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Compiled by Aya Hasan

This course has been designed to help you


improve your English language skills
through interactive and engaging learning
activities. Whether you are a beginner or
looking to refine your fluency, this course
will provide you with the necessary tools
and resources to become a more confident
English speaker.

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Part 1

The alphabet letters:

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1- Parts of speech:
In the English language there are various parts of
speech which are put together in order to form a
sentence. Without these, the language would
never be able to function.

In the English language, there are around ten


common parts of speech. These include nouns,
verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns,
prepositions, conjunctions, interjections,
determiners, and articles.

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. A noun is a word which gives a name to something,
in some cases you might hear them referred to as a
‘naming word.’
Pen, New Year, dog, cat, elephant, garden, school, work, music, town,
Manila, teacher, farmer, Bob, Sean, Michael, police officer, France, coffee,
football, danger, happiness…

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A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun.
She... we... they... it
A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun. A
pronoun is usually substituted for a specific noun,
which is called its antecedent. In the sentence
above, the antecedent for the pronoun she is the
girl. Pronouns are further defined by type: personal
pronouns refer to specific persons or things;
possessive pronouns indicate ownership; reflexive
pronouns are used to emphasize another noun or
pronoun; relative pronouns introduce a subordinate
clause; and demonstrative pronouns identify, point
to, or refer to nouns.
The young girl brought me a very long letter from
the teacher, and then she quickly disappeared. Oh
my!

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A verb expresses action or being.
Jump ... is... write ... become
The verb in a sentence expresses action or
being. There is a main verb and sometimes one
or more helping verbs. ("She can sing." Sing is
the main verb; can is the helping verb.) A verb
must agree with its subject in number (both are
singular or both are plural). Verbs also take
different forms to express tense.
The young girl brought me a very long letter
from the teacher, and then she
quickly disappeared. Oh my!

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An adjective modifies or describes a
noun or pronoun.
pretty... old... blue... smart
An adjective is a word used to modify or
describe a noun or a pronoun. It usually
answers the question of which one, what kind,
or how many. (Articles [a, an, the] are usually
classified as adjectives.)
The young girl brought me a very long letter
from the teacher, and then she quickly
disappeared. Oh my!

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An adverb modifies or describes a verb,
an adjective, or another adverb.
gently... extremely... carefully... well
An adverb describes or modifies a verb, an
adjective, or another adverb, but never a
noun. It usually answers the questions of when,
where, how, why, under what conditions, or to
what degree. Adverbs often end in -ly.
The young girl brought me a very long letter
from the teacher,
and then she quickly disappeared. Oh my!

Articles are words that identify a noun as being


specific or unspecific. Consider the following
examples:
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Example: After the long day, the cup of tea
tasted particularly good.
By using the article the, we’ve shown that it was
one specific day that was long and one specific
cup of tea that tasted good.
Example: After a long day, a cup of tea tastes
particularly good.
By using the article a, we’ve created a general
statement, implying that any cup of tea would
taste good after any long day.

The definite article


The definite article is the word the. It limits the
meaning of a noun to one particular thing. For
example, your friend might ask, “Are you going
to the party this weekend?” The definite article
tells you that your friend is referring to a specific
party that both of you already know about. The
definite article can be used with singular, plural,
or uncountable nouns. Below are some

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examples of the definite article, the, used in
context:
Example Please give me the hammer.
Example Please give me the red
hammer; the blue one is too small.
Example Please give me the nails.
Example Please give me the large nail;
it’s the only one strong enough to hold this
painting.
Example Please give me the hammer
and the nails.

The indefinite article


The indefinite article takes two forms. It’s the
word a when it precedes a word that begins
with a consonant. It’s the word an when it
precedes a word that begins with a vowel. The
indefinite article indicates that a noun refers to a
general idea or category of a thing rather than a
specific thing.

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For example, you might ask your friend,
“Should I bring a gift to the party?” Your friend
will understand that you are not asking about a
specific type of gift or a specific item. “I am
going to bring an apple pie,” your friend tells
you. Again, the indefinite article indicates that
she is not talking about a particular apple pie.
Your friend probably doesn’t even have any pie
yet. The indefinite article appears only with
singular nouns. Consider the following
examples of indefinite articles used in context:
Example Please hand me a book; any book
will do.
Example Please hand me an autobiography;
any autobiography will do.

Exceptions: using a or an
There are a few exceptions to the general rule
of using a before words that start with
consonants and an before words that begin with
vowels. The first letter of the word honor, for
example, is a consonant, but it’s unpronounced.
Despite its spelling, the word honor begins with
a vowel sound. Therefore, we use an. Consider
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the example sentence below for an illustration
of this concept.
Incorrect My mother is a honest woman.
correct My mother is an honest woman.

Similarly, when the first letter of a word is a


vowel but is pronounced with a consonant
sound, use a, as in the sample sentence below:
Incorrect She is an United States senator.
correct She is a United States senator.
This holds true for acronyms and initialisms
too: an LCD display, a UK-based
company, an HR department, a URL.

