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English Grammar Practice

© CCYang 2012
First-year Class
Department of
Applied Foreign Languages
Cheng Shiu University
Patience is bitter but its fruit is sweet.
Table of Contents
 Wh- Questions  Subject and verb

 Question Tags  The article

 So and Neither  Reflexive pronouns

 Have Something Done  Preposition

 Verb + -ing form  Word formation

 Verb to-infinitive or Verb + –ing

 Used to do and be used to doing

 See it happen or see it happening

 Some structures with the –ing form

 Countable and uncountable nouns

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Wh- Questions
Question Phrases (1)
What time is your friend arriving? ~Half past eight.
What color is the Greek flag? ~Blue and white.

What kind of/What sort of club is it? ~A nightclub.

How much do you spend? ~A hundred pounds.

How many books have you got? ~About Thirty.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Wh- Questions
Question Phrases (2)
 How far is it from Los Angeles to San Francisco?
~From Los Angeles to San Francisco is about 400 miles.
 How long is a game of rugby in England?
~A game of rugby in England is eighty minutes.
 How often are the Olympic Games held?
~The Olympic Games are held every four years.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Wh- Questions
Question Phrases (3)
Where is Melbourne? ~It’s in Australia.
When did the Second World War end? ~In 1945.

What is Sirius? ~It’s a star.

Who did Romeo love? ~Juliet.

Whose friend did you meet? ~David’s.

How can we get tickets? ~online booking

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Wh- Questions
Preposition in Wh- Question (1)
Who are you looking at? ~Just a friend.
Who are you looking for? ~Just a friend.

Who are you waiting for? ~Just a friend.

Who did you go out with? ~Just a friend.

Who are you talking about? ~Just a friend.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Wh- Questions
Preposition in Wh- Question (2)
What is he laughing at? ~One of his jokes.
What is he ashamed of? ~One of his jokes.

What is he pleased about? ~One of his jokes.

What is he complaining about? ~One of his jokes.

What is he feel nervous about? ~One of his jokes.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Wh- Questions
Preposition in Wh- Question (3)
What …for asks about purpose
What do you read for? ~To learn new knowledge.

What are these bricks for? ~To build a wall.

What is the party for? ~To meet new people.

What …for means the same as Why


What are they digging up the road for?

~They are repairing a gas pipe.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Wh- Questions
Preposition in Wh- Question (4)
What …like asks if something is good or bad,
interesting or boring, etc.
What was the party like? ~We had a great time.

What is the place like? ~It’s pretty quiet.

What are they like? ~They’re very nice people.

What was the weather like? ~It was warm and dry.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Wh- Questions
Preposition in Wh- Question (6)
how asks about someone’s well-being
How is your new job? ~I’m really enjoying it.

How was your day? ~Not too bad. Busy as usual.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Wh- Questions
Preposition in Wh- Question (7)
Compare these two questions
What is Melanie like? ~She’s very nice.

(She is a nice person.)


How is Melanie? ~She’s fine, thanks.

(She is happy/in good health.)

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Wh- Questions
Comparison- What and Which
We use what when there is a wide choice of
possible answers.
We use which when there is a limited number of
possible answers.
what and which are both possible answers.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Wh- Questions
Comparison- What and Which
What: a wide choice of possible answers.
What sport do you play?

There are a lot of different sports.


(Tennis or golf of football or hockey or…?)
Which: a limited number of possible answers.
Which way do we go there?

There’re only two or three ways to go. (Right or left?)

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Wh- Questions
What: a wide choice of possible answers.
(Do you play the piano, or the violin, or the guitar, or…?)
 What musical instrument do you play?
(Do you like classical music, or jazz, or rock music, or…?)
 What music do you like?
(Do you paint the wall creamy, or white, or beige, or…?)
 What color do you paint the wall?
(Are you learning Japanese, or Spanish, or Arabic, or…?)
 What language are you learning?

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Wh- Questions
Which: a limited number of possible answers.
(Did you go to the Little Theatre or the Theatre Royal?)
 Which theatre did you go to?
(Did you take the morning flight or the afternoon flight?)
 Which flight did you take?
(Did you stay at the Grand Hotel or the Bristol?)
 Which hotel did you stay at?
(Did you go to the Coffee Pot or the Tea Gardens?)
 Which café did you go to?

