,was,were, The old lady is generous.
will be)
The students are helpful.
Other verbs The show was interesting.

(look, feel, taste, smell,
seem, sound) The curry tastes delicious.
The lecturer sounds angry.
I feel bored.
Exercise 1
Underline the correct adjective.
1. Cotton is ( soft, hard ).

2. Your hair is ( short, long ). Please cut it.
3. Anis is too ( thin, fat ). She must eat more.
4. The rice is ( cold, hot ). Please warm it up.
5. The examination is ( difficult, easy ). I can do it.
6. Faizul is a (bad, kind ) person. Everyone likes him.

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7. The cake is ( delicious, horrible ). I would like another piece.

8. You have done a ( bad, good ) job. I think you deserve a promotion.
9. The pants are ( clean, dirty ). You don’t have to wash them.
10. Mazlin is a ( talkative, quiet ) girl. She seldom speaks to anyone.
Exercise 2
Fill in the blanks with suitable adjectives. Use a different adjective for each sentence.
No. 1 has been done for you.
1. The clumsy boy broke the plate.

2. A _______________ elephant pushed the logs into the river.
3. A _______________ man shot his children.
4. Our players felt _______________.
5. She bought some _______________ vegetables.
6. He did not like the _______________ weather.
7. My family and I spent a _______________ holiday in Pulau Tioman.
8. The _______________ tiger roared at the children.
9. The grass was _______________.
10. They picked the _______________ mangoes.
Exercise 3
First, underline the adjective in each sentence below. Then, write the opposite of the
adjective in the blank next to the sentence.
Example: The radio was very loud. __soft___________
1. The children were all happy. _________________

2. The towels were wet. _________________
3. Joey picked apples from the tallest tree. _________________
4. The young man bought a newspaper. _________________
5. Betty drank a glass of warm milk. _________________
6. It is a windy day. _________________

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7. The books were on the top shelf. _________________

8. Frankie's bedroom is messy. _________________
9. Do you like thick milkshakes? _________________
10. Aunt Margaret drives an old car. _________________
11. Please put the sharp knives in the drawer. _________________
12. Kelly is the fastest swimmer on our team. _________________
13. Mitch has long hair on his head. _________________
14. I cannot believe how dark this room is. _________________
15. I had fresh bread with jelly for breakfast. _________________
ADVERBS
i. An adverb is a word that describes an action, telling "how," "when," "where,"

"how often," or "how much" an action took place.
Example: The cat ate hungrily.

The word hungrily is an adverb since it describes how the cat
ate.
ii. Most adverbs are formed by adding ‘ly’ to an adjective.
Examples: slow - slowly

clever - cleverly
bad - badly
loud - loudly
iii. Some adjectives like fast, hard, late and low are also used as adverbs without
any changes in form.
Examples: The lecturer came late.

Jamilah runs fast.
Rahman studies hard.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
v. Adverbs most commonly modify verbs, but adverbs can also be used to modify
adjectives or other adverbs. For example, in the sentence, "She is very tall,"
very is an adverb that modifies the adjective tall.
Exercise 1
List down the adverb and the verb it describes in the columns provided. No. 1 has been
done for you.
Verb Adverb
1. Wahid speaks softly. speaks softly
2. She drives carefully to work. ____________ ____________
3. I came late to class today ____________ ____________
4. The girls played happily in the room. ____________ ____________
5. Johan ran fast across the field. ____________ ____________
6. The mother rocked the cradle gently. ____________ ____________
7. The sun shone brightly. ____________ _____________
8. The girls danced gracefully on that night. ____________ _____________
9. The principal wants to see you immediately. ____________ ____________
10. He looked sadly at his sick child. ____________ ____________

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Exercise 2
Underline the correct adverb.

1. My father sat ( lazy, lazily ) under the shady tree.
2. She sang ( soft, softly ) to herself.
3. Hanim is walking ( slowly, fast ). She is in a hurry.
4. The little boy looked ( hungry, hungrily ) at the food on the table.
5. Tarmizi arrived ( late, lately ) and missed the train.
6. They came into the country ( illegal, illegally ).
7. He writes ( neat, neatly ) on the board.
8. She spoke ( well, loud ) during the debate.
9. Everybody likes her voice. She sings ( sweet, sweetly ).
10. She was ( late, lately ) and so she slipped quietly into her seat.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
SPEAKING
USING SOCIAL CONVENTIONS IN INTERACTIONS
Below is a conversation between two friends.
Arni : Hi, Malik. Haven't seen you for a long time.

Malik : Hi, Arni. I've been pretty busy with examinations just around the corner.
Arni : I see. Have you been in contact with Siti?
Malik : No, I haven't seen her for a long time.
Arni : We should get together for lunch one day so that we can talk about old
times.
Malik : Sure. I'll try to get hold of Siti and we'll fix something up. I'll call you then.
Arni : Great. Hope to hear from you soon. I'd better go. I've a lot of errands to
run. Bye.
Malik : Bye. See you then.
1. How did Arni greet Malik?

Hi, Malik.
2. How did Malik return the greeting?

Hi, Arni.
3. Are they close friends?

Yes.
Greetings
Some useful expressions:
Good morning Sir

Good afternoon Madam How are you?
Good evening En Lokman How are things?
Hi Liza How's life?
Hello

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Responses
Good morning
Good afternoon I'm very well, thanks.
Good evening I'm fine, thanks. And you?
Hi Ammar Not too bad. And yourself?
Hello Fine, thank you.
Morning/Afternoon/
Evening
Study the dialogues below.
DIALOGUE 1
( Borhan meets Balan at the shopping mall. )
Borhan : Hello, Balan. How are you?

Balan : Oh, hello Borhan. I'm very well, thanks. And you?
Borhan : I'm fine, thanks.
DIALOGUE 2
( Alias goes to Rosmah's house. Rosmah's mother, Puan Gayah, answers the door. )
Alias : Good morning, Puan Gayah.

Puan Gayah : Good morning, Alias.
Alias : Is Rosmah in?
Puan Gayah : I'm sorry she's not in, but she'll be back soon.
DIALOGUE 3
( Mr. Perry Ellis, a hotel guest, asks the receptionist if there are messages for him. )
Mr. Ellis : Excuse me.

Receptionist : Good afternoon, sir. May I help you?
Mr. Ellis : Are there any messages for me? I am Mr. Perry Ellis, Room 315.
Receptionist : I'm sorry. There aren't any messages for you.
Mr. Ellis : Thank you.

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Exercise 1
Working with a partner, make up short conversations based on the following situations.
You may use other suitable expressions if you wish. Then write out these conversations.
1. You meet your lecturer in town one night.

2. You meet your friend, Hafizul, whom you have not seen for some time.
3. You meet your best friend, Kamsiah, in the supermarket.
4. You meet your friend's parents while you are out shopping.
Introductions
INTRODUCING YOURSELF RESPONSE
May I introduce myself? My name is ... Glad to meet you.

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is ... How do you do?
I'm ... How do you do? I'm ... Pleased to meet you.
Hi, I'm ... I'm delighted to meet you.
INTRODUCING SOMEONE RESPONSE
Allow me to introduce ... I've been looking forward to meeting

you.
This is my friend Mr./Mrs./Miss ... Hello. How are you?
May I introduce ... I've been wanting to meet you.
I'd like you to meet ... Oh, we've already met. How are you?
Have you met ... ? No, I haven't. Nice to meet you.
Yes, I have. It's nice to meet you again.
Please meet my friend, En./Mr./Dr. A and
this is Mr. B
I would like to introduce you to my good I'm delighted to meet you.
friend. This is ...
I'd like to introduce ... Pleased to meet you.
Haris, meet ... How do you do?
Do you know ...

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Study the dialogues below.

DIALOGUE 1
AT A SUPERMARKET
Rozita : Hello, I'm Rozita.

Ros : Hello, Rozita. I'm Ros. How are you?
Rozita : Very well, thank you. Ros, this is my friend, Nana. Nana, this is Ros.
Ros : Hello, Nana.
Nana : Hello.
Ros : You seem to be in a hurry.
Nana : Yes, actually we have to catch the last bus home.
Rozita : Well, we'll see you later, Ros. Bye.
Ros : Bye, Rozita. It was nice meeting you, Nana.
Nana : It was nice meeting you too, Ros. Bye.
DIALOGUE 2
IN THE LIBRARY
Faizal : Hi, Yati. What are you doing here?

Yati : Hello, Faizal. We're doing some research for our project. Have you
met my lecturer, Mr. M?
Faizal : No, I haven't. It's nice to meet you, sir.
Mr. M : Hello, Faizal. How are you?
Faizal : Very well, thanks.
DIALOGUE 3
IN THE OFFICE
Suliza : Good morning, Fitri.

Fitri : Good morning, Suliza.
Suliza : Fitri, have you met our visitor, Mr. Farouk?
Fitri : Yes, I have. We met last month at the Managers' Conference. It's
nice to meet you again, Mr. Farouk.
Mr. Farouk : Hello, Fitri. How are you?
Fitri : Fine, thank you.

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Exercise 2
With your partner, practise introducing yourself and other people. Use the following
situations to introduce
1. yourself to
a. Alif at a party
b. a receptionist in an office
c. your new lecturer
2. your office manager to an old friend

a. your brother to your colleague
b. your husband/wife to your boss
(Remember, it is more polite to introduce the less important or younger person first. We
also introduce men to women first.)

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READING
EXTRACTING INFORMATION FROM A PASSAGE
A LATE START
One morning my friends and I went to see a cricket match at the Selangor Club
field.
It was the last day of a Test Match between Malaysia and Sri Lanka. A large crowd
had gathered at nine thirty in the morning not only in the Selangor Club building
but also in Sultan Abdul Samad building under the clock tower. The large crowd
was waiting for the clock to strike ten in a few minutes so that the cricket game
could begin. At three minutes to ten the Sultan Abdul Samad building clock
stopped. Everyone’s eyes were on the clock but the big minute hand did not move.
After some time someone from the crowd shouted, “It’s three minutes past ten.
The clock has stopped. Start the game!” The people looked at their watches and
nodded their heads. The umpires started the game. The Sultan Abdul Samad
building clock refused to start the Test Match. Someone remarked that the big
clock was afraid of the Test Match. It was afraid of the hard hitting Malaysian crick-
eters, who might hit a ball onto the face of the clock.
Exercise 1
Circle the correct answer.
1. Did the crowd gather to watch a Test Match? Yes No
2. Did the people gather under the Sultan Abdul Samad Yes No
building clock tower?
3. Did the clock stop at a quarter to ten? Yes No
4. Did the clock strike at ten o’clock? Yes No
5. Did the Test Match start at ten in the morning? Yes No

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Exercise 2
Answer the following questions. Some words have been given to help you. Complete
the sentences.
1. At what time did the people gather at the Selangor Club Field?
They gathered there ____________________________________________
2. Why was the cricket match started at three minutes past ten?
It was only then that the umpires knew _____________________________
_____________________________________________________________
3. At what time did the clock stop?
The clock stopped at ____________________________________________
4 How did the Sultan Abdul Samad building clock start the Test Match late?
It would not strike ______________________________________________
Exercise 3
With the help of a dictionary, write out the meanings of these words as they appear in
the passage. No. 1 has been done for you.
1. crowd (n) _____group_______
2. gather (v) ________________
3. strike (v) ________________
4. shout (v) ________________
5. refuse (v) ________________
6. remark (v) ________________

BEGINNER ENGLISH
GRAMMAR
DETERMINERS
i. Determiners are other words which can be used with countable and
uncountable nouns to show quantity. Determiners can be used with
a. singular countable nouns

b. plural countable nouns
c. uncountable nouns
Determiners used with singular countable nouns
one • I received one postcard from Atikah last week.
each • Each student should bring a dictionary to class this semester.

• Every week, my sister will go swimming at Sport Centre in Shah
every
Alam.
any • You can choose any book that you want to read.
another • He has another subject to study before the final examination.
this • This car belongs to Mr. Najib
that • That flower is beautiful.
The determiners listed in the table above are used with singular countable nouns.
Exercise 1
Fill in the blanks with one, each, every, any, another, this or that.
1. Both books are expensive. However, __________ book here is more
expensive than __________ one there because it is a first edition.
2. There is only __________ person in the class who scored above 95 marks in
this week’s quiz.
3. __________ student must have his name tag on when he is on campus.
4. __________ security guard stations himself at the entrance of the bank while
__________ security guard escorts the manager to the bank vault.
5. The developer of this housing project has installed a burglar alarm system in
__________ house.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
6. The government has made it compulsory for __________ child to be

vaccinated against hepatitis B.
7. __________ participant of the seminar is only entitled to __________ door
gift.
8. The colour of __________ blouse is too gaudy, while __________ one over
there is too drab.
9. __________ contestant in the game show ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire?’
has to answer questions on a variety of topics.
10. Ms Leong told her maid not to let __________ stranger into the house.
Exercise 2
Fill in the blanks in each paragraph with one, each, every, any, another, this or that.
1 The doctor went on his rounds in the men’s ward and spoke to
(1) __________ patient under his care. (2) __________ patient complained that
he could not sleep well at night and demanded that the doctor prescribe him
some sleeping pills. (3) __________ insisted that he was well enough to be
discharged. Yet (4) __________ claimed that he was too sick to be sent home.
(5) __________ one of them had something or other to complain about. The
doctor did not come across (6) __________ happy, contented patient at all.
2 There are two panels of interviewers. (1) __________ panel interviews

applicants who have applied for an administrative post, while (2) __________
one interviews those who have applied for a technical post. Before
(3) __________ applicant enters the interview room, he or she has to fill in a
form. The form is very simple and can be completed in less than (4) __________
minute. (5) __________ applicant who does not fill in the form is not called in
to be interviewed. The interviewers spend approximately half an hour
interviewing (6) __________ applicant.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Determiners used with plural countable nouns
a lot of • She can reads a lot of books in a library.
many • There are many private colleges in Malaysia.

