Summary And Responses

Summary:

Transitive and Intransitive verbs:

A sentence with an intransitive verb only has a subject and a verb.

The subject is the person ( or thing ) that is doing the action.

Example: 1. Jane is smiling.

2. Mark is sleeping.

A sentence with a transitive verb has a subject, a verb and a direct object.

A direct object is the person ( or thing ) that is acted upon by the subject.

Example: 1. Mark is writing a letter.

2. David is eating a sandwich.

How to find a direct object?

1). Say the subject and verb followed by the question “ what ?” or “ whom ?”

2a). The answer is the direct object

The verb is transitive

2b). If there is no answer, there is no direct object.

The verb is intransitive.

Example: 1. David is eating

 What? Or whom?

2a). “sandwich” is the direct object. Therefore eating is transitive

Mark is sleeping.

1). Mark is sleeping.

What? or whom?

2). No answer. There is no direct object

Therefore sleeping is intransitive.

Common examples of intransitive verbs

Only exist as intransitive verbs:

Arrive, die, fall, go, laugh, sleep, smile, stay

Also exist as transitive verbs” close, eat, open, play, run, sit, stand, walk

Response:
Personally I learned a lot from this lesson that during my high school days, it was very

vague for me. Doing the powerpoint presentation made me realized that there are still more to

learn and appreciate in improving my grammar.

 I tried presenting the report with my partner, he also enjoyed answering my questions

as if he is one of my students. He also became my mirror to check if my way of teaching and

executing the lesson is clear and understandable.

I thank God that He is giving me the chance to pursue my graduate studies in

preparations to a more challenging career in the future. I also give merits to Doc Labial for

being such a wonderful and approachable mentor at all times. Indeed it is very challenging for

me because I only know the basics of using computer as well as maneuvering gadgets.

I’m looking forward to enjoy my studies with my classmates also, even though we don’t

meet in person but still I believe that we could build connection and good relationship even

after taking this course.

 Summary:

Finite and Non- finite verbs

Finite verbs change their forms when there is a change in the number or person of the

subject. Finite verbs also have different forms in different tenses.

Example:

The thief escaped again

The tense of the verb is in its past tense

John cooks dinner.

The tense of the verb is in its present tense.

I can think whatever I like.

Finite verb: can (modal auxiliary verb)

Like (present tense)

Subject: I

Tense of the verb: present tense

What is a non- finite verb?

Verb that does not show tense.

Participle: Verb form that can function as an adjective.

Present participle (ending in ING)

 Past participle (usually ending in – ed, d, t, en, or n )

Examples of participle:

A stirring dwarf we do allowance give before a sleeping giant. (William Shakespeare)

Response:

Watching and listening to the reporter made it easy to understand the topic.

I just wondered, before it was discussed, the pronunciation of the word Finite and non- finite.

Because unlike what I have known before it has a big difference from the usual way of saying

the words. But it is really educating to listen because you will learn more. I would also

commend the reporter for making it easier to understand. There are instances wherein we

wanted to say more on a topic, but it is just limited, since the subject is so simple to elaborate

more.
 Summary:

Adverbs- are words that modify:

A verb

An adjective

Another adverb

Prepositions

Functions:

As intensifiers (emphasize, amplify, or down tone)

Adverbs often function as intensifier conveying a greater or lesser emphasis to

something. Intensifiers are said to have three different functions: they can emphasize, amplify,

or down tone.

Emphasizers: used to emphasize a point (placed at the beginning of a sentence)

E.g.

Finally, we found our way back to the camp.

Literally, Janus wrecked his mother’s car.

Amplifiers: Placed at the middle of a sentence

The teacher completely rejected her proposal.

That was an extremely entertaining performance.

I went to the market rather early on Saturday.

Down toners:

His mother mildly disapproved his actions.

The boss almost quit after that.

At the end of a sentence, after a verb

e.g.

She screamed loudly.

Adverbs maybe categorized into the following classes:

Manner: gracefully, sadly, slowly, well

Time: before, now, since, eventually

Place: here, there, everywhere, nowhere

Degree: almost, quite, very, rather

Number: once, twice,

Interrogative: where, when, how

Types of Adverbs:

1) Adverbs of Manner: tell you the way an action is performed. They answer the

question how? Usually the adverb follows the verb.

E.g.

The students cheered enthusiastically when they were told that they were getting a

holiday.

Sometimes the adverb is placed before the verb to emphasize the manner of the

action.

E.g.

He deliberately tripped the rude boy.

She suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Although many adverb of manner end in –ly, not all do.

E.g.

She’s trying hard to impress the judges.

2). Adverb of time:

Answer the questions when?, how long? And how often?

E.g.

Lunch will be ready soon.

