11

1. BASIC SENTENCE PARTS

Here's a little rhyme — by David B. Tower

& Benjamin F. Tweed —that teachers used in days gone by to help
students learn the parts of speech. (We include it here in response to
popular demand. Why the song leaves out pronouns is a mystery. A writer
from Richland, Washington, suggests "A PRONOUN replaces any noun: /
he, she, it, and you are found.) It has been set to music, but we'll leave that
up to you to discover or create for yourself:

Three little words you often see

Are ARTICLES: a, an, and the.

A NOUN's the name of anything,

As: school or garden, toy, or swing.

ADJECTIVES tell the kind of noun,

As: great, small, pretty, white, or brown.

VERBS tell of something being done:

To read, write, count, sing, jump, or run.

How things are done the ADVERBS tell,

As: slowly, quickly, badly, well.

CONJUNCTIONS join the words together,

As: men and women, wind or weather.

The PREPOSITION stands before

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A noun as: in or through a door.

The INTERJECTION shows surprise

As: Oh, how pretty! Ah! how wise!

The whole are called the PARTS of SPEECH,

Which reading, writing, speaking teach.

Sentence Parts:
Function and Usage Notes

Absolute Determiners/
Adjectives Adverbs
Phrases Articles

Coordinated
Clauses Complements Conjunctions
Adjectives

Direct and
Interjections Nouns Phrases
Indirect
Objects

Predicates Prepositions Pronouns Subjects

Verbs and Verbals

(Infinitives, Participles, Gerunds)
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1.1. IDENTIFYING BASIC SENTENCE PARTS

1. In the following sentences, certain words or sentence parts are

italicised or written in ALL CAPS. Try to identify the sentence
part:

a) The FIRST sentence CONTAINS only a few basic parts.

b) Many sentences contain only one independent clause, BUT

compound sentences contain at least two independent clauses.

c) This INDEPENDENT clause CAN STAND by itself, HOWEVER, it

IS nicely CONNECTED to another one just LIKE IT.

d) Although this clause contains a subject and verb, it cannot stand by

itself BECAUSE it IS INTRODUCED by a subordinating word.

e) Trying to break that world record IS BECOMING an exhausting

experience for the entire crew.

f) Intense and rumpled, her brow furrowed with anxiety, Josefina

arrived at her first job interview.

g) Perplexed by a string of last-second losses, Coach Calhoun GAVE

his assistants THE TASK of turning the team around.

h) After years OF FEELING ABUSED by his misuse OF POWER, the

voters of this city HAVE CHOSEN to remove the mayor FROM
OFFICE.
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2. A very basic quiz: in this quiz, you will be matching the words in one
column with their definition in other column:

A VERY BASIC QUIZ

Your
Words Def. No. Definitions
Answers
A word that modifies a verb,
Clause 1
adjective, or adverb
Locates something in time or
Gerund 2
place
Adjective 3 Command, protest, or exclamation
Participle 4 Verb form acting as an adjective
Group of related words containing
adverb 5
a subject and a verb
Phrase 6 The completer of a sentence
Infinitive 7 Verb form acting as a noun
Group of related words not
Preposition 8
containing a subject and a verb
Predicate 9 Modifies a noun
Interjection 10 "To" plus the root of the verb

3. In a question for which more than one response is correct, you must
select the opinion that indicates which responses are correct:

Part one

A) There are four possible answers to this question. Select the word or
phrase that is the simple subject in sentence one.
a. There
b. question
c. possible
d. answers
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B) Running through the park after dark can be very dangerous. What
is the subject of this sentence?

a. Running
b. park
c. dark
d. Running through the park after dark
e. Either (a) or (d) above.

C) After she had purchased all her Christmas gifts, Julia felt much
better about the upcoming holidays. How would you describe, “After she
had purchased all her Christmas gifts”?

a. an introductory adverb clause

b. a dangling participle
c. a misplaced modifier
d. an adjective clause
e. a tasteful infraction

D) His hair greased down and his comb sticking out of his back pocket,
Jerzi looked like a rock star out of the early 50s. How would you
describe “His hair greased down and his comb sticking out of his back
pocket”?

a. an introductory adverb clause

b. a prepositional phrase
c. an absolute phrase
d. a dependent clause modifying Jerzi
e. an idiom

E) My mother-in-law, who just moved into a retirement community,

recently retired as Mayor of Middleburg. How would you describe,
“who just moved into a retirement community”?

a. an adjective clause modifying “mother-in-law”

b. an absolute phrase
c. a parenthetical element
d. an adverb clause
e. Both (a) and (c).

F) Laughter is the best medicine. What term describes the word

“laughter”?
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a. a collective noun
b. a mass noun
c. a count noun
d. a proper noun
e. a super nominal

G) For three months now, he’s been learning to bunt his way onto first
base. How would you describe, “to bunt his way onto first base”?

a. an absolute phrase
b. the indirect object of this sentence
c. a reflexive pronoun
d. an infinitive phrase acting as the object of this sentence
e. Both (b) and (d)

____________________________________________________________

Part two

A) Dr. Pepinsky is the last of those professors who wears a tie in the
classroom. This sentence illustrates a problem in:

a. pronoun-antecedent agreement
b. punctuation
c. spelling
d. subject-verb agreement
e. This sentence has no grammatical problems

B) Tashonda wanted to calmly and deliberately and without prejudice

make up her own mind. This sentence illustrates a problem referred to as:

a. inconsistency in tense
b. subject-verb agreement
c. a split infinitive
d. sexist language
e. Both (c) and (d)

C) The students knew that Professor Villa teaches molecular biology at

the university. This sentence illustrates a problem in:
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a. pronoun-antecedent agreement
b. a run-on sentence or fused sentence
c. verb tense consistency
d. squinting modifier
e. both (a) and (b) above

D) Calixta gave her professor the best paper she has ever written.
In this sentence, “her professor” is

a. the indirect object

b. the direct object
c. a predicate noun
d. an absolute phrase

E) After the invention of television, small movie theatres began closing

down. The phrase “After the invention of television” could be described as:

a. an introductory adverbial clause

b. an absolute phrase
c. a prepositional phrase acting as an adjective
d. a cliché
e. a prepositional phrase acting as an adverb

F) Coach Espinoza met with her new recruits and tried to instil in them
the drive to win that had characterized her teams in the past. We could
categorize this sentence as:

a. a run-on sentence
b. a compound-complex sentence
c. a complex sentence
d. a compound sentence
e. both (a) and (d)

G) Young patients who are visited by their parents often get released
earlier. We could describe this sentence as:
a. having a squinting modifier
b. being a run-on sentence
c. having a comma-splice
d. being a compound sentence
e. either (b) or (c)

H) To know him is to love him. The phrase “to know him” is:
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a. the subject of this sentence

b. the predicate of this sentence
c. an infinitive phrase acting as a noun
d. both (a) and (c)

4.
A. In the sentence “I would like to spend the summer writing”, the
underlined word is which of the following?

a. main verb
b. modal verb
c. adverb
d. adjective
e. none of the above

B. In the sentence “Please place all dogs on leash”, the underlined word is
which of the following?

a. adjective
b. adverb
c. preposition
d. interjection
e. none of the above

C. In the sentence “ You may pick up your exams after I have finished
grading them”, the underlined word is which of the following?

a. preposition
b. verb
c. adverb
d. coordinating conjunction
e. subordinating conjunction

D. In the sentence “His parents are poor but honest”, the underlined
word is which of the following?
a. preposition
b. verb
c. adverb
d. coordinating conjunction
e. subordinating conjunction
E. In the sentence “Although she is from Texas, she doesn’t sound or act
like it”, the underlined word is which of the following?
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a. preposition
b. verb
c. adverb
d. coordinating conjunction
e. subordinating conjunction

F. What is the full tense classification of the sentence ” John is writing his
second book”?

a. present
b. present perfect
c. present progressive
d. present perfect progressive
e. none of the above

G. What is the full time classification of the sentence “Mary will be

completing her Ph.D. next May”?

a. future perfect
b. future perfect progressive
c. future
d. future progressive
e. none of the above

H. What is the full tense classification of the sentence ”I have been

working on my web page”?

a. future perfect
b. future perfect progressive
c. perfect progressive
d. present perfect progressive
e. progressive perfect

I. What is the full tense classification of the sentence ”I will have

completed my dissertation by May”?
a. future perfect
b. future perfect progressive
c. future
d. future passive
e. future passive perfect
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J. What is the voice of the sentence “He will have been talked into
leading the team by that time”?

a. active
b. passive
c. semi-active
d. semi-passive
e. lifeless

1.2. NOUNS

A noun is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea.

