Grammar Review

What is a noun?

Noun
a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea

Nouns
dog man egg table street justice satisfaction

history assessment partisanship cacophony postmodernism thermodynamics

Nouns
St. Louis Albert Pujols Cardinals Busch Stadium World Series Major League Baseball Webster University Forest Park English Apple Adidas Lil Wayne Carrie Underwood

Nouns
Nouns that name a specific person, place, or thing need to begin with capital letters.
Nouns can be singular, meaning one, or plural, meaning more than one.
General (singular)
star

Specific
Brad Pitt

Plural
stars

park

Yellowstone National Park

Puma

parks

shoe

shoes

 Most nouns form the plural by adding s or es. However, certain nouns (including those ending in y, those ending in f or fe, and hyphenated nouns, like attorney-at-law) do not follow this simple pattern.

The __________ misbehaved for the babysitter.

A) childs B) children C) childrens D) none of the above

The __________ misbehaved for the babysitter.

A) childs B) children C) childrens D) none of the above

The angry dog bared its ________ at the letter carrier.

A) tooths B) teeths C) teeth D) none of the above

The angry dog bared its ________ at the letter carrier.

A) tooths B) teeths C) teeth D) none of the above

Football games are divided into two _______. A) halves B) halfs C) half D) none of the above

Football games are divided into two _______. A) halves B) halfs C) half D) none of the above

The nosy parents were always interfering in their grown childrens ________.

A) lifes B) lives C) live D) none of the above

The nosy parents were always interfering in their grown childrens ________.

A) lifes B) lives C) live D) none of the above

Most big _________ have public transportation.

A) citys B) citys C) cities D) none of the above

Most big _________ have public transportation.

A) citys B) citys C) cities D) none of the above

What is a pronoun?

Pronoun
a word that replaces a noun

Pronouns
he she it we they who him, his her its us, our hem, their whom, whose

Pronouns
A pronoun must agree with the noun it refers to in number. Both must be singular (one) or plural (more than one).

The Johnsons sold their house.

Pronouns
If a pronoun refers to a singular noun, it must also match that noun in gender: he for masculine nouns, she for feminine nouns, and it for genderless nouns.

Mike likes his coffee hot.

Be careful with pronoun usage in the following types of sentences:

Those with more than one subject or object: Lula and I work together. Lula works with Joe and me.

Be careful with pronoun usage in the following types of sentences:

Those presenting comparisons: Collette drives faster than I. Collette likes Tina more than me.

Be careful with pronoun usage in the following types of sentences: Those with who or whom. Who is always a subject; whom is always an object.
Rick is the man who works at my company. Rick is the man to whom I sent the memo.

The twins decided to wear _______ new shoes out of the store.

A) his B) their C) theirs D) none of the above

The twins decided to wear _______ new shoes out of the store.

A) his B) their C) theirs D) none of the above

My brother Juan practiced ______ guitar for two hours every day.

A) his B) its C) her D) none of the above

My brother Juan practiced ______ guitar for two hours every day.

A) his B) its C) her D) none of the above

No one wants to have _______ identity stolen.

A) their B) his or her C) its D) none of the above

No one wants to have _______ identity stolen.

A) their B) his or her C) its D) none of the above

Each of the sisters had _______ own bedroom.

A) their B) her C) its D) none of the above

Each of the sisters had _______ own bedroom.

A) their B) her C) its D) none of the above

After deliberating for only twenty minutes, the jury reached _______ verdict.

A) their B) his C) its D) none of the above

After deliberating for only twenty minutes, the jury reached _______ verdict.

A) their B) his C) its D) none of the above

The audience booed when ___ realized that the singer was tone-deaf and hoarse.

A) it B) he C) they D) none of the above

The audience booed when ___ realized that the singer was tone-deaf and hoarse.

A) it B) he C) they D) none of the above

What is a verb?

Verb
a word that tells action

Verbs
dances reads jumped graduated will overcome have reached is was will be do did did not

What is verb tense?

Verb tense tells when an action happened: in the past, in the present, or in the future.

Present tense: Rick hikes every weekend. Past tense: He hiked ten miles last weekend. Future tense: He will hike again on Saturday.

Types of verbs
Most verbs in English are regular verbs that follow standard rules about what endings to use to express time. Irregular verbs do not follow the regular pattern for endings.

Regular present-tense endings

The present tense is used for actions that are happening at the same time that they are being written about (the present) and for things that happen all the time. Present-tense, regular verbs end either in s, or they have no ending added.

Regular verbs in the present tense

Singular
First person Third person I jump She (he, it) jumps The child jumps Second person You jump

Plural
We jump You jump They jump The children jump

Using present-tense regular verbs

My roommate (cook / cooks) us breakfast on Sundays.

Using present-tense regular verbs

My roommate cooks us breakfast on Sundays.

Regular past-tense endings

The past tense is used for actions that have already happened. An ed ending is needed on all regular verbs in the past tense.

Present tense and past tense verb endings

First person Second person Third person

Present tense I avoid her. You help me. He walks fast.

Past tense I avoided her. You helped me. He walked fast.