Jenny visited us twice last year but we haven’t seen her since.

Harold rarely visits his grandparents.

Possible Positions of Adverbs of time in a sentence at the beginning of the sentence,

usually for emphasis.

After the verb or at the end of a sentence.

E.g.

The school looked very different then.

Before the verb

E.g.

The neighbors now realize what had happened.

3). Adverbs of Degree: answer the question how much? Or to what extent? They

increase or reduce the force of the word they describe.

They are usually used with adjectives and placed before the adjective that describe.

E.g.

The students put up a totally entertaining performance.

They are used with other adverbs and are placed before the adverb they describe.

E.g.

The young man walked incredibly slowly.

When used with verbs they come before the verb.

E.g.

The audience absolutely hated the show.

4). Adverbs of Frequency: explain how often the verb occurs.

I rarely eat fast food these days.

Tom usually takes his dog for a walk.

They always go to the same restaurant.

Tip #1. Do not place an adverb between a verbs and its object.

I carefully painted the house.

I painted carefully the house.

I painted the house carefully.

Definite frequency: daily, weekly, every year, last week

Front- position or end position ( more common )

I study English every day.

Every day, I study English.

We went to Australia last year.

Last year, we went to Australia.

The single word adverbs of frequency cannot go in the front- position.

I speak with my mother daily.

Let’s meet weekly to share updates on the project.

Indefinite frequency: often, usually, frequently, occasionally, sometimes, rarely,

always, never, finally, eventually, soon

Always and never go in the mid- position, before the verb.

I always wake up early.

We never imagined this would be so hard.

5). Adverb of Place: downstairs, outside, nearby, south/southward, towards,

backwards, everywhere

Usually go in end-position or mid-position immediately after the verb

The children are playing outside.

The glass shattered and the pieces flew everywhere.

Response:

Tackling this topic helped me a lot to understand fully or if not more on the

proper usage and the kinds of adverbs and its correct usage. Unlike before I just got

a few knowledge about this part of speech. In this time I could say that it made me

more interested into digging deeply to improve my grammar. I’m still thirsting for

more.
Summary:

Preposition: a word that shows the relationship between an object, a noun, or pronoun- and

other words in a sentence.

The preposition is placed before a noun or pronoun. It shows the relationship between nouns

and pronouns in the same sentence. It may be used to indicate position, place, direction, or

time.

Preposition of Position

With regard to place, in tends to be used with larger or enclosed areas such as cities, countries,

and tunnels, whereas at tends to be used for smaller places, points on a journey, or for

activities typically associated with a place.

E.g.

The couple will spend their money in London (large area)

Their train stops at London Paddington (a point on a journey)

The boys are running around in the library (enclosed area)

The boys are running at the library, reading. (Readings is associated with libraries )

When talking about heights or levels, you use below, over, or under

E.g.

The dog is sleeping under the bed.

The plane flew over the hills.

Preposition of Direction:

These preposition indicate a movement towards a goal.

E.g.

Let’s go to the market.

The swimmers walked into the sea.

The students eagerly ran towards the campsite.

Preposition of Time:

On is used for days and dates.

E.g.

The wedding will be on Sunday.

At is used to indicate a specific time.

E.g.

I’ll see you at six o’clock

From-to and during are used to indicate a period of time.

E.g.

The Tulip festival is from March to May.

During the school holidays, students engage in community projects.

Other prepositions indicating time are before, until, after, since and by.

E.g.

My wife exercises before breakfast.

You can visit her after office hours.

You must submit your forms by 1st July.

Until now, I’ve always thought that she was a meticulous officer.

She has been making a lot of progress, since she started her exercise programme.

Troublesome Prepositions:

There are times when we are unsure which preposition we should use. These are some

troublesome preposition:

Beside and besides:

Beside means “next to”

E.g.

She sits beside one in the office.

Besides means “other than “or apart from”

E.g.

Besides enjoying cooking, I like reading a book when I’m free.

Between and Among

Between is used when referring to two people, places or things.

Among is used for three or more people, places, or things.

E.g.

Divide the cake among the five of you.

The twins shared the sweets between themselves.

Differ with and differ from

When you differ with someone, you disagree with that person’s opinions or idea.

When you differ from someone, it means that you are unlike that person.

E.g.

The form teacher differ with the English teacher the boy’s abilities.

Mr. Chan differed from his predecessor in terms of management style.