Whatever exists, we assume, can be named, and that name is a noun. A
proper noun, which names a specific person, place, or thing (Carlos,
Queen Marguerite, Middle East, Jerusalem, Malaysia, Presbyterianism,
God, Spanish, Buddhism, the Republican Party), is almost always
capitalized. A proper noun used as an addressed person's name is called a
noun of address. Common nouns name everything else, things that
usually are not capitalized.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favourite nouns

Cream coloured ponies and crisp apple strudels

Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favourite nouns

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes

Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
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Silver white winters that melt into springs

These are a few of my favourite nouns

When the dog bites

When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favourite nouns
And then I don't feel so bad.

Apologies to Oscar Hammerstein II,

Lyricist of “My Favourite Things” from

The Sound Of Music

1.

The following paragraph is taken from Ernest

Hemingway’s short story “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”.
Indicate all forms of nouns in order in which they appear in the text:

Francis Macomber had, half an hour before, been carried to his

tent from the edge of the camp in triumph on the arms and shoulders of
the cook, the personal boys, the skinner and the porters. The gun-bearers
had taken no part in the demonstration. When the native boys put him
down at the door of his tent, he had shaken their hands, received their
congratulations, and then gone into the tent and sat on the bed until his
wife came in. She did not speak to him when she came in and he left the
tent at once to wash his face and hands in the portable washbasin outside
and go over to the dining tent to sit in a comfortable canvas chair in the
breeze and the shade.
2. An Exercise in Noun Definition
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In the picture above (Pieter Bruegel the Elder's Landscape

with the Fall of Icarus [c. 1558; Oil on canvas, mounted on
wood, 73.5 x 112 cm; Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de
Belgique, Brussels]), name eight things that you can see or
could touch if you could physically enter the painting —
concrete nouns. For the purposes of this exercise, name only
singular items in this first text-area (for example, you can't
use "cloud" because there is more than one cloud).
Now name eight concrete nouns that exist in the plural in this
painting.
How many of the plural nouns were made plural simply by
adding –s or –es to the end of the noun? Did you name any
that were made plural in other ways? Did you list any nouns
that didn’t change form (from the singular) but were
nonetheless plural (hint: those white woolly things)? Did you
name any plurals that have no singular form at all?
Now, stretching your imagination a bit, name four things that
you can’t really see or touch but that are in the painting. These
will be non-count nouns and some of them will probably be
abstract nouns.
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Are there any collective nouns in this painting? Try to come

up with one.

Now if you‘ve really been paying attention, there is one more

type of noun you can come up with. You should be able to list
one proper noun. (Hint: we don’t know the ploughman’s
name).

3. Recognizing Count and Non-Count Nouns

In each space in the following sentences, indicate whether the noun

preceding that space is a count noun (using the letter C) or a non-count
noun (using the letters NC). Some of these words could be either count or
non-count nouns, but you should determine how each is being used in the
context of the sentence in which it appears.

a). Jorge___sent me information___about Chilean wines___.

b). This restaurant___serves the best Thai food___in the city___.

c). The traffic___during rush hour___is really horrible.

d). Can you give me advice___about finding work___in Port-land___?

e). Most men___in my family___don’t wear jewellery___.

f). Soldiers___at the edge of town___stole all the equipment___.

g). We need money___to buy new furniture___for our bedroom___.

h). Let’s play some music___.

i). The office___has its own stationary___.

j). It takes a lot of patience___to learn how to appreciate good wine___.

k). We hold these truths___to be self-evident.

l). It’s hard to discover the truth___about this particular case.

m). For such large women___, the Klandutzy sisters___move across the
dance floor___with astonishing grace___.
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n). It took great courage___for Farboddy___to admit to embezzling

funds___from the bank.

4. Nouns. A Crossword Puzzle This puzzle should help you refine your
sense of what is a count noun and what is a non-count noun. Type the
correct letter in each box:

1 2 3
Across -- Non-Count Nouns
4. Giggles 4

5. too many cars

7. Funds 5 6

9. sweet for the sweet

Down -- Count Nouns 7 8
1. put food on
2. big fish
9
3. nasty burp
6. Penalties
7. women's opposite
8. aural organ

5. Make “person” nouns from each of the following verbs:

1.teach. 2. learn. 3. read. 4. drink. 5. sleep. 6. bathe. 7. smoke. 8. write.

9. play. 10. speak. 11. swim. 12. run.

6. Exercise in Plurals and Possessives

Each space in the paragraph below is preceded by an “opportunity for

error” in the formation of plurals or possessives. If the word is correct,
write a C in the space; if it is incorrect, write an I:

THE FAMILY REUNION

My friend's___, the Rodriguez's___, had a big family reunion last summer.

They hadn't been together since the late 1980's___, according to Carmen,
and there were many cousins___ she hadn't seen since then and some new
baby's___ she'd never met before. "Aunt Flo___ and Uncle Silvio's
___family had really grown," she said. Flo, who already had five kids of
her own, had divorced and remarried and Flo's___ and Silvio's___ kids___
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like a bunch of elves___ filled a minivan and two taxi___. Fortunately, Flo
and Silvio have PhD's___ in psychology with good incomes to match. "We
should've leased busses___ for everyone," Carmen added.

They had their big dinner down at that place owned by Joe Pagani,
Paganis___ Ristorante, Illinois's___ most popular and expensive restaurant.
It was jammed and familys___ kept arriving in bunch's___ until some
people ended up sitting on box's___ and benches___. The waitresses___
went crazy keeping up with the order's___, especially with kids ordering
from the childrens' ___menu. When it came time to pay the bill, they
couldn't find Agnes's ___purse, and she had collected all the money. They
had a lot of laughes___ about washing all those dish's___ until Uncle
Antony found his baby girl, Eutrusca, curled up under his chair, sound
asleep, using Agneses' ___bag for a pillow. Eutrusca hadn't waited for her
grandpas ___long after-dinner speech to put her to sleep.