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Question tags
A question tag is a short question added on to a
statement. When a tag is spoken, the voice can
go down or up.
Comment (with falling intonation)
With a falling intonation, the speaker thinks the
statement is true. The tag is not really a question.
Question (with rising intonation)
With a rising intonation, the speaker is less sure.
The tag is more like a real question.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Question tags
Positive Statement + Negative Tag
A negative tag is an auxiliary verb + n’t + pronoun
Negative Statement + Positive Tag
A positive tag is an auxiliary verb + pronoun

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Question tags
Positive Statement + Negative Tag
A negative tag is an auxiliary verb + n’t + pronoun
 It is very warm, isn’t it?
 It will be dark soon, won’t it?

 I turned right, didn’t I?

 You live near here, don’t you?

 You have played before, haven’t you?

 The coat looks nice, doesn’t it?

 The children can swim, can’t they?

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Question tags
Negative Statement + Positive Tag
A positive tag is an auxiliary verb + pronoun
 It isn’t very warm, is it?
 It will not be dark soon, will it?

 I didn’t turn right, did I?

 You don’t live near here, do you?

 You have not played before, have you?

 The coat doesn’t look nice, does it?

 The children can not swim, can they?

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Question tags
The answer yes means that the positive is true.
The answer no means that the negative is true.
 Edward works for Matthew, doesn’t he?
~ Yes, he does. He works for Matthew.
 Emma doesn’t eat meat, does she?
~ Yes, she does. She eats meat.
 Rachel is married, isn’t she?
~ No, she isn’t. She isn’t married.
 Mark hasn’t got many friend, has he?
~ No, he hasn’t. He hasn’t got many friends.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Question tags
Practice
 The price list is up to date, isn’t it?
 These sweaters are nice, aren’t they?
 The bus goes at ten, doesn’t it?
 There are many people, aren’t there?
 You came is a sports car, didn’t you?
 I have told you many times, haven’t I?
 Let’s listen to some music, shall we?

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Question tags
Practice
 These sausages aren’t delicious, are they?
 You haven’t got a newspaper, have you?
 The situation doesn’t bother you, does it?
 There is nothing to argue about, is there?
 He can’t see things from my viewpoint, can he?
 Pass me the salt, can/could/will you?
 Don’t do anything silly, will you?

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


So and Neither
We use so after a positive statement and neither
after a negative one.
Structure: so/neither + an auxiliary +the subject
 We’re really busy at work. ~So are we.

 I’m a quiet sort of person. ~So am I.

 I haven’t eaten anything. ~Neither have I.

 I didn’t have time for lunch. ~Neither did I.


 The plane doesn’t work. ~Neither does this one.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


So and Neither
We use so after a positive statement and neither
after a negative one.
Structure: so/neither + an auxiliary +the subject
We’re really busy at work and so are they.

He likes quieter places and so does she.

I haven’t eaten anything and neither has she.

She didn’t have time for lunch and neither did he.

The plane doesn’t work and neither does that one.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


So and Neither
We can use nor instead of neither.
We didn’t do well and neither/nor did they.

He doesn’t like noises and neither/nor does she.

They aren’t here tonight and neither/nor are we.

She didn’t eat dinner and neither/nor am I.

The phone isn’t working and neither/nor is that one.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


So and Neither
Conversation Practice
 I haven’t been to a party for ages. Neither have I.
 I’m not a party-goer. Neither am I.

 I lead a pretty quiet life. So do I.

 I hate crowded rooms. So do I.

 I’m a quiet sort of person. So am I.

 I would really like a good friend. So would I.

 I will share my life everyday with him. So will I.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


So and Neither
Practice
Mark Laura Karen Bryan
Music ✓ × × ✓
Travel ✓ ✓ × ×
 Mark likes music and so does Bryan.
 Mark travels quite a lot and so does Laura.

 Laura isn’t a music lover and neither is Karen.

 Karen didn’t travel much and neither did Bryan.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


So and Neither
Practice
Mark Laura Karen Bryan
Skiing × × ✓ ✓
Cooking × ✓ ✓ ×

 Karen can ski and so can Bryan.


 Mark can’t ski and neither can Laura.

 Laura cooks quite often and so does Karen.

 Bryan isn’t keen on cooking and neither is Mark.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Have Something Done
Compare these situations
Ann painted the room. (She did the work herself.)

