M

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 NOUNS

What is a noun?
A noun is a part of speech that denotes a person, animal, place, thing, or idea.
Every language has words that are nouns. As you read the following explanations, think
about some words that might fit into each category.

 Person – A term for a person, whether proper name, gender, title, or class, is a noun.
 Animal – A term for an animal, whether proper name, species, gender, or class is a
noun.
 Place – A term for a place, whether proper name, physical location, or general locale is
a noun.
 Thing – A term for a thing, whether it exists now, will exist, or existed in the past is a
noun.
 Idea – A term for an idea, be it a real, workable idea or a fantasy that might never come
to fruition is a noun.

Noun Examples
When we first start to learn the parts of speech, trying to identify different words
can seem like a challenge. This process gets easier with practice. Here are some noun
examples to help you get started. The nouns in each sentence have been italicized.

 Person – He is the person to see.

 Person – John started to run.
 Person – Plato was an influential Greek philosopher.
 Person – Sharon admires her grandfather.
 Person – My mother looks a lot like my grandmother, and I look very much like them.

 Animal – The dog barked at the cat.

 Animal – Elephants never forget.
 Animal – Sophie is my favorite horse.

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 Place – The restaurant is open.
 Place – Let’s go to the beach.
 Place – Look over there.
 Place – Come here.
 Place – Harvard and Yale are two famous universities.
 Place – Look! There’s the Eiffel Tower.

 Thing – Throw the ball.

 Thing – Please close the door and lock it.
 Thing – Use words properly to be understood.
 Thing – The lamp sits on a table next to the sofa.
 Thing – Money doesn’t grow on trees.

 Idea – Follow the rules.

 Idea – The theory of relativity is an important concept.
 Idea – Love is a wonderful emotion.

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exercise 1

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exercise 2

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 Plural Nouns: Rules and Examples

Most singular nouns are made plural by simply putting an -s at the end. There

are many different rules regarding pluralization depending on what letter a noun ends in.

Irregular nouns do not follow plural noun rules, so they must be memorized or looked up

in the dictionary.

Plural Noun Rules

There are many plural noun rules, and because we use nouns so frequently

when writing, it’s important to know all of them! The correct spelling of plurals usually

depends on what letter the singular noun ends in.

1. To make regular nouns plural, add -s to the end.

cat – cats house – houses

2. If the singular noun ends in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, or -z, add -es to the end to make

it plural.

truss – trusses bus – buses branch - branches

lunch – lunches tax – taxes blitz – blitzes

3. In some cases, singular nouns ending in -s or -z, require that you double the -s

or -z prior to adding the -es for pluralization.

fez – fezzes gas –gasses

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4. If the noun ends with -f or -fe, the f is often changed to -ve before adding the -s

to form the plural version.

wife – wives wolf – wolves

half – halves leaf - leaves

Exceptions:

roof – roofs belief – beliefs

chef – chefs chief – chiefs

5. If a singular noun ends in -y and the letter before the -y is a consonant, change

the ending to -ies to make the noun plural.

city – cities

puppy – puppies

6. If the singular noun ends in -y and the letter before the -y is a vowel, simply add
an -s to make it plural.

ray – rays

boy – boys

7. If the singular noun ends in -o, add -es to make it plural.

potato – potatoes tomato – tomatoes

Exceptions:

photo – photos piano – pianos halo – halos

With the unique word volcano, you can apply the standard pluralization for words that

end in -o or not. It’s your choice! Both of the following are correct:

 volcanoes

 volcanos

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8. If the singular noun ends in -us, the plural ending is frequently -i.

cactus – cacti datum - data

agendum – agenda alumnus - alumni

9. If the singular noun ends in -is, the plural ending is -es.

analysis – analyses ellipsis – ellipses

10. If the singular noun ends in -on, the plural ending is -a.

phenomenon – phenomena criterion – criteria

11. Some nouns don’t change at all when they’re pluralized.

sheep – sheep series – series

species – species deer –deer

Plural Noun Rules for Irregular Nouns

Irregular nouns follow no specific rules, so it’s best to memorize these or look up
the proper pluralization in the dictionary.

child – children goose – geese

man – men woman – women

tooth – teeth foot – feet

mouse – mice person – people

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Exercise 1
Write the plural of the following nouns.