7. Quiz on Possessives and Irregular Plurals

A. Form the plurals of the following words. Capitalize any proper nouns:

a. child
b. ATM
c. woman
d. son-in-law
e. criterion
f. also-ran
g. teaspoonful
h. George
i. Kennedy
j. basis
k. fly
l. ski
m. soliloquy
n. potato
o. elf
p. buffalo

B. Form the possessive of the following words. Capitalize any proper

nouns. Wherever more than one word is listed, show the possessive of the
italicised word.
a. mother-in-law
b. a dollars worth
c. the Carpenters children
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d. Moses journey
e. everybody
f. the peoples choice
g. the elves dance
h. my HMOs policy
i. womens rights

8. Plurals and Count- Non-Count Nouns

Next to each word in the list, type correctly the plural for that word. If that
word cannot be pluralized because it’s a non-count noun, type in the letter
X:

1. man________________ 16. dancing ______________

2. furniture ____________ 17. 1990 ________________
3. experience___________ 18. aluminium ____________
4. Kennedy____________ 19. fax __________________
5. ski ________________ 20. roof _________________
6. gas ________________ 21. fish _________________
7. box _______________ 22. child ________________
8. peace ______________ 23. difficulty _____________
9. cactus ______________ 24. knowledge ____________
10. criterion ___________ 25. goose ________________
11. baby ______________ 26. video ________________
12. memo _____________ 27. curriculum ____________
13. work ______________ 28. biology ______________
14. self _______________ 29. URL ________________
15. applause ___________ 30. dish _________________

9. Subjector! This quiz is designed to test your ability to recognize simple

subjects and compound subjects (Remember that a simple subject is not
always one word. If there is a compound subject, include the conjunction
that connect the parts of the subject):
The simple or compound subject in the following sentence___________is:
1. To err is human.
2. Shouldn’t Sherman’s bus be arriving soon?
3. Here, then, is the root of the matter.
4.The narrator of the fairy tales in these books of ancient stories is a
woman.
5. My brother and three sisters live on a mountaintop in Tennessee.
6.Wishing for better grades won’t do you much good.
7. This story about the three witches is really scary.
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8. There is no excuse for such behaviour.

9. What you told me about Albert will remain a secret between us.
10. Wesleyan, Trinity and Williams are members of so called Little Three.

1.3. ARTICLES, DETERMINERS AND QUANTIFIERS

Articles, determiners, and quantifiers are those little words

that precede and modify nouns: the teacher, a college, a bit of honey, that
person, those people, whatever purpose, either way, your choice
Sometimes these words will tell the reader or listener whether we're
referring to a specific or general thing (the garage out back; “A horse! A
horse! My kingdom for a horse”!); sometimes they tell how much or how
many (lots of trees, several books, a great deal of confusion).

1.3.1. Articles
In English, the words a, an and the are called articles.
The indefinite articles:
There are two indefinite articles:
a and an
For example: Can I have a sandwich? Can I have an apple?
The definite article
There is one definite article:
the
For example: London is the capital of England.
The zero article
Sometimes we don't use any article. In this case, we can say we use the
zero article (zero = nothing).
For example: Apples are good for us.

1.3.2. Determiners are said to "mark" nouns. That is to say, you

know a determiner will be followed by a noun. Some categories of
determiners are limited (there are only three articles, a handful of
possessive pronouns, etc.), but the possessive nouns are as limitless as
nouns themselves. These categories of determiners are as follows: the
articles (an, a, the), possessive nouns (Joe's, the priest's, my mother's);
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possessive pronouns, (his, your, their, whose, etc.); numbers (one, two,
etc.); indefinite pronouns (few, more, each, every, either, all, both, some,
any, etc.); and demonstrative pronouns (this, that, these, those, such).

1.3.3. Like articles, quantifiers are words that precede and modify
nouns. They tell us how many or how much. Selecting the correct
quantifier depends on your understanding the distinction between Count
and Non-Count Nouns.

1. Write the appropriate article –a, an, the- in the spaces provided:

“Cold Comfort”, by Michael Castleman, from Mother Jones Magazine,

March/April 1998

Not so long ago, many of us resisted separating ___ glass, cans, and
paper out of our garbage. What ___ hassle. Today, of course, every
second-grader knows that ___ world's resources are limited and that
recycling helps preserve them. We act locally, while thinking globally. It's
time to bring ___ same consciousness to health care as we face ___
growing medical crisis: ___ loss of antibiotic effectiveness against
common bacterial illnesses. By personally refusing ___ or not demanding
___ antibiotics for viral illnesses they won't cure, we can each take ___
step toward prolonging overall antibiotic effectiveness.

Media reports have likely made you aware of this problem, but they have
neglected ___ implications. Your brother catches ___ cold that turns into
___ sinus infection. His doctor treats him with antibiotics, but ___ bacteria
are resistant to all of them. The infection enters his bloodstream ___ a
condition known as septicaemia ___ and ___ few days later, your brother
dies. (Septicaemia is what killed Muppets creator Jim Henson a few years
ago) Or instead of ___cold, he has ___infected cut that won't heal, or any
other common bacterial disease, such as___ear or prostate infection.

Far-fetched? It's not. ___antibiotics crisis is real. Consider Streptococcus

pneumonia: This common bacterium often causes post-flu pneumonia.
(Pneumonia and influenza combined are ___country's sixth leading cause
of death, killing 82,500 Americans in 1996.) Before 1980, less than 1
percent of S. pneumonia samples showed any resistance to penicillin. As of
last May, researchers at ___Naval Medical Centre in San Diego discovered
that 22 percent of S. pneumonia samples were highly resistant to it, with
another 15 percent moderately so. And___most recent statistics from
___Sentry Antimicrobial Surveillance Program, which monitors bacterial
 29

resistance at 70 medical centres in___U.S., Canada, Europe, and South

America, show that 44 percent of S. pneumonia samples in the U.S. are
highly resistant, and worldwide, resistance is at___all-time high (55
percent).

Strains of S. pneumonia are also now resistant to tetracycline,

erythromycin, clindamycin, chloramphenicol, and several other antibiotics.
And there's a "plausible risk" that we'll run out of options for treating other
types of pneumonia as well, according to infectious disease expert Joshua
Lederberg of Rockefeller University in New York.___not-too-distant
future promises ___potential failure of medicine's ability to treat ___broad
range of bacterial infections -- from urinary tract infections to meningitis to
tuberculosis.

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a direct outgrowth of the overuse of

these drugs. In classic Darwinian fashion,___more doctors prescribe
antibiotics,___more likely it is for some lucky bacterium blessed with ___
minor genetic variation to survive antibiotic assault-and pass its resistance
along to its offspring. The solution is obvious: Doctors should prescribe
antibiotics only as ___last resort.

This strategy works. In___early 1990s, Finnish public health authorities

responded to rising bacterial resistance to erythromycin by discouraging its
use as a first-line treatment for certain infections. From 1991 to 1992,
erythromycin consumption per capita dropped 43 percent. By 1996,
bacterial resistance to___antibiotic had been cut almost in half. But
American doctors are doing___spectacularly lousy job of keeping their
pens off their prescription pads, most notably by prescribing antibiotics for
___common cold and other upper respiratory tract infections (URIs). Data
from___National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey show that bronchitis
and URIs account for___third of___nation's antibiotic prescriptions.
Antibiotics treat only bacterial infections and are completely powerless
against viral illnesses. Every doctor knows this.

Yet, according to___recent study by Dr. Ralph Gonzalez, ___assistant

professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences
Center in Denver, when adults consult physicians for URIs and ___
bronchitis that often follows them, more than half walk out with ___
prescription for ___antibiotic. If doctors simply stopped prescribing
antibiotics for conditions they know don't respond to them, we'd instantly
be well on our way to minimizing antibiotic resistance.
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Why are doctors so ready to prescribe antibiotics? Physicians are quick to

blame___public. Patients, they say, demand antibiotics, and doctors are so
terrified of malpractice suits they prescribe them to keep their customers
happy and their lawyers at bay.

There's another side to___story: Doctors are trained that there's___pill for
every ill (or there should be). All of their medical education conspires to
make___antibiotic prescription their knee-jerk reaction to any infection,
which may or may not have___bacterial cause.

In addition, prescribing antibiotics is the doctors' path of least resistance.

It's easier than taking___time to explain that antibiotics are worthless
against viral infections, and to recommend rest, fluids, and vitamin C-or,
God forbid,___herbal, homeopathic, Chinese, or other complementary
treatment. Most medical practices schedule patients at 15-minute intervals.
Rather than doing what they know is right for public health, it's much
quicker for doctors to whip out the prescription pad and send people on
their merry, albeit misinformed way.