Ann had the room painted. (A painter did the work)

We can use have in a passive structure.


Ann had the room painted means that she arranged
for a painter to do it for her as a professional service.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Have Something Done
Look more examples:
 You should have your car serviced.
 They have their heating checked.
 He has his suits cleaned.
 We had the television repaired.
 You had your hair cut.
 My neighbor has a new garage built.
 She has a new cooker installed.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Have Something Done
Look more examples:
He went to the hospital. A nurse bandaged his arm.

=He had his arm bandaged.


He is going to the dentist. He is going to fill his teeth.

=He is going to have his tooth filled.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Verb + -ing form
After some verbs we use an –ing form.
 We usually avoid driving in the rush hour.

 We practice throwing the ball into the basket.

 We consider moving to Seattle.

 He finishes typing the letter.

 He enjoys watching football on TV.

 He dislikes getting up early on the weekend.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Verb + -ing form
After some verbs we use an –ing form.
 He suggests having a party.

 He admits breaking the windows.

 He denies having seen these watched before.

 He can’t tolerates cheating on exams.

 He can’t justify taking all the time off from studies.

 He can’t imagine them having a good time.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Verb + -ing form
After some verbs we use an –ing form.
 We fancy going (would like to go) out for a meal.

 We don’t want to risk missing the bus.

 The trip involves changing buses in the centre.

 The trip saves waiting for a bus.

 He postpones (puts off/ delays) sending a reply.

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Verb + -ing form
After some verbs we use an –ing form.
 She wouldn’t mind waiting a moment.

 Would you mind waiting a moment?

keep or carry on means something continuing


 Please keep stirring the mixture until it boils.

 Please carry on stirring the mixture until it boils.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Verb + -ing form
After some verbs we use an –ing form.
 He gives up drinking and smoking.

 We can’t (couldn’t) help laughing at his jocks.

 She can’t (couldn’t) resist buying it.

 She can’t (couldn’t) stand waiting in a queue.

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V to-infinitive or V-ing
With some verbs, the choice of a to-infinitive or an –
ing form depends on the meaning.
remember/forget to do for necessary actions
remember/forget doing for memories of the past
 I must remember to post this important letter today.
 I remember posting the letter on yesterday morning.

 She forgets to switch off the machine.

 She never forgets flying over the Grand Canyon.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


V to-infinitive or V-ing
With some verbs, the choice of a to-infinitive or an –
ing form depends on the meaning.
regret to do something means to be sorry for
something you are doing, e.g. giving bad news.
regret doing something means to be sorry
because something that happened in the past.
 We regret to inform you there’s no vacancy now.
 We regret spending all money. We’ve got none left.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


V to-infinitive or V-ing
With some verbs, the choice of a to-infinitive or an –
ing form depends on the meaning.
try to do something means attempt something, to
do your best.
try doing something means to do something
which might solve a problem.
 We are trying to run this computer program.
 We tried clicking on the box, but it doesn’t work.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


V to-infinitive or V-ing
With some verbs, the choice of a to-infinitive or an –
ing form depends on the meaning.
stop to do something means to stop the current
action and to do something
stop doing something means to end the current
action
 An old man walking along the road stopped to ask us
what problems we met.
 There’s too much noise. Can you stop talking, please?

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


V to-infinitive or V-ing
With some verbs, the choice of a to-infinitive or an –
ing form depends on the meaning.
mean to do something means to intend to do it
mean doing something expresses the idea of one
thing resulting in another
 I think Nick meant to break that glass.
It didn’t look like an accident.
 I’m applying for a visa. It means filling in this form.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


V to-infinitive or V-ing
With some verbs, the choice of a to-infinitive or an –
ing form depends on the meaning.
Go on to do something means to do something
else, to do the next thing.
Go on doing something means to continue doing it
 The agent introduced herself and went on to explain
about the project.
 He kept answering his phone during the meeting.

People asked him to end the call, but he went on talking.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Used to do and Be used to doing

used + to-infinitive
means that something happened regularly or
went on for a time in the past.
be (get) used to + -ing
means something is familiar and is no longer
strange.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Used to do and Be used to doing
used + to-infinitive means that something
happened regularly or went on for a time in the past.
We used to play that game when we were young.
There used to be a hall here, but they knocked it down.

Lots of trains used to stop here, but not many do now.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Used to do and Be used to doing
We normally use didn’t use to in negatives.
We didn’t use to have computers.
=We never used to have computers.