List of some Prepositions:

Angry with disappointed in

According to disgusted at

Ashamed of pride oneself on

Bored with protest against

Comment on rely on
Disagree with

similar to

Write about

Phrasal verbs: are never hyphenated

Examples:

Back away- to retreat

Back down- retract or withdraw ( from a position or argument )

Back out- fail to keep an agreement

Back up- make a copy of computer data

Back ( someone ) up- to support someone

Fall apart- break into pieces ( literally ) or become emotionally disturbed ( figuratively )

Fall behind- make little progress

Fall out- have a bad relationship with someone ( something )

fall through- be unsuccessful

get across- communicate successfully

get ahead- make progress

get along- have a good relationship with someone

get around to- finally manage to do something

get back at- take revenge

put across- communicate

put ( someone ) down – insult someone

Put forward- suggest or nominate

Put up- allow someone to stay at your house for few days

Put up with- tolerate.

Response:

Prepositions have multiple usage and meanings and it can be divided into eight categories:

time, place , direction, or movement, agency, instrument or device , reason/ purpose ,

connection, and origin.

Examples:

I’ll call you later. (Time)- describes when or for how long something occurred or will occur

The pictures are above the couch. ( place )- describes where something is located in reference

to something else, or where something occurred or will occur.

I drew a line across the paper. ( movement )- describes how, where, or in what way something

moves.
The house was built by the three siblings. ( agency )- describes a person or a thing that has

caused or is causing something to occur. Sentences with this kind of preposition are usually

written in the passive voice employ the preposition by for people and with ( for things )

She opened the locked door with an old key. ( instrument or device )- Is used when describing

certain technologies, machines, or devices. These prepositions are by, with, and on. Typically by

refers to methods of transportation, whereas with and on describe the use of machines and

other devices.

Because of the delay, I was late to the parade. ( reason/purpose )- describe why something has

occurred or will occur.

A well –written essay is impressive to teachers. ( connection )- describes possession,

relationships between people or things, and with for accompaniment.

I met the most delightful couple from Italy. ( origin )- is when we describe a person or thing’s

origin ( such as nationality, hometown/state, ethnicity, the place where something was built or

designed.

That made this topic very complicated in away, but there’s nothing I can do than to

analyze it very carefully so that it will be helpful/ functional in my journey to learning more

English. Also, websites help a lot of people to get more information about any topic they want

to study. Maybe if not of these sites education is a lot of burdens to everyone concerned, given

our present situation because of the pandemic.

Summary:

Pronouns- are words that replace a noun or noun phrase that has already been mentioned in a

text or conversation.

Types of pronouns

Personal, possessive, demonstrative, indefinite, reflexive and relative.

Personal pronouns stand in for nouns and noun phrase, and usually refer back in a text or

conversation to them.

E.g.

Jane is going to watch the parade tomorrow.

She planned to leave at 4 pm.

We are collecting old photographs for our project.

They should still be in good condition.

Categories of Personal Pronouns

1st person ( person speaking ) – Singular I ( subject ) We ( object )

- Plural We ( subject ) Us ( object )

2nd person ( person spoken to )- singular You ( subject ) You ( object )

- pLural You ( subject ) You ( object )

3rd person ( person spoken of ) – singular - he, she, it ( subject ) him, her, it ( object )

- plural – they ( subject ) them ( object )

Positions of Pronouns in Sentences

Subject of a verb

E.g.

I can’t catch the mouse. It moves too quickly.

An object of a verb

E.g.

The flowers look beautiful.

Sally arranged them just now.

An object of a Preposition

E.g.

I’m going to buy some snacks.

Make sure you keep a place for me.

Reflexive Pronouns

These refer to the person or animal that is the subject of the verb.

Examples: 1st person (Singular) myself – ( plural ) ourselves

2nd person ( singular ) yourself ( plural ) yourselves

3rd person ( singular ) himself, herself, itself ( plural ) Themselves

Positions of Reflexive Pronouns in a sentence

As object of a verb

E.g.

Meera blames herself for the mistake .

As an object of a preposition

E.g.

Stop looking at yourself in the mirror.

As the indirect object of a verb.

E.g.

Tara gave herself a treat.

To emphasize a noun or personal pronoun

E.g.

Jane herself baked this delicious cake.

Possessive Pronouns

Examples: mine,yours, his, hers, ours, theirs, its. They usually standalone and also do not have

to precede a noun.
E.g.

Karen told me that she had lost her phone. That must be hers.

They have found their seats . Have you spotted ours?

The cat is looking for its master.

Indefinite Pronouns- are used when referring to no particular person or thing.

Refer to people: someone, anyone, everybody, no one, everyone, nobody

Refer to things: something, anything, everything, nothing

E.g.

Someone is at the door.

Where is everyone?

Has anyone seen the television remote control?

Demonstrative Pronouns – point to a specific thing or things to indicate whether they are close

or far, in space and/or in time. It also stand alone and do not have to precede a noun.

Singular- near in distance /time –( this) – far in distance/time –( that )

Plural- near in distance / time – ( these ) – far in distance / time – ( those )

E.g.