• Several students in my class are still using the fisrt edition of Better
several
English book.
a number of • A number of officers were convited of fraud.
a few • I found out a few grammar mistakes in his essay.
some • Some of the students past the final examination with flying colours.
• I managed to get more sponsors for the donation event next two
more
weeks.
these • These kids like to play with music instruments.
those • Those boxes are heavy.
all • All students of EAP should submit their assignments by Monday.
both • Both of my sisters love to travel around the world.
fewer • Just fewer customers refused to pay for the parking fees.
The determiners listed in the table above are used with plural countable nouns.
Exercise 3
Fill in the blanks with appropriate determiners.
1. __________ people try to exercise at least three times a week to maintain

good health.
2. The residents formed a Neighbourhood Watch Group after __________
robberies in the area.
3. Only __________ people turned up for the closing-down sale at the
supermarket because of the heavy rain.
4. I saw __________ yellow birds and blue jays. However, this year I saw
__________ kingfishers because the river has become really polluted and
there are only __________ fish in it.
5. Could I have __________ tea, please? I’m really thirsty.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
6. Benjamin did not like the movie Exterminator 4 because he thought it was
too violent. However, __________ of his officemates really liked it.
7. __________ Hari Raya cards are cheaper than __________ over there.
__________ are printed on better-quality paper.
8. The decision was unanimous because __________ the committee members
supported the proposal to build a new hospital. Nobody opposed it.
Determiners used with uncountable nouns
a lot of • There has been a lot of research into the causes of this disease.
a little • There is a little hope that he will survive.
a great deal of • It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies.
more • They gave me more supports before my interview.
much • I didn't make much progress for my thesis today.
some • Plese add some cream in my hot chocolate.
a little • Just put a little oil on your hand.
less • You should take less sugar in your daily meals.
all • She drank all the water in the jug .
this • This money belongs to Adam.
that • Who gave you that information?
The determiners listed in the table above are used with uncountable nouns.
Exercise 4
Fill in the blanks with appropriate determiners.
1. _______________ money here has been set aside for groceries, and
_______________ money there in the drawer is to be used to pay the water
bill.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
2. Every day, _______________ water is needed to irrigate the rice fields.

_______________ of this water is channelled from the nearby Sungai Deli.
The villagers keep _______________ of the water for their farmyard animals
and store _______________ in their houses for washing clothes and doing
other household chores.
3. If we want to keep a pet, we need _______________ patience. We also need

to be able to offer it _______________ love.
4. You must add _______________ salt and _______________ white pepper.

There is not enough salt in the soup, and the children cannot eat spicy food.
You can add in _______________ chicken stock and _______________ light
soy sauce to flavour the soup.
Exercise 5
Complete each of the following sentences with:

i. a suitable determiner
ii. a noun from the list below
No. 1 has been done for you.
music money rain furniture machinery

traffic strength information love patience
1. This factory has very little machinery.

2. There is very ____________________ on this quiet road.
3. An encyclopaedia contains ____________________.
4. We have ____________________ in this room.
5. I like listening to ____________________ when I have my dinner.
6. Children need ____________________ to be happy.
7. Sportsmen need ____________________.
8. A good nurse has ____________________.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Exercise 6
Fill in each of the blanks with a noun from the box below. Each noun can be used only
once. Then write sentences in the space provided using the determiner + noun
combination that you have chosen. The first one has been done for you.
trouble Englishman soldiers patient bandits boy

money water flag durians candidate sugar
men people oil recruits movies report
pepper citizens officer students knowledge information
Example: a number of ____durians___
1. those ___________________ 9. a lot of ________________

2. each ___________________ 10. a few ________________
3. much ___________________ 11. one ________________
4. an ___________________ 12. every _________________
5. another _________________ 13. some _________________
6. several _________________ 14. all ___________________
7. these __________________ 15. a ___________________
8. a little __________________ 16. this __________________
Example: A number of durians were too ripe to eat.
1. _______________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________
4. _______________________________________________________________
5. _______________________________________________________________
6. _______________________________________________________________
7. _______________________________________________________________
8. _______________________________________________________________
9. _______________________________________________________________
10. _______________________________________________________________

BEGINNER ENGLISH
11. _______________________________________________________________
12. _______________________________________________________________
13. _______________________________________________________________
14. _______________________________________________________________
15. _______________________________________________________________
16. _______________________________________________________________
ARTICLES
i. There are two kinds of articles:
a. Indefinite Articles
 a and an ( used before singular countable nouns )
 a and an is used to modify non-specific or non-particular
nouns
b. Definite Article
 the (used before both singular and plural countable nouns as
well as uncountable nouns)
 The is used to refer to specific or particular nouns
ii. Articles are placed before nouns and before adjectives describing the nouns.
A - indefinate article
• A flower - She has a flower.
• A beautiful daughter - We have a beautiful daughter.
AN - indefinate article
• An apple - Adam ate an apple just now.
• An honourable person - He is an honourable person.
THE - definate article

• The book - Let's read the book.
• The colour - I like the colour of his shirt.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Indefinite Articles a and an
i. ‘A’ and ‘An’ mean one and can be used only with singular countable nouns
ii. ‘An’ is used before a singular countable noun which begins with:
a. a vowel sound when spoken
 an umbrella - She has an umbrella.

 an elephant - I saw an elephant at zoo yesterday.
b. a silent ‘h’
 an hour - I was waiting for an hour to get my

passport from the Immigration department.
 an heir - Charles IV the Fair died without an heir
in 1328.
Exercise 1
Fill in each blank with a or an. No. 1 has been done for you.
1. I have ___an___ hour for lunch.

2. He broke his leg in __________ accident.
3. I can see __________ lorry, __________ car and __________ van on the
road.
4. He works in __________ hospital in Kuala Lumpur.
5. __________ architect designs houses.
6. Which do you prefer, __________ apple or __________ banana?
7. There is __________ bridge over the river.
8. That was __________ unusual story.
9. Aminah uses __________ computer in her work.
10. The lady is married to __________ European.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Definite Article The
The uses of The:
i. The can be used with:
a. singular countable nouns

Examples: the student the classroom
b. plural countable nouns

Examples: the students the classrooms
c. uncountable nouns
Examples: the water the love
ii. Given below are some important rules on how the is used that you need to
remember.
To refer to a specific person (or persons) or thing (or things)

• He is wearing the shirt I bought for him.
• She is the girl I am going to marry.
To refer to the person/s or thing/s already mentioned
• He bought two watches. The watches were expensive.

• I borrowed a pen from Liza. The pen is black.
Before the name of a thing of which there is only one
• The sun is in the sky.

• The moon is shining brightly tonight.
Before the names of rivers, seas, mountain ranges, groups of islands or countries
which include the words “united’, ‘union’ or ‘republic’
• the Kedah River • the South China Sea

• the Pacific Ocean • the Himalayas
• the Philippine • the United Arab Emirates
• the Republic of Congo

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Before the title or position where the person’s name is not mentioned
• the King • the Prime Minister

• the President
Before a superlative
• the tallest • the biggest
• the most talkative • the best students
Before ordinal numbers (e.g. the first, the second) and words like ‘most’ and ‘last’
• the first • the second
In certain expressions of time
• in the morning • in the afternoon

• in the evening • during the night
Exercise 2
Fill in each blank with a suitable article.
1. __________ school principal reminded __________ male students not to keep

their hair long.
2. Lisa’s brother is __________ expert at karate.
3. You cannot work here unless you have _________ work permit.
4. The whole class did very well in __________ final year examination.
5. I borrowed __________ book from my colleague. __________ page of
________ book is torn.
6. What is __________ capital of South Africa?
7. Some students are sitting at the back of the class. __________ student is
reading __________ newspaper. __________ student is my friend.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
When not to use the article

i. We do not use any articles:
with the names of towns or countries unless they are used as adjectives
• I live in Alor Setar but my sister lives in Shah Alam.
• The Ipoh team won the match. The Johor team lost the match.
with the names of games
• Yuhanis like to play volleyball with her friends.
• Irfan plays football.
with meals
• Sarah takes her breakfast at 8 a.m.
• Breakfast is an important meal.
with the names of roads or streets
• Marina walked around Jonker Street this morning.
• Azlan went to Chow Kit road last Monday.
in special expressions like in school, in hospital, in prison, to mosque, to work, to town,
to market, at work, and at night.
• They walked to school yesterday.
• My mother is still at work.
Exercise 3
Fill in each blank with a suitable article. Write ‘X’ if no article is needed.
1. They are at ________ home. They have just come back from _______
university.
2. Do you know how to play __________ tennis?
3. The criminal was in __________ prison for a year.
4. It is not advisable for you to skip __________ breakfast.
5. I saw __________ accident while I was jogging this morning.
6. Every Friday they go to __________ mosque to pray.
7. There are about 2,500 different kinds of mosquitoes in __________ world.
8. __________ MPPJ team has got many good players.
9. What time do you go to __________ work?

BEGINNER ENGLISH
PREPOSITIONS
i. A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between people, things,

actions or places. It is used before a noun or pronoun to show place or position,
time or direction.
PREPOSITIONS
Preposition of Position /
Place
Preposition of Time Prepostion of Direction
Prepositions of Place or Position
i. Prepositions of place or position are used to show the location of a person, a

place or an object in relation to another person, place or object in a sentence.
ii. For examples:
above across along against behind
below beside between down from
inside into near off on
round through under to in
at over
a. My apartment is above the store.

b. I live in Malaysia.
c. There is a horse under the tree.
d. Can I sit beside you?
e. There are many souvenir shops along Stroll Street.
f. All my children are at home.
g. Azlan is taking the car to Kuala Lumpur.
h. My classroom is on the second floor.
i. The child is hiding behind the door.
j. The student is looking for his spectacles among his books.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Exercise 1
Underline the correct prepositions.
1. Sharifah was ( in, on ) the sickbay yesterday.
2. The main office of the company is ( behind, on ) my father’s office.
3. Students will have to wait ( in, out ) the hall.
4. Hindi fans came ( from, about ) north and south to watch the IIFA Awards
( into, in ) Genting Highlands.
5. The cat likes to sleep ( at, under ) the bed.
6. Mosquitoes breed ( in, at ) clear stagnant water.
7. The guard stands ( beside, behind ) the entrance of the bank.
8. The path leads ( against, through ) the woods.
9. Put the thermometer ( under, in ) your tongue or ( in, between ) your armpit.
10. Pour the milk ( into, in ) the cup.
Exercise 2
Fill in the blanks with correct prepositions.
1. Look __________ the road and you will see Bank Muamalat and Maybank.
2. The crystal chandelier hangs __________ the dining table.
3. My best friend’s house is __________ Ampang.
4. I have to turn around to look at you because you are sitting __________ me.
5. Juhaida is still young. She is not able to differentiate __________ right and
wrong.
6. Farid wants you to wait for him __________ his office.
7. The businessman was robbed, beaten up and left __________ the roadside.
8. We are on the 31st floor. Do not look __________ if you are an acrophobic.
9. There are a few children sitting __________ the tree.
10. Ishak helped the driver take the injured boy __________ the clinic nearby.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Prepositions of Time
i. Prepositions of time are used to indicate the concept of time or the duration of
time.
ii. For examples:
from … to until / till for since at

on ago during before by
while after in
 The girls played netball until seven o'clock.

 The lecturer will be in his room from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
 You have to hand in your assignment by Friday.
 The batteries that we bought yesterday can last for more than a month.
 Puan Halimah was talking to her friend while waiting for the food to cook.
 I have been studying at this college since last year.
 You must be there before dusk.
 Do wash your hands after eating.
 My father died nine years ago.
 The meeting is at two o'clock.
 She was born in 1980.
 He wears a tie to work on Mondays.
Exercise 3
Underline the correct preposition.
1. ( Until, By ) the time we reach the campsite, it will be dark.
2. The patient said that he would wait ( until, by ) the doctor arrives.
3. Jerry has been working part-time ( since, during ) last year.
4. She does not work ( for, during ) the semester.
5. ( Since, While ) he is away, his subordinates will carry out his instructions.
6. She finds it difficult to study ( for, while ) having to work at the same time.
7. Your classmates called two minutes ( after, before ) you had left.
8. Daud started work as a programmer soon ( after, before ) he left university.
9. Many centuries ( ago, after ), the moon was a sacred object of worship in
Ancient Greece.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
10. I waited for him ( from, by ) 3 p.m. ( until, to ) 6 p.m.
Exercise 4
Fill in the blanks with in, on or at.
A workshop on Web-Design is scheduled to begin (1) __________ the nineteenth
of June. Since it falls (2) __________ a Saturday and a Sunday, the organisers are
expecting many participants.
The two-day workshop will be held (3) __________ the Merlin Hotel (4)
__________ Orange Road, (5) __________ Johor Bahru. Registration forms will be
available (6) __________ the reception counters of the workshop secretariat from the
1st of May to the 31st of May 2004. For further information, call Shikin (7) __________
07-4445544 or visit our website (8) __________ http://www.webdesign.com.my.
Prepositions of Direction
i. Prepositions of direction indicate that something is headed for or directed to
somewhere.
ii. For examples
into onto through to toward
away from from off out
 A fly got into his soup while he was eating it.