We normally use did … use to in questions.


 Did you use to live in Los Angeles?
 Did you use to help with the family business?

 Where did people use to buy their food before the

supermarket was built?

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Used to do and Be used to doing
be (get) used to + -ing means something is familiar
and is no longer strange.

Most visitors to Britain aren’t used to driving on the left.


=Most visitors to Britain don’t get used to driving on the left.
She isn’t used to speaking to a large audience.

=She doesn’t get used to speaking to a large audience.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


see it happen or see it happening

See it happen
We saw Trevor plant the tree.

(He planted the tree.


We saw him do the whole job.)
See it happening
We saw Trevor planting the tree.

(He was planting the tree.


We saw him in the middle of the job.)

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


see it happen or see it happening

See it happen
(we can use this structure with these verbs:
feel, hear, listen to, notice, see, watch)
 We saw him fall down the steps.
 We heard someone close the door.
 We watched the parade go past.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


see it happen or see it happening

See it happening
(we can use this structure with these verbs:
feel, find, hear, listen to, notice, see, smell, watch)
 We saw him walking with a stick.
 We hear someone playing the piano.
 We found him exercising in the gym.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


see it happen or see it happening
When we talk about a short action, it often does
NOT matter which structure we use.

They heard a car turn/turning the corner.


They didn’t see anyone leave/leaving any litter.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Some structures with the –ing form

Two actions at the same time (1)


When two things are happening at the same time,
we can use a main verb and an –ing form.

We stand in a queue waiting for the bank to open.


We cannot sit watching television all day.

She lay on the sofa reading a magazine.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Some structures with the –ing form

Two actions at the same time (2)


We can also use a main verb and an –ing form,
when one action comes in the middle of another.
We use the –ing form for the longer action.
He injured his knee doing gymnastics.
(He injured his knee while he was doing gymnastics.)
He went to sleep listening to the music.

(He went to sleep while he was listening to the music.)

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Some structures with the –ing form

One action after another (1)


When there are two short actions, one straight
after the other, we can use an –ing form for the
first action.
Opening the bottle, he poured the drinks.
(After opening the bottle, he poured the drinks.)
Turning right into the avenue, the car drove north

for two blocks. (After turning right into the avenue,


the car drove north for two blocks.)

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Some structures with the –ing form

One action after another (2)


We can also use the perfect –ing form.
Opening the bottle, he poured the drinks.
Having opened the bottle, he poured the drinks.

(After opening the bottle, he poured the drinks.)

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Some structures with the –ing form

One action after another (3)


If either of the actions is long, we must use the
perfect –ing form.
 Having photocopied all the papers, she put them
back in the file.
 Having repaired the car, he took it out for a road test.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Some structures with the –ing form

One action after another (4)


These patterns are typical of written English. In
spoken English, to talk about one action after
another we use a sentence like this.
 He repaired the car and then took it out for a road test.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Some structures with the –ing form

The –ing form saying why (1)


We can use the –ing form to give a reason.
 The fans queued for hours, hoping to get tickets.
(They queued for hours because they hoped to get tickets.)
 Being the youngest child, she was her father’s favorite.

(She was her father’s favorite because she was the


youngest child.)
 Not knowing the way, she had to ask for directions.

(Because she didn’t know the way, she had to ask for
directions.)

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Some structures with the –ing form

The –ing form saying why (2)


We can also use the perfect –ing form to give a reason.
 Having spent all his money, he couldn’t afford a new
jacket. (He couldn’t afford a new jacket because he spent
all his money.)
 We decided not to travel, having heard the terrible
weather forecast. (We decided not to travel because we
have heard the terrible weather forecast.

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Countable and uncountable nouns

Countable
A countable noun (e.g. ship) can be singular or plural.
We can count ships. We can say a ship/ one ship or
some ships.
Uncountable
An uncountable noun (e.g. water) is neither singular
nor plural. We cannot count water. We can say water
or some water.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Countable and uncountable nouns

The +both countable and uncountable nouns


The goes with both countable and uncountable nouns.
re countable noun. We can say the ship (singular),
the ships (plural) or the water (uncountable).

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Countable and uncountable nouns

some and any go with plural or uncountable nouns


plural nouns
He told some jokes.

Do you know any jokes?

uncountable nouns
We had some fun.