1. Man - ______________ 11. Loaf - ______________

2. Knife - ______________ 12. Louse - ______________
3. Sheep- ______________ 13. Child -______________
4. Girl - ______________ 14. Noise - ______________
5. Candy - ______________ 15.Thief - ______________
6. Copy - ______________ 16. Sergeant-at-arms - _____________
7. Mouse - ______________ 17. Party -______________
8. Stratum - ______________ 18. Berry - ______________
9. Sandwich -______________ 19. Book - ______________
10. Box - ______________ 20. Goose - ______________

EXERCise 2

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Exercise 3
Select the correct plural noun form in parenthesis to complete each sentence.

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 Types of Noun
There are several different types of noun, as follows:

Common noun
A common noun is a noun that refers to people or things in general, e.g. boy,
country, bridge, city, birth, day, happiness.

Proper noun
A proper noun is a name that identifies a particular person, place, or thing,
e.g. Steven, Africa, London, Monday. In written English, proper nouns begin with capital
letters.

Concrete noun
A concrete noun is a noun which refers to people and to things that
exist physically and can be seen, touched, smelled, heard, or tasted. Examples
include dog, building, coffee, tree, rain, beach, tune.

Abstract noun
An abstract noun is a noun which refers to ideas, qualities, and conditions -
things that cannot be seen or touched and things which have no physical reality,
e.g. truth, danger, happiness, time, friendship, humour.

Collective nouns
Collective nouns refer to groups of people or things, e.g. audience, family,
government, team, jury. In American English, most collective nouns are treated as
singular, with a singular verb:
The whole family was at the table.
In British English, the preceding sentence would be correct, but it would also be correct
to treat the collective noun as a plural, with a plural verb:

The whole family were at the table.

Count and mass nouns

Nouns can be either countable or uncountable. Countable nouns (or count
nouns) are those that refer to something that can be counted. Uncountable

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nouns (or mass nouns) do not typically refer to things that can be counted and so they
do not regularly have a plural form.
Some uncountable nouns can be used in the plural as well, depending on the
meaning or context of the word. Take a look at these sentences:

uncountable because it's referring to the

Would you like some coffee?
drink in general
countable, because it's referring to a cup of
He ordered a coffee.
coffee
uncountable, because it refers to the quality
There's no truth in the rumours.
or state of being true
The fundamental truths about human countable, because it's referring to facts or
nature. beliefs that are true

Exercise 1
Match the proper nouns in Column A with the corresponding common nouns in
Column B.

Column A Column B

_______________1. Sarah Geronimo a. car

_______________2. Showtime b. author
_______________3. Rodrigo Duterte c. country
_______________4. Honda Civic d. festival
_______________5.Baclaran e. hero
_______________6. U.S.A f. newspaper
_______________7.Dinagyang g. actress
_______________8. William Shakespeare h. church
_______________9. Manila Bulletin i. variety show

_______________10. Jose Rizal j. president

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Exercise 2

Give your own example of PROPER NOUN and give the appropriate common noun for
each word.

____________________1.school ____________________9. Philippines

____________________2.toothpaste ____________________10. Las Pinas City

____________________3.mall ____________________11. Pasig River

____________________4.cartoon character ____________________12. Finding Nemo

____________________5.restaurant ____________________13. Saturn

____________________6.hero ____________________14. Adidas

____________________7.tv show ____________________15. Bible

____________________8.subject

Exercise 3
Identify whether each word is a mass noun or a count noun. Write Mass if it is a mass
noun and Count if it is a count noun. Write your answer on the blank.