 I must have put the pumpkin onto someone else’s trolley in the
supermarket.
 The bus driver just drove through the tunnel.
 The teacher has gone to the loo again.
 The snake slithered toward the bullfrog.
 He warned them to keep away from his daughter.
 Two tigers in the circus have escaped from their cage.
 The strong wind blew the wig off his head.
 Everyone ran out the door when the fire started.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Exercise 5
Fill in the blanks with the correct preposition.
I'm Peter and I live (1) ___________ Germany. (2) ___________summer I like to travel
(3) ___________ Italy, because the weather and the people there. Last summer I took
a plane (4) ___________ Munich to Rome. (5) ___________ the airport we went to our
hotel (6) ___________ bus. We stopped (7) ___________ a small restaurant for a quick
meal. The driver parked the bus (8) ___________ the restaurant. Nobody could find the
bus and the driver, so we waited outside the restaurant for one hour. The driver was
walking (9) ___________ the small park (10) ___________ the restaurant which we did
not know. So we were very angry (11) ___________ him. But my holidays were great.
We sat (12) ___________campfires and went dancing (13) ___________ the early
mornings.
CONJUNCTIONS
i. A conjunction is a joining/linking word. It joins/links words, phrases, sentences,
ideas and things together. The most common conjunctions are and, but, or,
because and so.
a. and is used to join similar ideas.

Example: My father is a strong and healthy man.
b. but is used to state contrasting ideas (opposite)
Example: I like reading but not writing.
c. or is used when there is a choice.
Example: We can either drive or take a bus.
d. because is used to give reason.
Example: I like her because she treats me well.
e. so is used to show results.
Example: It is raining so we cannot play football.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
f. Other conjunctions are:

 not only … but  if
also  either … or
 while  neither … nor
 since  although
Exercise 1
Underline the correct conjunction.
1. Junid ( but, and ) I are absent from class today ( because, so ) we have
measles.
2. You can choose to stay at home ( and, or ) join me on my trip.
3. I am very thirsty ( because, so ) I need to drink.
4. We wanted to see our lecturer ( so, but ) he was on leave.
5. Taufik could not go to the cinema ( and, because ) his father did not allow
him to go.
Exercise 2
Fill in each blank with a correct conjunction.
1. I cannot graduate yet _______________ I failed some of the courses.

2. Can I have some milk _______________ bread for breakfast?
3. Zainal invited Hisham _______________ not Bakri for dinner.
4. The waitress asked if I would like to have local _______________ western
food.
5. The guests are arriving shortly, _______________ please make sure that the
rooms are ready.
Exercise 3
Join these sentences using suitable conjunctions.
1. The traffic police asked me for my licence. I drove too fast.
_______________________________________________________________

BEGINNER ENGLISH
2. My brother drinks orange juice every morning. My brother eats cereal every
morning.
_______________________________________________________________
3. People watch movies on CD. People watch movies at the cinema.
_______________________________________________________________
4. My sister won the singing competition. Her voice is sweet.
_______________________________________________________________
5. Haziq passed because he is hardworking. Kamil failed because he is lazy.
_______________________________________________________________
6. You can choose to buy a T-shirt. You can buy a pair of jeans.
_______________________________________________________________
7. His girlfriend just left him. He is very sad.
_______________________________________________________________
8. My father scolded me. I came home late.
_______________________________________________________________
9. My sister lives in a bungalow. My brother lives in a terraced house.
_______________________________________________________________
10. Sazali likes to drink coffee. Chong likes to drink coffee.
_______________________________________________________________

BEGINNER ENGLISH
WRITING
Simple sentences
i. A simple sentence has only one clause.
ii. It has the most basic elements that make it a sentence: a subject (S), a verb
(V), and a completed thought.
iii. For examples:

a. I like ice cream.
b. Elina is my sister.
c. The boys are playing football.
d. My mother is eating her lunch.
e. Adam wanted a new motorcycle.
f. Zara found a good hiding place.
g. They are learning English.
h. Will you help me?
i. Is it raining again?
Note: The subjects are printed in bold and the verbs are printed in italic.
iv. The subject can be a Noun (N) or Pronoun (Pron / Pr)
v. Common Patterns
A. Subject – Verb (S – V)
Examples:
• The boys laughed.
S V
• The dog barked.
S V
B. Subject – Verb – Object (S – V – O)

Examples:
• The cat caught the rat.
S V O
• My sister bought a dress.
S V O

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Exercise 1
Underline the subject and circle the verb in each sentence below.
1. His sister served us fruit juice.
2. All the students enjoyed the concert.
3. The police caught the smugglers.
4. The football team lost.
5. The little girl screamed.
6. The acrobats performed very well at the show.
7. He has many good friends.
8. The voters elected a new Prime Minister.
9. Adam’s friends plan to visit Osaka this year.
10. My parents went to Kuala Lumpur by bus.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Exercise 2
Rearrange the word groups to form complete sentences.

Example:
painted / we / yesterday / the house
We painted the house yesterday.
1. empty cans / She / threw / away / the / .

_______________________________________________________________
2. a bunch / bought / of grapes / . / Ramlan
_______________________________________________________________
3. cooks / for us / every day / lunch / . / My mother
_______________________________________________________________
4. at the moment / . / is sleeping / The baby
_______________________________________________________________
5. fierce / The tiger / . / is / very
_______________________________________________________________
6. their hands / clapped / . / The audience
_______________________________________________________________
7. the story / . / are listening / to / We
_______________________________________________________________
8. happy / are / The children /. /
_______________________________________________________________
9. are looking / for / . / The pupils / the answer
_______________________________________________________________
10. searched / missing / my / dress / for / I / . /
_______________________________________________________________

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Exercise 3
Complete the following sentences. Add at least three more words for each sentence.
1. The instructor taught
_______________________________________________________________
2. The lecturer advised
_______________________________________________________________
3. The little girl slept
_______________________________________________________________
4. My father works
_______________________________________________________________
5. Amani likes
_______________________________________________________________
6. Mr. Lee was
_______________________________________________________________
7. The mobile phones were
_______________________________________________________________
8. Aryssa’s dress was
_______________________________________________________________
9. The white tiger is
_______________________________________________________________
10. The officers are
_______________________________________________________________
Compound sentences
i. A compound sentence contains two or more clauses joined by a

coordinating conjunction such as and, or, but or so.
ii. For examples:
a. She opened the bag and took out her sketching book.
b. Jessica waited for the train, but the train was late.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
c. Do you want tea or would you prefer coffee?

d. Hakim wants to watch Thor: Ragnarok but his friends have
already watched it.
e. It started to rain so we went inside the house.
f. We stayed behind and finished the job, then we went home.
g. I looked for Mariah and Sarah at the bus station, but they
arrived at the station before noon and left on the bus before I
arrived.
(We use compound sentences to make our sentences flow and show the
relationship of ideas in the sentences.)
Exercise 1
Join the simple sentences below using the conjunctions given in brackets to form
compound sentences.
1. The girls went to the field to play netball. (and)

They also met their friends there.
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
2. There were many people at the bank this morning. (so)

We decided to go there later.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3. The dress you bought me is very pretty. (but)

It doesn’t fit me.
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
4. You can go with Yusri to the cinema. (or)

You can go with Yazid to the cinema.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

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Exercise 2
Complete the following sentences by using the conjunctions given.
1. I wanted to join you on the trip but ________________________________.

2. He went to the post office because ________________________________.
3. All the tickets were sold out so ____________________________________.
4. I bought a few shirts and _________________________________________.
5. You can handwrite your assignment or ______________________________.
6. My mother gave me good advice and _______________________________.
7. I’m sleepy but _________________________________________________.
8. My father is running his own business because _______________________.
9. Our friend lost his money so ______________________________________.
10. You have to study very hard or ____________________________________.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
READING
USING REFERENCE WORDS TO AID COMPREHENSION
We do not like to use the same word many times. We often use other words which mean
almost the same thing. References, therefore, are words which replace other words.
Example: Maria studies at the college and her hometown is Tuaran.
She misses her family very much.
All the underlined pronouns/words take the place of the noun, Maria.
There are two types of references:
i. Words which refer to information or ideas mentioned before the references.

(anaphoric references)
Example:
1. Maria studies at the college and her hometown is Tuaran.
her Maria
Thus, “her” refers backwards to “Maria”.
2. Ashraf, who studies at the university, is my brother.
Who Ashraf
Thus, “who” refers backwards to “Ashraf”.
ii. Words which refer to information or ideas mentioned after the references.
(cataphoric references)
Example:
1. At the university Malik is involved in all kinds of

games like tennis, football, hockey and badminton.
games tennis, football, hockey and badminton

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Thus, “games” refers forward to “tennis, football, hockey

and badminton”.
2. The reason why he was late was that he missed the bus.
reason he missed the bus
Thus, “reason” refers to “he missed the bus”.
Exercise 1
Read the short paragraphs and write down what the words in bold refer to.
1. Hayati and Harlina are good friends. They have been together since they
were children.
They refers to _________________________________________________
2. Pulau Lang Tengah is situated in the middle of Pulau Redang and Pulau
Perhentian. This island is perfect for people who love the beach.
This island refers to ___________________________________________
who refers to _________________________________________________
3. To people who drive them, cars are very useful. So they take good care of
them.
them refers to ________________________________________________
they refers to _________________________________________________
4. Today, Listerine is one of the most popular brands of mouthwash. It is

mostly used in countries like Australia, France, Spain, Canada, United
Kingdom, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
it refers to ____________________________________________________
countries refers to ____________________________________________

BEGINNER ENGLISH
GRAMMAR
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
We use simple present tense with the following situations:
i. Show habits and regular actions or to refer to current situations

 I eat breakfast every day. (habit)
 She teaches English every Sunday. (regular action)
 I am tired. (current situation)
The following are some words that are often used in the Simple Present Tense
to show habits or regular actions:
 every day  often

 every week  frequently
 every month  usually
 every year  occasionally
 always  sometimes
ii. Description of facts and general true statements.

 The sun rises from the east.
 Birds have wings.
Action verbs in the simple present tense are formed in these ways:
i. For singular nouns and the pronouns he / she / it:
• take + s = takes - Amani takes a pencil under

the chair.
base form of verb + ‘s’
• bring + s = brings - She brings lunch box to
school.
• watch + es = watches - Irfan watches his

base form of verb + ‘es’ favourite TV series every
(add -es to verbs ending in Monday and Tuesday.
'ch', 'sh', 'o' and 'x') • fix + es = fixes - He fixes his computer by
himself.
base form of verb ending in

'y', drop the 'y' and add 'ies' • cry - y + ies = cries - The baby cries all the
night.
(only valid if there is a • fly -y + ies - a plane flies in the sky
consonant before 'y')

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ii. For plural nouns and the pronouns I / you / we / they:
 base form of verb = present tense

Examples:
a. walk - We walk to class.
b. mix - I mix a dialogue and sound effects to my
video for the final project
c. play - Wafi & Wahi play football near the beach.
Note: When you want to change the verb, you need to consider the subject
either it is in singular on plural form.
Exercise 1
Underline the correct answer.
1. I ( prefer, prefers ) rice to pasta.

2. He ( plays, play ) video games every day.
3. Lily’s parents ( work, works ) hard all day at their restaurant.
4. My classmates ( is, are ) usually hardworking.
5. The library ( close, closes ) at 11 p.m. every day.
6. Halim ( go, goes ) through all his lecture notes at the end of each day.
7. We often ( make, makes ) mistakes if we ( is, are ) not careful.
8. Aiman and his family ( go, goes ) overseas on vacation every year.
9. I ( is, am ) a member of the Red Crescent Society.
10. The manager often ( call, calls ) for a staff meeting on Saturday.
Exercise 2
Fill in the blank with the Simple Present Tense form of the verb in brackets.
1. Bats ________ (have) wings, but they ________ (be, not) birds.
2. The sun ________ (be) a hot ball fire.
3. My friend ________ (have) four children.
4. My parents ________ (be) teachers.
5. I ________ (be, not) afraid of snakes.

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6. The stars in the sky ________ (shine) brightly.

7. You ________ (look) like my best friend.
8. ________ (be) he in pain?
9. How old ________ (be) your daughter.
10. Snakes ________ (be) cold-blooded animals.
Exercise 3
Fill in each blank with the correct form of the verb given in brackets.
1. Saiful always __________ (wash) his car when he __________ (get) home
every evening.
2. My children usually __________ (go) to school by bus. The bus sometimes
__________ (arrive) late.
3. My parents seldom __________ (visit) me at the hostel because they
__________ (be) busy.
4. Every day Puan Halijah __________ (eat) the kuih that she __________
(buy) from the stall.
5. My father always __________ (read) the newspaper at breakfast. He
especially __________ (like) the sports section.
6. Our lecturer regularly __________ (advise) us to study hard so that we can
get good results in the examination.
7. Muslims __________ (celebrate) Hari Raya Puasa or the Eid after a month of
fasting.
8. Our director __________ (be) in the middle of an important meeting.
9. The college __________ (organise) an English Drama Competition annually.
10. She _____________ (know) that you __________ (write) to the newspaper
every week.

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Forming a Negative
Negatives in the simple present tense are formed by adding does not (doesn’t) or do
not (don’t) before the base verb.
Positive Sentence Negative Sentence Shortened Negative

I eat I do not eat I don’t eat
You work You do not work You don’t work
It rains It does not rain It doesn’t rain
He drives He does not drive He doesn’t drive
Forming a Question.
In the simple present tense:
i. Put the verb does or do at the beginning of the sentence, and put the base
verb after the subject to form Yes/No question.
ii. Put Wh-question word at the beginning of a Yes/No question to form Wh-
questions.
Statement Yes/ No question Wh- question

I know Do I know? What do I know?
They fight Do the fight? Why do the fight?
It sleeps Does it sleep? When does it sleep?
He runs Does he run? How does he run?
Exercise 1
Change each sentence into a negative sentence.