That won’t be any fun.

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Countable and uncountable nouns

uncountable nouns  a loaf of bread


 a carton of milk  two loaves of bread

 a carton of juice  a piece/slice of bread

 a bottle of water  a tin/can of soup

 a glass of water  a box of matches

 a cup of coffee  a packet of crisps

 a jar of jam  a bar of chocolate

 a tube of toothpaste

 a collection of pictures

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Countable and uncountable nouns

uncountable nouns
 a kilo (kilogram) of cheese
 three kilos (kilograms) of potatoes

 five meters of cable

 twenty liters of petrol

 half a pound of butter

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Countable and uncountable nouns

uncountable nouns
 a piece of wood

 a piece of cake

 a piece/ slice of bread

 a piece/sheet of paper

 a piece/ bit of advice

 a bit/ an item of news

 two pieces/ bits of information

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Countable and uncountable nouns

The nouns are uncountable in English but they may


be countable in other languages:
 accommodation  homework/ housework

 baggage/ luggage  litter/ rubbish/ trash/ junk

 behavior garbage/ refuse/ waste


 equipment  progress

 furniture  scenery

 fun/ luck  traffic

 weather

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Countable and uncountable nouns

Some nouns can be either countable or uncountable.


For example, a potato is a separate, individual
thing, but potato cannot be counted as food.
 They are peeling the potatoes. (countable)
 Would you like some potato? (uncountable)

 They baked a cake. (countable)

 Have some cake. (uncountable)

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Countable and uncountable nouns

Often the countable noun is specific, and


the uncountable noun is more general.
Rugby is a sport. (a particular sport) (countable)
Do you like sport? (sport in general) (uncountable)

That’s a nice painting. (a particular painting) (countable)

He’s good at painting. (painting in general) (uncountable)

We heard a sudden noise. (a particular noise) (countable)

Constant noise make you ill. (noise in general) (uncountable)

He had an interesting life. (a particular life) (countable)

Life is complicated sometimes. (life in general) (uncountable)

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Countable and uncountable nouns

Sometimes nouns can be countable or


uncountable with different meanings.
COUNTABLE UNCOUNTABLE
 a paper(=newspaper)  I need some paper to write on.

 a glass of juice  a piece of glass for the window

 an iron for clothes  The bridge is made of iron.

 switch all lights on  There’s more light by the window.

 many times  I can’t stop. I haven’t got time.

 a great experience  job experience

 run a business(=company)  do business (=buying and selling)

 a space in the park  There’s no space for a piano here.

 There’re many satellites out in space.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Countable and uncountable nouns

Words for drink are usually uncountable.


 Coffee is more expensive than tea.
But when we are ordering or offering drinks, we can
say either a cup of coffee or a coffee.
 Two coffee, please. (= two cups of coffee)
 Would you like a beer? (= a glass/bottle/can of beer)

Some nouns can be countable when we are talking


about a particular kind or about different kinds.
 Chianti is an Italian wine. (= a kind of Italian wine)
 The use of plastics has increased.

(= the use of different kinds of plastic)

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Subject and verb
After a singular or an uncountable noun and after
he, she, or it, we use a singular verb.
SINGULAR
 The window is open.  This method doesn’t work.
 She was upset.  He doesn’t like to go out.

 The soup tastes good.  It is raining outside.

After a plural noun or they, and after nouns joined


by and, we use a plural verb.
PLURAL  The biscuits taste good.
 These methods don’t work.
 The windows are open.
 Her eyes were wet.

 The door and the window are open.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Subject and verb

After everyone, something, nothing, every, each,


or one of we use a singular verb.
 Everyone was pleased.  Each door is a different color.
 Something is wrong.  Every seat has a number.

 Nothing is special here.  One of the photos is missing.

After all and a number of we use a plural verb.


 All the seats have a number.
 A number of questions were asked.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Subject and verb

An amount + a singular verb


After an amount of money, a distance, a weight or a
length of time, we normally use a singular verb. We are
talking about the amount as a whole, not the individual
pounds or meters.
 Eight pounds seems a fair price.
 A hundred meters isn’t far to swim.

 Ninety kilos is too heavy for me to lift.

 Five minutes doesn’t seem long to wait.

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Subject and verb

Some nouns end in s, but take a singular verb. e.g. the


word news; the subjects economics, mathematics
(maths), physics, politics and statistics, etc.
The news was better than we had expected.
 Statistics is a different subject.