_______________1.ketchup _______________6. pepper

_______________2.chair _______________7. bottle
_______________3.juice _______________8. sand
_______________4.milk _______________9. eggs
_______________5.oil _______________10. Books

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Exercise 4
Identify whether each underlined word is a concrete noun or an abstract noun.
Write you answer on the space provided.

While he exuded honesty and sincerity, we barely knew

the man.
______________________

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Exercise 5
Complete each phrase. Write on the answer line the letter of the correct answer.
______1. A ( a. flock b. pack) of playing cards.
______2. A shoal of (a. fish b. birds)
______3. A (a. bunch b. group) of keys
______4. A choir of (a. singers b. painters)
______5.A (a. group b. series) of events.
______6. An army of (a. ants b. birds)
______7. A pack of (a. cats b. dogs)
______8. A swarm of (a. bears bees)
______9. A herd of (a. elephants b. lions)
______10. A bunch of (a. apples b. bananas)

Exercise 6

Classify the underlined nouns in each sentence.Write Mass, Count, Collective,

Abstract or Concrete. Write your answer on the blank.
_________________1. Every year, the troops of boy scouts spend an overnight
camp in our school.
_________________2. The camping aims to develop self – reliance and friendliness
among them.
_________________3. The scouts build tents with the guidance of their scout
master.
_________________4. There are also some parents who lend their tents.
_________________5. This year, they will be joined by the KAB Scouts.
_________________6. They will bring a sleeping bag, a blanket, extra shirt and
pants, and packed food.
_________________7. Everyone will be at the catwalk in front of the cafeteria for
inspection.
_________________8. Radios, watches, and toys are not allowed.
_________________9. At the camp, they are told to obey rules of discipline.
_________________10.Our team won the game.

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 Possessive Case of Nouns: Rules and
Examples
The possessive case shows ownership. With the addition of ’s (or sometimes just

the apostrophe), a noun can change from a simple person, place, or thing to a person,

place, or thing that owns something. There are a few different ways to form the

possessive of a noun. We’ll discuss these ways below.

If the noun doesn’t end with an s, add ’s to the end of the noun. See the following

examples:

 This is Mary and her dog. The dog is Mary’s pet; Mary is not the dog’s pet.
 This thick curtain is capable of shutting out the summer sun’s heat and light.
 This is the way to the men’s room.
 She got a job in the children’s section of the library.

Do we add another s for the possessive form of a name ending with s? Which is

correct, Chris’s chair or Chris’ chair? James’s car or James’ car? Actually, both ways

are correct. If a proper name ends with an s, you can add just the apostrophe or an

apostrophe and an s. See the examples below for an illustration of this type of

possessive noun.

1. You’re sitting in Chis’ chair.

You’re sitting in Chis’s chair.

2. Have you seen James’ car?

Have you seen James’s car?

3. Where is Jess’ book bag?

Where is Jess’s book bag?

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 4. I’m in Ms. Jones’ class this year.

I’m in Ms. Jones’s class this year.

But when you have a plural noun that ends in s, add just the apostrophe. This is

also true when you have a proper noun that’s plural.

5. This is the boys’ bedroom.

6. My parents’ house is a lovely old one.
7. The scissors’ handles just snapped off.
8. The Jeffersons’ yard is always beautifully landscaped.

Here’s a tip: Should you write student’s or students’?

When you have an ordinary noun like student, you can tell whether the possessive

form refers to one student or many students by looking at where the apostrophe is.

When you’re talking about one student, add apostrophe + s:

 The student’s favorite subject was science.

In the sentence above, we are talking about the favorite subject of one student.

When you’re talking about many students, add an apostrophe.

 The students’ favorite subject was science.

In the sentence above, we are talking about several students who all share the same

favorite subject.

If you have a compound noun (for example, when you’re talking about two

people who jointly own one thing), change only the last noun to the possessive. The

examples below illustrate this usage of the possessive case.

 Mike and Amanda’s new loft apartment is really neat.

 Please tell Annie and Mary’s mother that they’ll be late getting home from school.