Jane stopped eating rice for dinner. This has helped her lose weight quickly.

That was the last time I saw my colleague Matthew.

 Relative Pronouns- who, whom, whose, which, and that function as relative pronouns when

they add further information to the things or people mentioned in the sentence.

Relative pronouns:

Who- refers to a person or people

Whom- person/people

Which- a thing/ things

Whose- a person, people, a thing, or things, animal/animals

The difference between who and whom is that who may be the subject of a verb; it is also often

used as an object although this is frowned upon.

E.g.

Isn’t that Sylvia who objected to the proposal?

Theses are candidates whom we interviewed last week.

Whom is used only as the object of the verb. Both who and whom can be the object of a

preposition but if the preposition comes before the pronouns, you must use whom. This is

illustrated in the examples below:

E.g.

Whom/who did you speak to about this matter?

To whom did you speak about this matter.

The relative pronoun that can often be used instead of who, whom, and which.

E.g.

The shirt that Matthew bought has some stains on it.

Response:

Pronouns play a big role especially in achieving the most creative way of expressing

ideas may it be in spoken or written English. Like with other part of speech it is very essential to

understand the proper usage of each pronouns. I couldn’t say that I fully instilled all about

pronouns but definitely at least I learned a little and I admit that I should continuously study

more of this.
Summary:

Adjectives- are words that describe people, objects, events, substances, and ideas.

It give a little attitude to a noun.

Give more info about a noun , a pronoun and can go in different positions in a sentence.

Formation of Adjectives

Many adjectives do not have prefixes or suffixes.

e.g. good, tall, fat, wide, simple, gaunt

However, adjective may be formed by adding prefixes ( before a word) or suffixes ( after a

word)

e.g. illegal, insensitive, rusty, childish, merciless, enjoyable.

Usually adjectives are formed by adding suffixes to nouns.

e.g. baggy, hairy, hairless, burdensome, quarrelsome, beautiful

sometimes, adjectives maybe formed by adding suffixes to verbs.

e.g.

attractive, washable, expectant, complimentary, boring, disappointed,

When a negative prefix such as un, il, dis, in, im, er,ir is added to an adjective, it creates an

opposite or negative meaning.

e.g.

unnatural, illogical, dishonest, infamous, immoral, irreverent

Positions of Adjective in sentences

Adjectives may be found in three positions in a sentence before a noun:

e.g. exciting lesson, empty room

As a complement after a linking verb

e.g. The shop is open.

John is sick.

After a noun or an indefinite pronoun:

e.g.

I wrote to the person concerned.

Is there anyone important person at the meeting?

How do we use Adjectives?

Use 2 or more adjectives to describe a noun in greater detail.

e.g. small grey cat.

Desperate, brazen thief

Show comparison and contrast using parallel phrases such as not only… but also… as… as
e.g.

Beatrice is not only intelligent but also hardworking.

Tom is strong as his father.

Use adjectives to express opinions.

e.g. What a boring play! The director was unimaginative.

Adjectives describe many different things, such as size, shape, color, quality or nationality,

material, and the speaker’s or writer’s opinion.

It is common to find two or more adjectives before a noun. However, they cannot be strung

together randomly, rather they follow a fairly strict order from top to bottom.

Order of Adjectives

NOMSCACPOMP

N-umber- a, an, the, 4, 100, few, many

O-pinion- good, bad, lovely, boring, fascinating, beautiful,

M- easurement/size- petite, gigantic, huge, small, tiny, high, long

S-hape- round, square, circular, curved, straight, symmetrical,

C-ondition- wet, clear, dry, shy, clever, happy, ( temporary state )

A- ge- old, new, young, ancient

C-olor- red, blue, yellow, Approximate ( yellowish)

p-attern- checkered, striped, plaid, flowered, polka dots

O-rigin-/nationality- American, British, eastern, western

M-aterial- wooden, plastic, steel, cloth, silk, gold

P-urpose- sleeping ( bag), shopping ( cart)

Pointers in using adjectives

Opinions usually precede any other adjectives

e.g. Those horrible yellow chairs; a foolish young boy

It is common to use two adjectives, but it is unusual to use three or more adjectives.

Use commas to separate adjectives from the same category.

e.g. A handsome, charming man

You do not have to use commas if the adjectives are from different categories

e.g. opinion and nationality.

A wealthy Japanese businessman.

Comparison of adjectives

Degrees of Comparison

Positive- merely describes a noun

e.g. a tall child

 Comparative- compares one person, animal, or object with another.

e.g. She is taller than her mother.

Superlative- compares a person, animal, or object with more than one another.

e.g. She is the tallest in her class.