1. Chenta has an expensive car.
_______________________________________________________________
2. Nadia and her siblings like eggs.
_______________________________________________________________
3. Some insects carry serious diseases.
_______________________________________________________________

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4. This house costs a lot of money.

_______________________________________________________________
5. The Olympic champion comes from Malaysia.
_______________________________________________________________
Exersice 2
Change each sentence into a Wh- question using the question word in brackets.
1. Farhah takes two cubes of sugar in her coffee. (how many)

_______________________________________________________________
2. This car has five doors. (how many)
_______________________________________________________________
3. Bats come out at night. (when)
_______________________________________________________________
4. Wool comes from sheep. (where)
_______________________________________________________________
5. A dog lives in our garden. (what)
_______________________________________________________________

BEGINNER ENGLISH
WRITING
HOW TO START WRITING?
Imagine yourself sitting in front of a desk. On top of the table is your homework given
by your lecturer. You are asked to write a story about your favourite place, but you do
not have any idea where to start. What should you do? Are you going to copy from the
internet? Are you going to ask your parents or friends?
Here are some tips for you on how to generate an idea in order to write a good writing.
1. Free writing
i. Free writing is when someone writes freely what comes to mind in sentences
or phrases, without worrying about grammar, punctuation or making sense.
ii. If you cannot think of an idea, try taking five to ten minutes with a blank
piece of paper in front of you and a pen in hand. Write whatever comes to
your mind about your topic or paper. Do not lift your pen from the paper.
Keep writing, and don’t stop until your time is up. Here is an example of how
this technique works:
Example about Advertising
What about advertising (ads)? TV ads or magazine ads? TV

commercials have lots of ______, which makes them more
appealing or easier to remember than magazine ads. Commercials
are usually pretty short, although it seems like there sure are a lot of
them jammed together. Why is there always music in commercials?
Music is easy to remember and must hit people in their heart. The
action is important in commercials, too.
2. Brainstorming or Listing
i. Brainstorming or listing is when you freely write down all ideas in the order
which they occur to you. Unlike free writing, this technique requires the
writer to record only ideas and phrases. Because you are completing this
task with a goal to arrive at many ideas quickly, no idea is too ridiculous or
unacceptable.
ii. Let us assume you are given the topic of advertising. This general topic is
very broad. If I were to make a list of ideas or related words with the topic
of advertising this is what it might look like:

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Brainstorming about Ads
 located everywhere • newspapers

 magazines • television
 billboards • grocery store ads
 music • colourful
 a lot of blue eyes • power
 wealth • immortality
 friendship • perfume ads
 people having fun
iii. Now you can look at your ideas and put them into categories:
A. Kinds of ads : perfume ads, grocery store ads

B. Contents of ads : a lot of blue eyes, people having fun,
music, colourful
C. Places ads are located : newspapers, magazines, television,
billboards
D. Promises ads make : power, immortality, friendship
iv. After you finished grouping the words and phrases, you can start to write
based on the groups that you have chosen.
Exercise 1
Discuss with your partner in order to come out with a writing entitle My Best Friend.
You must show which step you are using; either free writing or listing that you chose
to complete this task.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
READING
Using Contextual Clues
When you read a passage, you will find words that you do not understand. A dictionary
will definitely give you the meaning of those difficult words. However, you can guess
the meaning of those difficult words by:
i. Looking at the other words in the same passage.

ii. Looking at the sentences that come before and after.
iii. Looking for the word stated in another way in the passage.
Here are some of the ways in which you can use the contextual clues and guess the
meaning of difficult words.
i. General Meaning
Example: He gingerly walked across the room as there was broken glass
all over the place.
It is easy to understand from the rest of the sentence that the man “did not want
to hurt himself, so he walked carefully”. Therefore, you can guess that “gingerly”
means move carefully.
ii. Contrast /Opposite
Example: Rahman is fat and sluggish but Johan is slim and quick.
By contrasting ‘fat’ and ‘slim’ and by using ‘but’, we can guess that “sluggish”
means slow.
iii. Illustration
Example: Salina is such an amicable person. For example, she is friendly

with everyone in school and she never argues with anyone.
In the above sentence, the examples given are:

1 She is friendly with everyone.
2 She never argues with anyone.

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The examples give us the meaning of the word “amicable”. From the examples,
we can guess that “amicable” means friendly and someone who does not quarrel
with others.
Exercise 1
Guess the meaning of the words in bold. Replace each of these words with one word of
similar meaning. Use contextual clues to help you. Do not use the dictionary.
1 This information is crucial because without it the police cannot catch the
robbers.
Clues : _____________________________________________
‘crucial’ means : _____________________________________________
2 I feel exhausted after cleaning the entire house.
Clues : _____________________________________________
‘exhausted’ means : _____________________________________________
3 It is difficult to predict what will happen next.
Clues : _____________________________________________
‘predict’ means : _____________________________________________
4 I have no doubt at all that I will do well in the final project.
Clues : _____________________________________________
‘doubt’ means : _____________________________________________
5 My father had to intervene in the quarrel between his two colleagues to

prevent it from getting worse.
Clues : _____________________________________________
‘intervene’ means : _____________________________________________

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6 I have to decline his invitation to dinner because I have to work late.
Clues : _____________________________________________
‘decline’ means : _____________________________________________
7 Encik Halim is a wealthy man. He owns a big, beautiful bungalow, several

cars and many houses. He also owns a few companies.
Clues : _____________________________________________
‘wealthy’ means : _____________________________________________
8 I think Rizal was trying to avoid me. He acted as though he did not see me.
Perhaps he was afraid that I would ask him for the money he had borrowed.
Clues : _____________________________________________
‘avoid’ means : _____________________________________________
9 He is very ignorant about the present situation. He does not read newspapers
or make the effort to find out about the happenings around the world.
Clues : _____________________________________________
‘ignorant’ means : _____________________________________________
10 He is a very meticulous person. He takes great care to make sure that he

does not make mistakes in his work.
Clues : _____________________________________________
‘meticulous’ means : _____________________________________________
Exercise 2
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
1 More than a hundred years ago, there were no women doctors. Doctors all
around the world were men. Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman in America
to earn the title Doctor of Medicine. Elizabeth Blackwell was 26 years old when
she decided to become a doctor.

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2 Things were difficult for her as no medical school was willing to accept a
woman. A few male teachers who were also her friends suggested that she
should dress up like a man and pretend to be one. However, Elizabeth refused.
She would not lie to people. She kept on writing to schools and finally she was
accepted as a medical student at a well-known medical college in western New
York. At that time many students wanted to study at that college. She was the
only woman among 150 men in her class in that college.
3 Her teachers and classmates were all men and they were not very kind
towards her at the beginning. Many of them thought that it was not suitable
for a woman to be a doctor. Instead, they thought a woman should stay at home
and take care of the family. Elizabeth was determined to succeed. She studied
hard and took her work seriously. Eventually, the students at the college began
to accept the idea of a woman becoming a doctor. Elizabeth completed her
studies in two years. Some years later together with her sister Emily, Elizabeth
started a medical school to train women doctors. They had opened the path of
medical science to women.
1. What do the following words in the passage refer to?
i. she (line 4) : ___________________________________

ii. who (line 6) : ___________________________________
iii. one (line 7) : ___________________________________
iv. Many of them (line 13) : ___________________________________
v. They (line 19) : ___________________________________
2. Using contextual clues, find the meaning of the following words. Match
the words in the box with their meanings.
WORD MEANING
earn did not want
refused famous
well-known strong-minded
determined way
path get

BEGINNER ENGLISH
WRITING
Using the pictures and notes below, create sentences on the importance of
exercise.

When you are writing, don't forget to:
1. use all the notes given
2. elaborate on the given notes to make it more interesting.
__________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

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LISTENING
What is Listening?
i. Listening is receiving language through the ears.
ii. Listening involves identifying the sounds of speech and processing them into
words and sentences.
iii. When we listen, we use our ears to receive individual sounds (letters, stress,
rhythm and pauses) and we use our brain to convert these into messages
that mean something to us.
iv. Listening in any language requires focus and attention.
v. It is a skill that some people need to work at harder than others.
vi. People who have difficulty concentrating are typically poor listeners. Listening
in a second language requires even greater focus.
To become a fluent speaker in English, you need to develop strong listening skills.
Listening not only helps you understand what people are saying to you. It also helps
you to speak clearly to other people. It helps you learn how to pronounce words
properly, how to use intonation, and where to place stress in words and sentences.
Exercise 1
Car Accident
1. What are some of the major factors that lead to car accidents and what can
be done to deal with these causes?
2. What possible injuries can occur in such accidents?
3. Who would you contact if you had to file accident claims or other request for
medical assistance?

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Exercise 2
Listen to the audio and answer the question below.
1. Where did the car accident take place?

A. In front of the house
B. In the parking lot at the house
C. At the post office
2. Which factor did NOT contribute to the accident?

A. Excessive speed
B. A faulty car mechanism
C. Some obstruction in the car
3. Why is the girl really upset?

A. she wrecked her friend's car
B. she doesn't have money to repair the car
C. She won't have a car to drive over the weekend
4. What is her dad's original solution to her predicament?

A. He offers to help pay for the repairs
B. Her dad volunteers to drive her where she needs to go
C. He suggests she invite friends over to eat
5. How the situation is finally resolved?

A. The girl decides to go camping the following week instead
B. The girl invites friends over instead for a pizza party
C. The father reluctantly loans his car

BEGINNER ENGLISH
READING
‘WH’ QUESTIONS
When you are asking for information, you use ‘WH’ question words.
i. When : used to ask questions about time.
Examples:
A. When are you going to Penang?
I am going to Penang next week.
B. When will they arrive?

They will arrive tonight.
ii. Where : used to ask questions about place.
Examples:
A. Where are the musicians?
They are in the concert hall.
B. Where is that famous cendol sold?

It is sold in a restaurant in Kuala Kangsar.
iii. Why : used to ask questions about reasons.
Examples:
A. Why is he going to Hong Kong?
He is going to Hong Kong to meet his parents.
B. Why did she stay at home?

She stayed at home because she had to finish her
homework.
iv. Who : used to ask questions about one or more persons.
Examples:
A. Who came to visit Lee?
Mr. Raj came to visit Lee.
B. Who wants to go with me to the shop?

Irfan wants to go with you to the shop.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
v. What : used to ask questions about things, objects or animal.

It can refer to the subject or the object of the sentence.
Examples:
A. What animal is that?
That is a giraffe.
B. What did you buy?

I bought a pair of jeans.
vi. Which : used when a question requires you to choose from two or
more things.
Examples:
A. Which country should I visit, Australia or New
Zealand?
You should visit New Zealand.
B. Which country did he visit on his trip?

He visited the United Kingdom, Switzerland and
Spain.
vii. How : used to ask about manner, transportation, frequency and

quantity. It is usually used with adjectives or adverbs.
Examples:
A. How do you go to college?
I go to college by motorcycle.
B. How much did you pay for it?

I paid twenty ringgit for it.
Note
i. Notice the verbs in italics. The verbs in the questions are in the same tense
as the verbs in the answers.
ii. Notice that where the questions contain “WH” questions + do, does, did,
the word ‘do’, ‘does’, ‘did’ are not repeated in the answers.

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Exercise 1
1 A kite competition is always an exciting event to watch. The competition which

is held in a district in Kelantan is an annual event that always attract local and
foreign tourists. Each year competitors from all over Malaysia converge in
Kelantan to compete in the kite competition. They bring with them their own
kites which are usually specially designed for the competition. The kites are
usually very beautiful and colourful. They are of different shapes, sizes and
designs. These kites produce a type of buzzing sound when they fly.
2 Each team which takes part in the competition comprises two men.
During the competition, these two individuals will stand opposite each other at
both ends of the field. One person will be the launcher who holds the kite and
the other holds the end of the string. Both of them will wait for the right time
before the kite is released. Once there is a good wind, the launcher will release
the kite. Each team will have three chances to get the kite off the ground within
20 minutes. In the competition, each kite will be judged on its design, sound
and angle of flight.
3 The most popular kite is known as ‘wau bulan’ or moon-shaped kite. It

is also known as the Malaysian traditional kite. Due to its uniqueness and
beauty, the ‘wau bulan’ is used as the logo for Malaysian Airlines. There is even
a song named after the kite.
i. ‘which’ (paragraph 1)
______________________________________________________
ii. ‘They’ (paragraph 1)
_______________________________________________________
iii. ‘who’ (paragraph 2)
_______________________________________________________

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iv. ‘them’ (paragraph 2)
_______________________________________________________
v. ‘It’ (paragraph 3)
_______________________________________________________
2. Answer the following questions in complete sentences. Your answers

should be based on the passage.
i. Where is the kite competition held?

________________________________________________
________________________________________________
ii. How often is the competition held?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
iii. Where do the competitors come from?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
iv. How many people are there in one team?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
v. What does the launcher do during the competition?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
vi. When is the right time to release the kite?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
vii. Why do you think the Malaysian traditional kite is called ‘wau bulan’?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

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3. Which of the following statements is NOT true? Tick the correct answer.
A. Only local tourists watch the competition.

