Class –XI Introduction to Writing skills

Grammar topic:
 Determiners
 Tenses
 Modals
 Rearrange Jumbled sentences in a paragraph
 Rearrange the jumbled words into a meaningful sentence.
 Editing and omission
 Transformation of sentences
 Active and Passive Voice

Writing Skills:
 Notice Writing
 Advertisement writing
 Poster writing
 Letter writing
 Business
 Letter to Enquiry
 Letter of Complaint
 Letter to the Editor Format
 Letter for Job Application
 Letter to School Authority
 Article Writing
 Speech Writing Format
 Report Writing
 Narrative Writing
 Determiners
What is a determiner?
A determiner is a word that is used to modify or introduce the noun
in a sentence. It mostly acts like an adjective in that it refers to the
noun.

Demonstrative
This, That,
These, Those

Kinds of
Determiners
 It always comes before a noun not after.
Examples:
1. She is buying those shoes.
2. That is a pen.
3. This is my house.
4. She has a beautiful house.
5. They have a big house in Mumbai.
6.Can I borrow your red dress?

 Determiners and Adjectives:

Both determiners and adjectives modify nouns.
A determiner indicates exactly which noun is being talked about in a
sentence. An adjective describes the noun and gives more information
about it.
 A determiner always comes before a noun whereas an adjective
can be used before a noun or after a noun.
 A determiner can also be used before an adjective.
Examples:
1. She has a beautiful voice.
2. Keep these books on the shelf.
3. You have several shirts to choose from.
Articles:
There are two types of articles:

1. Definite (The)
2. Indefinite (A, An)
A is used before words that begin with a consonant sound while an is
used before words that begin with a vowel sound.
Article The is used for the following:
1.Before specific nouns,
2.Before superlative nouns
3. Before noun that has been mentioned before.
4. Before the names of a musical instrument.
5. When we refer to the members of a profession as a whole.
6. When we talk about a group of people or a certain class
7. To refer to well-known building or great works of art and music.
8. Before the name of a thing when there is only one of it.
9. Before proper nouns which are the names of geographical feature.
Demonstrative Determiners: - Point to indicate specific nouns. There
are four demonstratives: this, that, these, those.
This and that are used to refer to a single person or a noun. This refers
to things that are close to speaker. That refers to things that are at a
distance from the speaker.
Examples: This house was damaged during the earthquake last year.
That is my aunt’s car.
These and those are used to refer to multiple persons or objects. These
refers to things that are close to the speaker. Those refer to things that
are at a distance from the speaker.
Examples: These books were found in the library.
Those flowers in that shop look more fresh.
Possessive: Show to whom something belongs. They are my, your, his,
her, their, our and its.
Examples: My house is far away from the school.
I have packed our bags for the holiday.
Distributive: Refer to a group of people or things, or to individual
members of the group. They are either, neither, each, and every.
1. Either is used to indicate one or two options or both.
Example: Either candidate is suitable for the part.
The billboards were erected on either side of the flyover.
2. Neither is used before to show that none of the options are
acceptable.
Example: Neither of the two pair of shoes fit to me.
3. Each is used when we refer to individual members of a group. Every
is used when we refer to the group as a whole.
Examples: Each child was handed over with a coffee mug.
Every group was given ten packets of rice.

Quantifiers:-Denote numbers or quantity. They can be used with

countable as well as uncountable nouns. Some commonly used
quantifiers are some, any much, many, several, few, a few, the few,
little, a little and the little.
1)Use of Little

‘Little’ is used in the sense of ‘not much’ or ‘hardly any’ or ‘not

enough’ before singular uncountable noun to express quantity. It
has a negative meaning.

Example: He has little money.

Meaning: He has not much/ negligible amount of money.

2)Use of A Little

‘A Little’ is used in the sense of ‘a small amount’ before singular

uncountable noun to express quantity. It has a positive meaning.

Example

He has a little money.

Meaning: He has a small amount of money.

3)Use of The Little

‘The Little’ is used in the sense of ‘not much, but all there is’/ ‘the
amount is small but all’/ ‘the small amount or quantity, but all’
before singular uncountable noun to express quantity. It has both
positive and negative meanings.