In___better world, medical education would be less drug-oriented and ___

health care system would encourage doctors to take ___time to be effective
health educators. But even in our imperfect world, some basic health
education can help prevent frivolous antibiotic use from boomeranging.

Like our doctors, we Americans have been socialized into believing that
antibiotics are miracle drugs that can cure just about everything. They
aren't, and they don't. We've also been trained to think that colds and their
lingering coughs should clear up in ___few days. They usually don't ___
even if you load up on cold formulas that promise to make all symptoms
magically vanish. A study by University of Virginia professor of medicine
Jack Gwaltney, one of___nation's top cold researchers, shows that nearly
one-third of adults with colds are still coughing after 10 days. Meanwhile,
according to a recent survey by researchers at Louisiana State University
Medical Centre in New Orleans, after just five days of cold symptoms, 61
percent of adults are ready to head for their doctors ___ and ask for
unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions.

My fellow Americans, the next time you feel ___cold coming on, mark
 31

your calendar. Unless you start coughing up lots of green sputum or

develop unusual symptoms ___ for example, a fever that does not respond
to aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol), or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) ___
think twice about calling your doctor before two weeks have passed.

What I do instead is, from ___moment I feel the infection coming on, I
drink lots of hot fluids, take 500 to 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C four
times a day, suck on ___zinc lozenge every two waking hours, and mix
half a teaspoon of tincture of echinacea, ___immune-boosting herb, into
juice or tea three times a day.

Reliable studies show that these approaches reduce ___severity and

duration of colds. If you develop ___persistent cough at ___tail end of
your cold, keep taking vitamin C and try an over-the-counter cough
suppressant containing dextromethorphan.

If we hope to preserve antibiotic effectiveness, it's up to us, ___public, to

convince doctors to prescribe these drugs only when they're necessary.
This from-the- bottom-up approach is nothing new. Health consumers have
taken the lead in showing doctors ___value of fitness, nutrition, and
alternative therapies. It's time we get serious about antibiotics.

2. Exercises in Choosing Articles

A). In this exercise, your task is to provide the correct article in each blank
space, or to indicate that no article is appropriate; type in the article that
would best fit in that space - a, an the -If none of these are appropriate and
“zero article” is appropriate instead, write the number 0 (zero).

___Oxford is___city in___southern

England, only___hour and___half from
___London by___car.___Oxford has___
two universities and___car factory.
There is___university in___city centre,
which is very old and famous, with
___beautiful college buildings. ___Oxford also has___new university,
in___east Oxford. ___university in___city centre is___oldest
in__England.___car factory is in___Crowley, East Oxford. It produces
Mini Cooper cars for___BMW.___original Mini was___inexpensive
 32

car, very small and popular in___UK.___new Mini Coopers are also
small, but fast and not so cheap.

In___daytime,___cars and___buses can’t drive through___centre

of___Oxford any more. That’s good, because___people can walk in
___middle of___street, and ___air is cleaner.

B). Complete the answers. Choose [x] if no article is right.

a. Where’s Oxford? In –a –an –the –x south of England.

b. When’s the next train to Oxford? In about -a –an –the –x hour.

c. Where can I change money? In a –an –the –x centre of Oxford.

d. Where are you staying? At a –an –the –x hotel in Oxford.

e. Where do you study? At –a –an –the –x university in England.

f. Where do you work? At –a –an –the –x car factory in England.

g. What do you wear at work? –A –An –The –X uniform.

h. Where do you come from? –A –An –The –X UK.

i. Are you interested in sports? I love playing –a –an –the –x

football.

j. Would you like a beer? No, I never drink –a –an –the –x alcohol.

C). Type in the correct article that would best fit in that space –a, an, the. If
none of these are appropriate and “zero article” is appropriate instead,
write the number 0 (zero):

Soccer — or ___football (or foosball or futbol), as it is called by ___rest of

___world outside ___United States — is surely ___most popular sport in
the world. Every four years, the world championship of soccer, ___World
Cup, is watched by literally billions all over the world, beating out the
United States professional football's Super bowl by far. It is estimated that
1.5 billion people watched the World Cup final between Italy and Brazil in
1994. And it is also ___genuine world championship, involving teams from
many countries (as many as 172) and played in venues all over ___globe,
unlike ___much more parochial and misnamed World Series in
 33

___American baseball (that doesn't even involve Japan or Cuba, two

baseball hotbeds). But although ___soccer has become ___important sport
in ___American sports scene, it will never make inroads into ___hearts and
markets of ___American sports the way that football, basketball, hockey,
baseball, and even ___tennis and golf have done. There are many reasons
for this.

Recently ___New England Revolution beat ___Tampa Bay Mutiny in

___game played during ---horrid rainstorm. Nearly 5000 fans showed up,
which shows that soccer is, indeed, popular in the United States. However,
the story of ___game was buried near ___back of ___newspaper's sports
section, and there was certainly no television coverage. In fact, ___biggest
reason for soccer's failure as ---mass appeal sport in the United States is
that it doesn't conform easily to ___demands of television.

Basketball succeeds enormously in ___America because it regularly

schedules what it calls "television time-outs" as well as the time-outs that
___teams themselves call to re-group, not to mention half-times and, on the
professional level, quarter breaks. Those time-outs in the action are ideally
made for television commercials. And ___television coverage is ___
lifeblood of ___American sports. College basketball lives for ___game
scheduled on ___CBS or ESPN (highly recruited high school players are
more likely to go to ___team that regularly gets ___national television
exposure), and we could even say that ___television coverage has dictated
___pace and feel of American football. Anyone who has attended ___live
football game knows how commercial time-outs slow the game and
sometimes, at its most exciting moments, disrupt ___flow of events. No
one raises ___objection, however, because without ___television, football
knows that it simply wouldn't remain in ___homes and hearts of
Americans. Also, without those advertising dollars, the teams couldn't
afford ___sky-high salaries of their high-priced superstars.

3. Quantifiers – A basic quiz. Select from the word provided the correct
quantifier for the blank text areas:

I. In the following sentences, fill in the gaps with one of the following
quantifiers:

much, many
 34

a. It seems to me that we’ve had _____assignments in English this

term.
b. How_____material can we expected to read in one week?
c. _____books are not in the library.
d. I’ve had_____headaches already because of stress.
e. _____depression can be attributed to being overworked.

If you got them all correct, go back and substitute either “lots of” or “a lot
of” where you think those quantifiers might be appropriate.

II. In the following sentences, fill in the gaps with one of the following
quantifiers:

much, many, few, little, most

When you’ve got all the answers correct, see if you can substitute other
quantifiers from the list. (HINT: Three of the last four sentences could
have two different answers).

a. Our yard looks awful this summer. There are too_____weeds.

b. I didn’t use _____fertilizer last spring, and that have made a
difference.
c. Also, I’ve paid _____attention to how_____rain we’ve had.
d. I’m afraid it’s rained _____times this summer, and the grass is
turning brown and dying.
e. _____experts say you should fertilize your lawn in the fall.
f. It didn’t seem to do my lawn _____good.
g. _____advice you get from experts doesn’t seem to help.
h. _____of my neighbours ignore their grass, and they have better
lawns this year.