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If the possessor is a building, an object, or a piece of furniture, you don’t need to add an

apostrophe to show possession. See the examples below for reference:

1. The maid cleaned the hotel’s room.

The maid cleaned the hotel room.
2. We met in the office’s lobby.
We met in the office lobby.
3. Shut the car’s door.
Shut the car door.

Exercise 1
Write an apostrophe or an apostrophe and s to the following nouns to show
possession.
1. Neighbors__________________ 13. Rudy__________________
2. Dogs__________________ 14. managers__________________
3. Boys__________________ 15. attorney__________________
4. Fish__________________ 16. parents__________________
5. Alfred__________________ 17. students__________________
6. Janitors__________________ 18. wife__________________
7. Chloe__________________ 19. Doris__________________
8. Children__________________ 20. audience__________________
9. Teenager__________________ 21. leaders__________________
10. Choir__________________ 22. merchants__________________
11. Guards__________________ 23. Father-in-law__________________
12. Apprentice__________________ 24. Nicholas__________________

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Exercise 2
Change the following phrases into possessive nouns.

1. book of Francis - _______________________

2. uniforms of the students - _______________________
3. bedroom of the master - _______________________
4. store of AlingMarites - _______________________
5. clip of Erika - _______________________
6. shoes of the girls - _______________________
7. stories of the children - _______________________
8. balls of the players - _______________________
9. table of the teacher - _______________________
10. dress of Alex - _______________________

PRONOUN

What Is a Pronoun?

Pronouns make up a small subcategory of nouns. The distinguishing

characteristic of pronouns is that they can be substituted for other nouns. For instance,

if you’re telling a story about your sister Sarah, the story will begin to sound repetitive if

you keep repeating “Sarah” over and over again.

 Sarah has always loved fashion. Sarah announced that Sarah wants to go to
fashion school.

You could try to mix it up by sometimes referring to Sarah as “my sister,” but then it
sounds like you’re referring to two different people.

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  Sarah has always loved fashion. My sister announced that Sarah wants to go to
fashion school.

Instead, you can use the pronouns she and her to refer to Sarah.

 Sarah has always loved fashion. She announced that she wants to go to fashion
school.

Personal Pronouns

There are a few different types of pronouns, and some pronouns belong to more than
one category. She and her are known as personal pronouns. The other personal

pronouns are I and me, you, he and him, it, we and us, and they and them. If you

learned about pronouns in school, these are probably the words your teacher focused

on. We’ll get to the other types of pronouns in a moment.

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ACTIVITY

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Antecedents

Pronouns are versatile. The pronoun it can refer to just about anything: a bike, a

tree, a movie, a feeling. That’s why you need an antecedent. An antecedent is a noun

or noun phrase that you mention at the beginning of a sentence or story and later

replace with a pronoun. In the examples below, the antecedent is highlighted and the

pronoun that replaces it is bolded.

 My family drives me nuts, but I love them. The sign was too far away for Henry to
read it. Sarah said she is almost finished with the application.

In some cases, the antecedent doesn’t need to be mentioned explicitly, as long as

the context is totally clear. It’s usually clear who the pronouns I, me, and you refer to

based on who is speaking.

It’s also possible to use a pronoun before you mention the antecedent, but try to

avoid doing it in long or complex sentences because it can make the sentence hard to

follow.

 I love them, but my family drives me nuts.

Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns make up another class of pronouns. They are used to connect

relative clauses to independent clauses. Often, they introduce additional information

about something mentioned in the sentence. Relative pronouns

include that, what, which, who, and whom. Traditionally, who refers to people,

and which and that refer to animals or things.

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The woman who called earlier didn’t leave a message. All the dogs that got adopted
today will be loved. My car , which is nearly twenty years old, still runs well.

Whether you need commas with who, which, and that depends on whether the clause is

restrictive or nonrestrictive.

ACTIVITY
Underline the pronoun and circle its antecedent.