Using the past tense of regular verbs

Robert (hike) many miles through the woods of Maine.
A) hikes B) hike C) hiked D) none of the above

Using the past tense of regular verbs

Robert (hike) many miles through the woods of Maine. ANSWER: A) hikes B) hike C) hiked D) none of the above

Regular past-participle ending

The past participle is a verb that is used with a helping verb, such as have. For all regular verbs, the past-participle form is the same as the past tense form. It uses an ed ending. Past tense: I visited my cousins. Past participle: I have visited my cousins.

Using the past participle of regular verbs

Every weekday night, I have three hours. A) study B) studied C) studies D) none of the above (study) for

Using the past participle of regular verbs

Every weekday night, I have three hours.
A) study B) studied C) studies D) none of the above

(study) for

Irregular verbs
Irregular verbs do not follow the regular pattern for endings. The following are some common irregular verbs: be, bring, do, get, give, go, have/has, make, say, see, speak, take, write.

Irregular verbs
Present tense Past tense be (am/are/is) bring do get give go have/has make was/were brought did got gave went had made Past participle (used with has/have) been brought done gotten given gone had made

More irregular verbs

Present tense Past tense say see speak take write cost begin read said saw spoke took wrote cost began read Past participle (used with has/have) said seen spoken taken written cost begun read

Present tense of two irregular verbs

Be
I am You are He, she, it is The editor is Beth is We are You are

Have
I have You have You have You have

They are He, she, it has They have The editors are Beth and Christina are

Using be and have in the present tense

We ___ (be) happy that you have decided to take the job.
A) be B) is C) are D) none of the above

Using be and have in the present tense

We ___ (be) happy that you have decided to take the job. A) be B) is C) are D) none of the above

Using be and have in the present tense

To enter the building, you pass. A) has B) haven C) have D) none of the above (have) to get a

Using be and have in the present tense

To enter the building, you pass. A) has B) haven C) have D) none of the above (have) to get a

Irregular verbs in the past tense

Irregular verbs do not use the ed ending for the past-tense form. They show the past tense with a change in spelling or in some other way.

Irregular verbs in the past tense

Present tense I begin today.
You sleep very soundly. I let the dog in today.

Past tense I began yesterday.

You slept late this morning. I let the dog in yesterday.

The verb be, past tense

The verb be is tricky because it has two different forms for the past tense: was and were. Singular First person I was Second person You were Third person He, she, it was The student was Plural We were You were They were The students were

Using be in the past tense

She decided that her problems to stop her. A) were B) was C) is D) none of the above not going

Using be in the past tense

She decided that her problems to stop her. A) were B) was C) is D) none of the above not going

Using irregular verbs in the past tense

I (think) my pronunciation was terrible, but the teacher said I was improving.

A) thought B) thinked C) think D) none of the above

Using irregular verbs in the past tense

I (think) my pronunciation was terrible, but the teacher said I was improving.

A) thought B) thinked C) think D) none of the above

Irregular verbs in the past participle

For irregular verbs, the past participle is often different from the past tense. It is difficult to predict how irregular verbs form the past participle. It may be helpful to refer to a chart or list of irregular past participles. Past tense Regular verb Irregular verb I drove home. Past participle I have driven home before.

I walked home. I have walked home before.

Using irregular verbs in the past participle

Many people (choose) natural methods of getting more sleep. A) has chosen B) have chosen C) have choosed D) has choosed

Using irregular verbs in the past participle

Many people more sleep. A) has chosen B) have chosen C) have choosed D) has choosed (choose) natural methods of getting

Using past participles

A past participle, by itself, cannot be the main verb of a sentence. But when a past participle is combined with another verb, called a helping verb, it can be used to make the present perfect tense and the past perfect tense.

Have/has + past participle = present perfect tense

The present perfect tense is used for an action that began in the past and either continues into the present or was completed at some unknown time in the past. Present perfect tense: My car has stalled several times recently. (This sentence says that the stalling began in the past but may continue into the present.) Past tense: My car stalled. (This sentence says that the car stalled once and that its over.)

Using the present perfect tense

Select the correct tense of the verb in parentheses: Evidence ____ (show) that disorientation is a major risk for inexperienced pilots. A) has shown B) showed C) has showed D) none of the above

Using the present perfect tense

Select the correct tense of the verb in parentheses: Evidence ____ (show) that disorientation is a major risk for inexperienced pilots. ANSWER: A) has shown B) showed C) has showed D) none of the above

Had + past participle = past perfect tense

Use had plus the past participle to make the past perfect tense. The past perfect tense is used for an action that began in the past and ended before some other past action. Past perfect tense: My car had stalled several times before I called the mechanic. (This sentence says that both the stalling and calling the mechanic happened in the past, but the stalling happened before the calling.)

Using the past perfect tense

Select the correct tense of the verb in parentheses: By the time my grandfather retired at the age of seventy, he ____ (hold) many different jobs. A) held B) had holded C) had held D) none of the above

Using the past perfect tense

Select the correct tense of the verb in parentheses: By the time my grandfather retired at the age of seventy, he ____ (hold) many different jobs. ANSWER: A) held B) had holded C) had held D) none of the above

Be + past participle = passive voice

A sentence that is written in the passive voice has a subject that does not perform an action. Instead, the subject is acted upon. To create the passive voice, combine a form of be with a past participle. Passive: The newspaper was thrown onto the porch. (The subject, newspaper, did not throw itself onto the porch. Some unidentified person threw the newspaper.)