III. In the following sentences, fill in the gaps with one of the following
quantifiers:
a little, little, a few, few

Again, when you’ve got all the answers correct, go back and try
substituting other quantifies. (HINT: Three of the four can have more than
one correct response)

a. They say _____knowledge is a bad thing.

b. I know _____instances where that prove true.
c. _____people know as much about computers as Tomas does.
d. But it does him_____good when the whole system goes down.
 35

4. Quantifiers –Fill in the gaps

For each item choose a quantifier from the list below:
A few, a great deal, a little, a lot, a lot of, a majority of, enough, many,
much of, plenty, several of, some

a. I’m having _____of trouble passing my driving exam.

b. _____the movies were rated PG.
c. _____information proved to be outdated.
d. We’re close to the project deadline, but there is still ____time left.
e. Although there are_____brilliant students in this state____
thousands, even, only ____will choose to remain in the state after
graduation.
f. We were able to destroy _____the parasites with our antigen, but
_____of them survived to cause trouble.
g. _____a student has passed through these doors.
h. Although _____of the lawn is open in the sun, there are _____of
shade trees to make it comfortable.
i. I think he drank ______wine last night.
j. _____the evidence was taken from the police safe last night.

1.4. ADJECTIVES

Adjectives are words that describe or modify another person or

thing in the sentence. The Articles — a, an, and the — are adjectives.

• the tall professor

• the lugubrious lieutenant
• a solid commitment
• a month's pay
• a six-year-old child
• the unhappiest, richest man

In English, it is common to use more than one adjective before a noun

- for example, "He's a silly young fool," or "she's a smart, energetic
woman." When you use more than one adjective, you have to put them in
 36

the right order, according to type. This page will explain the different types
of adjectives and the correct order for them.

An opinion adjective explains what you think about something

(other people may not agree with you). Examples:
Opinion silly, beautiful, horrible, difficult

A size adjective, of course, tells you how big or small something

is. Examples:
Size large, tiny, enormous, little

An age adjective tells you how young or old something or

someone is. Examples:
Age ancient, new, young, old

A shape adjective describes the shape of something. Examples:

square, round, flat, rectangular
Shape

A colour adjective, of course, describes the colour of something.

Examples:
Colour blue, pink, reddish, grey

An origin adjective describes where something comes from.

Examples:
Origin French, lunar, American, eastern, Greek

A material adjective describes what something is made from.

Examples:
Material wooden, metal, cotton, paper

A purpose adjective describes what something is used for. These

adjectives often end with "-ing". Examples:
Purpose sleeping (as in "sleeping bag"), roasting (as in "roasting tin")

1.4.1. Some examples of adjective order

Opinion Size Age Shape Colour Origin Material Purpose
 37

a silly young English man

a huge round metal bowl

a small red sleeping bag

1.4.2. Comparison of Adjectives

Positive Comparative Superlative
Quiet quieter the quietest
Old older the oldest
Young younger the youngest
Tall taller the tallest
Fat fatter the fattest
Thin thinner the thinnest
Noisy noisier the noisiest
Pretty prettier the prettiest
Good better the best
Bad worse the worst
Much more the most
Many more the most
a little less the least

1. Which is the correct order?

a small Canadian thin lady

a Canadian small thin lady
a small thin Canadian lady
a thin small Canadian lady
a carving steel new knife
a new steel carving knife
a steel new carving knife
a new carving steel knife
a beautiful blue sailing boat
a blue beautiful sailing boat
a sailing beautiful blue boat
a blue sailing beautiful boat
an old wooden square table
 38

a square wooden old table

an old square wooden table
a wooden old square table
a new French exiting band
a French new exiting band
an exiting French new band
an exiting new French band
a red big plastic hat
a big red plastic hat
a plastic big red hat
a big plastic red hat
a small Japanese serving bowl
a Japanese small serving bowl
a small serving Japanese bowl
a serving small Japanese bowl
a cotton dirty old tie
a dirty cotton old tie
an old cotton dirty tie
a dirty old cotton tie

2. The following paragraph is taken from D.H.Lawrence’s

short story “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter”. Select the
adjectives, predicate adjectives, and modifying participles
in the order in which they appear in the text-area below:

And he hastened straight down, running over the wet,

saddened fields, pushing through the hedges, down into the
depression of callous, wintry obscurity. It took him several
minutes to come to the pond. He stood on the bank, breathing heavily.
He could see nothing. His eyes seemed to penetrate the dead water. Yes,
perhaps that was the dark shadow of her black clothing beneath the
surface of the water.
He slowly ventured into the pond. The bottom was deep, soft clay,
then he sank in, and the water clasped…his legs. As he stirred he could
smell the cold, rotten clay that fouled up into the water. It was
objectionable in his lungs. Still, repelled and yet not heeding, he moved
deeper into the pond. The cold water rose over his thighs, over his loins,
upon his abdomen. The lower part of his body was all sunk in the
 39

hideous cold element. And the bottom was so deeply soft and uncertain,
he was afraid of pitching with his mouth underneath. He could not swim,
and was afraid.

3. Select a word or phrase that could correctly complete the sentence:

a. Those are probably the ___________ curtains in the store.
fancyest
fanciest
most fanciest
b. Uncle Carl is really ______________________ man.
an old sweet
a sweet, old
a sweet old
c. The Karmen-Ghia used to be _________________ sports car.
a fine German
a German, fine
a fine, German
d. Everyone was home for the holidays. What could make for
___________ Christmas than that?
a merryer
the merriest
a merrier
e. They grew up in ___________________ house in Mexico City.
a comfortable, little
a little, comfortable
a comfortable little
f. Diehard is the ____________ movie I've ever seen.
most excited
most exciting
most exciteable
g. Tashonda wanted to take a course with _____________________
professor.
that interesting new Japanese economics
that Japanese interesting, new economics
that interesting, new, Japanese, economics
 40

h. Of all the mechanics in the shop, Jerzy is surely ______________ .

the less competent.
the least competent.
the competentest.
i. In the fall, the valleys tend to be ___________ than the hilltops.
foggy
more foggier
foggier
j. My cold is definitely _________ this morning.
worse
worst
worser

4. Put the adjectives in the Comparative or Superlative form:

a. What (nice) present is there than a box of chocolates?

b. What (good) present is there than a box of cigarettes?
c. My cigarettes are not the (expensive) in London.
d. This is the (wonderful) and (beautiful) picture that has ever come out
of Hollywood.
e. Frieda is (old) than Hans; she is the (old) in the family.
f. Summer is (warm) than winter.
g. Summer is the (warm) of the four seasons.
h. London is (big) than Manchester.
i. Manchester is (small) than London.
j. The aeroplane is (fast) than the train.
k. This picture is (beautiful) than Romeo and Juliet and is (moving)
than Limelight.
l. The train is (slow) than the aeroplane.
m. Frieda is (pretty) than her sister.
n. Lucille is (slim) than she was a year ago.
o. Winter in London is (foggy) than in Paris.
p. These are the (bad) cigarettes I have ever smoke.
q. If these are the (good) cigarettes in London, the (bad) must be
terrible.
r. I think I am the (bad) dancer in the world.
s. You are not (bad) than I am.
t. Your work is much (good) than it was last week.
 41

1.5. ADVERBS

Adverbs are words that modify:

a verb (He drove slowly. — How did he drive?)
an adjective (He drove a very fast car. — How fast was his car?)
another adverb (She moved quite slowly down the aisle. — How slowly did
she move?)
As we will see, adverbs often tell when, where, why, or under what
conditions something happens or happened. Adverbs frequently end in -ly;
however, many words and phrases not ending in -ly serve an adverbial
function and an -ly ending is not a guarantee that a word is an adverb. The
words lovely, lonely, motherly, friendly, neighbourly, for instance, are
adjectives:
That lovely woman lives in a friendly neighbourhood.

If a group of words containing a subject and verb acts as an adverb

(modifying the verb of a sentence), it is called an Adverb Clause:
When this class is over, we're going to the movies.
When a group of words not containing a subject and verb acts as an adverb,
it is called an adverbial phrase.