 This means of transport saves energy.

 It was a crossroads in my life.

 They’re living not from the company headquarters.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Subject and verb
Pair nouns
We use a pair noun for a thing made of two parts which
are the same. Some pair nouns are glasses, jeans,
pants, scissors, shorts, trousers, etc. A pair noun is
plural and take a plural verb. We use pair of, rather
than a/an or a number with a pair noun.
The shorts are quite cheap.
 She bought two pairs of jeans.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Subject and verb
Group nouns
When we mean the group as a whole, we use a
singular verb. When we mean the individual people in
the group, we use the plural verb. Some group nouns
are audience, class, committee, crew, family, staff,
orchestra, etc.
 The orchestra consists of eighty-six musicians.

 The orchestra don’t know how to play.

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The article

The choice of a or an and the pronunciation of the


depend on the next sound.
 a /ə/ or the /ðə/ + consonant sound

 an /ən/ or the /ði/ + vowel sound

It is the sound of the next word that matters, not


the spelling.
 a uniform/ university /j/
 an hour/ honest person /aʊ/

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


The article
Some
Some with a plural noun means a number of
Some with an uncountable noun means an amount of

 He bought some flowers.


 They took some photos.
 Let’s play some music.

 There is some milk in the fridge.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


The article
The
General a plural noun or an uncountable noun on its
own has a general meaning
They don’t understand computers.

(=all computers, computer in general.)


Specific The+ plural noun or uncountable noun has a
specific meaning
 The computers crashed at work today.

(=the specific computers at my workplace.)

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Reflexive pronouns
Compare these sentences
When the police officer came in,

the gunman shot him. (him= the police officer)


When the police officer came in,

the gunman shot himself. (himself= the gunman)

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Reflexive pronouns
The use of reflexive pronouns
Mark made himself a sandwich.

She is looking at herself in the mirror.

We have locked ourselves out.

The children watched themselves on video.

The light switched itself off automatically.

Compare yourself and yourselves


Emma, dry yourself on this towel.

Vicky and Rachel, dry yourselves on this towel.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Reflexive pronouns
Idioms with reflexive pronouns
We really enjoyed ourselves. (=had a good time)
I hope the children behave themselves. (=behave well)

Help yourself to sandwiches.(=take as many as you want)

Make yourself at home. (=behave as if this is your home)

I don’t want to be left here by myself. (=on my own, alone)

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Preposition
I apologized for making a mistake.
He believes in discussing things openly.

She is looking forward to seeing her friends again.

She has succeed in getting the position she wants.

She was fed up with living in this awful place.

She is keen on taking photos.

Everyone congratulated her on winning the competition.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Preposition
Some fans were arrested for attacking the police.
The man was found guilty of stealing from others.

Higher prices will discourage customers from buying.

The fire-fighters stopped the fire from spreading.

The police prevented the crime from taking place.

The club punished its players for fighting during a match.

She accused the nanny of not taking care of her child.

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Word formation
Some common prefixes
 anti- (=against) anti-bacteria
 inter- (=between) an international match
 mini- (=small) the minibar in the hotel room
 mis- (=wrongly) miscalculate the amount
 multi- (=many) multimedia
 over- (=too much) overcrowded roads

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Word formation
Some common prefixes
 post- (=after) a postgraduate student
 pre- (=before) in prehistory times
 re- (=again) a reunion of old friends
 semi- (=half) sitting in a semicircle
 super- (=big) supermarket
 under- (=too little) undernourished

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Word formation
Negative prefixes
We can use a prefix to form an opposite. For example, the
opposite of clear is unclear (=not clear). Un- is the most
common negative prefix.

 un- an uncomfortable chair/ an unusual event


uncertain what to do/ unpack the baggage

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Word formation
Negative prefixes
 dis- a dishonest (a.) way to behave
disappear (v.) from the scene
a disadvantage (n.) of the plan
 non- non-alcoholic drink/ an non-stop flight

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012


Word formation
Negative prefixes
 il- (+l) an illegal (a.) drug/ an illiberal (a.) attitude
 im- (+p) an impossible task/ an impolite person

 in- an invisible person/ a great injustice

ir- (+r) an irregular shape/ an irrelevant remark

English Grammar Practice © CCYang 2012

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