Words containing one or more syllables take the suffix –er in the comparative form and –est

in the superlative form. Many adjectives containing two syllables and all adjectives

containing 3 or more syllables have the word more or most before the adjective to convey

the comparative and superlative respectively.

e.g. more intelligent, most comfortable

Examples:

Positive Comparative Superlative

Fast faster fastest

Small smaller smallest

Careful more careful most careful

Generous more generous most generous

Comparative and Superlative that do not have the –er and –est suffix

Positive Comparative Superlative

Bad worse worst

Good better best

Many more most

Much more most

Gradable Adjective- can be measured in degrees, such as size, beauty, age, etc.

It could be used in comparative or superlative forms

OR with grading adverbs such as very or extremely to show that a person or thing has less or

more of a particular quality.

INTENSIFIERS- are words to make adjectives stronger, like very interesting, very excited, really

interesting, and extremely excited

Examples

It is a really interesting story.

Everyone was extremely excited.

Other intensifiers:

Amazingly

Remarkably

Exceptionally

Incredibly

Mitigators- make adjectives less strong

Examples:

The film wasn’t great, but it was quite exciting.

By the end of the day we were rather tired.

Other mitigators

A bit

A liitle bit

Slightly

Non-gradable Absolute Adjective

Completely present

Completely absent

Examples: of absolute and modifiers could be used:

Absolutely/ totally/ completely

Adjectives: acceptable, dead, destroyed, finished, free, impossible, necessary, perfect, ruined,

unacceptable etc.

Non- gradable: Extreme, adjective ( contain the idea of very ) in their definition

Examples:

Did you see the final match? It was absolutely amazing!

After 32 hours of travelling, they were absolutely exhausted.

My trip home was really awful. First traffic was really bad, then the car broke down and we had

to walk home in the rain.

List of common extreme adjectives and modifiers:

Modifiers: absolutely/ really

Adjectives: amazing, ancient, awful, boiling, delicious, enormous, excellent, exhausted,

fascinating, freezing, terrible, terrifying etc.

Response:

Adjectives used to describe people, places, or things, they could help the writer/speaker

or even listeners/readers to see vivid pictures of people, experiences, ideas, places or events.

They are used to express feelings or emotions in the most creative and realistic or imaginative

way. Knowing the how to use this part of speech properly will make good connection amongst

the most playful and clever writer or speaker and his target audiences.
NOUNS- is a word that refers to person, place, thing, event, substance or quality, be either

countable ( count ) uncountable ( non- count )

Countable and uncountable nouns

Countable nouns have singular and plural forms while uncountable nouns can be used only in

the singular form. They have singular and plural forms.

e.g.

man, men; child, children; goose, geese

Uncountable nouns cannot be counted They have a singular form and do not have a plural

form; you can add an “s” to it., e.g. dirt, rice, information and hair. Some uncountable nouns

are abstract nouns such as advice and knowledge.

e.g. Her jewelry is designed by a well- known designer.

I need some advice, so I went to see the counselor.

Some nouns can be countable or uncountable depending on the context or situation.

E.g. We’ll have two coffees ( countable )

I don’t like coffee ( uncountable )

Articles

You can not refer to a singular countable noun or on its own. It is usually preceded by an article

either the definite article a, an, or definite article the.

When the countable noun is mentioned for the first time, you use an indefinite article a for

words beginning with consonant sound or an , if the noun begins with vowel sound. However,

when a countable noun is mentioned for the second time, it is usually preceded by the definite

article the.

e.g. I saw a ( definite article) cat yesterday.

The ( definite article) cat was grey with black stripes.

The girl was wearing a ( indefinite article preceding the word with a vowel sound “um”)

umbrella as it was beginning to rain. I did not help because the ( definite article ) umbrella was

faulty.

Sometimes when uncountable noun are treated as countable nouns, you can use the indefinite

article.

e.g.

Please select a wine that you like.

Definite article

The is used with countable nouns when referring to a specific person or thing.

E.g.

The baby stared at the moon in fascination.

Please take me to the clinic near the coffee shop, Im not feeling well.
The indefinite article is not used with countable nouns. However , the definite article ‘the’ can

be used with uncountable nouns when referring to specific items.

E.g I found the luggage that I had lost.

I appreciated the honesty of the salesman.

Tricky uncountable nouns

Fruit is usually considered as an uncountable noun.

e.g. Fruit is good for your helath.

When referring to a single piece of fruit, you would say,

She had only a piece of fruit for lunch!

However, when referring to different kinds of fruit, you may use fruit as a countable noun.

e.g.

I love to shop at that supermarket. They have a wide variety of tropical fruits. We use an

indefinite article for uncountable nouns when you are referring to a single item.

e.g.

a piece of furniture, a bottle of water, a grain of rice

Quantifiers- are words that express amount or quantity.