There is a basic order in which adverbs will appear when there is more than
one. It is similar to The Royal Order of Adjectives, but it is even more
flexible.

THE ROYAL ORDER OF ADVERBS

Verb Manner Place Frequency Time Purpose
Beth in the every before to keep in
enthusiastically
swims pool morning dawn shape.
Dad into every before to get a
impatiently
walks town afternoon supper newspaper.
 42

Tashonda in her every before

naps room morning lunch.
In actual practice, of course, it would be highly unusual to have a
string of adverbial modifiers beyond two or three (at the most).
Because the placement of adverbs is so flexible, one or two of the
modifiers would probably move to the beginning of the sentence:
"Every afternoon before supper, Dad impatiently walks into town
to get a newspaper." When that happens, the introductory
adverbial modifiers are usually set off with a comma.

1. For each question, select the most appropriate order of modifiers or

the only appropriate placement of modifier(s).

A. Select the sentence in which usually appears in an appropriate position:

a. She usually shops for clothes at the local thrift store.
b. Usually she shops for clothes at the local thrift store.
c. She shops for clothes at the local thrift store usually.
d. Either “a” or “b” is correct.

B. Select the sentence with the most appropriate order of adverbial phrases.
a. She leaves the island during the months of December and January
after dark.
b. She leaves the island after dark during the months of December
and January.
c. Either “a’ or “b” is correct.

C. Select the sentence with the most appropriate order of adverbs and
adverbial phrases.
a. Ramonita prays at St. Matthew’s Church fervently for her
grandmother’s recovery.
b. Ramonita prays fervently for her grandmother’s recovery at
St.Matthew’s Church.
c. Ramonita prays fervently at St. Matthew’s Church for her
grandmother’s recovery.
d. Any one of the above is correct.

D. Select the sentence with the most appropriate order of adverbial phrases
a. Juan made an appointment to see his doctor at two o’clock on the
first Thursday of July next summer.
b. Juan made an appointment next summer to see his doctor next
July at two o’clock on the first Thursday.
c. Either “a” or “b” is correct.
 43

E. Select the sentence with the most appropriate order of modifiers

a. My father was born in Cleveland in the backroom of a bakery.
b. My father was born in the backroom of a bakery in Cleveland.
c. Either “a” or “b” is correct.

F. Select the sentence with the most appropriate order of modifiers

a. Dry the car carefully with a soft fluffy towel.
b. Dry the car with a soft fluffy towel carefully.
c. Carefully dry the car with a soft fluffy towel
d. Either ‘a” or “c” is correct.

G. Select the most emphatic position for the adverbial modifier of this
sentence
a. Rarely do we see this kind of talent on a small-town high school
baseball team.
b. We rarely see this kind of talent on a small-town high school
baseball team
c. “a” and “b” are equally emphatic.

H. Select the sentence with the most appropriate order of adverbial

modifiers
a. He found the golf clubs that his father had used to win the U.S.
Open in the car trunk.
b. In the car trunk, he found the golf clubs that his father had used to
win the U.S. Open.

I. Select the sentence with the most appropriate position for the adjectival
modifier
a. These miniature roses only grow to be an inch across.
b. These miniature roses grow to be only an inch across.
c. Either “a” or “b” is correct.

1.6. PREPOSITIONS

Time Prepositions: at, in, on, until, by, for

 44

Direction Prepositions: down, down from, in, into, out, out

of, up, up to, across, along, around, over, through, under.
Location Prepositions: at, in, on.
Position Prepositions: at, next, under, behind, in, in front of,
on.

Complete the sentences below by choosing the correct prepositions:

1 (A).
a. Jane is arriving__January 26___2 o’clock___the afternoon.
b. It snows here every year___December. We always go outside and
play in the snow___Christmas day.
c. Michael is leaving___Friday___noon.
d. Frankie started working for her law firm___1995.
e. Franklin began working on the project___yesterday.
f. Normally, ___New Year’s Eve, it’s tradition to kiss the one you love
___midnight.
g. Don’t be ridiculous; there were no telephones___the seventeenth
century! The telephone was invented___the 1870s.
h. The plane leaves___tomorrow morning___8:00 AM.
i. The hills here are covered with wildflowers___early spring.
j. We met at the restaurant___6: 30 and___stayed 10:30.

(B).
a. She always gets up early___the morning, so she can make it to class
___time.
b. I was sick, so I didn’t go to work___last Thursday, but I did go to
work ___Friday.
c. Mary stopped talking___the middle of her story, and suddenly started
to cry. I think we were all crying___the time she finished telling us
what had happened.
d. Late___night, you can hear coyotes howling in the distance.
e. Just wait a second; I’ll be there___a minute.
f. I need to give my parents a call. I haven’t talked to them___over a
month.
g. Barbara is going to start her new job___next September.
h. The professor said___the first day of the course that there would be a
big final test___the end of the semester.
i. I have been sitting here___more than an hour. If they don’t
arrive___the next ten minutes, I’m leaving.
j. We were really worried___first because the banks were
closed___Saturdays, so we couldn’t exchange money. But___the end,
 45

everything worked out because we were able to exchange money at

the hotel.

2. (A)
a. Donna went___the store, but I don’t think she found what she was
looking for because she came back___almost immediately.
b. As Samantha was climbing___the swimming pool, she slipped and
fell back.
c. The post office is just___the street on the left near the hospital.
d. Lily had problems climbing back___the tree house because she had
injured her ankle as she was climbing___.
e. She didn’t have any difficulty pulling___the parking space, but as she
was backing___, she scratched the car parked next to her.
f. Although you can take an elevator___the top of the Eiffel Tower, we
decided to walk___. I was exhausted by the time we got to the top.
g. When Mrs. Sims saw the kids playing on the roof she screamed,
”You kids had better come___there, right now!”
h. You can go___now; Dr. Wilson is ready to see you.
i. Our customer service centre will help you solve that problem. Just
walk___the hall and take the elevator___the second floor.
j. Just as Debbie was stepping___the elevator, she realized she was on
the wrong floor, so she quickly jumped back___before the doors
closed.

(B)
a. While they were hiking___the forest, Laurelle and Frank saw a
mountain lion.
b. We walked___the river looking for a way to get___it, but there was
no bridge.
c. When the kids saw the snake in the grass, they started running
___screaming hysterically.
d. The train passed___nine tunnels on the way to Denver.
e. They strolled___the beach watching the sunset.
f. The plane flew___the Grand Canyon on the way to Los Angeles.
g. Several animals, including emus, ran___the road in front of the car as
they were driving___the outback of Australia.
h. They walked the building___twice looking for the entrance.
i. The cruise ship passed___the Golden Gate Bridge as it was leaving
San Francisco.
j. His dog is always trying to escape from the backyard. Sometimes he
manages to jump___the fence and sometimes he digs a hole and
crawls___it.
 46

3. (A)
a. We have DSL Internet access___work, but I don’t have a high-speed
connection___home.
b. The kids are learning about the Civil War___their history
class___school.
c. Toby was___the hospital for two weeks after his motorcycle
accident___the freeway.
d. Jane and Debbie saw dolphins___the ocean while they were having a
picnic___the beach.
e. Fred loves to go camping___the desert, but Kyle prefers to camp
___the mountains.
f. The conference was held___a ski resort, ___Telluride, a small town
___southwest Colorado.
g. You can buy stamps___the post office ___Delancy Street.
h. The old man who was standing___the corner yelled at the kids who
were playing___the street.
i. While they were hiking___Ridgeback Mountain, Laurelle and Frank
saw a bear___the woods.
j. They have a small house___a lake in the countryside. When I visit
them, I always love to sit___the shore and watch the kids
swimming___the lake.