An article before an adjective


Sometimes an article modifies a noun that is
also modified by an adjective. The usual word
order is article + adjective + noun. If the article
is indefinite, use a or an based on the word that
immediately follows it. Consider the following
examples for reference:
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Example Eliza will bring a small gift to
Sophie’s party.
Example I heard an interesting
story yesterday.

Indefinite articles with uncountable nouns


Uncountable nouns are nouns that are
impossible to count, whether because they
name intangible concepts
(e.g., information, animal husbandry, wealth),
collections of things that are considered as
wholes (e.g., jewelry, equipment, the working
class), or homogeneous physical substances
(e.g., milk, sand, air). Although most of these
nouns are singular in form, because they refer
to things that can’t be isolated and counted,
they never take a or an. Uncountable nouns
can be modified by indefinite adjectives
like some, however. Consider the examples
below for reference:
Incorrect Please give me a water.
Water is an uncountable noun and should not
be used with the indefinite article.
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Correct Please give me some water.
If you describe the water in terms of a
countable unit (like a bottle), you can use the
indefinite article to modify the unit.
Correct Please give me a bottle of water.
Incorrect Please give me an ice.
Correct Please give me an ice cube.
Correct Please give me some ice.
Note that depending on the context, some
nouns can be countable or
uncountable (e.g., hair, noise, time):
Correct We need a light in this room.
Correct We need some light in this room.

Using articles with pronouns


Possessive pronouns—words
like his, my, our, its, her, and their—can help
identify whether you’re talking about specific or
nonspecific items. As we’ve seen, articles also
indicate specificity. But if you use both a

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possessive pronoun and an article together,
readers will become confused. Articles should
not be used with pronouns. Consider the
examples below:
Incorrect Why are you reading the my book?
The and my should not be used together, as
they are both identifying the same noun.
Instead, choose one or the other depending on
the intended meaning:
Correct Why are you reading the book?
Correct Why are you reading my book?

Omission of articles
Occasionally, articles are omitted altogether
before certain nouns. In these cases, the article
is implied but not actually present. This implied
article is sometimes called a “zero article.”
Often, the article is omitted before a noun that
refers to an abstract idea. Look at the following
examples:
Incorrect Let’s go out for a dinner tonight.

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Correct Let’s go out for dinner tonight.
Incorrect The creativity is a valuable quality in
children.
Correct Creativity is a valuable quality in
children.
Tip: The words for many languages and
nationalities are not preceded by an article.
Incorrect I studied the French in high school
for four years.
Correct I studied French in high school for
four years.
Tip: Sports and academic subjects do not
require articles.
Incorrect I like to play the baseball.
Correct I like to play baseball.
Incorrect My sister was always good at the
math.
Correct My sister was always good at math.

Article FAQs

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What is an article?
An article is a word that comes before a noun to
show whether it’s specific or general. Specific
nouns use the article the and general nouns
use the article a (or an, if the next word starts
with a vowel sound).

What are definite and indefinite articles?


The definite article refers to something specific,
and the indefinite article refers to something
general. The is the definite article and a/an is
the indefinite article.

What is an example of an article in grammar?


“The hammer” refers to only one hammer, but
“a hammer” refers to any hammer.

When should we not use articles?


We don’t use the indefinite article with
uncountable nouns, or any article with a
possessive pronoun. Certain nouns such as
nationalities, school subjects, and sports often

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don’t take articles, especially when they refer to
general or abstract ideas.

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2- Personal pronouns|
Definition and
examples

A personal pronoun is a pronoun that is


associated primarily with a particular
person, in the grammatical sense. When
discussing “person” in terms of the
grammatical, the following rules apply:
 First person, as in “I”
 Second person, as in “you”
 Third person, as in “It, he, she”

Personal pronouns may take on various


forms depending on number (singular or
plural for the most part). They may also
take different forms depending on case,
gender, or formality. It is important to note
that personal pronouns may refer to
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objects, animals, or people. Personal
pronouns provide us with the following
information:
 The person – Who is speaking?
 The number – Is the pronoun plural or
singular?
 The gender – Is the pronoun feminine,
masculine, or neuter?

Examples of Personal Pronouns


The word “he” is an example of a personal
pronoun. He is third person (because he is
the person being spoken about), singular,
and masculine. The word “we” is another
example of a personal pronoun. We is first
person (because we are speaking as a
group), plural, and neuter.
In the following examples, personal
pronouns are italicized.
1. You need to stop lying to me.
2. We would love for you to join us.

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3. Come look at my cat! He has climbed to
the top of that tree.

Personal Pronouns as Subject Pronouns


When a personal pronoun takes the place
of a noun as the subject of a sentence, it is
both a personal pronoun and a subject
pronoun. What is a subject pronoun? In
essence, it’s any pronoun that is used to
replace a common or proper noun as a
sentence’s subject.