1. The pupils watch a circus video in their audio-visual room.

2. They laugh as the elephants toss water with their tanks.

3. Irma tries to stand on her chair.

4. The reporter looked worried. The information scared him.

5. Hans wants to watch the boy acrobat do his somersault.

6. The pupils giggle as eight clowns climb out of their tiny car.

7. One clown who has a big nose and a funny wig is pointing at his feet.

8. The clowns wear their make-up strangely.

9. The band leader is raising his baton for the march.

10. Some horses are stamping their feet in time to the music.

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Who vs. Whom—Subject and Object Pronouns

Now that we’ve talked about relative pronouns, let’s tackle the one that causes
the most confusion: who vs. whom. Who is a subject pronoun, like I, he, she,

we, and they. Whom is an object pronoun, like me, him, her, us and them. When the

pronoun is the object of a verb or preposition, the object form is the one you want. Most

people don’t have much trouble with the objective case of personal pronouns because

they usually come immediately after the verb or preposition that modifies it.

 Please mail it to I.

Please mail it to me.

 Ms. Higgins caught they passing notes.

Ms. Higgins caught them passing notes.

 Is this cake for we?

Is this cake for us?

Whom is trickier, though, because it usually comes before the verb or preposition

that modifies it.

 Whom did you speak to earlier?

 A man, whom I have never seen before, was asking about you.
 Whom should I say is calling?

One way to test whether you need who or whom is to try substituting a personal

pronoun. Find the place where the personal pronoun would normally go and see

whether the subject or object form makes more sense.

 Who/whom did you speak to earlier? Did you speak to he/him earlier?

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  A man, whom I have never seen before, was asking about you. Have I
seen he/himbefore?

 Whom should I say is calling? Should I say she/her is calling?

If the object pronoun (him or her) sounds right, use whom. If the subject pronoun (he

or she) sounds right, use who.

Before we move on, there’s one more case where the choice between subject and

object pronouns can be confusing. Can you spot the problem in the sentences below?

 Henry is meeting Sarah and I this afternoon. There are no secrets between you
and I. It doesn’t matter to him or I.

In each of the sentences above, the pronoun I should be me. If you remove the other

name or pronoun from the sentence, it becomes obvious.

 Henry is meeting I this afternoon. No one keeps secrets from I. It doesn’t matter
to I.

ACTIVITY
Underline the correct pronoun.
1. Elihu is a new friend (who whom) I invited.
2. The Ipod was created by (who whom)?
3. Mr. Go, can you identify 9who whom) is qualified for the post?
4. Let’s congratulate the lady (who whom) wrote the detective level.
5. (Whoever Whomever) uploaded this picture did not ask my permission.
6. Atty. Luz paid (whoever whomever) she borrowed money from.
7. (Who Whom) could rescue us from this dungeon?
8. Dixie and Chuck forgot (who whom) gave the glow-in-the-dark mushroom.
9. (Who Whom) will you offer this to?
10. Jessa will be the one, I suppose, (who whom) could write such story!
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Demonstrative Pronouns

That, this, these and those are demonstrative pronouns. They take the place of a

noun or noun phrase that has already been mentioned.

This is used for singular items that are nearby. These is used for multiple items

that are nearby. The distance can be physical or metaphorical.

 Here is a letter with no return address. Who could have sent this? What a
fantastic idea! This is the best thing I’ve heard all day. If you think gardenias
smell nice, try smelling these.

That is used for singular items that are far away. Those is used for multiple items

that are far away. Again, the distance can be physical or metaphorical.

 A house like that would be a nice place to live. Some new flavors of soda came
in last week. Why don’t you try some of those? Those aren’t swans, they’re
geese.

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ACTIVITY

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Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns are used when you need to refer to a person or thing that
doesn’t need to be specifically identified. Some common indefinite pronouns are one,

other, none, some, anybody, everybody, and no one.

 Everybody was late to work because of the traffic jam. It matters more to some
than others. Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen.

When indefinite pronouns function as subjects of a sentence or clause, they usually

take singular verbs.