(B)
a. You can buy your rail passes___the ticket counter___any train
station___the country.
b. The brown bears found___Kodiak Island are the largest___the world.
c. There is no life___the moon, but there are many forms of life___the
ocean floor.
d. She bought her wedding dress___an exclusive shop___Fifth Avenue.
e. Nathan was able to exchange money___the exchange counter___the
airport.
f. If you want anything to eat, there is a freshly baked chocolate cake
___the table___the kitchen and plenty of food___the refrigerator.
g. While Shirley was in Tacy’s department store___the mall, she ran
into Evan and Lea___the furniture department.
h. While Dave was___the top of the Eiffel Tower, he could see several
tourist boats___the Seine, the river that runs through Paris.
i. I stood___line for thirty minutes___the ticket window___the movie
theatre to get tickets for the film.
j. Mike has sitting___his desk___his office___work when Bill called;
Bill was ___Asia on business.

4. (A)
 47

a. The computer printer is___the table___the computer.

b. Shawn and Noel stood___the tree waiting for the rain to stop.
c. I didn’t see the mailbox even through I was sitting right___it.
d. Everybody was already sitting___the table waiting for dinner to be
served.
e. Every evening, the dog sits___the dinner table begging for food.
f. Debra was sitting___the computer surfing the Internet.
g. I asked the woman standing___me on the bus where I should get out.
h. My car Keys were---the desk, but I couldn’t see them because they
were ___magazine.
i. When I went to buy the concert tickets, there was nobody___the
ticket sales window.

(B).
a. Her wallet wasn’t___her purse; it was___her coat pocket.
b. Tony had an ink stain___his coat pocket.
c. Phillip waited___the movie theatre for Simone, so they could buy
tickets and go in together.
d. While Sam was talking to the bank teller, the woman___him in line
kept sighting impatiently.
e. There was a sign___the restaurant saying that it was closed for
renovations.
f. His grandfather, who had passed away years before, was___the
painting which was hanging___the wall.
g. Shelly didn’t see Bobby because he was hiding___the couch.
h. Frank had his passport___his hand as he boarded the plane.
i. There is an electrical outlet___the desk. Can you help me move the
desk, so I can plug in the computer?
j. Then kids were sitting___the floor___the TV when Barbara came
home.

5. For each question, choose the single best answer:

1. My best friend lives___Boretz Road.

a. in
b. on
c. at
2. I’ll be ready to leave___about twenty minutes.
a. in
b. on
c. at
 48

3. Since he met his new girlfriend, Juan never seems to be___home.

a. on
b. in
c. at
4. The child responded to his mother’s demands___throwing a tantrum.
a. with
b. by
c. from
5. I think she spent the entire afternoon___the phone.
a. on
b. in
c. at
6. I’ll wait___6:30, but then I’m going home.
a. from
b. at
c. until
7. The police caught the thief___the corner of Cascade and Plum Streets.
a. in
b. at
c. from
8. My fingers were injured so my sister had to write the note___me.
a. for
b. with
c. to

9. I am not interested___buying a new car now.

a. to
b. for
c. in
10. What are the main ingredients___this casserole?
a. about
b. to
c. of

11. My best friend, John, is named___his great-grandfather.

a. after
b. to
c. about
12. Grandpa stayed up___two in the morning.
a. since
b. for
c. until
13. My parents have been married___forty-nine years.
 49

a. since
b. for
c. until
14. He usually travels to Philadelphia___train.
a. by
b. at
c. with
15. You frequently see this kind of violence___television.
a. with
b. in
c. on
16. I told Mom we’d be home___an hour or so.
a. to
b. in
c. at
17. I was visiting my best friend___the hospital.
a. of
b. at
c. in
18. The professor___South Africa amazed the American students with her
stories.
a. from
b. of
c. in

19. I’ll see you___home when I get there.

a. in
b. by
c. at
20. It’s been snowing___Christmas morning.
a. since
b. for
c. until.

6. Prepositions at the Crossword: type the correct letter in each box:

1 2 3 4
Across
1. placed ____ the desk
5. ___ a friend 5 6 7

6. left ___ noon 8

8. ____ the night

10. ___ the movie
 50
9
13. ___ the stairs
Down 10 11 12

2. ran ___ the door 13

3. lives ___ Dallas

4. go ___ God
7. ___ her goals
9. speaks highly ___ you
11. going ___ school
12. she's ___ school
 51

2. VERBS AND VERBALS

2.1. RECOGNIZING VERBS AND VERB STRINGS

This quiz is designed to test your ability to recognize verbs and verb
strings. You will also have to distinguish between real verbs and verb
forms, taking on other functions (gerunds and participles). Write the
complete verb string for each sentence in the second text area (below the
sentence). Remember that an adverb (such as never) or a contraction (such
as ‘nt) is technically not part of the verb):
The verb or verb string in the following sentence-________is:
a. In June I will have been attending college for six straight years.
b. Making slow but steady progress, I have never been one to give up
easily.
c. My mother and father have always encouraged me to go to college.
d. Mo Vaughan left the Redsox and alienated many fans in the process.
e. Could Mrs.Lincoln ever have foretold such a series of calamities?
f. She left the village but never abandoned her principles.
g. By the next election, Mr. Peters will have been acting as mayor for
sixteen years.
h. Having prepared well for winter, the bears began their long
hibernation.

2.2. IDENTIFYING VERB TENSES

Verb Tenses are tools that English speakers use to express

time in their language. You may find that many English tenses do not have
direct translations in your language. That is not a problem. By studying the
verb tenses, you will learn to think like a native English speaker.

2.2.1. Verb Tense Overview with Examples

Simple Present Simple Past Simple Future
If you are having problems,
Two years ago, I I will help you study
I study English English.
studied English in
everyday.
England. I am going to study English
next year.
 52

Present Continuous Past Continuous Future Continuous

I will be studying
English when you arrive
I was studying English tonight.
I am studying English
when you called
now.
yesterday. I am going to be
studying English when
you arrive tonight.

Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Perfect

I will have studied

every tense by the time I
finish this course.
I have studied English I had studied a little
in several different English before I moved
I am going to have
countries. to the U.S.
studied every tense by
the time I finish this
course.

Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Perfect

Continuous Continuous Continuous

I will have been

studying English for
over two hours by the
I had been studying
time you arrive.
I have been studying English for five years
English for five years. before I moved to the
I am going to have
U.S.
been studying English
for over two hours by
the time you arrive.
 53

2.2.2. Types of Verbs

Before you begin the verb tense lessons, it is extremely important to

understand that NOT all English verbs are the same. English verbs are
divided into three groups:

Group I Continuous Verbs

The first group, called "Continuous Verbs", contains most English verbs.
These verbs are usually physical actions, which you can see somebody
doing. These verbs can be used in all tenses.

Continuous Verbs
to run, to walk, to eat, to fly, to go, to say, to touch etc.

Examples:

I eat dinner every day. Correct

I am eating dinner now. Correct

Group II Non-continuous Verbs

The second group, called "Non-continuous Verbs” is smaller. These verbs

are usually things you cannot see somebody doing. These verbs are rarely
used in "continuous" tenses. They include:

Abstract Verbs
to be, to want, to cost, to seem, to need, to care, to contain, to owe, to
exist...

Possession Verbs
to possess, to own, to belong...

Emotion Verbs
to like, to love, to hate, to dislike, to fear, to envy, to mind...

Examples:
He is here now. Correct
He is being here now. Not Correct

He wants a drink now. Correct

He is wanting a drink now. Not Correct
 54

Group III Mixed Verbs

The third group, called "Mixed Verbs", is the smallest group. These verbs
have more than one meaning. Some meanings behave like "Non-continuous
Verbs", while other meanings behave like "Continuous Verbs."