B. Each team from each state will design its own kite.
C. The launcher releases the kite when the wind is right.
D. Each team has about 20 minutes to try to fly the kite.
4. With the help of a dictionary, choose the right meaning that best suits the
words as used in the passage.
i. ‘foreign’ in line 3 means

_______________________________________________________
ii. ‘converge’ in line 4 means
_______________________________________________________
iii. ‘compete’ in line 4 means
_______________________________________________________
iv. ‘uniqueness’ in line 18 means
_________________________________________________________

BEGINNER ENGLISH
GRAMMAR
SIMPLE PAST TENSE
i. We use the simple past tense to show that an action began and ended in the
past. Thus the simple past tense is usually used with specific time expressions
like yesterday, just now, last month, two months ago, etc.
Examples: I bought that magazine yesterday.

He worked in Mersing last year.
ii. We add ‘ed’ to regular verbs to form the simple past tense. Irregular verbs
take different forms.
Examples: I cooked chicken rice last night. (regular verb – cook)

They ate lunch at home. (irregular verb – eat)
iii. The ‘be’ verb (i.e. was, were):
Pronouns I He/She/It We/You/They

Present Tense am is are
Past Tense was was were
Exercise 1
Fill in the blanks with was or were.
1. The elephant trainer ________ sick, and so they cancelled the show.
2. The scientists _________ in the laboratory last night, working on their
latest experiment.
3. The new marketing manager ________ a real slave driver.
4. Her house ________ next to mine.
5. I ________ confident because I have a very positive attitude.
6. The police ________ well aware of the danger.
7. The dolphins ________ capable of doing many incredible tricks.
8. Cases of break-in ________ rampant in the village.
9. Her gown ________ the creation of her favourite designer.
10. Brazil ________ my favourite team when I was in college.

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Exercise 2
Fill in the blanks with the Simple Past Tense Form of the verb in brackets.
1. I ________ (not, go) to school yesterday because I ________ (be) ill.
2. Maria’s uncle ________ (die) in 1985 in a road accident.
3. The police ________ (arrest) nine people for robbery two days ago.
4. When ________ he ________ (repair) the TV?
5. He ________ (not, know) where she had gone to last night.
6. A bee ________ (sting) Tom as he was cycling home from school.
7. Fay ________ (forget) to drink a glass of milk last night.
8. She ________ (walk) with me to the mall yesterday evening.
9. The thief ________ (try) to break into my house last night.
10. I ________ (stop) smoking a few years ago.
11. He ________ (turn) around and ________ (slam) the door in my face.
12. The fire ________ (destroy) two floors completely.
13. Hang Tuah ________ (live) during the reign of Sultan Mansor Shah.
14. The government ________ (appoint) the new company as the main
builder.
15. Last Sunday, my family and I ________ (decide) to go for a picnic in Port
Dickson.
Exercise 3
Fill in the blanks with the simple past tense of the irregular verbs given in brackets.
1. Last weekend my father ________ (take) all of us for a visit to KLCC.
2. We ________ (see) a lot of strange-looking animals in the zoo.
3. The staff meeting ________ (begin) at 10 a.m. yesterday.
4. Puan Fatimah ________ (teach) me English when I ________ (be) in
secondary school.
5. Tajul ________ (meet) his primary school teacher on his way home
yesterday.
6. I ________ (drink) a cup of milk before I ________ (go) to bed last night.

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7. They ________ (sit) in the dark for two hours after power failure.
8. During the last study break I ________ (have) a great time touring Europe.
9. Zubaidah misses her family very much, so she ________ (write) a letter to
her mother last night.
10. Two weeks ago I ________ (lose) my wallet while I was shopping.
Exercise 4
Complete the sentences with the correct time words or with verbs in the simple past.
1. I learned how to swim ___________________________________________.

2. She passed her driving test _______________________________________.
3. ____________________________________________________ five years
ago.
4. ___________________________________________________ when she
was a teenager.
5. I changed my hairstyle ___________________________________________.
Forming a Negative and Forming a Question

 In the simple past tense, negative forms are made using did not, and
question forms are made by using did in the base form of the verb.
Forming a Negative.
i. Negative in the simple past tense are formed by adding did not or didn’t
before the base verb:

I ate I did not eat I didn’t eat
You lost You did not lose You didn’t lose
It rained It did not rain It didn’t rain
He fell He did not fall He didn’t fall
They wrote They did not write They didn’t write
We read We did not read We didn’t read

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Forming a Question
In the simple past tense:
i. Yes / no question are formed by putting the verb did at the beginning of
the sentences. Put the base verb after the subject.
ii. Wh-question are formed by placing wh-question in front of a yes/no
question.
Statement Yes/ No question WH- question

I paid Did I pay? How did I pay?
You cried Did you cry? Why did you cry?
He left Did he leave? When did he leave?
She slept Did she sleep? Where did she sleep?
It ate Did it eat? What did it eat?
Exercise 1
Change each sentence into a negative sentence.
1. The vase was very expensive.

_____________________________________________________________
2. They were on the beach with their family.
_____________________________________________________________
3. She drank all the juice by herself?
_____________________________________________________________
4. The stray cats lived in the house.
_____________________________________________________________
5. Melinda bought a pair of shoes.
_____________________________________________________________

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Exercise 2
Change each sentence into a Wh- question using the question word in brackets.
1. He bought an old house.(what)

_____________________________________________________________
2. Dolphins were common on Vancouver Island. (where)
_____________________________________________________________
3. They travelled across the world by bike. (how)
_____________________________________________________________
4. Salawati studied for five hours. (how long)
_____________________________________________________________
5. The raccoon was in the garden. (where)
_____________________________________________________________
SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE
i. Simple future tense is used to express an action that will occur or happen in
the future.
ii. It is used to describe an action which will happen in near or far future after
being said about it by the speaker.
iii. Simple future has two different forms in English: "will and shall".
iv. For examples:
A. He will come next Saturday.

B. They will study Arabic next semester.
Note: Shall is used with the pronouns I and we only.

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v. When the speaker is making a prediction (a statement about something

she/ he thinks will be true or will occur in the future), you can use will.
For examples:
A. According to the weather report, it will be cloudy tomorrow.

B. Be careful! You will hurt yourself!
vi. When the speaker is expressing willingness, use only will.
For example:
A. Amirul : the phone is ringing

Aiman : I will get it.
B. Ain : I don’t understand this problem

Anis : Ask your teacher about it. She’ll help you.
Note:
 In A, Aiman is saying “I am willing; I am happy to get the phone.” He
is not making a prediction. He has made no prior plan to answer the
phone. He is instead, volunteering to answer the phone and uses will
to show his willingness.
vii. The modal verb shall is used with first person pronouns to express the
strong possibility or near certainty of an action which is to take place in
the near future.
For examples:
A. I shall leave for Chicago tomorrow.

B. We shall discuss the matter with the chairman.
C. I shall be thirty one next Tuesday.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
viii. Shall may also express determination.
For examples:
A. We shall apologise to Mr. Zaidin.

B. I shall say something about the incident.
Exercise 1
Fill in the blanks with the correct usage of will and shall.
1. A: This letter is in French, and I don’t speak French. Can you help me?
B: Sure. I _________________ (translate) it for you.
2. A: How about getting together for dinner after work?

B: Great! I _________________ (meet) you there around six.
3. A: This light doesn’t work. The bulb is probably burned out. Do we have
any new light bulb?
B: I _________________ (get) one for you.
4. A: _________________ (we meet) at 5 o'clock in the park?

B: Great! I will see u there!
5. A: Argh! I am so hungry. Can we eat in this museum?

B: Look at the notice board!, it said "There _________________
(not be) any food and drink in this premise".

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6. A: Uh, oh! I've spilled coffee on my shirt!

B: Just a minute. I _________________ (get) a damp cloth for you.
7. A: Janice, do you want to come with us?
B: I can't. I have to study.

A: Oh, come on! You can't study all day and all night.
B: All right, I _________________ (go) with you. I guess I can finish
this stuff tomorrow.
Exercise 2
Fill in the blanks with the correct usage of will and shall.
1. I _________________ go to the movie tomorrow.
2. My parents _________________ visit my uncle next week.
3. The teacher _________________ teach history next time.
4. We _________________ play games in the playground.
5. Somchai _________________ speak Chinese.
6. The girls _________________ swim in the pool next Sunday.
7. Lek and Noi _________________ buy a new bicycle.
8. My mother _________________ clean the floor tomorrow.
9. I _________________ write a letter next Monday.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
WRITING
Exercise 1
Due to the changing weather, your friend has often complained about having headaches and mild fever. In about
100 words, write a note to your friend on how he can keep his headache and fever at bay.
In your note:
1. suggest traditional and home remedies to help him with his problems
2. give reasons to support your answer
Exercise 2
Your friend is not too keen on reading. In about 100 words, write an email to your friend.
In your email:
1. encourage him/her to take up reading
2. tell him/her the importance of reading
Hi, _________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Regards,
_________________

BEGINNER ENGLISH
SPEAKING
TALKING ABOUT ONESELF AND OTHERS
List of words and phrases
Here are some words and phrases used when talking about oneself or others.
i. When introducing oneself or others
Formal Informal
My name is … Hi, I’m …

Hello, my name is … Meet …
Let me introduce (you to) … This is …
I’d like to introduce (you to) …
I’d like you to meet …
ii. After introductions or in the course of the conversation
Formal Informal
I am staying at … I’m from …

I live in … I’m a …
I work as … I’m interested in …
I work in …
I am a …
I like …
I am interested in …
My interests are …
Points for consideration
i. You would talk about yourself or others:
 during introductions
 right after or during the course of the conversation
ii. When talking about oneself you can include the following:
 name
 where you come from

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 job/position
 hobbies
 likes/dislikes
 other information you think will be helpful
iii. When talking about oneself and others:
 be polite and courteous

 be ready for questions from others
 greetings may be used
Here are some ways of talking about oneself and others:
i. Formal
Umie : Hello, my name is Umie. What is your name?

Izzatie : It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Izzatie.
ii. Less formal
Tan : Hi, I’m Tan. How are you?

Bidin : Great. Nice to meet you. I’m Bidin.
Raja : I’m in the Business School. And you?

Ain : Well, I am with Music. I’m in my third semester.
Azlan is at an interview for a place in an Accountancy course in a university. One of

the interviewers asks him to introduce himself to the panel.
Good morning. I am Azlan Zulkifli. I am eighteen years old. The

last school I attended was Sekolah Menengah Teknik Alor Setar and
I was the head prefect when I was in Form Five. Besides that, I
was also an active member of the Police Cadet Corps and a member
of the Mountain Climbing Team. I was chosen as the most
outstanding mountain climber for the Petaling District. My
hobbies are reading storybooks and playing chess. I liked
Mathematics when I was in school and still find it interesting
and challenging. I hope to become a good accountant.
* Even in formal situations, conversation has elements of informality.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Exercise 1 (Pair work)
Choose a partner and play the roles of two characters in each of the situations given
below.
1. At a market
Zarina and Elly have not met each other for a long time. By coincidence, they
see each other at the market and start a conversation. Elly is there with her
husband.
2. At the library
While Kamal and Ikmal are reading, Jalil comes across a picture of someone
he met a long ago. He begins to tell Ikmal about the person in the picture.
3. At a bus station
Linda notices Rahim, her new classmate, at the bus station. She walks up to
Rahim and introduces herself to him and they get to know each other.
4. At a police station
Last night, robbers broke into Puan Lily’s house and stole some of her
valuables. Now, she is at the police station to lodge a report and the officer-
in-charge, ASP Salleh, is attending to her. ASP Salleh questions Puan Lily about
her background and then about her robbery.
5. In a classroom
Arun was absent from class for two days because he had a fever. Today, he
comes to class and realises that he has a new class teacher. He asks his friend
beside him about this new teacher.
6. In a clinic
Yusri visits the doctor because he has the flu. When he goes in to see the lady
doctor, he introduces himself and talks about his ailment.
7. In an art gallery
You and your friend are in the art gallery. Your friend knows a lot about the
artists whose works are displayed in the gallery. He starts telling you about the
background of the artists.

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8. In an office
It is Zuri’s first day at work at Syarikat Berkat. Her new employer takes her
around and introduces her to the rest of the staff in the office.
9. In a gymnasium
Kimy and Ida are working out in the gymnasium. While they are chatting,
another girl walks in and Kimy asks Ida if she knows her. Ida recognises the
girl and tells Kimy about her.
10. At a party
Shamsul and Shahril are brothers. At a birthday party Shamsul meets his
college friend. Shamsul introduces his brother to his friend and they start a
conversation.
Exercise 2 (Group work)
1. A group is at a table at an annual dinner. While they are chatting a stranger

interrupts the conversation and tries to get acquainted with them.
2. The parents of a twenty-year-old college student are pleased to see him/her

back for the semester holidays. They ask him/her many questions about
his/her life at the college.
3. There is a new girl in class. Her classmates are interested to know more about
her and they ask her a lot of questions about herself.
4. A group of students are in the dining hall chatting. One of them introduces a
new classmate to the group. Some of the details he provides are:
i. Name, age, where the classmate comes from
ii. Where the classmate was before joining the college
iii. The classmate’s hobbies
5. Hayati and her friends are talking about pets. She has a pet too. Her friends
want to know about her pet. Below are some of the points that she mentions
to her friends.
i. What it is, name, age
ii. Where she got it from
iii. Its habits

BEGINNER ENGLISH
READING
1 Cactuses are mostly found in hot, dry deserts where it hardly ever rains.
Cactuses do not need much water to grow. Some types of cactus need water
only once a year. They store water in their thick skin.
2 There are many types of cactuses. One type of cactus is called the giant
saguaro cactus. This cactus can grow as tall as a four-storey building. Another
type is called the old man cactus as the thorns of the cactus which are soft,
wooly and white, resemble an old man’s beard. There is also the prickly pear
cactus. It has fruits which look like a pear and can be eaten.
3 Many people prefer cactuses to other plants for different reasons.