ACTIVITY

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Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns come in two flavors: limiting and absolute. My, your, its,

his, her, our, their and whose are used to show that something belongs to an

antecedent.

 Sarah is working on her application. Just put me back on my bike.

The students practiced their presentation after school.

The absolute possessive pronouns are mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs. The

absolute forms can be substituted for the thing that belongs to the antecedent.

 Are you finished with your application? Sarah already finished hers. The blue
bike is mine. I practiced my speech and the students practiced theirs.

Some possessive pronouns are easy to mix up with similar-looking contractions.

Remember, possessive personal pronouns don’t include apostrophes.

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ACTIVITY

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Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used in questions. The interrogative pronouns

are who, what, which, and whose.

 Who wants a bag of jelly beans? What is your name? Which movie do you want
to watch? Whose jacket is this?

ACtivity

Complete each sentence with the most appropriate interrogative pronoun. Fill

in with Who, What, When, Where, Why, How, or Which.

1. ____________ much are the tomatoes?

2. ____________ can I do for you?

3. ____________ can I get some toilet paper?

4. ____________ is your favourite teacher?

5. ____________ is our next holiday?

6. ____________ is the fish?

7. ____________ is your English teacher?

8. ____________ is your favourite snack?

9. ____________ does she live?

10. ____________ colour is your car?

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 ADJECTIVES

What Are Adjectives?

Adjectives are words that describe the qualities or states of being of

nouns: enormous, doglike, silly, yellow, fun, fast. They can also describe the quantity of

nouns: many, few, millions, eleven.

Adjectives Modify Nouns

Most students learn that adjectives are words that modify (describe) nouns.

Adjectives do not modify verbs or adverbs or other adjectives.

 Margot wore a beautiful hat to the pie-eating contest.

 Furry dogs may overheat in the summertime.
 My cake should have sixteen candles.
 The scariest villain of all time is Darth Vader.

Adjectives can do more than just modify nouns. They can also act as a complement
to linking verbs or the verb to be. A linking verb is a verb like to feel, to seem, or to
taste that describes a state of being or a sensory experience.

 That cow sure is happy.

 It smells gross in the locker room.
 Driving is faster than walking.

Degrees of Comparison

Adjectives come in three forms: absolute, comparative, and superlative. Absolute

adjectives describe something in its own right.

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  A cool guy A messy desk
 A mischievous cat Garrulous squirrels

Comparative adjectives, unsurprisingly, make a comparison between two or

more things. For most one-syllable adjectives, the comparative is formed by adding the
suffix -er (or just -r if the adjective already ends with an e). For two-syllable adjectives

ending in -y, replace -y with -ier. For multi-syllable adjectives, add the word more.

 A cooler guy A messier desk

 A more mischievous cat More garrulous squirrels

Superlative adjectives indicate that something has the highest degree of the
quality in question. One-syllable adjectives become superlatives by adding the suffix -

est (or just -st for adjectives that already end in e). Two-syllable adjectives ending in -

yreplace -y with -iest. Multi-syllable adjectives add the word most. When you use an

article with a superlative adjective, it will almost always be the definite article (the) rather

than a or an. Using a superlative inherently indicates that you are talking about a

specific item or items.

 The coolest guy

 The messiest desk
 The most mischievous cat
 The most garrulous squirrels

Study the following comparison:

1. The story about Laarni is long but the one about Lam-ang is longer.
2. Some stories about creation are short. The one in our book is theshortest I
have ever read.
3. He is more courageousthan his brother.
4. She is themost diligent of my classmates.