Mixed Verbs
to have, to appear, to see, to hear, to feel, to weigh, to look ...

List of Mixed Verbs with Examples and Definitions:

to appear:

Donna appears confused. Non-continuous Verb

(Donna seems confused.)

My favourite singer is appearing at the jazz club tonight. Continuous

Verb
(My favourite singer is giving a performance at the jazz club tonight.)

to have:

I have a dollar now. Non-continuous Verb

(I possess a dollar.)

I am having fun now. Continuous Verb

(I am experiencing fun now.)

to hear:

She hears the music. Non-continuous Verb

(She hears the music with her ears.)

She is hearing voices. Continuous Verb

(To hear something others cannot hear. She is hearing voices in her mind.)

to miss:
John misses Sally. Non-continuous Verb
(He is sad because she is not there.)

Debbie is missing her favourite TV program. Continuous Verb

 55

(She is not there to see her favourite program.)

to see:

I see her. Non-continuous Verb

(I see her with my eyes.)

I am seeing the doctor. Continuous Verb

(To visit or consult with a doctor, dentist, or lawyer.)

I am seeing her. Continuous Verb

(I am having a relationship with her.)

He is seeing ghosts at night. Continuous Verb

(To see something others cannot see. For example ghosts, aura, a vision of
the future etc.)

to smell:

The coffee smells good. Non-continuous Verb

(The coffee has a good smell.)

I am smelling the flowers. Continuous Verb

(I am sniffing the flowers.)

to taste:

The coffee tastes good. Non-continuous Verb

(The coffee has a good taste.)

I am tasting the cake. Continuous Verb

(I am trying the cake to see what it tastes like.)

to think:

He thinks the test is easy. Non-continuous Verb

(He considers the test to be easy.)

She is thinking about the question. Continuous Verb

(She is pondering the question, going over it in her mind.)

to weigh:
The table weighs a lot. Non-continuous Verb
 56

(The table has a great weight.)

She is weighing herself. Continuous Verb

(She is determining her weight.)

Some Verbs Can Be Especially Confusing:

to be:
Joe is American. Non-continuous Verb
(Joe is an American citizen.)

Joe is being very American. Continuous Verb

(Joe is behaving like a stereotypical American.)

Joe is being very rude. Continuous Verb

(Joe is behaving very rudely. Usually he is not rude.)

Joe is being very formal. Continuous Verb

(Joe is behaving very formally. Usually he is not formal.)

NOTICE: Only rarely is "to be" used in a continuous form. This is most
commonly done when a person is temporarily behaving badly or
stereotypically. It can also be used when someone's behaviour is noticeably
different.

to feel:

The massage feels great. Non-continuous Verb

(The massage has a pleasing feeling.)

I don't feel well today. Continuous or Non-continuous Verb

I am not feeling well today.
(I am a little sick.)

NOTICE: Feel is very flexible and there is no difference in meaning in the

two sentences above.)

In this quiz, you will be matching names of English verb tenses in

one column with sentences that contain those verb tenses (written in
ALL CAPS) in another column:
 57

Your Sent.
Tenses Sentences
Answers No.
Television HAS BEEN such an
important part of our family's life
past perfect 1
for so many years that we can't
imagine being without it.
As of this fall, Meet The Press
WILL HAVE BEEN ENTERING
simple future 2
our living room on Sunday
mornings for fifty years!
My folks BOUGHT their first TV
future progressive 3
in the early 50s.
The appliance store WAS
past progressive 4 SELLING 13-inch black-and-
white TV sets for fifty dollars.
The saleswoman HAD
CONVINCED my father that a
present perfect 5
TV would make a great Mother's
Day gift.
In fact, my father HAS BEEN
present progressive 6 KEEPING that old TV in our
attic all these years.
He says he WILL SELL it
simple present 7 someday as an antique for
hundreds of dollars.
future perfect I think he IS HOPING that it still
8
progressive actually works.
He WILL BE TAKING it to an
present perfect
9 antique store soon to see what it's
progressive
worth.
It still SURPRISES me that he's
simple past 10 been able to hold on to that old
TV set.

2.2.3. Verb Tenses and Sentence Order

Some of the sentences in the paragraphs below are in the wrong order.
Using the verb tenses and time clues, number the sentences in each
paragraph in their proper order:
 58

___A presence on the World Wide Web is now becoming an essential

part of a college's public relations program. ___Three years ago not all
colleges recognized the advantages of being on the web.

___But we did not have the necessary support staff. ___Two years ago
our college installed its first web server. ___Our Academic Technology
Committee had decided to invest in the necessary hardware. ___So we
recruited a full-time Webmaster and tech-support people. ___Now all
the components are ready for full usage of the World Wide Web.

___The technology for creating web-pages, however, is becoming much

easier to use. ___Faculty and students have been nervous about creating
pages. ___Almost every faculty member and many students will soon
have his or her own web-page.

___WYSIWIG authoring tools have largely replaced cumbersome

HTML editors. ___Writing HTML made web-page creation difficult in
the past. ___Now anyone who can create a text document can create a
decent and colourful web-page.

___It is nice to know some basic HTML code to fix those mistakes.
___As a result, graphics end up in the wrong place and some text will
come out the wrong colour or size. ___Some of the new authoring tools
make peculiar mistakes.

2.3. MAKING SUBJECTS AND VERBS AGREE

1. When the subject of a sentence is composed of two or more

nouns or pronouns connected by and, use a plural verb.

2. When two or more singular nouns or pronouns are connected by or or

nor, use a singular verb.
 59

3. When a compound subject contains both a singular and a plural noun or

pronoun joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the part of the
subject that is nearer the verb.

4. Doesn't is a contraction of does not and should be used only with a

singular subject. Don't is a contraction of do not and should be used only
with a plural subject. The exception to this rule appears in the case of the
first person and second person pronouns I and you. With these pronouns,
the contraction don't should be used.

5. Do not be misled by a phrase that comes between the subject and the
verb. The verb agrees with the subject, not with a noun or pronoun in the
phrase.

6. The words each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody,

anybody, anyone, nobody, somebody, someone, and no one are singular and
require a singular verb.
 60

7. Nouns such as civics, mathematics, dollars, measles, and news require

singular verbs.

Note: the word dollars is a special case. When talking about an amount of
money, it requires a singular verb, but when referring to the dollars
themselves, a plural verb is required.

8. Nouns such as scissors, tweezers, trousers, and shears require plural

verbs. (There are two parts to these things.)

9. In sentences beginning with there is or there are, the subject follows the
verb. Since there is not the subject, the verb agrees with what follows.

10. Collective nouns are words that imply more than one person but that
are considered singular and take a singular verb, such as: group, team,
committee, class, and family.
In very few cases, the plural verb is used if the individuals in the group are
thought of and specifically referred to.
 61

11. Expressions such as with, together with, including, accompanied by, in

addition to, or as well do not change the number of the subject. If the
subject is singular, the verb is too.

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

2. Select one answers from the choices provided after each sentence.
The word you choose should fit the blank in the sentence:

1.Either the physicians in the hospital or the chief administrator___going to

have to make a decision.
 62

- is
- are

2.___my boss or my sisters in the union going to win this grievance?

- Is
- Are

3. Some of the votes____to have been miscounted.

- seem
- seems

4. The tornadoes that tear through this country every spring_____more than
just a nuisance.
- are
- is

5. Everyone selected to serve on this jury_____to be willing to give up a lot

of time.
- have
- has

6. Kara Wolters, together with her team mates_____a formidable opponent

on the basketball court.
- presents
- present

7. He seems to forget that there_____things to be done before he can

graduate.
- are
- is

8. There_____to be some people left in that town after yesterday’s flood.

- have
- has