Some love the uniqueness of the shapes. Others prefer cactuses because
cactuses are easy to take care of as they do not need much water.
4 Cactuses are usually sold in nurseries and supermarkets. The price

varies according to the types and sizes of the cactus. The more common type
they are, the lower their prices. If you want to include cactuses as one of the
plants in your garden, you can begin with the less expensive ones.
A. where (paragraph 1) _______________________________________

B. their (paragraph 1) _______________________________________
C. It (paragraph 2) _______________________________________
D. Some (paragraph 3) _______________________________________
E. they (paragraph 4) _______________________________________
2. Use your dictionary to find the meanings of the following words as they are
used in the passage.
A. store (paragraph 1) ____________________________________

B. resemble (paragraph 2) ____________________________________
C. prickly (paragraph 2) ___________________________________

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D. uniqueness (paragraph 3) ___________________________________

E. varies (paragraph 4) ___________________________________
3. Answer the following questions in complete sentences. Your answers should

be based on the passage.
A. Where do cactus plants grow?

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
B. Where does a cactus store water?

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
C. Why do people call the saguaro cactus, ‘the giant’ cactus?

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
D. Name three kinds of cactuses.

i. __________________________________________________
ii. __________________________________________________
iii. __________________________________________________
E. List down two reasons why people prefer cactuses to other plants.
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
F. How are the cactus plants priced?

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
G. Write down the topic sentence of paragraph I.

________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

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4. Write (T) in the boxes next to the statements which are true and (F) in the
boxes next to the statements which are false according to the passage.
A. Cactus plants can survive without water for a year.
B. It is difficult to grow cactuses.
C. Only a few people prefer cactuses to any other plants.
D. Cactuses are cheaper if they are easily found.
E. Many cactus plants obtained their names from their shapes and
sizes.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
WRITING
Your friend wrote to you telling that he/she felt unhappy to join a school camping.
Write a letter to him/her to encourage him/her to go camping. Share with your
friends the benefits of joining a camping and the challenges that he/she may face
during the camping. Write a paragraph about 120 words.
When writing the letter, you must:

1. lay out your letter correctly (address, greeting, closure)
2. use all the notes given
3. give your own ideas when needed

BEGINNER ENGLISH
SPEAKING
EXPRESSING AGREEMENT AND DISAGREEMENT
Expressing Agreement
i. In a discussion you often have to say what you think of a point of view or
opinion expressed by other members of the group. You may agree or disagree
with a point made in the discussion. When you are in favour of a point you will
certainly want to support it. You do this by expressing your agreement.
ii. You may express agreement in the following ways:
Informal Formal
You're right. I agree.
That's for sure! That's correct.
Exactly. I couldn't agree more.
Okay! That's precisely the point.
I knew it. That's absolutely true.
iii. Examples:
Statements and phrases expressing agreement in an informal manner
A: Goodness, what a loud colour!

B: You can say that again.
A: My, that was a boring movie. I'm quite disappointed.

B: You're right. It was just a waste of time.
A: This is a good time to travel to Europe because it isn't too cold.

B: Exactly!
iv. Examples:
Statements and phrases expressing agreement in a formal manner
A: Youngsters today have a lot of educational opportunities.

B: I couldn't agree with you more.
A: The private sector should open its door to the disabled. Some of
them are really creative and talented.
B: I agree.

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A: During the haze last year, many people experienced respiratory

problems, especially those who have asthma. They were really
badly affected.
B: That's absolutely true.
Exercise 1
Practise the following dialogue with a partner.
DIALOGUE 1 : Mona and Yati are discussing professional football.
Mona : Did you read yesterday's newspaper?

Yati : No. Did I miss anything interesting?
Mona : Well, two of our junior footballers were sent off to Stuttgart,
Germany, to join a professional football club.
Yati : Do you think they are ready to play professionally?
Mona : They may not be as good as their European counterpart but
these
boys certainly have the right spirit.
Yati : That's for sure. Malaysians are well-known for their Malaysia
Boleh! spirit.
DIALOGUE 2 : Linda and David are discussing their French class at the university.
Linda : I'm very excited about our French class. I thought it was going
to
be very difficult.
David : You're right. I felt the same way too.
Linda : I think Madame Terri is a friendly lecturer. She made us feel
very
comfortable although we didn’t know a word of French!
David : That's absolutely true. I hate going to classes that make me
feel nervous and uptight.
Linda : I couldn't agree with you more.
In the above dialogues the phrases that in bold are express agreement.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Expressing Disagreement
i. In a discussion or conversation, you should feel free to express what you feel
even if you disagree with the opinion expressed by another person. However, you
have to express yourself tactfully. Otherwise, you might offend others.
Furthermore, you might appear rude and tactless.
ii. Below are some common expressions that can be used when expressing
disagreement:
Informal Formal
 You’ve got to be joking! • I disagree. / I don’t agree.
 You’re kidding! • I don’t think so.
 That’s a joke! • I don’t believe that.
 No way! • I guess it’s true but …
 You don’t know what • You couldn’t be more wrong.

you’re talking about.
iii. Examples:
Statements and phrases expressing disagreement in an informal manner
A : She claims that she’s only 31.

B : That’s a joke! I certainly remember attending her 31st birthday five
years ago.
A : You analyse the data and I’ll do the typing, all right?
B : No way!
A : I think we should stop work in ten minutes’ time.

B : You’re kidding! We still have a lot of work to finish for tomorrow’s
meeting.
A : Puan Aini is purposely giving us low marks because she has a grudge
against us.
B : How can you say that? You don’t know what you’re talking about.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
iv. Examples:
Statements and phrases expressing disagreement in a formal manner
A : Malaysians have unhealthy eating habits.

B : I guess it’s true but I think we’re slowly changing.
A : Heavy fines deter people from using handphones while driving.

B : I don’t think so.
A : Only foreign universities can produce outstanding graduates.

B : I disagree.
A : The research reveals that women have a longer life expectancy than
men.
B : I don’t believe that.
Exercise 1
Practise the following dialogue with a partner.

DIALOGUE 1 : Azmi and Boon Hong are at the railway station.
Boon Hong: I think we’ve just missed the train. Thanks to you!
Azmi : You don’t know what you’re talking about. The train to Bangkok
leaves at 9:00.
Boon Hong: You must be joking. Last night you told me that it leaves at 8:15.
Azmi : No way! You were the one who said that.
Boon Hong: I’m not going to stand here and argue with you all night. Let’s check
at the information counter.

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DIALOGUE 2 : Farina and Zain are dining at the revolving restaurant at the Kuala
Lumpur Tower.
Farina : Oh! The view is breath taking! Kuala Lumpur looks like a
fairyland from up here.
Zain : Do you know that we’re now 500 metres above ground level?
Farina : You have got to be kidding! It can’t be more than 300
metres.
Zain : Look in that direction. On a fine, clear day, you should be able
to see Sumatera!
Farina : I don’t believe that. You’re just pulling my leg, aren’t you?
In the dialogues, the phrases that are in bold express disagreement.
Exercise 2
Work with a partner and discuss one of the topics given below. You are encouraged to use suitable
expressions to express agreement or disagreement in your discussion.
1. Every college student must contribute one hour a week for community service.
2. Students should be encouraged to take up part-time jobs to support themselves.
3. Every household in Malaysia should have a computer.
4. Local universities should emphasise science and technology rather than the social
sciences.
5. Universities should be set up in rural areas instead of urban areas.
Exercise 3
Form groups of three or four students and discuss the following topic:
1. English is easy to learn.
2. Money is more important than love.
3. Personality is more important than beauty.
4. Everyone is good at something.
5.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
READING
Read the passage below and answer ALL the questions that follow.
1 The Kuala Lumpur City Centre Park (KLCC Park) promises a blissful rest
for tired shoppers and dwellers.
2 This park is smacked in the middle of Kuala Lumpur City. It is located next
to the Suria’s KLCC shopping centre and built around a tropical theme by the late
Roberto Burle Marx, a Brazilian landscape artist. It has 20 hectares of colourful
park that feature an eye-catching fusion of nature and urban modernity,
perfectly meshed. together. It is so immaculate that you might feel slightly
uncomfortable stepping on the grass
3 However, children feel wonderfully at home with a rainbow-coloured

playground under generous shade, a spacious wading pool and a garden. Pathways,
which are wide or narrow, straight and undulating, make each feature in the park
unique. What is amazing about the environment is that it is part of the city’s
commercial and shopping district, yet it boasts of a serene atmosphere of 1,900
indigenous trees and 66 species of palms and other green sights. There are nature
and urbanization: gaze upwards to catch sight of the obvious Petronas Twin
Towers, towering above the other equally familiar skyscrapers. The surroundings
are spruced up with a mixture of plan and sculptures in different shapes, sizes
and colours. To add to its uniqueness is the 1.3 km jogging track made of special
rubber material that reminds you of walking and jogging on a sandy beach.
4 On weekdays, the park is visited by shoppers and office workers.

Weekends bring more people and children but it is not too crowded. The park is
open from 7 am to 10 pm daily.
1. What does the word it in paragraph 2 refers to?

A. The park
B. Kuala Lumpur City
C. A shopping centre
D. Petronas Twin Towers

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2. The Kuala Lumpur City Centre Park offers

A. sport facilities
B. shopping facilities
C. conference facilities
D. recreational facilities
3. Who is Roberto Burle Marx?

A. A landscaper
B. An artist
C. An exterior designer
D. An architect
4. Judging by the expression eye-catching fusion of nature and urban

modernity, the park
A. matches the modern appearance of the city.
B. faces the same problems as the city.
C. spoils the beauty of the city.
D. is as busy as the city.
5. The park is an attraction to children because

A. there are trees and plants.
B. there are shopping centres nearby.
C. there are a playing ground and a wading pool.
D. there are a lot of children visiting the place every day.
6. What makes each feature in the park unique?

A. The pathways which are covered by grass.
B. The pathways which are paved with stones.
C. The pathways which are surrounded by trees and plants.
D. The pathways which are wide or narrow, straight and undulating.
7. How is the KLCC Park a mixture of urbanization and nature?

A. Because there are skyscrapers in the park.
B. Because there are modern facilities in the park.
C. Because the park is near to the business and shopping centres.
D. Because the plant life in the park is surrounded by the skyscrapers.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
8. What is so special about the jogging track?

A. It is 1.3 kilometres long.
B. It is the only jogging track in the park.
C. It is made from special rubber material.
D. It makes joggers feel as if they are jogging on a sandy beach.
9. The word wading pool in paragraph 3 means

A. a plastic container that is filled with water
B. a small field near the house
C. a small pool for children to play in
D. a large boat driven by steam
10. The park is open

A. every day
B. every weekdays
C. every weekends
D. for a half day

BEGINNER ENGLISH
GRAMMAR
PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE
i. We use the present continuous tense to show that an action is going on at the
time of speaking or writing.
Examples:
 I am watching a movie now.
 They are learning English at the moment.
 I am cooking my favourite dish.
 Azman is cleaning the house.
 We are playing hide and seek.
ii. Time expressions like now, currently, presently, at the moment, right now, still
and at present often go with the present continuous tense.
Exercise 1
Underline the correct answer.
1. My friend ( is changing, are changing ) her clothes right now.

2. This semester, we ( is learning, are learning ) Spanish as an elective.
3. Nasha and her sister ( is discussing, are discussing ) their holiday plans at
the moment.
4. Currently, that college ( is undergoing, are undergoing ) renovation.
5. Badrul ( is hiding, are hiding ) from his father at the moment.
6. The sky ( is beginning, are beginning ) to get dark so I think it is going to
rain.
7. The swimmers ( is exercising, are exercising ) in the gymnasium now.
8. At present, the people ( is waiting, are waiting ) for the decision by the
government.
9. I ( am going, is going ) to visit my parents this weekend.
10. My lecturer ( is still marking, are still marking ) the exam paper.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Exercise 2
Fill in the blanks with the Present Continuous form of the verb in brackets.
1. The company _________________ (train) its staff to use a new system.

2. We _________________ (have) dinner with Awie and Sofia.
3. _________________ you _________________ (search) for something in
my garage?
4. What _________________ you _________________ (do) Hanna? I
_________________ (clean) the bathroom.
5. The tailor _________________ (still, make) uniforms for the teachers.
6. Sime Darby _________________ (recruit) a new staff for their new project.
7. Where _________________ Hussaini _________________ (study) right
now?
8. Farhana cannot stay with us right now because she _________________
(talk) to the Director.
9. It _________________ (not, rain) now. We can go outside and have a
picnic.
10. At present, I _________________ (not, work) because there is no one to
look after my children.
11. _________________ she _________________ (avoid) me?
12. They _________________ (currently, show) Thor; Ragnarok at the cinema.
13. The child _________________ (not, respond) to the doctors’ treatment.
14. _________________ they _________________ (not, listen) to his lecture?
Exercise 3
Complete the sentences with the correct forms of Present Simple or Present
Continuous tense.
1. Do not disturb me. I _________________ (study) for my exam.