Examples: some, any, more , few, little, several

Quantifiers used for countable nouns

e.g many, few, a few, fewer, several

e.g The citizens came to the meeting with many suggestions on how to improve their

neighborhood.

Fewer tourists visited that area as 9it was known to be unsafe.

Some other quantifiers can be used with only uncountable nouns much, little, a bit of.

e.g Would like a bit of pepper in your soup?

There’s a very little dessert left.

Quantifiers that can be used with only uncountable nouns and

Countable nouns

All, some, any, lots of, plenty of, enough

e.g He has enough courage to face the bullies.

We have some plates for the party tonight.

Subject- verb agreement

Countable nouns may take singular or plural verbs

e.g

Our neighbor is singing at the competition.

Our neighbors are singing at the competition tonight.

Nouns such as luggage, furniture, and jewelry are uncountable nouns and take singular verbs
e.g. The furniture in the house needs to be replaced

The apparatus for the next experiment has been set up.

My luggage has been checked in.

Uncountable nouns end with ‘s’ take a singular verb.

e.g.

The news is not good.

Mathematics is a very important subject.

Response:

A better understanding on this part of speech is really amazing since it was being taught

before during my earlier stage of learning. With this course I am able to clearly identify those

kinds of countable and non- count nouns. There I know only the basic such as names of person,

place, things or objects. Now it’s a lot clearer about my confusions regarding those discussed

issues regarding countable and uncountable nouns.

 Conjunctions and Interjections

Conjunctions- are words that connect ( conjoin) parts of a sentence.

Coordinating conjunctions- it is used to join or more words, phrases, or independent

clauses.

The 2 elements being conjoined must be grammatically equal or similar in both

importance and structure.

For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So

For- is used to give a reason for something.

It can normally join 2 independent clauses introducing the second clause as reason for the first

one.

E.g I wish you had been there, for we had a wonderful time.

We can use for whenever we mean because but it’s considered quite formal, literary and even

antiquated.

E.g. HE didn’t come to the party, for he felt sick.

And- is used to add one element to another.

It can join words, phrases, and entire independent clauses

e.g. He ran, swam, and played with the other children.

Her beautiful long hair and dark brown eyes caught their attention.
The family moved into the new house and the neighbors welcomed them warmly.

Nor- is used to present an additional negative idea, when a negative idea has already been

stated.

He doesn’t like football, nor does enjoy hockey.

I’ve never seen that movie, nor do I want to see it.

Note: When nor is used to join 2 independent clauses as in the examples , negative inversion

must be used in the second clause.

But – is used to present a contrast with the previous information

It can be used to join an independent clause to a phrase or another independent clause.

Examples: HE was upset but didn’t cry.

I want to go shopping but I can’t.

I would love to travel more, but I just don’t have time.

Or- is used to present alternative choices or options.

Examples Which part do you think is more exciting, football or hockey?

We can go to the movies tonight, or we can just hang out at home.

Yet- like But is used to present contrast.

HOWever, there is a subtle implication when we use yet that the information is surprising in

light of what we already know.

Example

It’s poured rain all day, yet they haven’t cancelled the football game.

I’ve read thousands of books since high school, yet the Catcher in the Rye is still my favorite.

So- it is generally only used to join 2 independent clauses, where the second clause is a result of

the first.

Example. She was the most qualified candidate, so we gave her the job.

He’s been working harder lately, so his grades are improving.

Correlative conjunctions- or paired conjunctions are sets of conjunctions that are always used

together.

They conjoin words, phrases, or independent clauses of similar or equal importance and

structure. They can only join two elements together

Either- or- is used to present 2 options. Again, it emphasizes the fact that the choice is limited

to only 2 given options.

Neither- nor- is used to negate 2 options

Not only- but also-is used to emphasize an additional element in the sentence, especially when

it’s occurrence seems contradictory or surprisingly in light of what we already know.

Example: She not only cleaned her room , but she also washed the dishes

Not only is she an award- winning singer , but she also runs track
Whether- or- is used to express doubt between 2 possible options. Whether has the same

meaning as if in this regard.

I don’t know whether the white paint or the green paint is better.

We also use whether…or to indicate that something will happened no matter which choice is

made.

Im going to help you whether you like or not.

Subordinating conjunctions- are used to create complex sentences containing one independent

clause, or main clause, and one independent, or subordinate clause.

Similarities, cause, reason and time

We use as, because and since interchangeably to state the cause of something.

Examples: The project was successful as you all worked very hard

The project was successful because you all worked very hard.

The project was successful since you all worked very hard.

Similarities

We can use as to state that the 2 ideas are similar.

We can also use just to add extra emphasis to this statement.