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 5. They are lessbusythan their classmates.
6. They are theleast busy of their classmates.
7. The weather is good today. It is thebest we have had this week.
8. The patient is still sick. In fact he feels worse today than he did yesterday.
Therefore,

Kinds of Adjectives Positive Comparative Superlative

Regular adjectives - Nothing is - Two are - More than two

with one syllable compared compared are compared
and some regular - Use the base - Add –er, use - Add –est, use
adjectives with two form than the before the
adjective
syllables
Example:
Example: Example:
shortest
short shorter

Regular adjectives - Nothing is -Two are -More than two

with two or more compared compared are compared
syllables - Use the base - Use more or - Use most or
form less with the least with the
adjective adjective
Example: Example:
Example:
more courageous most courageous
courageous

Irregular Adjectives - Nothing is - Two are - More than two

compared compared are compared
- Use the base - No rule
form - No rule

Example: Example:
Example:
good best
better

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exercise 1

35
exercise 2

36
exercise 3

Complete the chart.

Positive Comparative Superlative

1. many

2. cheap

3. smart

4. difficult

5. beautiful

6. pretty

7. bad

8. nice

9. hot

10. lazy

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exercise 4

Complete the following sentences by writing the correct form of adjectives.

1. I am at English than my brother .(good) ____________________

2. My friend is than me. (tall) _________________________

3. Sandy is than Tamara. (thin) ________________________

4. My father is than Tom's father. (strong)________________________

5. "Harry Potter "books are than "The Book of the

Jungle". (interesting) ____________________________

6. The tiger is than a fox .(heavy) ____________________________

7. The weather is than yesterday . (hot) _________________________

8. The girls are than the boys. (happy)___________________________

9. Berta is than Debby.(beautiful)____________________________

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10. French is than English. (difficult)__________________________

11. Tina is 5 years old. Sandra is 10 years old. Sandra is than

Tina.(old)_________________________

12. Russia is than France. (large) ______________________________

13. I am at maths than my best friend. (bad) ________________________

14. Love is than money.(important)_____________________________

15. His car is than mine. (cheap)_______________________________

ADVERB

What is an Adverb?
An adverb is a word that is used to change or qualify the meaning of
an adjective, a verb, a clause, another adverb, or any other type of word or phrase
with the exception of determiners and adjectives that directly modify nouns.
Traditionally considered to be a single part of speech, adverbs perform a wide variety of
functions, which makes it difficult to treat them as a single, unified category. Adverbs
normally carry out these functions by answering questions such as:

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 When? She always arrives early.
 How? He drives carefully.
 Where? They go everywhere together.
 In what way? She eats slowly.
 To what extent? It is terribly hot.

This is called adverbial function and may be accomplished by adverbial clauses

and adverbial phrases as well as by adverbs that stand alone.

There are many rules for using adverbs, and these rules often depend upon
which type of adverb you are using. Remember these basics, and using adverbs to
make sentences more meaningful will be easier for you.

 Adverbs can always be used to modify verbs. Notice that the second of these two
sentences is much more interesting simply because it contains an adverb:
 The dog ran. (You can picture a dog running, but you don’t really know much more
about the scene.)
 The dog ran excitedly. (You can picture a dog running, wagging its tail, panting happily,
and looking glad to see its owner. You can paint a much more interesting picture in your
head when you know how or why the dog is running.)
 Adverbs are often formed by adding the letters “-ly” to adjectives. This makes it very
easy to identify adverbs in sentences. There are many exceptions to this
rule; everywhere, nowhere, and upstairs are a few examples.
 An adverb can be used to modify an adjective and intensify the meaning it conveys. For
example:
 He plays tennis well. (He knows how to play tennis and sometimes he wins.)
 He plays tennis extremely well. (He knows how to play tennis so well that he wins
often.)

Examples of Adverbs
As you read each of the following adverb examples, note that the adverbs have been
italicized for easy identification. Consider how replacing the existing adverbs with
different ones would change the meaning of each sentence.

1. She was walking rapidly.

2. The kids love playing together in the sandbox.
3. Please come inside now.

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4. His jokes are always very funny.
5. You don’t really care, do you?

Adverbs List

There are many different words that function as adverbs. The following list is
broken down into segments which list adverbs by function. After reading, you will be
able to think of additional adverbs to add to your own list – after all, there are
thousands.