2. This is a difficult question. I _________________ (not, know) the answer.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
3. Zul and Fadli _________________ (go) to the bowling centre every

Saturday.
4. Now, Roidah _________________ (tutor) her students.
5. She _________________ (not, work) at the moment.
6. I _________________ (feel) nervous today. I don’t know why.
7. Mr. Hussein usually _________________ (mow) the lawn once a week.
8. What _________________ you _________________ (do) now?
9. Cats _________________ (make) a good pets.
10. Look at the monkeys! They _________________ (hang) on the branches.
11. She can _________________ (play) the violin and piano. She is so talented.
12. They usually _________________ (stay) at my house when they go to

Kedah.
13. He _________________ (try) to give up smoking.
14. It often _________________ (rain) in Sandakan, Sabah.
15. It _________________ (rain) at the moment.
Forming a Negative
i. Positive forms are made by using a ‘be’ verb and a present participle
(verb + -ing).
ii. Negative forms are made using not.
iii. Question forms are made by placing the ‘be’ verb at the beginning of the
sentence.
iv. Negative in the present continuous tense are formed by adding not or n’t
after the verb ‘b’
Positive sentence Negative sentence Shortened negative

I am studying I am not studying I’m not studying
You are listening You are not listening You aren’t listening
He is driving He is not driving He isn’t driving
They are talking They are not talking They aren’t talking

BEGINNER ENGLISH
It is raining It is not raining It isn’t raining

We are playing We are not playing We aren’t playing
Forming a Question
In the present continuous tense:
i. Yes/no questions are formed by placing the verb am, is or are at the
beginning of the sentence.
ii. Wh-questions are formed by adding a wh-question word before yes/no

question.
Statement Yes/No Question Wh-Question

I am eating Am I eating? What am I eating?
You are lying Are you lying? Why are you lying?
She is going Is she going? When is she going?
It is jumping Is it jumping? How is it jumping?
They are crying Are they crying? Why are they crying?
We are discussing Are we discussing? What are we discussing?
PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE
i. We use the past continuous tense to show that an action was going on or
being carried out in the past.
Examples:
 At 5 p.m. yesterday I was waiting for a bus outside the mall.
 Azlan was playing football in the school field all afternoon.
 While Kamarul was working in the garden, his wife was
cooking in the kitchen.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Exercise 1
Complete the sentences below with the past continuous tense of the verbs given in
brackets.
e.g.: Fairuz was studying (study) for his final examination the
whole night.
1. My grandfather _____________ (smoke) his pipe when I entered the house.

2. The children _______________ (play) in the house as it was raining heavily
outside.
3. Her students _______________ (draw) in class the whole afternoon.
4. The little boy _______________ (cry) softly.
5. I _____________ (sit) beside a big man while watching a movie in the
cinema last night.
6. At 7 p.m. last night I _______________ (help) my mother prepare dinner.
7. The hamsters _____________ (chase) each other around their cage.
8. We _______________ (drive) along the beach for several hours yesterday.
9. Lina _____________ (do) her assignment for four hours yesterday evening.
10. The villagers _____________ (stir) the dodol the whole morning.
Exercise 2
Complete the sentences with the verbs given in brackets. Use the past continuous
tense.
1. One worker _____________ (paint) the walls while another

_____________ (repair) the roof.
2. The employer _______________ (interview) a candidate while his secretary
_______________ (type) the reports.
3. I _______________ (write) a poem as he _______________ (compose) a
song.
4. When the girls _______________ (sew), the boys _______________
(catch) insects in the garden.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
5. The child _______________ (listen) while his mother _______________

(talk) on the phone.
6. Mamat’s girlfriend _______________ (enjoy) herself at the concert while
he _______________ (work) on his project in the office.
7. His colleagues _______________ (raise) money to help his bills when he
_______________ (recuperate) from his operation in the hospital.
8. The management _______________ (consider) the new proposal when the
workers _______________ (plan) to go on strike.
9. The children _______________ (roar) with laughter when the clowns
_______________ (perform) their silly act.
10. The photographers _______________ (take) pictures while the models
_______________ (walk) down the catwalk.
FORMING A NEGATIVE AND A QUESTION
Forming a Negative
Negatives in the past continuous are formed by adding not or n’t after the ‘be’ verb.

I was eating I was not eating I wasn’t eating
They were lying They were not lying They weren’t lying
We were listening We were not listening We weren’t listening
You were shouting You were not shouting You weren’t shouting
It was happening It was not happening It wasn’t happening
He was typing He was not typing He wasn’t typing
She was swimming She was not swimming She wasn’t swimming

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Forming a Question.
In the past continuous tense:
i. Yes/no questions are formed by putting was/ were at the beginning of the
sentence.
ii. Wh-questions are formed by adding a wh-question word at the beginning of

yes/no question.
Statement Yes/No Question Wh-Question

I was eating Was I eating? What was I eating?
You were crying Were you crying Why were you crying?
They were dancing Were they dancing? How were they dancing?
We were going Were we going? When were we going? It
was sleeping Was it sleeping? Why was it sleeping?
She was singing Was she singing? Where was she singing?
He was hiking Was he hiking? Where was he hiking?
Exercise 3
Change the following sentences to the negative and question forms.

1. They were running.
_____________________________________________________ (Negative)
_____________________________________________________ (Question)
2. I was cleaning the store.
_____________________________________________________ (Negative)
_____________________________________________________ (Question)
3. You were screaming loudly.
_____________________________________________________ (Negative)
_____________________________________________________ (Question)

BEGINNER ENGLISH
4. We were planning for our school trip.
_____________________________________________________ (Negative)
_____________________________________________________ (Question)
5. She was sitting on the bench alone.
_____________________________________________________ (Negative)
_____________________________________________________ (Question)
6. Lukman was flying a kite when his father arrived at home.
_____________________________________________________ (Negative)
_____________________________________________________ (Question)
7. The cat was eating a fish.
_____________________________________________________ (Negative)
_____________________________________________________ (Question)

BEGINNER ENGLISH
WRITING
Free Writing
In a group of 3 people, write a narrative paragraph which consist of 150-200

words on the topics given.
1. The best theme park I have ever been
2. My ideal car
3. Unforgettable holiday

BEGINNER ENGLISH
READING
Read the following passage carefully and answer all the questions that follow.
The ocean bottom, a region nearly 2.5 times greater than the total land area of the
Earth is a vast frontier that even today is largely unexplored and uncharted. Until
about a century ago, the deep-ocean floor was completely inaccessible, hidden be-
neath waters averaging over 3,600 meters deep. Totally without light and subjected
to intense pressures hundreds of times greater than at the Earth's surface, the
deepocean bottom is a hostile environment to humans, in some ways as forbidding
and remote as the void of outer space.
Although researchers have taken samples of deep-ocean rocks and sediments for
over a century, the first detailed global investigation of the ocean bottom did not ac-
tually start until 1968, with the beginning of the National Science Foundation's Deep
Sea Drilling Project (DSDP).Using techniques first developed for the offshore oil and
gas industry, the DSDP's drill ship, the Glomar Challenger, was able to maintain a
steady position on the ocean's surface and drill in very deep waters, extracting sam-
ples of sediments and rock from the ocean floor.
The Glomar Challenger completed 96 voyages in a 15-year research program that

ended in November 1983. During this time, the vessel logged 600,000 kilometers and
took almost 20,000 core samples of seabed sediments and rocks at 624 drilling sites
around the world. The Glomar Challenger's core samples have allowed geologists to
reconstruct what the planet looked like hundreds of millions of years ago and to cal-
culate what it will probably look like millions of years in the future.
Today, largely on the strength of evidence gathered during the Glomar Chal-
lenger's voyages, nearly all earth scientists agree on the theories of plate tectonics
and continental drift that explain many of the geological processes that shape the
Earth. The cores of sediment drilled by the Glomar Challenger have also yielded infor-
mation critical to understanding the world's past climates. Deep-ocean sediments pro-
vide a climatic record stretching back hundreds of millions of years, because they are
largely isolated from the mechanical erosion and the intense chemical and biological
activity that rapidly destroy much land-based evidence of past climates. This record
has already provided insights into the patterns and causes of past climatic change in-
formation that may be used to predict future climates.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
1. The author refers to the ocean bottom as a "frontier" in paragraph 1 because it
A. is not a popular area for scientific research

B. contains a wide variety of life forms
C. attracts courageous explorers
D. is an unknown territory
2. The word "inaccessible" in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to
A. unrecognisable
B. unreachable
C. unusable
D. unsafe
3. The author mentions outer space in paragraph 1 because
A. the Earth's climate millions of years ago was similar to conditions in

outer space.
B. it is similar to the ocean floor in being alien to the human environment.
C. rock formations in outer space are similar to those found on the ocean
floor.
D. techniques used by scientists to explore outer space were similar to
those used in ocean exploration.
4. Which of the following is true of the Glomar Challenger?
A. It is a type of submarine.
B. It is an ongoing project.
C. It has gone on over 100 voyages
D. It made its first DSDP voyage in 1968
5. The word "extracting" in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
A. breaking
B. locating
C. removing
D. analysing
6. The deep Sea Drilling Project was significant because it was
A. an attempt to find new sources of oil and gas

B. the first extensive exploration of the ocean bottom
C. composed of geologists form all over the world
D. funded entirely by the gas and oil industry

BEGINNER ENGLISH
7. The word "strength" in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to
A. basis
B. purpose
C. discovery
D. endurance
8. The word "they" in paragraph 4 refers to
A. years
B. climates
C. sediments
D. cores
9. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as being a result of

the Deep Sea Drilling Project?
A. Geologists were able to determine the Earth's appearance hundreds of

millions of years ago.
B. Two geological theories became more widely accepted
C. Information was revealed about the Earth's past climatic changes.
D. Geologists observed forms of marine life never before seen.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
LISTENING
A Hiking
Exercises 1
1. Where did Randall probably grow up?
A. in Indiana
B. in Venezuela
C. in Utah
2. What was his undergraduate major?
A. English
B. Spanish
C. Japanese
3. How many children does he have?
A. two
B. three
C. four
4. What does Randall do on his hikes with his children?
A. He points out the wildlife and plants along the way.

B. He enjoys telling them stories about his life.
C. He teaches them how to survive in emergency situations.
5. What point does Randall make about raising children?
A. Enroll kids into schools early to help them learn better.

B. Be consistent in the way you administer discipline in the home.
C. Talk with your kids about problems so they learn how to solve them.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Exercise 2
Identify and match the conversation with the situation given.
realise recall off the top of my head focusing

drive eat the food study hard make something
1. His uncle tried to ______________ of himself by going back to school and

getting a university degree.
2. We often don't __________ how important it is to spend time with children

until it is too late.
3. I often ___________ many fond memories of celebrating Christmas together

as a family.
4. Unfortunately, I can't remember all of my grandchildren's names

__________________.
5. Instead of ____________ our energies on our careers, we should dedicate our

lives to our families.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
READING
1 All baby turtles start their lives alone. Baby sea turtles climb out of their shells
on their own. They do not need a mother or father to help them as they are
able to take care of themselves. They scramble from their nest under the sand
and walk on their tiny new flippers to the water. They find their way to the sea
and look for food such as small fish, snails and insects that they can eat. When
it is time for them to lay eggs, these turtles will come back to shore. They dig
their nests after sunset and then lay their eggs and cover them with sand.
Later, after they have rested, they will return to the sea.
2 Turtles can live in many places and eat a variety of food. Many turtles
live in water like the oceans, ponds or muddy river bottoms. Some turtles live
in hot desert sands. To protect themselves from the hot sun, desert turtles
often find shelter in the ground. Some turtles live in damp woods. They eat
insects, leaves, green shoots and berries. They can live for weeks without any
food and drink. This is because they are able to store food in the form of fat
in their bodies. Therefore, wherever they live, turtles do not need to hunt for
their food all the time.
3 Turtles are found in various sizes. The size of the smallest is as small
as a child’s hand. The leatherback turtle on the other hand, is as big as a baby
elephant. Turtles are the slowest moving animals on earth. Their life span is
much longer than other animals. Turtles have roamed the earth for a very long
time but in all these years, their living and eating habits have not changed.
i. They (paragraph 1) ________________________________________

ii. food (paragraph 1) ________________________________________
iii. them (paragraph 1)________________________________________
iv. water (paragraph 2) _______________________________________
v. their (paragraph 2) ________________________________________

BEGINNER ENGLISH
2. Circle next to the word which is closest in meaning as used in the passage.
i. scramble (paragraph 1) means

A. lie down
B. climb out
C. stay away
ii. muddy (paragraph 2) means

A. clear
B. cloudy
C. dirty
iii. shelter (paragraph 2) means

A. protection
B. home
C. house
iv. hunt (paragraph 2) means

A. keep
B. buy
C. look
v. roamed (paragraph 3) means

A. wandered
B. drifted
C. floated

i. How do the baby turtles get to the water?

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
ii. When do the sea turtles come back to shore?
________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
iii. What do the turtles do after they have laid their eggs?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

BEGINNER ENGLISH
iv. Why don’t turtles need to hunt for their food all the time?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
v. Name five places where turtles live.

A. __________________________________________________
B. __________________________________________________
C. __________________________________________________
D. __________________________________________________
E. __________________________________________________
vi. What do turtles normally eat?

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
vii. What are turtles known as?