Example: It’s pouring rain, as I thought it would.

She was late again, just as we expected

Reason:

We use in order that , so that and so- to give reason. They are interchangeable in meaning, but

differ in formality

Example:

Our boss asked us to detailed notes in order that nothing would be forgotten ( formal)

Our boss asked us to take detailed notes so that nothing would be forgotten ( neutral)

Our boss asked us to take detailed notes so thing would be forgotten (less formal)

Time: We use whenever to state that the time doesn’t matter, or that 2 actions always happen

together

Examples:

Call me whenever you get home.

She cries whenever she sees sad movies.

Interjection- is a word added to a sentence to convey an emotion or sentiment such as surprise,

disgust, joy, excitement, or enthusiasm

Annoyance:

Oy! Hey! Hmph!

Boredom:

Ho hum, sigh
Disapproval:

Tsk…tsk , tut

Disgust:

Ew, yuk

Dismay:

Oh, no, oops

Dissatisfaction:

Aah, damn, blast!

Doubt:

Er, really? , um

Embarrassment:

Ahem

Joy: hurrah! yay! woo-hoo

Pain:

Ouch! Ow!, aya!

Panic: uh-ho, eek, aargh!

Pleasure:
Mmm, yeah, oh, yeah

Realization:

Aha, ah, eureka

Relief:

Phew, whoa

Surprise:

Oh!, jeepers, crikey!

Response:

Knowledge of the remaining part of speech such as conjunctions and interjection is a

completion. To say that at least at this very stage I know a little, and would say that I could have

a self –check somehow on how much I should still have to work on. It is indeed very hard to

memorize all of these topics in just a short amount of time but for sure I would always be

grateful that this course opened my eyes and gave me a wide spectacle.

Glory belongs to JESUS!...

References:

Internet Sources

Grammar Rules. Speak Good English Movement pdf. Google.com

.Free-English-Grammar-Book-Level-2.pdf.Google.com

Summary and Responses

Subject- Verb Agreement

Compound subjects joined by not only, but also, both and and- a plural verb

Examples:

1. Not only boys but also girls are entitled to scholarship.

2. Both You and I have the chance to be promoted.

Multiple Subjects/words or phrases together with (as well as, in addition to, including, with,

plus, and accompanied by ) added to a singular subject do not make it plural.

Examples:

1. The table, together with its chairs costs 15,000.00.

2. My friend, as well as my enemies, has supported my ideas.

3. James, in addition to Jericho and Joross, was sent off.

Neither, nor and either and or follow the proximity rule. The verb must agree with the subject

nearest to the verb.

Examples:

1. Neither Joseph nor Mark plays guitar.

2. Neither Marie nor his friends play guitar.

3. During weekends, neither the janitors or guard does the cleaning.

4. Either Cora or Heny is going to perform the task.

Note: When either and neither are used without or and nor, respectively a singular verb is

needed.

Examples:

5. Neither of them plays guitar.

6. Either of them is going to perform the task.

Few – for count nouns ( use plural verb)

Less-/ a little- for non- count nouns ( use singular verb)

Many- for count nouns ( use plural verb)

Much- for non- count nouns ( use singular verb)

Examples:

1. For the size of our office, few computers are enough.

2. A little effort is needed to clean the box.

3. Less sugar was added to the sauce.

4. Many are called, but few are chosen.

Some and All – take a singular verb if followed by a non- count noun and plural if followed by a

count noun.

Examples:

1. Some people are desperate to live.

2. Some Mayonnaise was spread on the sandwich.

 3. I’m sure all your tables are imported.

4. Almost all of them are from the City.

5. My mother is very strict, that’s why all salt is tightly covered.

*Take singular verbs*

Indefinite pronouns:

Every nobody anything

Each nothing someone

Everyone no one somebody

Everybody any one something

Everything

Examples:

1. No one of my staff wants to take the floor.

2. Each man and woman has the right to speak.

3. Nobody wants to be alone.

4. Everyone is really happy during the party.

5. If somebody looks for me, tell him I’m absent.

6. Everybody is allowed to go home.

*Adjectives used as a Subject take a plural verb*

Examples:

1. The organized are always admired.

2. The hardworking are rewarded.

3. The poor get poorer, the rich get richer.

*Police – noun – is plural

Examples:

1. The police are investigating the murder.

2. Police have arrested three suspects.

*Note*

To talk about an individual member of the police, we can say policeman or policewoman, or

the gender- neutral term police officer.

Irregular plural nouns that are not formed by adding s- take plural form of the verb.

People , children , men , women , mice , feet and etc.

Examples:

1. Our children are well- behaved.

2. The people like the new President.

3. Men don’t usually enjoy shopping for clothes.

4. My feet are cold.

None pertains to non- count nouns- use singular verb.