Example: I spent the little money I had.

Meaning: I spent all the money I had. (Positive)

 The money I had was not much. (Negative)

Few means "not many (people or things)." It is used to say that

there are not a lot of people or things. A few means "some (people
or things)." It is used to say that there are a small number of people
or things. Below are some examples showing how each is used.

I have a few [=some/a small number of] friends.

I have few friends. [=I do not have many friends]

A few people [=some people] arrived early.

Few people [=not many people] arrived early.

A few of the students [=a small number of the students] forgot to

bring their books to class.
Few (if any) of the students forgot to bring their books to class.
[=not a lot of the students forgot; many of them remembered]

Most of his books are boring, but there are a few that I like. [=I like
a small number of them]
Most of his books are boring. There are few that I like. [=there are
not many that I like]

The difference in meaning is subtle, but usually few puts a little

more attention on the negative—that there is not a large number (of
people or things). A few puts a little more attention on the
positive—that there is a small number (of people or things).
I hope this helps.

“Some” and “any” appears before uncountable nouns and countable

in the plural.

Example: There’s some milk in the fridge.

Is there any sugar left?
I need some new clothes.

We can use “some” or “any” when the quantity is not being

specified.

“Some” appears in affirmative sentences:

Examples: There are some snacks on the table.
I bought some potatoes

“Any” appears in questions (except for situations described in the

previous point)

Examples: Have you got any friends in Canada?

Are there any questions?

Much and Many

“Much” and “many” refer to a greater quantity.

“Much” appears before uncountable nouns, “many” describe
countable nouns:

I haven’t got much time. My train leaves in 15 minutes.

Many women were waiting to see a famous actor.

Interrogative Determiners:

Interrogative adjectives (also called interrogative determiners)

are words that modify a noun or pronoun to form a question (e.g.,
“Which shirt do you like?”). The three interrogative adjectives are
“which,” “what,” and “whose.”

Examples: What book will you read next?

Which shirt looks best?

Whose phone is this?

Which one do you like?

Exercises

Q1: Fill in the blanks with Numeral Determiners—one, two,

some, any, little, few, all, both, much, many, several, etc.:

1. How ………….. money do you want?

 2. Have you read ………….. stories?
3. I have read………….. short stories in Hindi but
only ………….. in English.
4. I read the letter again and noticed that there were…………..
mistakes in it.
5. How ………….. milk do you take every day?
6. There are………….. countries in the world where the population
is not growing fast.
7. Would you lend me your watch for ………….. days?
8. Do you have …………. complaint against the clerk?
9. There are ………….. eggs in the basket, but there isn’t …………..
butter.
10. ………….. care could have prevented the accident.
11. ………….. of the boys has broken this window pane.
12. I have already spent the ………….. rupees you gave me.
13. ………….. the husband and wife are members of this club.
14. ………….. the customers insisted that the shopkeeper must
provide them full measure.
15. The story was published in ………….. the local newspapers.

Q2. Fill in the blanks with suitable determiners:

1. There was ………….. accident near …………. central market

this morning. ………….. car hit ………….. scooter
and ………….. man on ………….. scooter was killed.
2. …………..postman put ………….. letter under ………….. front
door just ………….. hour after you had left.
3. A cup of tea may seem ………….. ordinary thing to …………..
of us in India. But drinking tea is ………….. ritual which is
taken very seriously in ………….. Japanese homes.
4. ………….. king fought bravely but he was defeated
by ………….. enemies. ………….. defeated warrior
left ………….. battlefield and hid in ………….. is cave.
5. ………….. people came to ………….. site where the
revolutionary general was to be hanged. When asked if he
had ………….. desire, ………….. smile ran on ………….. dry
Ups and he nodded his head.
6. It was ………….. grand occasion
for ………….. children ………….. of them had won prizes
and ………….. parents felt proud ………….. of them
introduced their parents to their teachers.
7. Game hunting was ………….. favourite pastime of …………..
officers of ………….. British Raj. This resulted in decrease
in ………….. number of animals in ………….. wild. Recent
environmental degradation and destruction of natural habitats
of wild animals have pushed them to ………….. brink of
extinction.