Personal Pronouns as Object Pronouns


When a personal pronoun is the direct or
indirect object of a verb, or when it is used
as the object of a preposition, it is called
an object pronoun. What is an object
pronoun? It’s any pronoun that is affected
by the action the subject of the sentence
takes.
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The personal pronouns that are used as
object pronouns are different than the
personal pronouns that are used as subject
pronouns, but they are just as important.
There are seven object pronouns that also
happen to be personal pronouns: me, you,
him, her, it, us, and them.

Personal Pronoun Exercises


The following exercises will help you gain greater understanding about
how personal pronouns work. Choose the best answer to complete each
sentence.
1. __________ often reads until late at night.
A. He
B. Alan
C. Mary
D. They
2. __________ is running up and down the stairs.
A. The cat
B. She
C. My brother
D. You

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3. __________ is from Ireland.
A. Rory
B. My friend
C. He
D. This souvenir
4. Have __________ got a dog, Mary?
A. Anyone
B. They
C. Someone
D. It
5. We enjoy the roses so much. __________ really liven up the garden.
A. They
B. Its
C. Someone
D. Flowers
6. Melissa isn’t an architect; __________ is an engineer.
A. He
B. They
C. It
D. She
7. Are __________ friends or not?
A. He
B. She
C. We
D. It
8. My doctor was born in Germany. __________ teaches language lessons
in his spare time.
A. They

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B. It
C. She
D. He
9. All of my teachers are Americans. __________ come from all over the
country.
A. She
B. We
C. They
D. Them
10. Our friends are athletes. All of __________ are either strong, fast,
or both.
A. We
B. They
C. Them
D. You

Answers:
1. A - He often reads until late at night.
2. B - She is running up and down the stairs.
3. C - He is from Ireland.
4. B - Have they got a dog, Mary?
5. A - We enjoy the roses so much. They really liven up the garden.
6. D – Melissa isn’t an architect; she is an engineer.
7. C – Are we friends or not?
8. D – My doctor was born in Germany. He teaches language lessons in his
spare time.
9. C – All of my teachers are Americans. They come from all over the country.
10. C – Our friends are athletes. All of them are either strong, fast, or both.

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3- Sentence structure: How
to make a sentence
Sentence structure is how all the parts
of a sentence fit together.

What is sentence
structure?
Sentence structure is the order of all the
parts in a sentence: subject, predicate,
objects, phrases, punctuation, etc. It
deals a lot with independent and -
dependent clauses and how they
combine (explained below), the
placement of words and phrases next to
what they modify, as well as the use of
proper grammar.
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3- Basic parts of a
sentence
Every sentence requires at least
a verb and a subject; a verb is an
action, and a subject is the noun that
does the action.
I am waiting.

In this example, am waiting is the verb.


The main verb is wait, but when we
conjugate it in the present continuous,
we use the –ing form and add the
auxiliary verb am. The subject is I, the
person who waits.

The exception to this rule is imperative


sentences (commands), which only
need a verb. We can assume the
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subject is the person the speaker is
talking to.
Stop!

This single word is a complete


sentence. The verb is stop, and no
subject is necessary because it’s a
command.
Some sentences can add objects,
which are nouns that also participate in
the action. Let’s say you forgot your
calculator and you ask your friend to
borrow theirs.
My buddy lends me their calculator.

In this example, lends is the verb


and my buddy is the subject because
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they’re the one lending. The
word calculator is what’s called a direct
object, the noun that receives the action.
In this case, the direct object is the thing
being lent—a calculator.

The indirect object is the noun that


receives the direct object. In the
example above, the indirect object
is me, because that’s who receives the
calculator. Indirect objects come
between the verb and direct object.

4- sentence structure
grammar rules

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Aside from knowing the parts of a
sentence, you also have to follow
the grammar rules. In case you forget,
here’s a quick list:
1. Capitalize the first letter of the first word
in a sentence.
2. End a sentence with a period, question
mark, exclamation point, or quotation
marks.
3. Most of the time, the subject of the
sentence comes first, the verb comes
second, and the objects come last.
(Subject -> Verb -> Object)
4. If the subject is singular, the verb must
also be singular. If the subject is plural,
the verb must be plural. This is known
as subject-verb agreement.

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Part 2

Vocabulary
Basic units of time

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Time

Clock

Second

Minute

Hour
Now
Later
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Morning
Noon

Afternoon

Evening

Night

Midnight
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Sunrise

Sunset

Today

Yesterday

Tomorrow
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Seasons of the year

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Names of colors in English

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Numbers in English

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Fruits in English

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Animals in English

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Jobs in English

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Musical instruments

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Hobbies in English

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Weather in English

How to describe the weather:


Here are some phrases to help you
prepare.
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1. How’s the weather? / What’s it like
out there?
Both of these are good questions to
ask if you haven’t gone outside in a
while, and you’re wondering if things
have changed.
Or maybe you’re still debating about
whether or not you want to venture
(go) outdoors, so you might ask this
to someone who comes inside.

It’s warm and sunny outside.

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Parts of the house

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Emotions in English

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Diseases & health problems in English

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Parts of the body

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