None when refers to count nouns – use either plural or singular verb. ( Celce- Murcia & Lrsen-

Freeman, 1999)

Examples:

1. None of the water was toxic.

2. None of my children wants/want to take the advice.

Nouns occurring in sets of two- take singular verb when the noun pair is used.

Plural verb is used when the noun pair is not used regardless of whether one pair or more is

being referred to.

Examples:

1. A pair of shoes is ruined by the flood.

2. A pair of pants was bought from the mall.

3. Mark’s pants are from Hongkong.

Majority and minority – take singular verb when they mean abstract generic. They tale plural

verb when used explicit set of specific persons.

Examples:

1. A majority of Canadians have voted for change.

2. The great majority is against the legislative bill.

3. A minority of the students are willing to pay more.

 The Number – uses singular verb

A number – uses plural verb

Examples:

1. The number of people killed in the landslide was 145.

2. A number of people are waiting for the arrival of the President.

One of the – the verb agrees with the antecedent of the relative pronoun.

Examples:

1. One of the students who were arrested in the riot was Jenny.

2. One of the policemen who were in the scene was Jeffrey’s brother.

*Tricky cases*

Making subject and verb agree when words come between them.

Examples:

1. This box belongs to Cathy.

2. This box of ornaments belongs in the attic.

3. One ( of my sister’s friend ) is a pilot.

*Indefinite pronouns as a subject requires a singular verb.

Examples:

1. Nobody claims to be perfect.

2. Everybody plays the fool sometimes.

 3. Each of the divers has an oxygen tank.

Plural Indefinite pronouns:

Some, all and most are singular when they refer to number.

Examples:

1. Most of her dresses were out of style.

2. Most of her money was spent.

Length of time, amount of money, unit of measurement, fraction – use singular verb when the

subject is regarded as one unit.

Examples:

1. Seven years was a long time to spend in College.

2. Five hundred dollars is too much to pay.

3. One- half of her work is done.

A title of a work or a word used to refer to the word itself.

Use singular verb with a title of a work or a word used to refer to the word even if the title is

plural in form.

Example:

1. I thought Cats was entertaining.

2. In her story the word yikes appears five times.

Words that are plural in form but singular in meaning use singular verbs.
News, Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, Politics

Examples:

1. The news has been bad lately.

2. Politics is a dirty business.

Verb agrees with the positive subject, not with the negative.

Examples:

1. Mabel, not her friends was invited by Mrs. Dalloway

2. Her friends, not Mabel were invited by Mrs. Dalloway.

Adjectives preceded by the used as plural nouns take plural verb.

Examples:

1. The rich get richer.

2. The poor face many hardships

Response:

It is really helpful to understand this subject- verb agreement especially the tricky one. Because

sometimes we cannot avoid some confusions if this will be given less attention. No problem

with the basics of these rules because we encountered those, even in our elementary and high

school days.
Summary:

*PERFECT TENSES*

Present Simple:

An action regularly performed with verb on the singular form ( with s )

Clues: everyday, always etc.

Examples:

1. He drives every day.

2. She seeks permission before going out.

Present Continuous:

The action is happening right the very moment

Verb use- am doing/is doing

Clue: right now , currently etc

Examples:

1. He is driving right now.

2. She can’t talk to you, because she is teaching a class.

Present Perfect Continuous:

Shows that an action started in the past continues in the present

Verb used have been doing/has been doing

Clues: since, for etc

Examples:

1. He has been driving for Mr. Cruz since 1997.

2. They have been hiding in the safe house for almost three years now.

Present Perfect:

An action started in the past and continues at present

Verb used- have or has done/ been doing

Clues:

So far, already, not yet, recently, just, ever, never, for the past

Example:

He has been a driver for the past 20 years.

Future Simple:

Verb used: will

A decision to act has just been made/ a possible action to make

Example:

I will drive you to the airport.

If it rains, I will probably drive you to the airport.

Future Continuous:

Verb used: Will be doing

An action to be executed in a specific time/moment

Example:

I will be driving you to the airport at 2:30pm tomorrow.

I will be running at sunrise tomorrow.

Future Perfect:

Verb used: will have done

An action will be made and finished before another event interrupts.

Example:

I will have driven you to the airport by the time your Dad lands.

Future Perfect Continuous:

An action is happening and continues before another event

Verb used:

Will have been doing

I will have been driving you for three hours when we reach the half-way point.
Past Perfect Continuous:

Describes a past, continues action that was completed before some other past action.

The duration does not continue until now. It stops before something else in the past

Verb used: had been doing

Example:

They had been talking for over an hour before Tony arrived.

Lee had been teaching at the university for more than a year before he left for Europe.