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

BEGINNER ENGLISH
4 Write (T) in the boxes next to the statements which are true and (F) in the
boxes next to the statements which are false according to the passage.
i. Baby turtles need their parents in order to survive.
ii. Turtles only lay eggs at night.
iii. Turtles have to look for their food every day.
iv. Turtles find their food in the ground.
v. Turtles do not move very fast.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
WRITING
Free Writing
Write a narrative paragraph individually which consist of 150-200 words on

the topics given.
1. The most beautiful mosque I have ever seen
2. My dream house
3. My beautiful mother
4. My favorite subject
5. The butterfly

BEGINNER ENGLISH
LISTENING
A Job Interview
Exercise 1
1. The man studied English and __________ at the university.
A. biology
B. psychology
C. sociology
2. He found his first job in Japan at a __________.
A. community college
B. university
C. private language school
3. The man’s cooking students wanted to __________.
A. open their own restaurants

B. practice English with tourists
C. create new food items
4. Now, the man works at a Japanese restaurant and at a _________.
A. language training centre

B. modern fitness centre
C. mental health treatment centre
5. The man should be a good candidates for the job because he __________.
A. has taught in many different countries

B. has experience in psychological advising
C. specialize in grammar instruction
Exercise 2
In 10 minutes, think about your own major or future career? What are the four
qualities or qualifications that help people in your field to become successful? Then,
discuss your answer with the class.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
READING
1 Basketball is a popular indoor team sport in the United States (U.S.). It is a game
played within the confined space of a court. The court is only about 94 ft. by 50
ft. Therefore, there is not much room to move about. In a game, a ball which is
made of leather is thrown through a basket (hoop or net) to score points. There
are two baskets which are fixed on two backboards 10 ft. from the floor at both
ends of the court. Each basket is 18 inches in diameter.
2 Basketball is a fast moving game. The actual playing time varies

between 32 minutes to an hour depending upon the level of the game. The game
is played between two teams. Each team will have 12 players and a coach. At
any one time during the game, only 5 players from each team are permitted on
court. Their positions are known as guards (2 players), forwards (2 players) and
acentre. The centre position usually has the tallest player on the team. In the
game, the leather ball is passed from one player to another. This is done by
throwing or bouncing it. The ball cannot be kicked or carried at any point in the
game.
3 The coach in each team plays a very important role in the game. He
has the responsibility of seeing that his team is able to perform their best at each
game. The coach of either side is allowed to call ‘timeouts’ during the game to
advise the team on tactics and strategies. During this time the coaches can also
substitute players who are injured, disqualified or tired with players from the
reserved bench. A player is not allowed to play if he has five fouls. He will be
disqualified and is required to leave the court. Fouls are mistakes made by
players in the game like running with the ball or kicking the ball.
4 The game first drew international interest in the 1904 Olympic Games
in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Many countries which did not know about
the game became interested in it. The rules of the game had been translated
into 30 languages by 1913. It was estimated that during that year more than 20
million people were playing the game throughout the world. Today, basketball is

BEGINNER ENGLISH
played in more countries than any other team game. It remains among the most
popular sports in the United States.
1. What do the following words refer to?
i. It (paragraph 1) ______________________________________
ii. which (paragraph 1) ______________________________________
iii. Their (paragraph 2) ______________________________________
iv. who (paragraph 3) ______________________________________
v. He (paragraph 3) ______________________________________

i. In which country is basketball very popular?

_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
ii. What is the ball made of?

_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
iii. How many players in each team are allowed to be on the court at
one time?
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
iv. What is the role of a coach?

______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
v. Why do the coaches need to call for ‘timeouts’?

______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

BEGINNER ENGLISH
vi. When is a player disqualified from playing in the game?

______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
vii. When did the game first draw international interest?

______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
viii. Why were the rules of the game translated into 30 languages?
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
ix. Basketball becomes the trend in United Staes, why?

______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
x. From your point of view, can Malaysia becomes one of the strong-
est basketball team in the world? Why.
______________________________________________________
3. Two of the following statements are false. Write (F) in the boxes next to the
statements which are false.
i. Each team is allowed only 5 fouls.
ii. The guards of the team are responsible for calling

‘timeouts’.
iii. The ball can be passed from one player to another

by kicking it.
iv. In 1913, more than 20 million people around the

world played basketball.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
4. Based on the passage, match the words in the box with their meanings.
Word Meaning
confined all over
permitted replace
substitute attracted
drew allowed
throughout limited

BEGINNER ENGLISH
SPEAKING
ROLE-PLAY
i. Role play is a teaching device to stimulate you to use language in a given

situation where you pretend to be one of the characters. The situation, which
could happen in real life, also provides you with ample opportunity to use
language naturally and confidently.
ii. When assuming a role in a situation, you should study the situation carefully to
understand the characters and the actions in it before assuming the roles.
iii. You must also understand that a situation has a beginning, a middle and an end.
By developing the situation into a series of actions, you can create a good
dialogue for it.
iv. Example:
Read the following situations and try to understand the characters involved and
imagine what actions might take place.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
We can now break up the above situation into a series of actions set in 3 different
scenes.
SCENE 1 : HOTEL RECEPTION DESK
1. Hassan calls the Central Hotel.

2. Hassan leaves a message for his friend, Peter.
3. Receptionist’s friend walks in wearing a new dress.
4. Receptionist’s and friend talk about the dress.
5. Receptionist forgets about the message.
SCENE II : PINE STREET CAFÉ
6. Hassan waits for Peter for a long time.

7. Alan Lee shows up by chance.
8. Alan tells Hassan about the unreliable staff of the Central Hotel.
9. Hassan goes to the hotel.
SCENE III : CENTRAL HOTEL MANAGER’S OFFICE
1. Hassan complains to the manager.

2. Manager investigates the matter.
3. Manager warns the two girls.
4. The two girls apologise and promise to be more responsible.
We can now develop the three scenes into a dialogue. Now, study this sample
dialogue which is based on the above situation.
SAMPLE DIALOGUE
CHARACTERS :
 Hassan  Alan Lee
 Receptionist  Central Hotel Manager
 Sharon
Scene 1 : At the Hotel Reception Desk
Receptionist : Hello, this is the Central Hotel. Can I help you?

Hassan : Yes, please. I’d like to speak to Mr. Peter Lucas. Is he in?
Receptionist : I’m sorry, sir. Mr. Lucas is out at the moment. Would you like
to leave a message?

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Hassan : Yes, this is Hassan Ayub speaking. Please inform Mr. Lucas to
meet me for lunch at the Pine Street Café in Jalan Merdeka at
about 1:30 p.m. tomorrow.
Receptionist : All right, En. Hassan.
(writes the message)
I’ll give this message to Mr. Lucas as soon as he returns. Thank
you.
(As she is about to put the note in Peter’s pigeon-hole she sees
her colleague.)
Sharon, what a lovely dress! I love the colour and style. It
looks good on you.
Sharon : Yes, isn’t it nice? I love it too. It feels very comfortable and
the colour suits me.
Receptionist : Where did you get it?
Sharon : I got it from a boutique at the City Shopping Complex. They
are having an anniversary sale this week.
Scene 2 : At the Pine Street Café
Hassan : Where is Peter? He’s late!

(to himself)
Alan : Hi, Hassan. What are you doing here?
Hassan : Oh. Hi, Alan. I’m waiting for Peter Lucas, the man from IBM.
He is staying at the Central Hotel. I left a message for him to
meet me here for lunch today. It’s almost 2:00 p.m. now and
he still hasn’t shown up!
Alan : Did you say Central Hotel? No wonder Peter’s not here. The
staff there are extremely inefficient. I’m sure Peter never got
the message.
Hassan : Really? I can’t believe it! I must see the manager right away.
Thanks, Alan. I’ll see you again.
Scene 3 : At the Central Hotel Manager’s Office
Hassan : I’d like to speak to the manager right away, please.

Mr. Tan : Hello! I’m the manager. My name is Tan. What can I do for
you, sir?
Hassan : Mr. Tan, yesterday I left a message with your receptionist for
a friend who’s staying here to meet me for lunch. I waited for

BEGINNER ENGLISH
two hours but he didn’t turn up. I’m certain that he didn’t get
the message!
Mr. Tan : Is that so? I’ll look into the matter right away.
(uses intercom)
Sharon, could you call Lisa in, please. And could you bring
two cups of coffee?
Sharon : Yes, sir. (through intercom)
(minutes later)
Mr. Tan : Could you please wait for me in the next room, Encik
Hassan? I’ll question the receptionist and find out what
happened.
Hassan : All right (he goes out).
(Girls enter. Sharon carries a tray with two cups of coffee.
She prepares a table for the coffee.)
Mr. Tan : Lisa, I’ve just had a complaint. A message which was
supposed to be given to Mr. Peter Lucas didn’t reach him. Do
you know what happened?
(Sharon stops to listen.)
Lisa : Mr. Lucas? (pause) Oh, yes! I’m sorry, sir. I must’ve
forgotten.
Mr. Tan : What do you mean, “forgotten”? Surely you must know that
you are being paid to remember! This is why our hotel has a
bad reputation for unreliable service.
Sharon : Excuse me, sir. I am sorry to interrupt, but I think I’m partly
to blame for what happened yesterday. I was talking to Lisa
and I must have caused her to forget about putting the
message in the pigeon-hole.
Mr. Tan : Well, at least you are being honest. I hope this sort of thing
will never happen again.
Lisa : Yes, sir.
Mr. Tan : Sharon, call En. Hassan from the next room, please.
Sharon : (goes to the door) Would you like to come in now, sir?
(Hassan enters.)
Lisa : En. Hassan, I am very sorry about what happened yesterday.
It’s my fault. I hope you can forgive me.
Hassan : All right. I hope you will be more careful in the future.
Lisa : Yes, sir. I promise. Thank you.
Mr. Tan : Thank you for being so understanding, En. Hassan.

BEGINNER ENGLISH
Exercise 1
Study the following situations and make up dialogues. You may expand the situation to
include more characters so that each member of your group has a chance to act out a
role. Make sure that each character has ample opportunity to speak.
1. Situation 1
A youth approaches a labourer, Tan Siew Peng, at a coffee shop in the Sungai Besi
area, and demands RM350.00. The youth warns him that if he does not pay, he
will be in trouble. Tan refuses to pay.
2. Situation 2
Ali’s parents have chosen a bride for him. But because he is in love with someone
else, he refuses.
3. Situation 3
It is 2.00 a.m., one dark and stormy night. Ahmad has still not come home. His
father is waiting up for him. Finally Ahmad arrives and there is a quarrel between
them. Other members of the family wake up.
4. Situation 4
Harry arrives just as the funeral ceremony for his late parents who died in a motor
accident is about to end. When questioned about his late arrival, Harry says that
he had even considered not coming at all, because he had been a battered child
and he hated his parents. The family lawyer then informs him that he is the sole
heir to their fortune. Just then, an old lady comes in and claims that she is Harry’s
real mother who had given him up for adoption when her husband deserted her
twenty-five years ago.
5. Situation 5
While on a camping trip with some friends, Nani gets lost in the jungle. She follows
a trail which brings her to a hut that is made of leaves. To her amazement, a man,
a lady and a little boy come out. They are Tarzan and his family.

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BEGINNER

INTERNAL CILCULATION ONLY

Reading - Skimming and Scanning

Reading - Extracting information from a passage

Reading - Using reference word to aid comprehension

UNIT Reading - Using contextual clues Page

Reading - Wh- Question

UNIT Reading - Exercise

UNIT Reading - Exercise Page

SKIMMING AND SCANNING

i. Skimming is reading rapidly in order to get a general overview of the

ii. Scanning is reading rapidly in order to find specific facts.

Comparison between Skimming and Scanning:

 Ability to go through the  Ability to find quickly.

 Generally to get the general  Generally to search a

INTERNAL CIRCULATION ONLY 1

Method  Emphasis on the reading of  Reader must be clearly

Read the text and answer the questions.

INTERNAL CIRCULATION ONLY 2

1. Who are the three presenters on the programme?

2. What did they see in the tennis exhibition?

3. What did the third presenter do yesterday?

4. When did the presenters go to South Africa?

5. What did they do in yesterday’s short ﬁlm?

INTERNAL CIRCULATION ONLY 3

1. What can you save from shopping at this place?

INTERNAL CIRCULATION ONLY 4

i. A noun is the name of a person, animal, place, thing, an idea or emotion.

Persons Places Things Animals Ideas / Emotions

student college computer horse justice

manager supermarket speaker jellyfish truth

Elisa KLCC HP Kitty love

Dr. Adam UniSHAMS Sony Simba anger

ii. A noun can be used as the subject (S) of a sentence.

iii. A noun can be used as the object (O) of a sentence.

Underline the nouns in the following sentences.

2. We counted only six different colours in the rainbow.

4. They have gone to the zoo to see the black sheep.

INTERNAL CIRCULATION ONLY 5

5. Milla put her head on her arms and cried loudly.

6. My mother is singing a pop song in the kitchen.

7. Hakim threw some salted nuts to the monkeys.

8. The children are kicking a ball around in the field.

9. That mosque was built before my grandfather was born.

10. He bought balloons for his children and their friends.

11. My father swims like a turtle.

12. We watched seabirds flocking above our heads.

13. The taxi broke down in front of my gate.

15. He went to visit his homesick uncle at the hospital.

Countable and Uncountable Nouns

INTERNAL CIRCULATION ONLY 6

i. Most countable nouns have singular and plural forms.

Rule Singular Plural

If a noun ends with ‘fe’ and ‘f’, change • wife wives

These are irregular nouns. The plural • man men

These nouns have the same singular • sheep sheep

These nouns do not have singular • people

1. Father bought a few revision books for me.

INTERNAL CIRCULATION ONLY 7

3. The more people read, the more knowledge they get.

1. There is a plate in the sink.

2. My child is staying with my sister.

1. Mazlina received many presents for birthday. loved

2. She drives carefully to work.