Many adverbs end in “-ly”. This makes it very easy to spot the adverbs in
most sentences.

Abruptly Boldly Carefully

Deliberately Excitedly Financially

Horribly Mildly Naughtily

Openly Poorly Quickly

Sadly Terribly Willingly

Some adverbs tell us where the action happened. These are known
as adverbs of place.

Everywhere Here Inside

There Underground Upstairs

Certain adverbs let us know when or how often the action happened. These are
known as adverbs of time and adverbs of frequency.

After Always Before

Later Now Today Yesterday

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Many adverbs tell us the extent of the action.

Almost Enough So

Too Quite Rather Very

Some adverbs are used as intensifiers.

Absolutely Certain

Completely Heartily Really

Certain adverbs called adverbs of manner tell us about the way in which
something was done.

Briskly Cheerfully Expectantly

Randomly Willingly

Some groups of words serve the same functions as adverbs. These are known as
adverb clauses.

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EXERCISE 1

Choose the best answer to complete each sentence.

1. The driver stopped the bus _______________.

A. Financially
B. Exactly
C. Abruptly
D. Now
2. During autumn, colorful leaves can be seen falling ______________ from trees.
A. Everywhere
B. Very
C. Gently
D. Loudly
3. My grandmother always smiled _______________.
A. Cheerfully
B. Sadly
C. Never
D. Yesterday
4. After the party, confetti was strewn _________________.
A. Blandly
B. Everywhere
C. Later
D. Carefully
5. It’s time to go ____________.
A. Before
B. Now
C. Yesterday
D. Lightly

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EXERCISE 2

Fill in the blank with and adjective or adverb

from the word bank below.

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 English

Name: __________________ Score:

PREPOSITIONS
AND PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES

Objective:

Use preposition and prepositional phrase correctly

A preposition is a word that relates a noun or pronoun that appears with it to

another word in the sentence. A prepositional phrase is a phrase that is introduced by
a preposition. The prepositional phrase is composed of the preposition, the object of
the preposition and all the words in between. The object of the preposition is the
noun or pronoun that comes right after the preposition.

examples

inacommunity of hertemper and irritability

abouthispain fromtheconference room

untilthe sunrise

legend:

blue – preposition

violet – object of the preposition

____ - prepositional phrase

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Exercises 1:

I. Underline the prepositional phrase. Box the preposition and encircle the object of the
preposition. There are some numbers with more than one answer.

1. The tails of the birds and animals can also be useful appendages to their bodies.

2. Because of their tails, beavers can transmit a warning regarding impending danger.

3. With its rattle, a rattlesnake warns those around that they should watch where they
are stepping.

4. Apart from protective use, tails also help animals with more practical side of life.

5. Kangaroos and lizards would not move with such agility without their tails for
balance.

6. With their long tails, wagtails, a kind of bird, disturb insects in the grass and thus
secure their food.
7. In addition to these uses, tails also help many animals communicate during
courtship.

8. A coyote holding his tail high above him is expressing interest in his mate.

9. Similarly, by means of his tail feathers; a male peacock displays his interest in front
of the hen.

10. The swordtail, a fish often found in home aquariums, also uses its tail in a courtship
dance.

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EXERCISE 2
Circle the appropriate preposition.

1. Louie tumbled ( upon, without ) an idea.

2. I did my homework ( after, through ) dinner.
3. Everyone agreed (to, with ) the commentator.
4. The producer was concerned ( for, in ) finishing the project.
5. Jun’s brother came to apply ( to, for ) a position.
6. They were arguing ( about, with ) her proposal.
7. Gracy grew impatient ( to, with ) Mel.
8. The guard on duty stood ( by, beside ) the door.
9. The antiques store is ( down, beneath ) the alley.
10. She slipped the note ( under, over ) the door.

EXERCISE 3
Use the following prepositions in sentences. Box the prepositional phrase and encircle
the object of the preposition.

1. about

______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

2. below

______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

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3. without

______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

4. with

______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

5. from

______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

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